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fig1 to 3 of the drawings show a hollow housing 11 conveniently formed of top and bottom plastic sections 13 and 15 respectively which may be fastened to each other in any conventional manner . the housing is relatively flat and rectangular in shape and has a handle opening 17 formed at one end thereof . a depressed well 19 of generally rectangular shape is formed on the upper surface of the top housing section 13 and is adapted to receive and register a songcard 21 ( shown in fig5 ) relative to the housing . a slide 23 is mounted on the housing and is adapted to be moved across the depressed well 19 in the directions shown by the arrows in fig2 . the slide is preferably formed of a transparent material and has a guide line 25 formed thereon . one end of the slide has a u - shaped clamp 27 fastened thereto which clamps fits over the edge of the housing in the manner shown in fig3 . a support 29 for electrical contacts 31 and 33 ( shown in fig3 and 6 ) is attached to the opposite end of the slide and extends into the interior of the housing 11 where the contacts can be moved along the lengths of the stationary electrical contacts 35 , 37 and 39 of the &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; circuit and 41 and 73 of the &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; circuit which form part of the switching array and are shown in fig6 and 7 . these circuits may be conveniently formed on the surfaces of a printed circuit board ( not shown ) which is positioned in the housing in alignment with the path of travel of the slide electrical contacts support 29 . cantilevered finger operated levers 42 and 43 are molded in the top section 13 of the housing 11 . as shown in detail for lever 42 in fig4 each lever has a finger engaging button 45 on its upper surface and a downwardly extending leg 47 which engages a momentarily actuable switch , preferably a laminated plastic electric switch , which is not shown other than in the schematic of fig7 . slidable handles 49 and 51 are mounted on the top section 13 of the housing and are used to operate electrical switches of the instrument which are shown in the schematic of fig7 . a grill 53 shown in fig1 and 4 is formed in the top section 13 of the housing 11 and provides openings into the interior of the housing to permit the escape of heat and sound therefrom . an irregularly shaped raised surface 55 shown in fig3 is located along one side of the tip section of the housing beneath one end of the slide 23 and is adapted to receive a decal 56 shown in fig6 which identifies special effects which may be obtained at various positions of the slide and the switch functions for lever 42 and handle 49 . a songcard 21 is shown somewhat schematically in fig5 . printed on a surface of the songcard , which may be made of card stock , heavy paper or plastic , are a start position 57 and an &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; end &# 34 ; position 59 connected by a printed trace line 61 . the start and end positions are located on one side of the songcard in alignment with each other relative to the slide guide line 25 . the trace line connects notes 63 which are printed on the songcard . the notes may be of different shapes such as circles or dots or even colors to indicate different durations , etc . but all notes of the same frequency will be positioned so that they will be aligned with the slide guide 25 . the notes will vary in frequency from the left hand side of the songcard to the right hand side as shown in the drawings . printed instructions , art work and words for the songs may also be printed on the songcards but are not shown in the drawing for clarity of illustration . the alignment of the stationary electrical contacts of the array circuits a and b with the instruments and other effects listed on the decal 56 and the columns of indicia 63 representing notes of different frequencies on the songcards 21 is dispicted in fig5 and 6 of the drawings . for example , when the guide line 25 of the slide 23 is aligned with the indicia on decal 56 labeled &# 34 ; special effects 2 &# 34 ; and with a column of indicia 63 on the songcard , it is aligned with one of the stationary electrical contacts of path 39 of array circuit a . the movable electrical contact 31 of the slide is in electrical engagement with this stationary contact . for convenience of illustration , this alignment is shown by reference line c in fig5 and 6 . normally , the notes indicated by the indicia 63 on the songcard will be played . however , if lever 43 has been actuated to close switch 165 ( hereinafter described ) the notes will be played in the voice of special effects 2 . the array circuits a and b and the circuitry connecting these circuits to a power source 65 , a digital state machine 67 and a loudspeaker 69 are shown in fig6 and 7 . the power source 65 consists of five aa batteries arranged in series to provide a 7 . 5 volt dc output . an on / off switch 71 operated by slidable handle 51 is connected to the negative side of the power source and to the common ground connector 73 . the digital state machine 67 includes a microprocessor 75 . a suitable microprocessor is a cop421 manufactured by national semiconductor corp . of santa clara , calif . and further described in their bulletin cop420 / 421 single - chip n - channel microcontrollers . this microprocessor has 24 pins or leads numbered 1 through 24 . lead 1 is a ground lead and connects to the common 73 of the device circuit , symbolized by 0 v ( zero volts , therefore the potential reference point for all circuit voltages ). this circuit common 73 connects to the negative most lead 77a of the 5 aa cells 65 through on / off switch 71 . the positive most lead 77b of the 5 aa cells 65 connects to 1 / 2 amp silicon power diode 79 , which offers protection against damage from accidental polarity reversal , to positive supply bus 81 . capacitor 83 , an aluminum electrolytic 100 microfarad capacitor rated at 10 working volts connects between buses 81 and 73 providing power supply decoupling and filtering . transistor 84 , a motorola mps2222 , drives speaker 69 through external speaker jack plug 85 via connecting leads 87 and 89 . plugging an external speaker into jack plug 85 disconnects speaker 69 and transfers the output to the external speaker . transistor 91 , a motorola mpsa20 , drives transistor 84 . resistor 93 , 4700 ohms , acts as a base return for 84 . transistor 95 , a motorola mpsa70 pnp drives transistor 91 with 10 kilohm resistor 97 acting as an emitter load for transistor 95 . all three transistors are connected as emitter followers , and act to transform the 8 ohm impedance of speaker 69 to a value in the several hundred thousand ohm region . capacitor 99 , preferably a 0 . 0033 microfarad ceramic or polyester , and resistor 101 , preferably a 47 kilohm resistor , connect in series from the base of transistor 95 to the 0 v buss 73 , act to modify the frequency response of the amplifier system for a more pleasant sound . resistors 103 and 105 adjust both the amplitude and voltage offset at the input to the amplifier comprising 95 , 91 , 84 and associated parts , so as to obtain linear amplitude performance . voltage on conductor 107 is applied to 10 kilohm resistors 109 and 111 which connect respectively to 220 kilohm resistor 113 and 100 kilohm resistor 115 . the voltage at 117 , the base of transistor 95 will depend on the voltage applied to 107 and the states of the microprocessor output on 75 - pin 24 also called d0 which connects to the junction of 111 and 115 and is an open collector ( sinking ) output , and the output on 75 - pin 23 also called d1 which connects to the junction of 109 and 113 and is similarly open collector ( sinking ). when these outputs are on ( conducting ), the voltage at 117 is the offset voltage established by 103 and 105 . when either output is off ( non - conducting ), its respective resistor branch contributes a current proportional to the voltage at 107 thus creating a voltage at 117 which drives speaker 69 . when d0 and d1 switch on and off at audio rates , the speaker 69 is driven at those audio frequencies . thus , one or two basic audio pulse rates are possible since d0 and d1 can have different switching rates , and three different drive amplitudes are possible for any given voltage at 107 since the two branches have differing resistors . stated another way , the microprocessor output ports d0 and d1 establish the audio waveform . since the audio drive is proportional to the voltage at 107 , this voltage establishes the audio envelope ( attack , amplitude , and decay , etc .) resistors 119 , 121 , 123 and 125 of values 100 kilohms , 220 kilohms , 470 kilohms and 1 megohm respectively , and connected to microprocessor ports l7 75 - pin 5 , l6 75 - pin 6 , l5 75 - pin 7 and l4 75 - pin 8 , respectively , form a 4 - bit dac ( digital - to - analog convertor ). the voltage at common point 127 will be a function of the input state to this dac . conductor 129 connects common point 127 to microprocessor port d3 75 - pin 21 . this open collector ( sinking ) output port when conducting will override the dac output , forcing the voltage at 127 to zero and silencing the output from the speaker . conductor 131 connects microprocessor output port d2 75 - pin 22 to common point 127 through 1n914 type diode 133 . when open collector ( sinking ) output d2 is off , resistor 135 applies current from positive buss 81 to common point 127 through diode 133 , overriding the dac and causing full output from 127 . 4 . 7 kilohm resistor 137 and capacitor 139 of value 0 . 22 microfarads and preferably polyester , form a low pass filter to stop extreme transients from reaching the base of transistor 141 , a motoroal mpsa20 . transistor 141 and its emitter load 143 , a 10 kilohm resistor , act as an emitter follower to transfer the voltage from the filter 137 - 139 to line 107 . thus , the audio waveform envelope is determined by the states at microprocessor ports d2 , d3 , l4 , l5 , l6 and l7 . d3 conducting ( logic zero ) turning all sound off ( immediate cutoff ) and overriding the other ports , d2 turning sound full on at an attack rate limited by 135 , 137 and 139 , and overriding all except d3 , and l4 , l5 , l6 , and l7 establishing attack rate , decay rate , and amplitude provided d2 is conducting ( logic zero ) and d3 is non - conducting ( logic one ). microprocessor 75 has a clock rate which is established by 10 kilohm resistor 145 connected from positive bus 81 to clock input pin ( also called cki ) 75 - pin 3 and 100 picofarad capacitor 147 , ceramic , mica , or polyester , connected from cki pin 75 - pin 3 to 0 v bus 73 . this clock rate is modified ( modulated ) by current flowing through 47 kilohm resistor 149 connected from 75 - pin 3 to the common point 151 to a dac consisting of 47 kilohm resistor 153 , 100 kilohm resistor 155 and 220 kilohm resistor 157 , driven respectively by microprocessor ports l3 75 - pin 10 , l2 75 - pin 11 , and l1 75 - pin 12 . a 2 . 2 microfarad aluminum electrolytic capacitor 159 connects from the common point of the dac 151 to 0 v bus 73 and thus filters the voltage at 151 causing the frequency modulation of the microprocessor clock to be substantially triangular with time ( approximately linear frequency versus time ). this modulation of the microprocessor clock will in turn time modulate all internal processes and thus all microprocessor produced signals providing such effects as vibrato . 75 - pin 9 is the vcc input for the microprocessor and connects to positive buss 81 as does reset pin 75 - pin 4 . clock output cko 75 - pin 2 and si input port 75 - pin 14 are not used . port g3 75 - pin 20 is used as an input and connects to bus 73 through switch 161 operated by lever 41 signalling the microprocessor to produce either notes selected by pausing the selector , or all notes passed over by the selector ( glissando ). port g2 75 - pin 19 is used as an input and connects to bus 73 through switch 163 operated by slidable handle 49 which signals the microprocessor to change to a new instrument simulation by being momentarily closed . this feature is used in conjuction with the orchestra feature . port l0 75 - pin 13 is used as an input and connects to bus 73 through switch 165 operated by lever 43 which signals the microprocessor to select ( set ) an instrument to be simulated by being momentarily closed . ports g1 , sk , and s0 , 75 - pin 18 , 75 - pin 16 , and 75 - pin 15 respectively are used as outputs to drive ( scan ) switch contacts 31 and conductors 39 , 37 and 35 respectively , all of which are parts of the array switch . ports l1 through l7 75 - pins ( 12 , 11 , 10 , 8 , 7 , 6 , 5 respectively ) are used as inputs from scan lines 39 , 37 and 35 . the electrical contact 31 of the slide 23 engages one of the stationary contacts 35 , 37 or 39 and one of the stationary contacts 166 which is connected to a particular one of pins 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 or 12 . this 3 - to - 7 switch array has 21 possible single contact states which are established by the position of the slide contact 31 , each state representing either a note or an instrument selection , depending on the state of switch 165 . a closure of switch 165 selects an instrument ( or orchestra instrument group ) based on the position of the slide contact . if switch 165 is open , then the slide contact 31 selects notes . port g0 75 - pin 17 is used as an input and connects to bus 73 . as slide contact 31 moves between selection positions , contact 33 momentarily connects buss 41 to bus 73 , signalling the microprocessor 75 that a new selection of note will shortly occur . capacitor 167 connects from bus 41 to bus 73 and has a value of 2 . 2 microfarads . this capacitor insures that the bus 41 will remain at a low voltage long enough for the microprocessor to record it . resistor 169 protects the internal circuit in case of a short in an external speaker , and has a preferred value of 22 ohms . a typical operating program for microprocessor 75 is located at the end of this specification . an explanation of this program identified by line number is as follows : the program source code is written in national semi - conductor &# 39 ; s macro - assembler language for its cop421 microprocessor . lines 1 - 5 instruct the assembler as to title , printing instructions , chip ( microprocessor ) type , and force a noassemble condition for the following blocks lines 19 - 169 ( an alternative to line - by - line comment symbols ). lines 36 - 39 adapt the code to either an old ( oldpc = 1 ) or new ( oldpc = 0 ) pc board layout . final product uses the new layout , thus oldpc = 0 . this selection affects lines 153 through 169 which provides two alternative sets of assignments depending on pc layout . lines 41 through 110 assign names to the various ram cells of the cop 421 . these cells can then be referred to in the assembly code by name . lines 113 through 150 similarly assign a variety of names for convenience in writing assembly code . lines 171 through 183 constitute a macro which does the manipulation necessary to prepare a &# 34 ; voice &# 34 ; table . lines 187 through 199 start the code proper . these lines clear the ram to all 0 &# 39 ; s . lines 632 through 765 and 953 - 961 initialize the parameters which cause the music to have the characteristics of a specific instrument . 632 - 649 are common to all instruments . 650 - 653 do an indirect jump based on the contents of the leval ram cell ( low evaluation ). the jump will go to an instrument such as violin ( line 655 ) or cello ( line 667 ) with the table at 539 - 555 controlling the jump destination . the parameters dealt with include amplitude , swell , decay , vibrato , staccato , wow , voice , pitch , and special effects . after setting the instrument by initializing the appropriate ram cell values , the code jumps to dsng lines 202 - 236 , 851 - 857 , 923 - 927 , and 950 - 952 . the first time through , this code plays a little ` song ` in the voice of the first instrument ( piano ). the song is stored at the song table 919 - 921 . after playing the song , this code sets sngcnt to cause future passes to skip playing the song . lines 240 - 268 read a note from the keyboard . sldcnt is a ram counter telling time elapsed since the slide moved to a new note . it controls the transition to a new note . rdnt clears this nibble of ram and then reads the keyboard ( subroutine rdkb ). 250 tests the glissando bit ( input g3 ) to control the between notes delay ( sub dlymax ). 255 - 256 clear the elapsed time register ( lelptm / helptm ) which keeps track of time since last note was changed and cause return to the song after an interval to protect against battery exhaustion due to the player forgetting the unit is turned on . 258 - 260 clear a ram timer . 262 - 267 handle the change of instruments in orchestra mode , along with 1388 through 1402 . lines 271 through 338 , and 1364 through 1382 set the parameters needed to produce a new note . these include the base pitch from which the note pitch will be calculated ( 278 - 289 ), the special effects mechanism which utilizes an escape nibble and manipulates bpitch according to a table at lines 774 through 783 which is read by the sub at lines 795 - 797 , said special effects being setup by 290 through 301 , the decay and swell mechanisms handled by lines 302 - 329 , the establishment of the new note value handled by 330 through 338 and 1364 through 1372 which call the sub stndl ( set tone delay ) at lines 889 through 910 . this sub reads the note table at 866 through 883 . finally 1373 through 1382 set pointers to the voice table which is located at 936 through 949 and establishes the output waveform and thus the timbre . lines 339 through 531 are the subroutine pages and include math subroutines ( complement , add , subtract , etc . ), delay subroutines which insert instructions to cause time delay to equalize the running times through various paths to prevent jitter in the note production , and specialized subroutines . notice that the dly 13 subs chain for word usage efficiency . the jsd 13 subs do a delay and then go to spkout instead of doing a subroutine return . these subs are used as equalizers in the note production path and not as general purpose delays . they use the subroutine mechanism as an efficiency convenience ( one - byte call ) and not as a true subroutine . this is a novel feature of this program . prrdl ( 441 - 442 , 471 - 475 , and 486 - 491 ) prepares for a read of the l port . rdlp ( 444 - 445 , 476 - 491 ) reads the l port . these subs return through a delay for word usage efficiency only . evby ( 447 - 449 and 494 through 517 ) evaluates the l port read by reducing the input image which has been read into a byte of ram to a number in a nibble . the subroutine rdkb at lines 557 - 602 does all portions of the keyboard read and evaluation , calling subs to clear the receiving nibble , prepare to read the l port , setting the keyboard strobe ( so , sk , or g1 ), calling sub to read l , and evaluating the resulting byte . since the keyboard is based on only one closure per note , the first closure ends the read . if no closure is found , the read routine loops and continues looking ( line 586 ). when rlrdkb ram register overflows , the loop terminates by jumping to mrest ( rest ), lines 603 - 611 which set dmask to o to silence the sound and then jump to the sound producing loop ( which will now however be silent ) which loop monitors slide for signs of activity . the sound producing loop begins at 966 . lines 966 through 993 produce an output at the d port to create the desired audio waveform in accordance with the voice table and produce an output at the l port to drive the amplitude and frequency modulation dac &# 39 ; s . ( dac = digital - to - analog convertor ). the code continues with 999 through 1018 which is a time delay generator and produces a delay in accordance with the note value desired thus setting the time around the loop and the pitch . this delay scheme uses a delay sub dly251 at 1341 through 1353 and a delay sub dela11 at 1359 through 1362 . the tone delay exits to l1ml at 1064 . tmflgs , a ram flag controls the flow to either timer or task . as long as the flag is one , the flow is to timer , at 1023 , where a real time clock is tested ( skt ) and if expired , then the real time timer nibbles in ram ( ltimer , htimer ) are updated and the tmflgs is set for task . at each pass through the timer go is tested to see if the slide has moved . if the slide is low ( go low ) then sldcnt is set to 1 . if the slide is up ( go high ) sldcnt is tested . if it was zero , no change is made ( go must go low before sldcnt can advance ). if it was one , it is set to two . if it was two or more , it is left as was . in glissando mode , if the count is two or more , the timer goes to dsng to begin a new keyboard read . otherwise , timer exits to spkout for another loop . if ml goes to do task , then the program will jump through a task table , based on the contents of ltimer the real time timer . thus each real time advance returns the flow through do task and causes the next task to execute . in between tasks the flow is through timer waiting for the real time clock . because of this , the tasks execute at a fixed rate regardless of the note pitch ( the rate of the loop being inversely proportional to the pitch ). lines 1073 and 1074 cause the jump through the table at 1082 through 1086 . not all of the jumps are normally used . there are sixteen jump designations in four lines and the ltimer accesses them in order as it goes from 0 through 15 , but task sert ( service timer ) resets the timer to 2 , so the last two sert tasks would not normally be reached nor would the leading two serts . elpt 1140 through 1151 advances the elapsed timer to operate the warning tune is the instrument is left unused but with power on . swll 1203 through 1231 operates the swell mechanism causing the sound to swell from said initial value to full amplitude at some rate , provided swell is called for based on the init . if wow is called for , wwow 1237 - 1247 causes the amplitude to wow up and down . telp 1267 - 1283 tests the elapsed timer and if it overflows jumps to start causing the initial song to play and warning the user that power is still on . if decay is called for ddec 1119 - 1138 provides it , causing the amplitude to decay at some rate . tsls 1172 - 1180 tests for a call for new instrument . if lo was read in low into llin lines 1177 - 1180 jump to dset 613 - 631 , which reads the keyboard for the new instrument information and goes to init . if g2 is low lines 1173 - 1176 set a memory flag and if in orchestra mode than an instrument change will occur on the next new note . sldc 1185 - 1200 tests slide count , ( ram cell sldcnt ) and if it is not equal to zero advances it . if it overflows , the program branches to dsng and a new note . tesc 1255 - 1264 tests htimer and escape and escapes the loop to desc for special effects . desc lines 799 through 850 , and 1284 through 1314 create the special effects such as ping - ponging between two notes , producing a short lead note , producing a twang in front of a note , and producing a cascade of notes up or down the scale . the foregoing program may be modified if the production microprocessors vary from the prototype . while the foregoing describes a preferred embodiment , many other embodiments within the spirit of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art . ## spc1 ## ## spc2 ## ## spc3 ## ## spc4 ##	6
to enable separate color reproduction / adjustment for skin tones , as opposed to other content , a method and / or architecture is provided by the present invention to separately control a skin color reproduction for colors represented by skin tones . the present invention differs from conventional methods in that no transforms or color conversions are generally utilized . furthermore , a separate conventional contour reduction step may be eliminated as a discontinuity - free color warping technique of the present invention generally avoids contour artifacts . since the color warping technique operates directly upon native chroma samples of individual pixels ( e . g ., operates with a cb component and a cr component in a ycbcr space ) and does not in any way depend upon luminance data or surrounding pixels , the data processing criteria and complexity of the present invention may be reduced compared with conventional methods . the complexity reduction is particularly true for video , which is often represented in sub - sampled chroma formats ( e . g ., 4 : 2 : 0 and 4 : 2 : 2 for consumer and professional video respectively ). the lack of discontinuities and / or highly nonlinear mappings and an avoidance of area segmentation generally makes the present invention extremely stable for video correction . in some embodiments , a more perceptually uniform mapping may be done in yu ′ v ′ space in place of the ycbcr space . referring to fig1 , a diagram of an example system 100 is shown in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the system ( or assembly ) 100 may be referred to as a tone conversion system . the tone conversion system 100 generally comprises a circuit ( or module ) 102 and a circuit ( or module ) 104 . an input signal ( e . g ., vin ) may be received by the circuit 102 . a luminance signal ( e . g ., y ) may be transferred from the circuit 102 to the circuit 104 . multiple color signals ( e . g ., cb 0 , cr 0 , cb 3 and cr 3 ) may also be transferred from the circuit 102 to the circuit 104 . the circuit 104 may generate and present an output signal ( e . g ., vout ). the circuit 102 may be referred to as a correction circuit . the correction circuit 102 may be operational to adjust one or more regions of a color space to correct skin tones , natural colors and / or any arbitrary color region . the signal vin may be one or more analog video signals and / or one or more digital video signals . the signal vin generally comprises a sequence of progressive - format frames and / or interlace - format fields . the signal vin may include synchronization signals suitable for synchronizing a display with the video information . the signal vin may be generated in analog form as , but is not limited to , an eia - 770 ( e . g ., ycrcb ) signal . in digital form , the signal vin may be generated as , but is not limited to , a high definition multimedia interface ( hdmi ) signal , a digital video interface ( dvi ) signal , a bt . 601 signal , and / or a bt . 656 signal . the signal vin may be formatted as a standard definition signal or a high definition signal . the signal vout may be one or more analog video signals and / or one or more digital video signals . the signal vout generally comprises a sequence of progressive - format frames and / or interlace - format fields . the signal vout may include synchronization signals suitable for synchronizing a display with the video information . the signal vout may be generated in analog form as , but is not limited to , an rgb ( red , green , blue ) signal , an eia - 770 ( e . g ., ycrcb ) signal , an s - video signal and / or a composite video baseband signal ( cvbs ). in digital form , the signal vout may be generated as , but is not limited to , a high definition multimedia interface ( hdmi ) signal , a digital video interface ( dvi ) signal , a bt . 601 signal and / or a bt . 656 signal . the signal vout may be formatted as a standard definition signal or a high definition signal . the signal y generally represents a luminance component of the video in the signal vin . the signals cb 0 and cb 3 may carry first color ( e . g ., blue ) components of the video . the signals cr 0 and cr 3 may carry second color ( e . g ., red ) components of the video . generally , the signals cb 0 and cr 0 represent color information unmodified by the circuit 102 . the signals cb 3 and cr 3 may carry corrected color information for the video . referring to fig2 , a diagram of an example region 120 in a joint color space 122 is shown . a basic method of color tone correction implemented by the correction circuit 102 generally comprises a chroma - sample ( only ) process . a skin tone recognition may be performed in the joint color space 122 ( e . g ., a cb , cr color space ). the recognition may be performed on pixels having colors that fall within the skin tone recognition region ( or zone ) 120 in the joint color space 122 . a shape of the region 120 may include , but is not limited to , a rectangle ( for simplicity ) as the detection / recognition zone . other region shapes such as ellipses , ovals and hexagons may be implemented for an alternative detection performance . in some embodiments , the shape , location and number of regions 120 may be predetermined . in other embodiments , the shape , locations and / or numbers of regions 120 may be calculated during operation . the skin tone processing performed by the correction circuit 102 is generally done jointly on the cb value and the cr value of the recognized samples . the input used from the signal vin for the processing may be limited to the cb value and the cr value of a current ( pixel ) sample to produce a corrected value for the current sample . the colors of neighboring pixels may be ignored in calculating the corrected values for the current sample . a single desired color pair 124 ( e . g ., ( mapcb , mapcr )) may be identified as an “ ideal ” representative color point for all samples with colors within the detection region 120 . the cb value and the cr value of samples within the detection region 120 may be mapped through piecewise linear functions , which may greatly simplifying the implementation . nonlinear functions may also be implemented to meet the criteria of a particular application . samples that are within an inner boundary 126 of the detection region 120 may be moved closer to the ideal color pair 124 by a fixed fraction . the inner boundary 126 may define a central region 128 . the movement may relocate each of the cr values and the cb values twice as close to the ideal color value 124 compared with the original cr values and the original cb values . for example an original ( cb , cr ) color sample 130 within the central region 128 may be moved to a position 132 . movement in the central region 128 typically has a linear slope of less than 1 . a boundary region 134 may be defined within the detection region 120 and outside the central region 128 . samples ( e . g ., a sample 136 ) falling within the boundary region 134 may be mapped to the other samples within the detection region 120 continuously , such that the entire input color region is spanned by the output color region . a transition region 138 may be defined along a perimeter of the detection region 120 . the transition region 138 generally allows for a continuous blending ( warping ) of the color space 122 from inside the detection region 120 to outside the detection region 120 . referring again to fig1 , the correction circuit 102 generally comprises a circuit ( or module ) 140 , one or more circuits ( or modules ) 142 a - 142 n and a circuit ( or module ) 144 . the signal vin may be received by the circuit 140 . the circuit 140 may transfer the signals y , cb 0 and cr 0 to the conversion circuit 104 . the circuits 142 a - 142 n may transfer the signals cb 3 and cr 3 to the conversion circuit 104 . each of the circuit 142 a - 142 n may receive a pair of signals ( e . g ., ( cb 1 a , cr 1 a ) through ( cb 1 n , cr 1 n ) respectively ) from the circuit 140 . the circuit 144 may transfer information to each of the circuits 142 a - 142 n . the circuit 140 may be referred to as a separation circuit . the separation circuit 140 may be operational to separate the pixels received in the signal vin based on the positions in the color space 122 . each of the circuits 142 a - 142 n may be referred to as a mapping circuit . each of the mapping circuits 142 a - 142 n may be operational to map the samples received from the separator circuit 140 within a different detection region 120 . each different detection region 120 , central region 128 , boundary region 134 and ideal color point 124 may be based on the information provided from the circuit 144 . the circuit 144 may be referred to as a memory circuit . the memory circuit 144 may store ( e . g ., permanently or dynamically ) the information defining one or more detection regions 120 . in some embodiments , the mapping information may be designed into the mapping circuits 142 a - 142 n . the conversion circuit 104 generally comprises a circuit ( or module ) 146 and a circuit ( or module ) 148 . the circuit 146 may receive the signals y , cb 0 and cr 0 from the separator circuit 140 . the signals cb 3 and cr 3 may be received by the circuit 146 from the mapping circuits 142 a - 142 n . the circuit 148 may present the signal vout . the circuit 146 may transfer a signal ( e . g ., vout ′) to the circuit 148 . the circuit 146 may be referred to as a combine circuit . the combine circuit 146 may be operational to generate the signal vout ′ by combining the sample data from the signals y , cb 0 , cr 0 , cb 3 and cr 3 . each pixel in the signal vout ′ may be a combination of a luminance value in the signal y and two color values from either the signals cb 0 , cr 0 or the signals cb 3 , cr 3 ( from the appropriate mapping circuit 142 a - 142 n ). hence , the samples in the signal vout ′ may be in the original color space ( e . g ., ycbcr ) as the samples in the signal vin . the circuit 148 may be referred to as a color space conversion circuit . the color space conversion circuit 148 may be operational to change the color space of the signal vout ′ to create the signal vout . in some embodiments , the color space conversion circuit 148 may be present to achieve an intended output color space ( e . g ., an rgb color space ) in the signal vout . in other embodiments , the color space conversion circuit 148 may be absent where the ycbcr color space is the intended output color space ( e . g ., vout = vout ′). referring to fig3 , a flow diagram of an example correction method 150 for processing a sample is shown . the method ( or process ) 150 may be referred to as a correction method . the correction method 150 generally comprises a step ( or block ) 152 , a step ( or block ) 154 and a step ( or block ) 156 . the step 154 generally comprises a step ( or block ) 160 , a step ( or block ) 162 , a step ( or block ) 164 , a step ( or block ) 166 , a step ( or block ) 168 , a step ( or block ) 170 , a step ( or block ) 172 , a step ( or block ) 174 , a step ( or block ) 176 and a step ( or block ) 178 . the correction method 150 may ( i ) be described in terms of a single detection region 120 , ( ii ) refer to the signals cb 1 a - cb 1 n and cr 1 a - cr 1 n generically as cb 1 and cr 1 and ( iii ) use the mapping circuit 142 a as a representative example . in the step 152 , the separator circuit 140 may separate each individual incoming sample into a luminance value in the signal y , a blue color value in a signal cb 1 and a red color value in the signal cr 1 . in the step 154 , the mapping circuit 142 a may correct the blue color value and the red color value to a new blue color value in the signal cb 3 and a new red color value in the signal cr 3 . in the step 156 , the combine circuit 146 may reunite the new blue color value and the new red color value with the luminance value to generate a mapped sample in the signal vout ′. in more detail , the skin tone detection region 120 may contain samples ( cb , cr ) such that cb ε [ olbnd . . . orbnd ] and cr ε [ obbnd . . . otbnd ]. the parameters olbnd , orbnd , obbnd and otbnd may define an outside left boundary , an outside right boundary , an outside bottom boundary and an outside top boundary respectively of the skin tone region 120 . the central region 128 may contain samples ( cb , cr ) such that cb ε [ ilbnd . . . irbnd ] and cr ε [ ibbnd . . . itbnd ], where ( i ) bnd = 16 or 24 or 32 and ( ii ) ilbnd = olbnd + bnd , irbnd = orbnd − bnd , ibbnd = obbnd + bnd and itbnd = otbnd − bnd . the parameters ilbnd , irbnd , ibbnd and itbnd may define an inside left boundary , an inside right boundary , an inside bottom boundary and an inside top boundary respectively of the central region 128 . the transition region 138 may contain samples within a distance ( e . g ., tbnd ) of the perimeter of the skin tone region 120 . the parameter tbnd may have a typical value of 16 or 24 or 32 . the “ ideal ” skin tone point 124 is generally contained within the center region 128 at the position ( mapcb , mapcr ). the correction step 154 generally comprises four groups of steps , labeled a 1 , a 2 , b 1 and b 2 in the figure . the group a 1 generally comprises the steps 160 - 164 . the group a 2 generally comprises the steps 166 and 168 . the group b 1 generally comprises the steps 170 - 174 . the group b 2 generally comprises the steps 176 and 178 . for each sample ( cb , cr ) in the skin tone region 120 , an adjusted output ( e . g ., ( cb 3 , cr 3 )) may be computed by the mapping circuit 142 a per the steps below . for each sample ( cb , cr ) not in the skin tone region 120 , the output may be the same as the input ( e . g ., cb 3 = cb 1 and cr 3 = cr 1 ). generally , the luminance value in not modified , otherwise skin race may be corrupted . in the step 160 , the mapping circuit 142 a generally scales a blue color value cb 1 within the central region 128 ( e . g ., cb ε [ ilbnd . . . irbnd ]) towards the ideal mapcb by a scale factor cbscale per equation 1 as follows : in some embodiments , the scale factor cbscale may have a fixed value ( e . g ., cbscale = 0 . 5 ). in the step 162 , a blue color value cb 1 within a left side of the boundary region 134 ( e . g ., cb ε [ olbnd . . . ilbnd ]) may be scaled to make the mapping continuous per equation 2 as follows : cb 2 =( cb 1 − olbnd )×( bnd +( map cb − ilbnd )× cb scale )/ bnd + olbnd eq . 2 in the step 164 , a blue color value cb 1 within a right side of the boundary region 134 ( e . g ., cb ε [ irbnd . . . orbnd ]) may also be scaled to make the mapping continuous per equation 3 as follows : cb 2 =( cb 1 − orbnd )×( bnd +( irbnd − map cb )× cb scale )/ bnd + orbnd eq . 3 within the transition region 138 , a gradual blending of the mapping transition may be performed in a continuous way per equations 4 and 5 as follows : cb adjust = min ( tbnd , min ( otbnd − cr 1 , cr 1 − obbnd )) eq . 4 cb 3 =( cb 2 × cb adjust + cb 1 ×( tbnd − cb adjust ))/ tbnd eq . 5 the corrected blue color value may then be ready for recombination with the luminance component by the combine circuit 146 ( e . g ., the step 156 ). in the step 170 , the mapping circuit 142 a generally scales a red color value cr 1 within the central region 128 ( e . g ., cr ε [ ibbnd . . . itbnd ]) towards the ideal mapcr by a scale factor crscale per equation 6 as follows : in some embodiments , the scale factor crscale may have a fixed value of 0 . 5 . in the step 172 , a red color value cr 1 within a bottom side of the boundary region 134 ( e . g ., cr ε [ obbnd . . . ibbnd ] may be scaled to make the mapping continuous per equation 7 as follows : cr 2 =( cr 1 − obbnd )×( bnd +( map cr − ibbnd )× cr scale )/ bnd + obbnd eq . 7 in the step 174 , a red color value cr 1 within a top side of the boundary region 134 ( e . g ., cr ε [ itbnd . . . otbnd ]) may also be scaled to make the mapping continuous per equation 8 as follows : cr 2 =( cr 1 − otbnd )×( bnd +( itbnd − map cr )× cr scale )/ bnd + otbnd eq . 8 within the transition region 138 , a gradual blending of the mapping transition may be performed in a continuous way per equations 9 and 10 as follows : cr adjust = min ( tbnd , min ( orbnd − cb 3 , cb 3 − olbnd )) eq . 9 cr 3 =( cr 2 * cr adjust + cr 1 *( tbnd − cr adjust ))/ tbnd eq . 10 to be completely continuous , equation 9 generally use cb 3 instead of cb 1 . the corrected red color value may then be ready for recombination with the luminance component and the blue component by the combine circuit 146 ( e . g ., the step 156 ). in some embodiments , the correction method 150 may complete the processing of the blue value cb 3 before completing the processing of the red value cr 3 . the step groups a 1 and b 1 may be performed in substantially simultaneously in parallel . however , the step group b 2 depends on the value of cb 3 , thus the step group a 2 should be completed before the step group b 2 starts . in other embodiments , the correction method 150 may be implemented to complete the processing of the red value cr 3 before the blue value cb 3 . as before , the step groups a 1 and b 1 may be performed substantially simultaneously . however , equation pairs ( i ) 4 and 5 and ( ii ) 9 and 10 may be modified such that ( i ) the step group a 2 depends on cb 2 and cr 3 ( ii ) the step group b 2 depends on cr 2 and cb 1 . as such , the step group b 2 may be completed before the step group a 2 starts . referring to fig4 , a detailed block diagram of an example implementation of a mapper circuit 142 ( e . g ., circuit 142 a ) is shown . the mapper circuit 142 generally comprises a circuit ( or module ) 200 , a circuit ( or module ) 202 , a circuit ( or module ) 204 , a circuit ( or module ) 206 , a circuit ( or module ) 208 and a circuit ( or module ) 210 . the circuit 200 may receive a blue color component signal cb 1 ( e . g ., signal cb 1 a ). the circuits 202 and 204 may receive a red color component signal cr 1 ( e . g ., signal cr 1 a ). the circuit 206 may present the corrected blue color component signal cb 3 . the circuit 208 may present the corrected red color component signal cr 3 . the circuit 204 may present the blue adjustment value cbadjust to the circuit 206 . the circuit 210 may present the red adjustment value cradjust to the circuit 208 . each of the circuits 200 - 210 may be individually referred to as a lookup circuit . each lookup circuit 200 - 210 may be operational as a lookup table ( lut ). the lookup tables may be used to scale and adjust the various values from above . the scaling and adjustments may be linear and / or nonlinear , depending on the entries in the lookup tables . however , the above correction method 150 structure should still be observed . a design may process either cr 1 or cb 1 first . without loss of generality , the following assumes cb 1 is processed first . for samples ( cb , cr ) within a detection region 120 , a continuous function in the lookup circuits 200 , 204 and 206 generally maps cb 1 values within a specified range into cb 3 values in the same full range . the mapping is designed such that ( i ) a range compression about a desired “ ideal ” point and ( ii ) a range expansion away from the ideal point ( to maintain the continuous mapping ) may be achieved . the mapping may include a blending ( e . g ., in the transition region 138 ) at the boundary of cr values not within the region . the blending may be adopted such that a continuous transition between cb values that undergo the above mapping and cb values ( closer to the cr boundary ) that do not is created . similarly , an analogous process may be performed for cr values using the lookup circuits 202 , 210 and 208 . however , the final blending stage should use the already processed cb 3 values in order to maintain completely continuous mappings . for example , group a 2 follows group a 1 , group b 1 may be performed in parallel with group a 1 ( and possibly a 2 ), group b 2 follows group b 1 and group b 2 follows group a 2 . referring to fig5 , a detailed diagram of an example implementation of the separator circuit 140 is shown . the separator circuit 140 generally comprises a circuit ( or module ) 220 , a circuit ( or module ) 222 and one or more circuits ( or modules ) 224 a - 224 n . all of the circuits 220 - 224 n may receive the signals cb and cr . the circuit 220 may present a control signal ( e . g ., k 0 ) to the circuit 222 . the circuit 220 may also present one or more control signals ( e . g ., ka - kn ) to the circuits 224 a - 224 n respectively . the circuits 224 a - 224 n may generate the signal pairs cb 1 a - cb 1 n and cr 1 a - cr 1 n respectively . the circuit 220 may be referred to as a selection lookup circuit . each of the circuits 222 and 224 a - 224 n may be referred to as a pass gate ( e . g ., logical and gates ). the selection lookup circuit 220 may be operational to determine if a color pair ( cb , cr ) falls inside any of the one or more detection regions 120 or not . if not , the control signal k 0 may be asserted causing the pass gate 222 to pass the signals cb and cr through as the signals cb 0 and cb 0 . if the color pair ( cb , cr ) falls inside one or more detection regions 120 , the appropriate control signal ka - kn may be asserted such that the respective pass gates 224 a - 224 n forward the color values to the appropriate mapping circuit 142 a - 142 n . referring to fig6 a diagram of an example set of detection regions is shown . the present invention may be applied to regions of colorspace other than just skin tones . in particular , multiple ( e . g ., 3 ) parallel mapping circuits 142 a - 142 n may be implemented in a single system 100 . the separator circuit 140 may be configured to recognize and separately correct multiple ( e . g ., 3 ) different zones of hues 120 a - 120 f . for example , the system 100 may simultaneously account for a skin tone ( e . g ., “ seashell pink ”), a green tone ( e . g ., “ grass green ” and / or “ green foliage ”) and a blue tone ( e . g ., “ sky blue ” and / or “ water blue ”). generally , reds , yellows , purples and other colors may not have natural references against which many viewers may strongly judge . therefore , many natural images may appear unnatural if the color saturation is not appropriately adjusted for the skin regions , green regions and / or blue regions . furthermore , each of the regions may have the same or different shapes ( e . g ., rectangle , pie , triangle , oval , ellipse , hexagon ). the functions performed by the diagrams of fig1 , 3 , 4 and 5 may be implemented using a conventional general purpose digital computer programmed according to the teachings of the present specification , as will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art ( s ). appropriate software coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure , as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art ( s ). the present invention may also be implemented by the preparation of asics , fpgas , or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits , as is described herein , modifications of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art ( s ). the present invention thus may also include a computer product which may be a storage medium including instructions which can be used to program a computer to perform a process in accordance with the present invention . the storage medium can include , but is not limited to , any type of disk including floppy disk , optical disk , cd - rom , magneto - optical disks , roms , rams , eproms , eeproms , flash memory , magnetic or optical cards , or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions . as used herein , the term “ simultaneously ” is meant to describe events that share some common time period but the term is not meant to be limited to events that begin at the same point in time , end at the same point in time , or have the same duration . 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 scope of the invention .	6
with reference to fig4 , an antenna mount 10 in accordance with the present invention includes two rotating wedges , e . g . wedge - shaped blocks or bodies , from which the various forms of antenna steering can be implemented . in the preferred embodiment the two wedge - shaped bodies are comprised of two cylindrical wedges 11 and 12 , with the first cylindrical wedge 11 rotatably mounted on a mounting structure 13 , and the second cylindrical wedge 12 rotatably mounted on the first cylindrical wedge 11 . the first and second wedges 11 and 12 , respectively , are preferably cylindrical ; however , any other shapes are within the scope of the invention . in the illustrated embodiment , the mounting structure 13 is comprised of a mounting post 14 and a bottom plate 15 fixed on the end of the mounting post 14 ; however , other structures are within the scope of the invention . the first cylindrical wedge 11 is defined by a base 16 mounted for rotation on the mounting structure 13 , and an upper surface 17 with a flange 20 at a first acute wedge angle to the base 16 . the second cylindrical wedge 12 is defined by an upper mounting plate 18 , and a lower surface 19 parallel to the upper surface 17 . the upper mounting plate 18 is at a second acute wedge angle to the lower surface 19 . a first bearing structure 21 , e . g . a ring of ball bearings between corresponding bearing surfaces , is disposed at the interface between the first wedge 11 and the mounting structure 13 to enable free rotation therebetween . a gear set is used to drive the first wedge 11 relative to the mounting structure 13 , e . g . a 360 ° ring gear 22 with teeth extending diametrically inwardly thereof fixed to the base 16 is rotated by a spur gear 23 , which is driven by a first or lower motor 24 . the first wedge 11 is rotatable about a first axis perpendicular to the base 16 , the first axis being the same as the central longitudinal axis of the first wedge 11 . however , the second wedge 12 is rotatable about a second axis perpendicular to the lower surface 19 thereof and the upper surface 17 of the first wedge 11 , which is not the longitudinal axis of the second wedge , but at an acute angle , e . g . the wedge angle , thereto . in the illustrated embodiment , the base plate 15 is mounted horizontally on the earth ; however , in practice , the base plate 15 can be mounted in any orientation . with reference to fig5 , the reference axes , ( x r , y r , z r ), are centered in the middle of the base circular flange 20 . the z r axis points vertically and the x r axis is horizontal and in the plane that contains the z r axis and cuts through the first wedge 11 between its lowest and highest part . the positive direction of the x r axis is toward the small end of the first wedge 11 . the base plate 15 is shown as square so that it can more easily be distinguished from the first wedge 11 . similarly , a second bearing structure 26 , such as seen in fig4 , e . g . a ring of ball bearings between corresponding bearing surfaces , is disposed at the interface between the first wedge 11 and the second wedge 12 to enable free rotation therebetween . a 360 ° circular rack gear 27 with teeth extending diametrically outwardly is mounted on the lower surface 19 of the second wedge 12 , for engaging a spur gear 28 , which is driven by a second or upper motor 29 mounted on the first wedge 11 via bracket 30 . the upper mounting plate 18 includes suitable fasteners for mounting an antenna dish or flat reflect array , as is well known in the art . rotation of the first and second wedges 11 and 12 causes tilting of the upper mounting plate 18 , so as to steer the antenna in a motion like that of the elevation motors in fig2 ( a ) and 2 ( b ). the rotating - wedges 11 and 12 can be viewed as a replacement for the commonly used rotating axes or gimbals . for example , such a wedge pair 11 and 12 can be used to replace the elevation steering device in an elevation - over - azimuth configuration . in another example , the two wedges 11 and 12 can be used to replace the elevation and the cross - elevation units for the cross - elevation - over - elevation configuration . the two relatively rotating wedges 11 and 12 can be combined inline in various combinations of steering operations . the objective of the rotating wedge antenna mount in accordance with the present invention is to point an antenna over a two - dimensional region ; accordingly , it is necessary to convert the desired pointing direction , such as azimuth , elevation and cross elevation , into the relative rotation angles of the various rotating - wedge , and rotating - plate blocks . the differential angle between the second wedge 12 and the first wedge 11 gives the elevation angle . to change the elevation without changing the azimuth , the lower and upper motors 24 and 29 , respectively , must rotate by an equal angle but in the opposite direction . to change the azimuth angle alone , the upper motor 29 is used to lock the first wedge 11 to the second wedge 12 , and the lower motor 24 rotates the combined wedges 11 and 12 , so as to steer to the new azimuth angle . for the second wedge 12 , the upper motor 29 causes the two wedges 11 and 12 to rotate differentially giving the elevation scanning . for elevation scanning with fixed azimuth scanning , the first wedge 11 must rotate equally and oppositely to the rotation of the second wedge 12 . for combined azimuth and elevation scanning , both lower and upper motors 24 and 29 must be operated . in the illustrated embodiment in fig4 , the maximum wedge angle , α max , is chosen as 30 °, whereby the elevation - complement scan range is ± 60 °. a range of maximum wedge angles are within the scope of the invention , e . g . when both wedges 11 and 12 have a wedge angle , α max , of 45 ° the elevation scan can go from 90 ° ( straight up ) to 0 ° ( pointing horizontally as seen in 6 ). typically , when the wedge angles for both the first and second wedges 11 and 12 are the same , the wedge angles , α max , ideally vary between 20 ° and 45 °; however , when the wedge angles are different , the range of wedge angles can vary between 20 ° and 70 °, and typically add up to between 40 ° and 90 °. the range in azimuth is 360 °. for optimum operation , the central longitudinal axis of the first wedge 11 , shown as a dashed line in 4 , should intersect the central longitudinal axis of the second wedge 12 at the center of the interface of the second bearing 26 . otherwise the second wedge 12 will experience an undesired mutation . in the antenna mount described above , the lower motor 24 does a combined action for both elevation and azimuth steering . in alternative embodiments , illustrated in fig6 , the azimuth and elevation steering is decoupled using a three - motor configuration , including a first ( or bottom ) wedge 31 , a second ( or middle ) wedge 32 , and a third ( or top ) wedge 33 , or a four - motor configuration , which also includes a fourth wedge 34 . the mounting structure 13 , including the mounting post 14 and the bottom plate 15 can be identical to those hereinbefore described with reference to fig4 . similarly , the first wedge 31 can be rotatably mounted on the mounting structure 13 utilizing the first bearing structure 21 , and rotated utilizing the first ( lower ) motor 24 driving the spur gear 23 and the ring gear 22 , mounted on the bottom of the first wedge 31 . the second wedge 32 can be rotatably mounted on the first wedge 31 utilizing the second bearing structure 26 , and rotated utilizing the second upper motor 29 driving the spur gear 28 and the circular rack gear 27 . the third wedge 33 is mounted on the second wedge 32 utilizing a third bearing structure 36 , as hereinbefore defined . a third motor 37 , mounted on the second wedge 32 drives a third spur gear 38 on an upper circular rack gear 39 , which extends from around the bottom of the third wedge 33 . the third wedge 33 is rotated about an axis perpendicular to one end of the third wedge 33 , which is also the longitudinal axis thereof . if necessary , the fourth wedge 34 can be mounted on the third wedge 33 utilizing a fourth bearing structure 41 , similar to those hereinbefore described , and rotated by a fourth motor 42 , which drives a fourth spur gear 43 on a top circular rack gear ( not shown ) extending from around the bottom of the fourth wedge 34 . the fourth wedge 34 is rotated about an axis perpendicular to one end of the fourth wedge 34 adjacent to the outer end of the third wedge 33 , which is at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis thereof . the second and third motors 29 and 37 of the middle and top wedges 32 and 33 , perform elevation steering only . the azimuth steering could be performed by rotating the first wedge 31 or simply by rotating the mounting post 14 . the advantage of the three or four - motor systems over the two - motor systems is that the controls for driving the azimuth and elevation axes are decoupled enabling simpler control systems to be developed . for applications in which the requirement of scanning is over a relatively small two - dimensional angular range centered on a particular direction , e . g . radar antenna in the nose of an airplane , steering of the antenna mounts can be performed using a cross - elevation - over elevation configuration . cross - elevation - over - elevation steering can be implemented with the four - wedge system illustrated in fig6 , which includes two complementary pairs of rotating - wedge blocks 31 / 32 and 33 / 34 rotatable on the mounting structure 13 . the lower pair of wedges 31 / 32 performs elevation steering , while the upper wedge pair 33 / 34 performs the cross - elevation steering , and is therefore oriented so that the plane of scanning of the upper pair of wedges 33 / 34 is at 90 ° ( orthogonal ) to the scanning plane of the lower pair of wedges 31 / 32 . the fourth ( cross - elevation ) motor 42 ( shown in dashed lines ) is hidden behind the third and fourth wedges 33 and 34 . both the elevation wedges 31 / 32 and the cross - elevation wedges 33 / 34 were chosen for the example in 5 to have wedge angles of α max = 45 °; however , other wedge angles are within the scope of the invention , as hereinbefore described . with reference to fig7 , it is possible to implement the cross - elevation - over - elevation configuration of fig6 with only two motors , e . g . a first elevation motor 51 , with two drive shafts , 200 and 201 for the elevation wedge pair 31 / 32 , and a second cross - elevation motor ( not shown ) for the cross - elevation wedge pair 33 / 34 . the first elevation motor 51 drives both the first and second spur gears 23 and 28 , simultaneously , either directly , as with the first spur gear 23 , or indirectly via an angled gear box 52 . in this embodiment , the ring gear 22 is replaced by another rack gear 53 extending from around the bottom of the first wedge 31 . the lower drive shaft 200 drives the first spur gear 23 , which rotates the wedge 31 about an axis perpendicular to the base plate 15 , while the upper drive shaft 201 drives the second spur gear 28 through a 45 ° turn gear box . for the wedge angle of 45 ° used in this example , the shaft angle must also be turned by 45 °. the gearing of the gear box 52 must be such that the rotation angle of the second wedge 32 is exactly equal to in magnitude , but opposite to in direction , the rotation angle of the first wedge 31 . in the embodiments illustrated in fig4 and 6 , the scan range in both angular directions can be sufficiently small that elevation - over - azimuth steering can be operated in an approximation to a cross - elevation - over - elevation format . the usual elevation range for the two - wedge system is for θ = 0 ° to 2α max , α max being the wedge angle . however , in the region around θ = α max , i . e . in the center of the elevation steering range , the azimuth and elevation steering are approximately orthogonal . therefore , x - y ( cross - elevation - over - elevation ) steering can be achieved with the two - wedge mount 10 illustrated in fig4 via an elevation - over - azimuth system operating within a certain angular range around this central direction . the range can be extended by conversion of the desired cross - elevation - over - elevation coordinates to values of rotation of the wedges . with reference to fig8 and 9 , a first cable 81 is required to transmit dc power and motor control signals between the two ( or more ) motors 24 and 29 and a electrical control box 82 disposed adjacent to the antenna support structure 13 or some other remote location . moreover , a second cable 83 is required to transmit data , e . g . rf signals between rf control boxes 84 and an antenna feed 86 extending from an antenna 87 mounted on the mount 10 . in the illustrated embodiments , the antenna 87 is a dish antenna with a direct feed 86 held by struts 88 ; however , various other forms can be used including a cassegrain system with a secondary reflector , and a flat reflectarray in place of the dish . the rf cables 83 between the feed 86 and the cable 92 or the rf control boxes 84 , e . g . the high power amplifier ( hpa ) and the low - noise block converter ( lnb ), are fixed to the dish 87 as illustrated in small dashed lines in fig8 and 9 , and can be either co - axial cable or waveguide . in fig8 , the data control boxes 84 , such as the hpa , block up converter ( buc ), and lnb , are located at the back of the antenna 87 . the data signals are then carried to and from the feed 86 by means of the second cable 83 , e . g . coaxial cable or waveguide , fixed in some manner to the dish 87 and struts 88 . in fig9 , the data control boxes 84 are placed at the base of the mounting structure 13 or some other remote location , and must be connected to the fixed coaxial cable 83 or waveguide at the dish 87 via a third and fourth connector cables 91 and 92 , which extend down through the mount 10 . for both layouts , the dc power and motor control distribution is the same . the distribution of power and control signals is relatively simple for the first motor 24 , since it is fixed relative to the mounting structure 13 . however , the second motor 28 rotates with the first wedge 11 , as it performs the azimuth steering . such rotation can cause the first cable 81 to have unacceptable amounts of twist . in a preferred embodiment , the twisting is eliminated with the use of an electrical slip - ring 89 device placed at the center of the interface between the bottom plate 15 and the first wedge 11 . slip rings 89 are relatively inexpensive and can be obtained “ off - the - shelf .” note that the cables 93 coming out of the top of the slip ring 89 rotate with the first wedge 11 and do not flex . the term “ slip ring ” might also be called by a variety of other names including “ electrical rotary joint ”, etc . we use the term “ slip ring ” here to apply to dc or low frequency control signal applications . it may also be possible to put data through slip rings if the data rate is sufficiently low . the term “ rotary joint ” is hereinafter used to apply to joints that handle if or rf data signals . the distribution of the rf and data signals is more complex than for the dc and motor control . with reference to fig8 , the dc power and the data transfer must be brought from the electrical control box 82 to the rf control box 84 at the back of the antenna 87 via the cables 81 and 93 , which branches off from the cables running to the first and second motors 24 and 29 . note that the cables 93 from the first wedge 11 that split off to the back of the antenna 87 do not twist so that there is no wire - wrap problem . instead , the cables 93 flex as the mount 10 steers in elevation , because the first and second wedges 11 and 12 rotate equally but oppositely , so that there is no net rotation ( twist ) of the cables 93 . in fig9 , the rf control boxes 84 are mounted at the base of the mounting structure 13 or some other remote location so that rf power has to be carried to and from the back of the antenna 87 . in this configuration , there is no need for separate lines to transfer data . the rf cables 91 and 92 are shown in long - dashed lines in fig9 . in order to bring the rf line 91 from the rf control boxes 84 through the first wedge 11 , it is necessary to minimize the effects of the azimuth rotation of the first wedge 11 to prevent the rf line 91 from twisting . a commercial rotary joint 89 can be used for this transition ; however , it is possible to have both a rotary joint 89 within a slip - ring assembly , whereby the dc and control electronics for the upper motor 29 and the rf line 91 can be simultaneously accommodated . the cable 92 between the rotary joint 89 and the cables 83 fixed to the antenna 87 is a flexible cable , which only flexes back and forth , without twisting , as the elevation steering is performed . both transmit and a receive data , e . g . rf , signals can be accommodated on a single line , if some form of isolator is provided the back of the antenna 87 , where the cable 92 splits between transmit and receive . alternatively , the data control boxes 84 are placed on top of the mount 10 , and connected to the antenna 87 by a flexible cable 83 . the dc power is provided to the control boxes 84 and the motors 24 and 29 through slip ring 89 , while the data is transferred between the a remote source and the data control boxes 84 by an inexpensive commercial off - the - shelf computer wireless link . in mechanical steering of antennas , there can arise a condition , called the “ keyhole effect ”, which requires a very large steering angle change for a relatively small angular change in the satellite direction . for example , in a steering system that uses elevation - over - azimuth pointing in which the elevation angle , ε , is close to 90 °, i . e . pointing to the nadir , and the platform , such as on a ship , has a small roll or pitch that is at 90 ° to the elevation arc , it would be necessary for the azimuth steering to be changed by 90 ° very rapidly thereby requiring very large angular accelerations . for the elevation - over - azimuth steering with the rotating wedge antenna mount in accordance with the present invention , the keyhole problem can be eliminated by replacing the top plate 18 by a wedge - shaped mounting plate oriented so as to rotate the beam pointing by a small amount , δε , along the elevation direction . the wedge angle of the wedge - shaped mounting plate would be relatively small , typically in the order of about 5 ° to 15 °, preferably 10 °. if the original range of elevation scanning was , 0 ° to 90 °, then the new range is from δε to 90 °+ δε . the keyhole would be shifted to ε = 90 °+ δε where it would be out of the range of operation . the addition of the wedge - shaped mounting plate would require a more complex algorithm for computing the required wedge - rotation angles . for the cross - elevation - over - elevation ( x - y ) configuration , the keyhole has been shifted from the zenith location down to the 0 ° elevation location . therefore , the x - y configuration can be operated over all of a hemisphere except near 0 ° elevation . in this region of operation , a third steering axis could be added to eliminate this problem . the size of the first and second motors 24 and 29 depends upon the torque required . the motor torque overcomes two forces : the first force is the static holding force of gravity exerted on the center of mass of the antenna 87 ; the second force arises from angular acceleration of the center of mass of the antenna 87 . the antenna 87 undergoes two angular accelerations : the first is the angular acceleration needed to steer the antenna 87 to a new position ; and the second is the angular acceleration arising from motion of the mounting structure 13 , such as would be experienced on a ship . the force needed to overcome bearing friction is usually low relative to the other forces . the following analysis relates to the torque requirements for an elevation - over - azimuth mount in relation to the static force of gravity . moreover , the analysis concentrated on an assembly mounted with a horizontal base plate , such as is shown in fig2 a . for other mounting angles , the analysis would have to be correspondingly changed ; however , the range of values of torque factor ( to be defined ) would be no larger . the torque required by the antenna mount 10 to support the mass of antenna 87 is compared to that required by the standard elevation - over - azimuth system , illustrated in fig2 a . the orientation of the antenna in fig2 a is the same as was used for determining the torque for the antenna mount 10 . the center of mass of the antenna and feeds , plus the elevation mounting assembly is at a distance r cm from elevation axis . the elevation motor must provide a torque of t el = r cm f g sin θ = r cm mg sin θ ( 2 ) the torque factor for both the mount 10 of the present invention and the standard elevation over azimuth system is plotted in fig1 . for the mount 10 of the present invention , the value of the wedge angle α max = 45 ° was chosen . the torque factor is zero for both systems for the elevation complement at θ = 0 °, i . e ., for the antenna pointing at the zenith , and for all other values of elevation angle θ , the torque factor is less for the mount 10 of the present invention , and goes to zero for θ = 90 °. overall , the rotating - wedges technique of the present invention requires somewhat less holding torque than the standard elevation - over - azimuth mounts . unlike the acceleration due to gravity on a fixed platform , the motion - induced accelerations can be at any angle so that analysis would require extensive work to cover all possibilities . the torque on the bearing structures 21 and 26 arise from an acceleration of magnitude a exerted on the center of mass of the antenna 87 , which has a mass m . as illustrated in fig1 , the direction in which the acceleration is directed can be anywhere over a sphere . therefore , the computation becomes much more complex than that for the force of gravity , where the direction of the gravitational force is confined to a plane . it is hypothesized that there is again a torque factor that helps reduce the torque that the motors 24 and 29 must supply . there will likely be zeros and maxima similar to those shown in fig1 . note that the acceleration force can add or subtract from the force of gravity analyzed earlier depending upon the direction of the two forces . with reference to fig1 a , 12 b and 13 , counterweights 101 can be used to reduce the torque required from the first and second drive motors 24 and 29 in the antenna mount system in accordance with the present invention in an elevation - over - azimuth configuration for full hemispheric coverage . the counterweights 101 hang down to the opposite side of the elevation axis from the antenna structure 87 . in fig1 , the antenna 87 is positioned to point along the elevation axis to the horizon , whereby the counterweights 101 provide the most counter torque . in principle , the counterbalancing can be implemented so that there is no torque about the elevation axis over the full elevation range and for any roll and pitch of the antenna 87 . in the aforementioned embodiments , the emphasis was primarily on elevation - over - azimuth and cross - elevation - over - elevation stabilized platforms ; however , the use of a third axis , i . e . three - axis steering , to compensate for the keyhole effect was mentioned . in defining the stabilization axes , there are a variety of terms used including the terms azimuth , elevation , and cross - elevation , as hereinbefore defined ; however , other terms , such as “ level ”, “ cross - level ”, and “ rolling and pitching axes ” are sometimes employed . the cross - level angle is “ the angle measured about the line of sight , between the vertical plane through the line of sight and the plane perpendicular to the deck through the line of sight ”, and the “ cross - level ” and “ rolling and pitching axis ” are primarily applied to use on ship decks . the term “ cross - level ” is used when an axis of rotation is added between an azimuth and an elevation axis in accordance with the present invention . the third axis normally only has a relatively small offset steering capability that is just large enough to move the main two axes away from the keyhole . another use of a third axis arises primarily in shipboard applications . for example , when a ship borne antenna that is originally pointing straight forward at some elevation angle with the ship level , undergoes a change in alignment due to the ship rolling or pitching a certain amount , it is necessary to find solutions to three - dimensional vector equations in order to determine the new pointing settings for the usual forms of two - or three - axis steering . however , with an antenna mount system with a third , cross - level axis , all that is required is for the cross - level structure to be rotated . typically , not only are the computations much simpler but more accurate antenna pointing results . for a standard elevation - over - azimuth system , a cross - level axis must be inserted between the elevation and azimuth axes ; however , for an antenna mount in accordance with the present invention it is only necessary to use an appropriate combination of rotating wedge pairs and rotating plates . for example , to perform the functions of a three - axes system an antenna mount 111 , illustrated in fig1 , comprising three sub - assemblies can be used . the first sub - assembly comprises a first rotating plate 112 for the azimuth steering about the azimuth ( vertical ) axis . the rotating plate 112 includes a circular rack gear 113 extending outwardly from around the bottom thereof for engaging a spur gear 114 , which is driven by an azimuth motor 115 . a bearing structure 116 , including opposed bearing surfaces with some form of bearing material therebetween , is mounted on a supporting structure 117 , which includes a horizontal plate 118 and a vertical post 119 . the supporting structure 117 also supports the azimuth motor 115 . the bearing structure 116 enables the rotating plate 112 to rotate relative to the supporting structure 117 about a first , e . g . vertical or azimuth , axis when the azimuth motor 115 is engaged to drive the spur gear 114 and the rack gear 113 . the second sub - assembly comprises a second rotating plate 121 extending from and perpendicular to the plane of the first rotating plate 112 for the cross - level steering . a cross - level motor 122 is mounted on the rotating plate 121 for driving a spur gear 123 . a second bearing structure 124 is mounted on the second rotating plate 121 for rotating the wedge pair , hereinafter described , about a horizontal cross - level axis , which is perpendicular to the first axis . the third sub - assembly comprises first and second wedges 131 and 132 with a third bearing structure 133 therebetween . the first wedge 131 includes a rack gear 134 extending around one end thereof for engaging the second spur gear 123 . the second wedge 132 includes a rack gear 135 extending around one end thereof for engaging a third spur gear 136 , which is driven by an elevation motor 137 mounted on the first wedge 131 . as above , the wedge angles ideally vary between 20 ° and 45 °; however , when the wedge angle are different , the range of wedge angles can vary between 20 ° and 70 °, and typically add up to between 40 ° and 90 °. the cross - level motor 122 is used to perform the cross - level steering , and , in combination with the elevation motor 137 , is used to perform the elevation steering . in principle , this pointing system could be mounted upon a fixed post 119 with all the moving mechanisms clustered together near the back of the antenna ( not shown ). with the configuration illustrated in fig1 , the range of elevation steering need not be much more that the 90 ° to 0 °. full hemispheric coverage is achieved by appropriate azimuth steering provided by the first sub - assembly . in some special applications , a fourth steering axis is provided by either an additional rotating - wedge pair , or an additional rotating disk .	7
as used herein , the term &# 34 ; cardiac dysfunction &# 34 ; means all conditions having etiology based on or accompanied by insufficiency of cardiac function , which is a symptom or disease based on unbalance between the cardiac output and the periferal demand and most part of which is resulted from disorder of myocardial contractive and dilative functions . examples of these symptoms or diseases include orthopnea , dyspnea , pulmonary congestion , hepatic congestion , cardipalmus , sensation of precordial compression , heart contusion , arrhythmia , angina pectoris , myocardial infraction , atrial fibrillation , atrial flutter , paroxysmal tachycardia etc . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; treatment &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; treating &# 34 ; refers to any means of control of a disease in a mammal , including preventing the disease , curing the disease , relieving the disease and arresting or relieving the development of the disease . the term &# 34 ; 15 - ketoprostaglandin compounds &# 34 ;, referred to as 15 - keto - pg compounds , include any prostaglandin derivatives which have an oxo group in place of the hydroxy group at position 15 of the prostanoic acid nucleus irrespective of the presence or absence of the double bond between positions 13 and 14 . nomenclature of 15 - keto - pg compounds herein uses the numbering system of prostanoic acid represented in formula ( a ) shown above . while formula ( a ) shows a basic skeleton having twenty carbon atoms , the 15 - keto - pg compounds used in the present invention are not limited to those having the same number of carbon atoms . the carbon atoms in formula ( a ) are numbered 2 to 7 on the α - chain starting from the α - carbon atom adjacent to the carboxylic carbon atom which is numbered 1 and towards the five - membered ring , 8 to 12 on the said ring starting from the carbon atom on which the α - chain is attached , and 13 to 20 on the α - chain starting from the carbon atom adjacent to the ring . when the number of carbon atoms is decreased in the α - chain , the number is deleted in order starting from position 2 and when the number of carbon atoms is increased in the α - chain , compounds are named as substituted derivatives having respective substituents at position 1 in place of carboxy group ( c - 1 ). similarly , when the number of carbon atoms is decreased in the ω - chain , the number is deleted in order starting from position 20 and when the number of carbon atoms is increased in the ω - chain , compounds are named as substituted derivatives having respective substituents at position 20 . stereochemistry of the compounds is the same as that of above formula ( a ) unless otherwise specified . thus , 15 - keto - pg compounds having 10 carbon atoms in the ω - chain is nominated as 15 - keto - 20 - ethyl - pgs . the above formula expresses a specific configuration which is the most typical one , and in this specification compounds having such a configuration are expressed without any specific reference to it . in general , pgds , pges and pgfs have a hydroxy group on the carbon atom at position 9 and / or 11 but in the present specification the term &# 34 ; 15 - keto - pg compounds &# 34 ; includes pgs having a group other than a hydroxyl group at position 9 and / or 11 . such pgs are referred to as 9 - dehydroxy - 9 - substituted - pg compounds or 11 - dehydroxy - 11 - substituted - pg compounds . as stated above , nomenclature of 15 - keto - pg compounds is based upon the prostanoic acid . these compounds , however , can also be named according to the iupac naming system . for example , 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto16r , s - fluoro - pge 2 is ( z )- 7 -{( 1r , 2r , 3r )- 3 - hydroxy - 2 -[( 4r , s )- fluoro - 3 - oxo - 1 - octyl ]- 5 - oxocyclopentyl }- hept - 5 - enoic acid . 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 , 16 - difluoro - pge 2 is ( z )- 7 -[( 1r , 2r , 3r )- 2 -( 4 , 4 - difluoro - 3 - oxo - 1 - octyl - 3 - hydroxy5 - oxocyclopentyl ]- hept - 5 - enoic acid . 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto20 - ethyl - 11 - dehydroxy - 11r - methyl - pge 2 methyl ester is methyl 7 -{( 1r , 2s , 3s )- 3 - methyl - 2 -[ 3 - oxo - 1 - decyl ]- 5 - oxocyclopenty } hept - 5 - enoate . 13 , 14 - dihydro - 6 , 15 - diketo - 19 - methyl - pge 2 ethyl ester is ethyl 7 -{( 1r , 2s , 3s )- 3 - hydroxy - 2 -( 7 - methyl - 3 - oxo - 1 - octyl )- 5 - oxocyclopentyl }- 6 - oxo - heptanoate . 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 20 - ethyl - pgf 2 α isopropyl ester is isopropyl ( z )- 7 -[( 1r , 2r , 3r , 5s )- 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 2 -{ 3 - oxo - 1 - decyl )- cyclopentyl ]- hept - 5 - enoate . 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto20 - methyl - pgf 2 α methyl ester is methyl ( z )- 7 -[( 1r , 2r , 3r , 5s ) 3 , 5 - dihydroxy - 2 -{ 3 - oxo - 1 - nonyl }- cyclopentyl ]- hept - 5 - enoate . the 15 - keto - pg compounds used in the present invention may be any derivatives of pg insofar as they have an oxo group at position 15 in place of the hydroxy group , and may have a double bond between positions 13 and 14 ( 15 - keto - pg subscript 1 compounds ), two double bonds between positions 13 and 14 as well as positions 5 and 6 ( 15 - keto - pg subscript 2 compounds ), or three double bonds between positions 13 and 14 , positions 5 and 6 as well as positions 17 and 18 ( 15 - keto - pg subscript 3 compounds ), and may have a single bond between positions 13 and 14 ( 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pg compounds ). typical examples of the compounds used in the present invention are 15 - keto - pga , 15 - keto - pgd , 15 - keto - pge , 15 - keto - pgf , 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pga , 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pgd , 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pge , and 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pgf , wherein pg is as defined above as well as their substitution products or derivatives . examples of substitution products or derivatives include esters at the carboxy group at the alpha chain , pharmaceutically or physiologically acceptable salts , unsaturated derivatives having a double bond or a triple bond between positions 2 and 3 or positions 5 and 6 , respectively , substituted derivatives having substituent ( s ) on carbon atom ( s ) at position 3 , 5 , 6 , 16 , 17 , 19 and / or 20 and compounds having lower alkyl or a hydroxy ( lower ) alkyl group at position 9 and / or 11 in place of the hydroxy group , of the above pgs . examples of substituents present in preferred compounds are as follows : substituents on the carbon atom at position 3 , 17 and / or 19 include lower alkyl , for example , c 1 - 4 alkyl , especially methyl and ethyl . substituents on the carbon atom at position 16 include lower alkyl e . g . methyl , ethyl etc ., hydroxy and halogen atom e . g . chlorine , fluorine , aryloxy e . g . trifluoromethylphenoxy , etc . substituents on the carbon atom at position 20 include saturated and unsaturated lower alkyl e . g . c 1 - 4 alkyl , lower alkoxy e . g . c 1 - 4 alkoxy and lower alkoxy ( lower ) alkyl e . g . c 1 - 4 alkoxy - c 1 - 4 alkyl substituents on the carbon atom at position 5 include halogen atom e . g . chlorine , fluorine etc . substituents on the carbon atom at position 6 include oxo group forming carbonyl . stereochemistry of pgs having hydroxy , lower alkyl or lower ( hydroxy ) alkyl substituent on the carbon atom at position 9 and / or 11 may be alpha , beta or mixtures thereof . said derivatives may have an alkoxy , phenoxy or phenyl group at the end of the omega chain where the chain is shorter than the primary pgs . especially preferred compounds are those having a lower alkyl e . g . methyl , ethyl etc ., a halogen atom e . g . chloro , fluoro etc . at position 16 , those having a halogen atom e . g . chloro , fluoro etc . at position 17 , those having a lower alkyl e . g . methyl , ethyl etc . at position 19 , those having a halogen atom e . g . chlorine , fluorine etc . at position 5 , those having an oxo group at position 6 , those having a lower alkyl , e . g . methyl , ethyl , etc . at position 20 and those having phenyl or phenoxy which are optionally substituted with halogen or haloalkyl at position 16 in place of the rest of the alkyl chain . a group of preferred compounds used in the present invention has the formula ## str2 ## wherein x and y are hydrogen , hydroxy , halo , lower alkyl , hydroxy ( lower ) alkyl , or oxo , with the proviso that at least one of x and y is a group other than hydrogen , and 5 - membered ring may have at least one double bond , z is hydrogen or halo , a is -- ch 2 oh , -- coch 2 oh , -- cooh or its functional derivative , b is -- ch 2 -- ch 2 , -- ch ═ ch -- or -- c . tbd . c --, r 1 is bivalent saturated or unsaturated , lower or medium aliphatic hydrocarbon residue which is unsubstituted or substituted with halo , oxo or aryl , r 2 is saturated or unsaturated , lower or medium aliphatic hydrocarbon residue which is unsubstituted or substituted with halo , hydroxy , oxo , lower alkoxy , lower alkanoyloxy , cyclo ( lower ) alkyl , aryl or aryloxy . in the above formula , the term &# 34 ; unsaturated &# 34 ; in the definitions for r 1 and r 2 is intended to include at least one and optionally more than one double bond and / or triple bond isolatedly , separately or serially present between carbon atoms of the main and / or side chains . according to usual nomenclature , an unsaturation between two serial positions is represented by denoting the lower number of said two positions , and an unsaturation between two distal positions is represented by denoting both of the positions . preferred unsaturation is a double bond at position 2 and a double or triple bond at position 5 . the term &# 34 ; lower or medium aliphatic hydrocarbon residue &# 34 ; refers to a straight or branched chain hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 14 carbon atoms ( for a side chain , 1 to 3 carbon atoms being preferred ) and preferably 2 to 8 carbon atoms for r 1 and 6 to 12 carbon atoms for r 2 . the term &# 34 ; lower &# 34 ; throughout the specification is intended to include a group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms unless otherwise specified . the term &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ; as a group or a moiety in hydroxy ( lower ) alkyl includes saturated and straight or branched chain hydrocarbon radicals containing 1 to 6 , carbon atoms , e . g . methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , t - butyl , pentyl and hexyl . the term &# 34 ; lower alkoxy &# 34 ; refers to the group lower - alkyl - o - wherein lower alkyl is as defined above . the term &# 34 ; hydroxy ( lower ) alkyl &# 34 ; refers to lower alkyl as defined above which is substituted with at least one hydroxy group , e . g . hydroxymethyl , 1 - hydroxyethyl , 2 - hydroxyethyl and 1 - methyl - 1 - hydroxyethyl . the term &# 34 ; lower alkanoyloxy &# 34 ; refers to a group of the formula : rco - o - wherein rco - is an acyl group formed by oxidation of a lower alkyl group as defined above , e . g . acetyl . the term &# 34 ; cyclo ( lower ) alkyl &# 34 ; refers to a cyclic group formed by cyclization of a lower alkyl group as defined above . the term &# 34 ; aryl &# 34 ; includes unsubstituted or substituted aromatic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ( preferably monocyclic ) groups , e . g . phenyl , tolyl , xylyl and thienyl . examples of substituents are halo and halo ( lower ) alkyl wherein halo and lower alkyl being as defined above . the term &# 34 ; aryloxy &# 34 ; refers to a group of the formula : aro - wherein ar is aryl as defined above . the term &# 34 ; functional derivative &# 34 ; of carboxy as a includes salts ( preferably pharmaceutically acceptable salts ), esters and amides . suitable &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable salts &# 34 ; includes conventional non - toxic salts , and may be a salt with an inorganic base , for example an alkali metal salt ( e . g . sodium salt , potassium salt , etc .) and an alkaline earth metal salt ( e . g . calcium salt , magnesium salt , etc . ), ammonium salt , a salt with an organic base , for example , an amine salt ( e . g . methylamine salt , dimethylamine salt , cyclohexylamine salt , benzylamine salt , piperidine salt , ethylenediamine salt , ethanolamine salt , diethanolamine salt , triethanolamine salt , tris ( hydroxymethylamino ) ethane salt , monomethyl - monoethanolamine salt , procaine salt , caffeine salt , etc . ), a basic amino acid salt ( e . g . arginine salt , lysine salt , etc . ), tetraalkyl ammonium salt and the like . these salts can be prepared by the conventional process , for example from the corresponding acid and base or by salt interchange . examples of the esters are aliphatic esters , for example , lower alkyl ester e . g . methyl ester , ethyl ester , propyl ester , isopropyl ester , butyl ester , isobutyl ester , t - butyl ester , pentyl ester , 1 - cyclopropylethyl ester , etc ., lower alkenyl ester e . g . vinyl ester , allyl ester , etc ., lower alkynyl ester e . g . ethynyl ester , propynyl ester , etc ., hydroxy ( lower ) alkyl ester e . g . hydroxyethyl ester , lower alkoxy ( lower )- alkyl ester e . g . methoxymethyl ester , 1 - methoxyetyl ester , etc ., and aromatic esters , for example , optionally substituted aryl ester e . g . phenyl ester , tosyl ester , t - butylphenyl ester , salicyl ester , 3 , 4 - di - methoxyphenyl ester , benzamidophenyl ester etc ., aryl ( lower ) alkyl ester e . g . benzyl ester , trityl ester , benzhydryl ester , etc . examples of the amides are mono - or di - lower alkyl amides e . g . methylamide , ethylamide , dimethylamide , etc ., arylamide e . g . anilide , toluidide , and lower alkyl - or aryl - sulfonylamide e . g . methylsulfonylamide , ethylsulfonylamide , tolylsulfonylamide etc . preferred examples of a include -- cooh , - cooch 3 , -- cooch 2 ch 3 , -- cooch ( ch 3 ) 2 and -- conhso 2 ch 3 . the configuration of the ring and the α - and / or omega chain in the above formula ( i ) may be the same as or different from that in the primary pgs . however , the present invention also includes a mixture of a compound having a primary configuration and that of an unprimary configuration . examples of the typical compounds of the present invention are 15 - keto - pgs , 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pgs and their e . g . 6 - keto - derivatives , δ 2 - derivatives , 3r , s - methyl - derivatives , 5r , s - fluoro - derivatives , 5 , 5 - difluoro - derivatives , 16r , s - methyl - derivatives , 16 , 16 - dimethyl - derivatives , 16r , s - fluoro - derivatives , 16 , 16 - difluoro - derivatives , 17s - methyl - derivatives , 17r , s - fluoro - derivatives , 17 , 17 - difluoro - derivatives , 19 - methyl - derivatives , 20 - methyl - derivatives , 20 - ethyl - derivatives , 19 - desmethyl - derivatives and 16 - desbutyl - 16 - phenoxy derivatives . when 15 - keto - pg compounds of the present invention have a saturated bond between positions 13 and 14 , these compounds may be in the keto - hemiacetal equilibrium by forming a hemiacetal between hydroxy group at position 11 and ketone at position 15 . the proportion of both tautomeric isomers , when present , varies depending on the structure of the rest of the molecule or kind of any substituent present and , sometimes , one isomer may predominantly be present in comparison with the other . however , in this invention , it is to be appreciated that the compounds used in the invention include both isomers . further , while the compounds used in the invention may be represented by a structure or name based on keto - form regardless of the presence or absence of the isomers , it is to be noted that such structure or name does not intend elimination of the hemiacetal type of compounds . in the present invention , any of the individual tautomeric isomers , a mixture thereof , or optical isomers , a mixture thereof , a racemic mixture , and other isomers such as steric isomers can be used in the same purpose . some of the compounds used in the present invention may be prepared by the method disclosed in japanese patent publications ( unexamined ) no . a - 52753 / 1989 , a - 104040 / 1989 , a - 151519 / 1989 . alternatively , these compounds may be prepared by a process analogous to that described herein or to known processes . a practical preparation of the 15 - keto compounds involves the following steps ; referring to the synthetic charts i to iii , reaction of the aldehyde ( 2 ) prepared by the collins oxidation of commercially available (-)- corey lactone ( 1 ) with dimethyl ( 2 - oxoheptyl ) phosphate anion to give α , β - unsaturated ketone ( 3 ), reduction of the α , β - unsaturated ketone ( 3 ) to the corresponding saturated ketone ( 4 ), protection of the carbonyl group of the ketone ( 4 ) with a diol to the corresponding ketal ( 5 ), and deprotection of the p - phenylbenzoyl group to give the corresponding alcohol ( 6 ) followed by protection of the newly derived hydroxy group with dihydropyrane to give the corresponding tetrahydropyranyl ether ( 7 ). according to the above process , a precursor of pges wherein the ω - chain is a 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - alkyl group is prepared . using the above tetrahydropyranyl ether ( 7 ), 6 - keto - pge 1 s ( 15 ) of which a group constituted with carbon atoms at positions 5 . 6 and 7 is ## str3 ## may be prepared in the following steps ; reduction of the tetrahydropyranyl ether ( 7 ) with , for example , diisobutyl aluminum hydride to give the corresponding lactol ( 8 ), reaction of the lactol ( 8 ), with the ylide generated from ( 4 - carboxybutyl ) triphenyl phosphonium bromide followed by esterification ( 10 ), cyclization between the 5 , 6 - double bond and the hydroxyl group at position 9 with nbs or iodine to give the halogenated compound ( 11 ), dehydrohalogenation of the compound ( 11 ) with , for example , dbu to give the 6 - keto compound ( 13 ) followed by jones oxidation and removal of the protecting groups . furthermore , pge 2 s ( 19 ) of which a group constituted with carbon atoms at positions 5 , 6 and 7 is ## str4 ## may be prepared in the following steps ; as shown in the synthetic chart ii , reduction of the above tetrahydropyranyl ether ( 7 ) to give the lactol ( 8 ), reaction of the resultant lactol ( 8 ) with the ylide derived from ( 4 - carboxybutyl -) triphenyl phosphonium bromide to give the carboxylic acid ( 16 ) followed by esterification to give ester ( 17 ), jones oxidation of the esters ( 17 ) to give the compound ( 18 ), and removal of the protecting groups . using the above tetrahydropyranyl ether ( 7 ) as the starting material , the compound having ## str5 ## may be prepared by using the same process as that for preparing pge 2 having -- ch 2 ch ═ ch -- and subjecting the resultant compound ( 18 ) to catalytic reduction to reduce the double bond between the positions 5 and 6 followed by removal of the protective groups . synthesis of 5 , 6 - dehydro - pge 2 s having ## str6 ## may be carried out by capturing a copper enolate formed by 1 , 4 - addition of a monoalkylcopper complex or a dialkylcopper complex of the following formulae : ## str7 ## wherein g is alkyl , to 4r - t - butyldimethylsilyloxy - 2 - cyclopenten - 1 - one with 6 - alkoxycarbonyl - 1 - iodo - 2 - hexyne or the derivatives . the 11 - β type pges can be prepared according to the synthetic chart iii . pge derivatives having a methyl group at position 11 in place of hydroxy can be prepared by reacting a dimethyl copper complex with pga - type compound obtained by subjecting 9 - hydroxy - 11 - tosylate to the jones oxidation . alternatively , they can be prepared by protecting the carbonyl of saturated ketone ( 4 ) produced by reducing unsaturated ketone ( 3 ), eliminating p - phenylbenzoyl and tosylating the produced alcohol , treating with dbu to form a lactol , introducing the alpha - chain by wittig reaction , oxidizing the alcohol at position 9 to give pga - type compound , and reacting the product with dimethyl copper complex in order to introduce a methyl group into position 11 to give an 11 - methyl - pge - type compound , which on reduction with e . g . sodium borohydride gives an 11 - methyl - pgf - type compound . an 11 - hydroxymethyl - pge - type compound , is obtained by a benzophenone - sensitized photoaddition of methanol of pga - type compound , which is reduced with , e . g . sodium borohydride , to give an 11 - hydroxymethyl - pgf - type compound . the 16 - mono - or 16 , 16 - di - halo type pges can be prepared according to the synthetic chart iv . the synthetic route for the compounds used in the present invention is not limited to the that described above one and may vary using different protecting , reducing and / or oxidizating methods . since the compounds used in the present invention have an activity useful for preventing or curing cardiac dysfunction , these can be used for preparing a medicament for treating cardiac dysfunction . such activities can be measured by the standard methods such as contraction of isolated atrial preparation . the compounds used in the present invention may be used as a medicine for animals and human beings and usually applied systemically or locally by such methods as oral administration , intravenous injection ( including instillation ), subcutaneous injection , suppository and the like . while the dosage will vary depending on the particular animal or human patient , age , body weight , symptom to be treated , desired therapeutic effect , administration route , term of treatment and the like , satisfactory effects will be obtained with the dosage of 0 . 001 - 500 mg / kg administered in 2 to 4 divided doses a day or as a sustained form . as a solid composition of this invention for oral administration , tablets , troches , buccals , capsules , pills , powders , granules and the like are included . the solid composition containing one or more active substances is mixed with at least an inactive diluent , e . g . lactose , mannitol , glucose , hydrocypropyl cellulose , fine crystalline cellulose , starch , polyvinyl pyrolidone , magnesium aluminate metasilicate . the composition may contain additives other than the inactive diluent , for example , lubricants e . g ., magnesium stearate , a disintegrator e . g . cellulose calcium gluconates , stabilizers e . g . α -, β - or γ - cyclodextrins , etherated cyclodextrins ( e . g . dimethyl - α -, dimethyl - β -, trimethyl - β -, or hydroxypropyl - β - cyclodextrins ), branched cyclodextrins ( e . g . glucosyl - or maltosyl - cyclodextrins ), formyl cyclodextrins , sulfur - containing cyclodextrins , misoprotols or phospholipids . such cyclodextrins may increase the stability of the compounds by forming an inclusion compounds . the stability may be often increased by forming lyposome with phospholipids . tablets and pills may be coated with an enteric or gastroenteric film e . g . white sugar , gelatin , hydroxypropylcellulose , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalates and the like , if necessary , and furthermore they may be covered with two or more layers . additionally , the composition may be in the form of capsules made of substance easily absorbed e . g . gelatin . the composition may be in the form of buccals , when an immediate effect is desired . for this purpose , base e . g . glycerine , lactose may be used . liquid compositions for oral administration include pharmaceutically acceptable emulsions , solutions , suspensions , syrups , elixirs and the like and contain a generally used inactive diluent e . g . purified water or ethyl alcohol . the composition may contain additives e . g . wetting agents , suspending agents , sweeteners , flavors , perfumes and preservatives . the composition of the present invention may be in the form of sprays which may contain one or more active ingredients and which can be prepared according to a well known methods . an injection of this invention for non - oral administration includes serile aqueous or nonaqueous solutions , suspensions , and emulsions . diluents for the aqueous solution or suspension include , for example , distilled water for injection , physiological saline and ringer &# 39 ; s solution . diluents for the nonaqueous solution and suspension include , for example , propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol , vegetable oils e . g . olive oil , alcohols , e . g . ethanol and polysorbates . the composition may contain other additives , e . g . preservatives , wetting agents , emulsifying agents , dispersing agents and the like . these are sterilized by filtration through , e . g . a bacteria - retaining filter , compounding with a sterilizer , gas sterilization or radiation sterilization . these can be prepared by producing a sterilized water or a sterilized solvent for injection before use . another formulation according to the present invention is a rectal or vaginal suppository . this can be prepared by mixing at least one active compound according to the invention with a suppository base e . g . cacao butter and optionally containing nonionic surfactant for improving absorption . a more complete understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to the following preparation examples , formulation examples and test examples which are provided herein for purpose of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . to a solution of commercial corey lactone ( thp - form , 37 . 9g ) in tetrahydrofuran was added a solution ( 1 . 0 m , 300 ml ) of tetrabutylammonium fluoride in tetrahydrofuran and the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 hours . then the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue was subjected to column chromatography to give the title compound ( 29 ). yield : 21 . 70g ( 82 . 8 %). a solution ( 2 . 0 m , 45 . 5 ml ) of oxalyl chloride in methylene chloride was diluted with methylene chloride under an argon atmosphere at - 78 ° c . to this solution was added dropwise dimethylsulfoxide ( 12 . 9 ml ) and the resulting mixture was stirred for 10 minutes . a solution ( 1s , 5r , 6r , 7r )- 6 - hydroxymethyl - 7 - tetrahydropyranyloxy - 2 - oxabicylo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 3 - one ( 29 ) ( 11 . 65 g ) in methylene chloride was added dropwise and the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes . then triethylamine ( 56 ml ) was added dropwise and stirring was continued for further 1 hour . the reaction mixture was treated in the conventional manner to give the aldehyde ( 30 ) as a crude product . to a solution of thallium ethoxide ( 3 . 26 ml ) in methylene chloride was added under an argon atmosphere dimethyl 3 , 3 - difluoro - 2 - oxoheptylphosphonate ( 11 . 9 g ) and the resulting mixture was stirred for 1 hour . after cooling the solution to 0 ° c ., a solution of the aldehyde ( 30 ) obtained above in methylene chloride was added dropwise to said solution and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 14 hours . the reaction mixture was treated with acetic acid , celite and a saturated aqueous potassium idodide solution and filtered . the filtrate was treated in the conventional manner and the crude product was subjected to column chromatography to give the tile compound ( 31 ). yield : 7 . 787 g ( 44 . 3 %). to a solution of ( 1s , 5r , 6r , 7r )- 6 -{( e )- 4 , 4 - difluoro - 5 - oxo - 2 - octenyl }- 7 - tetrahydropyranyloxy - 2 - oxabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 3 - one ( 31 ) ( 5 . 57 g ) in ethyl acetate was added 5 % pd / c ( catalytic amount ) and the resulting mixture was shaken under a hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature for 7 hours . the reaction mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give the tile compound ( 32 ) as a crude product . yield : 5 . 48 g ( 97 . 8 %). to a solution of ( 1s , 5r , 6r , 7r )- 6 -( 4 , 4 - difluoro - 5 - oxooctyl )- 7 - tetrahydropyranyloxy - 2 - oxabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ] octan - 3 - one ( 32 ) ( 5 . 48 g ) in methanol was added sodium borohydride ( 0 . 800 g ) at 0 ° c . and the resulting mixture was stirred for 10 minutes . the reaction mixture was treated in the conventional manner and the obtained crude product was subjected to column chromatography to give the title compound ( 33 ). yield : 5 . 46 g ( 99 . 5 %). a solution of ( 1s , 5r , 6r , 7r )- 6 -{ 4 , 4 - dihydro - 5 ( rs )- hydroxyoctyl }- 7 - tetrahydropyranyloxy - 2 - oxabicyclo [ 3 . 3 . 0 ]- octan - 3 - one ( 33 ) ( 2 . 579 g ) in toluene was cooled to - 78 ° c . under an argon atmosphere . to this solution was added dropwise a solution ( 1 . 5 m , 9 . 6 ml ) of diisobutylalmium hydride in toluene and stirred for 30 minutes . the reaction mixture was treated with methanol and a saturated aqueous rochelle salt solution . then the solution was treated in the conventional manner to give the lactol ( 34 ) as a crude product . to a suspension of 4 - carboxybutyl triphenyl phosphine bromide ( 11 . 72 g ) in tetrahydrofuran was added dropwise under an argon atmosphere a solution ( 1 . 0 m , 52 . 84 ml ) of potassium tert - butoxide in tetrahydrofuran and the resulting mixture was stirred for 20 minutes . the solution was cooled to 0 ° c . and combined with a solution of lactol ( 34 ) in tetrahydrofuran . the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 15 hours and then treated in the conventional manner to give the carboxylic acid ( 35 ) as a crude product . to a solution of the carboxylic acid ( 35 ) in acetonitrile was added under an argon atmosphere 1 , 8 - diazabicyclo [ 5 . 4 . 0 ] undec - 7 - ene ( dbu ) ( 4 . 0 ml ) and methyl iodide ( 1 . 7 ml ) and the resulting solution was stirred at 60 ° c . for 30 hours . the solution was treated in the conventional manner and the product was subjected to column chromatography to give the title compound ( 36 ). yield : 2 . 737 g ( 84 . 5 %). to a solution of collins reagent , prepared from cromic anhydride ( 16 . 18 g ) and pyridine ( 26 . 2 ml ) in the conventional process , in methylene chloride was added a solution of 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 11 - 0 - tetrahydro - pyranyl - pgf 2 α methyl ester ( 36 ) ( 2 . 646 g ) in methylene chloride under an argon atmosphere at - 20 ° c . the resulting mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 2 hours and at - 5 ° c . for 9 hours . the solution was treated with ether and sodium hydrogen sulfate and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue was subjected to column chromatography to give the title compound ( 37 ). yield : 1 . 890 g ( 64 . 4 %). into a mixed solvent of acetic acid : water : tetrahydrofuran ( 3 : 1 : 1 ) was dissolved 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 11 - o - tetrahydroxypyranyl - pge 2 methyl ester ( 37 ) ( 2 . 809 g ) and the resulting solution was stirred at 60 ° c . for 5 hours . the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue was subjected to chromatography to give the title compound ( 38 ). yield : 1 . 755 g ( 75 . 5 %). to a solution of 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pge 2 methyl ester ( 38 ) ( 1 . 755 g ) in ethyl acetate was added pd / c ( catalytic amount ) and the mixture was shaken under a hydrogen atmosphere at room temperature for 6 hours . the reaction mixture was filtered . the filtrate was concentrated and the residue was subjected to column chromatography to give the title compound ( 39 ). yield : 1 . 655 g ( 93 . 8 %). 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ0 . 87 ( 3h , t , j = 7hz ), 1 . 15 - 2 . 05 ( 23h , m ), 2 . 11 - 2 . 30 ( 3h , m ), 2 . 50 ( 1h , dd , j = 7 . 5 and 17hz ), 3 . 10 - 3 . 20 ( 1h , br ), 3 . 71 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 05 - 4 . 20 ( 1h , m ) ms ( di - ei ) m / z 404 ( m + ) 355 ( m + -- h 2 o -- ch 3 o ), 297 ( m + -- c 5 h 9 f 2 ) to a solution of 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 11 - o - tetrahydropyranyl - pgf 2 α ( 35 ) ( 2 . 33 g ) in dichloromethane ( 300 ml ) were added dbu ( 2 . 1 ml ) and benzyl bromide ( 2 . 2 ml ) and the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 . 5 hour . the reaction mixture was treated in the conventional manner and the crude product was purified by silica - gel column chromatography to give the title compound ( 36 ). yield : 2 . 522 g ( 96 . 1 %) collins reagent was prepared by using chromic anhydride ( 13 . 5 g ) and pyridine ( 21 . 8 ml ) in dichloromethane ( 300 ml ), and to this were added celite ( 40 g ) and ( 15rs ) 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 11 - o - tetrahydropyranyl - pgf 2 α benzyl ester ( 36 ) ( 2 . 550 g ). the reaction mixture was treated in the conventional manner and the crude product was purified by silica - gel column chromatography to give the title compound ( 37 ). yield : 1 . 991 g ( 78 . 6 %) 2 - 3 ) preparation of 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - ketopge 2 benzyl ester ( 38 ) into a mixed solvent of acetic acid : thf : water ( 3 : 1 : 1 , 50 ml ) was dissolved 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro15 - keto - 11 - o - tetrahydropyranyl - pge 2 benzyl ester ( 37 ) ( 1 . 550 g ) and the solution was kept at 50 ° c . for 4 hours . the reaction mixture was treated in the conventional manner and the crude product was purified by silica - gel column chromatography to give the title compound ( 38 ). yield : 1 . 225g ( 92 . 9 %) to a solution of 16 , 16 - difluoro - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - pge 1 benzyl ester ( 38 ) ( 0 . 844 g ) in ethyl acetate ( 30 ml ) was added 5 % pd / c and the mixture was shaken under a hydrogen atmosphere . the reaction mixture was treated in the conventional manner and the crude product was purified by silica - gel column chromatography to give the title compound ( 43 ). yield : 0 . 404 g 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ0 . 94 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 5 hz ), 1 . 20 - 2 . 70 ( m , 26h ), 4 . 19 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 80 ( br , 2h ). ms ( di - ei ) m / z 390 ( m + ) 372 ( m + -- h 2 o ), 354 ( m + -- 2h 2 o ) the above ingredients were mixed , stirred , sterilized , filtered and lyophilized to give powders for injection . the above ingredients were mixed and sterilized to give and injectable solution . 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 , 16 - difluoro - 20 - methylpge 2 ( 50mg ) dissolved in methanol ( 10ml ) was mixed with mannitol ( 18 . 5g ). the mixture was screened ( with a sieve , the pore size of which being 30 mm in diameter ), dried at 30 ° c for 90 minutes and screened again . the powders thus obtained were mixed with fine - grain silica gel ( aerosil , 200g ) and filled in no . 3 hard gelatin capsules ( 100 ) to give enteric capsules which contain 0 . 5mg of 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 , 16 - difluoro - 20 - methyl - pge 2 per capsule . ______________________________________ ( parts by weight ) ______________________________________13 , 14 - dihydro - 6 , 15 - diketo - 16 , 16 - difluoro - 5pge . sub . 1 methyl esterlight anhydrous silicic acid 5abicel 20lactose 70______________________________________ the above ingredients were mixed to give powders for oral administration . * trade mark ______________________________________ ( parts by weight ) ______________________________________13 , 14 - dihydro - 6 , 15 - diketo - 19 - methyl - pge . sub . 1 1methyl esterlight anhydrous silicic acid 899panasate * 20______________________________________ the above ingredients were mixed and filled in soft gelatine capsules . * trade mark 16 - desbutyl - 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 - m - trifluoormethylphenoxy - pgf 2 α methyl ester ( 50mg ) dissolved in methanol ( 10ml ) was mixed with mannitol ( 18 . 5g ). the mixture was screened ( with a sieve , the pore size of which being 30 mm in diameter ), dried at 30 ° c . for 90 minutes and screened again . the powders thus obtained were mixed with fine - grain silica gel ( aersoil , 200g ) and filled in no . 3 hard gelatin capsules ( 100 ) to give enteric capsules which contain 0 . 5mg of 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 - desbutyl - 16 - m - trifluroemethylphenoxy - pgf 2 . alpha . methyl ester per capsule . trade mark the above ingredients were mixed , stirred , sterilized , filtered and lyophilied to give powders for injection . the above ingredients were mixed and sterilized to give and injectable solution . ______________________________________ ( parts by weight ) ______________________________________13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 , 16 - difluoro - 519 - desmethyl - pge . sub . 2 methyl esterlight anhydrous silicic acid 5abicel * 20lactose 70______________________________________ the above ingredients were mixed to give powders for oral administration . * trade mark ______________________________________ ( parts by weight ) ______________________________________13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 - desbutyl - 16 - m - 1trifluoromethylphenoxy - pge . sub . 2 methyl esterlight anhydrous silicic acid 899panasate * 20______________________________________ the above ingredients were mixed and filled in soft gelatine capsules . * trade mark in the above formulation examples , the active ingredient can be replaced by any other compound within the compounds used in the invention . the atria of hearts were removed from guinea pigs ( hartley strain , male , 400 - 500 g ) and suspended in the krebs - hensleite solution ( 50 ml ) at 36 ° c bubbled with a mixed gas consisting of 95 % o 2 and 5 % co 2 . change in tension of atria was recorded on a recorder by introducing to strain - pressure amplifier via an fd pick - up loaded with strain of about 0 . 5 g . the recording was continued for 10 minutes after the application of test compounds . the test compounds were cumulatively administered as a solution ( 5 μl ) dissolved in ethanol ( final concentration : 0 . 01 %). no change in contraction was observed by administration of 0 . 01 % ethanol . the results are shown in table 1 as an increase in contraction as compared with that of control which received vehicle alone . table 1______________________________________ contraction attest compound 1 × 10 . sup .- 6 m 1 × 10 . sup .- 5 m______________________________________1 + 17 . 0 % + 26 . 0 % 2 + 15 . 0 % + 33 . 0 % 3 + 6 . 0 % + 21 . 0 % 4 -- + 11 . 3 % 5 + 29 . 0 % -- 6 + 12 . 7 % + 32 . 8 % 7 + 13 . 5 % -- 8 + 27 . 5 % -- ______________________________________ in the following data , nmr spectra were measured in cdcl 3 using hitachi r - 90h and mass spectra were measured by ei method at an ionization potential of 70ev using - hitachi m - 80b . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ0 . 93 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 5 hz ), 1 . 20 - 2 . 70 ( m , 24h ), 4 . 20 ( m , 1h ), 5 . 40 ( m , 2h ) ms ( di - ei ) m / z 388 ( m + ) 370 ( m +-- h 2 o ), 352 ( m +-- 2h 2 o ) 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ0 . 88 ( t , 3h , j = 6 . 6 hz ), 1 . 10 - 1 . 40 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 45 - 2 . 20 ( m , 10h ) 2 . 20 - 3 . 15 ( m , 11h ), 3 . 67 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 00 - 4 . 18 ( m , 1h ) ms ( di - ei ) m / z 418 ( m + ), 400 ( m + -- h 2 o ), 360 ( m + -- hf -- h 2 o ), 99 ( c 6 h 11 co + ) 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ0 . 93 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 5 hz ), 1 . 14 ( d , 3h , j = 6 hz ), 1 . 25 - 2 . 80 ( m , 22h ), 3 . 68 ( s , 3h ), 5 . 38 ( m , 2h ) 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ0 . 93 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 5 hz ), 1 . 20 - 2 . 85 ( m , 20h ), 3 . 68 ( s , 3h ), 5 . 41 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 19 ( dd , 1h , j = 2 . 5 and 1 . 2 hz ), 7 . 58 ( dd , 1h , j = 2 . 5 and 1 . 2 hz ) 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ0 . 91 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 5 hz ), 1 . 20 - 3 . 20 ( m , 23h ), 3 . 68 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 44 ( m , 1h , j = 1 . 2 hz ), 5 , 49 ( m , 2h ) ms ( di - ei ) m / z 402 ( m + ), 384 ( m + -- h 2 o ), 353 ( m + -- h 2 o -- ch 3 o ) the above results clearly show that the compounds used in the invention have an effect increasing contraction of cardiac muscle . a female beagle dog ( weight : 11 kg ) was anesthetized with pentobarbital ( 25 mg / kg , i . v .) and the maintenance dosages of pentobarbital for anesthesia were appropriately administered . the dog was fixed in the leftside - up lateral position and a cannula was inserted into the trachea . the respirations were controlled with an artificial respiration . the blood ph and pco 2 was maintained within the normal region . the dog was subjected to thoracotomy at the fourth intercostal space . the aorta was carefully exfoliated over about 2 cm from the starting point and equipped with an electromagnetic flowmeter ( mfw - 3200 , nihon koden ), which was connected to a bioelectric amplifier ( ab - 621g , nihon koden ), on which the cardiac output was measured . a test compound ( 13 , 14 - dihydro - 15 - keto - 16 , 16 - difluoro - pge 2 ) was dissolved in the physiological saline and administered at a dosage of 10 μg / kg over 30 seconds through a polyethylene tube inserted in cephalic vein . the cardiac output was observed for 30 minutes . the control value was obtained by administering the physiological saline alone . when the physiological saline was administered , the cardiac output ( maximum ) was varied from 0 . 82 to 0 . 89 1 / min ( 8 . 5 %), while , with the test compound , it was increased from 0 . 66 to 0 . 85 1 / min ( 29 %).	0
fig1 depicts the attachment and tensioning mechanism disclosed in published patent application wo 03 / 060333a2 . fig1 presents basic features of a planar structure attachment and tensioning arrangement , such as an example sign display system for use with a vehicle , in a relaxed , non - tensioned position . as shown in fig1 , components of the attachment and tensioning mechanism 60 are attached to the surface of an object 61 , such as a truck side or other attachment surface . the system comprises edge beading 64 , 66 for the sign or other planar structure and a combination of aluminum extrusions . a fixed rail 62 for securing one side of the planar structure 63 ( e . g ., a sign or other advertising medium ) is firmly attached to the surface of the object 61 . to attach one edge of the planar structure 63 ( e . g ., upper edge , as shown in fig1 ), for example , the planar structure 63 includes a beaded top edge 64 , which is insertable into a slotted feature 65 of fixed rail 62 . opposite beaded top edge 64 is beaded bottom edge 66 , which is introduceable into an open section of floating rail 70 , which is not attached to the surface of the object 61 , but is free floating and spans the length of the side ( here the bottom ) of the image . tension can be applied to planar structure 63 normal to beads 64 , 66 by a frame - wide tensioning lever arm 71 . one side 72 of tensioning arm 71 is coupled to the moveable rail 70 via a coupling 73 that receives one side of the tensioning lever arm 71 . the other side 74 of tensioning lever arm 71 is coupled to one end of a frame - wide beam 75 , which in turn is coupled via , for example , an open trough , to lower frame - wide fixed rail 76 that is firmly attached to the surface of the object 61 . the image is tensioned when the cam lever or tensioning arm 71 is closed , thereby pulling floating rail 70 away from top rail 62 . tensioning lever arm 71 pivotally rotates within the coupling 73 of floating rail 70 . pivotal rotation of tensioning lever arm 71 causes pivotal rotation of the beam 75 about both the coupling 77 of the tensioning lever arm 71 and the coupling of lower fixed rail 76 . once the lower side 74 of tensioning lever arm 71 passes over the center of the beam 75 , tensioning lever arm 71 becomes locked in a tensioned position and the planar surface 63 is in “ the drum taught position .” to secure the frame - wide levering arm in its locked , tensioning position , end caps are applied and secured to the truck or other surface . fig2 shows sign 1 , a flexible , rectangular , planar sheet readied for beadless mounting according to this invention . sign 1 has four comers 3 removed so as to create foldable edges 5 that are foldable along registration marks 2 . optionally corner areas may be reinforced by sewing or other reinforcing means indicated at 4 . sign 1 is marked with peripheral registration marks 2 for alignment during mounting . in the embodiment depicted , two additional sets of registration marks ( unnumbered ) are added , one set inside marks 2 and one set outside marks 2 , for possible adjustment . fig3 shows an exploded end view of a locking mechanism according to this invention . an edge 5 of sign 1 ( fig2 ) is wrapped around non - rotating insert 10 that contains portion 11 of non - circular cross section . registration marks 2 are utilized to fix the location of sheet 1 relative to insert 10 . insert 10 and wrapped edge 5 are inserted into lock 20 which contains portions 21 of non - circular cross section that pressingly clamp portion 11 of insert 10 . insert 10 is flexible lengthwise but shape - retaining in cross section . it might be a durable plastic extrusion , but it could also be an aluminum extrusion . it has rounded comers so as not to damage sheet 1 . insert 10 may be multiple pieces placed end - to - end , for example , two eight - ft ( 2 . 7 m ) lengths and one four - ft ( 1 . 35 m ) length for a sign twenty feet ( 6 . 8 m ) wide . lock 20 is preferably a plastic extrusion , for example , nylon . it is resiliently flexible in order that it can be snapped over insert 10 and folded edge 5 and later gently pried off without ruining the sign , the insert , or the lock itself and reused when sign 1 is changed . friction between the interior surface of lock 20 and sign i prevents edge 5 from slipping during use . clamping portions 21 of lock 20 include flared ends with rounded corners so as to protect sheet 1 ( see fig4 ). as with insert 10 , lock 20 may be multiple pieces placed end - to - end . we prefer that joints between lengths of lock 20 are offset from joints between lengths of insert 10 so that the assembled construction can be handled as a single unit . insert 10 and the cooperating inner surface of lock 20 are of non - circular cross section such that insert 10 is prevented from rotating within the lock when tension is applied to sheet 1 , thus preventing locked edge 5 from unwinding . numerous cross - sectional profiles for insert 10 will fulfill these requirements , as will be appreciated . all four edges 5 of sheet 1 are so locked . fig4 shows an end view of the components that hold the top and bottom edges 5 of sign 1 . top edge 5 is shown wrapped around an insert 10 and inserted into a lock 20 , as described in connection with fig3 . bottom edge 5 is similarly locked . fixedly mounted , by bolting or riveting , on surface 41 , which may be a truck or trailer side , is top rail 42 , that includes a coupler or shaped recess 44 for receiving locked top edge 5 , outwardly ( in this case upwardly ) extending mounting side 43 . floating , that is , not fixedly attached to surface 41 , is floating rail 45 , that includes a coupler or shaped recess 46 for receiving locked bottom edge 5 and outwardly ( in this case downwardly ) projecting portion comprising coupler 47 . the system is the same for vertical edges 5 of sheet 1 ( see fig6 ). one vertical fixed rail 81 is identical ( except perhaps for length ) to fixed top rail 42 , and the opposite side has a vertically oriented floating rail 83 identical ( except perhaps for length ) to floating rail 45 . each lock 20 , carrying an insert 10 and a locked edge 5 , is slidingly inserted into respective coupler 44 or 46 by feeding from an end . lock 20 and insert 10 are shaped relative to couplers 44 , 46 such that they do not rotate when in place , and lock 20 protects its locked edge 5 from contacting the coupler edges . by flaring both ends of locks 20 as depicted , which we call an “ omega ” construction , a single construction can be used for all four sign edges . fig5 shows the lower tensioning portion of the embodiment depicted in fig4 . outside ( here below ) floating rail 45 is a fixed mounting means and lockable tensioning means , which in this embodiment and not continuous across the width of the sign ( see fig6 ). although the mounting means and the tensioning means may be preassembled as a unit affixable to surface 41 , they need not be preassembled . a preferred mounting means is bottom fixed rail section 52 that includes coupler 53 , which may be a section of the same aluminum extrusion as top rail 42 ( fig4 ). the mechanism for tensioning sheet 1 includes tensioning lever arm 48 and beam 54 . arm 48 includes cylindrical end 49 pivotally engaged in coupler 47 of floating rail 45 . beam 54 contains cylindrical ends 55 , 56 pivotally engaged in coupler 50 of arm 48 and coupler 53 of fixed rail 52 . as indicated , elements 52 , 54 and 58 may be a preassembled unit , and stops ( not shown ) may be included to prevent cylindrical ends 55 , 56 from sliding out of their couplers 53 , 50 , thereby forming permanent hinge joints . when lever arm 48 is pivoted downwardly , that is , away from sign 1 , by 15 pushing on its end 51 , floating rail 45 is pulled downwardly , tensioning sheet 1 , until ann 48 reaches its locked tensioning position shown in the figure . lever arm 48 and beam 54 have circular holes 58 , 59 that align with rivnut 57 when in the locked tensioning position . flanged button head cap 60 is removably inserted into rivnut 57 through holes 58 , 59 to prevent the system from becoming inadvertently unlocked . the tensioning vertical side is identically constructed ( see fig6 ). vertical floating rail 83 is tensioningly secured in the identical manner utilizing horizontally placed tensioning arms 48 and their related beams 54 and outer fixed rail sections 52 ( not visible in fig6 ). fig6 shows the embodiment described above installed on side panel 41 of a truck 80 with a tensioned sign 1 . top fixed rail 42 is continuous but in sections . floating rail 45 is also continuous but in sections . a series of preassembled mounting and tensioning units ( fig5 ) are affixed to side 41 and tensioningly connected to bottom floating rail 45 . lever arms 48 are visible in this view . horizontal tensioning is the same . it includes fixed rail 81 , floating rail 83 , and a plurality of mounting and tensioning units including lever arms 48 . tension arm 48 could be continuous in each case , but it is shown here as a series of discrete units about six inches ( 15 cm ) wide spaced along floating rails 45 , 83 . we prefer spacing of very approximately three feet ( 1 m ) with floating rail joints covered . fig7 shows a portion of a second embodiment of a tensioned sign system according to this invention that includes tensioning components different from those utilized in the embodiment depicted in fig2 - 6 . fig7 shows a section of surface 41 and a central vertical portion planar sheet 1 . in this embodiment upper rail 42 is the same as the previous embodiment described in connection with fig4 . also , insert 10 and lock 20 are the same as described in connection with fig3 as are their assembly with top and bottom sign edges 5 and sliding installation into the rails . in this embodiment floating rail 71 is very much like top rail 42 but placed “ upside down .” it includes coupler 72 that is identical to coupler 44 and flat mounting side 76 , which is identical to side 43 except that it includes large grommeted holes 73 for receiving tie - down straps . located outside ( here beneath ) floating rail 71 is a series d - rings 74 fastened to surface 41 beneath grommeted holes 73 . self - locking plastic ties 75 , commonly called zip ties , are passed through holes 73 and d - rings 74 and pulled tight in order to tension planar sheet 1 in the vertical direction . rotating the image of fig7 by 90 degrees shows the same mechanical elements and method for horizontal mounting and tensioning planar sheet 1 . in this embodiment ties 75 are simply cut and replaced when removing a first sign 1 and constructing a tensioned sign system with another sign 1 . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , different cross - sectional shapes for an insert 10 , lock 20 and cooperating rail recess 44 could be utilized . accordingly , other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims .	6
[ 0060 ] fig1 is a diagram that shows the structure of a cross - flow fan for gas circulation in an excimer laser device of one embodiment of the present invention in a cross - sectional view in the longitudinal direction of cross - flow fan 3 . rotating shaft 3 a pierces fan 3 in the cross - flow fan of this embodiment , as shown in the figure . rotating shaft 3 a is a column that is centered to high precision and worked . side plate 3 b and hollow discs 3 d which support blade 3 c are fixed to the rotating shaft 3 a with support board 3 e . a cross - flow fan for gas circulation in an excimer laser device in which rotating shaft 3 a pierces fan 3 , as shown in fig1 was produced and its performance was compared with that of a conventional fan of similar size having a hollow interior . fans were produced which varied in terms of the outer diameter d and the diameter d of the rotating shaft , as shown in table 1 . [ 0063 ] fig2 shows the gas flow velocity ( m / s ) versus the speed of rotation ( rpm ) in the case of a fan having a rotating shaft that pierces as shown in this embodiment and in which the diameter d = 120 mm and the diameter d = 23 mm ( d / d = 0 . 19 ). the figure indicates the results of measuring the gas flow velocity within the laser chamber after mounting a cross - flow fan of 600 mm length in the axial direction within the laser chamber of the excimer laser device shown in fig7 . the gas flow velocity at 4000 rpm was unchanged from that of a conventional fan . furthermore , fig3 shows the magnitude of vibration of a laser chamber to which a fan is attached . in the diagram , the abscissa represents the speed of rotation ( rpm ) of the fan while the ordinate represents the vertical vibration acceleration ( m / s 2 ) within the chamber . the diagram shows the characteristics of a conventional fan ( curve 1 ) that lacks a piercing rotating shaft and a fan of this embodiment that has a piercing rotating shaft ( curve 2 ). the fan has diameters d = 120 mm and d = 23 mm with a 600 mm length in the axial direction . in addition , the conventional example was identical with this embodiment other than for the fact that the rotating shaft did not pierce the fan interior . as indicated by the results shown in fig3 the vibration acceleration could be reduced by about ½ as compared to the conventional example . in the past , as explained above , no problem arises if d / d 0 . 07 , taking rotating shaft diameter as d and fan outer diameter as d , when a rotating shaft is mounted within a cross - flow fan . specifically , adverse effects result if d / d 0 . 07 , but the gas flow velocity does not change from that of a conventional fan even if a central shaft of d / d = 0 . 19 is mounted in aforementioned embodiment under conditions of low flow velocity and high head as in a laser chamber . incidentally , the fan would vibrate greatly due to resonance if the speed of rotation of the cross - flow fan is consistent with the inherent oscillation frequency of the fan . accordingly , the inherent oscillation frequency must be increased as much as possible relative to the maximum speed of rotation of the fan . in general , the speed of rotation of a fan should be under 70 % of the speed corresponding to the inherent oscillation frequency . the oscillation frequency corresponding to a 4000 rpm speed of rotation is about 67 hz . accordingly , if the maximum speed of rotation of a fan is 4000 rpm , the inherent oscillation frequency of the fan should exceed 95 hz when the speed of rotation of a fan is assumed to be below 70 % of the speed corresponding to the inherent oscillation frequency . thus , the diameter d of the rotating shaft was computed for the case in which the axial length of a cross - flow fan is equal to the electrode length of an excimer laser so that the inherent oscillation frequency would exceed 95 hz . for example , the following would apply to maintain the inherent oscillation frequency above 95 hz when the electrode length of an excimer laser is 600 mm and the material comprising the rotating shaft is stainless steel . here , d is the diameter of the rotating shaft as above while d represents the outer diameter of the fan . specifically , the inherent oscillation frequency could be maintained above 95 hz if d / d exceeds 0 . 13 even if the fan diameter is 150 mm . the reasons that the efficiency and the air current do not decline as compared to a conventional fan even when using a cross - flow fan whose rotating shaft pierces the fan interior remain unclear . however , the following supposition is believed to be valid . high pressure is imposed between narrow electrodes in an excimer laser device and air current is circulated . specifically , the conditions of use of aforementioned cross - flow fan are high total pressure ( high head ) and low flow velocity . the conditions of use in an air - conditioner are the opposite of this , specifically , low head and high flow velocity . when a cross - flow fan is used under high - head , low - flow - rate conditions , the magnitude of the swirling current creating the air current shown in fig8 would decrease as compared to use under low - head high - flow - rate conditions , and the position also would shift downward in the figure . the effects on swirling current formation would be slight even if the rotating shaft were within the fan . misalignment of the rotating shaft does not arise during fan assembly since a rotating shaft that pierces the interior of a cross - flow fan is mounted as noted above in this embodiment . furthermore , the magnitude of the misalignment of the rotating shaft itself is dependent on the coaxiality of both ends of the shaft and on its straightness . the coaxiality and the straightness can be maintained by raising the precision of the conventional machining techniques . accordingly , misalignment can be prevented . furthermore , the mechanical strength of the fan can be adequately raised since the side plates or hollow discs that support the blades can be fixed to the rotating shaft . the use of a solid shaft as the rotating shaft that pierces the cross - flow fan interior was explained in above embodiment ; but , the speed of rotation of the fan can be raised still higher by “ hollowing out the interior of the rotating shaft ” and by “ using magnetic bearings for the rotating shaft .” embodiments in which ( 1 ) the interior of the rotating shaft is hollow and ( 2 ) magnetic bearings are used for the rotating shaft are explained below . as indicated above , the inherent oscillation frequency of the fan should exceed 95 hz when the maximum speed of rotation is 4000 rpm . the inherent oscillation frequency of the fan is dependent on the amount of deformation of the rotating shaft ( due to its own weight ), and the amount of deformation of the rotating shaft of the fan must be reduced to increase the inherent oscillation frequency . a rigid rotating shaft with little deformation must be used to reduce the amount of deformation . however , “ rigid ” means that the rotating shaft must be “ thick ” and “ heavy .” if the rotating shaft is “ thick ,” the concern arises that the swirling current developing during ventilation would be greatly affected . furthermore , if it is “ heavy ,” the load on the bearings would increase and that would wear out the bearings sooner . furthermore , the bearings would be enlarged and the overall device would also become larger . thus , the weight is reduced by using a hollow rotating shaft in this embodiment . weight reduction permits reduction of deformation due to weight . [ 0080 ] fig4 is a cross - sectional view of hollow rotating shaft 30 . the shaft is formed of shaft units 32 , 32 ′ that are welded at both ends of a cylinder unit 31 . the cylinder unit 31 is fixed to a lathe and the part a ( represented by dash lines in the diagram ) at both edges of the shaft are shaved off from shaft unit 32 while aligned . the hollow shaft may be structured with a shaft that is partially hollowed out , as shown in fig5 to effect weight reduction . however , a suitable structure must be designed taking into consideration the relationship of the load that is applied since the mechanical strength of a hollow structure and of a shaft that has been hollowed out is lower than that of a solid shaft . magnetic bearings cause the rotating shaft to float in the hollow cavity through magnetic repulsion in rotation . the use of magnetic bearings in the fan of an excimer laser device is presented , for example , in the gazette of japanese kokai publication hei - 10 - 173259 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 848 , 089 . magnetic bearings have no friction resistance as compared to conventional ball bearings and thus permit higher rotational speed . since they are free from mechanical friction , they have a longer life as compared to roller bearings . however , since they do not mechanically push against the rotating shaft , the rotational balance of the fan would be destroyed , leading to vibration , if the shaft were even slightly misaligned . accordingly , misalignment of the rotating shaft must be eliminated to permit the use of magnetic bearings for the rotating shaft of the fan . misalignment of the rotating shaft during manufacturing can be prevented and misalignment , even during high - speed rotation , can be prevented by using a cross - flow fan in which the rotating shaft pierces the interior as shown in fig1 & amp ; 4 of the embodiment of the present invention . accordingly , the development of problems , including loss of rotational balance of the fan and attendant vibration , when using magnetic bearings can be reduced . [ 0086 ] fig6 is a cross - sectional view of the basic structure when applying a cross - flow fan using magnetic bearings and a hollow rotating shaft that pierces the center to the chamber of an excimer laser device . in the figure , a laser chamber 1 has a cross - flow fan 3 mounted within it , and a hollow rotating shaft 30 pierces the interior of cross - flow fan 3 . the hollow rotating shaft 30 is supported at both ends by magnetic bearings 8 , and the magnetic bearings are sealed by seal unit 9 . magnetic bearings 8 float hollow rotating shaft 30 in the hollow cavity through the use of repulsion by magnet 8 a and magnet 8 b . the discharge electrodes and the cooling fin tubes , etc ., are omitted in fig6 . the problem of loss of rotational balance by the fan and attendant vibration developing can be avoided , even if magnetic bearings are used , since hollow rotating shaft 30 pierces the interior of cross - flow fan 3 in the embodiment shown in fig6 . furthermore , the weight can be reduced and the bearing load can be lightened since the rotating shaft 30 is hollow . in addition , the inherent oscillation frequency can be raised through reduction of deformation attributable to weight . that permits the speed of rotation to be raised . an example has been described which uses the cross - flow fan of this invention in an excimer laser device . however , the invention is not limited to this example and to an excimer laser device . it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the cross - flow fan of the invention can also be used with any discharge excited gas laser device such as a fluoride laser device or the like . ( 1 ) since a rotating shaft that pierces the interior of a cross - flow fan is mounted in a cross - flow fan used in excimer laser devices or fluoride laser devices , the fan can be assembled easily without misalignment of the rotating shaft ; furthermore , the flow velocity is not adversely affected even if the rotating shaft is mounted on a piercing shaft since the conditions of use of the cross - flow fan in an excimer laser device or fluoride laser device are high head and low flow velocity . ( 2 ) the mechanical strength is high and the fan does not suffer deformation even at high - speed rotation since aforementioned rotating shaft is mounted . in addition , the fan can be assembled without misalignment and misalignment does not arise during high - speed rotation . accordingly , the bearing load is reduced , bearing vibration is lowered , and neither deviation of the optical axis nor vibration of the central wavelength arise . ( 3 ) shaft deformation is reduced since the weight can be reduced by hollowing - out the rotating shaft . so the inherent oscillation frequency is raised and a high - speed rotation of the fan becomes possible . ( 4 ) misalignment of the rotating shaft does not arise during manufacture and during high - speed rotation . accordingly , magnetic bearings can be employed for the rotating shaft and that permits still higher speed rotation .	7
a system and method to facilitate translation of communication between entities over a network are described . in the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention , reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements , and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical , mechanical , electrical , functional , and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense , and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary network - based transaction facility in the form of a network - based auction facility 10 . while an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described within the context of an auction facility , it will be appreciated b r those skilled in the art that the invention will find application in many different types of computer - based , and network - based , commerce facilities . the auction facility 10 includes one or more of a number of types of front - end servers , namely communications servers in the exemplary form of page servers 12 that deliver web pages to multiple entities ( e . g ., markup language documents ), picture servers 14 that dynamically deliver images to he displayed within the web pages , listing servers 16 , processing servers in the exemplary form of common gateway interface ( cgi ) or internet server application program interface ( isapi ) servers 18 that provide an intelligent interface to the back - end of the auction facility 10 , and search servers 20 that handle search requests to the auction facility 10 . in addition , the auction facility 10 includes e - mail servers 21 that provide , inter alia , automated e - mail communications to / from entities of the facility 10 . the auction facility 10 further includes one or more back - end servers , for example a database engine server 22 , a search indexer server 24 and a credit card database server 26 , each of which maintains and facilitates access to a respective database 23 . the network - based auction facility 10 , such as an internet - based auction facility 10 , may be accessed by a client program 30 , such as a browser ( e . g ., the internet explorer browser distributed by microsoft corporation of redmond , wash .) that executes on a client machine 32 and accesses the facility 10 via a network 34 , such as , for example , the internet . other examples of networks that a client may utilize to access the auction facility 10 includes a wide area network ( wan ), a local area network ( lan ), a wireless network ( e . g ., a cellular network ), or the plain old telephone service ( pots ) network . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary database 23 , maintained by and accessed via the database engine server 22 , which at least partially implements and supports the auction facility 10 . the database 23 may , in one embodiment , be implemented as a relational database , and includes a number of tables having entries , or records , that are linked by indices and keys . in an alternative embodiment , the database 23 may be implemented as a collection of objects in an object - oriented database . central to the database 23 shown in fig2 is a user table 40 , which contains a record for each entity or user of the auction facility 10 . each user may operate as a seller , a buyer , or both , within the auction facility 10 . the database 23 also includes items tables 42 that may be linked to the user table 40 . specifically , the table 42 includes a seller items table 44 and a bidder items table 46 . a user record in the user table 40 may he linked to multiple items that are being , or have been , auctioned via the auction facility 10 . a link indicates whether the user is a seller or a bidder ( or buyer ) with respect to items for which records exist within the items table 42 . the database 23 further includes a note table 48 populated with note records that may be linked to one or more item records within the items table 42 and / or to one or more user records within the user table 40 . each note record within the note table 48 may include , inter ( ilia , a comment , description , history , or other information pertaining to an item being auctioned via the auction facility 10 , or pertaining to a user of the auction facility 10 . a number of other tables are also shown to be linked to the user table 40 , such as a user past aliases table 50 , a feedback table 52 , a bids table 54 , an accounts table 56 , and an account balances table 58 . the database 23 is also shown to include two tables specifically to enable an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a stored construct table 60 stores a predetermined number of language constructs , such as sentences , phrases , questions , or any other known types of language constructs . a stored translated construct table 70 contains a number of records , each record storing translated language constructs corresponding to the language constructs stored in table 60 . prior to any communication between client 32 and the network - based auction facility 10 , each translated language construct is generated and stored in the stored translated construct table 70 , and the correspondence to one or more predetermined language constructs in the stored language constructs table 60 is defined , such that each translated language construct includes a predetermined translation of the corresponding predetermined language construct . fig3 a illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a stored construct table 60 . as illustrated in fig3 a , the table 60 includes a construct id field 62 to store a unique identifier for each stored language construct to be used in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the table 60 further includes a construct field 64 to store each language construct maintained within the database 23 . fig3 b illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a stored translated construct table 70 . as illustrated in fig3 b , the table 70 includes a construct id field 72 to store a unique identifier for each translated language construct , which corresponds to the identifier of the language construct stored within field 62 . the table 70 further includes a language id field 74 to store an identifier for a language pertaining to the translated construct , and a translated construct field 76 to store the translated construct in the particular language identified in the language id field 74 . fig4 is an interaction diagram illustrating a sequence 90 of interactions , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , to facilitate translation of communications between entities in the exemplary form of a first user 92 and a second user 94 . while the sequence 90 describes a client - server environment , whereby communications between the first and second users 92 and 94 are facilitated by , or performed through , a website 96 , it will also he appreciated that the teachings of the present inventions may be applied to a peer - to - peer environment , whereby the users 92 and 94 communicate directly and not through the website 96 . as illustrated in fig4 , the sequence 90 commences at block 105 with the selection by the first user 92 of a language construct and of a user identifier of the second user 94 . the language construct may be selected , in one embodiment , from a drop - down list containing multiple predetermined language constructs , the drop - down list being displayed in a first interactive area of a web form communicated to the first user 92 from the website 96 . alternatively , the language construct may be selected from a window , which presents the web form containing the predetermined language constructs to the first user 92 . the predetermined language constructs are generated and stored in the stored constructs table 60 of the database 23 prior to being communicated to the first user 92 in the drop - down list or web form . at block 110 , the language construct is communicated from the first user 92 to the website 96 via the network 34 in a message directed to the second user 94 , for example an electronic mail ( e - mail ) message . at block 115 , the website 96 ( e . g ., the auction facility 10 ) utilizes the search servers 20 to conduct a search of the user table 40 , the stored constructs table 60 , and the stored translated constructs table 70 to retrieve a translated language construct , based on the user identifier corresponding to the second user 94 . the search of the user table 40 locates the user information pertaining to the second user 94 , including a language preference of the second user 94 , and the search of the tables 60 and 70 locates the translated language construct corresponding to the selected language construct and the language preference of the second user 94 . in one embodiment , the predetermined language constructs and the translated language constructs are generated and stored in respective tables 60 and 70 prior to the language constructs being communicated to the first user 92 , so as to define a correspondence between each predetermined language construct and at least one associated translated language construct . alternatively , the storing is so as to define a correspondence between a set of the translated language constructs , wherein each translated language construct of the set includes a predetermined translation of a common underlying language construct . at block 120 , the website 96 generates a translated message to be transmitted to the second user 94 . in one embodiment , the translated message is an e - mail message generated by the e - mail servers 21 and directed to the second user 94 , which contains the translated language construct . alternatively , the translated e - mail message may contain multiple interactive fields to allow the second user 94 to respond to the first user 92 . at block 125 , the translated message is communicated to the second user 94 . in one embodiment , an e - mail message containing the translated language construct is communicated by the e - mail servers 21 to the second user 94 . at block 130 , the second user 94 selects a further language construct and a user identifier of the first user 92 to which the further language construct is to be communicated . the further language construct may be selected , in one embodiment , from a drop - down list containing multiple predetermined language constructs translated in the language preference of the second user 94 , the drop - down list being displayed in one interactive field of the multiple fields communicated to the second user 94 from the website 96 . alternatively , the second user 94 may only receive the translated message from the website 96 and take no further action . at block 135 , the further language construct is communicated from the second user 94 to the website 96 via the network 34 in a reply message directed to the first user 92 , for example an electronic mail ( e - mail ) message . at block 140 , the website 96 ( e . g ., the auction facility 10 ) utilizes the search servers 20 to conduct a search of the user table 40 , the stored constructs table 60 , and the stored translated constructs table 70 to retrieve a translated further language construct , based on the user identifier corresponding to the first user 92 . the search of the user table 40 locates the user information pertaining to the first user 92 , including a language preference of the first user 92 , and the search of the tables 60 and 70 locates the translated further language construct corresponding to the selected further language construct and the language preference of the first user 92 . at block 145 , the website 96 generates a translated reply message to be transmitted to the first user 92 . in one embodiment , the translated reply message is an e - mail message generated by the e - mail servers 21 and directed to the first user 92 , which contains the translated further language construct . at block 150 , the translated reply message is communicated to the first user 92 . in one embodiment , an e - mail message containing the translated further language construct is communicated by the e - mail servers 21 to the first user 92 . it should be noted that the sequence 90 may have any one of a number of applications and may be implemented within any number of environments . for example , the sequence 90 may be used to communicate information from any one entity , such as first or second users 92 and 94 , to the website 96 in a language preferred by the respective entity . the website 96 may subsequently translate the information and use it in any one of a number of applications , such as in the preparation of item listings , or in the updating of the user information . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary environment in which the interaction sequence 90 may be employed . as illustrated in fig5 , client machines 32 are shown to reside outside the context of a website , such as the exemplary website 96 shown in fig4 . accordingly , this embodiment describes an application which allows a first user of a client machine 32 , such as the first client machine 32 , to communicate language constructs to a second user of a further client machine 32 , such as the second client machine 32 , both of which reside outside the website 96 or any other commerce facility . alternatively , each user of the client machines 32 may only communicate language constructs to the website 96 in order to request performance of applications by the website 96 . referring to fig5 , the first user selects a language construct and a user identifier of the second user in an e - mail client or browser 322 that executes in the first client machine 32 , the second user being the recipient of an e - mail message 324 containing the language construct to be communicated by the first user . the language construct may be selected , in one embodiment , from a drop - down list containing multiple predetermined language constructs , the drop - down list being displayed in a first interactive area of a web form communicated to the first user from the website 96 . alternatively , the language construct may be selected from a window , which presents the web form containing the predetermined language constructs to the first user . the message is shown to be communicated to the e - mail servers 21 of the website 96 . specifically , the message containing the language construct may be communicated , in one embodiment , as an e - mail message or by utilizing any other transfer protocol or communication . the e - mail servers 21 receive the message using the transmission functions 217 and proceed to parse the message to extract the language construct and the user identifier for the second user that operates the second client machine 32 . the search servers 20 within the website 96 receive the language construct and the user identifier and search tables within corresponding databases using search functions 205 to provide a translated language construct to be communicated to the second user . specifically , in one embodiment , the search servers 20 search the user table 40 shown in fig2 to locate user information pertaining to the second user , including a language preference of the second user . the search servers 20 further search the stored constructs table 60 and the stored translated constructs table 70 shown in fig2 to locate the translated language construct corresponding to the selected language construct and the language preference of the second user . the translated language construct is subsequently communicated to the e - mail servers 21 . the e - mail servers 21 generate a translated e - mail message containing the translated language construct using message generation functions 215 . the translated e - mail message is then communicated to the second client machine via the transmission functions 217 . in one embodiment , the second user selects a further language construct and a user identifier of the first user in an e - mail client or browser 326 that executes in the second client machine 32 , the first user being the recipient of a reply e - mail message 328 containing the further language construct to be communicated by the second user . the language construct may be selected , in one embodiment , from a drop - down list containing multiple predetermined language constructs translated in the language preference of the second user , the drop - down list being displayed in one interactive field of multiple interactive fields that may be communicated to the second user from the website 96 . alternatively , the second user may only receive the translated e - mail message and take no further action . the reply message is shown to be communicated to the e - mail servers 21 of the website 96 . specifically , the reply message containing the further language construct may be communicated , in one embodiment , as an email message or by utilizing any other transfer protocol or communication . the e - mail servers 21 receive the reply message using the transmission functions 217 and proceed to parse the reply message to extract the further language construct and the user identifier for the first user that operates the first client machine 32 . the search servers 20 within the website 96 receive the further language construct and the user identifier and search tables within corresponding databases using search functions 205 to provide a translated further language construct to be communicated to the first user . specifically , in one embodiment , the search servers 20 search the user table 40 shown in fig2 to locate user information pertaining to the first user , including a language preference of the first user . the search servers 20 further search the stored constructs table 60 and the stored translated constructs table 70 shown in fig2 to locate the translated further language construct corresponding to the selected further language construct and the language preference of the first user . the translated further language construct is subsequently communicated to the e - mail servers 21 . the e - mail servers 21 generate a translated reply message containing the translated further language construct using message generation functions 215 . the translated reply message is then communicated to the first client machine via the transmission functions 217 . an alternative application would allow each user of the first or second client machines 32 to communicate selected language constructs to the website 96 . in this case , the website 96 may perform search and translation operations and use the translated language construct to update listings via listing servers 16 , or to update user information in the user table 40 . fig6 is a flow chart illustrating a method , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , to facilitate translation of communications between entities over a network . it will be appreciated that the method may , as described above , be utilized to facilitate translation of communications , and is not limited to the context of a network - based auction facility . as illustrated in fig6 , at processing block 610 , a web form containing language constructs is communicated to the first user . at processing block 615 , a selected language construct and a user identifier of the second user are received from the first user . at processing block 620 , the user table 40 is searched to locate user information pertaining to the second user , including a language preference of the second user . at processing block 625 , the stored constructs table 60 and the stored translated constructs table 70 are searched to retrieve a translated language construct corresponding to the selected language construct . at processing block 630 , a translated message containing the translated language construct and multiple interactive fields is generated . at processing block 635 , the translated message is communicated to the second user . at processing block 640 , a further language construct and a user identifier of the first user are received from the second user . at processing block 645 , the user table 40 is searched to locate user information pertaining to the first user , including a language preference of the first user . at processing block 650 , the stored constructs table 60 and the stored translated constructs table 70 are searched to retrieve a translated further language construct corresponding to the selected further language construct . at processing block 655 , a translated reply message containing the translated further language construct is generated . finally , at processing block 660 , the translated reply message is communicated to the first user . fig7 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exemplary form of a computer system 300 within which a set of instructions , for causing the machine to perform any one of the methodologies discussed above , may be executed . in alternative embodiments , the machine may comprise a network router , a network switch , a network bridge , personal digital assistant ( pda ), a cellular telephone , a web appliance or any machine capable of executing a sequence of instructions that specify actions to be taken by that machine . the computer system 300 includes a processor 302 , a main memory 304 and a static memory 306 , which communicate with each other via a bus 308 . the computer system 300 may further include a video display unit 310 ( e . g ., a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) or a cathode ray tube ( crt )). the computer system 300 also includes an alphanumeric input device 312 ( e . g ., a keyboard ), a cursor control device 314 ( e . g ., a mouse ), a disk drive unit 316 , a signal generation device 18 ( e . g ., a speaker ), and a network interface device 320 . the disk drive unit 316 includes a machine - readable medium 324 on which is stored a set of instructions ( i . e ., software ) 326 embodying any one , or all , of the methodologies described above . the software 326 is also shown to reside , completely or at least partially , within the main memory 304 and / or within the processor 302 . the software 326 may further be transmitted or received via the network interface device 320 . it is to be understood that embodiments of this invention may be used as or to support software programs executed upon some form of processing core ( such as the cpu of a computer ) or otherwise implemented or realized upon or within a machine or computer readable medium . a machine readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine ( e . g ., a computer ). for example , a machine readable medium includes read - only memory ( rom ); random access memory ( ram ); magnetic disk storage media ; optical storage media ; flash memory devices ; electrical , optical , acoustical or other form of propagated signals ( e . g ., carrier waves , infrared signals , digital signals , etc . ); or any other type of media suitable for storing or transmitting information . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense .	7
the feature of the present invention is to effect the exposure and development using a photosensitive resin which contains a light - absorbing material . according to the conventional art , the photosensitive resins are usually blended with a sensitizer having good transmittance . in the present invention , on the other hand , problems inherent in the conventional art are solved by adding a light - absorbing material . according to the method of the present invention , the light which is reflected toward the photosensitive resin is absorbed or weakened by the light - absorbing material , and is so drastically attenuated that the photosensitive resin is very less polymerized , making it possible to accurately form patterns which are substantially corresponding to an exposure mask . examples of the light - absorbing material include direct dyes , acid dyes , basic dyes , mordant dyes , reactive dyes , and the like . the light - absorbing material , however , must be capable of absorbing part of the light of wavelengths ranging from 350 to 450 nm . furthermore , the light - absorbing material must be capable of being dissolved in the photosensitive resin and must be capable of being removed after patterns have been formed so that the spectral transmittance of the filter is not deteriorated . fig2 shows the transmittance of ultraviolet ray of 365 nm when a tartrazine ( trade name , 3 - carboxy - 1 -( p - sulfophenyl )- 4 -( p - sulfophenylazo )- 5 - hydroxy pyrazole ) which is an acid dye having absorption characteristics in the ultraviolet regions , is added to a negative - working photoresist ( photoresist of the type of gelatin - ammonium dichromate ) which is usually used as a water - soluble photoresist . in this case , the thickness of the film is 1 μm . as will be obvious from fig2 the transmittance of ultraviolet rays is drastically reduced by the addition of a very small amount of tartrazine which is a light - absorbing material to the gelatin . the amount of tartrazine is expressed by percent by weight with respect to the gelatin . fig3 shows the transmittance of 435 nm . fig4 shows spectral characteristics of a film prepared by adding tartrazine to the photoresist of the type of gelatin - ammonium dichromate , in which curves 41 , 42 , 43 and 44 represent transmittances when tartrazine is added in an amount of 1 % weight ( with respect to gelatin , the same holds true hereinafter ), 3 % by weight , 5 % by weight , and 10 % by weight , respectively . the light - absorbing material should be added in such an amount that the transmittance of ultraviolet rays irradiating the photosensitive resin is smaller than 80 % but is larger than 20 %, and more preferably in such an amount that the transmittance is smaller than 75 % but is larger than 40 %. the operability becomes poor when the transmittance is smaller than 20 %. therefore , the amount of the light - absorbing material actually added will vary depending upon the wavelengths of the ultraviolet rays and the kind of light - absorbing materials . for instance , when the photosensitive resin is to be irradiated with ray of a wavelength of 435 nm , the tartrazine should be added to the photosensitive resin preferably in amount of 0 . 5 % by weight ( with respect to gelatin ) to 10 % by weight , and more preferably in an amount of 1 % by weight to 5 % by weight . in addition to tartrazine , examples of the light - absorbing material include the following : fluorescein sodium salt ( color index no . ( hereinafter abbreviated as c . i . no .) 45350 ); kayanol yellow n5g ( trade name , produced by nippon kayaku co ., ltd . ); kayanol yellow nfg ( trade name , produced by nippon kayaku co ., ltd . ); and acridine orange ( c . i . no . 46005 , zinc double chloride of 3 , 6 - bis ( n , n - dimethylamino )- acridine hydrochloride ); and even when these light - absorbing materials are added , the photosensitive resin does not almost lose adhesiveness or resistance against chemicals . the photosensitive material should desirably be soluble in water . the present invention employs a widely known photosensitive material composed of a high molecular substance such as gelatin , polyvinyl alcohol , or the like , and a crosslinking agent such as ammonium dichromate , bisazide , or the like . below are mentioned the results when the resin coated on a solid state imager having rugged surface composed of aluminum is exposed to the light through mask . fig5 illustrates a relation between the width which is sensitized by the light that is reflected from beneath the exposure mask and the quantity of exposure . a curve a represents the case when the light - absorbing agent is not added , and a curve b represents the case when tartrazine which is a light - absorbing agent is added in an amount of 3 % with respect to gelatin . as will be obvious from fig5 under the equivalent exposure ( to equivalently sensitize the photoresist , the effect of the light - absorbing agent must be taken into consideration because it usually works to reduce the sensitivity ), the region sensitized in the opaque portion of the mask pattern due to the reflected light is very narrowed when the light - absorbing agent is added , and the dimensional precision of pattern is very little deteriorated by the light reflected by the tilted surfaces . the quantity of exposure in fig5 has the following meaning . the photocrosslinking reaction in the negative - working photoresist proceeds with exposure . the photoresist becomes insoluble in the developing liquid , so that a film remains . the thickness of the film increases with the increase in the quantity of exposure . as the quantity of exposure exceeds a predetermined value , the thickness becomes nearly in agreement with the thickness when the photoresist was coated . a minimum quantity of exposure at which the coating of photoresist is all sensitized to form a film is generally referred to as a minimum required exposure quantity and is used as a unit of exposure quantity . the exposure of fig5 is thus defined . the effect of the light - absorbing agent is illustrated below from the standpoint of actually handling the photo - sensitive resin . the negative - working photoresist undergoes the crosslinking and becomes insoluble in the developing liquid . when the degree of crosslinking is small , however , the film is extremely swollen or is peeled off . to prevent the swelling or peeling during the step of developing , therefore , the exposure is usually excessively performed . the quantity of exposure should usually be two to three folds . with reference to the effects of light - absorbing agent of fig5 in which the quantity of exposure is three folds , the width sensitized by the reflected light is reduced to about one - fourth contributing to the remarkable improvement in the precision . thus , it is made possible to form fine patterns . the light - absorbing material is removed by solvent from the photosensitive film simultaneously with the development of the photosensitive film , or before or after the development of the photosensitive film . namely , the light - absorbing material may be removed before , simultaneously with , or after , the development provided the exposure has been completed . when the photosensitive resin of the type of gelatin is used , the development is usually carried out in hot water . therefore , when the light - absorbing material which can be removed with water is added to the photosensitive resin of the type of gelatin , it is allowed to remove the light - absorbing material simultaneously with the development . the present invention further provides a method of removing the light - absorbing material with weakly alkaline water . when it is attempted to remove the light - absorbing material immediately after it has been mixed into the photosensitive film , the light - absorbing material can be completely removed . however , when the light - absorbing material is left to stand in the photosensitive film for a while , it will not be completely removed causing the photosensitive film to be colored to a slight degree . the color adversely affects the spectral transmittance of the color filter . to practically produce fine color filters , the operation such as focusing must be precisely carried out requiring sufficient periods of time . the film , however , will be colored as mentioned above when extended periods of time are lapsed . it is therefore recommended to remove the light - absorbing material from the photosensitive film using a weakly alkaline aqueous solution having a ph value of preferably from 7 . 1 to 12 . 0 , and more preferably having a ph value of from 9 . 2 to 12 . 0 . the alkaline aqueous solution having a ph value in excess of 12 causes the film to be peeled off . the ph value therefore should not be greater than 12 . the film will be easily peeled off when the temperature of the weakly alkaline aqueous solution is high . on the other hand , the development is usually carried out in hot water . it is not , therefore , desirable to effect the developing and the removal of light - absorbing material simultaneously using the developing solution as a hot and weakly alkaline aqueous solution . it is recommended to remove the light - absorbing material with weakly alkaline water of room temperature after the developing has been effected . examples of the weakly alkaline aqueous solution will include ammonia water , aqueous solution of amine , aqueous solution of alkali hydroxide , aqueous solution of carbonates , aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of weak acid . for example , aqueous solutions are employed such as of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide , pyridine , diethanol amine , sodium acetate , sodium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate , sodium hydroxide , and the like . the photosensitive film from which is removed the light - absorbing material exhibits quite the same absorption spectrum as that of the photosensitive film which does not contain light - absorbing material but which is exposed and developed . the photosensitive film from which has been removed the light - absorbing material is dyed by a conventional method , for example , by a method disclosed in japanese patent publication no . 52 - 17375 , to obtain a color filter having fine patterns . japanese patent publication no . 51 - 37562 discloses to effect the exposure and development by using a photo - sensitive film which includes a light - absorbing material . according to this method which employs an oil - soluble dye , however , it is very difficult to decolor the dyes without affecting the photosensitive film . in the method disclosed in the above japanese patent publication no . 51 - 37562 , the substrate after development is subjected to the etching , and then the remaining photosensitive film is removed . if the film containing a light - absorbing material which is difficult to decolor is dyed , two colors are mixed together making it impossible to obtain a color filter having desired spectral characteristics . the present invention features that use of the above - mentioned light - absorbing material enables the color to be completely removed , and particularly that use of a weakly alkaline aqueous solution enables the color to be completely removed even though such color may be difficult to be completely removed under ordinary conditions . owing to the method of the present invention , it is allowed to make a color filter which is precisely dyed to a desired color having precise and fine patterns corresponding to desired patterns . the invention is illustrated below in further detail with reference to embodiments . tartrazine which is a light - absorbing agent is added in an amount of 3 % with respect to gelatin to a water - soluble photoresist of the type of gelatin - ammonium dichromate . the mixture is then uniformly coated on a solid - state imager 8 having rugged surfaces to form a film 9 as shown in fig6 . the film 9 is dried and immediately thereafter , ray 2 having a wavelength of 435 nm is irradiated through a mask 11 onto the portions which exhibit a first color as shown in fig6 . developing is then effected in hot water to remove unexposed portions of the photoresist . in this case , the tartrazine is eluted out , and the gelatin film exhibits spectral transmittance characteristics which are the same as those of the gelatin films without admixed with tartrazine . then , the portions corresponding to the first color 12 are dyed with a dye having predetermined spectral characteristics thereby to prepare a color filter . then , with reference to fig8 a transparent intermediate layer 13 is coated to prevent colors from being mixed together . to prepare color filters having second and further colors , the operation as mentioned with reference to the formation of the first color should be repeated as illustrated in fig9 and 10 . the photosensitive film prepared in the same manner as in example 1 is left to stand for a predetermined period of time , and is then exposed and developed . since the photosensitive film is slightly colored , the film is immersed in an ammonia water of 0 . 1 % for 30 seconds , washed with water and is dried . the tartrazine is completely removed , and the photosensitive film exhibits spectral transmittance characteristics which are the same as those of the photosensitive films which do not contain tartrazine and which are exposed and developed . the film is then dyed and is coated with an intermediate layer like example 1 . color filters of the second and third color are then formed by repeating the same procedure . the following experiment helps confirm that the light - absorbing material is also removed and color is extinguished when a weakly alkaline aqueous solution is used instead of ammonia water . namely , a film is prepared from an aqueous solution of photosensitive resin composed of gelatin , ammonium dichromate ( 5 % by weight with respect to gelatin ) and tartrazine ( 1 . 5 % by weight with respect to gelatin ), left to stand for 100 minutes , irradiated with light ( 70 , 000 luxes for 11 seconds ), and is developed ( in hot water maintained at 40 ° c . for 2 minutes ). the film exhibits a transmittance of about 70 % at around 415 nm , indicating that it is colored . when immersed in an aqueous solution of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide ( ph 12 ), in an aqueous solution of pyridine ( ph 9 . 2 ), and in an aqueous solution of diethanol amine ( ph 11 . 2 ), respectively , the color of the gelatin film is extinguished . namely , the film exhibits the same spectral transmittance characteristics which are the same as those of the photosensitive resin which does not contain tartrazine but which is exposed and developed . according to the present invention as mentioned in the foregoing , the light transmittance of the photo - sensitive resin is decreased by adding a light - absorbing agent to the photosensitive resin , thereby to form fine patterns on the surface of a substrate which has a rugged surface and good reflection factor . although the aforementioned embodiments have employed a photoresist of the type of gelatin - ammonium dichromate as the photosensitive resin , it is of course allowable to use a water - soluble photosensitive resin . furthermore , the light - absorbing agent needs not be limited to the tartrazine only , but those which absorb light while they are contained in the photosensitive resin and which can be removed by the developing after the patterns have been formed , can also be employed for the present invention .	6
the figures described above and the written description of specific structures and functions below are not presented to limit the scope of what applicants have invented or the scope of the appended claims . rather , the figures and written description are provided to teach any person skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for which patent protection is sought . those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions are described or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding . persons of skill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actual commercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventions will require numerous implementation - specific decisions to achieve the developer &# 39 ; s ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment . such implementation - specific decisions may include , and likely are not limited to , compliance with system - related , business - related , government - related and other constraints , which may vary by specific implementation , location and from time to time . while a developer &# 39 ; s efforts might be complex and time - consuming in an absolute sense , such efforts would be , nevertheless , a routine undertaking for those of skill in this art having benefit of this disclosure . it must be understood that the inventions disclosed and taught herein are susceptible to numerous and various modifications and alternative forms . lastly , the use of a singular term , such as , but not limited to , “ a ,” is not intended as limiting of the number of items . also , the use of relational terms , such as , but not limited to , “ top ,” “ bottom ,” “ left ,” “ right ,” “ upper ,” “ lower ,” “ down ,” “ up ,” “ side ,” and the like are used in the written description for clarity in specific reference to the figures and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims . fig1 - 7 show generally the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention designated generally by the numeral 10 . oil well pump 10 provides a reservoir 11 for containing hydraulic fluid . a prime mover 12 such as an engine is provided for driving a compensating pump 13 . the pump 13 is used to transmit hydraulic pressure , pressurized hydraulic fluid received from reservoir 11 via flow line 33 to a hydraulic cylinder or petroleum lift cylinder 14 . lift cylinder 14 can be a parker ( www . parker . com ) model gg699076a0 . the hydraulic lift cylinder 14 includes a cylinder body 15 having a hollow interior 16 . a cylinder rod 17 is mounted in sliding or telescoping fashion to the cylinder body 15 extending into the interior 16 of cylinder body 15 . the cylinder rod 17 has an upper end portion 18 and a lower end portion 19 . during use , the lower end portion 19 extends below cylinder body 15 as shown in fig1 - 4c and 6 - 7 . in fig1 , the lower end portion 19 of cylinder rod 17 is attached with coupling 20 to a pumping string or sucker rod 21 . the pumping string or sucker rod 21 is comprised of a number of joints , connected end to end . a pumping part of the sucker rod 21 is generally positioned next to a perforated zone of the well . such a pumping string 21 or sucker rod 21 is known in the art and is used to pump oil from an oil well as the sucker rod 21 moves up and down . the lift cylinder 14 is mounted upon christmas tree 22 . the christmas tree 22 is mounted at the well head of an oil well at the upper end portion of well pipe 23 . a suitable structural frame 38 can be used for supporting hydraulic cylinder 14 and its cylinder rod 17 above christmas tree 22 as shown in fig1 - 4c and 6 - 7 . a plurality of proximity or limit switches 24 , 25 , 26 are provided . switches 24 , 25 , 26 can be for example those manufactured by turck company , model number n120 - cp40ap6x2 / 510 . as shown in fig2 - 2a , these proximity or limit switches 24 , 25 , 26 can be mounted to frame 38 . during use , these proximity or limit switches 24 , 25 , 26 can be used to sense the position of the lower end portion 19 of cylinder rod 17 and then send an electronic signal to the controller 39 ( commercially available ), then the controller 39 sends a signal to the manifold 35 that includes directional valve 28 , proportioning valve 31 , and ventable relief valve 37 ( e . g . parker sterling model no . ao4h3hzn ). hydraulic fluid flow lines are provided for transmitting hydraulic fluid under pressure to hydraulic lift cylinder 14 via flow lines 27 , 29 . directional valve 28 receives flow from flow line 29 . flow line 27 extends between directional valve 28 and cylinder 14 . to initiate operation , pump 13 transmits fluid flow through the manually vented relief valve 37 thus removing pressure from the system prior to start up . when the engine or prime mover 12 is started , it activates the hydraulic pump 13 , flow still initially traveling through the relief valve 37 and flow line 34 to reservoir 11 . the cycle of operation begins by vent closure of valve 37 so that oil flowing in flow line 29 now travels to directional valve 28 . at about the same time , the directional valve 28 is energized so that oil under pressure is directed via flow line 27 to hydraulic lift cylinder 14 body 15 and its hollow interior 16 . the cylinder rod 17 will then elevate , lifting the pumping string 21 or sucker rod 21 with it ( see fig2 ). in one embodiment , a delay cycle is provided wherein the cylinder rod 17 and pumping string 21 remain in this elevated position for a selected time interval . this time delay in the elevated position is used when the well is slow flowing . a well can be slow flowing when the oil is more viscous or if the well is an older well with a lesser volume of available oil to pump . the delay cycle must first be turned on via the hmi ( human machine interface ). once this is done the operator can adjust the amount of time that the cylinder pauses ( delays ) at the top of the stroke . the amount of time of the delay may be 0 seconds to 65000 seconds ( 18 hours ). this can be changed if needed . the delay cycle offers several benefits . the delay cycle allows gas separation at the down hole pump intake — resulting in greater pump efficiency . the delay cycle minimizes rod reversal effect , which allows the rod time to relax before starting its downward stroke . the delays also allows the tubing fluid load above the travel valve time to equalize with the standing valve — resulting in reduced fluid pound effect at the down hole rod pump . frame 38 carries the plurality of proximity or limit switches 24 , 25 , 26 . when the cylinder rod 17 reaches the top of its stroke , the proximity switch 24 ( which is an uppermost proximity switch ) senses the position of coupling 20 and energizes the directional valve 28 so that it closes the flow line 29 and flows through proportional valve 31 . valve 31 is a manual proportional valve with flow check for restricted flow on return of hydraulic oil to the reservoir , thus allowing a restricted flow to control the rate of descent of cylinder rod 17 . because the pump 13 is a compensating pump , it continues to run but does not continue to pump fluid . it can be set to halt fluid flow at a certain pressure value ( e . g . 3000 psi , or 210 . 92 kgf / cm2 ) which can be set by design depending upon the weight of sucker rod 21 . in other words , pump 13 is volume compensating and pressure responsive . such a compensating pump is manufactured by parker such as their model no . p1100pso1srm5ac00e1000000 . when the directional valve 28 is used to close flow line 29 , the compensating pump 13 continues to rotate with the engine 12 but no longer pumps fluid in flow line 29 . the directional valve 28 opens drain line 30 at about the same time that line 29 is closed . fluid in hydraulic cylinder 14 now drains via flow lines 27 and 30 through proportioning valve 31 and cylinder rod 17 descends relative to cylinder body 15 . the hydraulic fluid draining from cylinder body 15 interior 16 continues to flow via flow lines 27 and 30 through proportioning valve 31 and cooler 36 and then into flow line 32 which is a drain line to reservoir 11 . the flow line 32 can be provided with oil cooler 36 ( e . g . thermal transfer model bol - 8 - 1 - 9 ) and an oil filter ( e . g . parker model no . rf2210qup35y9991 ) if desired . since pressure no longer forces cylinder rod 17 upwardly , it begins to drop ( see fig4 a and 7 ). as it drops relative to lift cylinder body 15 , coupling 20 will meet a second proximity or limit switch 25 which is below limit switch 24 ( see fig2 a , 4b , 4c ). the limit switch 25 is closer to the lower end portion ( for example , 1 foot , or 0 . 30 meters ) of cylinder body 15 than to upper end portion of body 15 . when the coupling 20 reaches proximity or limit switch 25 , in one embodiment ( fig2 a ) it signals the directional valve 28 that it should switch to allow the flow of fluid to travel through the proportioning valve 31 via flow lines 27 , 30 . the proportioning valve 31 is a manual proportioning valve with flow check for restricted flow on return of hydraulic oil to the reservoir . when the coupling 20 reaches the proximity or limit switch 25 , the directional valve switches to direct the flow to lift the cylinder 14 . the choking action that takes place in the proportioning valve 31 has the effect of gradually slowing the speed of the cylinder rod 17 and its connected sucker rod 21 . the use of parker no . fmdddsm manapac manual sandwich valve located between directional valve and the solenoid controls dampens the transition of the directional valve from the upstroke or downstroke to allow bumpless transfer of fluid to the cylinder 14 and balances pressures . this choking of flow by the proportioning valve 31 also slows action of cylinder rod 17 , preventing undue stress from being transmitted to the sucker rod 21 as the bottom of the downstroke of cylinder rod 17 is approached , then reached . directional valve 28 can be a parker ® valve model number d61vw001b4nkcg . proportioning valve 31 can be a parker ® valve model number dfz01c600012 . in one embodiment , the cylinder rod 17 and pumping string 21 are allowed to fall without any slowing . this free fall of rod 17 and string 21 from the elevated position to the rod 17 lowest position . such free fall creates a jar or shock that dislodges any trash or unwanted debris from the string 21 . the operator turns the clean cycle on via the hmi . after the clean cycle is turned on , the next stroke down will perform the clean function event . the event starts by pumping the cylinder to the top of the stroke . for the current embodiment , it goes to the top switch . after reaching the top switch the down stroke for the clean out cycle begins . the bypass valve opens and the direction valve closes ( resulting in the pump de - stroking to bypass pressure ). the proportional valve ramps open to 75 %, and the cylinder is drained resulting in the down stroke . the middle switch is ignored ( this is unique for this function ). when the bottom switch is detected the proportional valve is shut closed ( not ramped ; also unique ). this has the benefit of creating a gentler “ abrupt ” stop by closing the proportional valve very quickly ( not ramping it closed ). this triggers the end of the clean out cycle . the function is turned off and the normal cycle resumes . alternatively , the step requiring an operator to turn the cleaning cycle on may be eliminated , and this cleaning or cleanout cycle may be scheduled to automatically occur at a selected interval . in one embodiment , an improved direct mount smart cylinder that does not use proximity switches may be used with an oil well pump , including sucker rod pumping . as a result , this embodiment does not require the use of a pedestal , though one may still be used if warranted . a linear displacement transducer may be installed inside the direct mount smart cylinder in order to measure the linear displacement of the rod of the oil well pump . the direct mount smart cylinder is able to determine the position of the rod without the use of proximity switches . a hall effects linear displacement transducer may be used . the direct mount smart cylinder embodiment offers several benefits . it minimizes the possible points of oil leaks because a stuffing box is no longer needed . the height of the oil well pump may be reduced by half when a direct mount smart cylinder is implemented . the connection to the well is improved because no guy wires are used with the direct mount smart cylinder . the direct mount smart cylinder provides the position through the stroke instead of only at the location of the proximity switches . because only one cable runs to the linear displacement sensor instead of multiple proximity sensors , the assembly of the oil well pump is easier and is safer because there are fewer loose electronics . the stroke length may be changed through the control system human machine interface without having to move proximity sensors . there are fewer or no moving parts in sight on the wellhead . the linear displacement transducer is a no wear item . the direct mount smart cylinder embodiment also increases the ability to change the speed on the fly . other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of the inventions described above can be devised without departing from the spirit of applicant &# 39 ; s invention . discussion of singular elements can include plural elements and vice - versa . the order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences unless otherwise specifically limited . the various steps described herein can be combined with other steps , interlineated with the stated steps , and split into multiple steps . similarly , elements have been described functionally and can be embodied as separate components or can be combined into components having multiple functions . the inventions have been described in the context of preferred and other embodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has been described . obvious modifications and alterations to the described embodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art . the disclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by the applicants , but rather , in conformity with the patent laws , applicants intend to fully protect all such modifications and improvements that come within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims .	4
referring now to fig1 through 6 , numeral 10 designates generally a housing structure constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . for purposes of example only , the embodiments of the present invention shown in the figures relate to the construction of houses for ducks or other birds . the principles of the present invention can , however , be applied to the construction of a housing structure for any cavity - dwelling animal . [ 0023 ] fig1 is a front plan view of an embodiment of a birdhouse constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . birdhouse 10 includes a housing unit 11 , which includes a roof , four walls , and a floor . the floor of housing unit 11 is provided by a floor member 12 . the lower surface of floor member 12 serves as the base of the birdhouse . the upper surface of floor member 12 serves to provide a solid floor for the interior of the birdhouse upon which birds may construct nests and the like . extending upwardly from floor member 12 , and substantially perpendicular thereto , are side wall members 14 and 16 . side wall members 14 and 16 extend substantially along the length of floor member 12 . roof 20 contacts the upper surface of side wall members 16 and 1 4 , enclosing the top portion of the birdhouse . roof 20 may be constructed of a unitary piece of material , bent at a midpoint to form a “ v ” shape , or may be constructed of two smaller components fixedly attached so as to form a “ v ” shaped roof member . front wall member 18 extends upwardly from a front portion of floor member 12 to a front portion of roof 20 . front wall member 18 has an opening 22 that is sized , shaped , and located according to the type of bird that the birdhouse is meant to attract . a rear wall ( not shown ) extends upwardly from a rear portion of floor member 12 to a rear portion of roof 20 . the rear wall is sized and shaped substantially similar to front wall member 18 , except that the rear wall preferably does not contain an opening . the size of opening 22 may vary according to the type of bird the birdwatcher wishes to attract . for example , small birds such as chickadees or nuthatches may nest in a birdhouse having an opening 1 to 1 ¼ inches in diameter . purple martins or woodpeckers may require an opening of 2 to 2 ¼ inches in diameter . large birds such as barn owls may require an opening of up to 6 inches in diameter . opening 22 should be as small as possible while still allowing the desired bird type to enter , because smaller holes make it more difficult for many predatory animals to enter the birdhouse and also discourage certain “ pest ” birds such as starlings . [ 0026 ] fig2 is a side plan view of an embodiment of a birdhouse constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . an opening 24 is provided in side wall 14 . opening 24 provides a mean by which a birdwatcher can view birds inside of birdhouse 10 . opening 24 is preferably , but not necessarily , covered with a sheet of transparent material 40 , as best shown in fig3 . the presence of the transparent material 40 prevents nestlings from falling from birdhouse 10 through opening 24 and also prevents pests and predators from entering birdhouse 1 0 through opening 24 . this opening 24 can be of virtually any design with the illustrative embodiment being a heart design . the transparent material 40 may be secured to the inside of side wall 14 by glue or any other suitable means , such as velcro ®, staples or brads and the like . velcro ® is a federally registered trademark of velcro industries b . v ., having a place of business at castorweg 22 - 24 , curacao , netherlands . if the transparent material 40 is secured to the inside of side wall 14 by glue or any other fixed adhesive , then preferably , the entire side wall 14 is removedly attached from the entire birdhouse 10 with velcro °, staples or brads and the like . this allows for the retrofitting of conventional birdhouses . although the transparent material 40 is preferably plexiglas ®, traditional glass as well as a wide variety of transparent materials will suffice . this transparent material 40 can be etched , clear , painted , imitation stain glass among numerous other modifications in color and design . [ 0027 ] fig4 is a front plan view of an alternative embodiment of a birdhouse , designated generally by numeral 26 , constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . birdhouse 26 comprises a housing unit 27 , which includes a roof , four walls , and a floor . the floor of housing unit 27 is provided by a floor member 28 . the lower surface of floor member 28 serves as the base of the birdhouse . the upper surface of floor member 28 serves to provide a solid floor for the interior of the birdhouse . extending upwardly from floor member 28 , and substantially perpendicular thereto , are side wall members 30 and 32 . side wall members 30 and 32 extend substantially along the length of floor member 28 . roof 36 contacts the upper surface of side wall members 30 and 32 , enclosing the top portion of birdhouse 26 . in this embodiment , roof 36 is a unitary , flat member positioned parallel to floor member 28 along the upper surfaces of side wall members 30 and 32 . front wall member 34 has an opening 38 that is sized , shaped , and located according to the type of bird that birdhouse 26 is meant to attract . a rear wall ( not shown ) extends upwardly from a portion of floor member 28 to a rear portion of roof 36 . the rear wall is sized and shaped substantially similar to front wall member 34 , except that the rear wall preferably does not contain an opening . side wall 30 is substantially similar to side wall 14 , as shown in fig3 and described above , having an opening 24 through which a birdwatcher may observe birds within birdhouse 26 . the opening 24 of side wall 30 is also preferably , but not necessarily , covered with plexiglas ® or other suitable transparent material to prevent nestlings from falling out of birdhouse 26 and to prevent predators and pests from entering . [ 0030 ] fig5 is a front plan view of a second alternative embodiment of a birdhouse , indicated generally by the numeral 42 , constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . birdhouse 42 is similar in general structure to the embodiments above , essentially being a housing unit 43 comprising a floor member 44 , opposing side wall members 46 and 48 , a roof member 50 , a front wall 58 , and a rear wall ( not shown ). the structure of the front wall of birdhouse 42 is , however , different from the two embodiments previously described . front wall 58 has an opening 52 that is sized , shaped and located according to the type of bird that birdhouse 42 is meant to attract . front wall 58 , however , is constructed of a plurality of solid , opaque members 56 made of wood or other suitable materials , and a plurality of solid , transparent members 54 , preferably , but not necessarily , made of plexiglas ® or other transparent materials . transparent members 54 allow a birdwatcher to view the interior of birdhouse 42 , and any animals therein , from the front . [ 0032 ] fig6 is an exploded front view of the first embodiment described above of a birdhouse 10 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . roof 20 is shown removed from the remainder of housing unit 20 so that light bulb 60 , located in the interior of birdhouse 10 when birdhouse 10 is assembled , can be seen . light bulb 60 is removably attached to socket 62 , which is , in turn , attached to the underside of roof 20 . a nonlimiting example of a socket 62 can include a bayonet lamp base , e . g ., radio shack ® model 272 - 359 and a nonlimiting example of a light bulb 60 can include a bayonet lamp bulb , e . g . radio shack ® model 272 - 1108a . a pair of wires 64 extends from socket 62 through an opening in roof 20 and to a power source ( not shown ). the presence of light bulb 60 allows a birdwatcher to illuminate the interior of birdhouse 10 for the purpose of viewing the interior thereof . the light cast by light bulb 60 produces a glare along the interior surface of transparent material 40 , thus rendering any birds within birdhouse 10 incapable of seeing the birdwatcher and preventing them from becoming alarmed . the light bulb configuration shown in this embodiment may be used with any of the above embodiments of the present invention . moreover , any of a wide variety of light bulbs and associated power supplies may be utilized with the present invention . also , more than one light bulb 60 can be located within the birdhouse 10 in a wide variety of locations and configurations . referring now to fig7 an illustrative , but nonlimiting , power supply is generally indicated by numeral 100 , which is preferably child safe for indoor and outdoor usage . an illustrative housing preferably , but not necessarily , includes a housing 106 , e . g ., radio shack ® project enclosure model 270 - 1807 that is fastened by screws 108 . the battery can be of any type and is preferably a standard nine ( 9 ) volt battery that is generally indicated by numeral 102 and secured in position with a battery holder 104 . however , any of a wide variety of batteries will suffice in this application , e . g ., 6 . 3 volt lantern battery , nickel cadmium battery , and so forth . the power supply 100 can be located within the birdhouse or a considerable distance away from the birdhouse . an advantage to locating the power supply away from the birdhouse is that the power supply can be protected in more environmentally favorable conditions . an alternative current power supply can also be utilized instead of a lantern . this battery holder 104 can preferably , but not necessarily , include a velcro ® is a federally registered trademark of velcro industries b . v ., having a place of business at castorweg 22 - 24 , curacao , netherlands . a battery connector 116 may be utilized to provide power from the battery 102 . a nonlimiting example of this illustrative type of battery connector is a radio shack ® model 270 - 325 . optionally , there is a pair of micro alligator clips 120 and 122 , e . g ., radio shack ® model 270 - 373b that connects to pair of wires 128 and 126 . wire utilized with the present invention is preferably , but not necessarily 22 gauge wire . wire 126 can be connected to an on / off switch that is generally indicated by numeral 132 . this preferably can include a rocker , single pole , single throw switch , e . g ., radio shack ® model 275 - 693 . from the on / off switch 132 there is a wire 129 that connects to a connector terminal 131 . a nonlimiting example of a connector terminal 131 includes a speaker terminal board , e . g ., radio shack ® model 274 - 622a that is severed in half and attached to the housing 106 by pair of screws 130 . an optional rope cleat 140 may also be attached to the housing 106 . from the terminal connector 131 extends the aforementioned pair of wires 64 , as shown in fig6 . radio shack ® is a federally registered trademark of trs quality , inc ., having a place of business at 1700 one tandy center , p . o . box 17180 , fort worth texas 76102 . another alternative embodiment of one aspect of the present invention is shown in fig8 and indicated generally by the numeral 200 . shown is an interior side wall 210 having an opening 212 for viewing the interior of the housing structure . opening 212 is preferably , but not necessarily , covered with a transparent material . also provided with side wall 210 are two access ports 214 for allowing access to the interior of the structure . access ports 214 may be covered with flaps or other structures to prevent them from being completely open when not in use by a person accessing the interior of the housing structure . when no one is either accessing the interior of the housing structure or viewing the animals therein through opening 212 , an exterior side wall , or cover , 220 is provided to cover interior side wall 210 . this allows for greater comfort and security on the part of animals dwelling within the structure in that they are not alarmed by the presence of an obvious opening in the side of the structure . exterior side wall 220 can be attached to interior side wall 210 by hinges , pins or any other suitable means of attachment . though a side wall structure is provided in the drawings , the same principles may instead be applied to the construction of a rear wall for the housing structure . for instance , the opening provided for viewing , as well as the access ports , may be provided in an interior rear wall and an exterior rear wall may be provided to cover the openings when not in use . [ 0038 ] fig9 provides still another alternative embodiment of a side or rear wall of the present invention , designated generally by the numeral 300 . this embodiment includes access ports 310 with gloves 320 attached thereto . gloves 320 are attached to the interior of wall 300 such that a user can insert his hands through access ports 310 and into gloves 320 . the user can then easily manipulate objects within the interior of the housing structure . this embodiment is particularly useful for conservationists who may wish to check , for example , eggs within the structure for hardness , or gather eggs for incubation purposes , as well as for health officials dealing with animal populations that are carriers of human disease . a housing structure constructed in accordance with the present invention may be constructed of any suitable material . wood is preferred , however plastics and metals and the like may also be used . the precise material used to construct a birdhouse may vary depending on the type of bird that the birdhouse is meant to attract . likewise , the precise structure , shape and configuration of the birdhouse may also vary depending on the type of bird desired . the shape of the side wall openings , such as opening 24 described above , may be any suitable shape , including any number of fanciful configurations such as the heart shape illustrated in the above embodiment . in each of the above embodiments , the roof or one of the side walls of the birdhouse may be detachable to allow access to the interior of the birdhouse . thus , a birdwatcher may clean the interior of the birdhouse after each brood of nestlings has fledged . the roof or side walls may be entirely detachable or may be positioned on hinges and held closed with a clasp ( not shown ) that may be opened by the birdwatcher . thus , there has been shown and described several embodiments of a birdhouse constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . many changes , modifications , variations , and other uses and applications of the present constructions will , however , become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings . all such changes , modifications , variations , and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited by the claims which follow .	0
though not shown in the drawing , an electric motor with the aid of which a shaft 4 can be driven via a driving belt is provided in the area of the front end of the moving conveyor means . at its ends , the driven shaft 4 respectively comprises deflection pulleys 1 in pairs via which a lamellar moving conveyor 3 is guided . the drawing just shows a front deflection pulley 1 . such a lamellar moving conveyor normally comprises two belts which are spaced apart in parallel with each other and which have secured thereto a plurality of tread lamellae 2 in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said belts . a plurality of preferably ball - bearing support rollers 8 that stabilize the surface of the tread lamellae and prevent the lamella surfaces from being pressed downwards to an excessive degree during use are provided below the upper side of the moving conveyor 3 . when the lamellar moving conveyor 3 is started with the aid of the electric motor , the upper side of the moving conveyor which is supported on the support rollers 8 moves from the left to the right side when fig1 is looked at , whereas a runner ( not shown ) follows a running direction opposite to the direction of movement of the conveyor . to move the conveyor surface of the upper side from a horizontal orientation into an inclined orientation , a gradient adjusting means is provided , which is designated schematically by reference numeral 9 . the gradient adjusting means 9 serves the purpose to lift the front end of the moving conveyor means as illustrated in the drawing from a horizontal initial position , to fix it in different height positions and to return it into the initial position in case of need . for instance , when a gradient of 5 % is chosen , this means that the front end of the moving conveyor means as illustrated in the drawing is lifted accordingly whilst the rear end ( not shown ) which is opposite to said front end is supported at a correspondingly lower level , so that the conveyor extends upwardly in an oblique plane in front of the runner . within the scope of this description &# 34 ; front end &# 34 ; means that end of the moving conveyor means in the direction of which a runner runs and looks . when a runner moves on the upper side of the conveyor in such an inclined operative position , he gives movement pulses to the upper conveyor side when pushing off his feet therefrom , the movement pulses increasing the speed of the moving conveyor as said movement pulses act in the same sense as the drive imparted by the electric motor . to eliminate the undesired drive pulses created by the runner , there is provided a speed controlling means 5 , 6 , 7 which is composed as follows : a friction disk 5 is seated on the driven shaft 4 for rotation therewith . the circumference of the friction disk 5 is acted upon over a sufficiently large area by a brake band 6 whose first end is secured to a vertically adjustable component 12 . &# 34 ; vertically adjustable component &# 34 ; means a component of the moving conveyor means that changes its local position during height adjustment . when the front end of the moving conveyor means as shown in the drawing is lifted , the so - called vertically adjustable component is simultaneously lifted . when the moving conveyor end in question is lowered , the so - called vertically adjustable component is also lowered . the second end of the brake band 6 is connected to a stationary component 10 which is not vertically adjustable . a bottom plate of the gradient adjusting means 9 preferably serves as a stationary component 10 . the above - mentioned first end of the brake band 6 is preferably not directly connected to the vertically adjustable component 12 , but via an adjustable spring means 7 which is secured with its one end to the so - called first end of the brake band 6 and with its other end to the vertically adjustable component 12 . with the aid of the interposed adjustable spring means 7 , the friction means which substantially consists of the friction disk 5 and the brake band exhibits dynamic characteristics . instead of spring 7 , other known means that make the braking operation &# 34 ; dynamic &# 34 ; may be provided . the friction means is adjusted such that brake band 6 does not exert any braking effect on the friction disk 5 as long as the gradient ( inclination ) of the moving conveyor is less than about 2 %. however , if a gradient of the moving conveyor of more than 2 % is set with the aid of the gradient adjusting means 9 , the brake band 6 will exert a slight braking effect on the friction disk 5 and thus on the driven shaft 4 of the moving conveyor 3 . the more the gradient adjusting means 9 is extended , i . e ., the greater the gradient ( inclination ) of the moving conveyor is , the stronger is the braking force exerted by the brake band on the circumference of the friction disk 5 . at great gradients of the brake band the moving conveyor is no longer driven by the motor means 1 , but is just braked with the aid of friction disk 5 and brake band 6 . the above - mentioned increase in the braking performance as a function of increasing gradients of the brake band is due to the fact that brake band 6 exerts an increasingly stronger braking pressure on the circumference of the friction disk 5 when the brake band secured to the vertically adjustable component 12 is moved upwards from its position occupied at zero gradient . at a zero gradient the brake band 6 is slack . the greater the gradient ( inclination ), the more intensively is the brake band tensed as a consequence of the upwardly moved fastening point of the brake band and of the spring on the vertically adjustable member . this , in turn , leads to a correspondingly higher braking pressure on the circumference of friction disk 5 .	0
while one embodiment of this invention will be described in detail , those skilled in the art will recognize , in view of the description , that the invention can take other forms and shapes . thus the following description is illustrative only and not limiting . fig6 shows schematically a portion of an eprom array in accordance with the principles of this invention . only a small portion of an eprom array is shown in fig6 . typically , the portion shown in fig6 is part of a much larger array such as a one megabit , four megabit , or 16 megabit eprom array . for example , a 16 megabit array arranged in a square configuration would have 4 , 096 memory cells on a side for a total of 16 , 777 , 216 memory cells . the structure shown in fig6 is but a small part of such an array constructed in accordance with this invention . as shown in fig6 a plurality of floating gate transistors q1 , 1 through q64 , 6 and q65 , 1 through q65 , 6 are shown . for convenience , each floating gate transistor is denoted by the symbol q followed by a number denoting the row r and a second number denoting the column c . thus a typical array would contain rc floating gate transistors where r is the total number of rows of floating gate transistors in the array and c is the total number of columns of floating gate transistors in the array . thus a given transistor qr , c represents any selected one of the rc floating gate transistors in the array where r is an integer given by 1 ≦ r ≦ r and c is an integer given by 1 ≦ c ≦ c . a typical floating gate transistor qr , c consists of a source and a drain region separated by a channel with a floating gate overlying but insulated from the channel . typically the floating gate is formed from a first layer of polycrystalline silicon denoted as &# 34 ; poly 1 &# 34 ; in a manner to be described later . overlying the floating gate is additional insulation , typically silicon dioxide but sometimes a sandwich of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride , and a control gate typically formed from a second layer of polycrystalline silicon denoted &# 34 ; poly 2 .&# 34 ; the control gate is also called a &# 34 ; word line .&# 34 ; associated with each floating gate transistor shown in fig6 is a select transistor such as transistors qn2 , qn4 , qn6 , q ( n + 1 ) 1 , q ( n + 1 ) 3 and q ( n + 1 ) 5 for example . the select transistors shown in fig6 serve the same function as the poly 2 transistor in a typical split gate eprom of the type described for example in the above mentioned u . s . pat . no . 4 , 639 , 893 . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 639 , 893 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . the select transistors such as qn2 through q ( n + 1 ) 5 are connected to select lines seln and sel ( n + 1 ) as shown . each floating gate transistor qr , c is formed on the semiconductor substrate between a pair of bit lines . for example , bit lines m - 1 , s - 1 , m , s , m + 1 , s + 1 , m + 2 are shown running vertically in fig6 . transistor q1 , 2 for example is formed between bit lines s - 1 and m . thus transistor q1 , 2 has its drain connected to bit line m and its source connected to bit line s - 1 . floating gate transistors q2 , 2 through q64 , 2 are similarly formed between bit lines s - 1 and m . in addition floating gate transistors q65 , 2 through q128 , 2 ( not shown ) are formed between bit lines s - 1 and m . for reasons to be explained later , every other bit line is segmented . thus in fig6 bit lines s - 1 , s and s + 1 are segmented into lengths each sufficiently long to form the drain or source region for sixty four ( 64 ) floating gate transistors qr , c and also to be electrically connected to selected ones of the control transistors such as qn2 , q ( n + 1 ) 1 , qn &# 39 ; 2 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 . bit lines m - 1 , m , m + 1 and m + 2 are however not segmented , for reasons to be explained later . thus as an important feature of this invention , each control transistor ( also called from time - to - time herein a &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; pass &# 34 ; transistor ) previously directly adjacent a corresponding floating gate transistor in the prior art has been removed to a separate location in the eprom array physically spaced apart from the corresponding floating gate transistor with which it was physically in series . a number of the removed select transistors are replaced with only two select transistors on two separate portions of the die . thus , for example , select transistors qn2 and q ( n + 1 ) 1 have been placed as shown in fig6 between source region ( s - 1 ) and drain region m and between drain region ( m - 1 ) and source region ( s - 1 ), respectively , at the top of the section of the eprom array containing floating gate transistors q1 , 1 through q64 , 1 and q1 , 2 through q64 , 2 . one select transistor in accordance with this invention is thus capable of being used to control sixty four ( 64 ) floating gate transistors resulting in a very substantial reduction in the size of each memory cell . however , as shown in fig6 in fact two select transistors rather than just one select transistor are actually used in accordance with this invention to control sixty four ( 64 ) floating gate transistors . as shown in fig6 select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 are connected between metal bit line m - 1 ( which functions as a drain ) and segment ( s - 1 ) a of bit line ( s - 1 ) while select transistors qn2 and qn &# 39 ; 2 are connected in parallel between metal bit line m which functions as a drain and segment ( s - 1 ) a of bit line ( s - 1 ) which functions as a source . select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 function as a pair of parallel - connected select transistors in series with any selected one of floating gate transistors q1 , 2 through q64 , 2 . parallel - connected select transistors qn2 and qn &# 39 ; 2 are connected in series with a selected one of floating gate transistors q1 , 1 through q64 , 1 . as will be shown below , the parallel connection of two select transistors actually reduces the resistance to current flow offered by the circuits containing the select transistors to one - quarter the amount which would be present with just one select transistor . the bit lines ( m - 1 ), ( s - 1 ), m , s , ( m + 1 ), ( s + 1 ) et al . are typically formed by implanting an impurity in vertical elongated strips in the semiconductor substrate to form the conductive source and / or drain regions . in accordance with this invention , the metal bit lines m - 1 , m , m + 1 and m + 2 will always be drains while the bit lines s - 1 , s and s + 1 will always be sources . the metal bit lines m - 1 , m , m + 1 and m + 2 basically consist of metal conductive strips formed on insulation over the word lines wl1 , wl2 , . . . wl64 , for example , which are formed from the second layer of polycrystalline silicon . the metal conductive strips contact the underlying elongated diffused bit lines at every nth cell by means of contacts such as contacts ( j &# 39 ; 11 ), j , ( j + 1 ) and ( j + 2 ) or contacts ( k - 1 ), k , ( k + 1 ) and ( k + 2 ) for example , where n is a selected integer ( typically 8 , 16 , 32 or 64 ) selected taking into account the acceptable resistive voltage drop associated with the diffused bit lines ( s - 1 ), s and ( s + 1 ), for example . by placing the metal strips m - 1 , m , m + 1 and m + 2 in parallel with the underlying diffused bit lines , the total resistance of the bit lines is significantly lowered allowing the fabrication of large one megabit , four megabit or 16 megabit memory arrays . in reading the contents of a given floating gate transistor qr , c the operation of the circuit is similar to that while programming except that the voltage on the drain bit line ( such as line ( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 ) or ( m + 2 )) and the word line such as line wl1 , wl2 , . . . or wl64 ) are maintained lower than while programming . for example , to read transistor q1 , 2 metal bit line m is raised to a high voltage thereby raising the drain of transistor q1 , 2 to a high voltage . segment ( s - 1 ) a of bit line ( s - 1 ) is connected through select or control transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 to metal bit line ( m - 1 ). metal bit line ( m - 1 ) is held at ground potential . a high voltage is applied to sel ( n + 1 ) and sel ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) by the logic on the chip thereby applying a high gate voltage to and thus turning on select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 . consequently , source bit line segment ( s - 1 ) a is held at the same low voltage as metal bit line ( m - 1 ). a selected high voltage is then applied to word line wl1 . other word lines wl2 through wlr ( where r is an integer representing the maximum number of rows ) are held at low voltages . because the drain of transistor q1 , 2 is at a high voltage , current will flow through transistor q1 , 2 if its floating gate stores no electrons thereby allowing the high voltage on the word line ( i . e ., gate ) of floating gate transistor q1 , 2 to turn on transistor q1 , 2 . however , if the floating gate of transistor q1 , 2 has been charged with a negative charge , the normal voltage applied to word line wl1 is not sufficient to turn on floating gate transistor q1 , 2 and thus no current flow is detected at the sense amps ( of well known design and thus not shown ) connected to the metal bit lines ( m - 1 ) and m . while reading transistor q1 , 2 , transistor q1 , 3 is not read because the potentials on its drain ( connected to bit line m ) and its source ( connected to segment sa of bit line s ) are both relatively high because select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 3 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 3 are both turned on by the signals applied to sel ( n + 1 ) and to sel ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) and pass the high voltage on bit line m to bit line segment sa . transistor q1 , 4 , however , which has its source connected to segment sa of bit line s will not be read because transistor q1 , 4 has its drain connected to metal bit line ( m + 1 ) and bit line ( m + 1 ) ( and all the other bit lines except ( m - 1 ) are held at or close to the same potential as bit line m . to program floating gate transistor q1 , 2 , metal bit line m is brought to a high voltage . the sel ( n + 1 ) select line and the sel ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) select lines are also brought to a high voltage by the select logic in the periphery of the device ( such select logic is well known in the art and thus will not be shown or described ) thereby turning on select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 ( also called &# 34 ; control transistors &# 34 ;) metal bit line m - 1 is brought to a low voltage . accordingly , segment ( s - 1 ) a of bit line s - 1 , which functions as a source for all floating gate transistors q1 , 1 to q64 , 1 and q1 , 2 to q64 , 2 connected to it , is at a low potential while the drain of floating gate transistor q1 , 2 , which is connected to bit line m , is at high potential . consequently , electrons will flow from the source s - 1 to the drain m when a positive voltage of sufficient amplitude is applied to word line wl1 . these electrons will gain energy from the lateral field in the channel , and some of them will have sufficient energy to pass through the oxide potential barrier and be collected on the floating gate . these electrons are charging or programming the floating gate to store a binary zero ( one ) depending on the logic convention employed . when the eprom cell is not programmed ( no charge on the floating gate .) it corresponds to a binary one ( zero ). thus each transistor stores one bit of information . for the effective programming of transistor q ( 1 , 2 ) by hot electron injection , it has to have high voltage on the drain and wordline and a low voltage on the source . in order for this array architecture to work , no other cell should be programmed , while programming cell q ( 1 , 2 ). since high wordline voltage is necessary for programming , the only other cells that can possibly be programmed are located under word - line wl1 . in programming , all bit - lines other than m are held to ground by a very weak pull - down . since high drain voltage is also required for programming , only cells close enough to bit line m can be programmed . in summary , cells q1 , 1 , q1 , 3 and q1 , 4 are the only potential candidates to have spurious programming . in the case of cell q ( 1 , 1 ), during programming , the voltage on metal bit line ( m - 1 ) is low while the voltage on bit line segment ( s - 1 ) a is also low as a result of select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 being turned on . accordingly , floating gate transistor q1 , 1 is not programmed . the drain of floating gate transistor q1 , 3 will also be at a high voltage because this drain is also connected to metal bit line m . the source of floating gate transistor q1 , 3 is , however , connected to segment sa of bit line s . segment sa of bit line s is connected by pass transistors q ( n + 1 ) 3 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 3 to metal bit line m which is at a high voltage level . consequently , bit line segment sa , which comprises the source of transistors q1 , 3 through q64 , 3 and transistors q1 , 4 through q64 , 4 is also at a relatively high voltage . consequently the source of transistor q1 , 3 is high and the requirement for low source voltage is not fulfilled hence q1 , 3 will not program even though the symmetrically placed transistor q1 , 2 will program . note that floating gate transistors q2 , 3 through q64 , 3 will not program in any event because the word lines wl2 through wl64 are held at a low voltage level thereby keeping transistors q2 , 3 through q64 , 3 turned off while word line wl1 is raised to a high voltage level . transistor q1 , 4 has its source connected to bit line segment sa of bit line s and its drain connected to bit line ( m + 1 ). bit line ( m + 1 ) is held at ground by the weak pull - down . however , bit line segment sa is held at a relatively high voltage by means of transistors q ( n + 1 ) 3 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 3 being turned on thereby allowing part of the high voltage on metal bit line m to be transmitted to segment sa of bit line s . this configuration of bit line m high and split gate transistor ( the combination of select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 3 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 3 and floating gate transistor q ( 1 , 4 )) in the reverse mode is very inefficient in programming . it is ten orders of magnitude smaller than the programming of the same transistor with the drain held high and the source low . accordingly , transistor q1 , 4 will not program in the time it takes to program floating gate transistor q1 , 2 . of course , metal bit line ( m + 1 ) is held weakly to ground so in the worst case it is zero volts but in reality due to the current flowing through q ( 1 , 4 ) and select transistor q ( n + 1 ) 3 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 3 it will be pulled up to 2 , 3 or 4 volts thereby reducing even further the likelihood that transistor q1 , 4 will program . moreover , the segment sa of source bit line s will probably be at about 6 or 7 volts in the reverse direction and thus transistor q1 , 4 will not program because vds ( the voltage between the drain and the source of transistor q1 , 4 ) is too small . the reverse programming was discussed in great length in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 639 , 893 . for efficient programming bit - line m has to be pulled up to high voltage through the bit - line decoder . the only case in which the supply of the high voltage becomes a problem is when the current from bit - line m to m - 1 becomes too high . supplying the programming current through transistor q ( 1 , 2 ) while maintaining the high bit - line voltage is guaranteed by design . however , in case of excessive leakage through the other transistors on bit line m a problem may arise . the excessive leakage can occur through the drain turn on of floating gate transistors other than q ( 1 , 2 ) next to bit line m . even when these transistors are only slightly turned on to conduct only say 1 μa per cell on a 16m array , where there are 4 , 096 cells associated with each bit - line , the total leakage will amount to 4 ma which will cause a programming speed problem . by using the concept of segmenting bit - lines , s , s + 1 etc . only the selected segment sa may have the turn on problem , since , sa is the only segment that has a connection from bit line m to bit line m - 1 through the select transistors . as a result , the maximum leakage current from the unselected transistors in the above example will amount to 64 μa rather than 4 ma in the unsegmented case . this small addition to the 0 . 5 ma programming current is of no concern . the creation of segments such as segments sa and sb of soruce bit line s and segments ( s - 1 ) a and ( s - 1 ) b of source bit line ( s - 1 ) is an important feature of the invention . the word lines wl traverse or travel over only the floating gate transistors and not over the select or control transistors as in the prior art . ( see for example u . s . pat . no . 4 , 639 , 893 for a word line extending over both the floating gate and select transistors ). the select lines seln , sel ( n + 1 ), seln &# 39 ; and sel ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) are the complementary word lines that select the particular transfer ( i . e ., floating gate ) device to be read or programmed . as is apparent from the above description , when sel ( n + 1 ) is activated with a high level signal , the peripheral logic is such that sel ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) is also activated with the same signal . thus , for example , two select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 connected to segment ( s - 1 ) a on bit line s - 1 are turned on . these two transistors are in parallel and thus reduce to one - fourth the resistance seen by the current which either reads or charges the floating gate associated with , for example , the particular floating gate transistor qr , 2 connected to segment ( s - 1 ) a and controlled by the two parallel - connected select transistors q ( n + 1 ) 1 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 . the maximum resistance in the case of one select transistor is the full resistance of segment ( s - 1 ) a . the maximum resistance with two parallel transistors is half of the resistance of segment ( s - 1 ) a connected from two sides in parallel . two equal parallel resistors have a total resistance equal to half of each , or , quarter of the sum or their resistance . the sum is just the total segment resistance in the case where the segment is connected in one end only . the contacts ( j - 1 ), j , ( j + 1 ), ( j + 2 ), ( k &# 39 ; 11 ), k , ( k + 1 ) and ( k + 2 ) for example , between the metal layers ( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 ) and ( m + 2 ) formed over the underlying elongated , diffused ( actually ion - implanted ) drain regions , in accordance with this invention are placed every n transistors along a column of the array , where n is a selected integer such as 8 , 16 , 32 , 64 or 128 . as shown in fig6 the array in one embodiment is divided into 64 rows of floating gate transistors qr , c ( i . e . n = 64 ). a word line wl is associated with each row r of floating gate transistors qr1 through qrc . four select lines seln , sel ( n + 1 ), seln &# 39 ; and sel ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) are associated with each group of 64 rows of floating gate transistors . the area of the array between adjacent groups of floating gate transistors , such as between row 64 and row 65 of floating gate transistors , includes a space k in which contacts ( k - 1 ), k , ( k + 1 ) and ( k + 2 ) are made by means of vias through the underlying insulation from the metal lines ( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 ) and ( m + 2 ) to the underlying elongated drain regions . the contacts are allowed to have a greater dimension than the widths of the metal bit lines ( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 ) and ( m + 2 ) because the metal bit lines actually are spaced every other bit line apart rather than every bit line . therefore the area of each contact ( j - 1 ) . . . ( j + 2 ) . . . ( k - 1 ) . . . ( k + 2 ) can be much wider than the underlying width of the diffused source (( s - 1 ), s , ( s + 1 )) and drain (( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 )) bit lines without any significant impact on the pitch of the metal bit lines ( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 ). the actual spacing of contacts k from contacts j ( at the top of the array of fig1 ) is dependent upon the bit line resistance desired . under some circumstances it may be possible to space adjacent rows of contacts such as j and k by 128 rows of floating gate transistors qr , c rather than the 64 rows of floating gate transistors qr , c shown in fig6 . the only requirement is that the bit line resistance not become too high . the operation of the unique structure of this invention is the same as the operation described for a standard split gate eprom wherein the select transistor and the floating gate transistor are integrally formed in series as part of each cell . the operation of such a transistor is described in an article entitled &# 34 ; a 50 - ns 256k cmos split - gate eprom &# 34 ; by syed b . ali , et al . published in the ieee journal of solid state circuits , vol . 23 , no . 1 , february 1988 , p . 79 to 85 . the sensing circuits and the decoding circuits are the same for this invention as in the ali et al . article . however , the operation of the select lines ( seln , sel ( n + 1 ), seln &# 39 ; and sel ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) are different and have been described above in the sections on read and programming operations . this description will be of a module ( i . e ., a discrete set of process steps unique to this invention ). the initial steps in the process are standard and thus will not be described nor will the standard steps used to form the contacts and the interconnects on the array following the formation of the cells in the array in accordance with this invention . first , the entire array is formed on a semiconductor wafer , preferably silicon . initially the wafer , typically p - type silicon having a resistivity of 20 ohm centimeters , is subjected to a sheet diffusion or implantation of a p - type impurity , typically boron , to adjust the threshold of the to - be - formed mos transistors . the impurity is implanted over those portions of the top surface of the wafer where there are no n - wells . this is a standard implant through a thin oxide using a boron implantation to form an impurity concentration of boron of about 1 × 10 17 atoms per cubic centimeter in the top portion of the underlying wafer . following this implant , the wafer is cleaned using , for example , an etch consisting of a mixture of sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids , hydrogen peroxide any other appropriate etch can also be used . a gate oxide for the array transistors is then formed on the wafer surface to about 200å thickness using 1000 ° c . dry o 2 with tca or hci . then a first layer of about 1000å to 2000å thick polycrystalline silicon is deposited over the whole wafer promptly following completion of the gate oxide . from this layer , known as &# 34 ; poly 1 &# 34 ;, the floating gates of the floating gate transistors qr , c in the array of memory cells are fabricated . the thicknesses of the gate oxide and the polycrystalline silicon layer may vary from the thicknesses given to optimize cell performance . this first polycrystalline silicon layer is doped at about 920 ° c . using pocl 3 to achieve a resistance of about 30 to 50 ohms per square . the wafer is then cleaned , for example , in 10 : 1 hf for about 60 seconds to deglaze the surface and then cleaned using , for example , sulfuric acid . other chemicals can be used , if desired , to accomplish this same result . a sandwich layer of oxide - nitride - oxide for the dielectric between the first layer of polycrystalline silicon and the to - be - formed second layer of polycrystalline silicon is now formed . first , the first layer of polycrystalline silicon is oxidized to a thickness of about 150å at about 1075 ° c . if desired , tca can be used during oxidation to enhance the quality of the resulting oxide . next silicon nitride is deposited to a thickness of about 150å and then the silicon nitride is subjected to a wet oxidation to grow approximately 30å to 50å of oxide on the nitride . the total dielectric thickness of the oxide - nitride - oxide sandwich is about 350å , but because the nitride is equivalent to half of the total thickness , the equivalent oxide thickness is about 250å . this 250å euivalent oxide thickness for the dielectric layer gives a higher coupling ratio between the to - be - formed &# 34 ; poly 2 &# 34 ; word line ( i . e ., the control gate ) and the underlying poly 1 floating gate than is achieved with a thicker dielectric . following the formation of the oxide - nitride - oxide dielectric sandwich , a 500å layer of polycrystalline silicon is deposited over the sandwich dielectric within the a short time after wet oxidation . this short time is defined as &# 34 ; q - time &# 34 ; and is selected to minimize oxide degradation due to environmental effects . this very thin 500å layer caps the entire structure . following the formation of the 500å thick polycrystalline silicon cap , a 150å thick layer of silicon nitride is deposited over the entire structure . this deposition again occurs within q - time after the polycrystalline silicon deposition . later on the 500å thick polycrystalline silicon capping layer will serve as an electrode and a contact to the yet - to - be - formed second layer of polycrystalline silicon which will form the word line of the array and which must be coupled to the floating gate . thus , this capping layer will serve as a conductor . following the formation of the 150å nitride over the 500å polycrystalline silicon cap , photoresist is formed over the structure and patterned . then the 150å nitride , the 500å polycrystalline silicon cap and the oxide - nitride - oxide sandwich and the underlying poly 1 are etched in an isotropic etcher , using , for example , hydrobromic etch chemistry . the structure is inspected to verify no residual polycrystalline silicon (&# 34 ; poly 1 &# 34 ;) is left in the etched regions on the underlying gate oxide . the resulting structure is shown in top view in fig7 a and in cross - section in fig7 b . as can be seen , the first layer of polycrystalline silicon ( poly 1 ) has been selectively removed to form on the wafer vertical strips of polycrystalline silicon covered by an oxide - nitride - oxide sandwich on top of which is a cap of polycrystalline silicon to a thickness of about 500å covered by a 150å layer of silicon nitride . the wafer then is stripped of resist using , for example , a 50 to 1 hf dip for 15 seconds and then cleaned using sulfuric acid and hot deionized water . following the cleaning , the wafer is oxidized at about 1000 ° c . in dry oxygen to form spacer oxide of 250å thickness on the sides of the polycrystalline silicon . the resulting structure is shown in top view in fig7 c and in cross - sectional view in fig7 d . the structure has had spacer oxide 71a and 71b formed on the sides of polycrystalline fingers 71 - 1 and 71 - 2 and oxide 72a and 72b formed on the sides of polycrystalline silicon caps 72 - 1 and 72 - 2 . following the formation of the spacer oxide on the sides of the fingers such as fingers 71 - 1 and 71 - 2 of the first layer of polycrystalline silicon and the sides of polycrystalline silicon caps 72 - 1 and 72 - 2 , the wafer is covered with photoresist which is patterned to protect the areas in which the select transistors qn2 , qn4 , qn6 , q ( n + 1 ) 1 , q ( n + 1 ) 3 , q ( n + 1 ) 5 , qn &# 39 ; 2 , qn &# 39 ; 4 , qn &# 39 ; 6 , q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 1 , q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 3 and q ( n &# 39 ;+ 1 ) 5 , as well as portions of the contact regions j and k ( other than where the bit lines will be formed ) in the array from the implantation of impurities to be used to form the bit lines . following this patterning , arsenic is implanted at 80 kilovolt intensity to form a dosage of 4 × 10 15 atoms per square centimeters in the underlying silicon between fingers 71 of the first layer of polycrystalline silicon . the photoresist , which has blocked bit line implant impurities from the areas where the select transistors are going to be formed , is then removed in a well - known manner . the resulting structure is as shown in plan view in fig7 c and in cross - sectional view in fig7 d . next a photoresist mask is placed on the wafer to define the islands of poly 1 to be left on the wafer to form the floating gates of the to - be - formed floating gate transistors . the wafer is then etched using a hydrochloric - hydrobromic acid . following the etching the wafer is inspected to verify no residual polycrystalline silicon is left on the wafer and then the field impurity is implanted over the array to adjust the field threshold of the areas between the floating gate islands . the implantation uses boron 11 with an energy of 45 kev for a dose of 4 . 0 × 10 13 atoms per square centimeter . this dose forms a channel stop in the p - type semiconductor substrate to prevent leakage currents between devices across the field of the device . the photoresist is now stripped from the wafer in a well - known manner . next the wafer is oxidized in 1000 ° c . dry o 2 to grow approximately 1000å of oxide over the field of the device and to form additional oxide 71c , 71d over the sides of the first layer of polycrystalline silicon material 71 - r , 1 and 71 -( r + 1 ), 1 and oxide 72c , 72d over the sides of the capping polycrystalline silicon 72 - r , 1 and 72 -( r + 1 ), 1 left after the previous etch step which etched not only the first layer of polycrystalline silicon 71 but the dielectric sandwich 73 and the overlying 500å thick capping polycrystalline silicon 72 . the resulting structure is shown in fig7 e , 7f and 7g . in 7g the isolation oxide 71e is formed over the field of the device and particularly over the boron implant region to assist in isolating one transistor from another . the oxidation process results in thick sidewall oxide 71c and 71d forming on polycrystalline silicon islands 71 - r , 1 and 71 -( r + 1 ), 1 which will become floating gates of two of the floating gate transistors to be formed in the array . likewise thick side oxide 72c and 72d is formed on the sides of the capping polycrystalline silicon 72 - r , 1 and 72 -( r + 1 ), 1 . this side oxide extends over the implanted field impurity and assists in isolating each floating gate from the other devices . of importance , the spacer oxide 71a , 71b shown in fig7 c and 7d insures that the implantation of the diffused bit lines between polycrystalline silicon fingers 71 will not be directly adjacent to the polycrystalline silicon but will be somewhat spaced from this polycrystalline silicon so that subsequent thermal processing which results in lateral diffusion will bring the bit line diffusion just under the polycrystalline silicon material making up the polycrystalline silicon fingers such as fingers 71 - 1 and 71 - 2 . the spacer oxide 71a , 71b also assists in minimizing the lateral diffusion of the bit lines beneath the floating gates 71 and thus insures that there is sufficient channel length left underneath each floating gate 71 - i to be able to control punch - through . to avoid punch - through , the channel length must not fall below about 0 . 3 microns because should it do so punch - through of the source region to the drain region is a distinct possibility . thus , beginning with the definition of the width of the poly 1 material , which is made to be about 0 . 8 to 0 . 9 microns , upon completion of the process steps used to fabricate the array transistors , each polycrystalline silicon floating gate ( poly 1 ) such as gates 71 - r , 1 and 71 -( r + 1 ), 1 will be very short . thus the spacer oxide 71a , 71b is essential to help prevent punch - through which would destroy the transistor . furthermore , the spacer oxide 71a , 71b helps to minimize the overlap between the bit line and the floating gate 71 even though there must be some overlap in order to have a functioning device . during the oxidation of the field regions and the sides of poly 1 to form oxide spacers 71c , 71d , the nitride 75 overlying polycrystalline silicon 72 protects this polycrystalline silicon from thermal oxidation . note that the field oxidation in the array is only in the array . the field oxidation in the peripheral area is done before the field oxide in the array is generated . note that during the oxidation of the field of the wafer , oxidation also occurs over the bit line . however , this is acceptable because later on when the word line is to be deposited from the second layer of polycrystalline silicon (&# 34 ; poly 2 &# 34 ;), the word line to bit line capacitance will be quite low because of this thick field oxide over the bit line . this will become apparent in the description of the relationship of the word line to the bit line in conjunction with fig7 i below . the field oxidation over the bit line results in a thicker oxide than over the regions of the wafer without an impurity implant because the rate of oxidation of silicon is faster over heavily doped silicon material than it is over lightly doped or undoped silicon material . next a mask is placed over all of the transistors in the memory array and the oxide over the periphery of the device is stripped using , for example , a room temperature etch consisting of 50 : 1 boe to remove 1800å of peripheral oxide . following the removal of the peripheral oxide , the photoresist is stripped from the wafer . the wafer is cleaned using a standard cleaning solution and then the wafer is oxidized at about 920 ° c . in dry o 2 to form the gate oxide of the peripheral devices and of the select transistors . this oxide is formed to a 200å thickness . following the formation of the peripheral mask , nitride 75 overlying the polycrystalline silicon caps 74 is removed first using , for example , a 13 : 2 boe at room temperature to remove any native surface oxide on nitride 75 and then the nitride itself is removed using a 165 ° c . phosphoric acid etch ( h 3 po 4 ). the wafer is then stripped of photoresist in a standard manner . next , a second layer of polycrystalline silicon (&# 34 ; poly 2 &# 34 ;) is deposited on the wafer . first the wafer is cleaned using the standard and then polycrystalline silicon is deposited to about a 250å thickness . the floating gates such as floating gate 71 - r , 1 and 71 -( r + 1 ), 1 as shown in fig7 g are totally sealed on all sides with high quality oxide which is independent of any other process actually carried out or to be carried out in the periphery of the device . in particular , the floating gates have been totally sealed prior to the formation of the word line silicide . this is advantageous because silicide is a difficult material to maintain intact while oxidizing at high temperature . by oxidizing the sides of the floating gates such as floating gate 71 - r , 1 at temperatures under 1000 ° c . the amount of lateral diffusion of the dopant in the bit lines is minimized . during the removal of the nitride layer 75 from the top of polycrystalline silicon 72 , resist was present over the periphery of the device so that any nitride on the periphery of the device is not removed . the second layer of polycrystalline silicon is then doped using pocl 3 at 850 ° c . within q - time after poly 2 deposition . the resulting dopant is sufficient to yield approximately 55 ohms per square resistance . following doping of the second polycrystalline silicon layer the wafer is deglazed in 10 to 1 hf for about 60 seconds , and then is cleaned in sulfuric acid for 10 minutes . following the cleaning , the wafer is dipped in 10 to 1 hf to preclean the wafer in preparation for the deposition of the silicide . following the preclean , tungsten silicide is deposited on the wafer to about 2500å thickness with a resistance of about 33 ohms per square . next the wafer is masked and patterned and etched to remove portions of the polycrystalline silicon thereby to form a structure as shown in fig7 h . the polycrystalline silicon , tungsten - silicide sandwich is formed into horizontal strips such as strips 76 - 1 and 76 - 2 by means of a standard etch such as a mixture of hydrochloric and hydrobromic acid . the remaining oxide in the periphery of the device will be greater than 100å thick . an etch inspection is then conducted to verify that no unwanted residual silicide remains on the wafer . the photoresist is then stripped from the wafer with a 50 to 1 hf dip . the resulting structure and cross - section appears as shown in fig7 i with the silicide 76 - 2 in conductive contact with the polycrystalline silicon caps 72 - r , 1 and 72 - r , 2 . fig7 j comprises the plan view of fig7 h rotated counter - clockwise 90 °. fig7 k is a cross - section through fig7 j as shown and shows the possibility of misalignment of the word lines 76 - 1 and 76 - 2 relative to the floating gate sections 71 - r , 1 , 71 -( r + 1 ), 1 shown in fig7 k . silicide strip 76 - 1 , 76 - 2 are shown as misaligned to the right of floating gate island 71 - r , 1 , 71 -( r + 1 ), 1 . however , the maximum misalignment in the process is about plus or minus 0 . 25 micron . since the floating gates 71 - i together with the spacer oxide 71a , 71b have a thickness of about 1 to 1 . 2 microns , the silicide at most will misalign on the polycrystalline silicon cap 72 by a quarter of a micron and thus will still be in intimate contact with the underlying polycrystalline silicon cap material 72 . thus the cap material 72 provides a conductive contact to the silicide word lines and insures that the capacitive coupling between the word lines 76 and the underlying floating gates 71 is adequate . if misalignment of the word line is such that it falls off the floating gate and contacts the field oxide , a possible leakage transistor will be created when the word line is raised to a high voltage . however , the leakage due to this unwanted transistor will be quite small for several reasons . first , the field oxide over the bit line is quite thick . secondly , the field implant beneath the field oxide increases the threshold voltage required to turn on the unwanted parasitic transistor beneath the field oxide . third , the thickness of the spilled - over portion of the word line is at most about 0 . 25 microns which is at most about 20 % of the width of the actual floating gate transistor . thus , the combination of all these effects means that any leakage current will be a very small percentage of the current through the floating gate transistor and will not be sufficient to cause inaccurate operation of the transistor and the array . the maximum leakage of the this parasitic transistor is about 5 % of the leakage relative to a nonprogrammed transistor . this kind of leakage does not hurt the performance of the array and does not cause an erroneous reading . the remaining processing is to remove the photoresist from the wafer and in particular from the periphery of the device and then reoxidize at 950 ° c . in a standard manner to form 400å of oxide in the periphery . next the source and drain implant masking photoresist layer is formed on the device and the n + source and drains are implanted using first a phosphorus + 31 ion at 75 kev to a dose of 8 × 10 15 atoms per square centimeter followed by an arsenic ion implant at 50 kev to a dose of 8 . 5 × 10 15 atoms per square centimeter . the resist is then removed from the surface of the wafer . then the source and drain are driven in at a temperature between 950 ° c . to 700 ° c . in a nitrogen environment and the p - type source and drain implants are carried out using boron difluoride ( bf 2 at 80 kev to a dose of 4 × 10 15 atoms per square centimeter ). this operation is followed by stripping the resist and then doing a low temperature oxidation to form 1000å of oxide at about 390 ° c . then the p + source and drain regions are driven into the wafer at 900 ° c . for 20 minutes . following this a borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) is deposited to a thickness of 9000å on the wafer . the bpsg glass yields good planarization over the surface . fig8 a illustrates in plan view the array portion of the structure of this invention after poly 1 has been deposited and patterned into strips . thus fig8 a shows in plan view the metal bit line diffusions ( m - 1 ), m , and ( m + 1 ). also shown are the source bit line diffusions ( s - 1 ) a , sa , and ( s + 1 ) a . ( the portions of the array in which will be formed select transistors such as transistors qn2 , qn4 , qn6 , q ( n + 1 ) 1 , q ( n + 1 ) 3 , and q ( n + 1 ) 5 will be masked with photoresist to prevent the implantation of impurities in these regions . polycrystalline silicon strips 71 - 0 through 71 - 17 are shown on the wafer , together with the spacer oxide formed along the sides of strips 71 - 0 through 71 - 17 ( as described above in conjunction with fig7 a to 7k ). the bit lines ( for example ( m - 1 ), ( s - 1 ) a , m . . . ( s + 1 ) a . . . ) are self - aligned with the poly 1 silicon strips 71 - 0 through 71 - 17 before these strips are formed into floating gates . fig8 b illustrates the structure of fig8 a with horizontal strips of photoresist 81 - 1 through 81 - 6 placed over the wafer orthogonal to the vertical strips of poly 1 71 - 0 through 71 - 13 . these photoresist strips 81 - 1 through 81 - 6 will be used to protect the underlying polycrystalline silicon from being removed during the etch of all the remaining poly 1 other than that beneath the photoresist to leave on the wafer the floating gates of the to - be - formed floating gate transistors . fig8 c illustrates the structure of fig8 b after the etch process and the removal of photoresist 81 - 1 through 81 - 6 . the floating gates to be part of transistors q1 , 1 and q1 , 3 are specifically labeled on this figure . fig8 c also illustrates the structure of this invention with the metal contacts j - 1 , j , j + 1 and j + 2 contacting the metal bit lines ( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 ) and ( m + 2 ) respectively . metal lines ( m - 1 ), m , ( m + 1 ) and ( m + 2 ) are formed after poly 2 and contact the underlying diffused bit lines shown by the same notations in fig8 a every n - transistor cells ( n is 64 in the embodiment described in this invention ). the select lines seln and sel ( n + 1 ) and word lines wl1 through wl6 are also shown in plan view in fig8 c . fig8 d is a plan view of a smaller portion of the structure of fig8 c with a second polycrystalline silicon ( poly 2 ) layer formed over the top of the array perpendicular to poly 1 strips such as strips 76 - 1 through 76 - 5 . poly 2 strips 76 - 1 through 76 - 5 will , when covered with tungsten - silicide , form select lines such as seln and sel ( n + 1 ), as well as word lines wl1 through wl64 ( see fig6 ). as can be clearly seen from the plan view in fig8 d , the minimum cell size of each floating gate transistor of this array is limited by the pitch of poly 1 strips such as 71 - 1 through 71 - 5 , and the pitch of the poly 2 strips comprising wl1 , wl2 and wl3 for example . thus the floating gate transistor comprising a memory cell in accordance with this invention is in fact the minimum size theoretically possible in accordance with this technology and the given design rules . while this invention has been described in conjunction with one embodiment , other embodiments of this invention will be obvious in view of this disclosure to those skilled in the art .	7
referring now to the following detailed information , and to incorporated materials ; a detailed description of the invention , including specific embodiments , is presented . unless otherwise indicated , numbers expressing quantities of ingredients , constituents , reaction conditions and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified by the term “ about .” accordingly , unless indicated to the contrary , the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the subject matter presented herein . at the very least , and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims , each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques . notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the subject matter presented herein are approximations , the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible . any numerical value , however , inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements . conventional radio frequency ( rf ) synthetic aperture radars ( sars ) are well understood and extensively used for imaging of remote targets , but their extension to optical wavelengths is at an early stage of development . issues include the required frequency stability of the laser and the precision within which the position of the phase sensor must be known during the time to acquire a complete synthetic image ( i . e ., a synthetic aperture size divided by platform velocity ). to form images , the sar platform must fly in a straight line or , if not , deviations from a straight line must be sensed or measured so that they can be corrected during processing . the deviation from a straight line must be a fraction of a wavelength of about λ / 10 . as an example , for an optical wavelength of 2 μm , this corresponds to 0 . 2 μm . at rf wavelengths , the tolerances are correspondingly larger . even though the tolerances are small in the optical regime , the time over which they have to be maintained , ( i . e ., the length of the synthetic aperture ), is also proportional to the wavelength and therefore much shorter , typically less than about 0 . 6 to about 6 milliseconds instead of seconds for average platform velocities of about 150 m / sec . the present invention , differential synthetic aperture radar ( dsar ) is analogous to “ stripmap mode ” sar ( discussed herein before ), but incorporates a differential technique that is capable of operating in the optical regime ( e . g ., from about 850 nm to about 10 . 0 microns ) and the short - wavelength rf regime . [ 0030 ] fig1 ( a ) and fig1 ( b ) illustrate the basic dsar geometry . the real aperture ( not shown ) from a moving platform 2 , such as an aerial vehicle , is divided into a first sub - aperture 4 , and a second sub - aperture 6 , as shown in fig1 ( b ). each sub - aperture 4 , 6 , having a width from about 0 . 1 m to about 0 . 5 m , measures a phase for each laser illumination pulse ( illustrated as an illumination source beam 8 ). a beam footprint 10 approximately equal to λr / d , ( with λ as the illumination wavelength , r is the range to target , and d the combined physical size of the two sub - apertures ) is created by beam 8 and carried along a strip 12 having a length 14 . a phase profile along the synthetic aperture is then obtained by summing a predetermined number of phase differentials , and an image is subsequently extracted . the pointing direction of the illumination beam can be kept fixed , to a fraction of the diffraction - limit corresponding to the sub - aperture size , during an image formation time . instruments such as gyroscopes can be used to keep the pointing of the illumination beam stable . [ 0032 ] fig2 ( a ) illustrates the dsar concept . phase measurements of an incident reflected field 11 are made , for a first sub - aperture 14 , and a second sub - aperture 16 , at a number of platform positions 18 , 20 , 22 along a trajectory 23 . the upper part of fig2 ( a ) shows “ effective ” platform translations , such as between platform positions 18 and 20 , of d / 2 . the corresponding “ physical ” platform translations are d / 4 because the path length from the transmitter to the target and the path length from the target to the receiver aperture both change . since the collected reflected fields at the two sub - apertures 14 , 16 result from the same transmitted pulse , and because a local oscillator ( lo ) ( not shown ), having a phase β , is common to both quadrature receivers ( not shown ), phase errors resulting from ( small ) deviations from a linear trajectory and from illumination and lo noise , cancel out when phases are calculated from a plurality of differential phases 30 , 32 , and 34 , which are measured at each of platform positions 18 , 20 , and 22 . such differential phases 30 , 32 , and 34 , are obtained by measuring the phases of the two sub - aperture fields and subtracting them , or from a correlation of the heterodyne output signals . [ 0033 ] fig2 ( b ) further illustrates the dsar concept . thus , with sub - apertures 14 and 16 , separated by d / 2 as denoted , at positions ( x − d / 2 ) and ( x ) respectively , and a target point reflector 35 at position y , the differential phase can be computed from the following equation : δ   ϕ  ( x , y , z ) ≈ π λ   z  [ ( y - x )  d + ( d 2 ) 2 ] where λ = wavelength , d = aperture size , x = platform position , y = target position , and z = target range . for a translation of both sub - apertures by δz , δ  ( δ   ϕ ) ≈ δ   ϕ   δ   z z which is negligible for realistic platform motions since the maximum value of δφ is about a radian and δz / z & lt ;& lt ; 1 . similarly , out - of - plane translation produces a negligible change in differential phase . in addition , unlike conventional sar , temporal coherence of the laser transmitter is required over only a single roundtrip time to the target area , not the transit time of the synthetic aperture time because of the differential method of the present invention , thereby relaxing laser frequency stability requirements . the differential phases do not depend on target axial motion / doppler . however , target motion can still be obtained from the doppler shift measured using either of the sub - aperture receivers . a source of electromagnetic radiation for illuminating a target is typically a frequency - chirped laser or a short pulse laser . as an example , for a range resolution of 10 cm , a frequency chirp of about 4 ghz is required . equivalently , a short pulse laser having a pulse - width less than about 250 picoseconds can be used . as stated herein before , if the source transmitter ( i . e ., a laser source ) has phase - distortions / noise , they will appear in the return at both sub - apertures , and therefore cancel out when calculating the phase differentials . this cancellation relaxes the requirement on maximum phase noise , and therefore the laser source transmitter requirements . with atmospheric transmission properties and eye - safety concerns as design considerations , a source of electromagnetic radiation , such as one or more laser systems , provides illumination wavelengths , having a range between about 850 nm and about 10 . 0 μm , and more particularly at 2 μm , and 4 μm , and even more particularly at 1 . 5 μm . exemplary laser source materials include carbon - diode gas , yb or er in the proper host material , and optical parametric oscillators . however , any type of amplifier means capable of operating within the parameters set forth herein can be employed in practice of the invention . moreover , the application of using the differential technique of the present invention is additionally capable of operating at conventional sar frequencies ( i . e ., rf frequencies ) that are compatible with platform constraints , in particular , antenna size limitations . [ 0040 ] fig3 ( a ) shows a basic schematic of a receiver system of the present invention , generally designated by the reference numeral 300 , including a pair of sub - apertures 38 , 40 , capable of receiving return signals that vary with time ( i . e ., s 1 ( t ) and s 2 ( t )), a pair of high bandwidth heterodyne detectors 42 , 44 , a common local oscillator source 46 having a phase denoted as β , commercially available electronic amplifiers 48 , 50 and commercially available a / d converters ( not shown ) as well as other conventional operationally connected processing electronics ( not shown ). such architecture is similar to conventional sar detection arrangements as described in a textbook by fitch , j . p ., synthetic aperture radar , springer - verlag new york inc ., 1988 . p . 11 - 18 . tk 6592 . s95f58 . [ 0041 ] fig3 ( b ) shows an example of a dsar optical receiver apparatus and is generally designated by reference numeral 400 . in an exemplary method of the present invention , a linearly polarized illumination beam a from an electromagnetic source 52 , is reflected by a polarizing beam - splitter 53 ( shown as two polarizing beam splitters to illustrate the principles of the embodiment ) and output through an aperture ( not shown ) that has a width of d . sub - aperture receivers 38 and 40 , as shown in fig3 ( a ), each having a width of d / 2 , collect a reflected radiation from a target ( not shown ) as shown as denoted return signals s 1 ( t ) and s 2 ( t ) respectively . a faraday rotator 51 , ( i . e ., a transparent material that rotates a plane of polarization of a polarized beam , with a direction of rotation dependent upon an applied dc magnetic field ), causes a rotation of the plane of polarization of beam a from source 52 , such as for example by 45 degrees , upon output of apparatus 400 . return signal s 1 ( t ) and s 2 ( t ) have their plane of polarization rotated an additional 45 degrees with respect to beam a upon transmission back though rotator 51 . such a technique enables a total of 90 degrees of rotation of the initial polarization state ( i . e ., of source 52 ) that enables return signals s 1 ( t ) and s 2 ( t ) to pass through beam - splitter 53 for detection and which also optically isolates s 1 ( t ) and s 2 ( t ) from source 52 . local oscillator ( lo ) 46 , having a linear output polarization , is transmitted through a quarter - wave plate 56 , ( i . e ., an optical component that enables two polarization components of a polarized beam to be 90 degrees out - of - phase with respect to one another and thus be circularly polarized ), and directed to a first beam - splitter 55 capable of transmitting between about 80 and about 90 % of return signal s 2 ( t ) and capable of reflecting between about 10 and about 20 % of an output of lo 46 . a second beam - splitter 54 , additionally capable of transmitting between about 80 and about 90 % of return signal s 1 ( t ) and capable of reflecting between about 10 and about 20 % of lo 46 that is transmitted through beam - splitter 55 , reflects lo 46 and transmits s 1 ( t ). both , s 1 ( t ) and lo 46 are substantially co - linear at the denoted point b after transmission through a first half - wave plate 57 designed for an operating wavelength of source 52 . half - wave plate 57 rotates incident linearly polarized return beam s 1 ( t ) by 45 degrees of rotation , while the beam of lo 46 remains circularly polarized . both s 1 ( t ) and lo 46 are further directed to a first wollaston prism 59 to produce orthogonally polarized and separated beams denoted as c and d . beam c includes , for example , a vector component of s 1 ( t ) and an in - phase component of lo 46 while beam d includes , for example , a vector component of s 1 ( t ) and a quadrature ( i . e . a 90 degree out - of - phase component ) component of lo 46 . an optical component , such as lens 61 , having a predetermined focal length then is arranged to direct beams c and d to a first in - phase 63 and a first quadrature 64 high - speed heterodyne detectors . received beams c and d are then processed using conventional operationally connected electronics and heterodyne methods , to produce a phase ( φm j ) of return signal s 1 ( t ) with respect to common lo 46 . similarly , operationally coupled electronics and optical components are capable of receiving and processing return signal s 2 ( t ) such that a phase information ( φm j + 1 ) may be extracted . therefore , similar to the description for the optical path of return signal s 1 ( t ), between about 80 and about 90 % of return signal s 2 ( t ) is transmitted through beam - splitter 55 . beam - splitter 55 also reflects and directs the output of lo 46 after passing through quarter - wave plate 56 . lo 46 and s 2 ( t ) are substantially collinear at denoted point e after transmission through a second half - wave wave plate 58 also designed for an operating wavelength of source 52 . half - wave plate 58 rotates incident linearly - polarized return beam s 2 ( t ) by 45 degrees of rotation , while the beam of lo 46 remains circular . both s 2 ( t ) and lo 46 are further directed to a second wollaston prism 60 to produce orthogonally polarized and separated beams denoted as f and g . beam f includes a vector component of s 2 ( t ) and an in - phase component of lo 46 while beam g includes a vector component of s 2 ( t ) and a quadrature ( i . e . a 90 degree out - of - phase component ) component of lo 46 . a second optical component , such as lens 62 , having a predetermined focal length then is arranged to direct beams f and g to a second in - phase 65 and a second quadrature 66 high - speed heterodyne detectors . similar to processed beams c and d , beams f and g are processed using conventional operationally connected electronics and methods , to produce phase ( φm j + 1 ), of return signal s 2 ( t ,) with respect to common lo 46 . phases φm j and φm j + 1 that are measured through the two sub - apertures for a given illumination pulse , can be written as the sum of the actual ( correct ) phase values and errors . the phase errors can further be divided into a common mode error ε cm and non - common - mode errors , if any . non - common - mode errors , if any , are not considered in the present invention and , therefore , φm j = φ j + ε cm and φm j + 1 = φ j + 1 + ε cm , where φ j and φ j + 1 are the actual ( correct ) phase values . the common mode phase error , ε cm , cancels out when computing the actual phase values , and may be different for different illumination pulses . accordingly , a measured phase differential φm j + 1 − φm j between the sub - apertures is capable of being produced and a plurality of resultant ( n ) phases are calculated by summing the phase differentials at each of the platform positions according to [ φ j + 1 = φ j +( φm j + 1 − φm j )] to produce an image having a spatial resolution corresponding to a synthetic aperture of length of about nd / 4 . [ 0046 ] fig4 ( a ) shows exemplary theoretical sub - aperture phase profiles , 68 and 69 , versus platform position from a dsar apparatus , for a point - reflector target returning a phase front to a varying platform position , and with the following example input parameters : a wavelength λ = 4 μm , an aperture d = 0 . 25 m , denoted as numeral 13 as shown in fig2 and a length l = 100 km , denoted as numeral 14 as shown in fig1 ( a ). fig4 ( b ) illustrates a theoretical plot of differential phases 70 versus platform position after applying the method of the present invention to the theoretical ( error - free ) received phase profiles 68 and 69 , as shown in fig4 ( a ). [ 0048 ] fig5 shows a plot of the number of pulses needed to form a synthetic image versus range in kilometers for three wavelengths , 10 μm 72 , 4 μm 74 , and 2 μm 76 , that are capable of being used as an illumination source for the present invention . as examples , from the given plot , for λ = 10 μm , r = 100 km , and d = 0 . 25 m , n = 64 pulses , while for λ = 4 μm , r = 50 km , and d = 0 . 25 m , n p = 13 pulses . as discussed herein before , a phase profile by the method of the present invention is obtained by summing phase differentials along the synthetic aperture . since the phase profile is acquired by adding phase differentials , errors in the measured phases , in particular those resulting from intrinsic heterodyne detection shot noise , add in a random manner as a function of the number of pulses needed to form an image . this number ( n p ) as shown in fig5 on the vertical axis , is approximately 4λr / d 2 , and is derived as follows : an effective length of the synthetic aperture is about λr / d , which is the size , at range r ( i . e ., antenna distance to the target ), of a coherent beam having an illumination wavelength λ , transmitted from an aperture of size d , with a corresponding beam divergence of λ / d . accordingly , if pulses are transmitted at positions separated by d / 4 , then the total number of pulses fired along the synthetic aperture is n p =( λr / d )/( d / 4 )= 4λr / d 2 , with d / 2 being the physical size of each sub - aperture . however , the linear ( tilt ) and quadratic ( focus ) optical aberration components of the random phase error do not significantly impact image quality , and , when they are removed or minimized , for example , by hardware or software techniques , the error buildup is small for typical numbers of pulses required . in addition , the precision of the individual phase measurements can be improved by increasing the illumination laser power and , thereby , the detection signal to noise ratio ( snr ). while the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein . however , it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed . rather , the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims .	6
a device ( 10 ) shown in fig1 comprises : a cylindrical plastic vessel ( 15 ); a sample inlet port ( 20 ), covered by a nylon mesh ( 21 ) formed from 0 . 15 mm strands spaced by 0 . 25 mm : a hole ( 30 ) in a side of the plastic vessel , shown in an open position : a solution ( 40 ) of ebss supplemented with 0 . 88 mg / ml hyaluronic acid and 0 . 45 % bsa ; a plastic rotatable collar ( 50 ), including a hole ( 51 ) which is shown aligned with hole ( 30 ) to form an outlet port ( 35 ); a button ( 60 , shown depressed ), which houses a battery and circuitry for powering a circumferential heat source ( 70 ) and attached to which is a solution reservoir ( 65 , shown empty ), a foil seal ( 66 , shown broken ), and a hollow foil cutter ( 68 ); and an externally mounted test strip ( 80 ). fig2 shows the device ( 10 ) attached to a semen receptacle ( 90 ) with sloped walls . a semen sample ( 100 ) has collected in a well ( 99 ) at a base of the receptacle ( 90 ), but some of it has overflowed into a receptacle overflow ( 95 ). fig3 shows the device ( 10 ) immediately prior to use . a semen sample ( 100 ) has collected in the well ( 99 ) and is in contact with the inlet port ( 20 ). the outlet port ( 35 ) is closed because the hole ( 51 ) in the collar ( 50 ) is not aligned with the hole ( 30 ) in a wall of vessel 30 . solution ( 40 ) is held in reservoir ( 65 ) by foil seal ( 66 ), away from the inlet port ( 20 ). to initiate a test , button ( 60 ) is depressed , as shown in fig4 a . foil cutter ( 68 ) pierces seal ( 66 ), releasing solution ( 40 ). motile sperm in the sample ( 100 ) are now in liquid communication with solution ( 40 ) and are able to migrate into it through the inlet ( 20 ), as shown in fig4 b , whereas non - motile sperm and seminal plasma remain in sample ( 100 ). button ( 60 ) also activates heat source ( 70 ), bringing a temperature of solution ( 40 ) to 37 ° c . after a period of about 30 minutes , during which motile sperm have migrated into the solution ( 40 ), collar ( 50 ) is rotated , as shown in fig5 , so that its hole ( 51 ) aligns with hole ( 30 ), thereby opening the outlet port ( 35 ). solution ( 40 ), now containing motile sperm , is free to leave the vessel and contact externally - mounted test strip ( 80 ). as shown in fig6 , the solution flows by capillary action through closely - juxtaposed plastic strips ( 81 a & amp ; 81 b ) at the base of the test strip ( 80 ). between the strips ( 81 a & amp ; 81 b ) is an area ( 82 ) of dehydrated gold - labelled murine anti - cd59 . as the solution passes area ( 82 ) between the strips ( 81 a & amp ; 81 b ), an antibody is re - hydrated and is able to bind to spermatozoa in the solution . further downstream , the solution reaches nitrocellulose strip ( 83 ). a pore size of the strip ( 83 ) is too small to allow the spermatozoa to enter , so they are captured at its entrance ( 84 ). free label continues to flow until it is captured downstream at a line ( 85 ) of immobilized anti - mouse antibody . as shown in fig7 a – 7f , entrance ( 84 ) and line ( 85 ) are visible through windows . in fig7 e , two lines are visible , indicating presence of motile spermatozoa in an original sample . in contrast , only the control line ( 85 ) is visible in fig7 f , indicating an absence of motile sperm in the original sample . device ( 110 ) shown in fig8 and 9 comprises an upper piece ( 191 ) and a lower piece ( 190 ) which fit together . a base of lower piece ( 190 ) contains a well ( 199 ) into which a semen sample ( 200 ) is deposited . upper piece ( 191 ) includes a recessed window ( 113 ), a button ( 160 ) and a rotatable knob ( 150 ). knob ( 150 ) and button ( 160 ) are shaped such that knob ( 150 ) cannot be rotated until button ( 160 ) has been depressed . in fig1 , internal components of upper piece ( 191 ) are shown in an exploded view . upper piece ( 191 ) is formed from a top piece ( 192 ) which engages a seating ( 193 ). on a bottom of button ( 160 ) is a needle ( 168 ) and , when button ( 160 ) is operated , needle ( 168 ) pierces reservoir ( 165 ) which , prior to operation , contains a solution ( 140 ) of ebss supplemented with 0 . 88 mg / ml hyaluronic acid and 0 . 45 % bsa . reservoir ( 165 ) sits in plastic housing ( 166 ), which has a neck portion ( 115 ) and a head portion ( 120 ). a side of neck portion ( 115 ) contains a hole ( 130 ) which engages a tube portion ( 186 ) of test strip assembly ( 180 ). a base of head portion ( 120 ) is covered by a circular nylon mesh ( 121 ) formed from 0 . 15 mm strands spaced by 0 . 25 mm . in assembled device ( 110 ), mesh ( 121 ) is in contact with sample ( 200 ) within well ( 199 ). knob ( 150 ) is attached via a rack and pinion mechanism to plunger ( 155 ) which , prior to use , passes through tube ( 186 ) and towards hole ( 130 ). seating ( 193 ) contains a battery ( 194 ) which powers heat source ( 170 ). when assembled , heat source ( 170 ) surrounds neck ( 115 ) circumferentially , except in the region of hole ( 130 ). exploded and assembled views of test strip assembly ( 180 ) are shown in fig1 a and 11b . in the assembled device ( 110 ), tubular portion ( 186 ) communicates directly with hole ( 130 ) and , prior to use , plunger ( 155 ) engages and fills tube ( 186 ), thereby preventing liquid flow therethrough . as plunger ( 155 ) is withdrawn by operation of knob ( 150 ) in a direction of the arrow in fig1 , tube ( 186 ) opens to form , together with hole ( 130 ), an outlet port ( 135 ) through which liquid can flow . tube ( 186 ) and plunger ( 155 ) therefore operate in the manner of a syringe . liquid flows through tube ( 186 ) into a capillary space between clear plastic housings ( 181 a : 181 b ) and passes under a pad ( 182 ) containing dehydrated gold - tagged murine anti - cd59 . as liquid passes pad ( 182 ), an antibody is re - hydrated and can pass into the liquid , where it is able to bind to spermatozoa . the liquid continues to flow towards and into nitrocellulose strip ( 183 ), aided by a wick ( 188 ). a pore size of strip ( 183 ) is too small to allow the spermatozoa to enter , so they are captured at its entrance ( 184 ). antibody can bind captured spermatozoa at entrance ( 184 ) and form a pink line . any free antibody continues to flow until it is captured downstream at a line ( 185 ) of immobilised anti - mouse antibody . the device is used as illustrated in fig1 to 16 : in fig1 , a semen sample ( 200 ; e . g . obtained by masturbation ) is placed into lower piece ( 190 ) and collects in well ( 199 ) whilst lower piece ( 190 ) rests on a flat surface . after 30 minutes , upper piece ( 191 ) is assembled with lower piece ( 190 ) as shown in fig1 , to form device ( 110 ). button ( 160 ) is then depressed , as shown in fig1 . this releases solution ( 140 ) and also activates heat source ( 170 ), thereby bringing a temperature of solution ( 140 ) to 37 ° c . after around 30 minutes , to allow entry of sperm into solution ( 140 ) and also temperature equilibration , led ( 116 ) indicates that knob ( 150 ) should be rotated , as in fig1 . this withdraws plunger ( 135 ) and allows motile sperm from sample ( 200 ) which have swum into medium ( 140 ) to pass into the tube portion ( 186 ) of test strip ( 180 ). the solution ( 140 ) flows through the test strip ( 180 ) by capillary action towards wick ( 188 ). sperm in the solution are retained at the entrance ( 184 ) of nitrocellulose strip ( 183 ). free gold - tagged antibody continues to flow until it is captured downstream at a line ( 185 ) of immobilized anti - mouse antibody . the line at ( 184 ) in fig1 indicates a positive result . the line at ( 185 ) indicates that the test has operated correctly . it will be understood that the invention has been described by way of example only and modifications may be made whilst remaining within the scope and spirit of the invention .	6
this invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways . also , the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . the use of “ including ,” “ comprising ,” or “ having ,” “ containing ”, “ involving ”, and variations thereof herein , is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items . various aspects of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are now described in connection with fig5 - 14 . these embodiments include a tab and a sheet - like member to which the tab attaches . the tab and sheet - like member have a slidably engageable construction including a channel formed in one and a corresponding projecting rim , lip or bead formed in the other . the tab is slidable from one extreme position at or near one end of the sheet - like member to another extreme position at or near the other end of the sheet - like member . the position of the tab is preferably infinitely adjustable between the two extreme positions . in addition to the infinite adjustability between the two extreme positions , the construction may include detent positions or high friction positions that tend to hold the tab in such preferred or predetermined positions along the track . the features of the exemplary embodiment are now described in connection with fig5 - 14 . according to aspects of one embodiment of the invention shown in fig5 , a tab 501 has an enlarged feature , referred to hereinafter without loss of generality as a bead 502 , disposed along a lower edge . as will be explained below , bead 502 engages with a channel constructed in a stationery article to receive bead 502 . the bead may be constructed in any suitable configuration or design that facilitates its slideability and strength along the channel . according to aspects of another embodiment of the invention shown in fig6 , a tab 601 has a channel 602 disposed along a lower edge . as will also be explained below , channel 602 engages with an enlarged feature constructed on a stationery article to receive channel 602 . the channel may be constructed in any suitable configuration or design that facilitates its slideability and strength along the bead . both tabs 501 and 601 may include paper laminated on both sides , for example where the paper has adhesive on at least one side and is affixed to the tab . this material will facilitate writing and creating tab labels . both tabs 501 and 601 will be constructed at sizes consistent with industry standards , to enable the tabs to fit appropriately in file cabinets , loose - leaf notebooks , and planners . as shown in fig7 , a tab 601 according to other aspects of the invention rides a track 702 running a - a along an edge of the sheet - like member 703 . the sheet - like member 703 may be a file folder , a loose - leaf divider , a report divider , or the like . track 702 includes an enlarged feature 701 which is engaged by the channel 602 of tab 601 . the enlarged feature 701 is hereafter referred to as a bead 701 , without loss of generality to other forms of projecting rim or lip . as shown in fig8 , a tab 501 according to aspects of the invention rides a track 802 running b - b along an edge of the sheet - like member 803 . the sheet - like member 803 may be a file folder , a loose - leaf divider , a report divider , or the like . track 802 includes a channel 801 which is engaged by the bead 502 of tab 501 . both sheet - like member 703 and 803 can be constructed to have sizes consistent with industry standards , including but not limited to , letter and legal sizes . the detail of fig9 shows aspects of one embodiment of the tab and track configuration . in this embodiment , the tab 601 includes a channel 602 along a bottom edge 903 , thereof . the track , or rail , has a projecting rim , lip or a beaded or enlarged feature 701 running along the edge of the sheet - like member 703 . the channel 602 of the tab 601 engages with the bead 701 of the sheet - like member 703 . the channel 602 and bead 701 may engage with a slidable friction fit , or may engage loosely , except at points where detent features hold the tab in place , as explained below . shoulder contact region 906 defines an opening to the channel 602 that is narrower than the bead 701 , so as to retain the bead 701 within the channel 602 against radial forces . according to aspects of an alternative embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the tab 501 may have the bead 502 while the track or rail 802 has a channel 801 which engages the bead 502 of the tab 501 . shoulder contact region 1005 defines an opening to the channel 801 that is narrower than the bead 502 , so as to retain the bead 502 within the channel 801 against radial forces . in the embodiments of fig9 and 10 , there should preferably also be a feature that maintains the tab in a vertical or other desired fixed , predetermined angle relative to the sheet - like member . for example , the channel ( fig9 , 602 ; fig1 , 801 ) may include a sufficiently broad shoulder contact region ( fig9 , 906 ; fig1 , 1005 ) that the tab is maintained at its correct position . any other suitable feature may be used . preferably , the rail runs the entire length of one edge of the sheet - like material , but a shorter rail is also contemplated . the rail should be of a length sufficient to provide substantial mobility of the tab along the edge of the sheet - like member . also preferred is either that the channel have a slight flair at the ends or that the bead have a slight taper at the ends thereof so as to facilitate the insertion of the bead into the channel from one end or the other thereof . as shown in fig1 the rail 1101 may be a separate component , attached to the sheet - like material 1102 , for example adhesively . in this embodiment , the rail 1101 has two wings 1103 coated with an adhesive 1104 on one side 1105 which are then folded down c into contact with the sheet - like material 1102 . alternatively , in fig1 the rail 1101 may be attached to the sheet - like member with one wing 1103 coated with an adhesive 1104 on one side . in this embodiment of the invention the wing is extruded along with the rail and is an integral part of the rail . the wing may be attached to the inside or outside of the sheet - like material . the wing or wings can serve as handholds when sliding the tab along the rail . alternatively , as shown in fig1 the rail 1201 may be fully integrated with the sheet - like material 1202 . for example , the sheet - like material and rail can be a single extrusion of a polymeric material . alternatively , the sheet - like material may be an extruded lamination including a core material , for example , card stock or the like and an outer material , for example an extruded polymer from which the rail is also formed integral with the completed article . as shown in fig1 , there are preferably handholds 1203 or reinforced areas adjacent to the rail that facilitate moving the tab from one side to the other . the user grips a handhold in one hand and the tab in the other and then can slide the tab away from the handhold . the handholds reinforce the area of greatest stress on the rail , so as to also prevent tears during movement of the tab . using any suitable technique , the channel or shoulder 1005 may be formed to have detents as shown in fig1 or indents ( fig2 , 2107 ) or the channel and rail may be formed with cooperative elements comprising detents as shown in fig1 . in the embodiment as shown in fig1 , when the tab 1301 is slid to a position between raised portions 1302 , 1303 , the tab 1301 is then securely held in place by the raised portions 1302 , 1303 . if it is desired to place the tab 1301 at a position other than the detent location , the tab may be left resting on one of the raised portions also . the detent illustrated in fig1 holds the tab 1401 in place by cooperation between the notch 1402 in the bead 1403 and raised portions 1404 in the channel 1405 . as with the detent as shown in fig1 the tab may be positioned other than at a detent position , and left in place , if so desired . although no detents are required , if an interference fit is designed , instead , the tolerance of the diameters of the bead and channel can be set so as to prevent tabs from sliding off of the rail or from fitting so tightly as to be difficult to move . other variations are also possible . according to aspects of yet another embodiment of the invention , the tab may include at its base a bead having a raised rib positioned crosswise , approximately at the center of the bead . the raised rib would enable the user to select a location for the tab along a predetermined number of slots along the channel . according to aspects of yet another embodiment of the invention , the tab and / or the channel may contain ribs running either longitudinally or crosswise , increasing the friction between the bead of the tab and channel . for example , ribs such as 1302 , 1303 of fig1 can be spaced closely together , so as not to form detent positions , but rather to simply locally increase the friction between the tab 1301 and the channel . the tabs can be of a type to accept inserts , such as conventional paper or paperboard labels . examples of such tabs are now shown and described in connection with fig1 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 . in order to more clearly show certain features , these figures are not to scale . the basic configuration , shown in fig1 and 16 , is a tab 1501 having a rail member 1502 and a hollow , transparent upper portion 1503 . label inserts ( shown in fig1 in phantom ) are inserted and removed from one end or the other of the tab 1501 . fig1 shows a configuration of a tab 1601 whose top portion 1602 resembles a conventional hanging folder tab . top portion 1602 has a wall which bends back upon itself at a top edge 1603 . as shown in fig1 , in order to facilitate the easy insertion and removal of a label insert , a notch 1701 can be cut into one or both ends of the tab 1501 , providing a place where the label insert can be gripped while it is in place in the tab 1501 . other configurations that may have advantages in ease of manufacture and ease of use are shown in fig1 , 19 and 20 . fig1 shows a configuration of a presently preferred tab 1801 . the top portion 1802 of tab 1801 is bifurcated into a front fin 1803 and a back fin 1804 separated by a slot 1805 . an insert ( not shown ) can be slid into the slot 1805 , where it is retained by a close fit with the front fin 1803 and back fin 1804 . the lower portion 1806 of the tab 1801 includes a rail member 1502 . just above rail member 1502 is a rib feature 1807 that engages detent features ( described below in connection with fig2 , 22 and 23 ) of the track ( described below in connection with fig2 , 22 and 23 ) into which the rail member 1502 is inserted when in use . fig1 shows a configuration of a tab 1901 having a bifurcated top portion 1902 having a front fin 1903 and a back fin 1904 . the top edge 1905 is defined by the front fin 1903 incorporating a bend to form an interlock 1906 with the back fin 1904 . the top edge could alternatively be defined by the back fin 1904 incorporating a bend to form an interlock with the front fin 1903 . the interlock can reside above , below or over the region of a hollow 1907 defined by the front fin 1903 , the back fin 1904 and the top edge 1905 , as may be desired by the skilled designer . as shown in fig2 , another configuration of a tab 2001 has a bifurcated top portion 2002 having a front fin 2003 and a back fin 2004 , joined at a top edge 2005 . in embodiments incorporating this aspect of the invention , the insert may be slid in from one end or the other of the tab 2001 . top edge 2005 may be manufactured as an integral joint , as shown , or may be formed by bonding or adhering the front fin 2003 and back fin 2004 after manufacture . any of the tabs shown and described in connection with fig1 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 can include a track as described above in connection with fig6 as an alternative to the rails shown . also , if the tab includes a track , the track can incorporate various features of any of the tracks described herein , such as detent features . some embodiments of tracks for attachment to the sheet members are now described in connection with fig2 , 22 and 23 . in order to more clearly show certain features , these figures are not to scale . fig2 shows a track 2101 having a slot 2102 and an internal passage 2103 , both running the length of the track 2101 and which receive the tab ( not shown ). in this embodiment , the end of the internal passage 2103 includes a bevel 2104 and the end of the slot 2102 also includes a bevel 2105 , whereby insertion of the tab into the track is facilitated . in some embodiments , the track may be left with open ends , as shown in fig2 . the internal passage 2103 may contain a retaining groove 2106 running the length of the internal passage . this may strengthen the channel and minimize the chance of the tab being pulled through the slot at the top of the rail . in other embodiments , as shown in fig2 , the slot 2102 and internal passage ( not shown ) may be closed off at the end by a seal 2201 . the seal 2201 may be formed by applying heat and pressure to form a pinched region 2202 as shown in fig2 , or alternatively the seal may be formed by inserting a plug ( not shown ) into the slot 2102 and for internal passage 2103 of the track 2101 of fig2 . other seals may be applied either externally or internally to the track , as may be understood by skilled artisans . as shown in fig2 , any of the embodiments of fig2 and 22 may also include detent features 2301 to engage with rib 1807 ( fig1 ). tab 1501 may be positioned to any location along the track 2101 , where it will be retained by a friction fit between rib 1807 and slot 2102 , however , the tab will prefer locations where rib 1807 engages one of the detent features 2301 , as shown . fig2 , 25 and 26 show further alternatives to the tabs of fig1 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 . fig2 shows a tab 2401 similar to that of fig2 . in addition to the features described in connection with fig2 , this tab includes a rail 2402 having a retaining groove 2403 . retaining groove 2403 mats with an optional protruding edge ( fig2 , 2106 ) having a corresponding profile formed in the internal passage 2103 . the combination of retaining groove 2403 and protruding edge 2106 prevent the tab 2401 from pulling through the slot ( fig2 , 2102 ) of the rail . tab 2501 of fig2 and tab 2601 of fig2 also include rail 2402 and retaining groove 2403 in combination with other tab structures previously discussed . the rails of the tab shown in fig1 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 would fit internal passages lacking the optional protruding edge 2106 . because the tabs can be extruded of a polymeric material and then cut to length , or alternatively molded of a polymeric material in addition to paper or card stock labels for insertion into the tab ( fig1 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 , for example ), they are also compatible with peelable labels . the peelable labels can be provided in sheets for laser or inkjet printing . the tabs can also be provided with a textured surface suitable for accepting permanent marker inks or the like . having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention , it is to be appreciated various alterations , modifications , and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art . such alterations , modifications , and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure , and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only .	1
surprisingly , a process for producing polycarbonate has now been identified which achieves this object . the process according to the invention is characterized by a step comprising the work - up of the combined vapor streams , which makes it possible to separate the monohydroxy aryl compound , diaryl carbonate and the byproducts from the reaction vapors by distillation , wherein the surprisingly high quality of the substances which are recovered in this manner enables them to be reused directly for the synthesis of diaryl carbonate or a dihydroxy aryl compound ( monohydroxyaryl compound ) or for transesterification in the melt ( diaryl carbonate ). the present application accordingly relates to a process for producing polycarbonate by the transesterification of a diaryl carbonate and an aromatic dihydroxy aryl compound to form oligo -/ polycarbonate by splitting of the monohydroxyaryl compound , wherein the monohydroxy aryl compound which is produced can be reused for producing diaryl carbonate or a dihydroxyaryl compound , which in turn can be used in the transesterification process , characterized in that the monohydroxy aryl compound is separated by distillation in such a way that the excess diaryl carbonate is simultaneously recovered in a quality such that it can be recycled directly to the melt transesterification process . the process is illustrated schematically , and in simplified form , in the following flow diagram : separation according to the invention of the monohydroxy aryl compounds and of the diaryl carbonate is effected in a special sequence of separation stages which differs from customary distillation trains in that the diaryl carbonate in the last column is not taken off overhead , but instead the bottom product of the column is taken off in high purity . surprisingly , it is also possible as an alternative to effect separation of the diaryl carbonate by taking off a side stream from the last column . the sequence of separation stages which is familiar to one skilled in the art is in case of the industrially important transesterification process to produce polycarbonate from bisphenol a ( bpa ) and diphenyl carbonate ( dpc ) one in which the low - boiling phenol is taken off overhead from the 1st column , the somewhat less volatile impurities which vaporize are separated overhead from the 2nd column , and the diaryl carbonate is distilled from the 3rd column overhead , whilst the heavy - boiling impurities remain in the bottom product of the 3rd column . high - purity diaryl carbonate cannot be obtained by this process , however . surprisingly , the possibility of taking off diaryl carbonate of outstanding quality from the bottom product respectively from a side stream enables a lower column temperature to be used , and prevents the decomposition of diaryl carbonates and others of the present compounds , which is otherwise observed and which has hitherto prevented the effective recovery by distillation of highly pure diaryl carbonate from the vapors . the sequence of separation stages according to the invention is illustrated in fig1 . the reaction vapors are fed into the 1 st column at the mid - height ( 1 ) thereof , are separated overhead with the high - purity monohydroxy aryl compound ( 2 ) and are recycled , e . g . to the diaryl carbonate or the dihydroxy aryl compound synthesis stage . the bottom product ( 3 ) is in turn fed at mid - height into a second column , in which the high - boiling by - products are separated via the bottom product ( 4 ), and the remaining constituents are fed overhead and at mid - height ( 6 ) into a third column from which the low - boiling fractions are then taken off overhead ( 7 ) and are fed together with the bottom product from column 2 to a resin incineration stage , whilst the bottom product from the third column , which consists of diaryl carbonate of outstanding hazen color and quality is taken off via ( 8 ) and is recycled directly to the transesterification process to produce polycarbonate . alternatively , it is possible to take off the diaryl carbonate as described above as a side stream from the third column . the purity of the monohydroxy aryl compound which is separated overhead in the process according to the invention is & gt ; 99 %, preferably & gt ; 99 . 8 %, most preferably & gt ; 99 . 95 %. the purity of the diaryl carbonate ( 8 ) is & gt ; 99 . 0 %, preferably & gt ; 99 . 5 %, most preferably & gt ; 99 . 9 %. the diaryl carbonate which is thus recovered is characterized by a hazen color less than 5 . the secondary component which is separated as a purge in the sense of the process amounts to & lt ; 5 %, preferably & lt ; 4 %, most preferably & lt ; 3 . 5 %, with respect to the amount of vapors introduced into the vapor work - up stage . therefore , whereas in the process comprising the removal of monohydroxy aryl compound from the vapor streams of the transesterification process which was known hitherto , the remaining residues were incinerated , including the diaryl carbonate present therein , in the process according to the invention the diaryl carbonate is also isolated in high purity and is recycled to the process . this results in a saving of raw materials and in a reduction both of off - gases and of energy . diphenols which are suitable for the process according to the invention are those of formula ( 1 ) wherein x = a c 1 — c 8 alkylidene or cycloalkylidene , s , so 2 , o , c ═ o or a single bond , r ═ ch 3 , cl or br and n = zero , 1 or 2 . phenols which are particularly preferred from those mentioned above are 4 , 4 ′- dihydroxy - diphenyl , α , α ′- bis -( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- m - diisopropylbenzene , 2 , 2 - bis -( 4 - hydroxy - phenyl )- propane and 1 , 1 - bis -( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- 3 , 3 , 5 - trimethylcyclohexane . 2 , 2 - bis -( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propane is most particularly preferred . when mono hydroxy aryl compounds recovered from the 1st colum are used directly for the production of dihydroxy aryl compounds , it has to be ensured that the aryl compounds which are used each time bear the same substituents . either one dihydroxy aryl compound of formula ( 1 ) can be used for the formation of homopolycarbonates , or a plurality of dihydroxy aryl compounds of formula ( 1 ) can be used for the formation of copolycarbonates . diaryl carbonates in the sense of present invention are di - c 6 — c 14 aryl carbonates , preferably carbonates of phenol or alkyl - substituted phenols , namely diphenyl carbonate or dicresyl carbonate , for example . 1 . 01 to 1 . 30 mol , preferably 1 . 02 to 1 . 2 mol , of diaryl carbonates diesters are used with respect to 1 mol of dihydroxy aryl compound . the diaryl carbonates are produced in the known manner ( ep a 0 483 632 , 0 635 476 , 0 635 477 and 0 645 364 ) by the phosgenation ( in solution , in the melt or in the gas phase ) of monohydroxy aryl compound . the diaryl carbonates can also be produced by the direct oxidation of monohydroxy aryl compounds with co and oxygen or other oxidising agents ( see de os 27 38 437 , 28 15 512 , 27 38 488 , 28 15 501 , 29 49 936 , 27 38487 etc ., for example ). the polycarbonates can be deliberately branched , in a controlled manner , by the use of small amounts of branching agents . examples of some suitable branching agents are as follows : the 0 . 05 to 2 mol % of branching agents which are optionally used in conjunction with respect to the dihydroxy aryl compound used can be introduced together with the dihydroxy aryl compound . it must be ensured that the reaction components for the first step , namely transesterification , i . e . the dihydroxy aryl compound and the diaryl carbonate are free from alkali and alkaline earth cations , although amounts of alkali and alkaline earth cations less than 0 . 1 ppm can be tolerated . pure diaryl carbonate or dihydroxy aryl compound of this type can be obtained by recrystallisation , washing or distilling the diaryl carbonate or dihydroxy aryl compound . in the process according to the invention , the content of alkali and alkaline earth cations should be & lt ; 0 . 1 ppm , both in the dihydroxy aryl compound and in the diaryl carbonate . the transesterification reaction between the aromatic dihydroxy aryl compound and the diaryl carbonate in the melt is preferably conducted in two stages . in the first stage of the industrially applied process of producing polycarbonate by reacting diphenyl carbonate ( dpc ) with bisphenol a ( bpa ), at normal pressure , fusion occurs of the bpa and of the dpc at temperatures from 80 - 250 ° c ., preferably 100 - 230 ° c ., most preferably 120 - 190 ° c . in 0 - 5 hours , preferably 0 . 25 - 3 hours . after adding the catalyst , the oligocarbonate is produced from the dpa and the dpc by distilling off the phenol by applying a vacuum ( up to 2 mbar ) and increasing the temperature ( up to 260 ° c .). the bulk of the vapor is produced from the process in the course of this procedure . the oligocarbonate which is thus produced has an average molecular weight mw ( as determined by measuring the relative solution viscosity in dichloromethane or in mixtures of identical weights of phenol / o - dichlorobenzene calibrated by light scattering ) within the range from 2000 to 18 , 000 , preferably from 4000 to 15 , 000 . in the second stage , the polycarbonate is produced by polycondensation , by further increasing the temperature to 250 - 320 ° c ., preferably to 270 - 295 ° c . at a pressure of & lt ; 2 mbar . the remainder of the vapors is removed from the process in the course of this procedure . the combined vapors are subsequently worked up according to the invention , and phenol and dpc are preferably recycled to the process for example phenol into the production of bpa or dpc , dpc back into the polycarbonate production , but can be used for other purposes , too . catalysts in the sense of the process according to the invention include all inorganic or organic basic compounds , for example : lithium , sodium , potassium , calcium , barium and magnesium hydroxides , carbonates , halides , phenolates , bisphenolates , fluorides , acetates , phosphates , hydrogen phosphates and borohydrides , nitrogen and phosphorus containing compounds such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide , tetramethylammonium acetate , tetramethylammonium fluoride , tetramethylammonium tetraphenylborate , tetraphenylphosphonium fluoride , tetraphenylphosphonium tetraphenylborate , tetraphenylphosphonium phenolate , dimethyldiphenylammonium hydroxide , tetraethyl ammonium hydroxide , dbu , dbn or guanidine systems such 1 , 5 , 7 - triazabicyclo -[ 4 , 4 , 0 ]- dec - 5 - ene , 7 - phenyl - 1 , 5 , 7 - triazabicyclo -[ 4 , 4 , 0 ]- dec - 5 - ene , 7 - methyl - 1 , 5 , 7 - triazabicyclo -[ 4 , 4 , 0 ]- dec - 5 - ene , 7 , 7 ,- hexylidene - di - 1 , 5 , 7 - triazabicyclo -[ 4 , 4 , 0 ]- dec - 5 - ene , 7 , 7 ′- decylidene - di - 1 , 5 , 7 - tri - azabicyclo -[ 4 , 4 , 0 ]- dec - 5 - ene , 7 , 7 ′- dodecylidene - di - 1 , 5 , 7 - triazabicyclo -[ 4 , 4 , 0 ]- dec - 5 - ene or phosphazenes such as the phosphazene base p 1 - t - oct = tert .- octylimino - tris -( dimethylamino )- phosphorane , the phosphazene base p 1 - t - butyl = tert .- butylimino - tris -( dimethylamino )- phosphorane , or bemp = 2 - tert .- butylimino - 2 - diethylamino - 1 , 3 - dimethyl - perhydro - 1 , 3 - diaza - 2 - phosphorine . tetra - phenylphosphonium phenolate and / or sodium hydroxide , - phenolate and - bisphenolate are particularly preferred . these catalysts are used in amounts of 10 − 2 to 10 − 8 mol with respect to 1 mol dihydroxy aryl compound . the catalysts can also be used in combination ( two or more ) with each other . if alkali / alkaline earth metal catalysts are used , it may be advantageous to add the alkali / alkaline earth metal catalysts later ( e . g . after the synthesis of oligocarbonate by polycondensation in the second stage ). the alkali / alkaline earth metal catalyst can be added , for example , as a solid or as a solution in water , phenol , oligocarbonate or polycarbonate . the use in conjunction of basic alkali or alkaline earth metal catalysts is not at variance with the aforementioned purity requirements for the reactants , since specific amounts of defined special compounds are added here . the reaction of the dihydroxy aryl compound and of the diaryl carbonate to form polycarbonate in the sense of the process according to the invention can be conducted batch - wise or continuously , and is preferably conducted continuously , for example in agitated vessels , thin film evaporators , falling film evaporators , cascades of agitated vessels , extruders , kneaders , simple disc reactors and high - viscosity disc reactors . the aromatic polycarbonates produced by the process according to the invention should have average molecular weights mw from 18 , 000 to 80 , 000 , preferably from 19 , 000 - 50 , 000 , as determined as determined by measuring the relative solution viscosity in dichloromethane or in mixtures of identical weights of phenol / o - dichlorobenzene calibrated by light scattering . within the industrially applicable process of producing polycarbonate via transeterification of bpa and dpc , the separation of dpc and phenol according to the invention is effected from the vapor streams , generally under the following conditions ( see fig1 ): in column 1 of the separation sequence , phenol is produced from the feed of vapors . this column operates within a pressure range of 5 - 100 mbar , which corresponds to a temperature range of 65 ° c . at the top to 220 ° c . in the bottom product of the column . the preferred working range is 20 - 30 mbar , with a corresponding temperature range of 80 - 190 ° c . the requisite reflux ratio in order to obtain high - purity phenol falls within the range from 0 . 2 - 2 , preferably 0 . 2 - 0 . 5 . column 2 , which is employed for the removal of high - boiling fractions , also operates within a pressure range of 5 - 100 mbar , which is equivalent to a temperature range of 140 - 230 ° c . over the column . the pressure range is most preferably 10 - 20 mbar here also , i . e . corresponding to a temperature range of 160 - 200 ° c . the working range of column 3 , from which dpc as a bottom product , also falls within the pressure range from 5 - 100 mbar , corresponding to temperatures between 120 and 220 ° c . the preferred working range falls between 15 and 25 mbar , corresponding to a preferred temperature range from 135 - 195 ° c . in order to separate components with intermediate boiling ranges , the reflux ratios fall between 2 and 40 , and are preferably within the range from 10 - 20 . the purity of the phenol is then & gt ; 99 %, preferably & gt ; 99 . 8 %, most preferably & gt ; 99 . 95 %, and that of the dpc is & gt ; 99 . 0 %, preferably 99 . 5 %, most preferably & gt ; 99 . 9 %. the examples below illustrate the process according to the invention , but do not limit it . the reaction vapors from a pilot plant for the production of spc were produced at a rate of 22 . 8 kg / hour . separation of phenol was effected by means of a column of 180 mm diameter . the concentrating part and stripping part were packed with fine vacuum packing . condensation was effected in a condenser which was operated using cooling water at 40 ° c . the top pressure of the phenol column was 23 mbar , corresponding to a boiling temperature of 83 ° c . the reflux ratio was selected as 0 . 54 . the purity of the phenol was & gt ; 99 . 95 %. the bottom product still contained 1 % phenol at a temperature of 175 ° c . the dpc content was 94 . 9 %, and the mass flow thereof was 4 kg / hour . the column was operated with a steam - heated falling film evaporator . the bottom product was fed into the middle of the column for discharging the high - boiling fraction . the concentrating and stripping parts of the column each consisted of 1 meter of laboratory fine vacuum packing , and the column diameter was 80 mm over the entire length thereof . condensation was effected using water at 80 ° c . the top pressure of 18 mbar corresponded to a temperature of 174 ° c . the phenol concentration increased to 3 % as the reaction progressed , and the dpc concentration of the distillate was 96 . 8 %. at a bottom product temperature of 198 ° c ., the discharged mass flow of bottom product of 338 g / hour still contained 48 % dpc . after - reaction still always resulted in a phenol concentration in the bottom product of 0 . 8 %. the column was heated via a glass falling film evaporator , which was supplied with diethylene glycol vapor at 220 ° c . the distillate from the high - boiling fraction column was fed to the dpc column . 2 . 5 m of laboratory fine vacuum packing were installed in the concentrating part of the column , and 2 m of laboratory fine vacuum packing were installed in the stripping part . condensation was again effected using water at 80 ° c ., and evaporation of the bottom product was again effected in a glass falling film evaporator . a vacuum of 34 mbar was applied to the column top , the top temperature was 170 ° c ., and the reflux ratio was 15 . in the distillate , which was discharged at 90 g / hour , the dpc concentration was 45 %. after - reaction of the oligomers in the high - boiling fraction column resulted in an increase in the mass flow of both phenol and dpc during the test . the mass flow of dpc of 3500 g / hour which was discharged as the bottom product at 195 ° c . was recycled to the reaction . after a recycle period of 1 week , the final polycarbonate product had a concentration & gt ; 99 . 95 % and a hazen color of about 5 , and no change in the color thereof was determined . the behaviour of the diphenyl carbonate during transesterification was employed as an additional characteristic for assessing the suitability thereof for producing polycarbonate . the reaction mixture comprising 17 . 1 g ( 0 . 075 mol ) 2 , 2 - bis -( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propane and 17 g ( 0 . 07945 mol ) of the diphenyl carbonate to be tested was treated in a 100 ml flask with 0 . 0001 mol % naoh ( with respect to 2 , 2 - bis -( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propane ) as a 1 % aqueous solution , and was then placed in an oil bath which had been preheated to 270 ° c . the temperature at which separation of phenol commenced was determined , as was the time after immersion in the oil bath to the commencement of said separation ; these parameters were compared with standard values ( given below in brackets ). distillation of phenol from the reaction mixture comprising diphenyl carbonate which had been obtained as the bottom product commenced at 257 ° c . (& lt ; 260 ° c .) after 12 . 5 minutes (& lt ; 15 minutes ). based on the analysis results , on the pilot plant test results and on its behaviour during transesterification , the diphenyl carbonate produced in the sequence of separations by distillation was thus suitable for the production of polycarbonate . the quantitative and operating conditions in the phenol column corresponded to those of example 1 . the difference was that only 3 kg / hour of the bottom product from the phenol column was fed to the high - boiling fraction separation stage , the excess being discarded . the operating conditions of the high - boiling fraction column were altered to a top pressure of 12 mbar , which corresponded a temperature of 163 ° c . in the bottom product , at a dpc concentration of 52 %, the temperature was 190 ° c . the mass flow of bottom product was 251 g / hour , corresponding to the conditions in example 1 . the distillate from the high - boiling fraction - column was fed to the dpc column . the rate of distillate take - off from the dpc column was 65 g / hour , which therefore approximated to the conditions in example 1 . the variation consisted of taking off dpc as a vapor above the falling film evaporator . the mass flow of condensed dpc was 2 . 6 kg / hour , the concentration was & gt ; 99 . 95 % and the hazen color was & lt ; 5 . side stream condensation was effected using water at 80 ° c ., and dpc was discharged into interchangeable vessels . positive results were obtained from the standard transesterification test . the starting temperature was 256 ° c ., and the start time was 12 . 5 minutes . the excess mass flow of 84 g / hour which was taken off with the bottom product , which was necessary for the operation of the falling film evaporator , exhibited a slight yellow hue due to its long residence time in the falling film evaporator . although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be limited by the claims .	2
in an embodiment of the present invention , a device for vehicle occupant protection may have a general response sequence in the event of sensor failures . the point in time of the sensor failure may be considered . the algorithm for computing the deployment of a restraint system may have different phases . a crash event may be anticipated in a first phase or the normal operation , also referred to as the reset state . the signals may be greater in a second phase of the threshold value computation than in normal driving situations , and the deployment algorithm may compute the deployment conditions from the signals . a comparison between the deployment conditions and the sensor signals may be executed in the deployment decision phase . in order to achieve greater reliability for the deployment of a restraint system , a plausibility check of the deployment condition may be executed in the plausibility phase using information from another sensor . an adapted strategy regarding the failure of at least one sensor may arise for each phase of this deployment algorithm . the device may be generally valid for restraint systems . the same demands may thus be made for many particular system configurations . compared to earlier systems , modern systems have greater complexity with regard to the plurality of sensors for the same task or function . this results in a certain redundancy . in an example embodiment , this redundancy may be utilized using a suitable failure strategy . fig1 shows a block diagram of the device according to an example embodiment of the present invention . the device may have a control unit 1 and external sensors 5 and 6 . such external sensor systems may be able to transmit pure sensor signals or pre - processed sensor signals , computed algorithm variables ( thresholds , plausibilities ), or deployment decisions . these sensors 5 and 6 may be , for example , acceleration sensors , yaw rate sensors , temperature sensors , or pressure sensors . other deformation sensors may be also possible . sensors 5 and 6 may be connected to an interface module 4 that may be situated in control unit 1 . in one example embodiment , unidirectional connections from sensors 5 and 6 to interface module 4 may be provided . in an alternative example embodiment , a bidirectional data transfer may be provided between interface module 4 and sensors 5 and 6 . the unidirectional or bidirectional connections may be implemented by a bus connection between interface module 4 and sensors 5 and 6 . just one sensor , or three and more sensors may be connected to one interface module 4 . interface module 4 may be designed as a receiver module that may receive the signals from sensors 5 and 6 and may transmit them to a processor 2 in control unit 1 . processor 2 may be configured as a microcontroller , as a microprocessor , or even as a hardware module having a specified logic . processor 2 may analyze the sensor signals from sensors 5 and 6 . in addition , another sensor 7 in control unit 1 may be connected to processor 2 . this sensor 7 may be used as a plausibility sensor for sensing a side impact , for example . in one example embodiment , sensor 7 may be designed as an acceleration sensor or as a yaw rate sensor . in an example embodiment , more than one sensor may be provided in control unit 1 , e . g ., sensors having an angular sensitivity axis to one another . for ensuring its function , processor 2 may be connected to a memory 3 via a data input / output . fig2 is a flow chart that illustrates the procedure of the device according to an example embodiment of the present invention , e . g ., which runs on processor 2 . in an example embodiment , the device according to the present invention may be switched on in step 10 . a normal operation , during which a crash event is anticipated , may be provided in subsequent step 11 referred to as reset . if a failure of a sensor is determined in this phase of the deployment algorithm , e . g ., the absence of the sensor signal , then the system may jump to step 12 in which it may be checked whether a fallback position exists . if this is not the case , then the system may jump to step 13 and the device according to the present invention may be switched off . if , however , a fallback condition is provided for the failure at this point in time , then a flag may be set in step 14 , e . g ., indicating the failure of a particular sensor . this may then be taken into account during computation of the deployment condition . after step 14 , the system may jump to step 15 which may be additionally reached by step 11 if there is no sensor failure . if starting conditions have been detected in step 15 , for example by exceeding a noise threshold , the deployment algorithm may be started . the sensor signals may be taken into account here . if the noise threshold in step 15 was not exceeded , then the system may jump back to step 11 . however , if the noise threshold was exceeded and the algorithm is started , then the system may move to step 16 in which the deployment conditions for the deployment of the restraining mechanism may be computed . if a sensor fails in this phase , the system may jump to step 19 in which it may be checked whether a fallback strategy exists for this phase . if this is not the case , then the device according to the present invention may be switched off in step 20 . otherwise , the system may jump to step 21 in which the fallback strategy for this phase of the deployment algorithm may be used . in one example embodiment , maintaining the signal of the failed sensor via a constant may constitute a fallback strategy . in an alternative embodiment , increasing the sensitivity of the deployment algorithm , e . g ., by lowering the deployment thresholds , may constitute the fallback strategy . after applying the fallback strategy , the system may jump to step 17 in which the deployment decision may be made . subsequent to a deployment decision in step 17 , the system may jump to step 18 for determining the plausibility of the deployment decision . if , however , a sensor failure was determined prior to computing the plausibility , e . g ., failure of the sensor needed for the plausibility check , then the system may jump to step 22 . in step 22 it may be checked whether a plausibility flag has already been set in memory 3 by processor 2 . if this is the case , then the failure of the sensor is irrelevant and the system may jump to step 23 in which restraining mechanism 30 may be deployed . this deployment may take place adaptively . however , if it is determined in step 22 that the plausibility was not yet established , then the system may jump to step 24 in which it may be checked whether a fallback strategy exists for the plausibility phase . if this is not the case , then the device may be switched off in step 25 . if , however , a fallback strategy does exist for the plausibility phase , then it may be used in step 26 . the plausibility check may be executed here via a signal of another sensor , for example . this may be possible when there is sufficient redundancy of sensors . subsequently , the system may jump to method 23 where restraining mechanism 30 may be deployed .	1
a system is provided for monitoring , recording and analysing fax conversion from a standard fax protocol ( such as itu - t t . 30 , itu - t t . 38 or group 3 ) to another protocol ( format ) such as tiff , or pdf ( or microsoft word document ). although the faxes are still transmitted using a standard protocol upon receipt they are then converted into the required format . in overview , as shown in fig1 , there are three main elements . the first element comprises a fax machine 100 in communication with a public switched telephone network ( pstn ) 102 . the second element 104 provides the means by which the incoming faxes are converted , processed and sent on to users , and comprises a fax application server 104 containing fax hardware 106 , a fax to email converter 108 , an information collector 110 , a page counter 112 , a group allocator 114 , a group page counter 116 , an information compiler 118 , and a database within the central server 120 . in addition there is an email server 121 from which the converted faxes are communicated to the users . the third element comprises the internet 122 , and user interfaces accessible via computers 124 . although the incoming and outgoing fax transmissions are shown as using a pstn it should be noted that the faxes may be sent / received via ip ( so called fax over internet protocol ( foip )). therefore , as used herein the term pstn should be considered as interchangeable with ip within this description . in more detail , the first element comprises the means for incoming faxes to be communicated to the fax application server 104 . the fax application server has standard pstn circuits connected to it via e1 / t1 lines . these are used for receipt and transmission of fax messages over standard telephone lines . the fax application server 104 can receive incoming faxes from any conventional fax machine 100 via the pstn 102 . the incoming faxes can be addressed to any one of a number of users of the system . each user may have multiple fax numbers associated with their user account , and indeed multiple users may associate their incoming faxes with a single account . the second element 104 includes the fax hardware 106 which receives the incoming fax message from the pstn 102 . the fax message is then passed to the fax to email converter 108 which converts the fax into an electronic format capable of being displayed by a computer , such as a pdf or tiff ( or ms word document ). information is collected from the fax message by the information collector 110 . information such as the time of the message , the fax number that the message was sent from , and an identifier are collected . the page counter 112 then counts the number of pages within the fax message and passes the information through the group allocator 114 . the group allocator 114 allocates the message to a group . the group may contain one or more fax numbers , and one or more users . therefore , it is possible for a user to be associated with a single fax number , or for a user to be associated with multiple fax numbers , or for many users to be associated with a single group , or any combination thereof . the group page counter 116 provides a further measure of the number of pages within the faxes sent to the group . the information compiler 118 then compiles the information collected and stores the information in the database within the central server 120 . the fax is then sent to the user via the email server 121 . the email server is in communication with the fax to email converter 108 , and the central server 120 . the fax to email converter provides the electronic version of the fax and the central server provides the email address to send the email to . the fax is then emailed to the pre - defined email address of the user . in summary the fax application server 104 contains the means for : receiving fax documents via telephony or ip sending fax documents via telephony or ip keeping a record of how many a4 ( or letter size ) pages are associated with each fax keeping a record of fax pages associated with each account management of historical information associated with faxes e . g . each telephone call , date received , which telephone numbers etc production of charges associated with receipt and sending of faxes algorithms for calculating tree preservation count registration of new accounts and fax identity association standard fax pci hardware for receipt and transmission of faxes e . g . brooktrout , aculab pci cards etc customer invoice creation transmission of faxes via email the central server 104 incorporates a database for storing information relating to the users of the platform . the database contains , for each user , a record of the telephone number ( s ) associated with the user &# 39 ; s incoming faxes ; thus the system is enabled to receive incoming faxes and forward them via ip to the user . the system maintains a record within the database of the number of faxes the user has received electronically . the faxes converted into an alternative electronic format are equated to equivalent a4 , a3 , b4 , letter or any other standard page sizes , and the number of such pages is recorded . in summary , the database ( within the central server ) contains all information associated with the system . typical information stored within it would be : customer account details — contacts , passwords , email addresses , fax telephone number ( s ) etc call data records ( cdr )— history of all inbound and outbound fax telephony and internet calls history of the number of pages associated with all faxes received and sent for each customer number of trees preserved per customer carbon credits accumulated per customer in addition , the system is adapted to receive outgoing faxes from a user allowing the user to send a fax to an external party without converting the document to be faxed into a hard copy first . the system records in the central server 104 the total number of a4 pages , or any other paper size equivalent that is applicable , that are sent by the user not requiring a hard copy . the third main element , 3 , shown in fig1 comprises the internet 122 , and the user interface 124 . the internet 122 is used both to transmit the emails to the user and for the user to access the information in the central server 120 via the user interface 124 . the user interface allows the user to access the information stored within the system . in addition , the user may also set up the email addresses that the converted faxes should be sent to , request additional fax numbers to be associated with the user , and other such maintenance features . the user interface 124 is in the form of a web interface that allows the user to securely log on , providing the user with the ability to view the number of pages ( i . e . received and sent in softcopy format ) converted from hardcopy fax protocol to softcopy . this information is shown broken down into the individual fax numbers associated with the user , and into outgoing and incoming faxes . furthermore , the user is also presented with information relating to the number of trees that the converted pages equates to , and the number of carbon credits that they have been awarded as a direct consequence of the saved trees . fig2 is a flow diagram of the process used to obtain the number of pages transmitted within the fax . the system receives the communication , step 200 , either from the user with an outgoing fax , or from an external party with an incoming fax . the content of the fax is in the form of a tiff image . the system extracts from the tiff file the tiff header , step 202 , which contains , among other information , the number of pages contained within the file . the next step is to extract the number of pages from the tiff file header , step 204 . the system then proceeds to collect the other relevant information to that specific fax , step 206 . the information collected includes : the number of pages 208 ; a time stamp indicating the time the transmission started and ended 210 ; the telephone number the fax was sent from or to 212 ; and an identifier 214 , which would allow each fax to be associated with a particular user . for example , the identifier may be one of the incoming or the outgoing fax number . finally , the collected information 206 is stored in the database , step 216 . the number of pages sent can in this way be stored in the database and associated with a user . the identifier used allows the faxes received to any number of telephone numbers to be associated with a single user . this allows a company to have multiple fax numbers but have a single user account , and therefore store all of the information relating to all of the fax numbers in a single location . in a further example , a large multinational company may have hundreds of fax numbers for their many national subsidiaries but wish to store the information pertaining to the number of fax pages not sent in hardcopy format in a single location , and thereby allow a more efficient handling of their fax monitoring system . the present invention may provide a single platform capable of receiving and sending faxes for a plurality of users . fig3 shows an overview of the variety of user types that the system can handle . each user is able to have one , 300 , or more , 302 , fax numbers associated with their account . the single fax application server 104 is therefore highly adaptable and capable of handling large numbers of users . in addition , the system allows for multiple users to group together to contribute to a single total of pages converted from hardcopy to softcopy within faxes , 304 . furthermore , multiple groups of users with multiple fax numbers can combine their converted pages total to produce a single total , as in group 306 . when combined with the possibility of multiple fax application servers , it can be seen that there are a very large number of combinations available to the user . in each case a single total of pages converted from fax protocol to another electronic protocol is produced for each group . a group may contain one user or multiple users . grand totals may be produced for two or more groups in combination , and equally sub - totals may be produced for groups or sub - groups . a system is provided that enables email communications to be converted into fax protocol and transmitted to another party . the system enables the user to create a single ( for example master ) account capable of allowing a number of sub - users to use the account without the requirement of creating further individual sub - accounts . the system is also adapted to enable a single user to use the system , without sub - users . fig4 illustrates at 400 such a system . the system 400 includes a domain name recognition server 402 which is in two way communication with a verification server 404 . the verification server 404 is in communication with a user account database 406 . the domain name recognition server 402 is also in communication with an email to fax conversion server 408 . when the system receives an incoming email 410 from a user it is first directed to the domain name recognition server 402 . the domain name recognition server 402 analyses the email address of the incoming message to determine the domain name of the email address . the legitimacy of the incoming email is then verified by determining the domain name server or using other information such as the ip ( internet protocol ) address of the user . this information is then passed to the verification server 406 which performs a comparison with the details held in the user database 406 . upon verification that the domain name is registered for a user , and that the ip address is consistent with that user , the email is passed from the domain name recognition server 402 to the email to fax conversion server 408 . the email to fax conversion server 408 then converts the body of the email and its file attachments into a fax , extracts the fax number from the email and then transmits the fax to the intended recipient . the details of the fax are then passed to the user account database to be stored with in the user &# 39 ; s account . the details stored include the email address , destination fax number , number of pages , time stamp , etc . these details can then be used at a later date for other purposes , such as billing or carbon sequestration calculation . in this way a single user , such as a large company , can set up one account with the system and then allow all of its employees to send faxes from their individual computer terminals , provided that they all use the same domain name . therefore , any email address with the domain name of the company will be allowed to send a fax using the system . in this way the company is provided with a simple solution to managing multiple fax machines , and can decrease both the paper used in order to send faxes in a traditional manner and the time spent in the process . this system also reduces the time required for companies to set up an email to fax system . the present invention relates to a system for monitoring the conversion of faxes to an electronic format , calculating the benefits of this with regard to the reduction of paper usage , and converting paper use reduction into trees saved and carbon credits gained . everyday corporations around the world unnecessarily print tens of thousands of fax related documents , whether it be for sending or receiving , with the majority eventually ending up directly in land fill sites without any recycling . a high percentage of this wastage could be avoided if faxes were maintained in softcopy format without the requirement for hardcopy versions , this in turn would have an added benefit to the environment with a reduction in culled trees ( for paper generation ) in turn resulting in greater co 2 sequestration . the present invention is a system that can keep a page count of fax documents that an organisation or individual has received or sent without the requirement to print any paper ; it is all maintained in softcopy document ( tiff , pdf , msdoc etc ) formats . with the page count details the system can estimate how many trees have been spared for paper production over any given time period . in turn , the system can also estimate the carbon credits resulting from the tree conservation through the use of the application . by way of background , climate change is emerging as one of the great challenges for modern society . the basic mechanics of climate change are well understood ; the world is warming , much of the warming is due to human emissions of greenhouse gases , and the changes are set to accelerate in the future , bringing many and varied impacts around the world , where e . g . northern europe is predicted to become wetter and the mediterranean drier . warming increases evaporation and precipitation , and both aggregate rainfall and occurrences of ‘ heavy precipitation events ’ at european latitudes — the principal cause of flooding — has also increased in recent decades . there is also evidence that the frequency and intensity of storms is increasing in certain areas . carbon dioxide is the main contributor responsible for 80 % of emissions from industrialised countries . the gas is released into the atmosphere primarily from burning fossil fuels : oil , petrol and natural gas . a growing population coupled with increasing demands on transport and energy , has led to emissions increasing at dramatic rates . it is well researched that trees absorb co 2 by the process of photosynthesis in which solar energy is used to convert water ( absorbed through the roots ) and co 2 ( absorbed by the leaves ) into sugars that make up the building blocks of cells and oxygen that is released through the leaves . as trees grow the carbon is stored in its biomass — about 50 % of plant dry matter is carbon . one cubic meter of timber contains about 250 kg of carbon . thus , if a system can prevent the culling of trees for paper generation then the environment may be improved as the spared trees will continue the sequestration of co 2 . the system as shown in fig2 is also enabled to calculate the number of carbon credits accumulated by a user in a given period of time by not generating hard copies of faxes . carbon credits are used to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere . therefore , in generating carbon credits the system allows for companies to reduce there co 2 emissions . in summary , the preferred embodiments described above may provide one , some or all of the following features in any appropriate combination : i ) concept of a fax application platform that can store the number of pages ( a4 , a3 , b4 , or letter size ) that were associated with documents in softcopy format that required no hardcopy printing to complete a transmission or receipt of a fax document . ii ) system capable of calculating the number of trees preserved by not printing fax documents for sending or receiving . this would be calculated by taken the average sized tree &# 39 ; s production of a4 500 page 80 gsm paper reams which is internationally estimated to be 16 reams . the number of pages is divided by 30000 to determine the tree preservation . iii ) system capable of estimating the carbon credits accumulated through tree sequestration by removal of hardcopy printing . this calculation would be based on the average trees co 2 sequestration which is internationally estimated to be worth 0 . 2 of a carbon credit . thus 5 trees might for example equate to approximately one carbon credit . iv ) cumulative page count of sent and received faxes associated with customer accounts . v ) system capable of supporting multiple customers from the same platform and thus reducing the energy requirement for customers to have fax machines switched on and with a further no print cartridge waste benefit . vi ) system capable of sending fax documents via telephony or ip without the requirement to print pages . vii ) system of receiving fax pages with direct conversion to soft copy documents without requirement to print any pages . it will be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example , and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention . each feature disclosed in the description , and ( where appropriate ) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination .	7
preliminarily , it is noted that for smart sensor applications , the line scan for a ladar should be on the order of 1000 lines per second . the problem presented is that in scanning any optical sensor , the receive aperture needs to be as large as practical to achieve desired system range ; however , a large receive aperture conflicts with the need to scan at high rates to achieve high frame rates . the solution to the problem of scanning at high rates that is solved by the present invention , is to use a linear detector array to cover an entire line , so that only a low speed , frame scan motion is needed . more particularly , referring to each of the figures , the scanner 10 of the invention employs an acoustic - optical ( ao ) scanner 12 and a diffractive optical element 14 to diffract a laser beam 16 from a laser 18 into multiple beams 16b simultaneously . each beam 16b and its corresponding detector element 20 cover a portion of the complete line to be scanned . a complete line of data can be obtained without mechanical scanning by arranging multiple linear detector elements 20 end to end . by way of illustration in connection with fig1 the laser beam 16 is deflected by the ao scanner 12 through the defractive optical element 14 to generate four beams 16b simultaneously . the ao scanner 12 is controlled to deflect the laser beam 16 and the resulting four multiple beams 16b through eight angles over eight successive laser 18 pulses to thereby generate one line of the frame . the image spots from the eight pulses step sequentially along the full length of the detector 20 and then the next eight pulse spots return and repeat the sequential stepping for the next line of frames upon deflection via a vertical scan mirror 22 . thus , it should be seen that each line consists of eight pulses across four detectors thereby equaling thirty - two pixels per line . in fig3 top and side views of the scanner 10 are diagrammatically illustrated showing the beam splitter 14 splitting the beam 16 into three beams 16b , rather than as described above in connection with fig1 and 2 . as noted textually in the drawing , a line of 9 pixels is produced per frame scan 22 . it is noted that ao scanners 12 cannot scan a beam much larger than about 0 . 25 inches in diameter , but the same is sufficiently large to be used to scan the laser beams 16 along the linear detector elements 20 at high scan rates since the laser beams 16 only need to be a fraction of the size of the receive aperture . the above - described line scan concept is easily programmable to adapt to different search , identification and track requirements . the response time of the ao scanner 12 is less than 1 micro - second , thereby allowing the laser spot to be placed at any laser location on the linear detector elements 20 . moreover , multiple pulses can be taken at each pixel or the ao scanner can use sparse pixel coverage to search a large area rapidly by generating a pulse at every other pixel location . this flexibility allows high resolution for identification or fast updating for terminal guidance . most importantly , it should be appreciated that the scanning method of the invention can be easily expanded to provide even greater line scan rates at substantial pixel resolutions . for example , as shown in connection with fig2 the diffractive optical element 14 may be configured to diffract laser beam 16 into ten multiple beams 16b . the detector array may comprise ten detector elements 20 positioned end to end . the ao scanner 12 may be operated to deflect the laser beam 16 through thirty - two angles over thirty - two successive laser pulses such that each time the laser generates a pulse , ten multiple beams 16b are generated by the diffractive element 14 , and exit through beam combiner 24 , focusing lens 26 , scan lens 28 and telescope 30 , thereby generating a pixel . each detector element 20 measures the return of one of the beams . each detector element 20 , because of its length , can be used to measure thirty - two different pixels along the complete line . thus , on the first laser pulse , the first detector measures pixel one , the second detector measures pixel thirty - three , the third detector measures pixel sixty - five , and so on . when the next laser pulse is generated , the ao scanner 12 deflects the beam to place the ten multiple beams on the next pixel within each of the detector elements 20 such that the first detector measures pixel two , the second detector measures pixel thirty - four , the third detector measures pixel sixty - six , and so on . upon completing such procedure , a line of 320 pixels is produced . a slight offset may be used on alternate detector elements to allow for continuous coverage and allow for the necessary separation between detectors to prevent shorting and cross coupling energy . the ladar scanner 10 of the invention employing the ao scanner 12 provides a method for rapid beam positioning enabling the fov coverage required for precise applications . moreover , a programmable amount of beam steering can be employed for use in varying environments and applications or missions . the present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims , as well as that of the foregoing description . although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , like reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts . when transmitting uplink packet data via an enhanced dedicated channel in a mobile communications 3gpp standard system using harq scheme , a ue in soft handover may , for a single uplink transmission packet , receive different ack / nack signals from a plurality of base stations . meanwhile , it should be appreciated that in performing soft handover with a plurality of base stations , a single ue simultaneously transmits a specific uplink packet to base stations and receives a corresponding ack or nack signal from each base station , which generates the downlink ack or nack signal to the ue according to decoding results . that is , in transmitting an uplink packet to one of the base stations , an independent ack or nack signal is generated . in a harq scheme , a reception error for the transmitted ack / nack signal may occur in either of two conditions . the ue may recognize an ack signal as a nack signal or recognize a nack signal as an ack signal . the first case results in an unnecessary retransmission but causes little problem other than a slight waste of radio resources . on the other hand , the ue may recognize a nack signal as an ack signal , which is a more serious problem since the ue would then delete from a buffer the previously transmitted packet and proceed directly with a transmission of the next ( new ) packet . thus , while a false nack results in a mere system redundancy , a false ack results in packet loss . though packet loss is recoverable , there are delays in transmission and reception since a higher layer of the network is required . therefore , a stable reception of nack signals is more important than that of ack signals . referring to fig1 , both ack and nack signals are transmitted via binary phase - shift - keying ( bpsk ) modulation . a base station transmits a downlink ack signal if an uplink packet is successfully received and decoded . and , the base station transmits a downlink nack signal if the uplink packet is unsuccessfully received and decoded . here , it should be noted that nack signal transmission power is higher than ack signal transmission power , since , as demonstrated above , the stable reception of nack signals is more important than that of ack signals . referring to fig2 , the information indicating nack is transmitted using a discontinuous transmission ( dtx ) technique . here , a base station transmits a downlink ack signal if an uplink packet is successfully received and decoded but transmits no downlink nack signal even if there is a failure in packet reception or the decoding of a received packet . when communicating with a base station using such a technique , a ue employs a specific filter , which is matched to the ack signal . at a point of time when ack / nack feedback is anticipated , if output of the filter exceeds a predetermined threshold , the ue determines a ack condition . for output levels less than the threshold , the ue determines a nack condition . the threshold is set according to nack decision reliability requirements and is increased for higher reliability requirement , in which case ack transmission power is also raised to meet the corresponding requirements for an ack decision . referring to fig3 , illustrating yet another type of conditional transmission of ack / nack information , a base station applies the dtx technique when failing to receive a packet but transmits a nack signal when failing to decode a received packet . that is , a base station transmits a downlink ack signal if an uplink packet is successfully received and decoded , transmits a downlink nack signal if the uplink packet is successfully received but unsuccessfully decoded , and applies discontinuous transmission ( i . e ., transmits no downlink ack or nack signal ) in cases where there is no recognition of the presence of a received uplink packet . as in the case of the conditional transmission explained with reference to fig2 , the ue determines an ack condition based on the output of the specific filter compared to a predetermined threshold for determining an ack or nack condition , determining a nack condition for output levels less than the threshold . here , too , the threshold is set according to nack decision reliability requirements and is increased for higher reliability requirement , in which case ack transmission power is also raised to meet the corresponding requirements for an ack decision . referring to fig4 , illustrating a packet transmission method according to a first embodiment of the present invention , it is assumed that a ue in soft handover has transmitted a specific packet while in communication with more than one base station . in response to such transmission , the ue receives downlink ack or nack signals , from a plurality n of base stations ( s 410 ), determines a packet reception status for each base station ( s 420 ), and counts the ack signals . that is , the ue decides whether the receiving signal , transmitted according to the reception status of each base station , is to be processed as an ack signal or a nack signal and then counts the signals determined to be an ack signal . the counted number is then compared to a predetermined value l ( s 430 ), and if the count meets or exceeds the value of l , the ue determines that the transmitted packet has been successfully decoded by the corresponding base station ( s 440 ) and then transmits a new uplink packet ( s 450 ). on the other hand , if the count is less than the value of l , the ue determines that the corresponding base station has unsuccessfully decoded the transmitted packet ( s 460 ) and then retransmits the packet ( s 470 ). assuming for instance that the value of l is set to “ 1 ” ( l = 1 ), if the ue determines that the receiving signal from any one of the bases stations is an ack signal , it is determined that the transmitted packet has been successfully decoded , in which case the ue transmits a new packet . conversely , if the ue determines that there is no ack signal received from any of the bases stations , it is determined that the transmitted packet has been unsuccessfully decoded , in which case the ue retransmits the corresponding packet . referring to fig5 , illustrating a packet transmission method according to a second embodiment of the present invention , it is similarly assumed that a ue in soft handover has transmitted a specific packet while in communication with more than one base station . in response to such transmission , the ue receives downlink ack or nack signals , from a plurality n of base stations ( s 510 ). in this embodiment , the ue measures the downlink ack / nack reception level , i . e ., power level or signal to interference ( sir ) from each of the n base stations ( s 511 ), selects m base stations having the highest reception level , i . e ., power level or sir , among the n base stations ( s 512 ), determines a packet reception status for each selected base station ( s 520 ), and counts the ack signals according to the selection . that is , the ue decides whether the receiving signal , transmitted according to the reception status of each base station , is to be processed as an ack signal or a nack signal and then counts the signals determined to be an ack signal . thereafter , as in the case of the first embodiment , the counted number is then compared to a predetermined value l ( s 530 ), and if the count meets or exceeds the value of l , the ue determines that the transmitted packet has been successfully decoded by the corresponding base station ( s 540 ) and then transmits a new uplink packet ( s 550 ); if the count is less than the value of l , the ue determines that the corresponding base station has unsuccessfully decoded the transmitted packet ( s 560 ) and then retransmits the same packet ( s 570 ). referring to fig6 , illustrating a packet transmission method according to a third embodiment of the present invention , it is again assumed that a ue in soft handover has transmitted a specific packet while in communication with more than one base station . in response to such transmission , the ue receives downlink ack or nack signals , from a plurality n of base stations ( s 610 ), measures the downlink ack / nack reception level , i . e ., power level or signal to interference ratio ( sir ) from each of the n base stations ( s 611 ), selects m base stations , preferably all base stations , from which the reception level , i . e ., power level or sir , has a level greater than or equal to the threshold among all n base stations ( s 612 ), determines a packet reception status for each selected base station ( s 620 ), and counts the ack signals according to the selection . in this embodiment , however , the measured ack / nack reception level , i . e ., power levels or sirs are compared to a threshold , those having an ack / nack reception level below the threshold are excluded , such that the counted number of ack signals directly corresponds to the base stations from which an ack signal is received at a level greater than or equal to the threshold . thereafter , as in the case of the first and second embodiments , the counted number is then compared to a predetermined value l ( s 630 ), and if the count meets or exceeds the value of l , the ue determines that the transmitted packet has been successfully decoded by the corresponding base station ( s 640 ) and then transmits a new uplink packet ( s 650 ); if the count is less than the value of l , the ue determines that the corresponding base station has unsuccessfully decoded the transmitted packet ( s 660 ) and then retransmits the same packet ( s 670 ). in the method of the present invention according to each of the first to third embodiments ( fig4 - 6 ), the predetermined value l may be transmitted to the ue from the network via upper layer signaling , may be reached by a negotiation between the network and the ue , or may be stored in the ue in advance , for example , using a lookup table or the like , before performing the step s 450 or s 470 . in the embodiment of fig6 , the threshold value for determining m may be made similarly available in or provided to the ue for a timely comparison with the measured ack / nack reception power . by adopting the above - described packet transmission method in a mobile station ( ue ) of a 3gpp standard communications system using a harq scheme , the ue communicating with a plurality of base stations transmitting an ack / nack feedback signal , can lower a threshold for determining a packet transmission acknowledgment status , that is , whether a received ack / nack feedback signal is an ack signal or a nack signal , to reduce status determination errors and thereby enable a decrease in transmission power for the ack / nack feedback signals . in particular , in performing a dtx operation upon a nack condition as in fig2 or in failing to receive a packet in a system applying discontinuous transmission as in fig3 , the method of the present invention minimizes the number or rate of false ack signal detections when discontinuous transmission is used to indicate a nack condition , so that a threshold can be lowered to enable a reduction in ack / nack transmission signal power . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	7
the invention relates to an article of manufacture known as a suspension assembly used in a disk drive and , in particular , to means for reducing or eliminating undesired mechanical &# 34 ; cross - talk &# 34 ; among multiple attached or neighboring load beams on a head / arm assembly . the invention can best be understood by reference to the drawings . fig1 is a top view of a disk drive 10 showing a head / stack assembly 12 . also shown is a sample disk 14 on which information is stored that needs to be accessed by an information handling system ( i . e ., computer , not shown ). also shown is the casing 16 surrounding and protecting the disk 14 and the head / stack assembly 12 . although a rotary head / stack assembly 12 is shown , the invention applies to linear head / stack assembly drives as well . fig2 shows an exploded view of disk drive 10 and head / stack assembly 12 used to access information on disks 14 . head / stack assembly 12 has multiple head / arm assemblies each with two head / gimbal assemblies one of which is labeled 30 . fig2 shows as an example four head / arm assemblies . however , head / stack assembly 12 could comprise one or more head / arm assemblies . moreover , while fig2 shows two head / gimbal assemblies per head / arm assembly , each head / arm assembly could have only one head / gimbal assembly , or could have more than two head / gimbal assemblies . fig3 is a isometric view diagram of a single head / arm assembly 30 of head / stack assembly 12 . fig3 shows the overall design of head / arm assembly 30 . the head / arm assembly 30 consists of two sliders 32 and 34 each of which is bonded to a load beam labeled 36 and 38 , respectively . the load beams 36 and 38 provide each slider 32 and 34 with appropriate pitch and roll stiffness which is important in accurately reading and writing information to and from a disk 14 . as discussed in the background section , the sliders 32 and 34 are used to read or write information from or to the disk 14 in a disk drive 10 . a gimbal 40 and 42 , respectively , attaches each slider 32 and 34 to its respective load beam 36 and 38 . each load beam 36 and 38 is attached to an arm 44 . the area in which the attachment occurs is called a mounting section 46 and 48 . the spring section 62 ( shown in fig4 ) provides the appropriate vertical load for optimal operation of the head / arm assembly 30 . the combination of the load beam 36 , the gimbal 40 , and the slider 32 forms a top head / gimbal assembly 50 . similarly load beam 38 , gimbal 42 and slider 34 form a bottom head / gimbal assembly 52 . fig3 shows a particular embodiment of a head / arm assembly 30 . other embodiments are possible . the head / arm assembly comprises generally a slider attached to an arm by means of a flexing member ( described as a load beam in fig3 ). fig4 is an expanded view of top head / gimbal assembly 50 shown in fig3 . fig4 shows the slider 32 attached to the load beam 36 by means of gimbal 40 . the function of the gimbal 40 is to allow the slider 32 to rotate freely in the pitch and roll axes as it moves across the disk 14 . the slider 32 and the gimbal 40 form a gimbal section 60 . the load beam 36 has a spring section 62 encompassing cutout opening 63 , which generates a load and allows the slider 32 to move normal to the surface of disk 14 . load beam 36 also has a beam section 64 which transmits the load to the slider 32 . the mounting section 46 attaches the head / gimbal assembly 50 to the arm 44 . fig5 shows a top view of bottom head / gimbal assembly 52 shown in fig3 . fig5 shows the slider 34 attached to the load beam 38 by means of gimbal 42 . the slider 34 and the gimbal 42 form a gimbal section 70 . the load beam 38 has a spring section 72 encompassing cutout opening 73 and a beam section 74 . mounting section 48 attaches the head / gimbal assembly 52 to the arm 44 . each head / gimbal assembly 50 and 52 responds to a plurality of structural modes of vibration , such as its first bending , first torsion , second bending , second torsion , and sway modes . to keep manufacturing costs low , common part numbers are used whenever possible . this means that the same head / gimbal assembly is used for head / gimbal assembly 50 and 52 . where wire pairs or trace lead structures are employed to connect the assembly electronics ( not shown ) of the sliders 32 and 34 , the routing of these electrical leads is commonly reversed for the top and bottom heads , such that the finished top and bottom head / gimbal assemblies 50 and 52 attached to an arm 44 are mirror images of each other . yet the structural mass and stiffness of each of the two head / gimbal assemblies 50 and 52 are identical within manufacturing tolerances and their structural modes of vibration are identical within resulting frequency and damping tolerances . fig6 shows a typical radial frequency response of a single head / gimbal assembly such as those shown as 50 and 52 . fig7 shows the probability distribution of the frequency range of the first and second torsion resonance 80 and 82 of either a top head / gimbal assembly such as 50 or a bottom head / gimbal assembly such as 52 . there is a substantial probability that any of the bending , torsion and sway modes of top and bottom head / gimbal assemblies on a given arm will match each other . in these cases , the resonances affecting the positioning of each of the read / write sliders 32 and 34 will be larger in amplitude and also can show additional resonances . the increase in amplitude is detrimental to the positioning accuracy of the sliders 32 and 34 in the disk drive 10 . fig8 shows the frequency response of one of the head / gimbal assembly of a head / arm assembly in which the top and bottom torsion resonance 80 match closely in resonant frequencies . first mode 86 shows a single peak with a higher amplitude due to both suspensions matching in resonant frequency . modes 88 are additional modes due to actuator and arm resonances . second mode 90 is split into two peaks and higher in amplitude than with a single suspension assembly due to closely matched second modes of the top and bottom suspensions ( see fig6 ). this phenomenon results in the degradation of positioning accuracy of each suspension assembly and is particularly pronounced due to the higher amplitude for two head / gimbal assemblies attached to one head / arm assembly . the solution to the degradation of positioning accuracy of both read / write sliders 32 and 34 is to purposefully detune one of the head / gimbal assemblies 50 or 52 dynamically from the other . this can be achieved by making the top and bottom head / gimbal assemblies 50 and 52 different from each other in mass and / or in stiffness so that the resonant frequencies of the top head / gimbal assembly 50 are different from the resonant frequencies of the bottom head / gimbal assembly 52 . fig9 shows the distribution of resonant frequencies of top and bottom head / gimbal assemblies on an arm in which the bottom head / gimbal assembly has been altered by lowering its stiffnesses . fig9 a shows the frequency range modes for a top head / gimbal assembly . the frequency range for the first mode of the top head / gimbal assembly is labeled 94 . the frequency range for the second mode of the top head / gimbal assembly is labeled 96 . fig9 b shows the frequency range modes for a bottom head / gimbal assembly . the frequency range for the first mode of the bottom head / gimbal assembly is labeled 98 . the frequency range for the second mode of the bottom head / gimbal assembly is labeled 100 . notice that the distribution of the resonances of the bottom head / gimbal assembly shown in fig9 b is shifted downward in frequency compared to the distribution of resonances on the top assembly shown in fig9 a . there is now a very small probability that any of the bending , torsion and sway modes of the two head / gimbal assemblies will match each other and therefore no detrimental increase in amplitude will be caused by matching of resonances . fig1 shows the frequency response of the top head of a head / arm assembly in which the top and bottom head / gimbal assemblies are purposely made to have different resonant frequencies . the frequency response of the first mode is labeled 102 . the frequency response of the actuator and arm modes is labeled 104 and the frequency response of the second mode is labeled 106 . note that the effect of the bottom head / gimbal assembly in the frequency response of the top head / gimbal assembly is now negligible . the first mode 101 and second mode 105 of the bottom head / gimbal assembly do not influence the amplitudes of the first mode 102 and the second mode 106 of the top head / gimbal assembly . whereas the preceding discussion applied to the radial frequency response of the top and bottom head / gimbal assemblies on an actuator arm , the same detrimental effects can be seen in other frequency response functions . for example the normal actuator assembly frequency response function at the slider is affected by the bending modes of the head / gimbal assemblies . the normal response is along the z - axis ( defined in fig3 ) which affects the spacing between the slider and the disk . the bending modes of the top and bottom suspension assemblies can be excited by disk runout and flutter , by air flow across the suspensions and by actuator seek , settle and track following inputs . when the bending modes ( primarily the first and second bending modes ) of the top suspension assembly and the bottom suspension assembly attached to a given actuator arm are closely matched in frequency , the excitation of one of the suspensions can couple to produce motion of the other suspension on the arm . when this happens , the amplitude of both suspensions is higher than it would be for only one suspension attached to the actuator arm . thus the spacing modulation of each of the sliders is greater , causing detrimental magnetic performance and increased probability of head to disk contacts . when the suspensions are excited sympathetically so that the normal motion of the sliders is excessive , magnetic performance of the read / write heads is degraded ( especially by high spacings ) and the probability of head to disk contact increases ( especially by low spacings ). thus if normal motion of the sliders increases due to resonances , both magnetic performance and reliability of the sliders is degraded since resonance produces excursions in both directions from a nominal spacing . when the two head / gimbal assemblies are made different in mass and / or stiffness so that their bending mode frequencies do not match , then each of their amplitudes of normal motion of the slider returns to the lower response expected for only one suspension mounted to one arm . the solution to the cross - talk problem between a top and bottom head / gimbal assembly thus is to make the two head / gimbal assemblies on a given head / arm assembly dynamically different from each other . the difference may be in the amount and distribution of mass and / or stiffness , or both . the following illustrations show ways of achieving different mass and stiffness between a top and bottom head / gimbal assembly . features that are the same as in fig4 and 5 have been assigned the same numbers shown in those figures . fig1 shows top head / gimbal assembly 50 and a bottom head / gimbal assembly 110 that differ from each other in design . top head / gimbal assembly 50 , shown in fig1 a has the same design as top head / gimbal assembly 50 shown in fig4 . fig1 b shows bottom head / gimbal assembly 110 . bottom head / gimbal assembly 110 , however , has a different design from top head / gimbal assembly 50 and from the bottom head / gimbal assembly 52 shown in fig5 . bottom head / gimbal assembly 110 has a wider beam section 112 and a different gimbal section 114 as compared to beam section 64 and gimbal section 60 of top head / gimbal assembly 50 . the modifications in design shown in fig1 b are as an example . the modification may be achieved in one or more ways such as difference in material , material thickness , outline of the part , construction details , and size of features such as structural members , flanges , holes , tabs and so forth . fig1 shows that the top head / gimbal assembly 50 ( shown in fig1 a ) and bottom head / gimbal assembly 120 ( shown in fig1 b ) are different in the functional length from the boundary between the mounting and spring sections 122 and 124 to the centerline of the read / write sliders 32 and 34 . fig1 shows one embodiment of such a difference in functional length . other variations in the length or shape of the functional length are possible and are within the scope of the invention . fig1 shows that the top head / gimbal assembly 50 ( shown in fig1 a ) and bottom head / gimbal assembly 130 ( shown in fig1 b ) are different in the width and length of the respective cutout openings 63 and 132 of spring section 62 and 72 ( shown in fig4 and 5 ). other variations in the spring sections are possible and are within the scope of the invention . fig1 a shows top head / gimbal assembly 140 . top head / gimbal assembly 140 has raised flanges 142 on either side of beam section 64 . fig1 b shows bottom head / gimbal assembly 146 with flanges 148 down beam section 74 that differ in width and / or length and / or position and / or resulting formed height from flanges 142 . fig1 shows only one embodiment of the invention . other variations in the shape of the raised flanges and in the presence or absence of raised flanges are possible and are within the scope of the invention . fig1 a shows top head / gimbal assembly 160 with formed bubble stiffener 162 . fig1 b shows bottom head / gimbal assembly 164 with formed bubble stiffener 166 . stiffener 162 is of a different shape and / or formed height than stiffener 166 . other variations in the height / width and shape of the stiffeners are possible and are within the scope of the invention . fig1 shows merely one embodiment . fig1 a shows top head / gimbal assembly 50 . fig1 b shows a bottom head / gimbal assembly 170 that differs from top head / gimbal assembly 50 in that assembly 170 has an opening 172 in beam section 74 ( shown in fig5 ). variations in the presence , number , size or location of openings in the load spring , beam or gimbal sections of the suspension are possible and are within the scope of the invention . fig1 shows merely one embodiment . fig1 a shows top head / gimbal assembly 180 . top head / gimbal assembly 180 has a unformed ( i . e . flat ) etched pattern 182 in beam section 64 . fig1 b shows bottom head / gimbal assembly 186 with formed ( i . e . raised ) feature 188 on beam section 74 . formed feature 188 has folded up flanges 192 . other differences in the shape and position of formed and unformed features are possible and are within the scope of the invention . the outline of the pattern may be formed by chemical etching or by mechanical stamping . fig1 shows merely one embodiment . fig1 shows that top head / gimbal assembly 200 ( shown in fig1 a ) and bottom head / gimbal assembly 52 are different in that assembly 200 has added mass in the form of an appendage 202 which is not present in bottom head / gimbal assembly 52 . the appendages could be flat ( unformed ) or formed ( raised ) features . the outline of the pattern may be formed by chemical etching or by mechanical stamping . other variations in the size , shape , placement and mass of the appendages are possible and are within the scope of the invention . fig1 shows merely one embodiment . another means of adding mass to one head / gimbal assembly is to use a different slider design , varying slider size and / or material . fig1 shows that the top head / gimbal assembly 50 ( shown in fig1 a ) and bottom head / gimbal assembly 210 ( shown in fig1 b ) are different in that bottom assembly 210 has two areas of adhesive 212 that are not on top assembly 50 . the presence , size , thickness , extent , number or location of adhesive areas can be varied and are within the scope of the invention . these adhesive areas are in addition to adhesives used to attach wires to the assemblies . the effects produced by adding the adhesive include additional mass and / or additional stiffness and / or additional damping . the foregoing discussion addresses various particular alternative embodiments of the invention . those skilled in the art will be able to formulate certain additional variations that , while different in some sense , do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention . the invention is limited only by the following claims and their equivalents .	6
a method and system automatically to certify an agricultural product are described . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be evident , however , to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . fig1 illustrates an exemplary agricultural system 10 that includes an agricultural production system 15 and agricultural production outputs 16 . the production system 15 may in turn conceptually be viewed as including one or more components that contribute towards the agricultural production outputs 16 . these components may include production units 18 , production practices 20 , inputs 22 , biological processes 24 , and time 26 . the outputs 16 may include agricultural products 28 and impacts 30 on environmental , economic and social systems . for the purposes of the present specification , agricultural systems 10 shall be taken to include , but not be limited to , land - based ( e . g ., cropland , grassland , pasture and range , forest land , plantations , hen - house , etc . ), water - based ( e . g ., oceans , lakes , rivers , streams , ponds , tanks , etc . ), fermentation ( e . g ., winemaking , brewing , baking , etc . ), biochemical ( e . g . extraction or biosynthesis of proteins , vitamins , minerals , amino acids , etc . ), chemical ( e . g ., distilling , etc .) or other production processes and actions to prepare agricultural products for ingestion or use by a human , animal , or plant . agricultural products 28 may be taken to include , but not be limited to , grains , beans , vegetables , fruits , nuts , meats , poultry , eggs , fish , seafood , herbs , beverages , wine , beer , distilled spirits , flowers , nursery plants , proteins , amino acids , vitamins , minerals , nutraceuticals , nutritional supplements , medicines , plant and animal derived oils , cotton , fiber , paper , milk , cheese , breads , leather , and other processed products . units 18 may include , but not limited to , a specified unit of cropland ( e . g ., agricultural field ), forest land ( e . g ., natural forest , managed forests , plantations , etc . ), grassland pasture and range used by grazing animals , animal rearing and processing facilities ( e . g ., feed - lot , slaughter - house , hen - house , etc . ), a defined fresh or salt water area where fish , seafood and other plants and animals are captured or otherwise collected ( e . g ., specified length of ocean - front coast , lake - front coast , lake , river , stream , pond , bay , open - ocean , lake , aquaculture tank , etc . ), processing facility ( e . g ., fermentation plant , dehydration plant , mixing plant , distillery , kitchen , bakery , bottling plant , canning plant , etc .) or tank , barrel , vat , or other fermentation , biochemical , or chemical chambers . a unit may also be a biologically meaningful unit ( e . g ., an ecosystem , watershed , biological community , habitat , or species population range ), a politically meaningful unit ( e . g ., a country , state , region , county , city , town , village or other voting unit ) or a geographically meaningful unit ( e . g ., a section , township , and range ). the terms agricultural product processing or food processing mean herein any operation or action made to prepare an agricultural product 28 for ingestion or use by a human , animal , or plant . the terms farm , ranch , forest operation , fishing operation , and processing facility include herein an agricultural production venture , enterprise , operation , location , site or other point of origin , wherein or whereby an agricultural , chemical or biochemical process is sponsored , effected or managed and that produces an agricultural product 28 that is meant to be , or is likely to occasionally be , used or ingested by a human , animal , or plant or is meant to be combined with other materials in subsequent processes or mixtures , whereafter one or more resultant products or derivative products of a subsequent process , are meant to be , or are likely to be occasionally be , used or ingested by a human , animal , or plant . the meaning of the terms farm , ranch , forest operation , fishing operation , and processing facility further include an agricultural production venture , enterprise , operation , location , site or other point of origin , wherein or whereby an agricultural product 28 that is meant to be , or is likely to occasionally be , used in a subsequent agricultural , industrial , chemical , biochemical or commercial process or manufacture , is generated or sponsored . examples of a farm , ranch , forest operation , fishing operation , and processing facility include vineyards , wineries , orchards , vegetable gardens , vegetable farms , ranches , pig farms , chicken farms , meat packing plants , fish cannery , vegetable cannery , freezing facilities , drying facilities , bakery , extraction facilities , biosynthesis facilities , egg farms , fish hatcheries , aquaculture facilities , tree and plant nurseries , forests , plantations , and fresh water and salt water fishing areas and locations . the term lot is defined as two or more agricultural products 28 that originate from the same unit of production 18 . further , agricultural products 28 of a lot may be harvested or processed in substantially the same way during substantially the same time period with substantially the same procedures and equipment . a unique alphanumeric identifier or other suitable designation known in the art is used to identify a lot . examples of lots include , but are not limited to , two apples harvested from the same tree on the same field on the same day or during another designated time period , a volume or an amount of grapes harvested from a particular area of a specific vineyard during a certain time period , lettuce heads harvested from the same field during the same time period , a volume of wine fermented in a single barrel or vat , a volume of wine divided and placed into a plurality of bottles , canned fruit , vegetables , or meat manufactured on the same day or during another designated time period on the same assembly line , frozen fruit , vegetables , or meat manufactured on the same day or during another designated time period on the same assembly line . production practices 20 are practices employed , for example , by farm , ranch , forest operation , fishing operation , and processing facility managers to combine production units 18 , inputs 22 , biological processes 24 , and time 26 to produce the agricultural products 28 . examples of production practices 20 may include , but are not limited to , crop residue management , cropping management , pest management , nutrient management , soil management , water management , human resource management , fermentation management , quality control management , biochemical process management , etc . inputs 22 may include but are not limited to production inputs ( e . g ., nutrients , pesticides , seeds , seedlings , bacterial strains , yeast strains , energy , machinery and other technologies , water , etc . ), management inputs ( e . g ., farm managers , facility managers , boat or fleet managers , product line manager , quality control managers , pest managers , etc . ), labor inputs ( e . g ., farm worker , ranch - hand , factory worker , production line worker , etc . ), and capital inputs that are in any way used in the production of agricultural products 28 . biological processes 24 include , but are not limited to biologically meaningful physical , chemical , biochemical , individual organism , population , community , watershed , ecosystem , and biosphere processes that influence in a positive or negative manner the production of agricultural products 28 and impacts 30 . the biosphere is the largest biological unit and includes all parts of the earth where life exists . several key nutrients and inorganic molecules essential for life cycle on a biosphere scale . examples include the water cycle , nitrogen cycle , and carbon cycle . the term ecosystem refers to communities of interacting organisms and the physical environment in which they live . example ecosystems include grassland , forest , freshwater , coastal , and agricultural . ecosystem processes include such functions as air and water purification , evaporation , precipitation , soil production , soil erosion , climate control , ecosystem - level nutrient cycling , and the capture and flow of energy via food chains and food webs . ecosystems are composed of smaller biologically meaningful units including watersheds , communities , populations , and individual organisms . a watershed is a geographically defined area where water from streams , neighborhoods , agricultural areas , and rivers carries sediments and dissolved materials to a common outlet such as a wetland , estuary , lake , pond , sea or ocean . communities are the assemblages of species populations that occur together in space and time . species diversity , community biomass and productivity , succession , community - level nutrient cycling and energy flow , interspecific competition , decomposition , mutualism , predation , and parasitism are examples of community properties . populations are composed of groups of actually or potentially interbreeding individuals at a given locality . example population processes include reproduction , gene flow , intraspecific competition , and dispersal . individual organism processes include growth , fitness , reproduction , maintenance , and survival . biochemical processes include such examples as photosynthesis and metabolism . impacts 30 may include , but are not limited to , intended and unintended alternations to biological , economic and social processes and systems as a result of agricultural production system 15 . the term biological impact is herein defined as an unintended or intended impact of agricultural production system 15 on biological processes and conditions . the agricultural production system 15 can have impacts on air , water , and land from pollutants ( e . g ., sediment , dust and other particulate matter , nutrients , pesticides and their breakdown products , other organic and inorganic chemicals , salts , pathogens , etc .) and use patterns ( e . g ., cultivation , deforestation , wetland drainage , burning , changes to water flows , etc .) that may alter physical , chemical , biochemical , individual organism , population , community , watershed , ecosystem , and biosphere processes . example physical impacts include alternations to soil , water , or air temperatures , changes in light intensity on land or water surfaces , water turbidity , etc . example chemical impacts include alternations to soil or water ph , percent dissolved oxygen in water , concentration of particulate matter in air , concentration of minerals ( e . g ., nitrogen , phosphorous , selenium , etc .) in soil or water , and contamination of soils or water by inorganic or organic pollutants ( e . g ., pesticides , fertilizers , pesticide - breakdown products , etc .). examples of impacts on individual organisms include altered growth , fitness , reproduction , maintenance , and survival . examples of impacts on species populations include significant reduction in overall numbers ( e . g ., endangered or threatened species status ), significant increases in overall numbers and range ( e . g ., invasive species ), and alternation of population age , genetic structure and diversity . examples of community impacts include alterations of species diversity and abundance ( e . g ., invasive species , loss of wild populations , etc . ), changes in the structure and functioning of food chains and food webs , and changes in nutrient cycling and energy flows . examples of ecosystem impacts include alternations in water quality , water quantity , water duration , and water seasonal timing , large - scale changes in species diversity and abundance , decreases in total biomass and productivity , and alternations in nutrient cycling and energy flow . examples of biosphere impacts include alternations to the carbon cycle ( e . g ., increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ), nitrogen cycle ( e . g ., increased nitrates in deep ground water ) and global climate change . the term economic impact is herein defined as an unintended or intended impact of an agricultural production system 15 not accounted for in the trade value or sale price of agricultural product 28 . the term social impact is herein defined as an unintended or intended impact of an agricultural production system 15 on the health , safety , educational , and standard of living conditions and opportunities of individuals and communities and the treatment of animals . example economic impacts resulting from agricultural production systems 15 include the individual , community , and government cost of additional water treatment to remove agricultural pollutes ( e . g ., sediments , nutrients , pesticides , pathogens , etc . ), increased health care costs associated with pesticide poisonings , increased taxes to pay for air quality and water quality regulatory oversight and clean - up . examples of social impacts that may result from agricultural production system 15 include poverty from low paying and season jobs , limited availability of affordable and safe housing , dangerous working conditions ( e . g ., exposure to pesticides ), limited opportunities for education or training , decreased consumer confidence in safe and affordable agricultural products 28 , inhumane treatment of animals , and increased regulatory oversight . fig2 illustrates how seasonal production systems 15 can be managed as long - term production systems 17 and seasonal production systems 15 deliver seasonal production impacts 30 and long - term production impacts 31 . examples of long term production systems 17 include crop rotation , changes in cropping patterns , etc . examples of long term production impacts 31 include accumulated environmental , economic and social impacts such as siltation of water courses , groundwater pollution , decreases in biodiversity , and decreases in quality of life for individuals and communities . fig3 is a flow chart providing an overview of an exemplary method 40 of capturing , managing , processing and outputting data pertaining to an agricultural product . at a high level , the method 40 may conceptually be viewed as composing a data capture and chain of custody record creation component 42 , a certification / accreditation / compliance component 44 and a reporting component 46 . contributors , processors and users of the data concerning the agricultural product include custodians 48 of the agricultural product , an agricultural management information system 50 , a regulatory / certification / accreditation authorities 52 , consumers 54 of the agricultural product 28 , and agricultural managers 56 . the method 40 commences at block 58 with the capture , by custodians 48 of an agricultural product 28 , of product data pertaining to the agricultural product , the product data reflecting a condition pertaining to the product at a custodial location . in one embodiment , as will be described in further detail below , a series of custodians , each controlling a custodial location along a chain of custody , perform data capture operations to capture product data reflecting conditions pertaining to the product at each of the respective custodial locations . at block 60 , a data record is created by each custodian 48 , the record embodying the product data captured at block 58 . at block 62 , the created data record is communicated from a respective custodian 48 to the agricultural management information system 50 that , at block 62 , proceeds to store the received data record together with an internal identifier 64 . at block 66 , the agricultural management information system 50 performs a certification process to create and store a certification record indicating that a particular agricultural product , for which data has been received from one or more custodians 48 , complies to one or more certification or accreditation standards specified by one or more certification or accreditation authorities . this certification record may , at block 68 , be communicated to the relevant certification or accreditation authority , that , at block 70 , may optionally generate a certification or accreditation report . at block 72 , the agricultural management information system 50 may optionally perform a regulatory compliance process to create and store a compliance record . at block 74 , this compliance record may optionally be transmitted to a regulatory compliance authority that then generates , at block 76 , a regulatory compliance report . at block 78 , a consumer 54 may generate a request for certain information regarding an agricultural product ( e . g ., whether the product complies with certain certification standards ). as will be described in further detail below , this request may be inputted into a network communication device ( e . g ., a network - coupled personal computer ) which is then communicated to the agricultural management information system 50 . at block 80 , the agricultural management information system 50 retrieves data pertaining to one or more agricultural products identified in the consumer request and , at block 82 , transmits the received data to the consumer 54 as a response to the initial request . at block 84 , the consumer 54 may then view the product data including , for example , certification / accreditation / compliance information as well as custodial history information as derived from the data originally captured by the custodians 48 at block 58 . in a similar manner , at block 86 , an agricultural manager 56 may generate a report request for a report pertaining to one or more agricultural products , this request being transmitted to the agricultural management information system 50 at block 88 . at block 90 , the agricultural management information system 50 retrieves one or more reports and other pertinent data and , at block 92 , transmits the retrieved report data to the agricultural manager 56 . at block 94 , the agricultural manager 56 is then able to view one or more management reports derived from the management data . fig3 provides a high - level overview of the method 40 . further details regarding each of the operations , as well as the systems underlying such operations , will now be discussed . fig4 is a diagrammatic representation of the exemplary capture of data at multiple units 100 that together constitute a chain of custody . the submission , by each of such units 100 , to the agricultural management information system 50 for storage within a database 103 , of records 102 that embody the captured data pertaining to the agricultural product . the units 100 may conceptually be viewed as comprising units of production 104 , and units of processing , storage and distribution 106 . within the context of each unit , data may be captured regarding each of a number of operations to generate individual data records of product data reflecting conditions pertaining to a relevant agricultural product at a respective unit . for example , a unit of production 104 , as defined above with reference to fig1 , may include pre - production operations 108 , production operations 110 and processing operations 112 . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , data pertaining to agricultural products at the relevant unit of production 104 may be gathered as part of the operations 108 - 112 to compose the data records 102 . the exemplary records 102 are shown to include location data to indicate the location of the relevant unit of production , measured data reflecting a measured or otherwise ascertained metric , time and date information , and authentication information . similarly , each of a number of units of processing , storage and distribution 106 may include combinations and permutations of processing operations 112 , storage operations 114 and transport operations 116 , agricultural product data being captured as part of such operations . while the described operations are illustrated in fig4 as being performed at various units , it will be appreciated that any permutation , variation or combination of the described operations may occur at any of the described units , and that the data capture need not necessarily be performed as part of the described operations . by implementing the capture of product data at each of a chain of units that constitute a chain of custody of an agricultural product and the submission of such product data to the agricultural management information system 50 , for example in the form of the records 102 , it will be appreciated that the agricultural management information system 50 is able to provide a global view of a chain of custody and conditions pertaining to the agricultural product at each custodial location constituting the chain of custody . fig5 is a diagrammatic representation of a data record 102 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , that may be generated by a data capture device at each of the units 100 of a chain of custody and communicated to the agricultural management information system 50 . in one embodiment , the record 102 may be constructed by the data capture device at the custodial location , and communicated to the agricultural management information system 50 as a record . in an alternative embodiment , the agricultural product data , as captured by the data capture device , may simply be communicated to the agricultural management information system 50 , which then formats the received data as the record 102 . a unique identification field 120 stores , for each record , a unique identifier for the particular record that also serves to identify the relevant agricultural product for which the record 120 pertains . in one exemplary embodiment , a unique identifier for a record stored in a field 120 may comprise a universal product code ( upc ), or a derivative thereof . a time field 122 , for each record 102 , stores a time at which the agricultural product data included within the record 102 was captured . a date field 124 similarly stores a date on which the relevant data was captured . a place field 126 stores location data indicating a location ( e . g ., any one of the units 100 discussed above with reference to fig4 ) at which the agricultural product data was captured . in one embodiment , the data in the place field 126 indicates one of multiple custodial locations for a particular agricultural product . a person field 128 stores an identifier for a person , or operator , at a custodial location who was responsible for the capture of the agricultural product data . an activity field 130 may store information identifying an activity ( e . g ., any one of the operations 108 - 116 described above with reference to fig4 ) pertaining to the agricultural product and to which the captured data pertains . for example , an activity indicated in the activity field 130 may be the application of a fertilizer to a unit of production , the applying of the pesticide at a unit of production , the harvesting of an agricultural product , the packaging of an agricultural product , etc . an equipment serial number field 132 stores an identifier for data capture equipment utilized in the capture of the data embodied within the record 102 . for example , the equipment may comprise a hand - held device , examples of which are provided below . a custodian field 134 stores an identifier of a custodian 48 that operates or manages a particular custodial location in a chain of custody ( e . g ., a unit 100 ). the record 102 may also include a number of optional verification identifiers . more specifically , a digital signature field 136 may store a digital signature utilized to encrypt the record 102 for secure and confidential transmission . a witness field 138 may include a digital witness identifier that provides a further level of authentication for the digital signature 138 . a global positioning system ( gps ) field 140 may include longitudinal and latitudinal location information , in one embodiment , to be utilized to authenticate place information stored within the place field 126 . the contents of the gps field 140 may also be utilized to enhance reports generated by the agricultural management information system 50 , by providing a further level of detail regarding location of a custodial location . fig6 is a block diagram illustrating a compliance and chain of custody system 150 that includes a chain of custody constituted by a collection of custodians 48 , each of which provides input , for example in the form of a record 102 , to the agricultural management information system 50 . the system 150 is also shown to include a collection of regulatory / certification / accreditation authorities 52 that interact with the agricultural management information system 50 to at least partially automate regulatory compliance , certification or an accreditation processes . the exemplary custodians 48 include an agricultural production system 15 , a packaging custodian 152 , a transportation custodian 154 , a processor custodian 156 , a wholesale custodian 158 and a retail custodian 160 . outside the chain of custody , a consumer 54 is also shown to interact with the agricultural management information system 50 . each of the custodians 48 is further shown to access one or more data capture devices 170 that are utilized to capture product data at the respective custodial locations 48 . each data capture device 170 is furthermore shown to be in communication with the agricultural management information system 50 , so as to facilitate the communication of the captured product data from the data capture device 170 to the agricultural management information system 50 . a data capture device 170 utilized by a custodian 48 may be a hand - held device ( e . g ., a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a mobile telephone , or any other known hand - held device ), or a fully - functional computer system ( e . g ., a desktop personal computer ( pc ) or a notebook computer system ). further , as described in further detail below , the data capture device 170 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , may be equipped to perform read and / or write operations of an external information source . in one embodiment , the data capture device 170 may be connectable to an external data source associated with a particular custodial location . in alternative embodiments , the data capture device 170 may be constructed to perform a wireless read of information associated with a custodial location utilizing any electromagnetic frequency communications ( e . g ., optical , infrared ( ir ) or radio frequency ( rf ) communications ). the agricultural management information system 50 , as will be described in further detail below , comprises one or more applications executing on one or more computer systems , as well as one or more databases maintained on one or more data storage systems . the data capture devices 170 communicate with the agricultural management information system 50 utilizing a communications network , such as the internet , the plain old telephone service ( pots ), cellular telephone networks , a wide area network ( wan ) or a local area network ( lan ). a collection of authorities 52 are also shown to interact with the agricultural management information system 50 . such authorities 52 include , merely for example , a certification authority 162 ( e . g ., the food alliance , california certified organic farmers , etc . ), an accreditation authority 164 ( marine stewardship council , forest stewardship council , etc . ), a non - profit organization 166 ( e . g ., an environmental watchdog , social , economic organization , or universities ), and federal , state , and local public agencies 168 ( e . g ., the us environmental protection agency ( epa ), the food and drug agency ( fda ), the us department of agriculture ( usda ), california department of pesticide regulation ( dpr ), etc .). the interaction of the authorities 52 with the agricultural management information system 50 will also be described in further detail below . further details regarding exemplary embodiments of the capture 42 of data concerning an agricultural product will now be described . fig7 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating a plurality of data capture devices 170 , connected via a network 180 ( e . g ., the internet ) to each other and to the agricultural management information system 50 . each of the data capture devices 170 is located at a respective custodial location 48 within a chain of custody to capture pertinent data . the data capture devices 170 also include a stand - alone computer system 184 that communicates agricultural product information on a data storage media 186 ( e . g ., a cd rom or any other optical , magnetic or opto - magnetic storage medium ) that is provided to the agricultural management information system 50 . accordingly , the computer system 184 is not required to be coupled to the network 180 . one of the data capture devices 170 is shown to comprise a hand - held device 182 that communicates utilizing radio - frequency communications 190 with a base computer system 192 . the hand - held device 182 is also shown to communicate directly with the network 180 via radio - frequency communications 190 . the hand - held device 182 is utilized by an operator conveniently to record data concerning an agricultural product at various locations within a chain of custody and production cycle through which the agricultural product proceeds . the hand - held device 182 may be utilized by any of the custodians 48 , described above with reference to fig6 , at any one of the custodial locations 48 . for example , farmers , transporters ( e . g ., truckers and railroad freight handlers ) processors , distributors , retailers , insurers , marketers , resellers , regulatory agents , inspectors , environmentalists and any third party may utilize a hand - held device 182 to capture appropriate data . the hand - held device 182 , and also the computer systems 181 , includes a data reader in the exemplary form of a barcode reader 194 . an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the data reader may include any optical , infrared , radio frequency , magnetic or opto - magnetic reader or a network device before receiving communications or information via a network . fig8 a - 8d are diagrams illustrating further details regarding the operation of an exemplary hand - held device 182 , that receives input from a barcode reader 194 . data capture at an exemplary custodial location in the form of a production unit will now be described with reference to fig7 and 8 a - 8 d . turning firstly to fig7 , the present invention proposes a method by which product data , reflecting a condition pertaining to an agricultural product , be associated with location data identifying a location within the chain of custody . further , the present invention proposes that a product identifier may also be associated with the captured location and product data . referring specifically to fig7 , at a specific custodial location 201 , location data in the form of location code 202 , encoded as a barcode , is shown to be physically associated with the custodial location 201 . for example , as shown in more detail in fig8 b , the location code 202 may be printed on a weather - resistant tag 210 that is fixed to a physical structure in the exemplary form of a post 212 located at the custodial location 201 . accordingly , the post 212 may be positioned at a specific location at a custodial location 201 to provide a reference location for the capture of product data . fig8 c illustrates an exemplary situation in which a tag 210 , on which the location code 202 is again represented in the form of a barcode , is attached to an insect trap 214 . it will be appreciated that , utilizing the barcode reader 194 , the hand - held device 182 may be utilized conveniently and reliably to capture a location code 202 from a location identifier ( e . g ., the tag 210 ) that is physically associated with a custodial location 201 by being attached to a post or trap , or being otherwise secured at the custodial location 201 . having captured location data utilizing the hand - held device 182 , the present invention proposes allowing a custodian 48 to capture product data , reflecting a condition pertaining to an agricultural product , at the relevant custodial location 201 . to this end , fig8 a shows the hand - held device 182 to include a keypad 216 via which a custodian 48 may enter product data reflecting a condition pertaining to the product at the first location identified by the relevant location code 202 . for example , with reference to fig8 c , a display screen 218 of the hand - held device 182 may present a user interface via which , utilizing the keypad 216 , or touch - sensitive functionality provided by the screen 218 itself , the custodian 48 may enter an indication of the number of bugs 220 captured in the trap 214 at a particular time . it will be appreciated that , within different environments and at different custodial locations 201 , a wide variety of agricultural product data may be captured . accordingly , a wide variety of data capture applications may be executed by the data capture device ( e . g ., the hand - held device 182 ) to prompt a custodian 48 for appropriate data in a convenient and reliable manner . such prompting may occur via a user interface presented on the display screen 218 . the data input may be via the keypad 216 , or via a touch screen functionality . in a further alternative embodiment , referring to fig8 d , a particular custodian 48 may be provided with a chart 222 , or handbook , of barcodes , each barcode embodying a product data code 204 that is associated with a particular chart 222 . for example , each product data code 204 contained within a particular chart 222 may reflect a unique condition that is observable or determinable by a custodian 48 . for example , a product data code 204 may reflect an observed condition pertaining to an agricultural product at a custodial location identified by the location code 202 . it will be appreciated that a wide variety of conditions may be of interest from an agricultural management perspective , and any one of these conditions may be associated with a particular product data code 204 . fig8 e illustrates an exemplary chart 222 on which are printed a collection of barcodes . the collection of barcodes includes product data codes 204 that in the illustrated embodiment provide product data in the form of a numeric count of pests that may be observed within a trap 214 , such as that illustrated in fig8 c . utilizing a barcode reader 194 , such as that illustrated in fig8 a , a custodian 48 may conveniently input a numeric value to a hand - held device 182 . it will readily be appreciated that by selecting a sequence of the product data codes 204 , any numeric value may conveniently be entered into a hand - held device 182 . in addition to the product data codes 204 , the chart 222 includes examples of location / data type codes 205 , each of which indicates both a data type ( e . g ., leafhopper count , mite count , thrips count , mildew levels ) and a particular location at which the relevant data type was captured ( e . g ., the northwest , northeast , southwest or southeast region of a unit or production ). utilizing the location / data type codes 205 , a custodian 48 is conveniently able , by performing a single read of a code 205 , to input both location and data type information to a hand - held device 182 , whereafter a count , that comprises the indicated data type , may be entered utilizing the product data codes 204 . it will of course be appreciated that , in alternative embodiments , the location and data type codes may be distinct . for example , the chart 222 may contain a first set of data type codes ( e . g ., leafhopper , mite , thrips , mildew ), a second set of location codes ( e . g ., northwest , northeast , southwest and southeast ) and a third set of product data codes 204 . in this embodiment , it will be appreciated , the number of barcodes printed on a chart 222 may be advantageously reduced . however , it will be appreciated that data input would , utilizing this embodiment , require the input of three codes , as opposed to the two codes that are advantageously required for a complete input utilizing the chart 222 illustrated in fig8 e . the chart 222 is also shown to include a collection of command codes 207 utilizing which a custodian 48 may conveniently input commands ( e . g ., “ done with vineyard ”) into a hand - held device 182 . it will be appreciated that any number of commands , applicable to a particular application or environment , may appear on a chart 222 . having captured the location data ( e . g ., the location code 202 ) and the product data ( e . g ., the product data code 204 ), a custodian 48 may where appropriate and possible capture product identification data as embodied within a product identification code 206 ( e . g ., a universal product code ( upc )) embodied within a barcode associated with a particular agricultural product as illustrated in fig7 . it will be appreciated that a product identification code 206 may not be associated with an individual product at all locations along a chain of custody , and may only become associated with an individual product and during a packaging stage . for example , at a unit of production 18 ( e . g ., a farm unit producing thousands of lettuce heads ), a product identification code 206 is not associated with each individual agricultural product . however , at a downstream packaging custodian 152 , such product identification codes 206 may be associated with each individual agricultural product . in one embodiment of the present invention , the record 102 described above with reference to fig5 is composed by the hand - held device 182 . in an alternative embodiment , the information to compose the record 102 is communicated from the hand - held device 182 to a computer system 181 , that composes the record 102 . in a further embodiment , the information captured by the hand - held device 182 is simply relayed via the computer system 181 to the agricultural management information system 50 that then composes the record 102 . in a further embodiment , the information captured by the hand - held device 182 is communicated via wireless transmission directly to the agricultural management information system 50 that then composes the record 102 . in any event , it will be appreciated that , to compose the record 102 , information types to populate the various fields , should be captured . accordingly , the hand - held device 182 is required to capture information to populate the fields of the record 102 , either automatically or by prompting input of the appropriate data . while the capture of the data for the record 102 is described as being performed by the hand - held device 182 above and below , it will be appreciated that the information could similarly be captured by any of the computer systems 181 illustrated in fig7 to which a reader ( e . g ., a barcode reader 194 ), may be attached , and into which information may be inputted via a keyboard or a cursor control device , responsive to prompting presented on a display screen of the computer screen 181 . however , for the purposes of illustration , the description herein shall be limited to data captured via the hand - held device 182 . fig9 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware components of the hand - held device 182 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a processor 230 is coupled via buses to a random access memory ( ram ) 232 , a static memory 234 and a storage device 236 ( e . g ., a disk drive or flash memory device ). the display screen 218 also receives signals from the processor to generate a display ( e . g ., a user interface to receive agricultural product data ). the hand - held device 182 is powered by an internal power source 238 ( e . g ., batteries ), and also has a digital signature module 240 to store a digital signature that uniquely identifies the hand - held device 182 . a network modem or port 242 ( e . g ., a usb or firewire port ) allows the hand - held device 182 to be coupled to a network . a receive / transmit module 244 enables the hand - held device to transmit and receive optical ( e . g ., infrared ), radio frequency or any other electromagnetic frequency signals . the hand - held device 182 is also shown to include at least one input module 246 via which a custodian may input data into the hand - held device 182 . the input module may comprise the keypad 216 , a touch - screen capability associated with the display 218 , a voice recorder , a video recorder , an optical code recognition ( ocr ) module or radio frequency module associated with the receive / transmit module 244 , the barcode reader 194 or any other hardware module that facilitates the input of data into the hand - held device 182 . an external power source 248 may also be utilized to provide power to the hand - held device 182 . an optional gps module 250 may provide longitudinal and latitudinal position information to the hand - held device 182 . in an alternative embodiment , the hand - held device 182 may include a relative position system ( e . g ., a three - point transponder ) that detects the location of the hand - held device 182 relative to a base unit ( e . g ., associated with the computer system 192 ), the base computer system 192 including a gps module . by combining the relative positioning information received from the hand - held device 182 with the location information derived by a gps module of the base computer system 192 , position information for the hand - held device 182 may be derived . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating system components implemented , for example , in software within the hand - held device 182 . the hand - held device 182 is shown to include a number of subsystems , including an operating system 260 , a storage system 262 that controls the ram 232 , the static memory 234 and the storage device 236 , and a verification system 264 that verifies data inputted into the hand - held device 182 via the input modules 246 . specifically , the verification system 264 may verify location data , as represented by a location code 202 , inputted via the barcode reader 194 . to this end , the verification system 264 may receive input from the gps module 250 or location transponder 252 . further , the verification system 264 may operate to verify the authenticity and trustworthiness of the inputted data by receiving a witness confirmation 266 of the inputted data . in this embodiment , a witness with a unique identifier 138 confirms some or all data captured by the operator of the hand - held device 182 and adds a unique witness identifier 138 to the captured data or data report 102 prior to transmission to the agricultural management information system 50 . such witnesses may include a second custodian , certification agent , accreditation agent , third - party representative , or government agent . a data capture system 268 controls the one or more input modules 246 , and may interface with a number of specific subsystems , namely a voice recognition system 270 , a handwriting recognition system 272 , an ocr system 274 and a ir or rf system 276 . any one of the systems 270 - 276 may be dedicated at the controlling of a specific input module 246 . a processor and memory system 278 operates to control the processor 230 and the memory 234 . a report generation system 280 , in one embodiment , operates to generate a report or record from the data received from the data capture system 268 , as well as data retrieved internally from other systems and subsystems of the hand - held device 182 . to this end , a date and time system 282 provides date and time information to the report generation system 280 . further , the storage device 236 , in one embodiment , stores identification information identifying a person ( or process ) that is responsible for the input of the data via the one or more input modules 246 and also that stores an equipment serial number associated with the hand - held device . a transmission system 284 is responsible for operating the network modem / port 242 and the receive / transmit module 244 to facilitate the output of information from the hand - held device 182 . in one embodiment , the transmission system 284 may transmit captured data utilizing rf communications to a base computer system 192 that then , via the internet , communicates this data to the agricultural management information system 50 . in an alternative embodiment , the hand - held device 182 may be physically coupled to the base computer system 192 in order to transfer information to the base computer system 192 for propagation to the agricultural management information system 50 . in yet a further embodiment , the hand - held device 182 may be coupled directly to the internet , and may itself communicate the captured data to the agricultural management information system 50 . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 300 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , of capturing data pertaining to an agricultural product . the method 300 commences at decision block 302 , with the determination as to whether a record or report generated by the report / record generation system 280 , and composed of the previously captured data pertaining to an agriculture product , is to be stored . if so , at block 304 , the report , or record , is stored . following a negative determination at decision block 302 , at decision block 306 , a determination is made as to whether input data has been received via one of the input modules 246 of the hand - held device . if not , a wait state is entered at block 308 . on the other hand , if input data is detected at decision block 306 , at block 310 the hand - held device accepts location data in the form , for example , of a location code captured from a location identifier ( e . g ., a tag 210 or a chart 222 having a printed barcode thereon ). alternatively , the location data may be automatically determined utilizing ocr technology , with a location code composing a numeric sequence read from a location identifier in yet another alternative embodiment , a location code may be embedded in a transponder that is activated by the hand - held device 182 , so the location code is communicated as a radio frequency communication from the transponder to an appropriate receiver embedded within the hand - held device 182 . it will of course be appreciated that the location data can be communicated to the hand - held device 182 in any one of a number of ways from media on which the location data is stored in such a way as to be physically associated with a location identified by the location data . by obtaining the location data from media that is physically associated with the relevant location , the integrity of this information and the reliability of the capture operation , may be increased . furthermore , the convenience to a custodian 48 performing the location data capture is increased . by having the location data appear , or be stored , on a media at the relevant custodial location , a relatively low - tech and cost effective system for capturing the location data is provided . at block 312 , the hand - held device 182 accepts agricultural product data , for example in the form of a product data code 204 as describe with reference to fig8 d and 8e . alternatively , the product data may be inputted into the hand - held device via the keypad 216 or a touch - ( or pressure ) sensitive display 218 . at block 312 , product identification data 206 , as described above with reference to fig7 , may also optionally be inputted if such information is available . at decision block 314 , a determination is made as to whether further external data input is required in order to complete a report or record to which the hand - held device 182 contributes . if so , the method 300 loops back to block 312 to receive further data . if not , at decision block 316 , the method 300 again loops back to block 312 . alternatively , if the collection of information by the device 182 is deemed to be finished at decision block 316 , at block 318 the device 182 may append a digital signature to the data , at block 320 append time and date information to the captured data , at block 322 include a geographic position reference , such as a gps value or other suitable geographic positioning identifier , to the data , and at block 324 append witness information to the data . it should be noted that the addition to the data of the digital signature , time and date stamp , geographic position reference and witness verification may optionally be performed , and serves to enhance the perceived credibility of the information as entered a custodian . further , this optional data may serve to address or satisfy a certain regulatory , accreditation , or certification requirements . at decision block 327 , a determination is made as to whether the report / record is to be transmitted . if so , a transmission occurs at block 328 . at decision block 330 , a determination is made as to whether the record / report is to be stored . if so , a storage operation occurs at block 332 . the acceptance of the location and product data at blocks 310 and 312 , as previously noted , may be through an optical , radio frequency , infrared , video , or audio signal read operation of an appropriate code . for example , a product or data code may be stored in a one , two or multi - dimensional barcode . alternatively , a product or data code may be stored within a transponder , or by a radio frequency transmitter that communicates utilizing , for example , the bluetooth protocol . in yet a further exemplary embodiment , a location or data code may be encoded as an audio signal . the product data captured at block 312 may comprise any data pertaining to an agricultural product . for example , the product data may be environmental data , indicating environmental conditions associated with an agricultural product . such environmental data may , for example , reflect growing environment and conditions ( e . g ., soil nutrient levels , atmospheric conditions , pesticide application , etc .). environmental data may also include conditions such as water , air and land quality adjacent to the unit of production 18 . environmental data may further comprise the health and status of species populations , a community , watershed , and ecosystem associated with the unit of production 18 . the product data may also include characteristic data indicating a specific characteristic of an agricultural product . for example , such characteristic data may indicate the size , weight , calorie , color , brix , or other observable or measurable characteristic of an agricultural product . the product data may also comprise activity data recording details of an activity performed with respect to an agricultural product . for example , the activity data may reflect the timing and volume of pesticides applied at a particular unit of production 18 . the activity data could also reflect data concerning any processing , distributing , packing , treating or handling of the agriculture product at any one of the custodial locations discussed above . the product data may furthermore include economic data indicating costs of production associated with an agricultural product ( e . g ., material , water , energy , equipment , management , land , capital , and labor costs ). further , labor ( or personnel ) data may be captured at block 312 to identify personnel that contributed toward the production or processing of the agricultural product . such personnel or data may include personnel identification , labor location and labor time , merely for example . it should also be noted that the product data captured at block 312 may comprise audio or video data that is captured into a portable data capture device ( e . g ., an audio cassette recorder or a video recorder ). such captured audio or video may be digitized , and stored by the agricultural management information system 50 as part of the record 102 . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary collection 400 of data records 102 that may be maintained within the database 103 of the agricultural management information system 50 . fig1 also illustrates that the collection 400 of records 102 may be indexed by a common product code ( e . g ., a universal product code ( upc ) 402 or a lot code 404 ). specifically , the upc 402 or the lot code 404 may comprise the unique identifier 120 of an agricultural product data record 102 , as illustrated in fig5 . each of the records 102 may be linked to further records and reports pertaining to a specific agricultural product , or agricultural product lot , so that a hierarchical data structure of records and reports that comprises the collection 400 is defined . an exemplary chain of custody 406 for an agricultural product is also illustrated in fig1 . in addition to records 102 that are generated at various custodial locations along the chain of custody 406 , the collection 400 may also include reports 408 for various authorities ( e . g ., regulatory , accreditation , certification ). for example , a first set of reports 410 may be generated for an organic certification authority based on information contained in the records . a further set of records 412 may be generated for a non - profit watchdog organization , and yet another set of reports 414 generated for a regulatory authority ( e . g ., the epa ). each of the reports 408 may furthermore have one or more lot codes 404 and one or more upcs 402 associated therewith . the generation of the exemplary reports 408 will be described in further detail below . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating further architectural details of the agricultural management information system 50 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the agricultural management information system 50 is shown to receive data records 102 , including at least location and product data , from custodians 48 , automated data capture mechanisms 450 , and other submitters 452 . in an alternative embodiment , raw data may be received at the agricultural management information system 50 , which then itself composes the record 102 . the agricultural management information system 50 is shown to include a certification server 454 that is responsible for generating reports utilizing records , pertaining to an agricultural product , obtained from custodial locations constituting a chain of custody for the relevant agricultural product . to this end , fig1 illustrates a first database 103 storing a collection of records 102 , each of the multiple records 102 being associated with a unique identifier 120 , which may comprise a upc , lot number , or combination of upc and lot number . accordingly , a one - to - many mapping between the unique identifier 120 and multiple records 102 is maintained . the certification server 454 also has access to a second database 105 , which is shown to include product records 456 that include detailed information regarding agricultural products , guideline records 458 ( e . g . organic certification guidelines , marine stewardship council accreditation guidelines , epa clean water act standards , etc . ), agricultural production system records 460 that include details regarding agricultural production systems 15 ( e . g ., such as those described with reference to fig1 ), custodian records 462 that contain records regarding various custodians in a chain of custody , lot records 464 that may contain additional information regarding a lot of agricultural products , and quality records 466 ( e . g ., size , color , purity , brix level , harvest date , etc .). in summary , the certification server 454 receives raw data , or unprocessed records 102 , from the various submitters , and outputs a processed record 102 that is expanded to include further information derived from the above mentioned tables 456 - 468 of the database 105 and information that is generated by the certification server 454 itself . the certification server 454 includes a control module system 470 that is responsible for coordinating the functioning of the various components of the certification server 454 . these components include a certification tool 472 that is responsible for automatically generating a compliance result based on the automatic comparison of product data , embodied in a record 102 , with compliance requirements as specified in a particular guideline record 458 . in one embodiment , the certification tool 472 may functionally operate to certify a particular product , identified by a upc and / or a lot number , as complying with certification guidelines , as described in a guidelines record 458 , for any one of multiple certification authorities . merely for example , the food alliance has issued a set of guidelines entitled “ commodity specific guidelines for wine grapes in the pacific northwest ”, these guidelines specify cultural practices ( e . g ., cover crops , adjacent area management , stock selection , harvest and storage practices ), crop nutrition guidelines ( e . g ., fertilizer applications and soil ph levels ) insect / mite management guidelines , disease / nematodes management guidelines , and weed management guidelines that should be complied with in order to receive a wine grape certification from the food alliance . similarly , the conservation agriculture network has issued a banana standard entitled “ complete standards for banana certification ”, which specifies ecosystem conservation , wildlife conservation , fair treatment and good conditions for workers , community relations , agro - chemical management , waste management , water resource conservation , soil conservation and environmental planning and monitoring requirements that must be complied with in order to receive an appropriate certification from the conservation agriculture network . again , the compliance requirements for the above standards and guidelines may be embodied within one or more records within the guideline records 458 of the database 105 . the certification tool 472 operates automatically to compare agricultural product data , in the form of the records 102 , against the compliance requirements specified within such guidelines or standards , and to generate a compliance result based on this automatic comparison . the compliance result typically comprises a report 474 , which the certification server 454 may report to a user 451 . for example , the report 474 may be generated in real - time responsive to an inquiry from the user 451 . alternatively , the report 474 may be generated once sufficient agricultural product data has been collected from the various submitters , and the report 474 may then be stored as part of the record 102 and accessed at any time . the certification server 454 also includes a report tool 475 that operates to generate custom reports ( e . g ., daily , seasonal or yearly pest management reports ) based on the agricultural product data received from various submitters . further details regarding the report in process will be provided below . an identification generator 476 operates to generate the unique identifier 120 which may be associated with multiple records within the database 103 of the system 50 . as described above , the unique identifier may be a upc , a lot number , or the combination thereof ( e . g ., an encrypted identifier ). a custody tool 478 operates to include further custodial information within a record 102 , as extracted from the custodian records 462 . a regulatory tool 480 operates substantially in the same way discussed above with respect to the certification tool 472 , but instead operates to generate a regulatory compliance certificate as a compliance result based on the comparison of the agricultural product data against regulatory compliance requirements as specified in one or more guideline records 458 . an accreditation tool 473 operates substantially in the same way discussed above . an interface 482 , that accesses communication parameters 484 , facilitates access to the database 105 . for example , the interface 482 may be implemented by a database management system ( dbms ) so as to enable the control module system 470 to issue secure queries against the database 103 . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 500 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , of automatically generating a compliance result based on the automated comparison of agricultural product data against compliance requirements in the form of certification requirements . while the method 500 is described below as generating a certification record based on a comparison against certification guidelines , it will be appreciated that any compliance result may be generated using substantially the same methodology . for example , a compliance record ( e . g ., regulatory ) or an accreditation record may be generated substantially in the same manner . the method 500 commences with the submission at block 502 from a submitter ( e . g ., custodian 48 , an automated data capture mechanism 450 or other submitter 452 ) of a record 102 , such as for example , the record illustrated in fig5 . in addition to the information specified in fig5 , the record 102 may also specify a particular product , particular production practices / processes 20 applied to that product , inputs used to produce / process the product 22 , biological process 24 that influenced the production / processing of that product , the duration of time 26 that took place to produce / process the product , resultant impacts 30 , and a guideline specifier that may be utilized to locate a guideline record 458 within the database 103 . to this end , a custodian , for example , may when submitting agricultural product data specify that the record is contributing towards a determination as to whether a particular agricultural product complies with certain organic standards criteria . in a further embodiment , a witness may authenticate some or all the data submitted to add an additional level of credibility . at block 504 , the certification server 454 receives the record 102 from the submitter and , at block 506 , the identification generator 476 adds an internal identifier 120 ( or key ) to the record 102 . again , the internal identifier may comprise a upc , a lot number , or a code derived from the upc and / or the lot number . at block 508 , the control module system 470 of the certification server 454 stores the original received record 102 in combination with the identifier 120 within the database 103 . at block 510 , the certification tool 472 ( or the regulatory tool 480 or accreditation tool 473 ) generates a compliance result in the exemplary form of a certification record ( or regulatory compliance record or accreditation compliance record ) by performing a comparison of compliance requirements against the captured agricultural product data . as described above , the compliance requirements for a specific certification record may be specified in a guideline record 458 . the creation of the certification record 510 may include generating a compliance report that provides metrics , derived from the agricultural data , against a number of factors specified by an certification / accreditation / regulatory authority . further , the certification record 510 may indicate an affirmative compliance result or negative compliance result . the affirmative compliance result may comprise a standard certification , a government regulatory compliance approval , or an accreditation . at block 514 , the created certification record is then stored , either as an integral part of the product data record , or in a relational database as a distinct record that is keyed ( or linked ) to the agricultural product data record 102 . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 520 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , of communicating agricultural product information to a user ( e . g ., a consumer , farmer or certification authority ). the method 520 commences at block 522 with the input of a serial number ( e . g ., a upc ) by an inquiring user 451 to the agricultural management information system 50 . in one exemplary embodiment , the input of the serial number to the system 50 may be via a computer system 532 coupled via a network 180 to the agricultural management information system 50 , as is illustrated in fig1 a . in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig1 a , a product identifier in the form of a upc embodied in a barcode 536 printed on a label 534 is inputted to the computer system 532 via a barcode reader 194 that performs a read operation of the relevant barcode 536 . fig1 a also illustrates that the agricultural management information system 50 may communicate a user interface 538 , via the network 180 , to the computer system 532 for display on a display device 540 that forms part of the computer system 532 . the user interface 538 may include a serial number input field 542 . the serial number may be inputted into the input field 542 manually , utilizing a keyboard 544 , or automatically utilizing the barcode reader 194 . the user interface 538 is also shown to present a menu of certification options 546 , each option 546 having an associated check box that may be utilized to prompt the user to identify certain certification standards , criteria or guidelines , merely by example . by selecting associated check boxes , a user is able to identify , for example , certain certification standards by which the user is interested . in one embodiment , the user interface 538 comprises a markup language document ( e . g ., a hypertext markup language ( html ) document ) that is generated by a web server that forms part of the agricultural management information system 50 . the input by the user to the interface 538 is communicated , via the network 180 , back to the agricultural management information system 50 as a request for agricultural product information . fig1 b shows example labels 534 , each bearing a respective barcode 536 , as applied to an assortment of agricultural products . further , while fig1 a illustrates a personal computer system 532 as being an input device , it will be appreciated that the request for agricultural product information may be inputted , by user 451 , into any of a number of network - connected devices for communication via the network 180 to the agricultural management information system 50 . for example , an appropriate interface to harvest information to be included in such a request may be presented on a pda , a mobile telephone , a hand - held computer , a pager , or a radio - based communication device . while the upc is also described in fig1 a should be entered via a keyboard 544 , or utilizing a barcode reader 194 , it will be appreciated that multiple other input mechanisms may be utilized to input the upc . specifically , an optical , radio , infrared , audio or video input mechanisms associated with a computing device may be utilized . returning to the method 520 , illustrated in fig1 , at block 524 , the user may optionally input a lot number for a particular agricultural product . the lot number may be entered in any one of the ways described above for the input of the serial number . at block 526 , the agricultural management information system 50 , having now received a serial number and / or a lot number , proceeds to locate records associated with the serial and / or lot numbers . to this end , reference is again made to fig1 , which illustrates a hierarchy of records 102 and reports 408 associated with a specific upc 402 and lot code 404 within the collection 400 being maintained within the database 103 of the agricultural management information system 50 . at block 528 , having identified the appropriate records 102 , the agricultural management information system 50 , and more specifically the certification tool 472 of the certification server 454 , proceeds to compare the identified records with certification criteria specified within an appropriate guideline record 458 . similarly , in an alternative embodiment , at block 528 , the regulatory tool 480 may compare located records with regulatory criteria as specified within a guideline record 458 . in a further embodiment , at block 528 , the accreditation tool 473 may compare located records with accreditation criteria as specified within a guideline record 458 . examples of certification criteria are provided in fig1 . at block 530 , the results of the comparison operation performed at block 528 are reported to the user . in one exemplary embodiment , the comparison results may be reported in the form of a markup language document ( e . g ., a html document ) that is generated by a web server of the agricultural management information system 50 , and communicated via a network 180 to a computer system 532 operated by the user . the certification results may , in one embodiment , simply comprise a list of standards ( e . g ., certification , regulatory , accreditation , etc .) with which the relevant agricultural product complies . this embodiment may be directed towards a consumer who is interested in only high - level information . in an alternative embodiment , more detailed information may be communicated as part of the comparison results . for example , the certification tool 472 may provide a listing of criteria , with a metric indicated for each of the relevant criteria . the metric may comprise a certification status ( e . g ., pass , fail ) or a relative compliance label ( e . g ., a grade , percentage value , rating relative to a standard grade in terms such as poor , fair , good or super , or a statistically derived confidence interval ). the resolution of information displayed with respect to a standard , and the criteria that define that standard , are customized to accommodate the requirements of a particular user . while the comparison of the records with the criteria , at block 528 , is described above as being performed responsive to the receipt of a request for agricultural product information , it will be appreciated that the comparison operation may be performed off - line , prior to the receipt of any request , and the results of the comparison stored as a report 408 within the collection 400 for later retrieval responsive to a request . the method 520 discussed with reference to fig1 provides an example of reporting a level of compliance of an agricultural product , based on agricultural product data collected along the chain of custody , with a standard ( e . g ., a certification standard ). it will nonetheless be appreciated that the information embodied in the records 102 , as stored by the database of the agricultural management information system 50 , is also very useful to a farmer ( or producer , processor , etc .) for the purposes of evaluating performance of and reviewing of , an agricultural production system 15 over time ( e . g ., a season or one or more years as described in fig2 ). to this end , a user may , in a manner similarly described with reference to fig1 , input information pertaining to an agricultural production system ( e . g ., a unit of production identifier ), responsive to which the report tool 474 of the certification server 454 locates records associated with the relevant agricultural production system 15 ( e . g ., a field of land ). in addition to an identifier for an agricultural product system 15 , the request from the farmer may include a specific characteristic in which the user is interested . for example , the user may be interested in the number of pests ( e . g ., leafhoppers ) observed at a particular trap within a particular season , or over a number of years . in this case , the report tool 475 is able to extract the appropriate data from the located records , and generate textual or graphic reports . to this end , fig1 a shows exemplary seasonal reports 600 and historic reports 602 of the number of leafhoppers identified within a particular trap both seasonally and over a number of years . additionally , the report tool 475 generates graphs to provide a visual representation of observed or measured values for a particular characteristic . fig1 provides a further example of a weekly pest management monitoring report 620 that may be generated by the report tool 474 responsive to a request from a user 451 . once again , the information displayed in the report 620 is extracted from the connection 400 of records 102 , responsive to a user inquiry . individual reports may also rank , rate , and / or provide descriptive and inferential statistics so as to provide a meaningful comparative view of the captured agricultural product data . such reports go beyond a mere “ yes / no ” compliance , and enable a user to differentiate between custodians of an agricultural product based on a selected one , or multiple , metrics ( e . g ., environmental conditions , quality , time to market , etc .). a user 451 ( e . g ., a consumer ) is then able to perform a comparative selection based on one or more metrics . for example , a consumer may request information regarding “ good ”, “ better ” or “ best ” based on one or more metrics , or may elect to receive information regarding the top ten - percent of environmentally sound products , merely for example . similarly , at the end of a production cycle ( e . g ., a season ) or a predefined time period ( e . g ., every six months , every twelve months , etc . ), a user 451 ( e . g ., a farmer or other producer ) may be presented with a summary report ( or aggregation ) of all compliance reports for the predetermined time period . such a summary report may be utilized by the producer as a benchmark for future production cycles , to calculate end - of - cycle balances or for multiple other purposes . to this end , fig1 c provides an example of an aggregate report 622 that graphically illustrates water use efficiency per year measured in acre / feet for a group of winegrape growers . in this example , a rating system is based on the most efficient growers determined by the top ten percent of growers along a water use efficiency scale . in one embodiment , the report 622 may be hyperlinked so as to allow a user conveniently to “ click through ” the illustrated graph to identify the names of the growers in , for example , the top ten - percent for water use efficiency . fig1 d illustrates a further exemplary report in the form of a pesticide use report 624 that provides a graphic depiction of pesticide use per year measured by pounds applied per acre . in this example , a rating system is based on a five - category scale that ranges from “ best ” 626 to “ poor ” 628 , with equal intervals defined at 20 lbs . per year . accordingly , in contrast with the report 622 discussed with reference to fig1 which provides a percentage - based rating , the report 624 illustrated in fig1 d provides discrete , descriptive classifications or ratings of growers . again , the report 624 may provide a “ click through ” functionality so as to enable a user 451 conveniently to identify growers falling within each of the respective categories . further , a request to user 451 may require that a sample population be limited according to specified criteria . for example , the user 451 may specify that only a specific type of custodian ( e . g ., a grower , processor , transporter ) be considered within a specific biologically meaningful unit ( e . g ., ecosystem , watershed , biological community , habitat , species population range , etc . ), politically meaningful unit ( e . g . country , state , region , county , city , town , village , etc . ), and / or geographic region ( e . g ., section , town , range , etc .). furthermore , the user 451 may request that the report only consider growers involved in one or more certification programs ( e . g ., organic , sustainable , integrated pest management , genetically - modified organism free , etc .). while irrigation water and pesticide use have been provided as examples of metrics of interest above , it will be appreciated that any one of a predetermined set of metrics may be selected . for example , user 451 may wish to view a comparative rating of a custodian based on energy use , impacts on water quality , impacts on air quality , level of biodiversity found in and around the production unit , time to market , ripeness , etc . the reports discussed above may , in one embodiment , be generated as markup language documents that are communicated from the agricultural management information system 50 , via the network 180 , to a computer system 532 . thus , a method and system to automatically certify an agricultural product , have been described . although the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments , it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense .	6
one arrangement of an automatic bottom file storage box is formed from the unitary blank of material 10 shown in fig1 . blank 10 may be constructed of any material that will form a stiff panel surface . preferably , blank 10 is made from a single thickness corrugated material ( corrugated paper or corrugated plastic ); that is a material with two layers of linerboard separated by a single layer of fluted material . such a corrugated material can be constructed from different substances , as is known in the art . the material can have several different constructions . corrugated material is typically constructed from fiber materials or plastic materials . blank 10 is formed through die cutting and creasing of corrugated material as is known in the art . blank 10 essentially defines four rows of panels and flaps labeled a , b , c and d , and four columns of panels and flaps labeled e , f , g and h . as illustrated , the panels in each column are foldably coupled to each other . accordingly , in column e , panels 32 , 34 , and 52 are foldably coupled to each other along seams 33 and 35 , respectively . in column f , panels 12 , 14 , 16 , 56 , and 58 are foldably coupled to each other along seams 13 , 15 , 17 , and 57 , respectively . in column g , panels 42 , 44 , and 54 are foldably coupled to each other along seams 43 and 45 , respectively . in column h , panels 22 , 24 , 26 , 60 , and 62 are foldably coupled to each other along seams 23 , 35 , 27 , and 61 , respectively . additionally , the panels 32 , 14 , 42 , and 24 in row c define spaces 70 , 71 , 72 disposed therebetween which allow independent relative movement among the panels 32 , 14 , 42 , 24 . accordingly , panel 32 can be folded along seam 33 independent from panel 14 , panel 14 can be folded along seam 15 independent from panels 32 and 42 , and panel 42 can be rotated along seam 42 independent from panels 14 and 24 . panels 12 , 14 , and 16 , once assembled , form a first triple thickness end wall , with the corrugation in all three panels running vertically along axis 82 to maximize crush resistance . similarly , panels 22 , 24 , and 26 , once assembled , form a second triple thickness end wall , with the corrugation in all three panels running vertically along axis 82 to maximize crush resistance . panels 42 and 44 , once assembled , form a first double thickness sidewall , with the corrugation in both panels running vertically along axis 82 to maximize crush resistance . similarly , panels 32 and 34 , once assembled , form a second double thickness sidewall , with the corrugation in both panels running vertically along axis 82 to maximize crush resistance . panels or flaps 52 , 54 , 56 and 60 form the bottom of the box with panel 54 on the inside and overlying the other panels to provide load bearing strength to the inside bottom of the box . portion 58 of panel 56 is secured to panel 52 , and portion 62 of panel 60 is secured to panel 54 to create an automatic bottom . during assembly , the pre - folded box form is created from blank 10 as follows . beginning with form 10 as shown in fig1 , an assembler folds panels 12 and 22 about seams 13 and 23 and onto panels 14 and 24 , respectively . the assembler then secures panel 12 to panel 14 , as well as panel 22 to panel 24 , using a fastening mechanism , such as an adhesive , to form sets of double walled panels . the assembler then folds flap 52 onto panel 34 along fold line or score 35 and folds flap 56 along fold line or score 17 to panel 16 while , at substantially the same time , reverse folding flap 58 along score 57 in the opposite direction . with such assembly , flap 58 is disposed against flap 57 while flap 57 is disposed against panel 16 . the assembler then folds flap 54 along score 45 onto panel 44 . next , the assembler folds flap 60 along score 27 onto panel 26 while reverse folding flap 62 along score 61 . the assembler then folds panel 34 along score 72 and panel 26 along score 74 such that flap extension 80 contacts one of the interior or exterior of flap 34 and couples to the flap 34 via an adhesive or other attachment mechanism . this creates the flat , pre - folded box form 82 shown in fig2 a and 2b . to assemble the box form into a box , an end user opens the flat pre - folded box form to form a rectangle ( i . e ., such that the adjacent walls of columns e , f , g , and h are substantially perpendicular to each other ). as this box is squared up to form a rectangle , bottom panels 52 , 56 , 54 , and 60 , which have been preassembled and adhered to one another , pull themselves into position by the force of squaring the box so that flaps 52 , 56 , 54 , and 60 are now substantially parallel to the floor and substantially perpendicular to the sidewalls 34 , 16 , 44 , and 26 . flap 54 is disposed on the innermost portion of the bottom of the box with the other flaps supporting it . to assemble the box form 82 into a box , an end user folds combined panels 12 and 14 ( i . e ., a double walled panel ) along seam 15 and onto panel 16 . the user then folds combined panels 22 and 24 ( i . e ., a double walled panel ) along seam 25 and onto panel 26 . this forms opposing triple paneled walls of the box . the end user then folds panel 32 along seam 33 onto panel 34 and folds panel 42 along seam 43 and onto panel 44 . this forms opposing double paneled walls of the box . this completes the assembly . the above - described configuration increases the number of width panels to three ( i . e ., the combination of panels 12 , 14 , and 16 and the combination of panels 22 , 24 , and 26 ) and increases the number of side wall panels to two ( i . e ., the combination of panels 42 and 44 and the combination of panels 32 and 34 ) relative to conventional boxes . the configuration increases the vertical strength of the final assembled box compared to conventional boxes . one arrangement of a file bottom file storage box is formed from the unitary blank of material 100 shown in fig3 . blank 100 may be constructed of any material that forms a stiff panel surface . preferably , blank 100 is made from a single thickness corrugated material ( corrugated paper or corrugated plastic ); that is a material with two layers of linerboard separated by a single layer of fluted material . such a corrugated material can be constructed from different substances , as is known in the art . the material can have several different constructions . corrugated material is typically constructed from fiber materials or plastic materials . blank 100 is formed through die cutting and creasing of corrugated material as is known in the art . blank 100 essentially defines four rows of panels and flaps labeled a , b , c and d , and four columns of panels and flaps labeled e , f , g and h . panels 112 , 114 , 116 , and 156 are configured to form one quadruple thickness end wall , with the corrugation in three of the panels ( 112 , 114 and 116 ) running vertically along axis 182 to maximize crush resistance . similarly , panels 122 , 124 , 126 and 158 are configured to form a second quadruple thickness end wall , with the corrugation in three of the panels ( 122 , 124 and 126 ) running vertically along axis 182 to maximize crush resistance . panels 142 and 144 are configured to form a double thickness sidewall , with the corrugation in both panels running vertically along axis 182 to maximize crush resistance . additionally , panels 132 and 134 are configured to form a double thickness sidewall , with the corrugation in both panels running vertically along axis 182 to maximize crush resistance . panels 152 and 154 are configured to form the bottom of the box , with panel 152 configured to be disposed on an interior portion of the box . during assembly , the pre - folded box form is created from blank 100 as follows . beginning with form 100 as shown in fig3 , an assembler folds panels 112 and 122 about seams 113 and 123 and onto panels 114 and 124 , respectively . the assembler then secures panel 112 to panel 114 , as well as panel 122 to panel 124 , using a fastening mechanism , such as an adhesive . the assembler then folds the form 100 along fold lines 172 , and 174 , respectively , and secures extension flap 180 to an outer portion of panel 126 , such as by using an adhesive . this creates the flat pre - folded box form shown in fig4 a and 4b . to assemble the box form into a box , an end user opens the flat pre - folded box form to form a rectangle ( i . e ., such that the adjacent walls of columns e , f , g , and h are substantially perpendicular to each other ) and folds certain panels into the box , thereby allowing the panels to mechanically interlock and form the bottom of the box . for example , the end user forms the box bottom by rotating panel 152 along line 135 up into the box interior and against panel 134 . the end user then folds flaps 156 and 158 about lines 155 , 157 , respectively and onto panel 154 . the end user then rotates panel 154 along line 145 , into the interior of the box , and disposes the panel 154 against panel 144 . the end user can then rotate the panel 154 down 90 degrees to panel 144 about line 145 to form the outer bottom of the box and can fold flaps 156 and 158 up from the panel 154 and about lines 155 and 157 , respectively , until the flaps 156 and 158 contact walls 116 and 126 , respectively . the end user can then rotate panel 152 about line 135 and down onto panel 154 to form the inner bottom of the box . next , the end user can fold the combination of panels 112 and 114 ( panel 112 having been previously secured to panel 114 ) about seam 115 and over panels 116 and 156 . additionally , the end user can fold the combination of panels 122 and 124 ( panel 122 having been previously secured to panel 124 ) about seam 125 and over panels 126 and 158 . this forms opposing box walls having quadruple wall width panels . the end user can then fold panel 142 about seam 143 to contact panel 144 and can fold panel 132 about seam 133 to contact panel 134 . this forms opposing box walls having double wall length panels . the above - described configuration increases the number of sidewall panels to four ( i . e ., the combination of panels 112 , 114 , 116 , 156 and the combination of panels 122 , 124 , 126 , 158 ) and increases the number of end wall panels to two ( i . e ., the combination of panels 142 and 144 and the combination of panels 132 and 134 ) relative to conventional boxes . the configuration increases the vertical strength of the final assembled box compared to conventional boxes . while various embodiments of the innovation have been particularly shown and described , 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 innovation as defined by the appended claims .	1
in one embodiment , a technique for forming an area of intersection ( a contact area ) between an electrode and a programming element . by this technique , the area of intersection is not limited by the limitations associated with photolithography , notably feature size limitations . in general , the contact areas are defined in terms of film thickness rather than photolithography , which allows miniaturization beyond the feature size limits of photolithography . in terms of minimizing the contact area between a programmable material such as a phase change material and an electrode , minimizing the contact area reduces the power consumption necessary to program the phase change material . in the following paragraphs and in association with the accompanying figures , an example of a memory array and a memory device is presented . the embodiment describes the programmable material including a phase change material when the phase of the material determines the state of the memory element . fig1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a memory array comprised of a plurality of memory elements presented and formed in the context of the invention . in this example , the circuit of memory array 5 includes an xy grid with memory element 30 electrically interconnected in series with isolation device 25 on a portion of a chip . address lines 10 ( e . g ., columns ) and 20 ( e . g ., rows ) are connected , in one embodiment , to external addressing circuitry . one purpose of the xy grid array of memory elements in combination with isolation devices is to enable each discrete memory element to be read and written without interfering with the information stored in adjacent or remote memory elements of the array . a memory array such as memory array 5 may be formed in a portion , including the entire portion , of a substrate . a typical substrate includes a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate . other substrates including , but not limited to , substrates that contain ceramic material , organic material , or glass material as part of the infrastructure are also suitable . in the case of a silicon semiconductor substrate , memory array 5 may be fabricated over an area of the substrate at the wafer level and then the wafer reduced through singulation into discrete die or chips , some or all of the die or chips having a memory array formed thereon . additional addressing circuitry ( e . g ., decoders , etc .) may be formed in a similar fashion . fig2 - 19 illustrate an embodiment of the fabrication of representative memory element 15 of fig1 . fig2 and fig3 show a structure from an xy - direction and a yz - direction , respectively . fig2 and fig3 show a portion of a memory element ( e . g ., memory element 15 ) including , as will be described , a signal line or conductor ( e . g ., row line 20 of fig1 ), an isolation device ( e . g ., isolation device 25 of fig1 ) and an electrode . referring to fig2 and fig3 there is shown a portion of substrate 100 that is , for example , a semiconductor substrate . in this example , a p - type dopant such as boron is introduced in portion 110 . in one example , a suitable concentration of p - type dopant is on the order of above 5 × 10 19 - 1 × 10 20 atoms per cubic centimeters ( atoms / cm 3 ) rendering portion 110 of substrate 100 representatively p ++ . overlying portion 110 of substrate 100 , in this example , is portion 120 of p - type epitaxial silicon . in one example , the dopant concentration is on the order of about 10 16 - 10 17 atoms / cm 3 . fig3 shows shallow trench isolation ( sti ) structures 130 formed in epitaxial portion 120 of substrate 100 . as will become apparent in the subsequent discussion , sti structures 130 serve , in one aspect , to define the z - direction thickness of a memory element cell , with at this point only the z - direction thickness of a memory element cell defined . in another aspect , sti structures 130 serve to isolate individual memory elements from one another as well as associated circuit elements ( e . g ., transistor devices ) formed in and on the substrate . fig3 also shows memory cell regions 135 a and 135 b introduced as strips with the x - direction dimension greater than the z - direction dimension . overlying epitaxial portion 120 of substrate 100 is first conductor or signal line material 140 . in one example , first conductor or signal line material 140 is n - type doped silicon formed by the introduction of , for example , phosphorous or arsenic to a concentration on the order of about 10 18 - 10 19 atoms / cm 3 ( e . g ., n + silicon ). in this example , first conductor or signal line material 140 serves as an address line , a row line ( e . g ., row line 20 of fig1 ). overlying first conductor or signal line material 140 is an isolation device ( e . g ., isolation device 25 of fig1 ). in this example , the isolation device is a pn diode formed of n - type silicon portion 150 ( dopant concentration on the order of about 10 17 - 10 18 atoms / cm 3 ) and p - type silicon portion 160 ( dopant concentration on the order of about 10 19 - 10 20 atoms / cm 3 ). although a pn diode is shown , it is to be appreciated that other isolation structures are similarly suitable . such devices include , but are not limited to , metal oxide semiconductor ( mos ) devices . following the formation of first conductor or signal line 140 and isolation device 25 , the x - direction dimension of memory cells 145 a and 145 b may be formed , again by sti techniques . fig2 shows trenches formed adjacent memory cells 145 a and 145 b . following trench formation , n - type dopant may be introduced between memory cells ( e . g ., between memory cells 145 a and 145 b ) to form pockets 200 having a dopant concentration on the order of about 10 18 to 10 20 atoms / cm 3 ( e . g ., n − region ). fig2 also shows dielectric material 205 of , for example , silicon dioxide as sti structures between memory cells 145 a and 145 b . referring to fig2 and fig3 overlying the isolation device ( e . g ., isolation device 25 ) in each of memory cell 145 a and 145 b is reducer material 170 of , in this example , a refractory metal silicide such as cobalt silicide ( cosi 2 ). reducer material 170 , in one aspect , serves as a low resistance material in the fabrication of peripheral circuitry ( e . g ., addressing circuitry ) of the circuit structure on the chip in this instance . thus , reducer material 170 is not required in terms of forming a memory element as described . nevertheless , because of its generally low resistance property , its inclusion as part of the memory cell structure between isolation device 25 and memory element 30 ( see fig1 ) is utilized in this embodiment . reducer material 170 may be formed by introducing a refractory metal ( e . g ., cobalt ) into a portion of p - type silicon portion 160 . referring to fig2 dielectric material 180 overlies reducer material 170 and serves , in one embodiment , as an etch stop for a subsequent opening to reducer material 170 . dielectric material 180 is , for example , silicon nitride ( si 3 n 4 ). referring to fig2 and fig3 dielectric material 210 is introduced over the structure to a thickness on the order of 100 å to 50 , 000 å ; enough to encapsulate the memory cell material and to define ( possibly after planarization ) a y - direction thickness ( height ) of an electrode material . in one embodiment , dielectric material 210 is silicon dioxide ( sio 2 ). in another embodiment , dielectric material 210 is a material selected for its reduced thermal conductivity , κ , preferably a thermal conductivity less than κ sio 2 more preferably three to 10 times less κ sio 2 as a general convention , sio 2 has a κ value on the order of 1 . 0 . thus , optional materials for dielectric material 210 include those materials that have κ values less than 1 . 0 . certain high temperature polymers having κ values less than 1 . 0 , carbide materials , aerogel , xerogel ( κ on the order of 0 . 1 ) and their derivatives . referring to fig2 trenches are formed through dielectric material 210 and masking material 180 to reducer material 170 . an electrode material of , for example , polycrystalline semiconductor material such as polycrystalline silicon is then conformally introduced along the side walls of the trench . other suitable materials include carbon and semi - metals such as transition metals including , but not limited to , titanium , titanium - tungsten ( tiw ), titanium nitride ( tin ), titanium aluminum nitride ( tialn ), tungsten - nitride ( wn ), and titanium - silicon nitride ( tisin ). the introduction is conformal in the sense that electrode material 230 is introduced along the side walls and base of trench 220 such that electrode material 230 is in contact with reducer material 170 . in the example described , it is preferable that only a portion of the electrode material extending in the figures in a y - direction , i . e ., only one of two “ leg portions ” extending in a y - direction , constitutes the area of contact with the subsequently introduced memory material . accordingly , in the case of non - conductive material selected for electrode material 230 , such as intrinsic polycrystalline silicon , one of the two leg portions of electrode material 230 is rendered conductive for a conductive path to first conductor or signal line material 140 . for polycrystalline silicon for electrode material 230 , the conductivity of the material may be increased by doping techniques , by for example angled ion implantation into the desired leg portion . in the case of conductive material selected for electrode material 230 , an otherwise conductive path between the non - selected leg portion and first conductor or signal line material 140 may be terminated by , for example introducing a dielectric material between the electrode material and the memory material or by removing a portion of the electrode material by , for example , etching . fig2 shows the structure where only one of the leg portions of the electrode material serves as a conductive path between first conductor or signal line material 140 and a subsequently introduced memory material . in this example , electrode material 230 is a generally non - conductive intrinsic polycrystalline silicon . after the introduction of a dopant into a portion of electrode material 230 , two portions are defined , electrode material 230 a and electrode material 230 b . as illustrated , electrode material 230 a is doped about its length from reducer material 170 and will act as a conductive path between first conductor or signal line material 140 and subsequently introduced memory material . electrode material 230 b is generally non - conductive ( e . g ., predominantly intrinsic polycrystalline silicon ) and thus will generally not serve as a conductive path . fig2 also shows the introduction of dielectric material 250 into trenches 220 . in one embodiment , dielectric material 250 is silicon dioxide ( sio 2 ). in another embodiment , dielectric material 250 is a material that has a thermal conductivity , κ , that is less than the thermal conductivity of sio 2 , κ sio 2 preferably three to 10 times less than κ sio 2 . following introduction , the structure is subjected to a planarization that removes the horizontal component of electrode material 230 . suitable planarization techniques include those known to those of skill in the art , such as chemical or chemical - mechanical polish ( cmp ) techniques . modifying species may be introduced into a portion of electrode material 230 a to raise the local resistance of electrode material 230 a at portion 270 of the electrode material . electrode material portion 270 of polycrystalline silicon and sio 2 , si 3 n 4 , si x o y n z , or sic generally has a higher resistivity than doped polycrystalline silicon of electrode material 230 a . suitable materials for modifying species also include those materials that are introduced ( e . g ., added , reacted , or combined ) into electrode material 230 a and raise the resistivity value within the electrode ( e . g ., raise the local resistance near a volume of memory material ), and the resistivity value is also stable at high temperatures . such modifying species may be introduced by way of implantation or thermal means with , for example , a gaseous ambient . fig2 still further shows the structure with the electrode having optional barrier materials 275 and 280 . barrier material 275 is , for example , titanium silicide ( tisi 2 ) introduced to a thickness on the order of about 100 - 300 å . barrier material 280 is , for example , titanium nitride ( tin ) similarly introduced to a thickness on the order of about 25 - 300 å . fig4 shows a planar top view of the structure of fig2 and fig3 . in this view , electrode material ( illustrated by barrier material 280 ) is formed in strips through a portion of the structure . programmable material will be formed on electrode material 280 . in one embodiment , it is desired to minimize the contact area between electrode material and subsequently formed programmable material . as used herein , the terminology “ area of contact ” or “ contact area ” is the portion of the surface of an electrode contact to which the electrode material electrically communicates with the programmable material . in one embodiment , substantially all electrical communication between the programmable material and the electrode material occurs through all or a portion of an edge of the electrode material . that is , only an edge or a portion of an edge of the electrode material is adjacent to the programmable material . the electrode material need not actually physically contact the programmable material . it is sufficient that the electrode material is in electrical communication with the programmable material . in one aspect , it is desired to reduce the area of contact of the electrode material to the programmable material . referring to fig5 in one embodiment , the “ strips ” of electrode material are partitioned to reduce the area of contact ( contact area ) between subsequently formed programmable material and the electrode material . in one embodiment , it is desired to reduce the area of contact by minimizing the area of electrode material to a minimal feature size . according to current technology , a minimal feature size using photolithographic techniques is approximately 0 . 25 microns ( μm ). fig5 shows the structure of fig4 following the introduction of masking material 300 over a surface of the structure patterned , in one example , to define a feature size , f , of electrode material available for contact to programmable material . forming the electrode material of the desired feature size involves , in one embodiment , etching to partition the electrode material from strips into individual units . fig6 shows the structure of fig5 following the patterning ( e . g ., etching ) of electrode material . following etching , dielectric material 290 of , for example , silicon dioxide ( sio 2 ) is introduced ( e . g ., by chemical vapor deposition ( cvd )). at this point , the surface of the structure is planarized . in the representation shown in fig6 the electrode material strips have been partitioned into area portions each having a width , w , equivalent to the thickness of the deposited electrode layer or film , and a length , f , equivalent to the feature size following photolithographic patterning . thus , the minimal area is determined by the photolithographic minimum . thus , the area of contact , at this point , would be the width , w , times the feature size , f . a representative width , w , for an electrode material film according to current technologies is on the order of 250 angstroms ( å ). fig7 shows an alternative embodiment wherein the electrode material is patterned as circular rings by , for example , depositing electrode material along the side walls of circular trench openings . in this case , the formed circular openings have a feature size , f . the minimal electrode area for contact with a programmable material is π × f × w . in either the representation shown in fig6 or in fig7 it is desired to decrease the contact area of the electrode material with the programmable material , preferably beyond the limits established by photolithography . fig8 - 19 describe a process whereby the contact area may be minimized . fig8 shows the structure of fig6 through lines b - b ′. following the patterning of the electrode material into minimum feature size structures . over the planarized superior surface in fig8 first dielectric material 300 is formed . first dielectric layer 300 is , for example , silicon dioxide deposited by cvd . a thickness on the order of 350 å or less is suitable . formed on first dielectric layer 300 in fig8 is sacrificial layer 310 . in one example , sacrificial layer 310 is a material having a different etch characteristic than first dielectric layer 300 ( e . g ., for a particular etch chemistry , one of first dielectric layer 300 or sacrificial layer 310 may be selectively etched ( removed ) to the ( virtual ) exclusion of the other of first dielectric layer 300 and sacrificial layer 310 ). a suitable material for sacrificial layer 310 where first dielectric layer 300 is sio 2 is , for example , polycrystalline silicon ( polysilicon ). in one example , sacrificial layer 310 of polysilicon is deposited by cvd to a thickness on the order of 1 , 000 å . fig9 shows the structure of fig8 following the patterning of sacrificial layer 310 . in this embodiment , sacrificial layer 310 is patterned such that a body of sacrificial material overlies , in this view , less than the entire portion of the electrode material over which is formed . in fig9 the body of sacrificial layer 310 , as patterned , overlies a portion ( less than the entire portion ) of adjacent electrode material structures . sacrificial layer 310 may be patterned to overlie a portion of electrode material structures by photolithography techniques and etch patterning may be employed to remove the sacrificial material from other areas . fig9 also shows an etch to remove sacrificial material over a portion of each of the viewed electrode material portions proceeds partially into first dielectric layer 300 . etching a distance , h 1 , into first dielectric layer 300 , on the order of about 25 å or less serves , in one aspect , to inhibit undercutting in later processing . fig1 shows the structure of fig9 following the introduction of spacer material 320 . in this example , spacer material 320 is deposited conformally over the superior surface of the structure , including over sacrificial material 310 and first dielectric layer 300 . spacer material 320 is , for example , a material similar to first dielectric layer 300 ( an oxide ) deposited to a thickness , in this example , on the order of about 350 å on the side walls of sacrificial material 310 . this can be achieved , for example , by low pressure cvd ( lpcvd ) targeted to a layer or film thickness of about 450 å to 500 å . fig1 shows the structure of fig1 following an anisotropic etch of spacer material 320 to expose sacrificial material 310 . an anisotropic etch retains spacer material 320 along the side walls ( the y - direction side walls ) of sacrificial material 310 but the lateral portions ( in this view ) along the z - direction of spacer material 320 are removed . accordingly , in this example , approximately 350 å thickness of spacer material is retained on the side walls of sacrificial material 310 . as shown in fig1 , the removal of spacer material by , for example , an anisotropic etch may proceed into a portion of first dielectric layer 300 ( e . g ., to a depth on the order of about 25 å ) so that a thickness , h 3 , of first dielectric layer 300 is removed , equivalent to the amount , h 1 , removed in patterning sacrificial material 310 plus the amount , h 2 , removed in the removal of spacer material 320 . fig1 shows the structure of fig1 following the removal of sacrificial material 310 . in one embodiment , sacrificial material 310 of polysilicon may be removed by an isotropic dry etch using , for example , an etch chemistry of sf 6 / he / o 2 or cf 4 / o 2 or a selective wet etch process . following the removal of sacrificial material 310 , there remains over the superior surface of the structure ( as viewed ) first dielectric layer 300 and vertical ( y - direction ) spacer portion 320 disposed over a portion of electrode material . fig1 shows the structure of fig1 following the removal of the portion of first dielectric material layer 300 to expose a portion of the electrode material while retaining some portion of the vertically - disposed spacer material 320 . in the example where spacer material 320 and first dielectric material layer 300 are each silicon dioxide , an anisotropic etch to remove first dielectric layer 300 may be utilized . it is appreciated that the combined vertical ( y - direction ) thickness of spacer material 320 and first dielectric material layer 300 such that using an anisotropic etch of , for example , a cf 4 / h 2 or chf 3 / h 2 chemistry to expose the electrode material may be accomplished without completely removing spacer material 320 . fig1 shows an optional processing operation whereby to the structure shown in fig1 , a portion of the electrode material is recessed below the non - planar superior surface of the structure ( as viewed ). in the example where electrode material is predominantly polycrystalline silicon , an anisotropic etch , of cf 4 / o 2 or sf 6 / he / o 2 , is suitable . in an example where the electrode material has a y - direction thickness on the order of 5 , 000 å , an etch to remove approximately 1 , 200 å is suitable . the etch is selective for the electrode material and , therefore , spacer material 320 and remaining first dielectric layer portion 300 are retained as is the portion of electrode material directly beneath ( in this view ) spacer material 320 and first dielectric material layer 300 . following recessing electrode material , the opening surrounding the retained electrode material post may be filled to the superior surface with dielectric material , e . g ., cvd deposition of sio 2 ( not shown ). fig1 shows the structure of fig1 following the introduction of second dielectric layer 330 over the structure . in one embodiment , second dielectric layer 330 is of a material having a different etch characteristic than first dielectric layer 300 and , optionally , spacer material 320 . where spacer material 320 and first dielectric layer 300 are each silicon dioxide , second dielectric layer 330 is , for example , silicon nitride . second dielectric layer 330 is introduced such as by low pressure cvd ( lpcvd ) to a thickness on the order of 250 to 450 å . the deposition is conformal such that it is introduced over the superior ( lateral ) surface of the structure ( as viewed ) as well as along the z - direction side walls of and over spacer material 320 ( and first dielectric layer 300 ). fig1 shows the structure of fig1 following the planarization of the superior ( in this view ) surface of the structure . in one embodiment , the planarization may be achieved by a chemical mechanical polish ( cmp ) that removes spacer portion 320 and planarizes second dielectric layer 330 and remaining portions of first dielectric layer 300 . fig1 shows the structure of fig1 following the removal of the remaining portions of first dielectric layer 300 to expose electrode material . the majority of the surface ( the contact area ) of the electrode material is covered by second dielectric layer 330 . the exposed portion of the contact area , in this example , is on the order of about 350 å , equivalent to the thickness of the y - direction portions of spacer material 320 layer or film ( see fig1 and the accompanying text ) where first dielectric is silicon dioxide , a wet etch of 50 to one h 2 o to hf may be used to remove the dielectric material . referring to fig1 , following the removal of dielectric material , a layer of programmable material 340 is introduced . in one example , programmable material 340 is a phase change material . in a more specific example , programmable material 340 includes a chalcogenide element ( s ). examples of phase change programmable material 340 include , but are not limited to , compositions of the class of tellerium - germanium - antimony ( te x ge y sb z ) material . programmable material 340 , in one example according to current technology , is introduced to a thickness on the order of about 600 å . overlying programmable material 340 in the structure of fig1 are barrier materials 350 and 360 of , for example , titanium ( ti ) and titanium nitride ( tin ), respectively . overlying barrier materials 350 and 360 is second conductor or signal line material 370 . barrier material serves , in one aspect , to inhibit diffusion between the volume of programmable material 340 and second conductor or signal line material 370 overlying the volume of programmable material 340 . in this example , second conductor or signal line material 370 serves as an address line , a column line ( e . g ., column line 10 of fig1 ). second conductor or signal line material 370 is , for example , an aluminum material , such as an aluminum alloy . as shown in fig1 , second conductor or signal line material 370 is patterned to be , in one embodiment , generally orthogonal to first conductor or signal line 140 . fig1 is a similarly formed structure wherein a portion of the electrode material is recessed below programmable material 340 . fig1 is an xy - direction cross - section of the structure shown in fig1 or fig1 . it is to be appreciated at this point that programmable material 340 may be patterned contiguously with second conductor or signal line material 370 such that programmable material 340 is itself strips ( like second conductor or signal line material 370 ) or is in a cellular form ( achieved by patterning prior to patterning second conductor or signal line material 370 ). fig1 also shows the structure of fig1 after the introduction of dielectric material 380 over second conductor or signal line material 370 . dielectric material 380 is , for example , sio 2 or other suitable material that surrounds second conductor or signal line material 370 and programmable material 340 to electronically isolate such structure . following introduction , dielectric material 380 is planarized and a via is formed in a portion of the structure through dielectric material 380 , dielectric material 210 , and masking material 180 to reducer material 170 . the via is filled with conductive material 390 such as tungsten ( w ) and barrier material 395 such as a combination of titanium ( ti ) and titanium nitride ( tin ). the structure shown in fig1 also shows additional conductor or signal line material 400 introduced and patterned to mirror that of first conductor or signal line material 140 ( e . g ., row line ) formed on substrate 100 . mirror conductor line material 400 mirrors first conductor or signal line material 140 and is coupled to first conductor or signal line material 140 through a conductive via . by mirroring a doped semiconductor such as n - type silicon , mirror conductor line material 400 serves , in one aspect , to reduce the resistance of conductor or signal line material 140 in a memory array , such as memory array 5 illustrated in fig1 . a suitable material for mirror conductor line material 320 includes an aluminum material , such as an aluminum alloy . in memory element 15 of fig1 and an embodiment fabricated in accordance with techniques described in fig2 - 19 , the electrode delivers electrical current to the programmable material . as the electrical current passes through the electrode and through the programmable material , at least a portion of the electric energy of the electrons is transferred to the surrounding material as heat . that is , the electrical energy is converted to heat energy via joule heating . while not wishing to be bound by theory , it is believed that dissipating power in the electrical contact from joule heating adjacent to the programmable material may at least partially assist ( or may even dominate ) the programming of the programmable material . with phase change materials such as chalcogenide materials , a very small volume of material may be phase - changed ( e . g ., from crystalline to amorphous or vice versa ) and dramatically affect the resistance from the one electrode ( e . g ., signal line ) through the programmable material to a second electrode ( e . g ., signal line ). hence , providing a reduced contact area adjacent to the programmable material reduces the volume of programmable material that is modified and may thus decrease the total power and energy needed to program the device . fig2 presents a graphical representation of the programming ( e . g ., setting and resetting ) of a volume of programmable material that is a chalcogenide material . referring to fig1 programming memory element 15 ( addressed by column line 10 a and row line 20 a ) involves , in one example , supplying a voltage to column line 10 a to introduce a current into the volume of programmable material 30 . while not to be wishing bound by theory , the current causes a temperature increase at the volume of programmable material 30 due , it is believed , to joule heating . referring to fig2 , to amorphize a volume of programmable material , the volume of memory material is heated to a temperature beyond the amorphizing temperature , t m ( e . g ., beyond the melting point of the memory material ). a representative amorphizing temperature for a te x ge y sb z material is on the order of about 600 - 650 ° c . once a temperature beyond t m is reached , the volume of memory material is quenched or cooled rapidly ( by removing the current flow ). the quenching is accomplished at a rate , t 1 , that is faster than the rate at which the volume of programmable material 30 can crystallize so that the volume of programmable material 30 retains its amorphous state . to crystallize a volume of programmable material 30 , the temperature is raised by current flow to the crystallization temperature for the material ( representatively a temperature between the glass transition temperature of the material and the melting point ) and retained at that temperature for a sufficient time to crystallize the material . after such time , the volume of programmable material is quenched ( by removing the current flow ). in the preceding example , the volume of programmable material 30 was heated to a high temperature to amorphisize the material and reset the memory element ( e . g ., program 0 ). heating the volume of programmable material to a lower crystallization temperature crystallizes the material and sets the memory element ( e . g ., program 1 ). it is to be appreciated that the association of reset and set with amorphous and crystalline material , respectively , is a convention and that at least an opposite convention may be adopted . it is also to be appreciated from this example that the volume of memory material 30 need not be partially set or reset by varying the current flow and duration through the volume of memory material . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense .	6
referring now to fig1 , the present invention provides an apparatus 50 for coaptation of first and second severed nerve segments 10 , 12 . generally , the apparatus 50 includes a first coaptation member 52 that surrounds and engages the first nerve segment 10 and a second coaptation member 54 that surrounds and engages the second nerve segment 12 . the first and second coaptation members 52 , 54 abut each other to coapt the ends of the first and second nerve segments 10 , 12 . in addition , the first and second coaptation members 52 , 54 include nerve - engaging features or “ coupling members ” that each connect to a coupling member on the opposite coaptation member 52 , 54 to form “ coupling pairs ”. the coupling pairs are advantageously movable relative to each other to permit nerve swelling and inhibit nerve compression . various configurations of the apparatus 50 and the coupling members are described below . the coaptation members 52 , 54 also receive one or more pharmaceutical agents from an agent delivery device 56 to facilitate repair and fusion of the nerve segments 10 , 12 . various pharmaceutical agents may be used , although advantageous pharmaceutical agents are described below . regardless of the specific type used , the pharmaceutical agents are subsequently evacuated to a collection device 58 . turning now to fig2 - 5 , a first configuration of the nerve coaptation apparatus 100 is shown . in this configuration , the first and second coaptation members 102 , 104 are generally similar , and therefore only the first coaptation member 102 is described in detail herein . the first coaptation member 102 includes a plurality of coupling members 106 , which may comprise various materials commonly associated with medical devices , such as implantable , biodegradable , and non - neurotoxic polymers and the like . each of the coupling members 106 includes a semi - cylindrical wall 108 , and together the walls 108 provide the first coaptation member 102 with a cylindrical shape for receiving the first nerve segment 10 . that is , the coupling members 106 together define open ends 110 , 112 through which the nerve segment 10 extends and an internal nerve passageway 114 that receives nerve segment 10 . furthermore , the coupling members 106 together define a longitudinal direction of the coaptation member 102 extending between the open ends 110 , 112 and aligned with the longitudinal direction of the nerve segment 10 . to permit the coupling members 106 to move relative to each other , the first coaptation member 102 includes a plurality of expandable or flexible joints 116 connecting the sides of adjacent coupling members 106 . the flexible joints 116 may comprise various materials , such as elastically deformable , implantable , biodegradable , and non - neurotoxic polymers and the like . in any case , the flexible joints 116 permit the coupling members 106 to move in a transverse direction ( that is , a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction within five degrees ) relative to one another . such relative motion between the coupling members 106 advantageously permits nerve swelling ( by up to , for example , 50 percent ) and inhibits nerve compression . the first coaptation member 102 includes several features to engage the first nerve segment 10 and the second coaptation member 104 proximate the open end 110 . to connect to the nerve segment 10 , each of the coupling members 106 includes a hooked epineurium pin 118 . as the name implies , each epineurium pin 118 pierces the epineurium of the nerve segment 10 . as such , the epineurium pins 118 inhibit the nerve segment 10 from moving longitudinally relative to the coaptation member 102 . in addition , the epineurium pins 118 hold the nerve segment 10 in an appropriate position for coaptation with the second nerve segment 12 ( that is , proximate the open end 110 ) when the coaptation members 102 , 104 are connected . to connect the first coaptation member 102 to the second coaptation member 104 , each of the coupling members 106 includes two longitudinally extending connection elements 120 , 122 proximate the first open end 110 . half of the connection elements are tapering posts 120 and half of the connection elements are holes 122 . each hole 122 receives one of the tapering posts 120 on the second coaptation member 104 , and each tapering post 120 is received in one of the holes 122 on the second coaptation member 104 . in addition , each tapering post 120 may be press - fittingly received in the corresponding hole 122 to provide a firm connection between the coaptation members 102 , 104 . such a connection may inhibit the coaptation members 102 , 104 from moving apart in the longitudinal direction once connected . one or more of the coupling members 106 also include features to ensure proper angular alignment of the nerve segments 10 , 12 ( that is , proper alignment of individual axons and the like ). specifically , on each of the coaptation members 102 , 104 , one of the coupling members 106 includes a plurality of strips 124 , 126 , and 128 of different colors . when connecting the nerve segments 10 , 12 to the coaptation members 102 , 104 , respectively , common features of the nerve segments 10 , 12 ( for example , fascicle patterns or the like ) may be aligned with a specific strip 124 , 126 , or 128 . then , when connecting the coaptation members 102 , 104 to each other , matching color strips 124 , 126 , and 128 on the coaptation members 102 , 104 are aligned to ensure that the features of the nerve segments 10 , 12 are aligned . furthermore , the coupling members 106 could be translucent or transparent to permit the nerve segments 10 , 12 to be viewed therethrough . during deployment , the coaptation members 102 , 104 may be moved towards each other and joined using a linear or hinged coupling applicator , such as those used for vascular anastomoses . other deployment devices may alternatively be used . after deployment , one or more pharmaceutical agents may be delivered from the agent delivery device , through an inlet passageway 130 defined by one of the coupling members 106 , and into the nerve passageways 114 to facilitate repair and fusion of the nerve segments 10 , 12 . after a specified amount of time , the pharmaceutical agents are evacuated through an outlet passageway 132 defined by one of the coupling members 106 and into the collection device . the first configuration of the nerve coaptation apparatus 100 may be modified in other manners that are not explicitly described above . for example , the coupling members 106 may include more or less than two connection elements 120 , 122 and one epineurium pin 118 ( for example , each coaptation member 102 and 104 may include twelve connection elements 120 , 122 and six epineurium pins 118 ). as another example , the inlet passageway 130 and outlet passageway 132 may be omitted , and gaps defined by the flexible joints 116 and the sides of adjacent coupling members 106 may serve as inlet and outlet passageways . turning now to fig6 - 9 , a second configuration of the nerve coaptation apparatus 200 is shown . in this configuration , the apparatus 200 includes a first coaptation member and a second coaptation member 202 , 204 that are generally similar . as such , only the first coaptation member 202 is described in detail herein . in general , the first coaptation member 202 permits nerve swelling and inhibits compression by deploying a plurality of relatively movable coupling members . this aspect is described in further detail below . the first coaptation member 202 may comprise various materials commonly associated with medical devices , such as non - neurotoxic polymers and the like . the first coaptation member 202 includes a wall 206 that defines a cylindrical shape for receiving the first nerve segment 10 . that is , the wall 206 defines open ends 208 , 210 through which the nerve segment 10 extends and an internal nerve passageway 212 that receives nerve segment 10 . furthermore , the coaptation member 202 defines a longitudinal direction extending between the open ends 208 , 210 and aligned with the longitudinal direction of the nerve segment 10 . the first coaptation member 202 also supports connection elements 214 , 216 , such as those described above , to connect to the second coaptation member 204 . that is , the coaptation member 202 includes a plurality of longitudinally extending connection elements 214 , 216 proximate the first open end 208 . half of the connection elements are tapering posts 214 and half of the connection elements are holes 216 . each hole 216 receives one of the tapering posts 214 on the second coaptation member 204 , and each tapering post 214 is received in one of the holes 216 on the second coaptation member 204 . in addition , each tapering post 214 may be press - fittingly received in the corresponding hole 216 to provide a firm connection between the coaptation members 202 , 204 . such a connection may inhibit the coaptation members 202 , 204 from moving apart in the longitudinal direction once connected . the first coaptation member 202 also includes inlet and outlet passageways 218 , 220 to receive and evacuate one or more pharmaceutical agents , respectively . in this configuration , the inlet and outlet passageways 218 , 220 are defined adjacent to bridges 222 that connect opposite semi - cylindrical halves 224 of the coaptation member 202 . as described briefly above , the first coaptation member 202 releasably supports a plurality of coupling members 226 , 228 on the inner surface of the wall 206 . the coupling members 226 , 228 engage and hold the first nerve segment 10 in contact with the second nerve segment 12 . as such , the coupling members 226 , 228 may comprise various materials commonly associated with medical devices , such as implantable , biodegradable , and non - neurotoxic polymers and the like . to engage and hold the first nerve segment 10 in contact with the second nerve segment 12 , half of the coupling members 226 have tapering shapes and act as epineurium pins that pierce the epineurium of the nerve segment 10 . in addition , these coupling members 226 are fixedly received by a corresponding pin - receiving coupling member 228 of the second coaptation member 204 . similarly , each pin - receiving coupling member 228 of the first coaptation member 202 fixedly receives one of the epineurium pin coupling members 226 of the second coaptation member 204 . after receiving the nerve segments 10 , 12 , connecting to each other , and delivering and evacuating the pharmaceutical agents , the coaptation members 202 , 204 detach from the coupling members 226 , 228 , for example , by breaking the bridges 222 and an adhesive connection between the coaptation members 202 , 204 and the coupling members 226 , 228 . the coupling members 226 , 228 remain connected to each other and the nerve segments 10 , 12 . as such , the coupling members 226 , 228 inhibit the nerve segments 10 , 12 from moving apart in the longitudinal direction . however , each pair of coupling members 226 , 228 is movable in the transverse direction relative to the other pairs . the coupling members 226 , 228 thereby permit nerve swelling and inhibit compression . turning now to fig1 - 12 , a third configuration of the nerve coaptation apparatus 300 is shown . the third configuration of the apparatus 300 shares many features with the second configuration of the nerve coaptation apparatus 200 . for example , the coaptation members 302 , 304 may comprise various materials commonly associated with medical devices , such as non - neurotoxic polymers and the like . furthermore , each coaptation member 302 , 304 includes a plurality of connection elements 306 , 308 like those described above and a plurality of detachably supported and nerve - engaging coupling members 310 , 312 like those described above . each coaptation member 302 , 304 also includes inlet and outlet passageways 314 , 316 to receive and evacuate one or more pharmaceutical agents , respectively . in contrast to the second configuration , each coaptation member 302 , 304 includes two separate semi - cylindrical halves 318 that are initially held in abutment by a semi - cylindrical deployment element 320 . as such , after connecting the nerve segments 10 , 12 to the coupling members 310 , 312 and connecting the coaptation members 302 , 304 to each other , the deployment elements 320 are detached from the coaptation members 302 , 304 by , for example , moving the deployment elements 320 apart in the longitudinal direction . thereafter , and as shown in fig1 , the coaptation member halves 318 are separated from each other , the coupling members 310 , 312 , and the nerve segments 10 , 12 by moving apart in the transverse direction . for each of the above configurations , the coaptation members may provide a range of sizes appropriate for use with digital nerve repair ( about 1 mm in diameter ) up to brachial root repair ( about 1 cm in diameter ). turning now to fig1 , 14a , and 14b and as briefly described above , the coaptation members may receive one or more pharmaceutical agents from the agent delivery device to facilitate repair and fusion of the nerve segments . the agent delivery device may be one or more syringes ( in the case of a single syringe , multiple agents may be separately compartmentalized ), a manifold that automatically delivers pharmaceutical agents , or the like . regardless of the specific type of agent delivery device , the pharmaceutical agents preferably and advantageously include a sequence of : 1 ) a hypotonic calcium - free solution ( for example , a solution as shown below in tables 1 and 2 applied for a period of about 60 seconds before evacuation ); 2 ) antioxidants / inhibitors of membrane sealing ( for example , 2 mm melatonin or 100 μm usp methylene blue applied for a period of about 90 seconds before evacuation ); 3 ) a lipid membrane fusogen ( for example , 5 g polyethylene glycol 2000 ( peg ) dissolved in 5 ml distilled water applied for about 90 seconds before evacuation ); and ; 4 ) isotonic calcium - containing solution ( for example , a solution as shown below in tables 3 - 5 applied for a period of about 120 - 180 seconds before evacuation ). alternatively , the hypotonic calcium - free solution may be additionally applied to the nerve after the antioxidants / inhibitors of membrane sealing and before the lipid membrane fusogen to wash away usp methylene blue stains on the nerve segments . data collected by the present inventors and partially illustrated in fig1 a and 14b indicates that antioxidants / inhibitors of membrane sealing , such as usp methylene blue and melatonin , maintain the axonal ends of severed nerve segments in an open and vesicle - free state appropriate for repair by a lipid membrane fusogen , such as peg . furthermore , these data also indicate that the above sequence advantageously improves recovery time and nerve function compared to microsutures , specifically by a factor of up to two and 40 percent in four months , respectively . after the specified contact period with the nerve segments , each pharmaceutical agent may be evacuated by applying vacuum pressure , permitting free drainage , capillary action ( for example , by connecting the outlet passageway to an absorbent surgical material ), or the like . furthermore , the actions of the delivery device and the collection device can be coordinated , for example , via an electronic controller ( not shown ) and a plurality of valves ( not shown ), such that each pharmaceutical agent contacts the nerve segments for the specified contact period . such a controller may also control the delivery pressure of the pharmaceutical agents . that is , the controller may provide the agents at a pressure sufficiently low to maintain contact of the ends of the nerve segments , and sufficiently high to ensure adequate distribution of the chemicals over the nerve segments . a method for treatment of a nerve , comprising the steps of : delivering at least one of an antioxidant and an inhibitor of membrane sealing to the nerve ; evacuating the at least one of the antioxidant and the inhibitor of membrane sealing away from the nerve ; delivering at least one lipid membrane fusogen to the nerve after evacuating the at least one of the antioxidant and the inhibitor of membrane sealing ; and evacuating the at least one lipid membrane fusogen away from the nerve . in some configurations , the at least one of the antioxidant and the inhibitor of membrane sealing includes one of usp methylene blue and melatonin . in some configurations , the at least one lipid membrane fusogen includes polyethylene glycol . delivering at least one hypotonic calcium - free solution to the nerve ; and evacuating the at least one hypotonic calcium - free solution away from the nerve before delivering the at least one of the antioxidant and the inhibitor of membrane sealing . delivering at least one isotonic calcium - containing solution to the nerve after evacuating the at least one lipid membrane fusogen ; and evacuating the at least one isotonic calcium - containing solution away from the nerve . in some configurations , the nerve includes a first segment severed from and abutting a second segment , and each of the at least one of the antioxidant and the inhibitor of membrane sealing and the at least one lipid membrane fusogen are delivered to and evacuated away from the first segment and the second segment . the pharmaceutical agents may be provided in a kit . such a kit may be summarized as follows . a kit for use in a pharmaceutical agent delivery sequence , comprising : at least one of an antioxidant and an inhibitor of membrane sealing ; at least one lipid membrane fusogen ; and instructions indicating that the pharmaceutical agent delivery sequence includes at least one of the antioxidant and the inhibitor of membrane sealing followed by the at least one lipid membrane fusogen . from the above description , it should be apparent that the present invention provides a nerve coaptation apparatus that includes a plurality of nerve - engaging coupling pairs . the coupling pairs are advantageously movable relative to each other to permit nerve swelling and inhibit nerve compression . the various configurations presented above are merely examples and are in no way meant to limit the scope of this disclosure . variations of the configurations described herein will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art , such variations being within the intended scope of the present application . in particular , features from one or more of the above - described configurations may be selected to create alternative configurations comprised of a sub - combination of features that may not be explicitly described above . in addition , features from one or more of the above - described configurations may be selected and combined to create alternative configurations comprised of a combination of features which may not be explicitly described above . features suitable for such combinations and sub - combinations would be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art upon review of the present application as a whole . the subject matter described herein and in the recited claims intends to cover and embrace all suitable changes in technology .	0
the mobile kitchen 63 shown from the right side in fig1 is mounted on trailer wheels 17 . it is a compartmentalized trailer with side and end panels hinged along the roof line 65 in fig5 . these panels are locked down during transportation ( shown in fig5 ) and raised during operation of the kitchen . at the forward end of the vehicle is an enclosed utility room 25 used for storage of cooking utensils , foodstuffs and a tent - like flexible enclosure . entry to the utility room is through door 50 ( fig5 ) on the right side of the kitchen . an identical door may be located on the left side of the vehicle . at the rear of the utility room is the primary cooking compartment separated from the utility room by firewall 64 . the primary cooking compartment is open to both sides of the vehicle . this permits two cooks to work at the burners unimpeded by each other . the primary cooking area contains the 600 , 000 btu stove burner array 33 ( fig3 ) and control array 22 . above the burner array are swing arm racks 24 hinged from the fire wall . these racks facilitate the loading and unloading of the food . located to the rear of the primary cooking compartment is the food preparation area accessible only from the left side of the vehicle . the area is used to receive raw foodstuffs and for cleaning the food in the three bay sink 28 . the proximity of the food processing area to the cooking area allows immediate transfer of the food to the cooks while the food preparer remains clear of the cooking area . the next rearward space contains the primary baking compartment housing the baking , roasting and smoking ovens 29 . the mobile kitchen is mounted on a frame which rides on the dual axels and wheel assembly 17 and supports the vehicle . the wheels are covered by fenders 36 . the frame has a standard trailer hitch 1 at the forward end . a screw jack leveler 2 is mounted to the frame for support of the forward end of the kitchen when the kitchen is unhitched from the prime mover . other levelers ( not shown ) may be attached to the frame to provide stability on uneven ground . the mobile kitchen 63 has a continuous roof 55 extending from the utility room to the rear wall of the baking compartment and a vent 45 ( fig4 ). the roof 55 is composed of an upper roof which slants downwardly a short distance on both sides of the centerline and a lower roof which is vertically spaced downwardly from the upper roof . a longitudinal vent 45 is formed by this discontinuity between the upper roof and the lower roof . the size of the vent allows for a large volume of mixing of fresh air with the smoke , smell and heat produced by the kitchen . the lowest edge of the upper roof overlaps the highest edge of the lower roof . the vent 45 may have a mesh material extending between the upper and lower roofs . the lower roof slants downwardly and ends at longitudinal edge which may be even with the upper edge of the side panels ( not shown ) or extended a short distance beyond the side panels , as shown in fig4 the rear of the mobile kitchen has a rear panel 100 extending across its width that swings upwardly through a hinge attached to the rear wall of the kitchen by extension 66 . the rear panel 100 provides overhead protection for a bakers station during operation of the kitchen . the rear panel is attached to a hinged support platform 67 during transportation of the kitchen . in operation the support platform 67 provides planar support for the person working at the station . the platform 67 may be a metal grating material which is lightweight but strong enough to support the user . the grating also provides a safe non - slip surface in all weather conditions . the baker &# 39 ; s station includes a rolling / butcher board 13 attached to the rear wall through a hinge . on the other side of the rear wall forward of the baker &# 39 ; s station are the baking ovens 29 . the location of the baker &# 39 ; s station separates the baker and the baking operation from the other cooks and food preparers . the baking ovens 29 enclose approximately 110 square feet with 80 t racks and are capable of 320 , 000 btus . for flexibility , there are several separate ovens mounted together . four oven doors are shown in fig1 . the ovens have swing out doors 15 , shown in fig1 and a modification shown in fig2 . the ovens may be used for baking , roasting , smoking and warming of various foodstuffs or prepared foods . the interior of the ovens have conventional vertically adjustable spaced racks . each oven has a flue 10 which directs the oven exhaust to the area of the vent 45 . the damper system 11 controls the flow of smoke and exhaust gases from the oven flue 10 . located under the ovens is a storage compartment entered through doors 14 facing the right side of the vehicle . forward of the ovens , in the food preparation area there is a large fuel tank 26 for supply of the ovens 29 . in the embodiment shown , the fuel tank may hold 200 pounds of propane . however , the tank may be designed in a different shape , may be mounted horizontally , and may hold other fuels . the tank may be permanently affixed to the frame with re - filling fittings or it may be removably mounted on the frame . the tank and it &# 39 ; s fittings are accessible from the right side of the kitchen . there is a water hook up or fill port 21 . not shown is a conventional filtering system located between the water fill port and the outlets in the sinks 18 and 28 . also located in the food preparation area is a hot water tank 20 . the hot water tank is shown as a vertically mounted cylinder but may be designed in different configurations . the hot water tank 20 , as shown , has a gas heated 40 gallon capacity . the gas heated hot water tank has a gas shut off system 19 . it may be fueled from the adjacent fuel tank or may be electrically heated . the hot water is directed to the large three bay food preparation sink 28 and the smaller personnel sink 18 . the large sink 28 is accessible from the left side of the kitchen and the personnel sink 18 is accessible from the right side of the kitchen . located above the sink 28 is the 55 gallon cold water tank 74 ( shown in fig3 and 5 ). the conventional plumbing between the fill port , the tanks and the sink faucets is not shown . the faucets of sinks 18 and 28 can also mix unheated water at the outlet . the combined weight of the full fuel and water tanks is placed in the area above the dual axels to provide better handling characteristics during transport of the kitchen . as shown in fig1 a convection oven 16 is mounted in the food preparation area with access from the right side of the kitchen . the convection oven , illustrated , is operatively connected to a source of heat capable of 80 , 000 btu output . the food preparation area and adjacent areas are illuminated by florescent lighting 7 . the lighting is connected to the lower roof trusses ( not shown ) and can be powered by battery , generator or electric grid . in this lighting location there may be a multiple electrical outlet for additional area lighting or other extraneous electrical appliances . the electrical bus providing the capability to hook the kitchen to other sources of electricity may be located in the utility room 25 . the electrical bus is also the interface to the electrical wiring circuit for the mobile kitchen from which all the electrical components of the kitchen receive their power . forward of the food preparation area is the primary cooking area . the cooking area has a continuous cooking surface grill of approximately 46 square feet . mounted below the grill is an array of burners 33 . the individual burners may be separately controlled or ganged in sub - sets of the array 33 to allow portions of the grill to be heated or heated at different temperatures . the burners 33 may be configured to use propane , diesel fuel , jet fuel , alcohol , gasoline or may be in the form of electrical heating elements . the burners 33 are supplied from the tank 3 located in the utility room 25 . the tank 3 also has a gas shut off valve assembly ( not shown ). mounted vertically above the burners are forward swing arm racks and aft swing arm racks 24 . the left side set of swing arm racks are shown in fig1 . another identical set is located on the right side of the kitchen . these swing arm racks move in the horizontal plane and allow food to be placed closer or farther away from the burners , as necessary . mounted above the swing arm racks are warming racks 6 , as shown in fig1 . these racks 6 may be a series of rods extending across the cooking area or they may be in the form of a grill . these racks may be used to keep serving trays of already cooked food warm until the trays can be placed in the serving line . the peripheral lip of the serving tray cooperates with the rods to suspend the tray in the cooking area . positioned above the warming racks are two sets of high intensity flood lights 5 . these lights are mounted on a movable arm , one on each side of the kitchen . the lights are individually controlled to illuminate either side of the kitchen and can be manipulated for best results . the fire suppression system is located in the cooking area at a height sufficient to be above the working space and to provide the greatest dispersion of the fire suppression material . the fire suppression system has a supply line 62 which extends most of the length of the cooking area . the supply line is connected to the reservoir 4 , shown in fig2 and multiple nozzles along the supply line 62 . the fire suppression system has an automatic ( thermostatic ) triggering mechanism ( not shown ) and can be activated manually . upon activation of the fire suppression system the nozzles diffuse the fire suppression material to cover the cooking area and shut off the propane . florescent lighting 7 is also provided in the cooking area . the fixtures are connected to the roof trusses ( not shown ) above the cooking area . a cooking platform is connected to the chassis below the cooking area on both sides of the kitchen . the platform 23 , as shown , has an upper level , a vertical riser and a lower level . the cooking platform is hingedly fastened to the frame so that in transport , the platform is stowed inside the side panels . during cooking operations , the platform is deployed providing a non - skid grid surface for the cooks . the chassis and the roof are connected together through vertical framing members . the forward framing member 72 supports the front end wall of the utility room 25 . framing member 64 is in the form of a bulkhead forming the fire wall between the utility room 25 and the cooking area . the bulkhead is connected to and supports the forward end of the burner array 33 , the swing arm trays , the forward end of the warming racks , the high intensity flood lights and the fire suppression supply line . framing member 69 is also in the form of a bulkhead and supports the aft end of the burner array 33 , the aft swing arm trays , and the aft end of the warming racks . framing member 70 is formed as a double thickness bulkhead and supports the forward end of the ovens . framing member 71 forms the rear wall of the vehicle and is connected to the aft end of the ovens . framing member 71 also supports the extension 66 and the cutting board 13 . in fig4 the enclosure 54 is bounded by the tent material 73 which is attached at 56 to the vehicle side walls 43 . the enclosure 54 has door flaps 53 on the left side and 57 on the right side of the vehicle . identical doors are on the front of the enclosure ( not shown ). sanitation devices include the separate personnel hand sink 18 and the fluid dispensers 9 , 12 , and 27 which dispense alcohol based bactericides . it can be seen that this particular layout of the various utilities results in a very efficient work place for the quick preparation of large quantities of food using a minimum number of people . each operation in the food preparation chain can be accomplished separately and simultaneously within close proximity to the other allowing mutual support . the mobile kitchen can be staffedby three cooks . the three cooks can prepare a meal for about 315 people within two hours . the mobile kitchen is approximately 30 feet long from the trailer hitch to the rear panel . the chassis is about 8 feet wide . it weights about 12 , 000 pounds . this lightweight vehicle and it &# 39 ; s small prime mover can be operated by the same people that do the cooking . no specialized skill is needed , other than driving , to move the mobile kitchen to the place of it &# 39 ; s use and set it up for operation . the vehicle is capable of moving at highway speeds over long distances with readily available towing vehicles . the set - up time is approximately 30 minutes from arrival on site until start of cooking . the mobile kitchen can be made in different sizes to accommodate larger or smaller groups of people . obviously , smaller units could be moved by smaller prime movers . the specific layout of the various utilities described in the specification may be arranged in different spaces , e . g . the burners may be at the rear with the ovens near the front , the sinks may be accessible from opposite sides to that disclosed , and the utility room may contain fewer or more of the fuel tanks and connections , all within the spirit of the invention .	1
referring next to the drawings , there is shown a stacker 10 embodying principles of the invention in a preferred form . the stacker 10 is shown coupled to a conventional sewing machine 11 of the type having a sewing bed 12 and a sewing head 13 with a sewing needle 14 . the sewing machine may have a sewing head such as that made by pegasus sewing machine company , ltd . of osaka , japan as model number s - 52 , and a drive motor such as that made by comelz italia of vigavano , italy as model argo 42am / ad3 . the drive motor has a multiprocessor which will be used in controlling the actuation of the stacker as described in more detail hereinafter . the sewing machine 11 and stacker 10 are designed to manipulate a sheet of material 17 having a leading edge 18 defining a leading portion 19 and a trailing edge 21 defining a trailing portion 22 , each being with respect to the direction of material travel as it is sewn . the stacker has a support frame 25 , a support bed 26 supported upon the frame 25 which extends from the sewing bed 12 , a first photoelectric eye 28 , a wheel assembly 29 mounted to the frame , and a grasping assembly 30 mounted to the frame . the support bed 26 has a downturned rear guide plate 31 with an elongated slot 32 therethrough . the first photoelectric eye 28 is mounted to the sewing bed 12 closely adjacent the sewing needle 14 to sense the presence of the material trailing edge 21 adjacent the sewing needle 14 . the wheel assembly 29 has a motorized wheel 34 coupled to a pneumatic cylinder 35 for movement between a lowered , active position closely adjacent the support bed and in contact with the material thereon , as shown in fig3 and an elevated , static position distal the support bed , as shown in fig2 . the wheel assembly 29 also includes a separate material holder 36 having a holding finger 37 coupled to a pneumatic cylinder 38 for movement between a lowered , engaged position contacting the material upon the support bed , as shown in fig4 and an elevated , disengaged position distal the support bed 12 , as shown in fig2 . a second photoelectric eye 41 is mounted adjacent the motorized wheel 34 to sense the passing thereby of the material trailing edge 21 . the grasping assembly 30 includes an elongated arm 43 pivotably mounted to the frame 25 for movement about a pivot 44 . the elongated arm 43 has a pair of pivotably grasping fingers 46 mounted at one end and a pneumatic cylinder 47 mounted at an opposite end . the grasping fingers 46 are actuated by a pneumatic cylinder 48 for movement between a grasping or pinching configuration closely adjacent each other , as best shown in fig5 and a release configuration separated from each other , as best shown in fig2 . pneumatic cylinder 47 is mounted to the arm 43 below pivot 44 for reciprocal , pivotable movement of the arm between a grasping position with the grasping fingers adjacent the support bed , as shown in fig2 and a stacking position adjacent a stacking station s , as shown in fig8 . each of the aforementioned pneumatic cylinders includes a control valve for the actuation thereof . the multiprocessor of the sewing machine drive motor is coupled to the motorized wheel 34 for the selective energization thereof , and the first and second photoelectric eyes 28 and 41 . the multiprocessor is also coupled to the control valves of the grasping finger pneumatic cylinder 48 , the arm pneumatic cylinder 47 , the motorized wheel pneumatic cylinder 35 , and holding finger pneumatic cylinder 38 . all electrical wiring and pneumatic lines have been eliminated for clarity of illustration . in use , initially the multiprocessor inactivates the motorized wheel 34 and signals the pneumatic cylinders so as to position the arm 43 to its grasping position , the grasping fingers 46 to their release configuration , the motorized wheel 34 to its static position , and the holding finger 37 to its disengaged position . a sheet of material 17 is then positioned by an operator adjacent the sewing head 13 and stitched by the sewing machine needle 14 while simultaneously being advanced forward by the sewing head 13 . as the material trailing edge 21 passes the first photoelectric eye 28 a signal is sent to the multiprocessor which in turn signals the sewing head to complete the stitching process and signals the pneumatic cylinder 35 to move the motorized wheel 34 to its active position in contact with the material 17 . the multiprocessor then energizes the motorized wheel 34 to cause the continuous forward movement of the material . the material is advanced over the guide plate 31 to a position wherein the leading portion 19 of the material gravitationally depend therefrom , as shown in fig3 . as the material trailing edge 21 approaches the motorized wheel it passes the second photoelectric eye 41 which signals the multiprocessor to de - energize the motorized wheel and signals the pneumatic cylinder 38 so as to move holding finger 37 to its engaged position in contact with the material , as shown in fig4 . as such , the motorized wheel 34 and holding finger 37 hold the trailing portion 22 of the material against the support bed 26 while the majority of the material depends therefrom . the multiprocessor then signals pneumatic cylinder 48 to move the grasping fingers 46 to their pinching configuration grasping the trailing portion 22 of the material therebetween , as shown in fig5 . the lower grasping finger passes through the slot 32 of the guide plate 31 into contact with the bottom surface of the material . once the material has been grasped , the multiprocessor then actuates pneumatic cylinders 35 and 38 so as to move the motorized wheel 34 to its elevated position and to move the holding finger 37 to its disengaged position . pneumatic cylinder 47 is then actuated to pivot the arm from its grasping position to its stacking position , as shown in fig7 and 8 . the pivotal movement of the arm brings the trailing portion of the material over the leading portion of the material thereby inverting the material . as the arm approaches the stacking position the grasping fingers are once again spread apart to their release configuration thereby releasing the material . the material sequentially falls onto a support surface or upon previously stacked material and the components of the stacker are returned to their initial positions . the just describe apparatus has been designed to stack material in a very fast and efficient manner . this is accomplished by allowing the material to depend from the support surface prior to mechanical movement thereof and then flipping the trailing edge over the leading edge along approximately a 90 degree arc . this is done without regard to the length of the material . as such , the material is mechanically moved for stacking along a distance generally much less than the length of the material itself . this eliminates the problem of moving the material along a distance equal to or greater than its length , a problem which has heretofore limited the efficiency of known stackers . also , it is believed that the mounting of pneumatic cylinder 47 below pivot 44 provides the optimal arm pivot speed and torque required to move the material in the just described fashion . it should be understood that hydraulic cylinders , solenoids , electric motors or other types of actuation means may be used in place of the just described pneumatic cylinders . it should also be understood that material holder 36 may be eliminated as the motorized wheel itself holds the material in place during its grasping . however , the preferred embodiment includes the material holder to ensure that the material does not slip . also , the photoelectric eyes may be positioned above the support surface rather than within the bed and the exact position of the photoelectric eyes may vary depending upon sewing variables such as the type of sewing machine used , its sewing speed and the type of stitching produced therefrom . thus , an improved stacker is now provided which quickly and efficiently stacks material . while this invention has been described in detail with particular references to preferred embodiments thereof , it should be understood that many modifications , additions and deletions may be made thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .	1
applicants &# 39 ; polysiloxane matrix material containing a homogeneous dispersion of metal particles is unique in that it contains metal in the zero oxidation state while still in the form of a sol , gel or xerogel . this enables the polysiloxane matrix material to be used in a variety of applications that require an uncalcinated material , i . e ., applications that require molding , coating , and dipping . the polysiloxane matrix material also displays excellent adhesive qualities , most likely generated by coulombic interactions among the metal particles dispersed within the matrix . suitable metals for encapsulation in the polysiloxane matrix material include those having a standard reduction potential ( e °) greater than the reduction potentials of h 2 and si - h . particularly useful metals are palladium , rhodium , platinum , ruthenium , copper , silver , antimony , rhenium , iridium , gold , mercury , bismuth , manganese and other metals of similar reduction potentials . the metal preferably is dispersed within the polysiloxane matrix material in the form of fine particles and in an amount ranging from about 0 . 1 to 15 mole percent . moreover , the metal is homogeneously dispersed in the polysiloxane matrix material . preferably , the particle size of the metal in the polysiloxane matrix material is less than 100 å , more preferably from 15 to 50 å . the compound of the invention may be prepared according to the claimed method as follows . a siloxane compound or mixture of siloxane compounds is combined and reacted with a metal salt in an aqueous solution , i . e ., an aqueous or organic / aqueous solution . the metal salt contains the metal to be dispersed in the polysiloxane matrix . suitable siloxane compounds for use in the invention include those having si - h groups . for example , monoalkoxysilanes , dialkoxysilanes , trialkoxysilanes , and tetralkoxysilanes and mixtures of the same may be used . if tetraalkoxysilanes are used , they must be used in conjunction with another siloxane compound . preferably ethoxysilanes may be used , particularly triethoxysilane and mixtures of triethoxysilane with tetraethoxysilane . the siloxane compound or compounds should be freshly distilled before use . on combination in the aqueous solution the siloxane compound polymerizes into a polysiloxane matrix . the metal salt promotes polymerization . at the same time , the metal is reduced to the metallic ( 0 ) oxidation state and is homogeneously dispersed in the polysiloxane matrix . virtually uniform reduction of the metal from a cation to the metallic ( 0 ) state occurs during this sol - gel process . no heating or calcination steps are required , however calcination may be performed subsequently by conventional heating . alternatively , the polysiloxane matrix material may be dried and stored in air for several weeks in the xerogel state . during reaction of the metal salt and siloxane compound , hydrogen gas is produced . both the siloxane and the hydrogen generated in situ serve to reduce the metal from a cationic oxidation state to a metallic ( 0 ) oxidation state . the aqueous solution may comprise water alone or a mixture of water and an organic compound miscible with water and capable of solubilizing the siloxane compounds used in the method . a useful organic compound is tetrahydrofuran ( thf ). if a mixture of water and thf is used , the volume ratio of thf : water is preferably in the range of 2 : 1 to 10 : 1 , more preferably 5 : 1 . suitable metal salts for use in the claimed method are those soluble in the aqueous or organic / aqueous solution and formed from metals having a standard reduction potential ( e °) greater than the reduction potentials of h 2 and si - h , for example , salts of palladium ( ii ), rhodium ( iii ), platinum ( ii ), ruthenium ( ii ), copper ( ii ), silver ( ii ), antimony ( iii ), rhenium ( i ), iridium ( iv ), gold ( i ), mercury ( ii ), bismuth ( iii ), manganese ( iii ) and the like . for example , if it is desired to disperse and encapsulate palladium in the polysiloxane matrix material , suitable metal salts for use in the method include , for example , palladium ( ii ) acetate and palladium ( ii ) chloride . if it is desired to disperse and encapsulate rhodium in the polysiloxane material , a suitable metal salt for use in the method is , for example , rhodium ( iii ) chloride . applicants &# 39 ; method of preparing the polysiloxane matrix material may be carried out at room temperature , and preferably the reaction is allowed to proceed for at least 2 hours , preferably 4 hours . a more highly crosslinked matrix may be made with increased reaction time , for example 24 hours . depending on the siloxane compound and the metal salt used in the above method , various polysiloxane matrix materials can be prepared according to this method . for example , reacting triethoxysilane with a metal salt results in a compound of the formula [ osi ( h ) o ] n - - - m ( 0 ), where m represents the metal . reacting small amounts of triethoxysilane , larger amounts of tetraethoxysilane and a metal salt produces a compound of the formula ( sio 3 ) n - - - m ( 0 ) accordingly , the claimed compound may be prepared wherein it exhibits no si - h residue . the polysiloxane matrix material may be isolated from the solution after reaction by removal of the solvent by drying in vacuo . in addition to its applications as a sol - gel ceramic material , the polysiloxane matrix material is an excellent heterogeneous , selective catalyst for hydrogenation and oxidation of organic compounds . in the case of hydrogenation using the claimed compound , the reaction proceeds without the need for an external hydrogen source , since hydrogen gas is produced in situ . in addition , applicants believe that such hydrogenation proceeds by hydrometallic hydrogenation rather than hydrosilylation followed by protodesilylation . the hydrogenation process according to the claimed invention comprises mixing and reacting a siloxane compound , as described above , with an aqueous solution , as described above , of a metal salt , as described above , and additionally an organic compound . the siloxane compound polymerizes into a polysiloxane matrix while the metal is reduced to the metallic ( 0 ) state and is homogeneously dispersed in the polysiloxane matrix material . the organic compound is hydrogenated by the polysiloxane matrix material and hydrogen . the polysiloxane matrix material may be removed from the reaction solution by filtration . the oxidation process according to the claimed invention also comprises mixing and reacting a siloxane compound , as described above , with an aqueous solution , as described above , of a metal salt , as described above , and additionally an organic compound . as with hydrogenation the siloxane compound polymerizes into a polysiloxane matrix , while the metal is reduced to metallic ( 0 ) state and homogeneously dispersed in the polysiloxane matrix . the oxidation reaction is carried out under an inert or 0 2 atmosphere . the organic compound is oxidized by the polysiloxane matrix material and oxygen . even in an inert atmosphere oxidation proceeds as hydrogen is removed from the organic compound due to a shift in equilibrium . again , the polysiloxane matrix material may be removed by filtration . the polysiloxane matrix material may be made in advance and stored at room temperature and pressure , and later used in either the hydrogenation or oxidation process . if prepared in advance , the polysiloxane matrix material only need be added to the aqueous solution before commencement or hydrogenation or oxidation . preferably , hydrogenation or oxidation should be carried out for at least 30 minutes , preferably 45 minutes , in addition to the time necessary to form the polysiloxane matrix material . if preparation of the polysiloxane matrix material and hydrogenation or oxidation are carried out at the same time , the reaction should be carried out for at least 2 hours , preferably 4 . 5 hours . the claimed hydrogenation process provides excellent yields of reduced organic compounds without any significant side products . hydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes proceeds with very little over - hydrogenation ; less than about 2 percent of the completely reduced alkane is observed . however , if complete reduction to the alkane is desired , methyl propynoate may be added to the reaction . preferably 5 to 10 mole percent methyl propynoate is used in the reaction solution for this purpose . in addition , stereoselective hydrogenation may be carried out using the claimed polysiloxane matrix material . the following non - limiting examples are designed to further illustrate the claimed invention . to a solution of palladium ( ii ) acetate ( 11 mg , 0 . 05 mmol ) in thf ( 5 ml , distilled over sodium benzophenone ketyl prior to use ) and water ( 1 ml deionized water , degassed by passing a stream of argon through it for 45 min .) was added freshly distilled triethoxysilane ( 0 . 41 g , 0 . 46 ml , 2 . 5 mmol ) over 5 min . the solution immediately became black and rapid hydrogen evolution was observed . the solution was stirred at room temperature for 4 h . the solvent was removed by rotary evaporation and the polymer was dried in vacuo for 2 . 5 days to afford 0 . 14 g of shiny black flakes . elemental analysis : c , 1 . 43 %; h , 1 . 92 %; pd , 0 . 15 %; si , 41 . 21 %. ir ( kbr pellet ) 2263 . 7 , 1166 . 7 , 1065 , 832 . 5 , 738 cm - 1 . scanning electron microscopic analysis using energy dispersive analysis with x - rays ( atomic %): si , 95 . 53 , 95 . 61 ; pd , 4 . 47 , 4 . 39 . to a solution of palladium ( ii ) acetate ( 11 mg , 0 . 05 mmol ) in water ( 5 ml ) was added freshly distilled triethoxysilane ( 0 . 41 g , 0 . 46 ml , 2 . 50 mmol ) over 5 min . the solution immediately darkened and rapid hydrogen evolution was observed . the reaction mixture was stirred for 16 h at room temperature and then filtered . the solvent was removed in vacuo to afford 0 . 1 g of a gray colored powder . elemental analysis : c , 1 . 89 %; h , 1 . 42 %; si , 43 . 53 %; pd , 0 . 43 %. ir ( kbr pellet ): 3439 , 2255 , 1633 , 1152 , 852 cm - 1 . dispersion of palladium ( 0 ) in polysiloxane using a mixture of triethoxvsilane and tetraethoxvsilane . polysiloxane matrix material containing a homogeneous dispersion of palladium ( 0 ) particles having no si - h residue was prepared as follows . to a solution of palladium ( ii ) acetate ( 0 . 05 mmol ) in water and thf ( volume ratio of 1 : 5 ) was added freshly distilled triethoxysilane ( 0 . 25 mmol ) along with tetraethoxysilane ( 2 . 50 mmol ). the solution became black and hydrogen evolution was observed . the solution was stirred for 4 h . the solvent was then removed in vacuo , leaving behind black flakes . ftir spectrum analysis showed no absorbance at ˜ 2260 cm - 1 , indicating that no si - h residue was left on the polysiloxane matrix material . to a solution of polysiloxane containing a homogeneous dispersion of palladium particles ( 0 . 13 g ) prepared as described above in thf and water ( 0 . 05 mmol pd ), 5 - decyne ( 0 . 138 g , 0 . 18 ml , 1 . 0 mmol ) in a solution of thf ( 5ml ) and water ( 1 ml ) was added . hydrogen was bubbled through the solution for 30 seconds and the reaction was then placed under a hydrogen atmosphere ( balloon ). the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 4 . 5 h . capillary gas chromatograph analysis showed complete consumption of the alkyne and a 94 % yield of z - 5 - decene using dodecane as an internal standard . the product was too volatile for an accurate isolated yield . however , a portion was isolated and analyzed spectroscopically . ir ( neat ) 2925 . 5 , 2850 . 0 1460 . 1 cm - 1 . 1 h nmr ( 300mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ5 . 33 ( br t , j = 4 . 5 hz , 2h ), 2 . 01 ( br q , j = 5 . 6 hz , 4h ), 1 . 3 - 1 . 2 ( m , 8h ), 0 . 86 ( t , j = 6 . 8 hz , 6h ) [& gt ; 12 : 1 z / e stereochemistry ]. 13 c nmr ( 20 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ129 . 87 , 30 . 25 , 26 . 93 , 22 . 25 , 13 . 98 . oxidation of 2 - methyl - 1 , 4 - dihydrobenzoic acid to 2 - methylbenzoic acid . to a suspension of 2 - methyl - 1 , 4 - dihydrobenzoic acid ( 0 . 085 g , 0 . 05 mmol ; 81 % pure , from aldrich chemical company ) in decalin ( 5 ml ) under a nitrogen atmosphere was added the polysiloxane matrix material containing a homogeneous dispersion of metal particles ( 0 . 100 g ). the solution was heated to reflux for 19 h . on cooling the reaction mixture was diluted with hexane ( 25 ml ) and extracted with aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 5 %) solution ( 2 × 5 ml ). the basic aqueous solution was acidified and extracted with chloroform ( 3 × 4 ml ). the combined organic layer was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate . removal of solvent on rotary evaporator gave 2 - methylbenzoic acid ( 0 . 065 g . 96 %). ir ( kbr ) 3600 - 2000 ( br ), 2923 , 1694 , 1300 , 920 , 731 cm - 1 . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ8 . 03 ( ddd , j = 8 . 5 , 3 . 0 , 1 . 5 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 42 ( td , j = 8 . 5 , 1 . 5 hz , lh ), 7 . 26 ( td , j = 8 . 5 , 1 . 5 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 22 ( dd , j = 8 . 5 , 1 . 5 hz , 1 h ), 2 . 64 ( s , 3 h ). various examples of the hydrogenation process are shown in table i . reactions were allowed to stir for 2 - 5 hours before filtration of the polysiloxane matrix material through a plug of silica gel . the reduction proceeded readily on α , β - unsaturated esters and ketones . excellent chemoselectivity was observed in that while terminal olefins hydrogenated cleanly ( entry 12 ), internal unactivated olefins remained unreduced ( entry 14 ). the superb stereoselectivity of this process is demonstrated by entry 17 in the reduction of 5 - decyne to z - 5 - decene (& gt ; 15 : 1 z : e ) in 100 % yield , representing a simple alternative to the lindlar reduction process . the conventional method of stereoselective hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons is the lindlar reduction process . mcewen et al ., j . orq . chem ., ( 1983 ) 48 : 4436 ; lindlar et al ., org . synth ., ( 1973 ) v : 880 . in the lindlar process , palladium metal deposited on solid baso 4 along with quinoline reduces alkynes to cis or z alkenes . however , in the lindlar reduction an external source of hydrogen is required , and the amount of hydrogen gas introduced into the reaction must be monitored carefully , otherwise over reduction to the alkane can occur . furthermore , synthetic quinoline must be used in the lindlar process , since commercially available quinoline normally contains trace amounts of sulfur , which is difficult to remove and inhibits catalytic activity . introduction of methyl propynoate ( 10 mole %) allowed for the conversion of an internal alkyne to an alkane ( entry 17 . the complete reaction required 24 h ). similarly , both e - 5 - decene ( entry 14 ) and e - butyl hexenoate ( entry 6 ) were unreactive using triethoxysilane alone , but addition of one equivalent of methyl propynoate to the solution prior to the addition of triethoxysilane allowed for complete hydrogenation of the olefinic moiety . a similar effect was observed in the reduction of n , n - diethyl cinnamamide ( entry 11 ) in that only partial reduction occurred in the absence of 10 mole % of methyl propynoate . the reaction rate for hydrogenation of terminal olefins was greatly increased using methyl propynoate . the methyl propynoate addition has a profound influence on the course of the reaction , although applicants are presently not able to rationalize its exact mechanistic action . a more vigorous evolution of hydrogen ensues in the presence of methyl propynoate . presumably , more active surface sites of the metal are liberated by its addition . in entries 14 , 16 and 17 , the capillary gas chromatograph yields were measured relative to a dodecane internal standard . the volatility of the products prohibited high isolation yields . table ii lists several other examples of hydrogenation reactions according to the claimed invention using water alone as the aqueous solution . again , no external hydrogen source was necessary , and no hydrosilylated material was obtained , meaning hydrogenation proceeds by a true hydrometallic reaction rather than hydrosilylation followed by protodesilylation . in certain cases , the yield was depressed due to volatility of the product ( entries 3 , 4 and 5 ). in entry 6 , a second portion of triethoxysilane ( 2 . 5 equivalents ) was added after 1 hour . in entries 7 ( second reaction ) and 12 , only 1 equivalent of triethoxysilane was used . in entry 8 , several isomeric products were obtained . in entry 11 , 3 equivalents of sodium hydroxide were added . propargyl alcohol was used in certain cases to achieve further hydrogenation , which acts in the same manner as methyl propynoate . in entries 3 and 8 of table ii , little or no reduction occurred without addition of propargyl alcohol . entry 7 demonstrates the hydrogenation of alkynes to z - alkenes with good selectivity by the addition of one equivalent of triethoxysilane . all the products in table ii underwent only standard extractive purification , yet spectral analysis showed no products other than those shown in table ii . table i__________________________________________________________________________hydrogenations using triethoxysilane and catalytic palladium ( ii ) acetatein thf / water . entrysubstrate product % yield__________________________________________________________________________ ## str3 ## ## str4 ## 1002 ## str5 ## ## str6 ## 963 ## str7 ## no reaction -- 4 ## str8 ## ## str9 ## 915 ## str10 ## ## str11 ## 926 ## str12 ## ## str13 ## -- 997 ## str14 ## ## str15 ## 1008 ## str16 ## ## str17 ## 749 ## str18 ## ## str19 ## 9810 ## str20 ## ## str21 ## 8111 ## str22 ## ## str23 ## -- 9012 ## str24 ## ## str25 ## 8113 (+)- longifolene no reaction -- 14 ## str26 ## no reaction n - c . sub . 10 h . sub . 22 -- 10015 ## str27 ## ## str28 ## 9416 ## str29 ## n - c . sub . 10 h . sub . 22 3517 ## str30 ## ## str31 ## 100 90__________________________________________________________________________ table ii__________________________________________________________________________the reduction of alkenes and alkynes with 5 mole % pd ( oac ). sub . 2 andtriethoxysilane in water . entry substrate time ( h ) product yield__________________________________________________________________________ ## str32 ## 4 ## str33 ## 93 % 2 ## str34 ## 5 ## str35 ## 63 % 3 ## str36 ## 4 5 no reaction h . sub . 11 c . sub . 5co . sub . 2 h 69 % 4 ## str37 ## 4 4 ## str38 ## 5 ## str39 ## 4 14 ## str40 ## 6 ## str41 ## 5 h . sub . 11 c . sub . 5co . sub . 2 h 78 % 7 ## str42 ## 4 4 ## str43 ## 92 % 99 % 8 ## str44 ## 4 5 . 5 c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9co . sub . 2 h 96 % 9 ## str45 ## 4 ## str46 ## 63 % 10 ## str47 ## 5 ## str48 ## 81 % 11 ## str49 ## 5 ## str50 ## 76 % 12 ## str51 ## 5 ## str52 ## 95 % __________________________________________________________________________	1
the invention is described herein with regard to preferred steps and data structures . those skilled in the art will recognize , after perusal of this application , that the described steps and data structures are not limited to any particular processing devices ( whether general - purpose or special - purpose processing devices , or specific circuitry ). rather , those of ordinary skill in the art would be able to implement the described steps and data structures , and equivalents thereof , without undue experimentation or further invention . all such implementations are within the scope and spirit of the invention . fig1 is an overview of a system for new template identification with differential caching . a system for new template identification with differential caching ( shown by general character reference 100 ) includes one or more clients 110 , an originating server 120 , a content delivery network 130 , a set of proxy encoder servers 140 and a communication network 150 . each of the one or more clients 110 includes a client workstation 111 and a client operator 112 . the client workstation 111 includes a computing device , along with a local memory , operating system software and a display element . in a preferred embodiment , the computing device includes a personal computer , a hand held or laptop computer , a telephone interface ( such as a cellular phone ) to such a remote computer or any other device that fits the general turing paradigm . the client workstation 111 also includes a web browser 113 . in some embodiments , the client workstation 111 also includes a decoder 114 . the web browser 113 ( such as “ internet explorer ” , “ netscape navigator ” or a comparable product ) uses a message transfer protocol , such as http ( hypertext transfer protocol ), or a variant thereof , to generate request messages 115 and receive content ( for example , web pages or information from a database ) or other messages from the content delivery network 130 . the decoder 114 is either a browser add - on or is coupled to a proxy server locally close to the client 110 ( for example , an enterprise or isp cache ). regardless of location , the decoder 114 causes the web browser 113 to interact with the set of proxy encoder servers 140 , identifies previous versions of content that have already been received , decompresses compressed content and integrates the various elements comprising the content into a display for presentation to the client operator 112 . in a preferred embodiment , the decoder 114 is coupled to the web browser 113 , preferably as a browser add - on . other embodiments ( known as “ clientless ”) do not include a decoder 114 . in these clientless embodiments , the encoder encodes the templates and delta information at a level understandable by the browser 113 using dhtml , xml or some other scripting technique . the client operator 112 might include one or more individual persons or a proxy for one or more such persons ( for example , a human administrative assistant , or a computer program or other artificial intelligence system acting on behalf of another ). the originating server 120 includes a processor , computer program and data memory , and operates under control of software to perform the tasks described herein . it is capable of using a message transfer protocol , such as http or a variant thereof , to receive request messages 115 for documents ( for example , web pages ) from clients 110 , the content delivery network 120 or the proxy encoding server 140 and to respond to those request messages 115 . in a preferred embodiment , the originating server 120 is the original provider of content . the content delivery network 130 includes a set of mirroring servers 135 situated in different locations throughout the network so as to minimize bandwidth required to respond to request messages 115 . similar to the originating server 120 , the content delivery network 130 includes at least one processor , computer program and data memory , operates under control of software and is capable of using a message transfer protocol , such as http or a variant thereof , to receive request messages 115 for documents . in a preferred embodiment , both the originating server 120 and the content delivery network 130 each include a database of documents such as web pages , embedded objects for web pages , databases or any information such as may be requested by a client operator 112 . in alternative embodiments , the content delivery network 130 may also include various databases for caching template information , sub - template information , delta information to be inserted into template or sub - template web pages , and code fragments or compressed versions of any of the above . in both preferred and alternative embodiments , the mirroring servers 135 include most or all of the same content as the originating server 120 , but are positioned more locally to the client device 110 . information is served from the mirroring servers 135 to the client devices 110 so as to minimize bandwidth used to transmit content to a client device 110 . in this way , the mirroring servers 135 act as a unified content delivery network 130 . similar to originating servers 120 and mirroring servers 135 , the proxy encoder server 140 also includes a processor , computer program and data memory , and operates under control of software to perform the tasks described herein . the proxy encoder server 140 also includes compression software 142 and software 144 for identifying elements in a web page . compression software 142 may include gzip or glib or some other comparable product that performs a compression algorithm such as huffman coding or arithmetic coding . software 144 for identifying elements in a web page can ( 1 ) distinguish , ( 2 ) isolate and ( 3 ) tag template information , sub - template information and delta information prior to compression , as well as ( 4 ) cache the compressed information . the proxy encoder server 140 is capable of using a message transfer protocol , such as http or a variant thereof , to receive request messages 115 for documents ( such as for example , web pages ) from clients 110 , the content delivery network 130 or the originating server 120 and to respond to those request messages 115 . in a preferred embodiment , proxy encoder servers 140 are logically local to the originating server 120 . however , in other embodiments , they may be positioned between the client devices 110 and the content delivery network 130 . requests from the client device 110 that are originally directed to the originating server 120 or the content delivery network 130 are redirected to the proxy encoder server 140 . in a preferred embodiment , the proxy encoder server 140 is transparent to the client device 110 , the originating server and the content delivery network 130 . client devices 110 , the originating server 120 , the content delivery network 130 and the proxy encoder server 140 are coupled using a communication network 150 . in a preferred embodiment , the communication network 150 includes a computer communication network , such as the internet . however , in alternative embodiments , the communication network 150 might include an intranet , extranet , vpn ( virtual private network ), atm system , a portion of a private or public pstn ( public switched telephone network ), a frame relay system , or any other communication technique capable of performing the functions described herein . in a preferred embodiment , request messages 115 are generated by the client 110 . the request messages 115 are sent directly to the content delivery network 130 or the originating server 120 . if there is a proxy encoder 140 “ in front ” of either the content delivery network 130 or the originating server 120 , the request message 115 will be received by the proxy encoder 140 . the actions of the proxy encoder 140 are transparent to both the client 110 and the server . the proxy encoder server 140 retrieves the document , including template information and sub - template information ( if such information is available ) from the content delivery network 130 . if template and sub - template information are not available , software 144 is used to dissect web page and break it down into template information , sub - template information or delta information . each of these components separately compressed , tagged with an etag to provide additional information and cached at the proxy encoder server 124 . in an alternative embodiment , each mirroring server 135 maintains a copy of template information and sub - template information for a particular document . when the document is requested by a client 110 , the mirroring server 135 provides the template information and sub - template information to the client 110 from its cache , while obtaining the delta information from the originating server 120 ( or from a content distribution network 130 similarly disposed for distributing delta information ). sending the template information and sub - template information from the originating server 120 to the mirroring servers 135 is separate from sending the delta information from the originating server 120 to the client 110 . in a preferred embodiment , partial assembly of the template and sub - template information may occur at the mirroring server 135 or any other server that understands encoding and has access to the cached information . in this embodiment , the client 110 does not have to make multiple requests to the mirroring server 135 for different information . this is particularly beneficial to the client 110 who generally requires the total document , rather than the individual sub - templates . fig2 is an exemplary view of different elements in a document that can be differentially cached . the document ( indicated by general character reference 200 ) includes template information 210 ( also referred to as a “ template ”), sub - template information 220 ( also referred to as a “ sub - template ”) and delta information 230 ( also referred to as a “ delta ”). template information 210 ( shown in the document 200 as a web page identifier ) includes information that is relatively static and does not change frequently . for example , template information 210 may include logos associated with the site provider , title bars that identify the type of information that follows , a list of stocks in a user &# 39 ; s portfolio for which the user frequently requests market quotes and other information that does not change frequently . in a preferred embodiment , the template information 210 is embedded with place markers 212 . place markers 212 are used to define a location for the insertion of sub - template information 220 and delta information 230 . in a preferred embodiment , after the document 200 is requested by a client device 110 , the template information 210 is compressed and cached in an address associated with at least one location , such as the proxy encoder server 140 or a mirroring server 135 . an etag 214 identifies the version number of the template information 210 . sub - template information 220 includes information that changes relatively frequently , such as a breaking news story , television listings that remain relatively constant for a day , an unchanging weather report and other comparable features . it is not uncommon for sub - template information 220 to be inserted in different locations in a web page during the course of a day . similarly , different users may display identical sub - template information 220 in different places in their personal web pages . under these conditions , the sub - template information 220 remains unchanged except for its location in a page . as noted above , place markers 212 are used to position such material in a document 200 . similar to template information 210 , sub - template information 220 is compressed and cached at least one of a number of possible locations , including the mirroring server 135 and the proxy encoder server 140 . an etag 214 identifies the version number of the sub - template information 220 . delta information 230 includes relatively ephemeral information such as stock quotes , personalized reminders to a client operator 112 , advertising content ( such as banner ads ), weather reports and similar matter that changes frequently . in a preferred embodiment , delta information 230 is not compressed or cached , but served directly to the client device 110 either by way of the proxy encoder 140 or directly from the content delivery network 130 . in other embodiments , the delta information 230 may be compressed and cached if it will be reused at a future point in time ( such as rotating banner advertisements ). place markers 212 identify the location where delta information 230 may be inserted into the template information 210 . for - example , if template information 110 includes a list of stocks for which the client operator 112 requests quotes , the place marker 212 for the delta information ( that is the individual stock quotes ) will be embedded adjacent to the associated stock names . in another embodiment , the delta 230 includes code describing where and how to combine the sub - template ( s ) 220 with the template 210 to generate the document . such embodiments do not require place markers 212 or 214 . fig3 is a flow diagram , illustrating a method for using a system for new template identification with differential caching . a method 300 includes a set of flow points and process steps as described herein . the method 300 is performed by the system 100 . although the method 300 is described serially , the steps of the method 300 can be performed by separate elements in conjunction or parallel , whether asynchronously , in a pipelined manner , or otherwise . there is no particular requirement that the method . 300 be performed in the same order in which this description lists the steps , except where so indicated . at a flow point 310 , the system 100 is ready to begin performing a method 300 . at a step 311 , the client 110 generates a request message 115 for the document 200 . the request message 115 can be directed to either the mirroring server 135 or the originating server 120 . in a preferred embodiment , the request message 115 is made using the decoder 114 , preferably on the client &# 39 ; s web browser 113 . in a step 312 , the decoder 114 sends the request message 115 to the proxy encoder 140 , situated preferably near the mirroring server 135 or the originating server 120 . since the request message 115 was sent through the decoder 114 , the proxy encoder server 140 knows that the client can integrate template information 210 , sub - template information 220 and delta information 230 and is otherwise compatible with systems that provide delta encoding . in “ clientless ” versions ( that is , those clients without a decoder 114 ) the request message 115 goes directly from the browser 113 to the proxy encoder server 140 , bypassing the decoder 114 . in a step 313 , the proxy encoder server 140 fetches a document 200 from either the originating server 120 or the mirroring server 135 , depending upon which is closest to the proxy encoder 140 . after obtaining this content , the proxy encoder 140 updates the template 210 for the document 200 and compresses the updated template 210 . in the event that there is not a template 210 associated with document 200 , the proxy encoder 140 generates a template 210 , compresses the template 210 and caches it . in a step 314 , the proxy encoder 140 determines whether sub - templates 220 are desirable and constructs the sub - template ( s ) 220 . this is done by looking to the size of the delta information 230 . if the delta 230 is very large with respect to the template 210 and includes regularized information , that regularized information is isolated and used as a sub - template 220 . as with the template information 210 , the proxy encoder 140 compresses and caches the sub - template information 220 . in “ clientless ” embodiments , the proxy encoder 140 responds directly with the delta information 230 . in such embodiments , the delta information 230 is an html page that includes a reference to template information 210 , one or more sets of sub - template information and delta information 230 ( wherein the template 210 , the sub - template 220 are javascripts and the delta information includes a set of javascript instructions ). in this embodiment , the javascript instructions comprising the delta information 230 tell the browser 113 how to transform the template information 210 and sub - template information 220 into the correct html document . other embodiments may use dhtml or other scripting techniques ; still others may express the delta information as an xml page or a wml document . in a step 315 , the decoder 114 retrieves the compressed template 210 and the compressed sub - template 220 from either the proxy encoder server 140 or the mirroring server 135 , ( depending where the proxy encoder 140 specified the compressed template 210 and compressed sub - template were cached in the previous step ) by making a request , either immediately or at a later point in time . upon retrieving the compressed template 210 and compressed sub - template information 220 , the decoder 114 decompresses them , and inserts the sub - template information as directly by the place markers 212 . in the clientless version , the browser 113 automatically and immediately retrieves the template 210 and the sub - template 220 from the site specified in the previous step . in a step 316 , the proxy encoder 140 sends the contents of the template 210 and sub - template 220 , and one or more etags 214 that correspond to the versions of the template 210 and the sub - template 220 . if the contents and etag 214 are sent from the mirroring server 135 , then the mirroring server 135 searches its cache for the template 210 and sub - template 220 . if the template 210 and sub - template 220 are present in its cache , the mirroring server 135 sends the template 210 and the sub - template 220 directly to the client 110 . however , if either or both of these elements are not present in the cache , then the mirroring server 135 automatically fetches the missing element from the encoder proxy 140 , caches the fetched element , and sends the element to the client 110 . the following steps occur when a client operator 112 ( either the same client operator or a different one ) subsequently requests the document 200 . in a step 317 , the client 110 requests a document 200 by generating a request message 115 . similar to steps 310 and 311 , the decoder 114 directs the request to the proxy encoder 140 , changing as to further specify a version number that is used to ascertain if changes have occurred . in a step 318 , the proxy encoder 140 receives the request from the decoder 114 . if the proxy encoder 140 determines that a version of the template 210 or sub - template 220 are not present in the database , the proxy encoder 140 obtains the document 200 from either the originating server 120 or the mirroring server 135 , identifies template information 210 and sub - template information , compresses the template 210 and sub - template 220 and caches them . if , however , the template 210 and the sub - template 220 are available , the proxy encoder 140 calculates the differences between the versions of template 210 and sub - templates 220 that are available in the database and a newer version of the document 200 such as may be available from the originating server 120 or the mirroring server 135 . these differences may involve changes in the location where the sub - template is displayed ( for example , two different users may choose to have the same information in a personal web page displayed in different locations ). such changes are not true delta information 230 because they can be remedied by positioning information that is already present in a cache differently in a document 200 . other differences may be true delta information 230 . in a step 319 , the proxy encoder 140 may send either the delta information 230 to the decoder 114 ( that is , if the decoder 114 can accept delta information 230 ) or it sends the document 200 to the client 110 . steps 317 through 319 are described with respect to a client - server implementation . in the “ clientless ” version , the proxy encoder server 140 does not need to know which version of the template 210 and sub - template 220 are at the client 110 . this information is not needed because the proxy encoder server 140 makes this decision a priori and instructs the client 110 to use a specific version of these elements . under these circumstances , steps 317 - 318 in the “ clientless ” version involve the browser 113 ( rather than the decoder 114 ) directing the request message 115 to the proxy encoder 140 . although preferred embodiments are disclosed herein , many variations are possible which remain within the concept , scope and spirit of the invention ; these variations would be clear to those skilled in the art after perusal of this application .	7
the present disclosure describes a method for maximizing the chip yield for a semiconductor wafer . by introducing yield probability data into a wafer modeling program the number of usable chips can be increased for a wafer . the present method typically improves the yield in situations where an edge exclusion for a wafer is relatively larger . the method takes yield data collected for a given type of chip and weights the chip location on the wafer in accordance with the yield data . since large edge exclusions equate to chips deemed unusable in the prior art technique , the weighting of yield probability saves some of these chips based on their location on the wafer . this results in a larger number of chips for a given wafer . referring now in specific detail to the drawings in which like reference numerals identify similar or identical elements throughout the several views , and initially to fig2 the number of chips per wafer versus edge exclusion in millimeters is shown . the vertical axis of fig2 shows the number of integrated circuit chips that can be fabricated from a wafer . the wafer is an eight inch wafer , for example . the horizontal axis of fig2 represents the edge exclusion dimension for a given chip in millimeters . the range of the horizontal axis can be , for example , between 2 mm and 8 mm . this range is determined by wafer map center point 16 ( fig1 ) which is limited in its displacement due to the geometries of wafer map 20 and wafer 18 . fig2 is a plot of a curve 210 of a wafer modeler in which center point 16 of wafer map 20 was varied for a given edge exclusion until the maximum number of chips is deternined . generally , the variation shown in the maximum number of chips for a given edge exclusion decreases as the edge exclusion increases . of interest are corners 212 which are at the ends of horizontal line segments of curve 210 . a horizontal line in fig2 denotes no decrease in the number of chips for a given edge exclusion . this means that as the edge exclusion is increased the number of chips remains relatively constant over a given range of edge exclusion distance . this is typical for wafer modeling graphs which involve the circular geometry of the wafer and the rectangular shape of the chips . several chips are deemed unusable simultaneously due to this geometrical mismatch . referring to fig1 as the edge exclusion distance ( between point a and point b ) is increased several chip corners , for example 12a , 12b and 12c , move deeper into exclusion zone 14 and are no longer deemed to be usable . in order to demonstrate the method of the present disclosure two points have been designated in fig2 . point 1 , as indicated , shows that a wafer that is eight inches in diameter has a chip yield of 146 chips if an edge exclusion is 4 . 6 millimeters . point 2 , as indicated , shows that a wafer that is eight inches in diameter has a chip yield of 140 chips if an edge exclusion is 6 . 85 millimeters . both of these chip yields represent the maximum possible number of chips allowable due to geometry . the wafer modeler moves wafer map 20 by its center point 16 to determine the maximum number of chips for wafer 10 given an edge exclusion . see fig1 . fig2 illustrates the prior art technique of maximizing the number of chips on a wafer . based on fig2 it appears as though point 1 with a smaller edge exclusion would result in a higher yield , for example , 146 chips . referring to fig3 a left vertical axis of fig3 shows the number of integrated circuit chips that can be fabricated from a wafer . the wafer is an eight inch wafer , for example . a horizontal axis of fig3 represents the edge exclusion for a given chip in millimeters . the range of the horizontal axis can be between 2 mm and 8 mm as in fig2 . fig3 illustrates the yield for a given edge exclusion when the center point of the wafer map is held fixed . three curves are shown in fig3 . a first curve 310 shows the chip yield per wafer over the range of edge exclusions with the center point fixed at the location determined by the wafer modeler for point 1 in fig2 . a second curve 312 shows the chip yield per wafer over the range of edge exclusions with the center point fixed at the location determined by the wafer modeler for point 2 in fig2 . in maintaining a fixed center point and moving from smaller edge exclusions ( 2 mm ) to larger edge exclusions ( 8 mm ), it becomes apparent that the number of chips per wafer drops off more rapidly for curve 310 than curve 312 at an edge exclusion of approximately 4 . 6 mm . this drop off is a result of more chip area falling into area in which chips are normally rejected as the edge exclusions is increased . although these chips are deeper into exclusion zone 14 ( fig1 ) they may still be useable . a method of identifying usable chips in the exclusion zone is outlined in more detail hereinafter . yield probability for an individual chip increases as the location of the chip is closer to the center of the wafer . this is illustrated by a curve 314 . curve 314 has a right vertical axis which denotes yield probability as a percent value . curve 314 uses the same horizontal axis for edge exclusion as before . as illustrated by curve 314 , yield probability increases for larger edge exclusions . curve 314 is a typical yield probability curve for manufacturing chips . despite the higher number of chips per wafer given initially for point 1 in fig2 the wafer map center point may have moved more chips closer to the edge of a wafer thereby decreasing the number of usable chips due to their location on the wafer ( increased distance from wafer center , therefore decreasing their yield probability ). curve 312 illustrates that for larger edge exclusions a plateau 316 remains constant over the illustrated range of edge exclusions . this signifies a potential advantage to replacing the center point of the wafer map from the location corresponding to point 1 ( 146 chips available ) to the location corresponding to point 2 ( 140 chips available ) in fig2 for wafers with larger edge exclusions . this determination is based on the overall yield of the chips including those in exclusion zone 14 ( fig1 ) and not just geometrically fitting wafer map 20 on wafer 10 and eliminating those chips that fall into the exclusion zone . referring now to fig1 and 4 , a comparison may be made between locations of wafer map 20 on wafer 10 which incorporates the yield probability into the placement of the wafer map center . a method for incorporating yield probability into the placement of the wafer map includes obtaining wafer map center locations on a wafer by determining corner points 212 as illustrated in fig . 2 . this is completed by assuming a value for an edge exclusion and varying the center of the wafer map to determine which location will allow the most chips to fit within the bounds of the edge exclusion based on geometry alone . this determination can be performed by an appropriately programmed computer . upon determining corner points 212 , a corresponding center point 16 for the wafer map is determined . using the location of center points 16 , curve 310 and 312 of fig3 are generated for the center points 16 corresponding to point 1 and point 2 of fig2 . the generation of curves 310 and 312 can be performed by an appropriately programmed computer . curves 310 and 312 are generated by fixing the center point 16 location and varying the edge exclusion to determine the number of chips that can fit within the bounds of the edge exclusion as in fig3 . curves 310 and 312 ( fig3 ) are each multiplied by the yield probability curve 314 for the overall chip manufacturing process . yield probability data at each edge exclusion dimension in fig3 is multiplied by the corresponding value at the same edge exclusion value on the chips per wafer axis to obtain the plots shown in fig4 . with further reference to fig4 a curve 410 is generated as a result of yield probability curve 314 and curve 310 multiplication . a curve 412 is generated in a similar way but by multiplying curve 314 by curve 312 . a comparison may now be made between two alternative placements of wafer map center point 16 which includes the overall yield of the chips . the area under curve 410 and curve 412 is taken in the edge exclusion range between 2 mm and 8 mm , for example . the greater value of the area under each curve gives the most favorable yield probability . the generation of curves 410 and 412 can be performed by an appropriately programmed computer , and the areas under curves 410 and 412 can be computed using a numerical integration program , for example . in fig4 curve 412 gives a superior location for the center point of the wafer map . as graphically illustrated a region 414 and a region 416 exceed the area of region 418 . therefore , the location that would have been rejected in the prior art , for example point 2 of fig1 provides a greater overall yield of usable chips since the location of the individual chips that would have been rejected may now be used based on the weight of the yield probability data which shows how successful a chip at a given location fares during acceptance testing . the best overall yield is provided for a given wafer using the weighting of the yield probability curve . rather than determining the maximum amount of chips per wafer based on a particular edge exclusion alone , chip yield data is used to adjust for the weighting of the location of the wafer map . yield increases can range for example , from 1 - 3 % for wafer sizes of eight inches although higher yields are contemplated . a chip located at a position that was normally rejected due to its location in an exclusion zone of a wafer can now be considered for use based on the yield probability associated with its position on the wafer . if the yield probability for the chip at this location is above an assigned threshold value the chip can be accepted for use , hence increasing the overall yield for a given wafer . having described embodiments of a method of maximizing the overall yield of chips per semiconductor wafer ( which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting ), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments of the invention disclosed which are within the scope and spirit of the invention as delined by the appended claims . having thus described the invention with the details and particularity required by the patent laws , what is claimed and desired protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims .	7
referring to the drawings , fig1 shows a schematic cross - sectional view of parts of a mechanically lined pipe ( mlp ) 2 . the mlp 2 generally comprises a number of layers ( including coating ), only two of which are shown in fig1 for clarity , comprising an outer layer 4 which can be a carbon steel pipe , and an inner layer or liner 6 being formed from a corrosion resistant alloy ( cra ), such as alloy 316l . the relative dimensions shown in fig1 are not to scale , and are provided for clarity of representation . in the conventional manufacture of an mlp , an inner layer is usually provided into an outer layer and then expanded to provide an interference contact stress between the two layers . however , bending of a pipe formed from two such layers , such as spooling on or off the reel , and especially any buckling of the pipe , is assumed to create wrinkles which may not be removable after spooling off , and which are therefore considered to be sufficiently detrimental to the laid pipeline that buckling and the forming of any wrinkles should be avoided at all costs . thus , for such laying methods , a high interference contact stress is desired between the inner and outer layers to prevent wrinkling of the inner liner . the interference contact stress can be lost during the coating procedure and will certainly be lost during plastic deformation which occurs during bending . however , if interference stress is lost during the 1 st or 2 nd strain event then wrinkles will usually appear in the 3 rd or 4 th strain event . it can also be difficult to control the degree of intended interference contract stress during manufacturing of such pipes , and a high degree of variation of interference stress occurs in practice . buckling during reeling should also be avoided , preferably without having to increase the thickness of either the outer layer 4 or the inner layer or liner 6 . fig2 shows a diagrammatic reel 10 having a smallest bending radius “ r ”, and a mechanically lined pipe ( mlp ) 12 having an outer pipe diameter “ d h ”. the mlp 12 is formed in long lengths of pipe sections ( or pipe “ stalks ”) joined together to form a single pipeline . stalks are normally 1 km long , but can be longer or smaller as required . fig2 shows spooling of the mlp 12 onto the reel 10 . by way of example only , the reel 10 could have a bending radius r of 8 . 23 m , and the mlp 12 could have a diameter d h of 12 . 75 inches ( 323 . 9 mm ) and a total wall thickness of 18 . 9 mm . fig3 shows a portion of the mlp 12 comprising the ends of first and second pipe joints 14 , 16 conjoined by a girth weld 18 . whilst it is preferred and intended that each pipe joint is exactly the same , variations therein , as discussed above , can lead to some pipe joints being ‘ stronger ’ than other pipe joints . for example , the first pipe joint 14 is a stronger pipe joint 14 than the second or ‘ weaker ’ pipe joint 16 . as the portion of the mlp 12 shown in fig3 is bent onto the reel 10 of radius r of fig2 , ovality and strain localise in the weaker joint 16 near the girth weld 18 because the bending moment capacity of the weaker joint 16 is significantly lower than that of the stronger joint 14 . this eventually leads to buckling 20 within the weaker pipe joint 16 , and wrinkling of the liner 6 therewithin . fig4 shows a reelable mlp 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention . the reelable mlp comprises a liner 32 and an outer pipe 34 . the outer pipe 34 has an outer diameter d h . the reelable mlp 30 is formed of a plurality of pipe sections . fig4 shows three full or partial pipe joints labelled a , b and c , of a given pipe section . the pipe joints are conjoined using girth welds 36 known in the art . conventionally , the pipe on either side of the girth weld 36 has internally welded clad overlay welds added thereto , typically 50 mm long , followed by the liner 32 . this length of clad overlay weld is currently sufficient to enable inspection and any girth weld repair , if needed , and is sufficient to stop water ingress between the liners 32 and the outer pipes 34 . hitherto , the clad overlay welds have served no other significant purpose , such that they have conventionally been considered as only requiring sufficient length for these purposes . in fig4 , such a conventional clad overlay weld length is labelled l 1 . however , the present invention has determined that the clad overlay welds could accommodate the localised strain that is caused by any mismatch between adjacent pipe joints . conventional solutions to accommodate high levels of mismatches during reeling without significant liner wrinkling only have been to increase the thickness of the carbon steel pipe and / or the thickness of the liner , either of which cause increased expense . the present invention has found that increasing the length of the clad overlay welds allows accommodating high strains due to mismatches without the need to increase the thickness of the outer pipe or the liner . thus , as shown in fig4 , the present invention involves increasing the length of the overlay welds from l 1 ( as a ‘ standard ’ weld length , e . g . 50 mm ) to l 2 . l 2 is between l 2min = 100 mm and l 2max = 4d h where d h is the outer diameter of host pipe . clearly , in fig4 , l 2 & gt ; l 1 . l 2 depends on the sizes and grades of the host pipe and liner and the magnitude of mismatch , and will generally be calculated on a pipe - by - pipe basis . various modifications and variations to the described embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . although the invention has been described in connection with a specific preferred embodiment , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiment .	5
referring now to the drawings , wherein like or corresponding reference numerals are used for like or corresponding parts throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 an apparatus 10 for forming filled cushions in accordance with the present invention , and a filled cushion c made by the apparatus . apparatus 10 comprises a support plate 11 which is preferably vertical , and having extending from it a first shaft 12 for supporting a roll 13 of plastic strip material with cohesive bonding material on one surface and as necessary a slip agent or release agent on the opposite surface . a second shaft 14 extends from the plate 11 , generally below and parallel to the shaft 12 . on shaft 14 is a roll 15 of the same plastic material as the roll 13 , having one side coated with cohesive bonding material , and the other side provided , as necessary , with a slip agent or release material on the opposite side . extending from the plate 11 are a pair of spaced guide rollers 17 and 18 which guide the plastic strips from the rolls 13 and 15 in converging paths , where the plastic strips enter the nip between two spaced apart forming rollers 20 and 21 carried on shafts 22 and 23 , which extend from the plate 11 in spaced , parallel relation . each forming roller 20 , 21 has a single row of depressions therein , each depression 24 being surrounded by a continuous land comprising laterally extending lands 25 and 26 , which are parallel to the shaft 22 , and peripherally extending lands 27 and 28 . also provided in the forming roller 20 is a cutoff slot 30 . the forming roller 21 is also provided with a single row of depressions , and lands , as described above in connection with the forming roller 20 , but differs therefrom in that there are a plurality of outwardly peripherally spaced and laterally extending blade elements 31 . the shafts 22 and 23 are driven by apparatus , not shown , for rotating them simultaneously at uniform speed , so that as the forming rollers 20 and 21 rotate with the shafts 22 and 23 , a transverse land 25 , 26 of one roller will be opposite and in spaced facing relationship with a similar transverse land on the other roller , and as the two forming rollers 20 and 21 continue their rotation , the depressions 24 in each of these forming rollers will come into facing relationship . the spacing between forming rollers 20 , 21 is not greater than the thickness of two plastic strips . the drive apparatus for the shafts 22 and 23 may be , for example , an electric or an air motor rotating gears on the shafts 22 and 23 . a supply of a gas such as heated air is delivered to the apparatus through a conduit 33 , the conduit being connected with a laterally extending nozzle 34 which extends into the space between the guide rollers 17 and 18 , thereby discharging gas against the facing surfaces of the plastic strips delivered from the rolls 13 and 15 . in operation , as the plastic strips from the rolls 13 and 15 enter into the nip of the forming rollers 20 and 21 , they are initially pressed together and sealed by a transverse land 26 of forming roller 20 and a corresponding land of forming roller 21 , where a transverse seal or bond is formed between the cohesive material on the two strips . also , the knife 31 enters into the groove 30 , to perform a cutting operation . as the forming rollers 20 and 21 continue to rotate , the heated air which is discharged by the nozzle 20 prevents engagement of the two strips with each other , except at the transverse lands of the rollers 20 and 21 . the heated air from the nozzle 20 causes the plastic strips to be deformed into the depressions 24 of the forming rollers 20 and 21 , and as rotation of the forming rollers 20 and 21 continues , a lateral seal or bond is formed by the pressing action of the peripherally extending lands 27 and 28 of the roller 20 with respectively corresponding peripherally extending lands of the forming roller 21 , thus causing the edge regions of the plastic strips to be bonded by the cohesive material . as will be apparent , further rotation provides a second transverse seal due to the force applied by the transverse land 25 of forming roller 20 and a corresponding land of forming roller 21 , with further rotation effecting a severing of the plastic strip by action of a groove 30 and blade 31 to produce a cushion c . cushion c , as will , be seen , has a hollow rectangular flange f formed of two layers of plastic strip , and within the hollow rectangular flange f there are bulged portions b of each plastic strip , within which is gas , principally that which has been discharged by the nozzle 34 , which is at superatmospheric pressure . the coating of cohesive bonding material prevents air leakage from the cushion c . in fig2 there is shown a hand - held apparatus 40 , including a plate 11 and a handle 41 which extends downwardly from a housing 42 which is attached to the plate 11 . within housing 42 is drive apparatus ( not shown ) which is supplied with energy through an electrical or air conduit 43 . a housing 44 , shown in phantom lines , will be seen to encompass plastic rolls 13 and 15 . the housing 44 is removable to permit replacement of the rolls 13 and 15 on the shafts 12 and 14 . intermediate drive elements from a motor within the housing 42 to the shafts 22 and 23 for the forming rollers 20 and 21 may be conventional , such as gears , or shafts and cone gears , which may be placed on either side of the plate 11 . the forming rollers 20 , 21 in fig2 are essentially of the same construction as those shown in fig1 . an alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in fig3 ; it comprises an apparatus 50 which provides for the formation of pockets in plastic strips and the introduction of foam into the pockets . apparatus 50 provides supports for rolls 13 and 15 of the formable cohesive coated plastic material , and a pair of forming rollers 51 and 52 supported on hollow driven shafts 53 and 54 . the forming rollers 51 , 52 are configured as are the rollers 20 and 21 of fig1 but in addition have openings 57 in the bottom of the depressions 24 , which openings are in fluid communication with the hollow shafts 53 and 54 , each of which is fluid connected a conduit 55 , 56 for vacuum . the forming rollers are heated , as by resistance elements 63 and 64 embedded therein and each supplied with current through an annular contact ( not shown ), or the coated plastic strips may be heated by hot air . a head 58 comprises a first nozzle 59 connected to a conduit 60 , the nozzle 59 being above a depression 24 in roller 51 . a second nozzle 61 is connected to a conduit 62 , and is in alignment with the depression 24 in forming roller 52 . a first foam forming component is delivered from the nozzle 59 and conduit 60 and a second foam forming component is delivered from nozzle 61 and conduit 62 . as will be appreciated , foam forming components will be dispensed from the nozzles 59 and 61 in measured amounts , the discharge being timed to coordinate with the location and formation of the bulges formed in each strip of plastic material . in operation , cohesive coated plastic strips from the rolls 13 and 15 are delivered to the forming rollers 51 and 52 respectively , and as these forming rollers rotate , driven by the shafts 53 and 54 , air is drawn through the openings 57 in the depressions 24 , passing through the hollow shafts 53 and 54 and the conduits 55 and 56 . as before , transversely extending lands will cause engagement of the cohesive coated strips of plastic in a transverse zone , after which as the forming rollers 51 and 52 rotate , sealed , bonded zones extending along the length direction of each of the plastic strips are formed by the peripherally extending portions of the lands on the forming rollers 51 and 52 , and at the same time , the central portion of each forming strip is drawn into the recesses 24 , forming opposed bulges in the two plastic strips . into each of these bulges there is deposited a foam forming component from the nozzle 59 or nozzle 61 . continued rotation of the rollers 51 and 52 causes a second transverse sealing zone to , be formed , to thereby provide a complete peripherally extending hollow rectangular seal region around each pocket formed by the opposed bulges in the plastic strips . when the two foam forming components come into contact , a foam body will be formed within the opposed bulges b of the cushion c . referring now to fig4 - 6 , there is shown an apparatus 65 for forming sheets containing bulged cushions therein . the apparatus 65 comprises shafts 66 and 67 for supporting rolls 68 and 69 of cohesive coated plastic sheet material . suitable plastic is high density polyethylene of 1 / 2 to 3 / 4 mil thickness , or nylon . plastic sheets are withdrawn from the rolls 68 and 69 , and are guided by guide rollers 71 and 72 in converging paths . opposed pairs of unheated edge rollers , are provided , there being seen in fig4 edge rollers 73 and 74 which provide a seal by force at one edge region of the superimposed plastic sheets from the rolls 68 and 69 . as shown in fig5 and 6 , at the opposite edge region , there is a top roller 75 , and a bottom roller 76 . these two sets of rollers provide longitudinally extending and narrow sealed on bonded zones at the edge regions of the adjacent strips . a blower 77 blows air or other gas into a nozzle 78 which extends from the blower 77 towards and preferably beyond the edge rollers 73 , 74 , etc ., and thereby form a generally flat tube t - 1 , sealed at its edge regions , the portions of the cohesive coated plastic sheets inwardly of the edge regions being prevented from contacting each other due to the inflation of the formed tube by the air discharging from the nozzle 78 . the discharge end 79 of the nozzle 78 is in advance of a pair of unheated rollers 80 and 81 , each of which is provided with peripherally extending lands 82 and 83 , which are in axially spaced , parallel relationship along the rollers 80 and 81 as shown in fig5 . the lands 82 , 83 on the rollers 80 and 81 , apply force to cause the tube to have a plurality of spaced apart , parallel and longitudinally extending sealed zones or regions , so that there are in effect downstream ( or to the right ) of the rollers 80 and 81 a series of parallel inflated tubes t - 2 extending between each pair of adjacent sealed zones 90 . between the zones 90 are the narrow width , longitudinally extending tubes t - 2 . the sheets then pass between unheated rollers 84 and 85 , which have on their peripheries a series of radially extending transverse projections 86 and 87 , which are in opposed relationship as shown in fig4 and thereby apply force to provide successive transverse sealed or bonded zones 91 . these transverse sealed zones are shown in fig5 and serve to divide the tubes t - 2 into individual pockets to thereby form a sheet with hollow rectangular sealed zones surrounding , bulges b , arranged in a grid pattern . as illustrated in the drawing , there are 10 bulged portions laterally across the sheet , and the sheet may be approximately 24 &# 34 ;- 36 &# 34 ; in width , for example . the length of the sheet is indeterminate , and severing of a sheet containing as many rows of the bulges b as desirable may be effected , to provide sheets of perhaps 1 - 6 feet in length . as will be appreciated , the sheet with the bulges b in it may be of any desired length , and division of the sheet may be either transversely or longitudinally of the sheet , or both , to obtain a single or plural cushions c as desired and necessary for a particular packaging requirement . the apparatus 65 , like the embodiments of fig1 and 2 , may be provided on site , as in stores , shipping departments and in retail specialty packaging operations . there is required only a supply of electricity for driving the blower 77 and motors which will drive the rollers 80 , 81 and rollers 84 , 85 . the apparatus 50 shown in fig3 as will be appreciated , would also require the provision of suitable containers of foam forming agent and related equipment . in fig7 there is shown an alternate apparatus 100 for on site , on demand production of gas - filled cushions . apparatus 100 comprises shafts 101 and 102 for supporting rolls 103 and 104 of cohesive coated plastic sheet material , which is preferably non - stretchable . between the rolls 103 and 104 is a duct 106 connected at one end ( the upper end as shown in fig7 ) to a blower 107 , or other source of air under superatmospheric pressure , and at its other end , the lower end as shown in fig7 the duct 106 is connected to a nozzle 108 . nozzle 108 is provided on its side surfaces with openings 109 . the distal end 111 of nozzle 108 is preferably provided with openings to permit the escape of air from the blower 107 . the openings 109 in the distal end 11 may be varied in size , or closed , depending on such factors as the size and extent of the openings 109 and the pressure generated by the blower 107 . the sheets , when withdrawn from the rolls 103 and 104 , are led between pairs of unheated side sealing rollers 110a and 110b . the rollers 110a and 110b cause the strips to engage , and the two strips are thus sealed together at longitudinally extending zones adjacent each edge so as to form a tube t - 1 , within which is the nozzle 108 . the strips do not engage the nozzle 108 due to the air which is discharged from nozzle 108 through the openings 109 . the tube t - 1 is of substantial width , being of greater width and thickness than the nozzle 108 in all directions . downstream of the side sealing rollers 110a and 110b is a restrainer 112 for the tube t - 1 , which causes the tube t - 1 to be restrained into a generally rectangular cross - sectional shape as shown in fig8 . the tube t - 1 has flanges f at either side , formed by the rollers 110a and 110b . the restrainer 112 comprises facing c - shaped channels 113 and 114 . an adjustment control apparatus 115 , 116 , shown schematically on fig8 is provided to adjust one or both of the channels 113 and 114 towards and away from each other to thereby vary the dimensions of the tube t - 1 . as will be appreciated , the adjustment control apparatus 115 and 116 may be mechanical lever systems , motor driven screws , hydraulic pistons , etc . as the adjustment control apparatus 115 and 116 cause adjustment of the spacing between the channels 113 and 114 , the tube will take various width - to - thickness ratios . the channels 113 and 114 engage the exterior surfaces of the tube t - 1 , which are not coated with cohesive material , and the tube t - 1 readily passes along the channels 113 and 114 . referring again to fig7 each of the channels 113 and 114 is provided with longitudinally extending slots 117 . a plurality of sealing wheels 118 are supported on a shaft 119 , and pass through the slots 117 in the channel 113 . similarly , a plurality of sealing wheels 120 are in opposed relationship to the sealing wheels 118 , are supported on a shaft 121 , and pass through the slots 117 in the channel 114 . thus , the sealing wheels 118 and 120 cause engagement of the plastic sheets in spaced , longitudinally extending zones , to cause the formation of longitudinally extending tubes t - 2 . the tubes t - 2 are then passed between unheated rollers 122 and 123 having transversely extending and mating lands 124 which cause engagement of the cohesive material on the plastic strips along transverse lines , so as to divide the tubes t - 2 into a plurality of individual pockets of generally rectangular shape , with hollow rectangular seal zones surrounding bulges b the apparatus 100 forms , cushions in a grid - like pattern with the internal pressurization of each cushion or pocket , formed by the bulge configuration of the plastic sheets and internal superatmospheric pressure . the air , when introduced into the initially formed tubes t - 1 is at a superatmospheric pressure , of approximately two atmospheres , for example . this superatmospheric pressure is present in the tubes t - 1 and t - 2 and in the resulting cushions , so as to prevent engagement of the cohesive plastic at portions of the sheets within the closed peripheral pattern of engagement caused by the sealing wheels 118 and 120 , and by the rollers 122 and 123 . once the cushions , in grid - like pattern , are formed , individual cushions may be severed , or strips containing any desired number of cushions may be severed from the basic structure . where appropriate , cushion material in grid - like sheet format of cushions may be produced and stored over a substantial period of time , and the cushions will not significantly decrease in cushioning ability due to leakage of air , since the cohesive material which coats the interior surfaces of the cushion within the closed peripheral sealed pattern prevents air leakage . of course , air leakage is also prevented through the peripheral seal zone . there has been provided apparatus and method for on site production of individual filled cushions , either air or foam filled . there has also been disclosed apparatus and related method to enable the production on site of relatively small quantities , on demand , of a plurality of individual cushions such as may be used to package a fragile object , for storage or transportation to a remote location . there need be provided only normal electric current , or in the instances of the apparatus providing a foam filled cushion , there is to be provided in addition , only a supply of readily available foam forming components . further , there is disclosed a simple and economical apparatus and method for forming sheets of filled cushion elements on site , which sheets may be severed as desired to provide relatively small sheets which may be used on site as needed , and individual filled cushions . the claims and specification describe the invention presented , and the terms that are employed in the claims draw their meaning from the use of such terms in the specification . some terms employed in the prior art may be broader in meaning than specifically employed herein . whenever there is a question between the broader definition of such term as used in the prior art and the more specific use of the term herein , the more specific meaning is meant .	1
fig3 a illustrates a cascode transconductance circuit 100 , utilizing aspects of the present invention , which is useful for various circuit applications . for example , it can be used as a current source by keeping its input voltage vin constant and providing its output current iout to other circuitry through conventional means such as a current mirror , or it can be used as a cascode amplifier by converting its output current iout to an output voltage vout and similarly providing its output voltage vout to other circuitry through conventional means . the circuit 100 is formed by serially connecting a pair of p - mos fets , 102 and 104 , together such that the drain of p - mos fet 104 is connected to the source of p - mos fet 102 , and the gates of the two p - mos fets are tied together at node g . by applying a voltage , typically vdd , to the source of p - mos fet 104 and an appropriate input voltage vin to the connected together gates of p - mos fets , 102 and 104 , an output current iout flows through the p - mos fets , 102 and 104 , with p - mos fet 104 acting as a current source transistor and p - mos fet 102 acting as a cascode transistor . to ensure that p - mos fets , 102 and 104 , both operate in their saturated regions , their respective gate - to - source voltages , vgs1 and vgs2 , must each be less than their respective threshold voltages , vt1 and vt2 ( i . e ., vgs1 & lt ; vt1 and vgs2 & lt ; vt2 ). since the respective gates of p - mos fets , 102 and 104 , are tied together at node g , this saturation condition is facilitated by designing the threshold voltage vt2 of p - mos fet 104 to be at least , for example , 0 . 1 volts greater than the threshold voltage vt1 of p - mos fet 102 . in the preferred embodiment depicted in fig3 a , p - mos fet 104 has a threshold voltage of nominally - 0 . 7 volts and p - mos fet 102 has a threshold voltage of nominally zero volts , wherein the zero - threshold p - mos fet is indicated by hatching between its source and drain ( e . g ., p - mos fet 102 ). because of process variances and other causes , the threshold voltages for p - mos fets 102 and 104 may vary significantly from their nominally designed values . as a practical matter , therefore , an acceptable range of threshold voltages for each p - mos fet should be determined , preferably by considering the application in which the cascode transconductance circuit 100 is to be used . for most applications , however , a range between - 0 . 6 to - 1 . 1 volts for the threshold voltage vt2 for p - mos fet 104 is believed to be acceptable ( i . e ., - 1 . 1 ≦ vt2 ≦- 0 . 6 volts ), and a range between - 0 . 2 and + 0 . 2 volts for threshold voltage vt1 of p - mos fet 102 is believed to be acceptable ( i . e ., - 0 . 2 ≦ vt1 ≦ 0 . 2 volts ). fig3 b illustrates , as an example , a cmos structure 110 which utilizes aspects of the present invention to implement the cascode transconductance circuit 100 of fig3 a . the structure 110 includes p + drain and source regions , 114 and 116 , respectively , formed in an n - type substrate or well 112 , and a gate electrode 118 formed over a gate oxide layer 120 which in turn , is formed over a surface 122 of the n - type substrate or well 112 . contacts 128 , 130 and 132 provide nodes corresponding to d , g and s , respectively , of fig3 a , by electrically connecting to the p + drain region 114 , the gate electrode 118 , and the p + source region 116 , respectively , of the cmos structure 110 . an n + diffusion region 134 is also shown in fig3 b , because the n - type substrate or well 112 is preferably biased to a voltage source vdd through contact 136 at node b . between the p + drain and source regions , 114 and 116 , respectively , and beneath the gate electrode 118 , are preferably two p type threshold adjust regions , 124 and 126 . the p type dopant concentrations of the two threshold adjust regions , 124 and 126 , are selected such that a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 118 and the p type threshold adjust region 126 is at least 0 . 1 volts less than a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 118 and the p type threshold adjust region 124 . in particular , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the dopant concentrations are so selected such that the threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 118 and the p type threshold adjust region 126 is in the range of - 1 . 1 ≦ vt ≦- 0 . 6 volts , and the threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 118 and the p type threshold adjust region 124 is in the range of - 0 . 2 ≦ vt ≦ 0 . 2 volts . effectively , the two p type threshold adjust regions , 124 and 126 , implement p - mos fets 102 and 104 , respectively , of fig3 a . when an input voltage vin is applied to the gate electrode 118 of the cmos structure 110 , two space charge regions are formed beneath the gate structure . a first space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 126 . this first space charge region is initiated at the interface between the p + source 116 and the p type threshold adjust region 126 , because of the different dopant concentrations of the two regions , wherein a p + indicates a relatively higher p type dopant concentration than a p . a second space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 124 . this second space charge region is initiated at the interface between the two p type threshold adjust regions , 126 and 124 , because of the different dopant concentrations of the two regions , wherein the larger region ( e . g ., p type threshold adjust region 124 ) indicates a higher dopant concentration than the smaller region ( e . g ., p type threshold adjust region 126 ). particular dopant concentrations for the p + type drain and source regions , 114 and 116 , respectively , and the p type threshold adjust regions , 124 and 126 , are provided , for example , in application ser . no . 07 / 902 , 914 , filed on jun . 23 , 1992 , entitled cmos process and circuit including zero threshold transistors , which application is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention , and is incorporated herein by reference . in comparing the cmos structure 110 with the prior art structures depicted in fig1 b and 1c , it is apparent that the cmos structure 110 presents a more compact implementation for a cascode transconductance circuit than the prior art structures . in particular , the cmos structure 110 only requires one gate electrode for its implementation , whereas both prior art implementations require two gate electrodes . further , the prior art structure of fig1 b also requires an additional source / drain region 23 . on the other hand , the cmos structure 110 requires that at least one and preferably two p type threshold adjust regions ( e . g ., 124 and 126 ) be formed beneath its gate electrode 118 . fig4 a illustrates a cascode transconductance circuit 200 , utilizing aspects of the present invention . the circuit 200 is formed by serially connecting a pair of n - mos fets , 202 and 204 , together such that the source of n - mos fet 204 is connected to the drain of n - mos fet 202 , and the gates of the two n - mos fets are tied together at node g . by applying a voltage , typically ground , to the source of n - mos fet 202 at node s and an appropriate input voltage vin to the connected together gates of n - mos fets , 202 and 204 , an output current iout flows through the n - mos fets , 202 and 204 , with n - mos fet 202 acting as a current sink transistor and n - mos fet 204 acting as a cascode transistor . to ensure that n - mos fets , 202 and 204 , both operate in their saturated regions , their respective gate - to - source voltages , vgs1 and vgs2 , must each be higher than their respective threshold voltages , vt1 and vt2 ( i . e ., vgs1 & gt ; vt1 and vgs2 & gt ; vt2 ). since the respective gates of n - mos fets , 202 and 204 , are tied together at node g , this saturation condition is facilitated by designing the threshold voltage vt2 of n - mos fet 204 to be at least , for example , 0 . 1 volts less than the threshold voltage vt1 of n - mos fet 202 . in the preferred embodiment depicted in fig4 a , n - mos fet 202 has a threshold voltage of nominally 0 . 7 volts and n - mos fet 204 has a threshold voltage of nominally zero volts , wherein the zero - threshold n - mos fet is indicated by hatching between its source and drain ( e . g ., n - mos fet 204 ). because of process variances and other causes , the threshold voltages for n - mos fets 202 and 2204 may vary significantly from their nominally designed values . as a practical matter , therefore , an acceptable range of threshold voltages for each n - mos fet should be determined , preferably by considering the application in which the cascode transconductance circuit 200 is to be used . for most applications , however , a range between 0 . 6 to 1 . 1 volts for the threshold voltage vt1 of n - mos fet 202 is believed to be acceptable ( i . e ., 0 . 6 ≦ vt1 ≦ 1 . 1 volts ), and a range between - 0 . 2 and + 0 . 2 volts for the threshold voltage vt2 of n - mos fet 204 is believed to be acceptable ( i . e ., - 0 . 2 ≦ vt2 ≦ 0 . 2 volts ). fig4 b illustrates , as an example , a cmos structure 210 which utilizes aspects of the present invention to implement the cascode transconductance circuit 200 of fig4 a . the structure 210 includes n + source and drain regions , 214 and 216 , respectively , formed in a p - type substrate or well 212 , and a gate electrode 218 formed over a gate oxide layer 220 which in turn , is formed over a surface 222 of the p - type substrate or well 212 . contacts 228 , 230 , and 232 provide nodes corresponding to s , g , and d , respectively , of fig4 a , by electrically connecting to the n + source region 214 , the gate electrode 218 , and the n + drain region 216 , respectively , of the cmos structure 210 . a p + diffusion region 234 is also shown in fig4 b , because the p - type substrate or well 212 is preferably biased to ground vss through contact 236 at node b . between the n + source and drain regions , 214 and 216 , respectively , and beneath the gate electrode 218 , is at least one p type threshold adjust region 224 . a second threshold adjust region 226 is labeled x , because this region 226 may be either a p type threshold adjust region , an n type threshold adjust region , or merely an extension of the p - type substrate or well 212 . the dopant concentrations of the two threshold adjust regions , 224 and 226 , are selected such that a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 218 and the threshold adjust region 224 is at least 0 . 1 volts greater than a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 218 and the threshold adjust region 226 . in particular , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the dopant concentrations are so selected such that the threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 218 and the threshold adjust region 226 is in the range of - 0 . 2 ≦ vt ≦ 0 . 2 volts , and the threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 218 and the threshold adjust region 224 is in the range of 0 . 6 ≦ vt1 . 1 volts . effectively , the two threshold adjust regions , 224 and 226 , implement n - mos fets 202 and 204 , respectively , of fig4 a . when an input voltage vin is applied to the gate electrode 218 of the cmos structure 210 , two space charge regions are formed beneath the gate structure . a first space charge region is formed in the x type threshold adjust region 226 . this first space charge region is initiated at the interface between the n + type drain region 216 and the x type threshold adjust region 226 , because of the different dopant concentrations or types of the two regions . a second space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 224 . this second space charge region is initiated at the interface between the two threshold adjust regions , 224 and 226 , because of the different dopant concentrations or types of these two regions . particular dopant concentrations for the n + type source and drain regions , 214 and 216 , respectively , and the p and x ( e . g ., p or n ) type threshold adjust regions , 224 and 226 , are provided , for example , in application ser . no . 07 / 902 , 914 , filed on jun . 23 , 1992 , entitled cmos process and circuit including zero threshold transistors , which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention , and is incorporated herein by reference . in comparing the cmos structure 210 with the prior art structures depicted in fig1 b and 1c , it is apparent that the cmos structure 210 presents a more compact implementation for a cascode transconductance circuit than the prior art structures . in particular , similar to the cmos structure 110 in fig3 b , the cmos structure 210 only requires one gate electrode for its implementation , whereas both prior art implementations require two gate electrodes . further , the prior art structure of fig1 b also requires an additional source / drain region 23 . on the other hand , the cmos structure 210 requires that at least one threshold adjust region 224 , and possibly two , be formed beneath its gate electrode 218 . fig5 a illustrates a cascode transconductance circuit 300 , utilizing aspects of the present invention . the cascode transconductance circuit 300 is formed by connecting in parallel two or more pairs of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ), wherein each pair is identical to the cascode transconductance circuit 100 of fig3 a . the tied together gates of each of the pairs of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ) are then tied together at node g so that all of the gates of all of the p - mos fets in the cascode transconductance circuit 300 can be driven by an input voltage vin at node g . each pair of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ) has a first p - mos fet corresponding to p - mos fet 102 and a second p - mos fet corresponding to p - mos fet 104 of cascode transconductance circuit 100 . by applying a voltage , typically vdd , to the tied together sources of the corresponding p - mos fets 104 of all of the pairs of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ) at node s and an appropriate input voltage vin to the connected together gates of all of the pairs of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ), an output current iout &# 39 ; flows through the parallel connected together pairs of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ), to the tied together drains of the corresponding p - mos fets 102 of all of the pairs of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ) at node d , which acts as an output node of the circuit 300 . since each pair of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ) is expected to draw an output current iout equal to the output current iout of the cascode transconductance circuit 100 , the combined output current iout &# 39 ; of all of the pairs of p - mos fets is expected to be equal to n . iout , where n is the number of pairs of p - mos fets in the cascode transconductance circuit 300 . fig5 b illustrates , as an example , a cmos structure 310 which utilizes aspects of the present invention to implement the cascode transconductance circuit 300 of fig5 a . the structure 310 includes two p + source regions , 314 and 316 , and one shared p + drain region 318 formed in an n - type substrate or well 312 , and two gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , formed over gate oxide layers , 332 and 334 , respectively , which in turn , are formed over a surface 336 of the n - type substrate or well 312 . contacts 338 and 346 provide a node corresponding to node s of fig5 a by electrically connecting together and to the p + source regions , 314 and 316 , respectively . contacts 340 and 344 provide a node corresponding to node g of fig5 a by electrically connecting together and to the gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , respectively . contact 342 provides a node corresponding to node d of fig5 a by electrically connecting to the p + drain region 318 . an n + diffusion region 348 is also shown in fig5 b , because the n - type substrate or well 312 is preferably biased to a voltage source vdd through contact 350 at node b . beneath each of the gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , are preferably two p type threshold adjust regions . for example , beneath gate electrode 328 are two p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 322 , and beneath gate electrode 330 are two p type threshold adjust regions , 324 and 326 . the p type dopant concentrations of the two threshold adjust regions , 320 and 322 , are relatively selected so that a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 328 and the p type threshold adjust region 320 is at least 0 . 1 volts less than a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 328 and the p type threshold adjust region 322 . likewise , the p type dopant concentrations of the two threshold adjust regions , 324 and 326 , are relatively selected so that a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 330 and the p type threshold adjust region 326 is at least 0 . 1 volts less than a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 330 and the p type threshold adjust region 324 . for example , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the dopant concentrations are selected such that the threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , and their respective p type threshold adjust regions , 322 and 324 , are in the range of - 0 . 2 ≦ vt ≦ 0 . 2 volts , and the threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , and their respective p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 326 , are in the range of - 1 . 1 ≦ vt ≦- 0 . 6 volts . in particular , the dopant concentrations for the p + type drain and two p + source regions , 318 , 314 and 316 , respectively , and the p type threshold adjust regions , 320 , 322 , 324 , and 326 , are preferably the same as corresponding regions in fig3 b . effectively , the two p type threshold adjust regions 320 and 322 , implement one pair of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 or 304 in fig5 a ) by corresponding to p - mos fets , 104 and 102 , respectively , of the cascode transconductance circuit 100 , and the two p type threshold adjust regions , 324 and 326 , implement another pair of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 or 304 in fig5 a ) by also corresponding to p - mos fets , 102 and 104 , respectively , of the cascode transconductance circuit 100 of fig3 a . consequently , when an input voltage vin is applied to the connected together gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , of the cmos structure 310 , two space charge regions are formed beneath each of the gate electrodes , 328 and 330 . for example , beneath gate electrode 328 , a first space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 320 . this first space charge region is initiated at the interface between the p + source region 314 and the p type threshold adjust region 320 , because of the different p type dopant concentrations of the two regions . a second space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 322 . this second space charge region is initiated at the interface between the two p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 322 , because of the different p type dopant concentrations of these two regions . likewise , beneath gate electrode 330 , a first space region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 326 . this first space charge region is initiated at the interface between the p + type source 316 and the p type threshold adjust region 326 , because of the different p type dopant concentrations of the two regions . a second space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 324 . this second space charge region is initiated at the interface between the two p type threshold adjust regions , 326 and 324 , because of the different p type dopant concentrations of these two regions . in comparing the cmos structure 310 with the prior art structures depicted in fig2 b and 2c , it is apparent that the cmos structure 310 presents a more compact implementation for a cascode transconductance circuit than the prior art structures . in particular , the cmos structure 31 . 0 only requires two gate electrodes for its implementation of two pairs of p - mos fets ( e . g ., 302 and 304 ), whereas both prior art implementations require four gate electrodes . further , the prior art structure of fig2 b also requires two additional source / drain regions , 65 and 66 . on the other hand , the cmos structure 310 requires that at least one and preferably two p type threshold adjust regions be formed beneath each of its two gate electrodes , 328 and 330 . fig6 a - 6d , illustrate , as examples , several steps of a method , utilizing aspects of the present invention , for fabricating the cmos structure 310 of fig5 b . starting in fig6 a and 6b , at least two p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 326 , and at least one p type threshold adjust region 322 having a higher p type dopant concentration than the two p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 326 , are formed at preselected locations on the surface 336 of an n - type substrate or well 312 using , for example , conventional photolithography and ion implantation techniques . although fig6 a and 6b indicate that the two p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 326 , are formed prior to the p type threshold adjust region 322 , it is to be appreciated that it is also contemplated within the scope of the present invention to alternatively , form the p type threshold adjust region 322 prior to forming the two p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 326 , since it is the spatial arrangement of the p type threshold adjust regions , e . g ., p type threshold adjust region 322 formed between p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 326 , not the order of their formation that is important in practicing the present invention . referring now to fig6 c , and using , for example , conventional chemical vapor deposition (&# 34 ; cvd &# 34 ;) and / or sputtering techniques , gate oxide and metallization layers ( not shown ) are both formed over the surface 336 of the n - type substrate or well 312 , and then using , for example , conventional photolithography and etching techniques , gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , and gate oxide regions , 332 and 334 , are formed from the metallization and gate oxide layers , respectively . because of alignment errors occurring , for example , in the photolithography process , the gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , may not be formed in their exact preferred locations with respect to the preformed p type threshold adjust regions , 320 , 322 , and 326 . for example , preferably , gate electrode 328 would be formed over the surface 336 of the n - type substrate or well 312 such that exactly one half of the gate electrode 328 would be formed over the p type threshold adjust region 320 and one half of the gate electrode 328 would be formed over the p type threshold adjust region 322 . similarly , gate electrode 330 would be formed over the surface 336 of the n - type substrate or well 312 such that exactly one half of the gate electrode 330 would be formed over the p type threshold adjust region 322 and one half of the gate electrode 330 would be formed over the p type threshold adjust region 326 . the primary significance of such alignment error , depicted as length a . e . in fig6 c , is that it affects the saturation current flowing through the respective p type threshold adjust regions , as will be elaborated upon in the discussion that follows . referring now to fig6 d , and again using , for example , conventional photolithography and ion implantation techniques , the p + source regions , 314 and 316 , and the p + drain region 318 are formed at preselected locations in the surface 336 of the n - type substrate or well 312 . since the p + source and drain regions self - align to their respective gate electrodes , alignment of these source and drain regions with respect to their respective gate electrodes is not a problem . also shown in fig6 d is an n + type diffusion region 348 , formed , for example , by conventional photolithography and ion implantation or diffusion techniques . as previously described in reference to fig5 b , the n + diffusion region 348 is provided so that the n - type substrate or well 312 can be biased to a voltage source such as vdd , for example . although first shown in fig6 d , it is also to be appreciated that the n + diffusion region 348 can be formed at any time before , during or after the steps described in reference to fig6 a - 6d . following the formation of the p type threshold adjust regions , 320 , 326 and 322 , the gate electrodes , 328 and 330 , the p + source regions , 314 and 316 , the p + drain region 318 , and the n + bias diffusion region 348 , additional insulating and metallization layers ( not shown ) are formed , masked and etched , for example , to provide electrical contacts to the various source , drain , gate , and bias diffusion regions of the cmos structure 310 . the resulting metal contacts of these steps are simplistically shown , for illustrative purposes , for example , as contacts 338 , 340 , 342 , 344 , 346 , and 350 in fig5 b . referring back now to fig5 b , certain features of the cmos structure 310 are now pointed out to better understand the alignment error problem , as well as , how the method described in reference to fig6 a - 6d solves or alleviates those problems . as described in reference to fig6 c , the alignment problem between each gate electrode and its respective p type threshold adjust regions results from one of the gate electrode &# 39 ; s p type threshold adjust regions extending further than half way beneath the gate electrode , and the other of the gate electrode &# 39 ; s p type threshold adjust regions extending less than half way beneath the gate electrode . for example , referring to fig5 b , gate electrode 328 has been formed with respect to the p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 322 , such that p type threshold adjust region 320 extends to a length lsg1 from an edge adjacent to the p type threshold adjust region 320 and towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 328 , and p type threshold adjust region 322 extends to a length lgd1 from an edge adjacent to the p type threshold adjust region 322 and towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 328 , wherein the length lsg1 & gt ; lgd1 . since the current flowing through a region is inversely related to the length of the region , the p - mos fet corresponding to the p type threshold adjust region 320 ( e . g ., 104 in fig3 a ) will source less current than the p - mos fet corresponding to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; p type threshold adjust region 126 of fig3 b ( e . g ., 104 in fig3 a ), and the p - mos fet corresponding to the p type threshold adjust region 326 ( e . g ., 104 in fig3 a ) will source more current than the p - mos fet corresponding to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; p type threshold adjust region 126 of fig3 b ( e . g ., 104 in fig3 a ). consequently , if p type threshold adjust region 320 corresponds , for example , to p - mos fet pair 302 and in particular , to the p - mos fet of pair 302 which corresponds to p - mos fet 104 of cascode transconductance circuit 100 , and if p type threshold adjust region 326 corresponds , for example , to p - mos fet pair 304 and in particular , to the p - mos fet of pair 304 which corresponds to p - mos fet 104 of cascode transconductance circuit 100 , then the slope of vin vs . iout ( i . e ., the transconductance ) corresponding to pair 302 will be less steep or smaller than that of the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; cascode transconductance circuit 100 as implemented by cmos structure 110 , and the slope of vin vs . iout ( i . e ., the transconductance ) corresponding to pair 304 will be steeper or larger than that of the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; cascode transconductance circuit 100 as implemented by cmos structure 110 . a key aspect of the present invention , however , is the symmetric design of the cmos structure 310 which will be further appreciated in the discussion that follows . in particular , the gate electrode 330 has been formed with respect to the p type threshold adjust regions , 326 and 322 ( whose portion extending under gate 330 is referenced as 324 ), such that p type threshold adjust region 326 extends to a length lsg2 from an edge of the gate electrode 330 adjacent to the p type threshold adjust region 326 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 330 , and p type threshold adjust region 324 extends to a length lgd2 from an edge of the gate electrode 330 adjacent to the p type threshold adjust region 324 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 330 , wherein lgd2 & gt ; lsg2 . conversely , the gate electrode 328 has been formed with respect to the p type threshold adjust regions , 320 and 322 , such that p type threshold adjust region 320 extends to a length lsg1 from an edge of the gate electrode 328 adjacent to the p type threshold adjust region 320 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 328 , and p type threshold adjust region 322 extends to a length lgd1 from an edge of the gate electrode 328 adjacent to the p type threshold adjust region 322 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 328 , wherein lsg1 & gt ; lgd1 . accordingly , even though each of the lengths lsg1 , lgd1 , lgd2 , and lsg2 is either less than or greater than the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; length , which is exactly one half of the distance between opposing edges of each gate electrode , the average length of the p type threshold adjust regions corresponding to the gate - to - drain regions ( i . e ., the average of lgd1 and lgd2 ) is equal to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; length , and the average length of the p type threshold adjust regions corresponding to the gate - to - source regions ( i . e ., the average of lsg1 and lsg2 ) is equal to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; length . consequently , even though the output current flowing through pair 302 may be larger than the ideal output current iout of the cascode transconductance circuit 100 , and the output current flowing through pair 304 may be smaller than the ideal output current iout of the cascode transconductance circuit 100 , the average current flowing through both pairs 302 and 304 is equal to the ideal output current iout and consequential , the combined output current iout &# 39 ; for the cmos structure 310 is equal to 2 * iout , as in the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; case . fig7 a illustrates a cascode transconductance circuit 400 , utilizing aspects of the present invention . the cascode transconductance circuit 400 is formed by connecting in parallel two or more pairs of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ), wherein each pair is identical to the cascode transconductance circuit 200 of fig4 a . the tied together gates of each of the pairs of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ) are then tied together at node g so that all of the gates of all of the n - mos fets in the cascode transconductance circuit 400 can be driven by an input voltage vin at node g . each pair of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ) has a first n - mos fet corresponding to n - mos fet 202 and a second n - mos fet corresponding to n - mos fet 204 of cascode transconductance circuit 200 . by applying a voltage , typically ground , to the tied together sources of the corresponding n - mos fets 202 of all of the pairs of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ) at node s and an appropriate input voltage vin to the connected together gates of all of the pairs of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ), an output current iout &# 39 ; flows through the parallel connected together pairs of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ) in response thereof . since each pair of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ) is expected to draw an output current iout equal to the output current iout of the cascode transconductance circuit 200 , the combined output current iout &# 39 ; of all of the pairs of n - mos fets is expected to be equal to n * iout , where n is the number of pairs of n - mos fets in the cascode transconductance circuit 400 . fig7 b illustrates , as an example , a cmos structure 510 which utilizes aspects of the present invention to implement the cascode transconductance circuit 400 of fig7 a . the structure 510 includes two n + source regions , 514 and 516 , and one shared n + drain region 518 formed in a p - type substrate or well 512 , and two gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , formed over gate oxide layers , 532 and 534 , respectively , which in turn , are formed over a surface 536 of the p - type substrate or well 512 . contacts 538 and 546 provide a node corresponding to node s of fig7 a by electrically connecting together and to the n + source regions , 514 and 516 , respectively . contacts 540 and 544 provide a node corresponding to node g of fig7 a by electrically connecting together and to the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , respectively . contact 542 provides a node corresponding to node d of fig7 a by electrically connecting to the n + drain region 518 . a p + diffusion region 548 is also shown in fig7 b , because the p - type substrate or well 512 is preferably biased to ground through contact 550 at node b . beneath each of the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , is preferably at least one p type threshold adjust region ( e . g ., 520 and 526 ). also shown beneath each of the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , is a second threshold adjust region ( e . g ., 522 and 524 ) labeled x . the second threshold adjust regions are labeled x , because these regions 522 and 524 may be either p type threshold adjust regions , n type threshold adjust regions , or merely extensions of the p - type substrate or well 512 . the types and / or dopant concentrations of the two threshold adjust regions , 524 and 526 , are selected such that a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 530 and the threshold adjust region 524 is at least 0 . 1 volts less than a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 530 and the threshold adjust region 526 . similarly , the types and / or dopant concentrations of the two threshold adjust regions , 522 and 520 , are selected such that a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 528 and the threshold adjust region 522 is at least 0 . 1 volts less than a threshold voltage corresponding to the gate electrode 528 and the threshold adjust region 520 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the types and / or dopant concentrations are selected such that the threshold voltages corresponding to the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , and their respective threshold adjust regions , 522 and 524 , are in the range of - 0 . 2 ≦ vt ≦ 0 . 2 volts , and the threshold voltages corresponding to the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , and their respective threshold adjust regions , 520 and 526 , are in the range of 0 . 6 ≦ vt ≦ 1 . 1 volts . in particular , the dopant concentrations for the n + type drain and two n + source regions , 518 , 514 and 516 , respectively , and the threshold adjust regions , 520 , 522 , 524 , and 526 , are preferably the same as corresponding regions in fig4 b . effectively , the two threshold adjust regions 520 and 522 , implement one pair of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 or 404 in fig7 a ) by corresponding to n - mos fets , 204 and 202 , respectively , of the cascode transconductance circuit 200 , and the two threshold adjust regions , 524 and 526 , implement another pair of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 or 404 in fig7 a ) by also corresponding to n - mos fets , 202 and 204 , respectively , of the cascode transconductance circuit 200 of fig4 a . consequently , when an input voltage vin is applied to the connected together gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , of the cmos structure 510 , two space charge regions are formed beneath each of the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 . for example , beneath gate electrode 528 , a first space charge region is formed in the x type threshold adjust region 522 . this first space charge region is initiated at the interface between the n + drain region 518 and the x type threshold adjust region 522 , because of the different type and / or dopant concentrations of the two regions . a second space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 520 . this second space charge region is also initiated at the interface between the two threshold adjust regions , 520 and 522 , because of the different type and / or dopant concentrations of the two regions . likewise , beneath gate electrode 530 , a first space charge region is formed in the x type threshold adjust region 524 . this first space charge region is initiated at the interface between the n + drain region 518 and the x type threshold adjust region 524 , because of the different type and / or dopant concentrations of the two regions . a second space charge region is formed in the p type threshold adjust region 526 . this second space charge region is also initiated at the interface between the two threshold adjust regions , 524 and 526 , because of the different type and / or dopant concentrations of these two regions . in comparing the cmos structure 510 with the prior art structures depicted in fig2 b and 2c , it is apparent that the cmos structure 510 presents a more compact implementation for a cascode transconductance circuit than the prior art structures . in particular , the cmos structure 510 only requires two gate electrodes for its implementation of two pairs of n - mos fets ( e . g ., 402 and 404 ), whereas both prior art implementations require four gate electrodes . further , the prior art structure of fig2 b also requires two additional source / drain regions , 65 and 66 . on the other hand , the cmos structure 510 requires that at least one p type threshold adjust region be formed beneath each of its two gate electrodes , 528 and 530 . fig8 a - 8d , illustrate , as examples , several steps of a method , utilizing aspects of the present invention , for fabricating the cmos structure 510 of fig7 b . starting in fig8 a and 8b , at least two p type threshold adjust regions , 520 and 526 , are concurrently formed at preselected locations on the surface 536 of a p - type substrate or well 512 using , for example , conventional photolithography and ion implantation techniques . before or after the two p type threshold adjust regions , 520 and 526 , are formed , an x type threshold adjust region 522 may or may not be formed , depending upon the characteristics of the cmos process being used . for example , if a threshold voltage corresponding to the x type threshold adjust region 522 is desired to be increased , then a p type dopant concentration may be implanted in this region . on the other hand , if the threshold voltage corresponding to the x type threshold adjust region 522 is desired to be reduced , then an n type dopant concentration may be implanted in this region . finally , if the threshold voltage corresponding to the x type threshold adjust region 522 is satisfactory as is , then no additional implant need be performed in this region . referring now to fig8 c , and using , for example , conventional chemical vapor deposition (&# 34 ; cvd &# 34 ;) and / or sputtering techniques , gate oxide and metallization layers . ( not shown ) are both formed over the surface 536 of the n - type substrate or well 512 , and then using , for example , conventional photolithography and etching techniques , gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , and gate oxide regions , 532 and 534 , are formed from the metallization and gate oxide layers , respectively . because of alignment errors occurring , for example , in the photolithography process , the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , may not be formed in their exact preferred locations with respect to the preformed threshold adjust regions , 520 , 522 , and 526 . for example , preferably , gate electrode 528 would be formed over the surface 536 of the p - type substrate or well 512 such that exactly one half of the gate electrode 528 would be formed over the p type threshold adjust region 520 and one half of the gate electrode 528 would be formed over the x type threshold adjust region 522 . similarly , gate electrode 530 would be formed over the surface 536 of the p - type substrate or well 512 such that exactly one half of the gate electrode 530 would be formed over the x type threshold adjust region 522 and one half of the gate electrode 530 would be formed over the p type threshold adjust region 526 . as previously described in reference to fig6 a - 6d , the primary significance of such alignment error , depicted as length a . e . in fig8 c , is that it affects the saturation current flowing through the respective threshold adjust regions . referring now to fig8 d , and again using , for example , conventional photolithography and ion implantation techniques , the n + source regions , 514 and 516 , and the n + drain region 518 are formed at preselected locations in the surface 536 of the p - type substrate or well 512 . since the n + source and drain regions self - align to their respective gate electrodes , alignment of these source and drain regions with respect to their respective gate electrodes is not a problem . also shown in fig8 d is a p + type diffusion region 548 , formed , for example , by conventional photolithography and ion implantation or diffusion techniques . as previously described in reference to fig7 b , the p + diffusion region 548 is provided so that the p - type substrate or well 512 can be biased to ground , for example . although first shown in fig8 d , it is also to be appreciated that the p + diffusion region 548 can be formed at any time before , during or after the steps described in reference to fig8 a - 8d . following the formation of the threshold adjust regions , 520 , 526 and 522 , the gate electrodes , 528 and 530 , the n + source regions , 514 and 516 , the n + drain region 518 , and the p + bias diffusion region 548 , additional insulating and metallization layers ( not shown ) are formed , masked and etched , for example , to provide electrical contacts to the various source , drain , gate , and bias diffusion regions of the cmos structure 510 . the resulting metal contacts of these steps are simplistically shown , for illustrative purposes , for example , as contacts 538 , 540 , 542 , 544 , 546 , and 550 in fig7 b . referring back now to fig7 b , certain features of the cmos structure 510 are now pointed out to explain how the method described in reference to fig8 a - 8d solves or alleviates the aforedescribed alignment problems . as described in reference to fig8 c , the alignment problem between each gate electrode and its respective threshold adjust regions results from one of the gate electrode &# 39 ; s threshold adjust regions extending further than half way beneath the gate electrode , and the other of the gate electrode &# 39 ; s threshold adjust regions extending less than half way beneath the gate electrode . for example , referring to fig7 b , gate electrode 528 has been formed with respect to the threshold adjust regions , 520 and 522 , such that p type threshold adjust region 520 extends to a length lgs1 from an edge adjacent to the p type threshold adjust region 520 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 528 , and x type threshold adjust region 522 extends to a length ldg1 from an edge adjacent to the x type threshold adjust region 522 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 528 , wherein the length ldg1 & gt ; lgs1 . since the current flowing through a region is inversely related to the length of the region , the n - mos fet corresponding to the p type threshold adjust region 520 ( e . g ., 202 in fig4 a ) will sink more current than the n - mos fet corresponding to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; p type threshold adjust region 224 of fig4 b ( e . g ., 202 in fig4 a ), and the n - mos fet corresponding to the p type threshold adjust region 526 ( e . g ., 202 in fig4 a ) will sink less current than the n - mos fet corresponding to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; p type threshold adjust region 224 of fig4 b ( e . g ., 202 in fig4 a ). consequently , if p type threshold adjust region 520 corresponds , for example , to n - mos fet pair 402 and in particular , to the n - mos fet of pair 402 which corresponds to n - mos fet 202 of cascode transconductance circuit 200 , and if p type threshold adjust region 526 corresponds , for example , to n - mos fet pair 404 and in particular , to the n - mos fet of pair 404 which corresponds to n - mos fet 202 of cascode transconductance circuit 200 , then the slope of vin vs . iout ( i . e ., the transconductance ) corresponding to pair 402 will be steeper or larger than that of the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; cascode transconductance circuit 200 as implemented by cmos structure 210 , and the slope of vin vs . iout ( i . e ., the transconductance ) corresponding to pair 404 will be less steep or smaller than that of the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; cascode transconductance circuit 200 as implemented by cmos structure 210 . similar to the cmos structure 310 , a key aspect of the present invention , is the symmetric design of the cmos structure 510 . in particular , the gate electrode 530 has been formed with respect to the threshold adjust regions , 526 and 522 ( whose portion extending under gate 530 is referenced as 524 ), such that threshold adjust region 526 extends to a length lgs2 from an edge of the gate electrode 530 adjacent to the threshold adjust region 526 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 530 , and threshold adjust region 524 extends to a length ldg2 from an edge of the gate electrode 530 adjacent to the threshold adjust region 524 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 530 , wherein lgs2 & gt ; ldg2 . conversely , the gate electrode 528 has been formed with respect to the threshold adjust regions , 520 and 522 , such that threshold adjust region 520 extends to a length lgs1 from an edge of the gate electrode 528 adjacent to the threshold adjust region 520 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 528 , and threshold adjust region 522 extends to a length ldg1 from an edge of the gate electrode 528 adjacent to the threshold adjust region 522 towards an opposite edge of the gate electrode 528 , wherein ldg1 & gt ; lgs1 . accordingly , even though each of the lengths lgs1 , ldg1 , ldg2 , and lgs2 is either less than or greater than the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; length , which is exactly one half of the distance between opposing edges of each gate electrode , the average length of the threshold adjust regions corresponding to the gate - to - source regions ( i . e ., the average of lgs1 and lgs2 ) is equal to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; length , and the average length of the threshold adjust regions corresponding to the gate - to - drain regions ( i . e ., the average of ldg1 and ldg2 ) is equal to the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; length . consequently , even though the output current flowing through pair 402 may be larger than the ideal output current iout of the cascode transconductance circuit 200 , and the output current flowing through pair 404 may be smaller than the ideal output current iout of the cascode transconductance circuit 200 , the average current flowing through both pairs 402 and 404 is equal to the ideal output current iout and consequently , the combined output current iout &# 39 ; for the cmos structure 510 is equal to 2 * iout , as in the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; case . fig9 illustrates a circuit 600 used for simulating the frequency response for a conventional cascode amplifier circuit such as that described in reference to fig1 a . the conventional cascode amplifier circuit includes a current sinking n - mos fet 602 having a source connected to ground and a gate connected to an input voltage vin , and a cascoding n - mos fet 604 having a source connected to a drain of the current sinking n - mos fet 602 and a gate connected to a biasing voltage vcasc . the input voltage vin is selected such that the resulting voltage vgs being applied across the gate and source of the n - mos fet 602 is greater than a threshold voltage vt associated with the n - mos fet 602 , and the biasing voltage vcasc is selected such that both n - mos fets 602 and 604 are ensured to operate in their saturated regions . fig1 illustrates , on the other hand , a circuit 700 used for simulating the frequency response for a self - cascoding amplifier circuit utilizing aspects of the present invention such as that described in reference to fig4 a . the self - cascoding amplifier circuit includes a current sinking n - mos fet 702 having a source connected to ground and a gate connected to an input voltage vin , and a cascoding n - mos fet 704 having a source connected to a drain of the current sinking n - mos fet 702 . a gate of the cascoding n - mos fet 704 is connected to the gate of the current sinking n - mos fet 702 , instead of a separate biasing voltage vcasc like cascode amplifiers of the prior art . hence , the amplifier circuit is called self - cascoding . fig1 and 12 illustrate , as examples , simulated frequency and phase responses resulting from the conventional cascode amplifier circuit of fig9 and the self - cascoding amplifier circuit of fig1 , respectively . in particular , fig1 illustrates a frequency response 800 , a phase response 825 , and an amplified phase response 850 for the simulated conventional cascode amplifier circuit , and fig1 illustrates a frequency response 900 , a phase response 925 , and an amplified phase response 950 for the self - cascoding cascode amplifier circuit of the present invention . in comparing both the frequency and phase responses of the conventional vs . the self - cascoding amplifier circuit , the simulated self - cascoding amplifier circuit , utilizing aspects of the present invention , shows a larger bandwidth ( approximately 50 % larger ) than that of the simulated conventional cascode amplifier circuit . although the various aspects of the present invention have been described with respect to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood that the invention is entitled to the full protection within the full scope of the appended claims .	7
fig1 a shows , as an example , an eoi layer sequence having a silicon substrate layer 1 ( n or p doped , ( 100 ) or ( 111 ) oriented ) of an oxide layer 2 made of thermal or cvd oxide , which has a thickness of ca 50 nm to 1 μm , a si functional layer 3 made of epipoly ( or , in the case of soi , of polysilicon ), and an etching mask 4 , made , for instance , of lacquer or oxide . fig1 b shows ( at this stage in the process in each case only present in mask structure 4 ) trench 5 , which delimits island region 6 from the surrounding ( immovable ) region 7 of functional layer 3 . torsion springs 8 are also recognizable , on which island region 6 , that is , the mirror structure , is suspended . this defines the rotational axis for the eventual oscillating mirror . connecting crosspieces , that is , narrow regions of functional layer 3 that have been left standing , may be used as torsion springs 8 . the upper side of mirror structure 6 , as may also be seen in fig1 a and 1 b , depending on lateral extension , may be provided with more or fewer perforation holes 9 , which will be discussed in more detail below in connection with the description of fig8 . if such perforation holes 9 , that is , additional ( future ) trench structures , are provided , they are incorporated below into the same deep etching steps or passivating steps as trench 5 that is to be generated . the result of the next process step , that is , after first anisotropic plasma etching step takes place , is shown in fig2 , and trench structures 5 and 9 generated in functional layer 3 may be recognized . this etching step runs selectively with respect to oxide and stops abruptly at oxide layer 2 . outer trench 5 , which separates movable island region 6 from the fixed surrounding regions 7 , should be slightly wider than perforation holes 9 , as will be explained in more detail below in connection with fig8 . fig3 shows the process stage after the depositing of a passivating layer 10 ( also in trench structures 5 and 9 , but not shown there ). this passivating layer 10 is not attacked or only attacked to a very slight degree , in a subsequent sacrificial layer etching step that uses gases such as at least one of the gases xef 2 , clf 3 , nf 3 or brf 3 . the depositing may be performed using known methods , such as thermal oxidation , lpcvd ( low pressure ), pecvd ( plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition ) or even ozone - supported teos deposition . besides the typical silicon oxide passivating layer , other inorganic passivating layers may also be used ( such as metals , nitrides , sic , etc ), which have a sufficient , continuous , and , in the ideal case homogeneous edge coverage in the region of the sidewall , and may be etched selectively with respect to island region 6 in a later step . in selecting the deposition method among the ones that come under consideration , one should observe that on the bottoms of etching trenches 5 and 9 only slight deposition takes place , that may later be removed again , using relatively little effort . fig4 shows the next process stage , after oxide layer 2 ( and passivating layer 10 ) were opened by a physically directed etching method in the region of the trench bottoms , in such a way that openings 11 are created all the way to silicon substrate layer 1 . in this etching , one should take care not to destroy the sidewall passivation . this requirement may be fulfilled by an rie or other method , using a suitable plasma guidance that acts perpendicular to the wafer surface . fig5 shows the method stage after trench 5 and additional trench structures 9 were etched using a second anisotropic plasma etching step to the desired depth d . by this depth d , essentially , the depth of the subsequent sacrificial layer etching process is specified ( cf fig6 ). fig6 shows the process stage in which trench structures 5 and 9 are laterally etched by an isotropic silicon etching step . because of passivating layer 10 that has been applied and oxide layer 2 , mirror structure 6 remains intact , in spite of the massive undercutting etching of silicon substrate layer 1 . the etching process may , for instance , be carried out using the gases xef 2 , clf 3 , nf 3 or brf 3 by way of gas phase etching having a relatively high etching rate . the arrows in fig6 indicate the penetration of xef 2 into depth d of silicon substrate layer 1 . in the case of large lateral widths ( 2 to 3 mm ) of island structure 6 , it is advantageous if the latter is exposed by an etching process that spreads simultaneously from several trench structures 5 and 9 . a specified region 12 underneath island region 6 is removed by the isotropic etching process . in principle , island region 6 may , at this point , be deflected into the opening left behind in silicon substrate layer 1 . this brings with it no problems with respect to mechanical stability , since , even at an etching depth d of 200 μm , silicon substrate layer 1 , which has a thickness of ca 600 - 700 μm , remains preserved having sufficient substance . if necessary , as shown in fig7 , it is possible without problem to remove again passivating layer 10 ( and oxide layer 2 ) after the isotropic silicon sacrificial layer etching step using a method such as chemical dry etching using the gas hf / h 2 o . this is indicated by the arrows in fig7 . likewise , as shown in fig8 , if necessary , it is possible to deposit one or more additional layers 13 on the mirror surface that is perforated possibly by the further trench structures 9 , that is , on the upper side of island region 6 . thereby , for example , the reflectivity of the mirror surface may be improved . as the deposition process , a method may be selected in which a conformal edge covering occurs ( e . g . lpcvd of si or ge or sige , or a metallization ) and in which closure 14 comes about of the possibly present small perforation holes ( width & lt ; 4 μm ). in the design of mirror layer 13 one must take care that trench 5 , which separates movable structures 6 from fixed structures 7 , is wider than perforation holes 9 . thereby , in the region of trench 5 , one may avoid the impairing closure of the functioning of oscillating mirror 6 . accordingly , for possible additional upper side process steps , a closed mirror surface may be offered after , or rather by , coating 13 . although the present invention was described above in light of an exemplary embodiment , it is not restricted to it , but is able to be modified in diverse ways . for example , additional process steps not shown in the figures may be provided in order to implement an actuator element acting as an electrostatic drive for moving oscillating mirror 6 . this actuator element may include , for instance , a capacitor that has a voltage applied from the outside , whose one electrode is formed at the bottom of the opening left behind by removed region 12 , and whose other electrode is formed by the underside of island structure 6 . however , spatial separation of mirror element 6 from the actuator element ( on one chip ) is also possible . using the production methods according to the present invention , it is possible to manufacture micromechanical oscillating mirrors for very high amplitudes , for use in building lasers , barcode lasers , room monitoring lasers , seat occupancy detection in motor vehicles or the like . finally , in the above exemplary embodiment , a mirror structure was shown , but the present invention may be used also for structures in which island region 6 is not a mirror element but rather another kind of mechanical actuator , such as an controlling mechanism or the like .	1
referring now to the drawings , the adjustable pressure roller device of the present invention is herein disclosed in conjunction with a mailing machine of the type for which the pressure roller device was originally designed and intended for use . it should be understood , however , that this is merely for the purpose of illustration and that the device of the present invention can be used with any type of paper feeding machine which requires an adjustable pressure roller feeding assembly as fully explained hereinabove . with reference firstly to fig1 there is seen a portion of a mailing machine which includes an envelope storing and feeding module ( not shown since it forms no part of the present invention ) from which envelopes e have been fed seriatim along a feed deck after the flaps f of the envelopes have been moistened and moved to a substantially closed position by suitable guide means in the feeding module , all in a manner well known in the art and not requiring further description for a full understanding of the present invention . referring now to fig1 and 2 , the mailing machine also include a scale module , indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 , which receives the envelopes e from the aforementioned storing and feeding module for the purpose of weighing each envelope to determine the amount of postage to be printed on the envelope by the printing mechanism of a postage meter module , indicated generally by the reference numeral 12 . the scale module 10 includes a generally rectangular platform 14 which is supported by a load cell 16 , which in turn is supported by a frame member , indicated generally by the reference numeral 18 , which supports the entire scale module 10 . an intermediate feeding assembly , indicated generally by the reference numeral 20 , includes a transport belt 22 which passes around a plurality of drive rollers 24 so as to project through apertures 26 in the platform 14 , and a plurality of feed rollers 28 which project through other apertures 30 in the platform 14 . the guide rollers 24 are suitably driven by a motor 32 having an output connected to one of the rollers 24 , and the feed rollers 28 are driven by the same motor through an output connected to the roller 28 adjacent to the motor 32 , and a plurality of gears 34 transfer the drive to the other feed roller 28 . further details of the intermediate feeding assembly 20 are not necessary for an understanding of the invention . the scale module 10 also includes a pressure roller assembly , indicated generally by the reference numeral 36 , which includes a plurality of individual pressure rollers 38 mounted on the end of arms 40 which in turn are mounted on an elongate housing 42 and urged downwardly by suitable resilient means so that the pressure rollers 38 maintain driving contact with the portions of the belt 22 that project through the openings 26 . the housing 42 is fixedly mounted to a rearward extension 44 of the platform 14 by means of a suitable bracket 46 . the pressure roller assembly 36 also includes a plurality of fowardly extending arms 48 suitably connected to the housing 42 , and which support additional pressure rollers 50 mounted on fingers 52 pivotally connected to the free end of the arms 48 , and which are urged downwardly by suitable resilient means to urge the rollers 50 into driving engagement with the rollers 28 projecting through the openings 30 in the platform 14 . from the foregoing , it will be seen that the intermediate feeding assembly 20 and the upper pressure roller assembly 36 cooperate to feed envelopes e onto and across the scale platform 14 , and to stop the envelopes e at the appropriate moment to permit the scale to weigh each envelope and set the postage meter module 12 so it will print an appropriate postage indicia on the envelopes . for a more thorough description and understanding of the scale module 10 , reference is hereby made to copending application ser . no . 272 , 408 , filed jul . 8 , 1994 , in the name of thomas m . lyga , and assigned to the assignee of this application . still referring to fig2 it will be seen that another feed roller 58 is mounted on a shaft 54 which extends outwardly from the roller 24 adjacent to the motor 32 , the feed roller 58 projecting upwardly through an aperture 56 formed in the rearward extension 44 of the scale platform 14 . the aperture 56 is position to be in line with the flap f of the envelope e as the latter moves from the storage and feeding module ( not shown ) onto the platform 14 . as best seen in fig1 and 2 , the adjustable pressure roller device of the present invention , indicated generally by the reference numeral 60 , is mounted on the bracket 46 by means of screws 62 which pass through apertures in an end wall 64 of an elongate housing comprising the end wall 64 , a top wall 66 and opposed side walls 68 . considering now all of the views , the device 60 further comprises an arm 70 which is pivotally connected as at 71 to side walls 68 of the housing adjacent one end thereof , the arm 70 having a pressure roller 72 mounted on the free end thereof so as to overlie the feed roller 58 when the device is assembled to the scale module 10 as described above . the other end of the arm 70 is provided with a finger 74 which extends beyond the axis of rotation 71 of the arm 70 relative to the side walls 68 and which is disposed at a slight obtuse angle with respect to the arm 70 so as to be close to vertically oriented when the arm 70 is disposed somewhat below horizontal , as best seen in fig3 . as best seen in fig3 and 4 , a threaded shaft 76 is rotatably mounted in the front wall 64 of the elongate housing and is provided with a finger knob 78 by which the shaft 76 is manually rotated . a slider block 80 is disposed in the spaced defined by the top wall 66 and the side walls 68 and is threadedly engaged with the shaft 76 by means of a nut 82 which is non - rotatably captured within a pocket 84 formed in the end of the slider block 80 adjacent the finger knob 78 . the slider block is constrained against rotation by means of a pair of wings 86 having terminal portions which project through slots 88 formed in the side walls 68 , as best seen in fig1 . a pair of tension springs 90 are also disposed in the housing and are connected at one end to the finger 74 of the arm 70 and at the other end to a pin 92 which extends through the slider block 80 , the springs 90 biasing the finger 74 and arm 70 in a clockwise direction about the pivot axis 71 so as to urge the pressure roller 72 into driving engagement with the feed roller 58 . one end of a rod 94 is fixedly mounted in the slider block 80 for movement therewith , the other end of the rod 94 contacting the finger 74 of the arm 70 , so as to push against the finger 74 and move it against the bias of the tension springs 90 when the shaft 76 is rotated in one direction , thereby pivoting the arm 70 in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot axis 71 to raise the roller 72 out of contact with the roller 58 . however , if the shaft 76 is rotated in either direction while the pressure roller 72 remains in contact with the roller 58 , the spring tension can be increased or decreased because only the ends of the springs connected to the pin 92 move with the slider block 80 , since the end of the rod 94 is out of contact with the finger 74 and therefore has no effect on the arm 70 , thereby increasing or decreasing the length of the springs . this provides the advantage of adjusting the amount of driving pressure on different forms of evelopes during feeding operations . as best seen in fig1 and 3 , the slider block 80 is provided with a raised protuberance 96 which extends through a slot 98 in the upper wall 66 of the elongate housing to provide a visual indication of the location of the pressure roller 72 relative to the feed roller 58 . if desired , a scale can be provided with graduations for indicating the location of the pressure roller 72 with respect to the housing , and also to indicate which way to turn the finger knob 78 to move the pressure roller 72 toward or away from the feed roller 58 . from the foregoing description , the operation of the device should be apparent . as best seen in fig3 from the position of the parts as shown therein , if the finger knob 78 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction when viewed from the front of the finger knob 78 , the threaded shaft 76 will rotate in the same direction in the non - rotatable nut 82 , thereby moving the slider 80 toward the left away from the finger knob 78 . movement of the slider block 80 in this direction pushes the rod 94 against the finger 74 to pivot the finger 74 and the arm 70 in a counter clockwise direction about the pivot axis 71 , thereby moving the pressure roller 72 away from the feed roller 58 . this will either decrease the amount of pressure that the pressure roller 72 will exert on a paper item passing between the feed roller 58 and the pressure roller 72 , or entirely remove the pressure roller 72 from contact with any paper item passing over the feed roller 58 . rotation of the finger knob 78 in a clockwise direction will turn the threaded shaft 76 in the same direction in the non - rotatable nut 82 , thereby moving the slider 90 toward the right , i . e ., toward the finger knob 78 . movement of the slider block 80 in this direction pulls the rod 94 with it and allows the tension springs 90 to pivot the finger 74 and the arm 70 in a clockwise direction about the pivot axis 71 , thereby moving the pressure roller 72 toward the feed roller 58 . it should be noted that a particularly unique feature of the present invention is that , as long as the pressure roller 72 is out of contact with the feed roller 58 , rotation of the finger knob 78 in either direction moves both the slider block 80 and the finger 74 by the same amount , with the result that the tension on the tension springs 90 remains unchanged from a preset amount . this is because the tension springs 90 are connected at one end to the pin 92 mounted in the slider block and at the other end to the finger 74 which is also effectively connected to the slider block 80 through the rod 94 . thus , as the slider block 80 moves back and forth , the points of connection of the tension springs 90 to the finger 74 moves back and forth in synchronism with the movement of the slider block 80 because the points of connection of the tension springs 90 to the finger 74 are substantially in horizontal alignment with the movement of the slider block 80 and the rod 94 . the result is that the pressure roller 72 will exert the same amount of pressure on any thickness of paper item passing between it and the feed roller 58 if the finger knob 78 is set so that the end of the rod 94 normally engaging the finger 74 is just barely touching the finger 74 with a given thickness of paper item disposed between the pressure roller 74 and the feed roller 58 . once this setting is made for a given thickness of paper item , if a thicker paper item is passed between the pressure roller 72 and the feed roller 58 , thereby raising the pressure roller 72 and pivoting the arm 70 and finger 74 in a clockwise direction , the tension springs 90 will be stretched , thereby increasing the pressure exerted by the pressure roller 72 on such thicker paper item . it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be considered as limited to the specific embodiment described above and shown in the accompanying drawings , which is merely illustrative of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention and which is susceptible to such changes as may be obvious to one skilled in the art , but rather that the invention is intended to cover all such variations , modifications and equivalents thereof as may be deemed to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto .	1
the figure shows in a schematic representation an inventive medical examination apparatus of a magnetic resonance device 1 in the example comprising an inventive cooling device 2 . the magnetic resonance device 1 comprises a magnetic unit 4 , which again comprises in a known manner at least one main magnet and gradient coils to excite magnetic resonance signals in an examination object , as well as a monitoring unit 17 to control the magnetic resonance device 1 and a bed 8 for supporting an object to be examined , such as a patient p . furthermore the magnetic resonance device 1 comprises an examination area u for recording an examination object , which is surrounded by the magnetic unit 4 and in which fields required for an examination can be produced . additional parts of the magnetic resonance device 1 such as high frequency and local coils are known and are not shown for the sake of clarity . the cooling device 2 comprises a temperature detection device 3 , an air conditioning device 5 , an air discharge device 7 , which is arranged in the examination area u and at least one opening 9 directed toward the examination area u , as well as at least one air duct from the air conditioning device 5 to the air discharge device 7 , and furthermore a control device 13 connected for exchange of data , for example with all the parts listed but in particular with the temperature detection device 3 . expediently the cooling device 2 is further connected to an input unit 15 , from which a target value and / or tolerances for the temperature in the examination area u can be given to the control unit 13 , for example by the staff looking after the examination or directly by a patient being examined . input units of this type are already known . furthermore , they also enable , for example , an input related to a desired pressure value , with which air - conditioned air should leave the openings 9 . the temperature detection device 3 detects a temperature prevailing in the examination area u . for this purpose , the temperature detection device 3 for example comprises temperature sensors 33 a , 33 b which are arranged inside the examination area u and are connected to the temperature detection device 3 via data links 21 . possible temperature sensors comprise , for example , optical sensors , pyrometers or other known temperature measuring sensors . attention may need to be paid to compatibility with the medical examination apparatus . the temperature sensors 33 a , 33 b can be arranged particularly simply on the bed 8 of the medical examination apparatus 1 or on the air discharge device 7 or on the cladding of the medical examination apparatus directed toward the examination area . in another exemplary embodiment , the temperature detection device 3 comprises the magnetic resonance device 1 which has temperature - sensitive measuring sequences . the temperature detection device 3 receives detected temperature data for further utilization via a data link 21 to the magnetic resonance device 1 and / or the monitoring unit 17 in each case by means of the magnetic resonance device 1 . the air conditioning device 5 is for example at least a part of an air conditioning system already present for the whole examination area or for the overall medical device , in which the medical examination apparatus 1 is located . alternatively the air conditioning device 5 can also represent an independent system for the production and / or maintenance of a temperature , air humidity and / or air quality that can be set . such systems are known from air conditioning system technology . advantageously at least one temperature of the air - conditioned air produced can be influenced by the air conditioning device 5 . in a simple case , the air conditioning device can also simply transport fresh air , e . g . from outside the building in which the medical examination apparatus is situated or from the area surrounding the medical examination apparatus , via air ducts 11 to the air discharge device 7 as air conditioned air . the control unit 13 controls the air conditioning device 5 on the basis of data detected by the temperature detection device 3 relating to the temperature in the examination area u in such a way , that a preset value , e . g . through input by means of the input device 15 , can be achieved or maintained for the temperature in the examination area . in particular if the detected temperature value exceeds the desired value in the examination area u during the examination , the control unit 13 triggers the air conditioning device 5 to feed colder air via the air discharge device 7 into the examination area u , in order to reduce the temperature there to the desired value . the air discharge device 7 comprises at least one opening 9 directed toward the examination area u , through which the air - conditioned air produced by the air conditioning device 5 can enter the examination area u . the more openings 9 the air discharge device 7 comprises , the more evenly and / or accurately the air - conditioned air can be distributed in the examination area u . correspondingly the number and distribution of openings 9 around the examination area u can be selected according to the particular requirements . in this case at least one opening 9 is expediently arranged close to the center of the examination area u , since it is there in particular where the largest increase in heat takes place during an examination . in a simple exemplary embodiment , the air discharge device 7 is implemented by a cladding of the examination device directed toward the examination area u , which is at least partially embodied as hollow , so that the air - conditioned air can travel through the hollow passages thus formed to the openings 9 and enter the examination area u . alternatively , the air discharge device 7 can for example be embodied by a tube system arranged in the examination area u or by another air ducting system . in a further exemplary embodiment the openings 9 of the air discharge device 7 have air quantity regulation devices 23 to regulate an air through - flow quantity through the openings 9 . such air quantity regulation devices 23 can for example be embodied in the form of jets with variable diameter and / or angles of inclination which allow regulation of the air through - flow quantity . however , a simple opening and closing mechanism at least of individual openings 9 is conceivable which allows regulation of an air draft caused by incoming air - conditioned air as well as an inflow volume of air - conditioned air in terms of time . the air quantity regulation devices 23 are for example connected to the control unit 13 by means of data links 21 which can control the air through - flow quantity of the individual openings by means of the air regulation devices 23 . this control takes place for example on the basis of data which the control unit 13 receives from a monitoring unit 17 to control the medical examination apparatus 1 . for this purpose , the control unit 13 is connected to a monitoring unit 17 via a data exchange link 21 and receives for example data about an examination to be carried out . in this way , the control unit 13 can in particular receive data about expected positions of the patient p in the examination area u at different times of the examination and control the air quantity regulation devices 23 in such a way that in each case only a particular part of the patient p is blasted with air - conditioned air . further data which the control unit 13 can obtain from the monitoring unit 17 to control the air conditioning device 5 are the planned duration of the medical examination , the type of examination and / or in the case of a magnetic resonance device as an examination device , the examination sequence . on the basis of this data , the control unit 13 can assess in advance the temperature changes to be expected in the examination area u and arrange for the air conditioning device 5 to take countermeasures . in a further embodiment , the control unit 13 is further connected to a position determining device 19 in order to obtain the most precise data possible about the positions of the patient p or of the parts of the body of the patient p in the examination area u during the examination . as already described , this data can be used by the control unit 13 to control the air conditioning device 5 and / or the air quantity regulation devices 23 . a determination of the position of the face of a patient during the examination and a corresponding control of the air conditioning device 5 or air quantity regulation devices 23 in particular such that the face is not blasted with cold air through the air discharge device 7 in an unpleasant manner , considerably increase the comfort for the patient p . position determining devices 19 include for example cameras or , in medical examination apparatus , usual light - beam localizers which have been used conventionally to determine the position of the patient p . a further possibility for obtaining position data for the patient is to carry out a so - called adjustment scan as is usual in imaging medical examination devices . to transmit this data , the position determining device 19 is connected to the control unit 13 via data links 21 . data links 21 as quoted in the example can be wired or bus links as well as wireless links such as radio , bluetooth or infrared connections . the data links 21 are shielded if necessary or otherwise adapted to use in connection with the medical examination apparatus 1 . a further positive effect of the invention is that at the same time as the examination area u is cooled , so is the environment of the examination area u which can have a positive influence on the effectiveness of the medical examination apparatus 1 . in a magnetic resonance device 1 , for example , this can also affect gradient and high frequency coils in particular which can operate more effectively through cooling .	0
fig1 illustrates a configuration of a liquid - cooled storage battery system according to an embodiment . a storage battery system 1 according to the embodiment comprises a battery module 2 , a cooling system 3 , a cooling medium 4 , and the like . the cooling system 3 circulates the cooling medium 4 to the battery module 2 . the cooling medium 4 absorbs heat generated by the battery module 2 and transfers the heat to the outside of the battery module 2 . for example , water , an antifreeze liquid , or the like can be used as the cooling medium 4 . the liquid - cooling type cooling system 3 comprises a circulating pump 5 , a tank 6 , a heat exchanger 7 , and the like . the circulating pump 5 supplies kinetic energy to the cooling medium 4 for sending the cooling medium 4 to the battery module 2 . the tank 6 stores the cooling medium 4 to be circulated and supplies the cooling medium 4 to the circulating pump 5 . the heat exchanger 7 cools the cooling medium 4 that has been reclaimed after absorbing the heat of the battery module 2 by heat exchange with the outside , and stores the cooling medium 4 in the tank 6 . fig2 illustrates a partial configuration of the battery module 2 . in the battery module 2 , a plurality of secondary batteries 8 is covered by a thermal conductive sheet 9 and held by a cooling block 10 . while fig2 illustrates a part of the battery module 2 in which six secondary batteries 8 are held by the cooling block 10 , a large number of secondary batteries 8 are further built into the battery module 2 by similar structures . a cooling pipe 11 for passing the cooling medium 4 penetrates the inside of the cooling block 10 . moreover , while fig2 illustrates an example in which the cooling pipe 11 splits into two branches at an entry - side of the inside of the cooling block 10 and converges at an exit side , a configuration and a method of piping of the cooling pipe 11 inside the cooling block 10 are not limited to those illustrated in fig2 . fig3 and 4 illustrate an enlarged portion of a single secondary battery of the battery module 2 , wherein fig3 is a side view and fig4 is a top view . the cylindrical secondary battery 8 is covered by the thermal conductive sheet 9 and held by the cooling block 10 . the cooling pipe 11 for passing the cooling medium 4 is laid out inside the cooling block 10 . the shape of the secondary battery 8 is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may be another shape such as a square or laminated shape . heat generated by the secondary battery 8 during charge and discharge is primarily transferred via the thermal conductive sheet 9 surrounding a circumference of a side surface of the secondary battery 8 and via the cooling block 10 , and is absorbed by the cooling medium 4 that flows through the cooling pipe 11 . the thermal conductive sheet 9 has a thickness of around 1 mm , features superior insulating performance and thermal conductivity in a thickness direction , has high sheet surface adhesion , and facilitates heat transfer while insulating the secondary battery 8 and the cooling block 10 from each other . moreover , with a secondary battery structured such that a surface of the secondary battery does not have a potential and the battery surface may come into direct contact with the cooling block 10 without causing any problems , the insulating performance of the thermal conductive sheet 9 is not a requisite , and a structure may be adopted in which the secondary battery 8 is brought into direct contact with and held by the cooling block 10 without using the thermal conductive sheet 9 . the cooling block 10 is formed of a metal with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum . in addition , the cooling pipe 11 is also metallic and penetrates the inside of the cooling block 10 . temperature sensors 12 a and 12 b are respectively installed on a cooling block entry - side pipe surface and a cooling block exit - side pipe surface of the cooling pipe 11 to measure an entry - side cooling medium temperature tin and an exit - side cooling medium temperature tout . it is to be noted that while the installation location of the temperature sensor 12 a for measuring the entry - side cooling medium temperature tin is desirably near a block inlet of the cooling pipe 11 that penetrates the inside of the cooling block 10 , a location near the block entry - side is to suffice . in a similar manner , while the installation location of the temperature sensor 12 b for measuring the exit - side cooling medium temperature tout is desirably near a block outlet of the cooling pipe 11 that penetrates the inside of the cooling block 10 , a location near the block exit - side is to suffice . it is to be noted that in the battery module 2 where a plurality of secondary batteries 8 is held by a single cooling block 10 as illustrated in fig2 , the temperature sensors 12 a and 12 b may be installed near the block entry - side and the block exit - side of the cooling pipe 11 that penetrates the cooling block 10 . in addition , a temperature sensor 12 c is installed on a surface of the secondary battery 8 to measure a surface temperature ts of the secondary battery 8 . while the embodiment illustrates an example in which the surface temperature ts of the secondary battery 8 is assumed to be a battery temperature , the battery temperature is not limited to the surface temperature of the secondary battery 8 and may instead be an internal temperature of the secondary battery 8 . fig5 is a diagram illustrating a thermal equivalent circuit around the single secondary battery illustrated in fig3 and 4 . in fig5 , q 0 denotes an amount of heat generated by the secondary battery 8 , rc denotes an internal thermal resistance of the secondary battery 8 , ra denotes an atmosphere thermal resistance , rs denotes a thermal resistance of the thermal conductive sheet 9 , rb denotes a thermal resistance of the cooling block 10 , and rp denotes a thermal resistance of the cooling medium 4 . in addition , as temperatures of each node of the thermal equivalent circuit , ta denotes an ambient temperature , tc denotes an internal temperature of the secondary battery 8 , ts denotes a surface temperature of the secondary battery 8 , tin denotes a block entry - side temperature of the cooling medium 4 , and tout denotes a block exit - side temperature of the cooling medium 4 . furthermore , an amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 and amount of heat discharged into atmosphere q 2 indicating a flow of heat are defined . the respective parameters of the thermal equivalent circuit illustrated in fig5 will be described in detail . the battery internal thermal resistance rc defines a thermal resistance between the inside and the surface of the secondary battery 8 , and the atmosphere thermal resistance ra defines a thermal resistance between the surface of the secondary battery 8 and surrounding air . the ambient temperature ta is a temperature of air surrounding the secondary battery 8 and is treated as a voltage source in an electric circuit . in addition , the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs defines a thermal resistance from the surface of the secondary battery 8 via the thermal conductive sheet 9 to the surface of the cooling block 10 , and the cooling block thermal resistance rb defines a thermal resistance from the surface of the cooling block 10 that is in contact with the thermal conductive sheet 9 , through the inside of the cooling block 10 and a wall of the cooling pipe 11 , and to the cooling medium 4 . the cooling medium thermal resistance rp defines a thermal resistance of the cooling medium 4 until the cooling medium 4 releases the heat absorbed in a cooling medium circulating pathway constituted by the cooling pipe 11 and the cooling system 3 . the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 is the amount of heat generated by the secondary battery 8 during charge and discharge , and is treated as a current source in an electric current . the cooling medium exit - side temperature tout is a temperature of the cooling medium 4 on the cooling block exit - side of the cooling pipe 11 after the cooling medium 4 has absorbed heat . in addition , the cooling medium entry - side temperature tin is a temperature of the cooling medium 4 cooled by the cooling system 3 and flowing into a cooling block entry - side of the pipe 11 . the cooling medium entry - side temperature tin can be arranged so as to be variable according to operation control of the heat exchanger 7 of the cooling system 3 and , in this case , is treated as a voltage source of in electric circuit . the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 first flows via the battery internal thermal resistance rc , and subsequently splits into the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 that is an amount of heat absorbed by the cooling medium 4 and the amount of heat discharged into atmosphere q 2 that is an amount of heat discharged into air . in other words , the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 can be expressed as as is obvious from the thermal equivalent circuit illustrated in fig5 , the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 can be expressed as in addition , the amount of heat discharged into atmosphere q 2 can be expressed as next , a method of judging deterioration of a cooling performance will be described . the superiority or inferiority of the cooling performance is judged based on whether or not the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 is being efficiently transferred by the cooling medium 4 . in other words , it is conceivable that the higher the ratio of the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 being transferred as the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 , the greater the cooling performance . as illustrated in fig5 , the battery internal thermal resistance rc , the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs , the cooling block thermal resistance rb , and the cooling medium thermal resistance rp exist in a pathway through which the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 flows . conceivably , an increase in these thermal resistances slows down the flow of the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 and causes the cooling performance to deteriorate . among the thermal resistances in the pathway through which the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 flows , the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs and the cooling medium thermal resistance rp are susceptible to deterioration or variation over time . with the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs , an alteration of sheet material or a decrease in adhesion of the sheet surface makes it difficult for heat to be transferred from the surface of the secondary battery 8 to the cooling block 10 . in addition , with the cooling medium thermal resistance rp , an increase in the thermal resistances can conceivably occur due to contamination of impurities into the cooling medium 4 or by a component change of the cooling medium 4 , an abnormal operation of the circulating pump 5 , an increase of pressure loss caused by corrosion or a form change on a surface that comes into contact with the cooling medium 4 of the pipe 11 or the like constituting the flow channel of the cooling medium 4 , and a reduction in a flow rate of the cooling medium 4 caused by these above . in consideration thereof , with the storage battery system 1 according to an embodiment , in order to detect variations in the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs and the cooling medium thermal resistance rp , temperature sensors 12 a , 12 b , and 12 c are installed on the battery module 2 as illustrated in fig3 and 4 to measure the cooling medium entry - side temperature tin , the cooling medium exit - side temperature tout , and the battery surface temperature ts . furthermore , the right sides of expressions ( 2 ) and ( 4 ) that represent the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 are connected by an equal sign and modified to define the coefficient α as represented by expression ( 6 ) below . the coefficient α can be calculated based on measured values of the cooling medium entry - side temperature tin , the cooling medium exit - side temperature tout , and the battery surface temperature ts . since coefficient α =( rs + rb + rp )/ rp , an increase in the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs due to an abnormality of the thermal conductive sheet 9 is manifested as an increase of the coefficient α . in addition , an increase in the cooling medium thermal resistance rp due to an abnormality of the cooling medium circulating system is manifested as a decrease of the coefficient α . fig6 and 7 illustrate relationships of the coefficient α with respect to cooling medium flow rate . the relationships have been created from results of a thermal analysis by simulation performed on a liquid - cooled battery module 2 mounted with 72 secondary batteries 8 . in addition , surface temperature information of a single secondary battery 8 at a representative position has been adopted as the battery surface temperature ts . referring to the drawings , variations in the coefficient α due to abnormalities of the thermal conductive sheet 9 and the cooling medium circulating system will be described . fig6 illustrates relationships of the coefficient α with respect to cooling medium flow rate when an amount of heat generation per one secondary battery 8 is set to 7 w and 20 w . these relationships correspond to cases where the amount of heat generation q 0 of the secondary battery 8 is varied . as represented by the expression ( 6 ) above , the coefficient α does not include the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 and therefore is not dependent on the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 , and remains approximately constant even if the amount of heat generated by battery q 0 varies . however , the coefficient α tends to increase as the flow rate increases . therefore , when the cooling medium flow rate decreases due to an abnormality in the cooling medium circulating system , the coefficient α is expected to decrease . fig7 illustrates relationships between cooling medium flow rate and the coefficient α with respect to two types of thermal conductive sheets 9 having different thermal conductive properties . a thermal conductive sheet a represents a thermal analysis simulation performed under conditions in which a thermal conductivity of 1 w / m · k and a sheet thickness of 1 . 0 mm are respectively set , and a thermal conductive sheet b represents a thermal analysis simulation performed under conditions in which a thermal conductivity of 3 w / m · k and a sheet thickness of 0 . 1 mm are respectively set . under these conditions , the thermal resistance rs of the thermal conductive sheet 9 is smaller for the thermal conductive sheet b than the thermal conductive sheet a . when comparing both thermal conductive sheets at the same flow rate of the cooling medium 4 , the coefficient α is greater for the thermal conductive sheet a than the thermal conductive sheet b . in other words , in a case where the thermal resistance rs increases due to an abnormality of the thermal conductive sheet 9 , the coefficient α is expected to increase . as described above , by installing the temperature sensors 12 a , 12 b , and 12 c on the battery module 2 to measure the cooling medium entry - side temperature tin , the cooling medium exit - side temperature tout , and the battery surface temperature ts , and calculating the coefficient α and comparing the coefficient α with a coefficient α in previous history , a state of the cooling performance of the battery module 2 can be accurately detected and the cooling performance of the battery module 2 can be accurately judged . in addition , according to an increase / decrease of the calculated coefficient α , whether a reduction in cooling performance is due to the cooling system 3 by the cooling medium 4 or to an abnormality of the thermal conductive sheet 9 can be identified . furthermore , since the coefficient α is not dependent on the amount of heat generation q 0 of the secondary battery 8 , the cooling performance can be detected and judged regardless of the load or operating state of the storage battery system 1 . in the embodiment described above , as represented by the expression ( 6 ), an example has been illustrated where the coefficient α is defined as a ratio between ( ts − tin ) and ( tout − tin ). however , as represented by the expression ( 3 ) above , since the amount of heat absorbed by cooling medium q 1 can also be expressed using ( ts − tout ), two coefficients α ′ and α ″ expressed the expressions ( 7 ) and ( 8 ) as follows can be obtained , and even when the aforementioned coefficient α is replaced with the coefficients α ′ and α ″, an index may be obtained for detecting an increase in the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs or the cooling medium thermal resistance rp . in addition , in the above embodiment , an example in which the thermal conductive sheet 9 is sandwiched between the secondary battery 8 and the cooling block 10 has been described as illustrated in fig3 to 5 . however , in a case where the secondary battery 8 is structured such that the surface thereof does not have a potential , the secondary battery 8 and the cooling block 10 may be directly bonded , metal against metal , to each other in a thermal bonding without sandwiching the thermal conductive sheet 9 . for example , conceivably , the secondary battery 8 and the cooling block 10 may be welded to each other or mechanically connected with each other by fastening using a bracket or a screw . in a case where the secondary battery 8 is directly held by the cooling block 10 , the thermal conductive sheet thermal resistance rs of the thermal equivalent circuit illustrated in fig5 can be omitted , whereby the coefficient α may be expressed as accordingly , even when the thermal conductive sheet 9 is not present , in the same manner as the embodiment described above , an increase of the cooling medium thermal resistance rp is manifested as a decrease in the coefficient α and an abnormality in the cooling medium circulating system can be detected . next , a configuration of a control system of the storage battery system 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to fig8 . besides the components of the cooling system of the storage battery system 1 illustrated in fig1 , the control system comprises a controller 13 , a memory 14 , an indicator 15 , a pump control signal 16 , a heat exchanger control signal 17 , indication information 18 , a cooling medium entry - side temperature signal stin , a cooling medium exit - side temperature signal stout , a battery surface temperature signal sts , and the like . the controller 13 is constituted by a microcomputer including an interface such as an ad converter and controls arithmetic processing and input / output of information and signals . the memory 14 stores an initial value and historical values of the coefficient α . the indicator 15 is a device such as a display , a lamp , a speaker , or the like that visually or auditorily informs a state of the cooling performance . the pump control signal 16 is a signal for controlling a motor rotation speed or the like of the circulating pump 5 , and the heat exchanger control signal 17 is a signal for controlling operations of the heat exchanger 7 . in addition , indication information 18 is information to be indicated on the indicator 15 . the cooling medium entry - side temperature signal stin , the cooling medium exit - side temperature signal stout , and the battery surface temperature signal sts are respectively outputs of the temperature sensors 12 a , 12 b , and 12 c in the battery module 2 illustrated in fig3 and 4 . a process performed by the controller 13 to measure and judge cooling performance will be described with reference to fig9 to 11 . fig9 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process for measuring and judging the cooling performance . in step 1 , the controller 13 retrieves the cooling medium entry - side temperature signal stin , the cooling medium exit - side temperature signal stout , and the battery surface temperature signal sts from the sensors 12 a , 12 b , and 12 c , and reads a voltage value or a current value of these signals . in a next step 2 , the controller 13 obtains a cooling medium entry - side temperature tin , a cooling medium exit - side temperature tout , and a battery surface temperature ts based on the signals stin , stout , and sts from the sensors 12 a , 12 b , and 12 c . furthermore , in step 3 , the controller 13 calculates the coefficient α =( ts − tin )/( tout − tin ) by using the cooling medium entry - side temperature tin , the cooling medium exit - side temperature tout , and the battery surface temperature ts . in step 4 , the controller 13 reads a coefficient historical value αi of the coefficient α stored in the memory 14 , and in step 5 , the controller 13 compares the coefficient α with the coefficient historical value αi and obtains a difference δα . in step 6 , the controller 13 sets a flag “ flag ” that denotes an abnormal state of the cooling performance to 0 . in step 7 , the controller 13 reads an upper limit threshold th set in advance from the memory 14 and compares the difference δα with the upper limit threshold th . when the difference δα is equal to or lower than the upper limit threshold th , the controller 13 judges that the cooling performance is normal and proceeds to step 9 . otherwise , the controller 13 judges that the cooling performance is abnormal and proceeds to step 8 . when the controller 13 judges that the cooling performance is abnormal , the controller 13 sets the flag “ flag ” to 1 in step 8 and proceeds to step 11 in fig1 ( or step 11 in fig1 ). on the other hand , when the controller 13 judges that the cooling performance is normal , in step 9 , the controller 13 reads a lower limit threshold tl set in advance from the memory 14 and compares the difference δα with the lower limit threshold tl . when the difference δα is equal to or higher than the lower limit threshold tl , the controller 13 judges that the cooling performance is normal and ends the judgment process . otherwise , the controller 13 judges that the cooling performance is abnormal and proceeds to step 11 in fig1 ( or step 11 in fig1 ). fig1 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process when the cooling performance is judged to be abnormal by the controller 13 . in step 11 , the controller 13 sets indication information 18 to be outputted to the indicator 15 according to the value of the flag “ flag ” denoting an abnormal state of cooling performance . when flag “ flag ”= 0 , the controller 13 proceeds to step 12 to indicate an abnormality “ a ” on the indicator 15 , and when flag “ flag ”= 1 , the controller 13 proceeds to step 13 to indicate an abnormality “ b ” on the indicator 15 . an abnormality “ a ” indicates that the coefficient α has become abnormally smaller than the coefficient historical value αi using an error code or a message , an indication state of the lamp , or the like . on the other hand , an abnormality “ b ” indicates that the coefficient α has become abnormally greater than a coefficient initial value α 0 using an error code or a message , an indication state of the lamp , or the like by a method that differs from that of the abnormality “ a ”. an abnormality of the cooling medium circulating system is suspected in the case of the abnormality “ a ”, and a deterioration of the thermal conductive sheet is suspected in the case of the abnormality “ b ”. fig1 is a flow chart illustrating another example of a process when the cooling performance is judged to be abnormal by the controller 13 . in step 11 , the controller 13 sets indication information 18 to be outputted to the indicator 15 according to the value of the flag “ flag ” denoting an abnormal state of cooling performance . when flag “ flag ”= 0 , the controller 13 proceeds to step 12 to indicate the abnormality “ a ” on the indicator 15 , and when flag “ flag ”= 1 , the controller 13 proceeds to step 13 to indicate the abnormality “ b ” on the indicator 15 . since an abnormality of the cooling medium circulating system is suspected in the case of the abnormality “ a ”, depending on the degree of the abnormality , changing operations of the circulating pump 5 or the heat exchanger 7 may suffice as a countermeasure . therefore , in step 14 , the controller 13 increases the motor rotation speed of the circulating pump 5 and controls the pump so as to increase the flow rate of the cooling medium 4 . furthermore , in step 15 , the controller 13 controls the heat exchanger so as to lower a target temperature of the cooling medium 4 that is cooled by the heat exchanger 7 . subsequently , the controller 13 returns to step 1 in fig9 to once again execute a calculating process of the coefficient α so that the difference δα eventually falls between the upper limit threshold th and the lower limit threshold tl . in the cooling performance judgment process illustrated in fig9 , an example has been presented in which the controller 13 compares a measured coefficient α with a coefficient historical value αi and judges the cooling performance based on the comparison result . the controller 13 stores the coefficient α at predetermined time intervals from an initial value as coefficient historical values αi in the memory 14 , and executes a process for detecting a tendency time - dependent variation of the coefficient historical values αi . by this detection process , the controller 13 judges whether a measured coefficient α is consistent with the variation tendency of the coefficient historical values αi or is an abrupt variation . when the coefficient α has varied abruptly , an occurrence of some kind of abnormality is presumed in cooling performance , whereby a cause of the abnormality can be identified as described above from an increase or decrease of the coefficient α . accordingly , the accuracy of judgment of the cooling performance can be improved and abnormalities can be processed more precisely . while an example of a liquid - cooled storage battery system 1 has been described as the above embodiment of the present invention , the present invention can also be applied to an air - cooled storage battery system . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module 102 of an air - cooled storage battery system 101 according to an embodiment . in the battery module 102 of the air - cooled storage battery system 101 , an approximately cuboid chassis block 110 internally holds a plurality of secondary batteries 108 . the chassis block 110 is constituted by five resin or resin - molded chassis members 110 a to 110 e , and a plurality of cylindrical secondary batteries 108 are held within the chassis block 110 . a cooling air inlet 110 f is formed on one end in a longitudinal direction of the chassis block 110 , and a cooling air outlet 110 g is formed on another end of the chassis block 110 . in other words , a cooling air passage is formed along the longitudinal direction in the chassis block 110 , and the plurality of secondary batteries 108 is arranged in a single row along the cooling air passage in the chassis block 110 . it is to be noted that while an example in which the secondary batteries 108 are arranged in a single row along the longitudinal direction of the chassis block 110 is shown in the air - cooled battery module 102 illustrated in fig1 , the arrangement of the secondary batteries 108 in the chassis block 110 is not limited to this example . temperature sensors 112 a , 112 b , 112 c , and 112 d are installed in the chassis block 110 . the temperature sensor 112 a is arranged near the cooling air inlet 110 f of the chassis block 110 and outputs an entry - side cooling medium ( in this case , cooling air ) temperature signal stin . the temperature sensor 112 b is arranged near the cooling air outlet 110 g of the chassis block 110 and outputs an exit - side cooling medium ( in this case , cooling air ) temperature signal stout . in addition , the temperature sensors 112 c and 112 d are arranged on surfaces of two representative secondary batteries among the secondary batteries 108 held in the chassis block 110 and output surface temperature signals sts of the secondary batteries 108 . output signal lines of the sensors 112 a to 112 d are bundled by a harness 131 and connected to the controller 13 illustrated in fig8 . a cooling system ( corresponding to the liquid cooling - type cooling system 3 illustrated in fig1 ) constituted by an air - conditioning duct and a cooling fan , not shown , is connected to the air - cooled battery module 102 illustrated in fig1 , and air is blown by the cooling fan to the secondary batteries 108 in the battery module 102 through the air - conditioning duct . the cooling fan is controlled by a fan control signal ( not shown ) from the controller 13 illustrated in fig8 . a configuration of a control system of the air - cooled battery module 102 is similar to that of the control system of the aforementioned liquid - cooled battery module 2 which is constituted by a controller , an indicator , a memory , and the like and which is illustrated in fig8 , and a depiction and a description thereof will be omitted . with such an air - cooled storage battery system 101 , a thermal conductive sheet is no longer necessary . measurement and judgment of a cooling performance of the air - cooled storage battery system 101 are similar to the measurement and judgment of the liquid - cooled storage battery system 1 with the omission of the thermal conductive sheet . in the embodiment and the modification thereof described above , as illustrated in fig8 , examples have been presented where the cooling performances of the battery modules 2 and 102 are detected and judged by the controller 13 and the memory 14 provided outside of the battery modules 2 and 102 . alternatively , a configuration may be adopted in which the controller 13 and the memory 14 are provided inside the battery modules 2 and 102 and a signal of the abnormality “ a ” or the abnormality “ b ” described above that is a judgment result is outputted to a higher - level control device located outside of the battery modules 2 and 102 . it is to be noted that any combination of the embodiments and the modifications thereof described above including a combination of embodiments and a combination of an embodiment and a modification is possible . according to the embodiments and modifications thereof described above , the following operational advantages can be gained . first , a secondary battery is held by a holding member ( the aforementioned cooling block , chassis block , or the like ) having a flow channel ( the aforementioned cooling pipe , cooling air flow channel , or the like ) of a cooling medium that cools the secondary battery . next , temperatures t 1 and t 2 of the cooling medium taken at two locations in the flow channel and a temperature t 3 of the secondary battery are measured , a coefficient α defined as ( t 3 − t 1 )/( t 2 − t 1 ), ( t 3 − t 2 )/( t 2 − ti ), or ( t 3 − t 2 )/( t 3 − t 1 ) is repetitively calculated , and the cooling performance of the secondary battery is judged based on a variation of the coefficient α . as a result , the cooling performance of the battery cooling system can be accurately judged based on measured values and without using estimated values . in addition , according to an embodiment and a modification thereof , the cooling performance of the secondary battery is judged to be abnormal when a difference between a currently calculated value and a previously calculated value of the coefficient α exceeds a range set in advance . therefore , the cooling performance of the battery cooling system can be judged accurately . according to an embodiment and a modification thereof , temperatures tin and tout at an entry - side and an exit - side of the aforementioned holding member of a flow channel passing through the holding member are measured , whereby the coefficient α is calculated assuming that t 1 = tin and t 2 = tout . therefore , the coefficient α can be calculated which enables the cooling performance of the battery cooling system to be judged accurately . according to an embodiment and a modification thereof , the cooling performance of the battery cooling system can be accurately judged even with a holding member ( the aforementioned cooling block , chassis block , or the like ) having a structure in which the secondary battery is held via a thermal conductive sheet . according to an embodiment and a modification thereof , an abnormality of the cooling performance is judged to be caused by a failure in the thermal conductive sheet when a difference between a currently calculated value and a previously calculated value of the coefficient α exceeds a range set in advance and the currently calculated value is greater than the previously calculated value . as a result , a cause of an abnormality of the cooling performance of the battery cooling system can be identified . according to an embodiment and a modification thereof , an abnormality of the cooling performance is judged to be caused by a failure in a battery cooling system due to a cooling medium when a difference between a currently calculated value and a previously calculated value of the coefficient α exceeds a range set in advance and the currently calculated value is smaller than the previously calculated value . therefore , a cause of an abnormality of the cooling performance of the battery cooling system can be identified . according to an embodiment and a modification thereof , since the cooling performance of the battery cooling system is increased when a failure of the battery cooling system due to the cooling medium is judged , the failure of the battery cooling system can be solved . the above described embodiments are examples , and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention .	7
referring to fig1 and 2 , an exemplary prior art hand proofing tool 10 includes handle 12 , base frame 14 and sideframes 16 and 18 . base frame 14 has a hole that accommodates pressure rod 20 along with a threading for attaching handle 12 to base frame 14 . sideframes 16 and 18 extend outwardly from base frame 14 . connected to sideframes 16 and 18 of base frame 14 is anilox roll - nesting subframe 22 . subframe 22 has sides 24 and 26 , as well as a blade adjustment means holder 28 . additionally , subframe sides 24 and 26 may be grooved and sideframes 16 and 18 may be likewise grooved in a complementary fashion so that they fit into one another . indentation 30 receives pressure rod 20 and helps maintain proper alignment of the subframe 22 within sideframes 16 and 18 . anilox roll 32 is located within nesting subframe 22 such that anilox roll pin 34 extends from anilox roll 32 at least partially into or through elongated orifices 36 , on each of sideframes 16 and 18 . anilox roll 32 is pressed against transfer roll 34 and pressure rod 20 maintains the pressure against nesting subframe 22 so that it forces anilox roll 32 against transfer roll 34 at a predetermined pressure resulting from rotation of pressure rod adjustment means 38 , by rotating gripping dial 40 , for example , clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen . pressure rod adjuster 38 is threaded and fits into pressure rod release means collar 42 . collar 42 is held in a position so that as pressure rod adjustment means 38 is rotated it causes the subframe 22 and anilox roll 32 to move accordingly . connected to subframe blade adjustment means holder 28 is blade adjustment means 44 , in this case , a rotatable dial which includes screw 46 which passes through holder 28 . at the end of screw 46 is blade holder 48 and doctor blade 50 set up as a follower - type doctor blade 50 so that ink may be located behind the doctor blade 50 and the doctor blade 50 will both act as a wiping blade and as a distributing fountain . by rotation of blade adjustment means 44 , for example clockwise to go upwardly away from subframe 22 and counterclockwise to go downwardly , doctor blade 50 may be adjusted against the surface of anilox roll 32 accordingly . in prior art hand proofing tool 10 , the anilox roll 32 has bearings 52 to facilitate ease of rolling . bearings 52 are adapted to fit over the anilox roll pins 43 and are contained within a washer - type fitting which nests within the subframe 22 . sideframes 16 and 18 each also include transfer roll pin holding insert 54 adapted to receive transfer roll pins 56 , as shown . handle 12 and hollow member 58 , include pressure rod release means 60 which includes a cut - out as shown , pressure rod release means collar 42 and pressure rod release means lever 62 , as well as spring 64 . spring 64 is located to push collar 42 and therefore pressure rod adjustment means 38 and pressure rod 20 against subframe 22 . when pressure rod release means lever 62 is located in first position 66 , pressure rod 20 is engaged with subframe 22 and , therefore , under pressure . the pressure rod release means lever 62 may be pushed clockwise then away from the subframe 22 and then counterclockwise ( in other words , in a “ u ” shaped path ), to move from first position 66 to second position 68 . in second position 68 , pressure rod 20 is totally disengaged from subframe 22 and subframe 22 may be easily removed or rotated for cleaning of anilox roll 32 without altering the setting and therefore the pressure relationship which will be re - achieved when pressure rod release means lever 62 is moved from second position 66 back to first position 68 . referring to fig3 and 4 proofing tool 100 generally includes anilox support , impression support 104 , anilox roll 106 , impression roll 108 and positive roll drive 110 . anilox support 102 and impression support 104 are similar but not identical structures . proofing tool 100 includes a doctor blade that is not shown in fig3 for clarity . an exemplary doctor blade and pressure bar are depicted in fig4 , 5 - 7 and 9 - 10 . anilox support 102 generally includes yoke 112 and extended portion 114 . yoke 112 supports anilox roll 106 between two arms 116 . likewise , impression support 104 includes yoke 122 and extended portion 124 . anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 are supported between the arms of yoke 112 and yoke 122 respectively . anilox support 102 and impression support 104 are connected only at distal end 125 of extended portions 120 and 124 . otherwise , anilox support 102 and impression support 104 are oriented substantially parallel with a small gap between them . impression support 104 is capable of some flexing movement from a disengaged position to an engaged position such that impression roll 108 is held slightly more separated from anilox roll 106 when no force is applied to impression roll 108 than when impression roll is in contact with a printing substrate . positive roll drive 110 generally includes anilox gear 126 and impression gear 128 . as best seen in fig3 and 4 , anilox gear 126 and impression gear 128 mesh together to synchronize the motion of anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 . in one embodiment of the invention , there is a single set of anilox gear 126 and impression gear 128 . another embodiment of the invention includes one anilox gear 126 and two impression gears 128 . if one anilox gears 126 and two impression gears 128 are present , one anilox gear 126 is located on one end of anilox roll 106 and two impression gears 128 are located on each end of impression roll 108 respectively . proofing tool 100 also includes one or more micrometer thimbles 130 . two micrometer thimbles 130 may be used to allow independent adjustment to ensure equal nip spacing across the width of anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 . micrometer thimbles 130 are positioned so that the measuring surfaces of spindles ( not shown ) contact impression support 104 to determine a minimum nip spacing between anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 . gear teeth 131 of impression gear 128 extend beyond impression roll 108 , in part , so that if the proofing tool 100 is set down on a flat surface there will be a standoff created and impression roll 108 will not touch the surface . anilox gear 126 and impression gear 128 may be formed with fine pitch gear teeth to prevent gear chatter . in one aspect of the invention , the gear teeth mesh such that the gears are separated by slightly more than a true pitch diameter to allow for adjustment of nip without the need to change gears . optionally , proofing tool 100 may include a separation device ( not shown ) which can be utilized to force anilox support 102 apart from impression support 104 a slight distance to ensure separation between anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 when not in use . proofing tool 100 may be formed substantially from aluminum alloy or from other materials known to the art . referring to fig5 - 8 proofing tool 100 includes pressure bar 134 , doctor blade holder 136 and doctor blade 138 . pressure bar 134 is located at the end of yoke 122 . doctor blade holder 136 is pivotably secured to the arms of yoke 122 . doctor blade holder 136 secures doctor blade 138 by clamping or another technique known to the art . doctor blade holder 136 has a relief cut into it , to allow positioning of the doctor blade 138 precisely parallel to anilox roll 136 . adjusting screw 140 passes through pressure bar 134 to bear on doctor blade holder 136 . adjusting screw 140 adjust the pressure of doctor blade 138 on anilox roll 106 . doctor blade holder 136 is pivotably attached to arms 116 of yoke 118 . in one embodiment of the invention , doctor blade 138 meets anilox roller 106 at approximately a 30 degree pressure angle . if the diameter of the anilox roll 106 is changed it may be necessary to change doctor blade holder 136 or to relocate the pivotable mounting of doctor blade holder 136 . alternately , the position of anilox roll 106 may be changed , for example by the use of a bushing having an eccentrically located hole therein . still referring particularly to fig5 , ball ends 142 may be used to removably secure proofing tool 100 to an automated proofing machine ( not shown .) if ball ends 142 are utilized , proofing tool 100 includes ball sockets 144 to receive ball ends 142 therein . proofing tool 100 may also include one or more slide lockpins 146 located in an aperture in proofing tool 100 to secure proofing tool 100 to one or more ball ends 142 at ball sockets 144 . the orientation of the doctor blade 138 in the present invention is reversed from that in known conventional prior art proofing tools . orientation reversal allows the introduction of a felt dam 147 adjacent to the doctor blade 138 . the application of a felt dam 147 allows for the maintenance of a larger volume of ink in the well adjacent the doctor blade 138 which is useful , particularly , in long draw downs . referring to fig5 , 6 and 8 , note that extended portion 115 and extended portion 120 of anilox support 102 and impression support 104 may be milled to thin them . the level of milling can be altered to adjust the flexibility of anilox support 102 relative to impression support 104 allowing for adjustment of the relative flexion of anilox support 102 relative to impression support 104 . anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 may be supported in anilox support 102 by precision ball bearings , sleeve bearings or bushings . anilox roll 106 or impression roll 108 may be supported at a one end by fixed bearing 148 and at a second end by moveable bearing 150 . one or both of anilox roll 106 or impression roll 108 may be supported at both ends by fixed bearing 148 or by moveable bearing 150 . fixed bearing 148 and moveable bearing 150 may be , for example , delrin bearings . moveable bearing 150 may be adjustable so as to be loosened to remove impression roll 108 and tightened to secure impression roll 108 in place for use . in another embodiment of the invention , the drive roll of a proofing machine ( not shown ) may include a drive roll gear 152 such that impression gear 128 engages the drive roll gear 152 so that the drive roll gear drives impression gear 128 which in turn drives anilox gear 126 providing a positive drive engagement between a drive roll ( not shown ), impression roll 108 and anilox roll 106 . in another embodiment of the invention , proofing tool 100 may incorporate an auxiliary ink reservoir ( not shown ). auxiliary ink reservoir may include a drip line and a valve to allow the institution of a steady drip supply to replenish a well of ink at doctor blade 138 . referring to fig9 and 10 , doctor blade 138 may include trailing edge doctor blade as depicted in fig1 or leading edge doctor blade as depicted in fig9 . trailing edge doctor blade 154 tends to force ink into anilox roll 106 while leading edge doctor blade 156 tends to meter the amount of ink by shearing off excess ink from the anilox roll 106 . another embodiment of proofing tool 100 may include both a trailing edge doctor blade 154 and a leading edge doctor blade 156 acting on a single anilox roll 106 . this embodiment may be especially advantageous when proofing tool 100 is used with highly viscous inks . highly viscous inks may tend to overwhelm the force of a trailing edge doctor blade 154 toward the anilox roll 106 and “ hydroplane ” the trailing edge doctor blade . in operation , referring to fig3 through 10 , proofing tool 100 is used to prepare ink proofs for flexographic printing processes . an operator sets a nip distance between anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 by adjusting micrometer thimbles 130 . after micrometer thimbles 130 are adjusted to a desired nip distance ink is applied between doctor blade 138 and anilox roll 106 . if present , felt dam 147 is saturated with ink . if a proof is to be hand pulled , an operator grasps proofing tool 100 by extended portion 144 and extended portion 120 and orients proofing tool 100 so that anilox roll 106 is substantially vertically above impression roll 108 . impression roll 108 is then brought into contact with a substrate and proofing tool 100 is drawn along the substrate . ink is then transferred from anilox roll 106 to impression roll 108 with the amount of ink being transferred being controlled by doctor blade 138 and the qualities of anilox roll 106 . ink from impression roll 108 is transferred to the substrate creating an ink proof . if proofing tool 100 is used with an ink proofing machine ( not shown ) proofing tool 100 is prepared for proofing in a process similar to that described above . proofing tool 100 is then attached to proofing machine ( not shown ) by connecting ball sockets 144 to ball ends 142 . a substrate is inserted between impression roll 108 or proofing tool 100 and a drive roll ( not shown ) of ink proofing machine ( not shown ). if positive roll drive 110 is present , impression gear 128 may be engaged to a drive roll gear ( not shown ) so that as drive roll ( not shown ) rotates the drive roll gear it meshes with impression gear 128 and rotates impression roll 106 . impression gear 128 engages with anilox gear 126 and rotates anilox roll 106 , thus preventing slippage between the drive roll ( not shown ), impression roll 108 , and anilox roll 106 . when proofing tool 100 is released from contact with the substrate , anilox roll 106 and impression roll 108 are separated by the resiliency of extended portion 120 and extended portion 124 . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the essential attributes thereof ; therefore , the illustrated embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , reference being made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention .	1
in the present description , the terms “ forward ”, “ backward ”, “ front ”, “ rear ” “ under ”, “ upper ”, “ lower ”, “ lateral ”, “ transversal ”, “ internal ”, “ external ”, “ vertical ”, “ horizontal ’, and the derivatives or equivalents thereof relate to relative positionings for elements in a standard configuration of an airplane lying on the ground and with respect to a longitudinal plane of symmetry being vertical in this configuration . referring to the principle schema of fig2 , the installation of the avionics bay 1 in an airplane 2 is conventionally distributed ( schema 2 a ) between a part 20 of the cargo area 21 — located under the passenger cabin 22 in a non secured area z 2 — and the front bay 23 located under the cockpit 24 in a secured area z 1 . according to an embodiment of the invention ( schema 2 b ), the avionics bay 1 is partially displaced so as to come totally in the secured area z 1 forward of the airplane 2 through a distribution of the bay between the front bay 23 and the cockpit 24 . preferably , the avionics bay is installed for most of it in the cockpit — for example over 80 % and more — as illustrated below . the simplified view of cockpit architecture 24 on fig3 shows the lateral strut assemblies 31 and 32 through which the fresh air transits before blowing in the avionics bay . such strut assemblies 31 and 32 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal symmetry plane pi and let a central volume 3 being free to be able to accommodate a cabinet of the avionics bay ( see detailed description above ). the strut assemblies 31 and 32 have transversal internal partitions 33 . these partitions 33 , the internal longitudinal walls 311 and 321 , respectively , of the strut assemblies 31 and 32 , as well as the rear transversal walls 313 and 323 of such strut assemblies , are perforated with respective orifices 34 c , 34 , 34 ′ and 34 ″ so as to provide an air blowing . these partitions 33 and the walls 311 , 321 , 313 and 323 are vertical . referring to fig4 , the blowing and extraction means of an avionics bay consisting in cabinets 51 to 55 ( represented in transparency for a better visibility on the figure ) are partially illustrated so as not to overload the figure . these cabinets are arranged in the cockpit 24 as compactly as possible so as to bring them closer at a maximum to define well integrated extraction conducts , with thus a compactness being maximized , and furthermore to gain space . thus , in the illustrated example , the cabinets 55 , 51 and 52 are arranged substantially juxtaposed from the less high to the higher from the front to the rear of the cockpit 24 . the cabinet 54 is centrally offset in the cockpit and tilted on the floor 5 of the cockpit . the cabinet 53 is arranged in the central volume 3 made free in the walking floor 5 of the cockpit . other equivalent cabinets , being not represented , can be arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal plane pi . the blowing fresh air comes from air distribution sealing manifolds 41 to 44 coming from the main tube 40 . the manifolds 41 to 43 are connected to the air inlet orifices 34 ′ in the strut assemblies 31 and 32 . the air then crosses the cabinets 51 to 55 , is submitted to thermal exchanges upon such crossings so as to extract the calories being present , and then is evacuated from the cabinets via an extraction tube 10 . as illustrated in reference to the strut assembly 31 , the blown air ( arrows f 1 ) entering such strut assembly is re - directed towards the cabinets 51 to 55 of the avionics bay , either directly — through the orifices 34 ″ and 35 arranged respectively in the internal longitudinal walls 311 , 321 and in horizontal lids 36 and 37 of the strut assemblies for the cabinets 53 and 51 —, or through the orifices 34 of the front transversal walls 314 , 324 of the strut assemblies , in connection with sleeves 45 to 48 . the sleeves 45 to 47 connect the strut assembly 31 to the cabinet 55 , and the sleeve 48 connects the cabinets 55 and 54 so as to provide air blowing in these cabinets ( horizontal arrows f 2 and vertical arrow f 3 ). the external longitudinal walls 312 and 322 of the strut assemblies 31 and 32 consist in portions of the fuselage which thus closes the strut assemblies . the strut assembly 31 is illustrated more precisely referring to fig5 a to 5 c by perspective views ( being lateral on fig5 a and underside on fig5 b ) and a section view ( fig5 c ). on such fig5 a to 5 c are represented the fresh air distribution manifolds 41 and 42 , the fresh air transfer sleeves 45 to 47 , the horizontal air passage orifices 35 arranged in the lid 36 and the vertical ones 34 , 34 ′, 34 ″, 34 c respectively arranged in the front ( 314 ) and rear ( 313 ) transversal walls , in the internal longitudinal wall 311 and in the partitions 33 . the air distributions orifices 34 , 34 ′, 34 ″ and 35 are provided with adjustable sealing diaphragms 3 to allow the air flow to be regulated . the external longitudinal wall 312 has no air passage orifice . the transfer sleeves 45 to 47 are also connected via adjustable diaphragms 3 to the orifices 35 arranged in the bottom wall 550 of the partially represented cabinet 55 . the section view according to fig5 c highlights the decreasing section of the strut assembly 31 in the longitudinal extension thereof . the bottom wall 310 of such strut assembly is tilted so that the transversal walls 313 and 314 present a height being just higher than the diameter of the orifices 34 and 34 ′, the diameter of the orifices 34 ′ being substantially higher than the one of the orifices 34 . such tilted configuration of the strut assemblies allows the condensation waters from the ventilation air to be drained . very fine openings 39 are made in the partitions to provide the circulation of the drain water . moreover , the tilting of the strut assemblies is regulated to adjust their height as a function of the ventilation need . furthermore , the fresh air being blown in the cabinets 51 to 55 is extracted from these cabinets , as illustrated by the perspective view of fig4 and the section view of fig6 . the extraction circuit consists in connection sleeves 11 between the cabinets , here between the cabinets 54 and 55 , in adjacent air circulation conducts , here e 1 , e 2 , e 5 , integrated into the cabinets 51 , 52 and 55 and in the final air extraction tube 10 outside the cockpit . the adjacent circulation conducts e 5 , e 1 and e 2 each limit a parallelepiped extraction space by two parallel main walls , one of which consist in a wall forming at least in part a wall of the cabinet , here the cabinets 51 , 52 and 55 . in particular , the extraction conduct e 5 is restrained by a rectangle parallelepiped , the main wall a 5 h is parallel to the horizontal upper wall 551 of the cabinet 55 . the extraction conducts e 1 and e 2 globally define two half - spaces being “ perpendicular ” between them e 1 v and e 1 h , e 2 v and e 2 h . the “ perpendicular ” half - spaces of each extraction space are perpendicular , since they are limited by perpendicular walls , respectively , a 1 v and a 1 h or a 2 v and a 2 h . moreover , each extraction space wall may consist in several parallel walls to accommodate the architecture of the cabinets : for example , the wall a 2 v consists in walls 2 v 1 and 2 v 2 so as to extract the air coming not only from the space e 1 , but also from the strut assembly 53 . furthermore , inter - cabinets sealing junctions j 1 to j 3 and the connecting junction j 4 between the extraction space e 2 and the final extraction tube are arranged to connect the extraction conduct , respectively e 5 and e 1 , e 1 and e 2 as well as e 3 and e 2 , and form a continuous extraction circuit . because the hot air goes up , the successive positioning of the extraction spaces is horizontal and / or vertical ascending . the air extraction then occurs by following the vertical ascending path according to the arrows f 4 in the cabinets 51 to 55 as well according to ascendant ( arrows f 5 ) and horizontal ( arrows f 6 ) vertical paths in the extraction spaces , namely : the horizontal extraction sleeve 11 of the cabinet 54 , in the horizontal extraction conduct e 5 of the cabinet 55 , in the vertical extraction half - space e 1 v and the horizontal half - space a 1 h of the cabinet 51 , as well as in the vertical half - space a 2 v and the horizontal half - space e 2 h of the cabinet 52 . the upper part of the cabinets 51 to 55 consists in hot air extraction collectors 61 to 65 ( arrows f 7 ) in connection with the adjacent extraction spaces : the connecting sleeve 11 for the cabinet 54 , the space e 5 for the cabinet 55 , the half - space e 2 v for the cabinet 53 and the half - spaces e 1 h and e 2 h for the cabinets 51 and 52 . the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments being described and represented . thus , the strut assemblies 31 and 32 can also serve as a walking floor 5 for the cockpit 24 . furthermore , these strut assemblies can also contribute for the most part to the cooling of other equipment and apparatus of the cockpit through openings arranged on their upper wall or on their lower wall for cooling the material located within the lower part ( front or cargo bay ). further , each cabinet can integrate more than two extraction spaces , for example on each external side ( i . e . maximum six spaces for a parallelepiped cabinet ). moreover , the extraction spaces can be provided inside the cabinet ( first category ) or outside the initial cabinet ( second category ). in this last case , the final cabinet integrates the extraction spaces . in the above illustrated exemplary embodiment , the cabinet 55 belongs to the first category and the cabinets 51 and 52 to the second one . moreover , the blowing and extraction circuit and the means which constitute them can be inverted in their function by inverting the direction of the air flows : the blowing can be operated “ from the top ” from the extraction devise which then serves as a fresh air supplier and the extraction spaces become blowing spaces , whereas the extraction is made “ from the bottom ” and the evacuation of hot air is made by the air supplying manifolds . the invention can apply to any transport structure : airplane , helicopter , locomotive , ship , etc . the term “ avionics ” is then to be adapted as a function of the structure ( railway , naval , etc . ).	1
referring to fig1 a section of an lcd panel ( put ) 10 to be tested is shown including several pixel circuit elements 12 . associated with each pixel circuit element 12 is a drive line 14 and a gate line 16 , as previously described . for a non - interdigitated panel ( shown ), each drive line 14 is terminated along a first panel boundary 17 and each gate line 16 is terminated along a second panel boundary 19 adjacent and generally orthogonal to the first boundary . by comparison , for an interdigitated panel every other drive line ( i . e ., even numbered ) is terminated along one panel boundary , while the other drive lines ( i . e ., odd numbered ) are terminated along the opposite , but parallel , boundary . similarly , every other gate line ( i . e ., even numbered ) is terminated along one panel boundary adjacent and generally orthogonal to the drive line panel boundaries , while the other gate lines ( i . e ., odd numbered ) are terminated along the opposite panel boundary , also adjacent and generally orthogonal to the drive line panel boundaries . a high density lcd panel for use as a display device for a computer system may be formed as an array of 640 pixels by 480 pixels . each pixel in the panel can be identified by an address derived from the row number ( i . e . 1 to 480 ) and column number ( i . e . 1 to 640 ). typically , for both the interdigitated and non - interdigitated configurations , there is one drive line per row and one gate line per column . it has been determined that the most common defects for high density panels are cross short circuits between a column gate line and a row drive line . in particular , the cross shorts are most likely to occur at the drive transistor between the gate and source or gate and drain . short circuits between adjacent column lines or between adjacent row lines are unlikely because a pixel element is located between the adjacent column lines or row lines . the test methodology takes advantage of this characteristic to provide a quick and efficient testing methodology . referring to fig2 a test apparatus 20 according to this invention is shown , including panel interface circuits 22 ( pics ) interfaced to the panel under test ( put ) 10 through respective probes 24 . the panel interface circuit 22 relays signals from a conventional precision measurement unit ( pmu ) 26 to the drive lines 14 and gate lines 16 of the put 10 . the panel interface circuits 22 also may relay signals from the drive lines 14 or gate lines 16 to the pmu 26 . a test controller 28 is provided to control whether the pmu 26 provides or monitors test signals . an electro - optic voltage measurement system 30 , such as described in the cross - referenced commonly owned u . s . application ser . no . 07 / 481 , 429 filed 2 / 15 / 90 for voltage imaging system using electro - optics , is also included for imaging the voltages along the drive lines or gate lines . the electro - optic system 30 includes an electro - optic sensor 32 . the electro - optic sensor 32 allows the detection of electrical signals in an area without direct contact with the area . prior to testing , the put 10 is coupled to the test system 20 at the panel boundaries through contact probes 24 . the probes 24 include , for example , 100 contacts for coupling to a one inch span of the panel boundary . the number of contacts and boundary span may vary . referring to fig3 a 10 - inch by 10 - inch non - interdigitated panel of 640 by 480 pixels is depicted in which all the drive lines terminate along one boundary and all the gate lines terminate along another boundary . as a result , rows of panel interface circuits 22 ( fig2 ) and probes 24 are connected only to two boundaries 17 , 19 of the panel . based upon a probe 24 having a one - inch span , ten panel interface circuits 22 along one side boundary 17 are used to establish electrical coupling to all the drive lines through ten probes 24 . another ten panel interface circuits 22 along the top boundary 19 are used to establish electrical coupling to all the gate lines through another ten probes 24 . within a one - inch span of the boundary either 48 drive lines or 64 gate lines terminate . thus , one panel interface circuit 22 and probe 24 provide electrical links to 48 drive lines or 64 gate lines . the number of links varies depending on the span of the probe 24 and the number of drive lines 14 or gate lines 16 of the put 10 located within the span of the probe 24 . referring to fig4 a 10 - inch by 10 - inch interdigitated panel 10 &# 39 ; having 640 by 480 pixels is depicted in which the even drive lines terminate along a first side boundary 17 and the odd drive lines terminate along the opposite side boundary 21 , while the even gate lines terminate along the top boundary 19 and the odd gate lines terminate along the bottom boundary 23 . accordingly , panel interface circuits 22 and probes 24 are needed for all four boundaries . based upon a one inch span probe , ten panel interface circuits are used along each boundary . thus , 40 panel interface circuits are used to test the interdigitated panel 10 &# 39 ;, while 20 are used for the non - interdigitated panel 10 ( fig3 ). within a one inch span of the boundary either 24 drive lines or 32 gate lines terminate . thus , the 1 inch probe span would provide coupling to 24 drive lines or 32 gate lines . referring to fig5 a schematic of a panel interface circuit 22 is shown . the exemplary circuit 22 includes 100 channels 40 , with one channel for each probe contact . each channel 40 includes a high impedance resistor 42 , such as a 50 kilohm to a 100 kilohm resistor , and a resistor bypass line 44 . alternate channels are connected into an even tap line 46 and an odd tap line 48 . the even tap line 46 includes low impedance resistors 50 , such as a 10 ohm to 50 ohm resistor , between each even channel line 40 connection . similarly , the odd tap line 48 includes low resistance resistors 52 between each odd channel 40 line connection . in a bypass mode , an electrical signal path is established through the bypass line 44 of each channel 40 to define a low impedance signal path . in a resistance mode , the electrical signal path is established through the high impedance resistor 42 to define a high impedance signal path . a switch 54 coupled to the controller 28 through signal path 56 is used to open or close the even channel bypass lines . similarly , a switch 58 coupled to the controller 28 through signal path 60 is used to open or close the odd channel bypass lines . the even tap line 46 has two termination points 62 , 64 leading to respective pmu channels . similarly , the odd tap line 48 has two termination points 66 , 68 leading to respective pmu channels . the pmu 26 provides a ground signal , a voltage signal , a current signal , or a high impedance state at each termination point as determined by the controller 28 . the high impedance state is used by the pmu 26 to monitor the signal at the corresponding even tap line 46 or odd tap line 48 . during the zone isolation tests , the panel interface circuits 22 are configured in the bypass mode . some panel interface circuits receive a test current signal from the pmu , while others are monitored by the pmu . the panel interface circuits 22 receiving the test current signal , receive the same signal at each of the four termination points 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 . the panel interface circuits monitored have a high impedance level at each of the four termination points 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 . during the zone inspection tests , the panel interface circuits 22 are configured in the resistive mode . for a first pass test , each panel interface circuit termination point 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 receives the same voltage signal . for a second pass test , one end of each even tap line 46 and one end of each odd tap line 48 receives a common voltage signal , while the respective other ends receive a ground signal . as a result , the panel interface circuits 22 are configured as voltage dividers for the second pass test in which each channel relays a different voltage signal . a three - tier test hierarchy is described below to test the panel 10 for defects . the three testing tiers include : zone isolation testing , zone inspection testing and pixel inspection testing . since drive line to drive line and gate line to gate line shorts are fairly unlikely , tests for such conditions are ignored . testing for such short circuit defects , if desired , may be accomplished using conventional methods . the first tier of testing involves zone isolation testing , in which the panel under test is logically divided into test zones . each zone then is tested to determine whether a cross short is present within the zone . as part of such zone isolation testing , the size of the zone may be decreased in iterative tests to more precisely define the zone in which a defect is present . for example , a 640 by 480 pixel panel 10 initially may be divided into four zones m ( 1 , 1 ), m ( 1 , 2 ), m ( 2 , 1 ) and m ( 2 , 2 ) as shown in fig6 . the zone isolation test may determine that only zone m ( 2 , 1 ) has a defect . zone m ( 2 , 1 ) then might be reconfigured into five , twenty - five or another amount of zones . referring to fig6 zone m ( 2 , 1 ) is shown divided into 25 sub - zones . each of the smaller sub - zones then is tested in the same way the larger zone was tested to isolate which of the smaller zones include defects . for example , subsequent zone isolation may determine that only sub - zones ( 2 , 3 ) and ( 2 , 5 ) include defects . according to the example , 98 % of the panel 10 has been eliminated quickly from further cross short testing . thus , by designing an appropriate test strategy , general areas having defects are identified quickly for further testing , while large portions of the panel are eliminated from further testing . a preferable way of configuring zones is in multiples of probe contact 24 spans . thus , for a 10 - inch by 10 - inch panel and a one - inch span probe , the panel 10 can be logically divided into 1 to 10 rows and 1 to 10 columns of zones . one zone ( i . e . the entire panel ), four zones ( i . e . 2 rows , 2 columns ), twenty zones ( i . e . 10 rows , 2 columns ), or one hundred zones ( i . e . 10 rows , 10 columns ) might be configured based upon the testing strategy . as described above , one strategy may be to configure four zones and test them , then reconfigure the zones into smaller sub - zones ( i . e ., divide each of the four zones into 25 sub - zones ) and test the sub - zones having defects . referring to fig7 a block diagram of an lcd panel 10 logically divided into 100 zones ( i . e ., 10 by 10 ) is shown . each zone has an array address within the 10 by 10 domain . a zone ( 1 , 1 ) is shown , typical of each of the 100 zones , including 64 by 48 pixels ( 3 , 072 pixels ). for the non - interdigitated panel , each panel interface circuit 22 along the side boundary 17 is coupled to 48 drive lines , while each panel interface circuit 22 along the top boundary 19 is coupled to 64 . gate lines . having described alternative zone configurations and zone testing strategies , the details of zone isolation testing for a selected zone now are described with reference to fig1 and 2 . under control of the test controller 28 , the panel interface circuits 22 are configured in the bypass mode and the pmu 26 is directed to output a test current signal to the panel interface circuits coupled to the gate lines 16 of a selected zone . the selected panel interface circuits 22 then relay the common test current signal from the pmu 26 to the gate lines 16 . the controller 28 , in addition , directs the pmu 26 to monitor the panel interface circuits 22 coupled to the drive lines 14 of the selected zone . if the pmu 26 detects any current at the monitored drive lines , the current traveled across a gate line 16 onto a drive line 14 . accordingly , a cross short defect is present in the tested zone . the controller 28 flags the zone as having a defect so as to be tested again either in another series of zone isolation tests for smaller sub - zones of the defective zone or in subsequent zone inspection tests . zone inspection testing now is described with reference to fig2 . zone inspection is performed after zone isolation testing for each zone identified as having defects . a zone is selected for inspection , then tested with a first pass test and , if needed , with a second pass test . for the first pass test , controller 28 configures each panel interface circuit 22 to the resistive mode and directs the pmu 26 to output a first voltage signal to each drive line panel interface circuit ( i . e ., panel interface circuit 22 along boundary 17 ) and a second voltage signal , distinct from the first voltage signal , to each gate line panel interface circuit ( i . e ., panel interface circuit 22 along boundary 19 ). preferably , the pmu 26 generates a voltage signal input of + v to each of the drive lines 14 to be tested , while generating a voltage signal input of - v for each of the gate lines 16 to be tested . such voltage signals are generated by inputting + v / 2 at each of the tap line end points 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 ( fig5 ) of the drive line panel interface circuits , and inputting - v / 2 at each of the tap line end points 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 ( fig5 ) of the gate line panel interface circuits . the panel interface circuits 22 relay the respective + v or - v voltage signal to each of the selected zone &# 39 ; s drive lines 14 and gate lines 16 , respectively . the electro - optic voltage measurement system 30 , such as described in the cross - referenced u . s . patent application ser . no . 07 / 481 , 429 filed 2 / 15 / 90 for voltage imaging system using electro - optics , measures the voltages at the corresponding gate lines 16 and drive lines 14 near the respective contact probes 24 . if a drive line 14 does not have a voltage of + v , then a defect is present along the drive line 14 . similarly , if a gate line 16 does not have a voltage of - v , then a defect is present along the gate line 16 . if only one drive line 14 and one gate line 16 are found to have a defect , then the location of the cross short is known to be at the intersection of the drive line 14 and the gate line 16 . however , if more than one drive line 14 and more than one gate line 16 are found to have defects , then the intersection points , in addition to defining at least one actual defect , may define one or more phantom defects which show up as defects , but are not actual defects . referring to fig8 the phantoms may occur when a zone 80 has 2 or more defects . for example , a zone 80 having 48 drive lines and 64 gate lines , may have actual defects at locations ( 2 , 3 ) and ( 5 , 6 ) , where the first number is the drive line number and second number is the gate line number . during the first pass inspection tests , drive lines two ( 82 ) and five ( 84 ) are detected as having a defect and gate lines three ( 86 ) and six ( 88 ) are detected as having a defect . thus , defects are found for locations ( 2 , 3 ), ( 2 , 6 ), ( 5 , 3 ) and ( 5 , 6 ). two of these are actual defects and two are phantom defects . when more than one drive line and gate line are identified , a second pass test is done to identify the actual defects . referring to fig2 the controller 28 configures the panel interface circuits 22 coupled to the zone under test 80 into the resistive mode . the controller 28 directs the pmu 26 to output to the appropriate drive line panel interface circuits 22 a first voltage signal at one termination point 62 of the even tap lines 46 and at one termination point 66 of the odd tap lines 48 , while outputting a ground signal at the other termination points 64 , 68 . similarly , the controller 28 directs the pmu 26 to output to the appropriate gate line panel interface circuits 22 a second voltage signal , distinct from the first voltage signal , at one termination point 62 of the even tap lines 46 and at one termination point 66 of the odd tap lines 48 , while outputting a ground signal at the other termination points 64 , 68 . as a result , the panel interface circuits 22 are configured as voltage dividers . thus , each drive line and gate line receives a unique voltage signal . referring to fig8 the voltages at the drive lines 82 , 84 and gate lines 86 , 88 identified in the first pass then are electro - optically measured again . referring to fig9 the applied voltage signals and intersection points of drive lines 82 , 84 , 86 , and 88 are depicted . the measured voltage of a drive line 14 corresponds to the sum of the drive line &# 39 ; s voltage and the voltage signals shorting to the drive line divided by the number of voltage signals forming the sum . for example , the voltage divider configuration may provide unique signals of + 10 volts , + 8 volts , - 7 volts , - 4 volts to the inspected drive lines 82 , 84 and gate lines 86 , 88 , respectively . the voltage measured at drive line 82 for the example given ( i . e ., defects at ( 2 , 3 ) and ( 5 , 6 )) then is + 1 . 5 volts [(+ 10 - 7 ) / 2 =+ 1 . 5 ], while the voltage measured at drive line 84 is + 2 volts [(+ 8 - 4 ) / 2 =+ 2 ]. table a below shows the possible short combinations and corresponding measured voltage for measurements at two drive lines 82 , 84 and two gate lines 86 , 88 . note for certain combinations of shorts ( 3 or 4 of the 4 intersections being shorted ), all the intersections are assumed to have shorts . table a__________________________________________________________________________short ata b c d v at 1 v at 2 v at 3 v at 4__________________________________________________________________________ x x ( v1 + v2 + v4 )/ 3 ( v1 + v2 + v4 )/ 3 v3 ( v1 + v2 + v4 )/ 3 x x ( v1 + v4 )/ 2 ( v2 + v3 )/ 2 ( v2 + v3 )/ 2 ( v1 + v4 )/ 2 x x v1 ( v2 + v3 + v4 )/ 3 ( v2 + v3 + v4 )/ 3 ( v2 + v3 + v4 )/ 3 x x x * * * * x x ( v1 + v3 + v4 )/ 3 v2 ( v1 + v3 + v4 )/ 3 ( v1 + v3 + v4 )/ 3x x ( v1 + v3 )/ 2 ( v2 + v4 )/ 2 ( v1 + v3 )/ 2 ( v2 + v4 )/ 2x x x * * * * x x ( v1 + v2 + v3 )/ 3 ( v1 + v2 + v3 )/ 3 ( v1 + v2 + v3 )/ 3 v4x x x * * * * x x x * * * * x x x x * * * * __________________________________________________________________________ * = ( v1 + v2 + v3 + v4 )/ 4 ( for this case , all four intersections are assumed to be shorted . the controller 28 has a table of the unique voltage signals applied to each drive line 14 and each gate line 16 and receives from the electro - optic voltage measurement system the measured voltage at the sampled drive line or gate line . the controller then compares the sampled voltage to a table of predicted voltages to determine the location ( s ) of defects . as discussed above , for certain combinations of cross shorts the measured voltage will be the same and thus shorts are flagged at each intersection of each of such combinations . open circuit defect testing now is described with reference to fig2 - 5 . open circuits , though less common , also may be detected . open circuit testing uses an electro - optical configuration similar to that described above for zone inspection . during the open circuit tests , the controller 28 configures the panel interface circuits 22 into the resistive mode . for a non - interdigitated panel as shown in fig3 the controller 28 then directs the pmu 26 to generate a first voltage signal ( i . e . + v ) at the even tap line 46 ( fig5 ) and a ground signal at the odd tap line 48 for every drive line panel . interface circuit 22 along boundary 17 . the opposite ends of the even drive lines away from the probes 24 along boundary 21 then are electro - optically monitored . lines that do not measure at the first voltage signal level have an open circuit defect . the process then is repeated in which the odd - numbered drive lines are tested by receiving the first voltage signal , followed by the even - numbered gate lines , then the odd - numbered gate lines . for an interdigitated panel 10 &# 39 ; as shown in fig4 the lines coupled to the panel interface circuits along boundaries 17 , 19 , 21 and 23 are tested in the same manner as described for testing the lines of a non - interdigitated panel 10 . having identified open circuit defects to the precise drive line or gate line , the precise location can be determined using a binary search or image edge processing technique . the last tier of testing is pixel inspection . based upon the first two tiers cross shorts locations are identified . testing for open shorts also may have been done to locate open circuits to the corresponding drive line or gate line , and perhaps to the precise location . only the pixels are left to be tested . pixel testing is performed by electro - optically imaging a panel area within the bounds of the electro - optic sensor 32 . for a one inch by one inch crystal , the panel 10 is divided into one inch by one inch areas . each area is tested by driving the pixels in the test area to a checkerboard state providing active and inactive circuit elements . the area then is imaged . the checkerboard states then are reversed so that the previously active elements now are inactive and the previously inactive elements now are active . the test area then is imaged again , and the state of each element compared to the prior state . elements that do not change state are defective . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , various alternatives , modifications and equivalents may be used . for example , although the invention has been described for testing an lcd panel , other devices having an array of circuit elements may be tested . therefore , the foregoing description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims .	6
while the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms , there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred , albeit not limiting , embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated . the present invention relates to an electronic network 8 of servers and databases by which a user can request specific media be sent to one of a number of different media display devices which the user owns or operates . currently , users are able to request different media , such as tv programs or movies , be sent to their televisions by using a set - top box . these set - top boxes are connected to a media supplier , such as a cable tv network or a satellite tv network . the user is restricted to the programming and movies available from the specific cable provider or satellite tv provider . users are also able to download certain television shows onto their personal computers utilizing software which establishes an interface between the media supplier and the user &# 39 ; s computer . currently , media available from a cable provider or satellite provider is not readily available on devices other than televisions . also , certain other media suppliers , such as netflix ®, can supply media to a personal computer or send a dvd through the mail so that the user can play it on their dvd player . connection of the media to a television is typically accomplished by connecting the computer to the television via an internet ready device such as a wii ®. the present invention includes a system wherein media from a number of different and varied sources is delivered to a user upon request by the user . the system further enables the delivery of the requested media to any number of various media display devices without the need for special software or special user interfaces . in a preferred embodiment , a user will make a request 10 for some media from a device that the user owns or is operating . examples of these devices are television , playstation ®, roku , ipad ®, iphone ®, and blackberry ®. in addition , other devices , similar to those listed , can be employed to request and receive media . the information retrieved from the search request will be in a digital format . pictures , text , e - mails , audio and video will be broken down into digital information based around the content source and the playback capabilities the user &# 39 ; s device . this information retrieved is sent to either a user login 12 , a user database 14 , or filtered through a search engine 16 . information from the search engine 16 can also be sent through an agnostic device and system routing 18 which identifies the user &# 39 ; s device and associates a quality of service that can be provided by the system to the user &# 39 ; s device . the user &# 39 ; s request 10 is preferably in digital form . it can be in the form of a text message , a voice message , an e - mail , an instant message , a picture , etc . the request is sent from a local device that the user is currently operating , an iphone ®, a wii ®, etc . the request is processed through the systems various databases , imaging database , audio database , meta data database and device database . a request can also come in from an outside third party server . the request is filtered and routed through the search engine servers 16 . the request is next matched against devices that the user has registered with the system to prevent multiple logins . this enables a user to make a request for certain media for one of his / hers devices from a device or computer which is not associated with him / her on the system . the requested media is then processed through imaging databases , audio databases , meta databases , and device databases to determine if the request can be delivered to the user &# 39 ; s device . the search engine 16 and associated servers receive the user &# 39 ; s request 10 in digital format through agnostic device and system routing 18 . these servers enable communication utilizing a systems management server ( sms ) and web services . these servers enable the request to be processed live or as soon as it is received from a user . the digital request is then processed through the system &# 39 ; s imaging databases , audio databases , meta databases and device databases to identify the user , the device or the service requested by the user . having this information , the web services 20 can then grant or restrict the requested content or requested services . these services can include streaming services and other platform services . the agnostic device and system routing 18 operate within the network of the system to process the user &# 39 ; s request . communication between the system network servers and the core components of the system architecture enable the system to capture and process the data requested by the user into useful information . this information is packaged into data which permits the platform of the system to create a service based on live or on demand content ( video , music , games , etc ). it can also place advertisements into the media requested . further , it can determine which advertisements are appropriate for the content of the request . this enables advertisers to target specific individuals which they believe would most likely respond to their advertisements . the system utilizes a communication server 22 which processes the request to enable the response to be utilized by the user or requestor . for example , the request can be for video , audio , text , picture , etc . content . the communication server recognizes the user &# 39 ; s device and assures that the response to the request can be displayed or utilized by the user on their device . the system also includes a user database 14 . this database includes information regarding access granted to individual users , devices associated with specific users , purchasing habits of individual users , etc . this information enables the system to correctly coordinate the response to a request with the user &# 39 ; s device from which the request has been made so as to enable the user to view / use the response . the purchasing habits of a user enable certain advertisements to be directed to user when appropriate . these habits further assist the system in obtaining the more appropriate response whenever there are two or more equivalent responses available to an individual request . the system utilizes another communication server 24 which processes the request to enable the response to be utilized by the user or requestor . for example , the request can be for video , audio , text , picture , etc . content . the communication server recognizes the user &# 39 ; s device and assures that the response to the request can be displayed or utilized by the user on their device . the system further includes a user login portal or point 12 . this login validates the user , their device , the content of their request and the services requested so that the appropriate response to the user &# 39 ; s request is delivered or supplied to the user . this point further enables a user to login to the system from a device other than the specific devices associated with the user . further , the login prevents multiple logins using the same user identification . the web services 20 are services from third parties that are made available to the user upon request . these services can include specific media or other information . these services are available over the internet or through other wireless communications . the user requests are packaged and processed at package request system 26 to ensure that the user receives a response to their request in a format that can be displayed on the user &# 39 ; s device . for example , if the request is in a text format and the request is for a video format , the system will determine at this point if the device from which the request is being placed can receive and display video data . the various forms in which the request can be made and the response received include text , e - mails , internal network messaging , voice data , video data , etc . a purpose of registering specific devices with specific users is to protect the digital content of these devices . another purpose is to protect the online identity of the user . the protection of the online identity is especially critical in today &# 39 ; s internet world . the requests are processed through imaging databases , audio databases , meta data databases and device databases . after this processing , the data generated is attached to the specific request so as to enable the response to be correctly packaged and presented to the user based on their devices , identification and past user history . a first communication server 33 compares the components against which the user &# 39 ; s request has been made . the first communication server is in electronic communication with an m . e . c . a . platform 34 which is a total compilation of all of the system &# 39 ; s servers , software and hardware . the m . e . c . a . platform includes proprietary hardware 36 which enables the system to operate . this hardware aids in the processing of various requests from numerous users on different devices . the responses to the requests can also be delivered to the various devices utilizing propriety hardware 36 . the proprietary software 38 operates on the proprietary hardware 36 to enable the system to receive and process various requests from various user devices and deliver the proper responses to the individual user on whichever device they determine that response is to be received in a format which is readable and can be displayed by the chosen device . this construction also permits the user to switch the device that is being utilized during any portion of the viewing . for example , a user may need to run an errand during the viewing of a live sporting event . in this example , the user may want to switch between viewing on his home big screen television to viewing on a smart phone so that details of the sporting event are not missed . once the errand is completed , the user may want to switch back to viewing on the big screen television or the user may want to switch to viewing on a lap top computer if the errand was to his / her office . the system utilizes a second communication server 28 which processes the request to enable the response to be utilized by the user or requestor . the data bases 50 , 52 , 54 and 56 are queried for information relevant to the request of the user . the system utilizes a third communication server 30 which processes the request and sends it onto the adaptive operating environment 32 . the adaptive operating environment takes in information relating to the request and processes it through servers 28 and 30 . a search engine 40 processes the data from the user ( s ) and the digital media to determine which data and what type of digital media is to be sent to each user in response to each of their requests . a media analytics server 42 analyzes the data media based on the usage of the data . a location based engine server 44 and software thereon provide an engine which determines how the information is to be transformed at each step of the process of the request . an advertising and coupons system server 46 includes advertising which is associated with each search request . the appropriate advertising and other content is then associated with the responses and delivered to the individual users . an analytic algorithms server 48 contains the proprietary algorithms which are used in the processing of the requests , determination of what the correct responses are , where the responses should be sent , and in what format . a meta data server 50 includes a database of meta data . a services db server 52 is a database content which is constantly updated live to ensure the latest and proper responses are delivered to the users . a content database server 54 is a database of the content available to the users . a device database server 56 is a database of the numerous user devices . this server verifies that the user &# 39 ; s device can accept the digital media stream which is sent to the internet and the end publishing point through the cdn providers of the system . the user &# 39 ; s device sends the digital request into the system . the appropriate stream to process the request is made available through the cdn partners of the system . devices which are not registered by users can be verified against the user login 12 and user database 14 . 58 is the headend equipment from which the responses to the requests are obtained . the responses are encoded at this point . the information and digital media are streamed to the internet , the end publishing point through the cdn providers of the system . the local device of the user sends the request . this headend equipment 58 allows access to the same cable feeds that operators such as comcast and time warner have , thus enabling the user to be supplied with the appropriate digital media response to their request . the content from these requests are the mainstream channels and mainstream media data bases which reside locally on the web . the stream of the media which the user access is secured to the session that the user is tuned into at that time . the stream is made available through the cdn partners the system utilizes so that it appears that the user is receiving the media directly from any source such as dish tv , cable tv , direct tv , etc . the system utilizes a fourth communication server 60 which processes the media content from the headend equipment 58 . this server enables the content from the headend equipment 58 to be sent to the adaptive operating environment server 32 to check it against the user &# 39 ; s database to determine if the package request is a real service which can be provided to the user . a fifth communication server 62 transforms the information from the requests and responses between the web services 20 and the adaptive operating environment 32 to assure compatibility . services database 64 functions to provide pricing and rights management information to the encoders and server arrays through the fourth communication server 60 in response to a user request 10 . content delivery database 66 is constructed and arranged for management of pricing with respect to intellectual property rights and licenses . this database attaches a service fee to the user &# 39 ; s request based on the rights ( territorial , digital content , data , etc .) of the user request . the user is then billed appropriately for the service if utilized . a services and security database 68 is in electrical communication with said services database 64 and said fourth communication server 60 . the system and security database permits or restricts service access to users based on rights or licenses purchased . these rights may relate to territory , digital content , data , etc . and may be changed at various times by the user or the management of the system . encoders and server arrays 70 tests and actively monitor the electronic network system 8 and user requests 10 for services . in a preferred embodiment , the optimal quality of video is delivered at or below 1 mb per live channel . this is a sliding scale which responds to the network connection and chosen device capabilities independent of the user having to adjust his device or the network connection . once the system identifies the device being used by the user , the device databases 56 are updated to address the delivery to the user . the quality of images transferred to the device is monitored so that , if hd quality is not available , the reception is switched to sd . if sd is not available , then the system steps down the quality to whatever is available to maintain service in the system for delivery of the user request to the chosen device . the compression quality permits the system to deliver a live h . 264 stream customized for devices in networking . the system &# 39 ; s web centric service permits access across legacy networks ( cable , docsis , dsl , wifi , wimax , 2 . 5 g \ 3 g \ 4 g media flo , fiber , mobile broadband , copper networks ). the ability to ride above the other networks and supply high quality digital media is accomplished through auto sensing streaming services . the communication device 72 transforms information . the device requests will be purely digital ( video , audio , text , picture , etc .). therefore the response should be digital ( video , audio , text , picture , etc .). the initiation of the proper service to provide the digital response is made through accessing the sites services . the encoders and server arrays 70 configure the approved digital stream of content to the test servers running in parallel with the line servers . the users will receive the streams after they have been tested completely . information regarding the user requests and responses is constantly updated . additional devices associated with each user are continually added to the databases in the system . the paths which the requests take and the paths of the response ( s ) to the user are continually updated . finally , the ability of individual users to access or be restricted from access to certain services is continually updated . fig2 represents one embodiment of how the system of the present invention can be implemented . all patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . all patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference . it is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated , it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings / figures included herein . one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned , as well as those inherent therein . the embodiments , methods , procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments , are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope . changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims . although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . indeed , various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims .	7
before describing in detail the particular non - magnetic rotor winding shield in accordance with the present invention , it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel and non - obvious combination of hardware elements and method steps . accordingly , these elements and steps have been represented by conventional elements and steps in the drawings , showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein . the following embodiments are not intended to define limits as to the structures or methods of the invention , but only to provide exemplary constructions . the embodiments are permissive rather than mandatory and illustrative rather than exhaustive . a rotor shield of the present invention overcomes the various limitations described above . the shield of the present invention effectively prevents stator - originating transient time - varying magnetic fields from impinging rotor hts windings , but allows access to substantially all of the rotor body for the placement of balancing weights . also , the shield and the rotor body cooperate to transfer transient loads ( generated during fault conditions ) and steady state loads imposed on the shield to the rotor body . it is known that the shield provides a shielding function only for magnetic fields that vary in time at the surface of the rotor . since the shield rotates with the rotor flux ( which is generated by a dc current ) there is no time - varying rotor flux component and thus the shield does not impede the main rotor flux . the shape of the rotor pole tends to reduce the magnetomotive force ( mmf ) drop of the rotor pole to a low level and thereby ensures that the rotor leakage flux remains at a relatively low level . however , the shield shields the hts windings from stator magnetic flux components that are time - varying from the perspective of the rotor . as is known , a time - varying field generates a time - varying voltage on the surface of the conductive shield responsive to the change of magnetic flux with time . a current flows within the shield responsive to this voltage and generates a time - varying magnetic field that counters the external time - varying magnetic field . thus the time - varying field is prevented from reaching the rotor core and the hts windings . fig2 illustrates a superconducting rotor 50 defining a longitudinal axis 52 and comprising a generally cylindrically - shaped core 54 and coaxially aligned rotor end segments 55 and 57 each attached to an end surface of the core 54 . a material of the core 54 exhibits a high magnetic permeability , e . g . a ferromagnetic material such as iron , for increasing the magnetic flux generated by the rotor windings . the superconducting rotor 50 further comprises a generally longitudinally - extending , racetrack - shaped superconducting ( hts ) coil or winding 60 comprising axial segments 60 a connected by radial segments 60 b , the latter extending through openings 55 a and 57 a defined between end surfaces of the core 54 and the respective end segments 55 and 57 . non - magnetic shields 70 a and 70 b of the present invention are each supported by the rotor core 54 and enclose the superconducting coil segments 60 a . the end segment 57 further comprises a cryogenic transfer coupling 68 that supplies cooling fluid ( cryogenic fluid ) from a cryogenic cooler ( not shown ) to closed coolant flow paths or channels in the superconducting coil 60 to maintain the superconducting coil 60 at or below its critical temperature . from the channels , the coolant returns to the transfer coupling 68 then to the cooler for lowering the coolant temperature . the coolant is then circulated back to the coolant flow paths . the rotor 50 for use with the magnetic shield of the present invention is illustrated in greater detail in fig3 , absent the rotor end segments 55 and 57 . the rotor core 54 comprises oppositely - disposed axially - extending flat surface regions 404 . the flat surfaces balance the stiffness of the rotor to avoid excessive dynamic forces . fig4 illustrates the rotor core 54 and the superconducting winding segment 60 a supported by the aforementioned hts winding support structures attached to the flat surface regions 404 . as illustrated in fig5 a , a plurality of blocks 412 ( also referred to as core extensions and comprising a ferromagnetic material such as steel ) are disposed in a side - by - side configuration axially along one exposed edge of each flat surface region 404 , with a spacer 413 intermediate two adjacent blocks . typically , the blocks 412 are installed after the superconducting winding 60 is attached to the core 54 . in one embodiment the blocks comprise a dovetail surface 412 a that mates with a corresponding dovetail groove in the rotor core 54 . see fig5 b . as can be seen , the blocks 412 partially close the circumferential core gap formed by the flat surface regions 404 . the blocks 412 are functional elements of the core 50 ( i . e ., a material of the blocks 412 comprises a ferromagnetic material ) and thus are formed from a core - like material . the blocks 412 also support the magnetic shield of the present invention as described further below . the blocks 412 can be installed beginning from either end of the core 50 . in lieu of individual blocks 412 , the circumferential gap can be closed by a single elongated piece ( formed from ferromagnetic material ) extending a length of the rotor core 50 . fig6 illustrates the partially assembled rotor core 54 , including the superconducting winding segment 60 a , the blocks 412 and the spacers 413 , with end segments 55 and 57 affixed thereto according to known techniques . fig7 ( a perspective view ) and fig8 ( an end view ) illustrate one embodiment of a non - magnetic shield assembly 424 constructed according to the teachings of the present invention , comprising an arcuate shield 426 preferably constructed of aluminum ( or another non - magnetic material ). a plurality of adjacent sliding shoes 428 mate with the shield 426 at a dovetail interface along a shield edge surface 430 . a plurality of sliding shoes 432 similarly mate with an opposing edge surface 434 of the arcuate shield 426 . each of the sliding shoes 428 and 432 is attached to the shield 426 by a plurality of fasteners , such as bolts 435 as indicated in fig8 . in one embodiment , adjacent sliding shoes 428 and adjacent sliding shoes 432 are spaced apart to avoid fretting damage to the shoes or a spacer member is inserted therebetween . a dovetail surface 432 a of the shoe 432 is received within a mating dovetail groove 438 in the rotor core 54 . see fig8 and 9 . a dovetail surface 428 a of the oppositely disposed sliding shoe 428 is similarly attached ( using a dovetail mating technique ) to an exposed surface of each of the magnetic steel blocks 412 . to install the non - magnetic shield 426 , the sliding shoes 428 and 432 are affixed to the shield 426 . the surfaces 432 a and 428 a are aligned with respective mating grooves in the rotor core 54 and the magnetic steel blocks 412 . the non - magnetic shield assembly 424 is then slid axially along the rotor core 54 to cover and enclose the superconducting winding portion 60 a . similarly , a second non - magnetic shield is affixed to the rotor core 54 to close the oppositely disposed flat surface region 404 and the superconducting winding portion 60 a ( see fig2 ) affixed thereto . as illustrated in fig1 , an end cap 440 is attached to the rotor core 54 to close open ends formed when the non - magnetic shield assembly 424 is in place on the rotor core . another end cap is similarly situated at the other end of the non - magnetic shield assembly 424 . as can also be seen in fig1 , the cooperating the non - magnetic shield assembly 424 and the end caps 440 completely enclose the super conducting winding portion 60 a . fig9 and 10 further illustrate bolts 450 for attaching the end segment 57 to the core 54 . use of the non - magnetic shield assembly 424 in lieu of a shield that completely surrounds the rotor as known in the prior art , substantially reduces dynamic loads on the rotor core 54 and on the assembly 424 during both steady state and transient load conditions , while shielding the hts winding 60 from transient magnetic fields . in another embodiment illustrated in fig1 , a magnetic shield 460 comprises a plurality of side - by - side curved elements or bands 462 extending axially along the rotor core 54 . the elements 462 may be spaced apart , but electrical conductivity must be maintained between the elements 462 . while the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalent elements may be substituted for the elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . the scope of the present invention further includes any combination of elements from the various embodiments set forth herein . in addition , modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its essential scope . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims .	7
one beneficial aspect of the present invention is that it enables the production of desirable fluroolefins , preferably c3 fluoroolefins , using relatively high conversion and high selectivity reactions . furthermore , the present methods in certain preferred embodiments permit the production of the desirable fluoroolefins , either directly or indirectly , from relatively attractive starting materials . for example , 2 - chloro , 2 , 3 , 3 , 3 - tetrafluoropropane is a compound that may in certain embodiments be an advantageous starting material because such products are relatively easy to handle . preferably the formula ( i ) compound is exposed to reaction conditions effective to produce a reaction product containing one or more of the desired fluorolefins , preferably one or more compounds of formula ( ii ). although it is contemplated that the exposure step in certain embodiments may effectively be carried out in a single reaction stage and / or under a single set of reaction conditions , as mentioned above , it is preferred in many embodiments that the conversion step comprise a series of reaction stages or conditions . in one preferred aspect of the present invention , the conversion step comprises : ( a ) reacting a compound of formula ( i ) which is not a compound of formula ( iaa ), preferably a compound of formula ( ia ), in a gas and / or liquid phase reaction in the presence of at least a first catalyst to produce at least one compound of formula ( iaa ), such as a monochloro - trifluoro - propene , preferably hfo - 1233xf ; ( b ) reacting the at least one monochloro - trifluoro - propene compound , in a gas and / or liquid phase and preferably in the presence of at least a catalyst , preferably a second catalyst which is different than the first catalyst , to produce at least one compound of formula ( ib ) and even more preferably formula ( ibb ), such as monochloro - terafluoro - propane ; and ( c ) reacting said compound of formula ( ib ), in a gas and / or liquid phase , to produce the desired hfo , preferably hfo - 1234yf . each of the preferred reaction steps is described in detail below , with the headings being used for convenience but not necessarily by way of limitation . one preferred reaction step in accordance with the present invention may be described by those reactions in which the compound of formula ( ia ) is fluorinated to produce a compound of formula ( iaa ). in certain preferred embodiments , especially embodiments in which the compound of formula ( ia ) comprises c ( x ) 2 ═ cclc ( x ) 3 , where each x is independently h or cl , the present converting step comprises first reacting said compound ( s ) by fluorinating said compound ( s ), preferably with hf in a gas phase , to produce an hfo that is at least trifluorinated , such as hfo - 1223xf . preferably this gas phase reaction is at least partially catalyzed . the preferred fluorination of the compound of formula ( ia ) is preferably carried out under conditions effective to provide a formula ( ia ) conversion of at least about 50 %, more preferably at least about 75 %, and even more preferably at least about 90 %. in certain preferred embodiments the conversion is at least about 95 %, and more preferably at least about 97 %. further in certain preferred embodiments , the conversion of the compound of formula ( ia ) comprises reacting such compound under conditions effective to produce at least one compound of formula ( iaa ), such as monochlorotrifluoropropene ( preferably cf 3 ccl ═ ch 2 ( hfo - 1233xf )) at a selectivity of at least about 50 %, more preferably at least about 70 %, more preferably at least about 80 %, and even more preferably at least about 90 %, with selectivities of about 95 % or greater being achieved in certain embodiments . in general , it is possible that the fluorination reaction step can be carried out in the liquid phase or in the gas phase , or in a combination of gas and liquid phases , and it is contemplated that the reaction can be carried out batch wise , continuous , or a combination of these . for embodiments in which the reaction comprises a liquid phase reaction , the reaction can be catalytic or non - catalytic . preferably , a catalytic process is used . lewis acid catalyst , such as metal - halide catalysts , including antimony halides , tin halides , thallium halides , iron halides , and combinations of two or more of these , are preferred in certain embodiments . metal chlorides and metal fluorides are particularly preferred . examples of particularly preferred catalysts of this type include sbcl 5 , sbcl 3 , sbf 5 , sncl 4 , ticl 4 , fecl 3 and combinations of two or more of these . in preferred gas phase fluorination of formula ( i ) compounds , preferably formula ( ia ) compounds , the reaction is at least partially a catalyzed reaction , and is preferably carried out on a continuous basis by introducing a stream containing the compound of formula ( i ), preferably formula ( ia ), into one or more reaction vessels , such as a tubular reactor . in certain preferred embodiments , the stream containing the compound of formula ( i ), and preferably formula ( ia ), is preheated to a temperature of from about 80 ° c . to about 400 ° c ., more preferably from about 150 ° c . to about 400 ° c ., and in certain embodiments preferably about 300 ° c ., and introduced into a reaction vessel ( preferably a tube reactor ), which is maintained at the desired temperature , preferably from about 80 ° c . to about 700 ° c ., more preferably from about 90 ° c . to about 600 ° c ., even more preferably in certain embodiments from about 400 ° c . to about 600 ° c ., more preferably from about 450 ° c . to about 600 ° c ., where it is preferably contacted with catalyst and fluorinating agent , such as hf . preferably the vessel is comprised of materials which are resistant to corrosion as hastelloy , inconel , monel and / or fluoropolymers linings . preferably the vessel contains catalyst , for example a fixed or fluid catalyst bed , packed with a suitable fluorination catalyst , with suitable means to ensure that the reaction mixture is maintained with the desired reaction temperature range . thus , it is contemplated that the fluorination reaction step may be preformed using a wide variety of process parameters and process conditions in view of the overall teachings contained herein . however , it is preferred in certain embodiments that this reaction step comprise a gas phase reaction , preferably in the presence of catalyst , and even more preferably a chromium - based catalyst ( such as cr 2 o 3 catalyst ), an iron - based catalyst ( such as fecl 3 on carbon ( designated herein as fecl 3 / c for convenience ), and combinations of these . in preferred embodiments , the catalyst is a combination of the two aforementioned catalysts , where the reaction vessel contains in a first zone the chromium - based catalyst and in a second zone the iron - based catalyst . the temperature of the reaction in the chromium - based catalyst reaction is preferably kept at a temperature of from about 200 ° c . to about 600 ° c . and even more preferably from about 250 ° c . to about 500 ° c . the temperature of the reaction in the iron - based catalyst reaction zone is preferably kept at a temperature of from about 80 ° c . to about 300 ° c . and even more preferably from about 100 ° c . to about 250 ° c . in general it is also contemplated that a wide variety of reaction pressures may be used for the fluorination reaction , depending again on relevant factors such as the specific catalyst being used and the most desired reaction product . the reaction pressure can be , for example , superatmospheric , atmospheric or under vacuum and in certain preferred embodiments is from about 1 to about 200 psia , and in certain embodiments from about 1 to about 120 psia . in certain embodiments , an inert diluent gas , such as nitrogen , may be used in combination with the other reactor feed ( s ). it is contemplated that the amount of catalyst use will vary depending on the particular parameters present in each embodiment . the compound of formula ( iaa ), preferably produced as described above , and then is preferably subject to further fluorination reaction ( s ) to produce a compound of formula ( ib ), such as hcfc - 244 . preferably this gas phase reaction is at least partially catalyzed . the fluorination of the compound of formula ( iaa ) is preferably carried out under conditions effective to provide a formula ( iaa ) conversion of at least about 40 %, more preferably at least about 50 %, and even more preferably at least about 60 %. further in certain preferred embodiments , the conversion of the compound of formula ( ia ) comprises reacting such compound under conditions effective to produce at least one monochlorotetrafluoropropane , preferably hcfc - 244 , at a selectivity of at least about 70 %, more preferably at least about 80 %, and even more preferably at least about 85 %, with selectivities of about 90 % or greater being achieved in certain embodiments . in general , it is possible that this fluorination reaction step can be carried out in the liquid phase or in the gas phase , or in a combination of gas and liquid phases , and it is contemplated that the reaction can be carried out batch wise , continuous , or a combination of these . for embodiments in which the reaction comprises a liquid phase reaction , the reaction can be catalytic or non - catalytic . preferably , a catalytic process is used . lewis acid catalyst , such as metal - halide catalysts , including antimony halides , tin halides , thallium halides , iron halides , and combinations of two or more of these , are preferred in certain embodiments . metal chlorides and metal fluorides are particularly preferred . examples of particularly preferred catalysts of this type include sbcl 5 , sbcl 3 , sbf 5 , sncl 4 , ticl 4 , fecl 3 and combinations of two or more of these . in preferred gas phase fluorination of formula ( iaa ) compounds , the reaction is at least partially a catalyzed reaction , and is preferably carried out on a continuous basis by introducing a stream containing the compound of formula ( iaa ) into one or more reaction vessels , such as a tubular reactor . in certain preferred embodiments , the stream containing the compound of formula ( i ), and preferably formula ( iaa ), is preheated to a temperature of from about 50 ° c . to about 400 ° c ., and in certain embodiments preferably about 80 ° c . in other embodiments , it is preferred that the stream containing the compound of formula ( i ), and preferably formula ( iaa ), is preheated to a temperature of from about 150 ° c . to about 400 ° c ., preferably about 300 ° c . this steam , preferably after preheating , is then preferably introduced into a reaction vessel ( preferably a tube reactor ), which is maintained at the desired temperature , preferably from about 50 ° c . to about 250 ° c ., more preferably from about 50 ° c . to about 150 ° c ., where it is preferably contacted with catalyst and fluorinating agent , such as hf . preferably the vessel is comprised of materials which are resistant to corrosion as hastelloy , inconel , monel and / or fluoropolymers linings . preferably the vessel contains catalyst , for example a fixed or fluid catalyst bed , packed with a suitable fluorination catalyst , with suitable means to ensure that the reaction mixture is maintained within about the desired reaction temperature range . thus , it is contemplated that the fluorination reaction step may be preformed using a wide variety of process parameters and process conditions in view of the overall teachings contained herein . however , it is preferred in certain embodiments that this reaction step comprise a gas phase reaction , preferably in the presence of catalyst , and even more preferably an sb - based catalyst , such as catalyst which is about 50 wt % sbcl 5 / c . other catalysts which may be used include : from about 3 to about 6 wt % fecl 3 / c ; sbf 5 / c ; about 20 wt % sncl 4 / c ; about 23 wt % ticl 4 / c ; and activated carbon . preferably the catalyst comprises cl 2 and hf pre - treated sbcl 5 / c . in general it is also contemplated that a wide variety of reaction pressures may be used for the fluorination reaction , depending again on relevant factors such as the specific catalyst being used and the most desired reaction product . the reaction pressure can be , for example , superatmospheric , atmospheric or under vacuum and in certain preferred embodiments is from about 1 to about 200 psia , more preferably in certain embodiments from about 1 to about 120 psia . in certain embodiments , an inert diluent gas , such as nitrogen , may be used in combination with the other reactor feed ( s ). it is contemplated that the amount of catalyst use will vary depending on the particular parameters present in each embodiment . one preferred reaction step in accordance with the present invention may be described by those reactions in which the compound of formula ( ib ) is dehydrohalogenated to produce a compound of formula ( ii ). in certain preferred embodiments , the stream containing the compound of formula ( ib ), and preferably formula ( ibb ) is preheated to a temperature of from about 150 ° c . to about 400 ° c ., preferably about 350 ° c ., and introduced into a reaction vessel , which is maintained at about the desired temperature , preferably from about 200 ° c . to about 700 ° c ., more preferably from about 300 ° c . to about 700 ° c ., more preferably from about 300 ° c . to about 450 ° c ., and more preferably in certain embodiments from about 350 ° c . to about 450 ° c . preferably the vessel is comprised of materials which are resistant to corrosion as hastelloy , inconel , monel and / or fluoropolymers linings . preferably the vessel contains catalyst , for example a fixed or fluid catalyst bed , packed with a suitable dehydrohalogenation catalyst , with suitable means to heat the reaction mixture to about the desired reaction temperature . thus , it is contemplated that the dehydrohalogenation reaction step may be preformed using a wide variety of process parameters and process conditions in view of the overall teachings contained herein . however , it is preferred in certain embodiments that this reaction step comprise a gas phase reaction , preferably in the presence of catalyst , and even more preferably a carbon - and / or metal - based catalyst , preferably activated carbon , a nickel - based catalyst ( such as ni - mesh ) and combinations of these . other catalysts and catalyst supports may be used , including palladium on carbon , palladium - based catalyst ( including palladium on aluminum oxides ), and it is expected that many other catalysts may be used depending on the requirements of particular embodiments in view of the teachings contained herein . of course , two or more any of these catalysts , or other catalysts not named here , may be used in combination . the gas phase dehydrohalogenation reaction may be conducted , for example , by introducing a gaseous form of a compound of formula ( tb ) into a suitable reaction vessel or reactor . preferably the vessel is comprised of materials which are resistant to corrosion as hastelloy , inconel , monel and / or fluoropolymers linings . preferably the vessel contains catalyst , for example a fixed or fluid catalyst bed , packed with a suitable dehydrohalogenation catalyst , with suitable means to heat the reaction mixture to about the desired reaction temperature . while it is contemplated that a wide variety of reaction temperatures may be used , depending on relevant factors such as the catalyst being used and the most desired reaction product , it is generally preferred that the reaction temperature for the dehydrohalogentation step is from about 200 ° c . to about 800 ° c ., more preferably from about 400 ° c . to about 800 ° c ., and even more preferably from about 400 ° c . to about 500 ° c ., and more preferably in certain embodiments from about 300 ° c . to about 500 ° c . in general it is also contemplated that a wide variety of reaction pressures may be used , depending again on relevant factors such as the specific catalyst being used and the most desired reaction product . the reaction pressure can be , for example , superatmospheric , atmospheric or under vacuum , and in certain preferred embodiments is from about 1 to about 200 psia , and even more preferably in certain embodiments from about 1 to about 120 psia . in certain embodiments , an inert diluent gas , such as nitrogen , may be used in combination with the other reactor feed ( s ). when such a diluent is used , it is generally preferred that the compound of formula ( i ), preferably formula ( ib ), comprise from about 50 % to greater than 99 % by weight based on the combined weight of diluent and formula ( i ) compound . it is contemplated that the amount of catalyst use will vary depending on the particular parameters present in each embodiment . preferably in such dehydrofluorination embodiments as described in this section , the conversion of the formula ( ib ) compound is at least about 60 %, more preferably at least about 75 %, and even more preferably at least about 90 %. preferably in such embodiments , the selectivity to compound of formula ( ii ), preferably hfo - 1234yf , is at least about 50 %, more preferably at least about 70 % and more preferably at least about 80 %. additional features of the present invention are provided in the following examples , which should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way . about 8500 grams of 1 , 2 , 3 - trichloropropane and about 88 . 0 grams aliquat 336 were charged into a 30 liter glass vessel , equipped with teflon ® shaft and stir blades , heated with internal teflon ® coated copper coils and refrigerant / heating circulation bath and refrigerated condenser . the mixture was then heated to about 73 ° c . with medium speed agitation . at this temperature , about 10 , 000 grams of 25 wt % naoh / h2o solution is added into the reactor from a separate container over a 2 hour period of time . the ph was kept at about 14 . after addition , the reaction progress was monitored by gc and gc / ms . the conversion of 1 , 2 , 3 - trichloropropane was about 97 . 5 % and the selectivity to ch 2 ═ cclch 2 cl was about 95 . 4 %. after the stipulated reaction time , the mixture was cooled and about 4 . 0 liters of distilled and ionized water was added into the mixture . the mixture was stirred for about 10 minutes and allowed to separate . the lower layer product ( boiling point of about 92 . 5 ° c .) was drained and distilled to substantially isolate and purify product . the crude yield before distillation was about 6408 grams ( gc purity of about 93 %). chlorine was bubbled into about 82 . 4 g of 2 , 3 - dichloropropene at about 10 to about 30 ° c . with the aid of ice bath cooling until a pale yellow color persisted for about 45 minutes . the crude product in an amount of about 130 . 4 g , consisted of about 93 . 6 % ch 2 clccl 2 ch 2 cl and about 2 . 6 % 2 , 3 - dichloropropene . five hundred grams of ch 2 clccl 2 ch 2 cl was charged into a photoreactor . the jacket for the reactor as well as the jacket for the 450 w uv lamp were cooled to about 15 ° c . using a circulating cooling bath . a total of about 150 g of chlorine was bubbled into the organic liquid over a period of about 2 hours . the crude product weighed about 591 g . gc analysis indicated a conversion of about 54 . 4 % and selectivity for the desired hccl 2 ccl 2 ch 2 cl of about 87 %. distillation provided hccl 2 ccl 2 ch 2 cl in 99 % purity . aliquat - 336 ® ( about 0 . 26 g ) and about 24 . 8 g of hccl 2 ccl 2 ch 2 cl were stirred rapidly at room temperature while adding about 20 g of 25 % aqueous naoh over 19 minutes . stirring was continued overnight before adding 30 ml water and allowing the phases to separate . the lower organic phase , in an amount of about 19 . 8 g , was about 97 . 5 % pure ccl 2 ═ cclch 2 cl by gc analysis ( 96 % yield ). prior to fluorination , it was distilled ( bp about 69 to about 72 ° c . at about 30 mm hg ) to remove any phase transfer catalyst . h nmr : δ 4 . 41 ( s ) ppm . selective catalyzed - transformation of ccl 2 ═ cclch 2 cl to cf 3 ccl ═ ch 2 ( hfo - 1233xf ) in gas - phase an 22 - inch long and ½ - inch diameter monel pipe gas - phase reactor is charged with about 120 cc of a catalyst or a mixture of two catalysts . in case of a mixture , cr 2 o 3 catalyst is kept at the bottom zone of the reactor at a constant temperature of about 270 ° c .- 500 ° c . and the other catalyst , such as fecl 3 / c , is kept at the middle and the top zone of the reactor at a constant temperature of about 120 ° c .- 220 ° c . the reactor is mounted inside a heater with three zones ( top , middle , and bottom ). the reactor temperature is read by custom - made - 5 - point thermocouples kept inside at the middle of the reactor . the bottom of the reactor is connected to a pre - heater , which is kept at 300 ° c . by electrical heating . the liquid - hf is fed from a cylinder into the pre - heater through a needle valve , liquid mass - flow meter , and a research control valve at a constant flow of about 1 to about 1000 grams pre hour ( g / h ). the hf cylinder is kept at a constant pressure of 45 psig by applying anhydrous n 2 gas pressure into the cylinder head space . about 10 to about 1000 g / h of ccl 2 ═ cclch 2 cl is fed as a liquid through a dip tube from a cylinder under about 45 psig of n 2 pressure . the organic flows from the dip tube to the preheater ( kept at about 250 ° c .) through a needle valve , liquid mass - flow meter , and a research control valve at a constant flow of 1 - 1000 g / h . the organic is also fed as a gas while heating the cylinder containing organic at about 220 ° c . the gas coming out of the cylinder is passed through a needle valve and a mass flow controller into the preheater . the organic line from the cylinder to the pre - heater is kept at about 200 ° c . by wrapping with constant temperature heat trace and electrical heating elements . all feed cylinders are mounted on scales to monitor their weight by difference . the catalysts are dried at the reaction temperature over a period of about 8 hours and then pretreated with about 50 g / h of hf under atmospheric pressure over a period of about 6 hours and then under 50 psig hf pressure over another period of about 6 hours before contacting with organic feed containing ccl 2 ═ cclch 2 cl . the reactions are run at a constant reactor pressure of about 0 to about 150 psig by controlling the flow of reactor exit gases by another research control valve . the gases exiting reactor are analyzed by on - line gc and gc / ms connected through a hotbox valve arrangement to prevent condensation . the conversion of ccl 2 ═ cclch 2 cl is about 70 to about 100 % and the selectivity to 1233xf is about 80 % to about 95 %, respectively . the product is collected by flowing the reactor exit gases through a scrubber solution comprising about 20 wt % to about 60 wt %. koh in water and then trapping the exit gases from the scrubber into a cylinder kept in dry ice or liquid n 2 . the product , 1233xf is then substantially isolated by distillation . the results are tabulated in table 1 . about 327 grams of hf , about 50 grams 1233xf , and about 75 grams sbcl 5 were charged into a 1 - l autoclave . the reaction mixture was stirred at a temperature of about 80 ° c . for about 3 hours under about 620 psig of pressure . after the reaction , the reactor was cooled to about 0 ° c . and about 300 ml water was then added slowly into the autoclave over a period of about 45 min . after complete addition of water under stirring , the reactor was cooled to room temperature and then the overhead gases were transferred to another collecting cylinder . the yield of cf 3 cfclch 3 was about 90 % at a 1233xf conversion level of about 98 %. the other major by - products were cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 ( 2 %), and an unidentified isomer of a c4 compound of the general formula , c 4 h 3 cl 3 f 4 ( 8 %). about 327 grams hf , about 50 grams 1233xf , and about 75 grams sbcl 5 were charged into a 1 - l autoclave . the reaction mixture was stirred at 80 ° c . for about 3 hours under about 625 psig of pressure . after the reaction , the reactor was cooled to about 45 ° c . and then the overhead gas mixture was passed through a well dried kf , naf , or al 2 o 3 ( 350 g ) packed column kept at about 80 ° c . to strip off hf from the gas stream . the gases coming out of the column are collected in a cylinder kept in dry ice (− 70 ° c .) bath . the yield of cf 3 cfclch 3 was 87 % at a 1233xf conversion level of 93 %. the other major by - products were cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 ( 1 %), and an unidentified isomer of a c4 compound of the general formula , c 4 h 3 cl 3 f 4 ( 7 %). the product , cf 3 cfclch 3 was isolated by distillation with 98 % purity . gas - phase catalytic fluorination of cf 3 ccl ═ ch 2 ( 1233xf ) with hf to cf 3 cfclch 3 ( 244bb ) a 22 - inch ( ½ - inch diameter ) monel tube gas phase reactor was charged with about 120 cc of a catalyst . the reactor was mounted inside a heater with three zones ( top , middle and bottom ). the reactor temperature was read by a custom made 5 - point thermocouple kept at the middle inside of the reactor . the inlet of the reactor was connected to a pre - heater , which was kept at about 300 ° c . by electrical heating . organic ( 1233xf ) was fed from a cylinder kept at 70 ° c . through a regulator , needle valve , and a gas mass - flow - meter . the organic line to the pre - heater was heat traced and kept at a constant temperature of about 73 ° c . by electrical heating to avoid condensation . n 2 was used as a diluent in some cases and fed from a cylinder through a regulator and a mass flow controller into the pre - heater . all feed cylinders were mounted on scales to monitor their weight by difference . the reactions were run at a constant reactor pressure of from about 0 to about 100 psig by controlling the flow of reactor exit gases by another research control valve . the gas mixtures exiting reactor was analyzed by on - line gc and gc / ms connected through a hotbox valve arrangements to prevent condensation . the conversion of 1233xf was from about 50 % to about 65 % and the selectivity to 244 isomer ( cf 3 cfclch 3 ) was from about 90 % to about 93 % depending on the reaction conditions using 120 cc of 50 wt % sbcl 5 / c as the catalyst at about 65 ° c . to about − 85 ° c . with a hf flow of about 50 g / h and organic flow of about 15 g / h . no cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 was observed under the reaction conditions . the catalyst is pretreated at first with 50 g / h hf at about 65 ° c . for about 2 hours and then with about 50 g / h hf and about 200 sccm of cl 2 at about 65 ° c . for about 4 hours . after pre - treatment , about 50 sccm of n 2 is flows over a period of about 40 minutes through the catalyst bed to sweep free chlorine from the catalyst surface prior to interacting with the organic feed ( 1233xf ). pretreatment is considered important to many embodiments of the invention . the products were collected by flowing the reactor exit gases through a 20 - 60 wt % aqueous koh scrubber solution and then trapping the exit gases from the scrubber into a cylinder kept in dry ice or liquid n 2 . the products were then isolated by distillation . about 50 wt % sbcl 5 / c , about 3 to about 6 wt % fecl 3 / c , 20 wt % sncl 4 / c , and about 23 wt % ticl 4 / c , using 4 different kind of activated carbon such as shiro saga , calgon , norit , and aldrich were used as the catalyst at from about 60 to about 150 ° c . among all the catalysts used for this reaction , cl 2 and hf pre - treated sbcl 5 / c was found to be generally preferred in terms of activity . the results using sbcl 5 as the catalyst are shown in table 2 . reaction conditions : 1233xf flow , 150 sccm ; hf flow 50 g / h ; pressure , 2 . 5 - 5 . 3 psig ; in 1 - 5 reactions calgon activated carbon is used as the catalyst support ; catalyst , 120 cc . all catalysts are pre - treated with cl 2 and hf prior to contacting with 1233xf . conversion of cf 3 cfclch 3 to cf 3 cf ═ ch 2 in gas - phase a 22 - inch ( ½ - inch diameter ) monel tube gas phase reactor was charged with 120 cc of catalyst . the reactor was mounted inside a heater with three zones ( top , middle and bottom ). the reactor temperature was read by custom made 5 - point thermocouples kept at the middle inside of the reactor . the inlet of the reactor was connected to a pre - heater , which was kept at about 300 ° c . by electrical heating . organic ( cf 3 cfclch 3 ) was fed from a cylinder kept at about 65 ° c . through a regulator , needle valve , and a gas mass - flow - meter . the organic line to the pre - heater was heat traced and kept at a constant temperature of from about 65 ° c . to about 70 ° c . by electrical heating to avoid condensation . the feed cylinder was mounted on scales to monitor their weight by difference . the reactions were run at a constant reactor pressure of from about 0 to about 100 psig by controlling the flow of reactor exit gases by another research control valve . the gas mixture exiting reactor was analyzed by on - line gc and gc / ms connected through a hotbox valve arrangement to prevent condensation . the conversion of cf 3 cfclch 3 was almost 98 % and the selectivity to hfo - 1234yf was from about 69 % to about 86 % depending on the reaction conditions . the products were collected by flowing the reactor exit gases through a about 20 wt % to about 60 wt % of aquesous koh scrubber solution and then trapping the exit gases from the scrubber into a cylinder kept in dry ice or liquid n 2 . the products were then isolated by distillation . results are tabulated in table 3 . reaction conditions : pressure , 2 . 5 - 5 . 3 psig ; catalyst , 100 cc , a is norit rfc 3 ; b is shiro - saga activated carbon ; c is aldrich activated carbon ; d is calgon activated carbon ; activated carbon ; e is 0 . 5 wt % pd / c ; f is 0 . 5 wt % pt / c ; g is ni - mesh ; organic cylinder temperature - 65 ° c . ; cf 3 cfclch 3 ( 244 ) line to the preheater - 60 ° c . ; preheater , 350 ° c . ; p - 5 psig . selective catalyzed - transformation of ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 to cf 3 ccl ═ ch 2 ( hfo - 1233xf ) in gas - phase a 22 - inch long and ½ - inch diameter monel pipe gas phase reactor was charged with 120 cc of a catalyst or a mixture of two catalysts . in case of a mixture , cr 2 o 3 catalyst is kept at the bottom zone of the reactor at a substantially constant temperature of from about 270 ° c . to about 500 ° c . and the other catalyst , such as fecl 3 / c is kept at the middle and the top zone of the reactor at a substantially constant temperature of from about 120 ° c . to about 220 ° c . the reactor was mounted inside a heater with three zones ( top , middle , and bottom ). the reactor temperature was read by custom - made - 5 - point thermocouples kept inside at the middle of the reactor . the bottom of the reactor was connected to a pre - heater , which was kept at about 300 ° c . by electrical heating . the liquid - hf was fed from a cylinder into the pre - heater through a needle valve , liquid mass - flow meter , and a research control valve at a substantially constant flow of from about 1 to about 1000 g / h . the hf cylinder was kept at a substantially constant pressure of about 45 psig by applying anhydrous n 2 gas pressure into the cylinder head space . a feed rate of from about 10 g / h to about 1000 g / h of ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 was fed as a liquid through a dip tube from a cylinder under about 45 psig of n 2 pressure . the organic was flown from the dip tube to the pre - heater ( kept at about 250 ° c .) through needle valve , liquid mass - flow meter , and a research control valve at a substantially constant flow of from about 1 to about 1000 g / h . the organic is also fed as a gas while heating the cylinder containing organic at about 220 ° c . the gas effluent from the cylinder is passed through a needle valve and a mass flow controller into the pre - heater . the organic line from the cylinder to the pre - heater was kept at about 200 ° c . by wrapping with constant temperature heat trace and electrical heating elements . all feed cylinders were mounted on scales to monitor their weight by difference . the catalysts were dried at the reaction temperature over a period of about 8 hours and then pretreated with about 50 g / h of hf under atmospheric pressure over a 6 hour period and then under about 50 psig hf pressure over a 6 hour period before contacting with organic feed , ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 . the reactions were run at a substantially constant reactor pressure ranging from about 0 to about 150 psig by controlling the flow of reactor exit gases by another research control valve . those gases exiting reactor were analyzed by on - line gc and gc / ms connected through a hotbox valve arrangements to prevent condensation . the conversion of ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 was in a range of from about 90 % to about 100 % and the selectivity to cf 3 ccl ═ ch 2 ( 1233xf ) was about 79 %. the effluent contained in addition hfo - 1243zf in an amount of about 7 . 7 %, 1232 - isomer in an amount of about 1 . 3 %, and 1223 in an amount of about 0 . 8 %, and an unidentified byproduct . the product was collected by flowing the reactor exit gases through a 20 - 60 wt % aq . koh scrubber solution and then trapping the exit gases from the scrubber into a cylinder kept in dry ice or liquid n 2 . the product , 1233xf was then substantially isolated by distillation . using only cr 2 o 3 catalyst , a selectivity of about 68 % to 1233xf at a conversion level of about 79 % was achieved . direct liquid - phase catalytic fluorination of ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 with hf to cf 3 cfclch 3 ( 244 - isomer ) about 327 grams hf , about 50 grams ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 , and about 75 grams sbcl 5 were charged into a 1 - l autoclave . the reaction mixture was stirred at about 80 ° c . for about 3 hours under about 610 psig of pressure . after the reaction , the reactor was cooled to about 40 ° c . and about 300 ml water was then added slowly into the autoclave over a period of about 45 min . after complete addition of water under stirring , the reactor was cooled to about room temperature and then the overhead gases were transferred to another collecting cylinder . the yield of cf 3 cfclch 3 was about 89 % at a ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 conversion level of about 88 %. the other major by - products were cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 ( 2 %), and an unidentified isomer of a c4 compound of the general formula , c 4 h 3 cl 3 f 4 ( 8 %). about 327 grams hf , about 50 grams ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 , and about 75 grams sbcl 5 were charged into a 1 - l autoclave . the reaction mixture was stirred at about 100 ° c . for about 3 hours under about 685 psig of pressure . after the reaction , the reactor was cooled to about 40 ° c . and about 300 ml water was then added slowly into the autoclave over a period of about 45 minutes . after complete addition of water under stifling , the reactor was cooled to room temperature and then the overhead gases were transferred to another collecting cylinder . the yield of cf 3 cfclch 3 was about 78 % at a ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 conversion level of about 100 %. the other major by - products were cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 ( about 4 %), and an unidentified isomer of a c4 compound of the general formula , c 4 h 3 cl 3 f 4 ( about 13 %). about 327 grams hf , about 50 grams ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 , and about 75 grams sbcl5 were charged into a 1 - l autoclave . the reaction mixture was stirred at about 125 ° c . for about 6 hours under about 825 psig of pressure . after the reaction , the reactor was cooled to about 40 ° c . and about 300 ml water was then added slowly into the autoclave over a period of about 45 min . after complete addition of water under stifling , the reactor was cooled to about room temperature and then the overhead gases were transferred to another collecting cylinder . the major products were cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 ( about 53 %) and cf 3 cfclch 3 ( about 25 %) at a ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 conversion level of about 100 %. the other major by - products were and unidentified isomer of a c4 compound of the general formula , c 4 h 3 cl 3 f 4 ( 8 %) and tar . about 327 grams hf , about 50 grams ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 , and about 75 g sbcl 5 were charged into a 1 - l autoclave . the reaction mixture was stirred at about 150 ° c . for about 6 hours under about 825 psig of pressure . after the reaction , the reactor was cooled to about 40 ° c . and about 300 ml water was then added slowly into the autoclave over a period of about 45 minutes . after complete addition of water under stifling , the reactor was cooled to about room temperature and then the overhead gases were transferred to another collecting cylinder . the major products were cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 ( about 57 %) and cf 3 cfclch 3 ( about 15 %) at a ccl 3 ccl ═ ch 2 conversion level of about 100 %. the other major by - products were and unidentified isomer of a c4 compound of the general formula , c 4 h 3 cl 3 f 4 ( about 11 %) and tar . a 22 - inch ( ½ - inch diameter ) monel tube gas phase reactor was charged with 120 cc of a catalyst . the reactor was mounted inside a heater with three zones ( top , middle and bottom ). the reactor temperature was read by custom made 5 - point thermocouples kept at the middle inside of the reactor . the inlet of the reactor was connected to a pre - heater , which was kept at about 300 ° c . by electrical heating . organic material ( 245cb ) was fed from a cylinder kept at about 65 ° c . through a regulator , needle valve , and a gas mass - flow - meter . the organic line to the pre - heater was heat traced and kept at a substantially constant temperature in a range of from about 65 ° c . to about 70 ° c . by electrical heating to avoid condensation . the feed cylinder was mounted on a scale to monitor its weight by difference . the reactions were run at a substantially constant reactor pressure of from about 0 to about 100 psig by controlling the flow of reactor exit gases by another research control valve . the gas mixtures exiting reactor was analyzed by on - line gc and gc / ms connected through a hotbox valve arrangements to prevent condensation . the conversion of 245cb was in the range of from about 30 % to about 70 % and the selectivity to 1234yf was in the range of from about 90 % 5o about 100 % depending on the reaction conditions . the products were collected by flowing the reactor exit gases through a 20 - 60 - wt % of aq . koh scrubber solution and then trapping the exit gases from the scrubber into a cylinder kept in dry ice or liquid n 2 . the products were then substantially isolated by distillation . results are tabulated in table 4 . reaction conditions : pressure , 2 . 5 - 5 . 3 psig ; catalyst , 100 cc , a is norit rfc 3 ; b is shiro - saga activated carbon ; c is aldrich activated carbon ; d is calgon activated carbon ; e is 0 . 5 wt % pd / c ; f is 0 . 5 wt % pt / c ; g is ni - mesh ; organic cylinder temperature is about 65 ° c . ; cf 3 cf 2 ch 3 ( 245cb ) line to the preheater is maintained at about 50 ° c . ; preheater temperature is maintained at about 350 ° c . ; n 2 flow is not used ; pressure is maintained at about 3 psig . having thus described a few particular embodiments of the invention , various alterations , modifications , and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art . such alterations , modifications , and improvements , as are made obvious by this disclosure , are intended to be part of this description though not expressly stated herein , and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is by way of example only , and not limiting .	2
in the description which follows , like parts are designated throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference characters . the drawings are not necessarily to scale , and certain features and certain views of the drawings may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness . referring now to fig1 an injector system in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 . the injector system 10 includes a base 12 which is typically connected to and supported by the well head , a load frame 14 which is mounted on the base 12 , and a carrying frame 16 which is also connected to the base 12 and used to lift the injector during installation on the well head . a suitable guide mechanism 18 is mounted on the frame 16 to feed a continuous length of coiled tubing 20 into the injector 10 . the apparatus thus described is substantially the same as that described in the above referenced u . s . pat . no . 4 , 585 , 061 . a first endless chain in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 22 and is mounted on a drive sprocket 24 and idler sprocket 26 and is tensioned by a tensioning sprocket 28 . the drive sprocket 24 is driven by a hydraulic motor 30 . a second , substantially identical endless chain 32 is mounted on idler sprocket 38 and drive sprocket 34 which is driven by a hydraulic motor 36 . the chain 32 is tensioned by sprocket 40 . equal tension is maintained on the two chains by a hydraulic cylinder 42 which spreads the tension sprockets 28 and 40 . each of the endless chains 22 and 32 extend downwardly along substantially parallel active reaches 22a and 22b and are urged against the tubing 20 by rigid skates 40 and 42 , respectively , which have a unique surface contour which will be hereafter described . the skates 40 and 42 are pulled together by hydraulic cylinders 44 , 46 and 48 , which are connected to a common hydraulic pressure source to maintain uniform pressure along the lengths of the two skates . each of the chains , 22 and 32 are preferably of the type conventionally employed on tracked vehicles . each link includes a pair of parallel members 50 and 52 which extend between successive connecting pins 54 . rollers 56 are mounted on the pins 54 between the link members 50 and 52 and are carried on the teeth of the sprocket 24 . the rollers 56 are positioned to be engaged by the respective skates 40 or 42 . each end of each of the skates 40 and 42 are preferably configured as best illustrated in fig3 and includes a tapered section 40a which progressively moves the gripper shoe toward engagement with the tubing , and a straight section 40b which extends parallel to the center of the tubing and are adjacent to , but not gripping the tubing , and a straight section beginning at step 40c which forces the gripper shoes against the tubing with the desired force . the skates 40 and 42 have the same sections 40a and 40b at the lower ends , although only the upper end of skate 40 is illustrated for simplicity . a series of gripper shoes 60 extends substantially the length of each pair of members 50 and 52 and are bolted to each member by a pair of allen head bolts 64 . each of the gripper shoes 60 includes a generally rectangular body 66 having four corresponding countersunk bolt holes 68 , as best illustrated in fig6 . each body 66 has a recess or cavity 77 formed by sidewalls 70 and end walls 72 , the configuration of which is shown in dotted outline in fig6 . a pair of gripper elements 74 and 76 are mounted in the recess 77 by a body of elastomeric material 78 which has been molded in place so as to be bonded to both the body 66 and to the respective elements 74 and 76 . the gripper elements 74 and 76 have cylindrically concave surfaces 74a and 76a , respectively , which have the exact radius of curvature as the external diameter of the coiled tubing which is being handled . the concave surface is preferably coated with a tungsten carbide or other suitable grit ( not illustrated ) in the conventional manner . each of the elements 74 and 76 extends between the two end walls 72 of the shoe body 66 so that longitudinal thrust loads resulting from the tubing 20 are transmitted by metal to metal contact to surface 73 and therefore back to the chain , rather than through the body of elastomeric material 78 , which is used only to transmit forces transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tubing . the cavity 77 in the body 66 is configured such that an appropriate amount of elastomeric material 78 is positioned between the body 66 and the respective element 74 and 76 to provide the desired resilient deformation . the elastomeric material is essentially incompressible and sufficient resistance to deformation so as to provide the desired force transmission from the body 66 to the respective gripper elements 74 and 76 . accordingly , the stiffness or durometer of the elastomeric material 78 is selected to provide the force required without excessive deformation . a pair of semi - circular fulcrum points 80 and 82 extend the length of the cavity 77 in the body 66 and project into larger radius fulcrum cavities 84 and 86 formed in the elements 74 and 76 , respectively , for purposes which will presently be described . recesses 88 and 89 are provided in the elements 74 and 76 to permit access to the bolts in the bolt holes 68 used to removably secure the gripper shoes to the chain . fig7 is a cross - sectional schematic view taken through the center of a pair of gripper shoes which are pressed against the tubing 20 in operating position . the center of the tubing 20 is represented at point 20a . it will be noted that fulcrums 80 and 82 of the lower illustrated gripping shoe 60 are disposed at 45 ° angles from the center of the tubing 20 as compared to the direction of force applied to the gripper shoe , which is represented by arrows 60a . the fulcrum grooves 84 and 86 are similarly centered about the center of fulcrum surfaces 80 and 82 . the surfaces 77a and 77b of the recess 77 which are adjacent the fulcrums 80 are symmetrical about the force line 80b and 82b , as are the adjacent surfaces 74a and 74b and 76a and 76b of the gripper elements . this results in the body of elastomeric 78 also being symmetrical . each of the gripper elements 74 and 76 of the opposite ( upper in the drawings ) gripper shoe are therefore directly opposed to those on the lower gripper shoe . as a result , the force applied by the respective gripper elements 74 and 76 of the upper and lower gripper shoes are symmetrically disposed at 90 ° intervals around the entire circumference of the tube , and the radius of curvature of the gripper elements precisely matches that of the tubing exterior surface when the surface grit is appropriately penetrating the surface of the tubing . the elastomeric material 78 ensures that the opposing forces along lines 80b an 82b are applied uniformly to the tubing since the elastomeric material 78 flows both longitudinally and circumferentially about the elements as required to maintain the desired force . the spacing between adjacent edges of the gripper elements can be made very small , typically less than the wall thickness of the tubing , so that the tubing cannot be deformed to a shape other than round within the range of useful forces applied along force line 60a . the uniform force loading on or about the circumference of the tubing so depicted in fig7 can be achieved without scuffing the tubing as the gripping elements engage and disengage the tubing at the beginning and end of the active reaches of the chains because the gripper elements 74 and 76 are oriented in the open positions illustrated in fig8 when not forced against the tubing by the skate 40 and 42 engaging the rollers 56 of the respective chains . this open position is achieved by locating the gripping elements 74 and 76 in the positions illustrated in fig8 relative to the body 66 at the time the elastomeric material is poured and cured so that the unstressed shape of the elastomeric material is as illustrated . it will be noted that the elements 74 and 76 are rotated slightly around the pivot points 80a and 82a so that outer corners 74c and 76c are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the distance between the two corners when engaging the tubing as illustrated in fig7 . for instance , each corner need only be located outwardly about 0 . 015 inches to provide adequate clearance for the elements 74 and 76 to first engage the tubing at the inner corners 74d and 76d . then as the gripper shoes 60 are moved together along force lines 60a , the gripper elements will be pivoted generally about pivot points 80a and 82a until the cylindrical faces of the elements mate precisely with the exterior surface of the tubing at which time further movement of the gripper shoes toward the tubing results in forces being transmitted to the tubing substantially along force lines 80b and 82b . the shape of each end of each of the skates 40 and 42 are preferable as illustrated in fig3 to assist in closing the gripper elements on the tubing without scuffing , denting or otherwise adversely affecting the tubing . the surfaces of the skates which engage the rollers 56 is straight for the lengths of the active reach as of the chains beginning at step 40c and is spaced from the center line of the tubing by a distance corresponding to the fully loaded position illustrated generally in fig7 . the skates have a tapered section or inclined ramp 40a from the end of the skate to point 40b , and a staging section from point 40b to point 40a which is parallel to the center line of the tubing , but spaced from the center line by distance such as to position the gripper element in the open position illustrated in fig8 . the staging section is preferably the length of distance between two rollers 56 so that the corners 74c and 76c of the gripper elements will engage the tubing along the entire length of the gripper elements . when the rollers reach step 40a , the gripper shoes are moved toward the tubing until the gripper elements are pivoted into the closed position and fully engage the tubing as illustrated in fig7 . in accordance with another important aspect of the invention , the gripper elements are &# 34 ; floated &# 34 ; in the elastomeric material 78 without metal to metal contact so that the collective tolerance requirements of the surface of the skates , the radius of the rollers , the bearings of the rollers , the dimensions of the chain links , and the thickness of the gripper shoes is significantly reduced . the resilient effect of the elastomeric material allows the force exerted by the hydraulic cylinders 44 , 46 , and 48 on the skates to be significantly increased without danger that the force will be concentrated on one pair of gripper shoes and thus damage the tubing . in accordance with another important aspect of the present invention , the gripper shoes are connected to the chain links by bolts passed through the shoes from the face which engages the tubing and are threaded into taped bores 90 in the chain links as best illustrated in fig3 . as a result , the gripper shoes can be quickly replaced even while the unit is in position on the well bore and supporting a length of coiled tubing by accessing the shoes on the outside return reach of the chain , such as at the points represented by arrows 94 in fig1 . of course an appropriate power tool for engaging and rotating the allen head bolts can expedite the task . another embodiment of the gripper shoe of the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 100 in fig9 . the gripper shoe 100 includes a body 102 which is identical to the body 66 of the shoe 60 , except that the fulcrum ribs 80 and 82 have been eliminated . the gripper elements 104 and 106 are also identical to the elements 74 and 76 except that the fulcrum grooves 84 and 86 have been eliminated so that a continuation of the surfaces 104a and 104b and 106a and 106b form metal fulcrum ridges 104c and 106c , respectively , which engage the metal of the body at the groove forming the apexes of the surfaces 102a and 102b of the body 102 . the gripper shoe 100 is illustrated in the unloaded or &# 34 ; open &# 34 ; condition and function when loaded to close about the tubing in the same manner as previously described , in connection with gripper shoes 60 , but pivoting about the &# 34 ; hard &# 34 ; metal to metal contact point , rather than the soft or &# 34 ; floating &# 34 ; pivots of the gripper shoes 60 . still another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 and indicated generally by the reference numeral 120 . the device 120 is applied to a chain of the type illustrated in the above - referenced u . s . pat . no . 4 , 585 , 061 and includes a link of the chain 122 which has been modified to provide an upper surface 124 to form a cavity having projecting fulcrum ridges 126 . a pair of gripper elements 128 have concave cylindrical surfaces 130 which are configured to precisely match the exterior radius of the tubing 20 . the surfaces of the gripper elements 128 remote from the tubing form fulcrum grooves 132 . a body of elastomeric material 134 is molded between the chain link 122 and the gripper elements 128 . the gripper elements 128 are positioned in the slightly open position indicated , and as previously described in connection with the other embodiments of the invention , so that the tubing 20 can enter between the outer tips of the elements without scuffing . when the gripper elements are forced against the opposite sides of the tubing , the gripper elements pivot generally about the fulcrums 126 - 132 to close on the tubing 20 and exert forces disposed generally at 45 ° to the angle of force exerted by the chains , as described in connection with the gripper elements of fig7 . the gripper shoe 120 thus functions in substantially the same manner as the gripper shoes 60 previously described and provide substantially all of the same advantages . from the above detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention , it will be apparent that a significantly improved injector system has been described . the injector system utilizes an improved chain mechanism capable of exerting very large forces normal to the tubing to press the grippers against the tubing by reason of the large rollers disposed outward of the pins and the solid skates or tracks used to engage the rollers and press them against the tubing . the enlarged chain also is capable of carrying very large loads extending axially of the tubing due to the weight of the large lengths , for example 20 , 000 feet of larger diameter tubing , such as 3 inches , and has apparent unlimited capability for further enlargement to support tubing of both larger diameter and longer lengths . the floating gripper elements reduce the tolerance build - up limitations of prior systems , and thus permit a greater number of gripper elements to be used with a greater force applied without danger of excessive force being concentrated on a few gripper elements as the result of poor manufacturing or lost tolerances due to wear . this provides a longer life for the chain before it must be replaced due to wear . as a result , the life expectancy of the chain is expected to significantly exceed the life expectancy of surfaces of the gripper elements , which are customarily coated with a tungsten carbide grit . the minute grit must actually penetrate the surface of the tubing to provide a mechanical interlock to transfer the longitudinal force to the tubing . thus , wearing of this tungsten carbide grit rapidly decreases in the lifting power of the unit long before the improved chain might otherwise need replacing . the present invention thus provides gripper elements which are mounted on the chain in such a manner as to permit easy change - out of one or all of the gripper elements while the injector device is installed on a well head and is supporting tubing hanging in the well bore . this not only allows practical replacement of worn gripper shoes at more frequent intervals , but significantly reduces down time of the unit . the multiple gripper elements provide a means for extending the active gripping surface around substantially the entire circumference of the tubing while permitting the elements to engage and disengage the tubing without scuffing or grooving the surface of the tubing causing a weakened condition . more importantly , the gripping of the tubing around its entire circumference assures that the tubing will not be deformed by any practiced forces , thus eliminating egging of the unit which has previously occurred , and preventing internal pressures within the tubing from ballooning the tubing as a result of the loss of circularity at the edges of the prior gripper shoes . although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications , alterations , substitutions and components can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	4
the present invention relates to a system for measuring resonance characteristics of rock material at seismic frequencies under confining pressure from which wave velocities and attenuation coefficients can be determined . first , the mechanical oscillator system will be described in conjunction with fig1 - 2 , then the confining pressure system will be described in conjunction with fig3 - 4 . referring now to fig1 the mechanical oscillator utilizes the concept of a mass - spring system with a rock sample acting as the spring . the resonant frequency is determined not only by the dimensions of the rock , which control the spring constant , but by the mass , which can be made very large . by using a large enough mass , resonant frequencies in the seismic range are produced with rock samples from 6 to 10 inches in length . from the resonant frequency the spring constant and youngs modulus of the rock can be determined . an advantage of this method is that it is not necessary to make measurements far below the resonant frequency or to use samples of impractical dimensions to operate in the seismic frequency range . the spring - mass system can also be constructed so as to keep parasitic damping negligibly low . since the dynamic properties of many rock materials are amplitude sensitive , it is important that the amplitude of oscillation be kept at or near seismic levels which is also possible by this method . the rock sample 10 is clamped in a horizontal position between the two masses 13 and 14 which are suspended from a fixed support ( not shown ) by means of the wires 15 and 16 respectively . the support is seismically isolated from the earth . mass 13 is attached to a permanent magnet 20 while mass 14 is attached to a permanent magnet 22 . driving coils 21 and 23 are positioned in the air gaps of the magnets 20 and 22 , respectively to provide a conventional means for applying driving forces to the masses 13 and 14 . a sinusoidal signal of frequency f is applied to each coil with the appropriate polarity to drive the masses in opposition . the system has two natural modes of vibration , a high frequency one in which the two masses , 13 and 14 , move in opposite directions and a lower frequency one in which they move in the same direction . longitudinal oscillations are produced in the rock sample 10 when the masses move in opposition . this condition is favored when the system is symmetrical , that is , when the masses 13 and 14 are equal , the lengths of wires 15 and 16 are equal , the driving currents to the coils 21 and 22 are equal , and the magnetic field strengths in the air gaps of the magnets are equal . under such conditions , the low frequency mode is largely eliminated and there is a single prominent resonance . resonance measurements require a method for measuring the displacements x 1 and x 2 of the masses 13 and 14 , respectively , or their difference . one method for measuring the relative displacement \| x 1 - x 2 \| is illustrated in fig1 . a pair of identical permanent magnets 5 and 6 are attached to the mass 13 and a pair of identical permanent magnets 11 and 12 are attached to the mass 14 with their axes lying in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the wire supports , 15 and 16 . identical coils 7 , 8 , 17 and 18 are positioned in the air gaps of each of the magnets 5 , 6 , 11 and 12 respectively . these coils are rigidly mounted on the oscillator frame through alignment brackets , 19 . motion of the masses produces an emf in the detector coils . by connecting the coils in series with appropriate polarity as shown in fig2 the signals due to motion of the masses in opposition add and give an emf proportional to \| x 1 - x 2 \|. referring now to fig3 the complete oscillator system 60 is enclosed in a large steel pressure cell 6 for conducting resonance measurements under a confining pressure . one such cell , manufactured by melco steel , inc ., paramount , calif ., comprises a cylindrical vessel 62 with spherical ends 63 . inside diameter is about 18 inches and cylinder length is about 36 inches . one end piece is a hinged door , fitted with a ring seal , through which the oscillator system 60 may be inserted or rolled on wheels or tracks into the cell . a suitable gas supply 64 introduces a desired confining pressure into the cell 61 . nitrogen gas can be used to provide confining pressures up to 2000 p . s . i . without introducing significant viscous damping of the mass vibrations in the oscillator system . above 2000 p . s . i . helium gas can be used to provide the confining pressure without introducing significant damping in the oscillator system . a pressure transducer 65 , preferably a type dhf pressure transducer supplied by baldwin - lima - hamilton corporation , waltham , mass ., measures the confining pressure inside the cell , while a standard thermistor 66 measures cell temperature . electrical feed throughs are provided through the cell wall 62 by means of standard conax fittings . signal conditioners 67 and 68 convert the pressure and temperature measurements respectively into dc voltage signals . these dc voltage signals are applied to the voltage - to - frequency converters 69 and 70 which produce pulses whose frequency is proportional to pressure and temperature , respectively . counters 71 and 72 count such pulses to provide the desired pressure and temperature readings respectively . another suitable gas supply 73 may be used to control pore pressure within the rock sample 10 independently of the confining cell pressure . as shown in fig4 gas is introduced into rock sample 10 , through passage ways or capillary tubings 74 and 75 in masses 13 and 14 respectively and through steel end caps 25 and 26 . the rock sample 10 is attached to the end caps 25 and 26 by means of a hard epoxy bond . each end cap contains a 6 - 32 threaded port in communication with the rock sample . these end caps are used to clamp the rock sample to the masses 13 and 14 by means of the steel clamping fixtures 76 and 77 as shown in fig1 . the rock sample 10 is sealed with a heat shrinkable jacket 27 . epoxy beads are used to seal the edges of the jacket overlapping the end caps . while the harmonic oscillator and confining pressure system of the present invention has been shown and described , additional modifications are within the spirit and scope of the invention . the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications .	6
one embodiment of the instant invention is a process flow whereby a high - voltage (&# 34 ; hv &# 34 ;) transistor is formed simultaneously with a low - voltage (&# 34 ; lv &# 34 ;) transistor . this process flow is illustrated as a flow chart in fig5 and as a series of cross - sectional device diagrams in fig1 - 4 . in order to more clearly illustrate the process flow of the present invention , the following description will be centered around the cross - sectional view of the lv and hv transistors formed ( devices 10 and 12 , respectively ) in fig1 - 4 so as to illustrate the step - by - step formation of these devices . in conjunction with the description of the fabrication of lv transistor 10 and hv transistor 12 as they relate to fig1 - 4 , the process flow illustrated in fig5 will also be discussed . referring to fig1 after providing a semiconductor substrate ( preferably p - type or n - type doped silicon ) an epitaxial silicon layer may be formed on the substrate . however , depending on the actual device structure , an epitaxial layer may or may not be required . therefore , in order to simplify the following discussion , region 14 , which may represent the substrate or an epitaxial layer , will simply be referred to as substrate 14 . next , transistor isolation regions 16 are formed ( this corresponds to step 504 of fig5 ). preferably field oxide regions 16 are grown by subjecting substrate 14 to a wet oxygen atmosphere ( such as steam ) or a dry oxygen atmosphere . gate oxide 18 is then grown and preferably optimized to the thickness required for the low voltage transistor . polysilicon gate 20 is then deposited ( step 506 of fig5 ) and doped to improve conductivity . next , a layer of material 22 which blocks oxidation , such as silicon nitride or titanium nitride , is deposited on the polysilicon . this step corresponds to step 510 in fig5 . depending upon how much oxidation is required to increase the thickness of the high - voltage transistors , this blocking layer may be omitted . for purposes of illustration in this embodiment the oxide blocking layer will be included . next a photoresist layer 24 is formed and patterned on oxidation blocking layer 22 . the photoresist layer 24 is used to selectively etch layer 22 and polysilicon layer 20 in high - voltage transistor 12 areas while blocking the etch in low - voltage transistor 10 areas . now referring to fig2 after selectively etching , gate structures 30 are defined in the high - voltage areas . the low - voltage transistor areas are covered with polysilicon layer 26 capped with the oxidation blocking layer 28 , and gate structure 30 is capped with cap insulator 32 ( which is preferably the same material as oxidation blocking layer 28 ). this step corresponds to set 512 in fig5 . referring to fig3 after the selective etch is performed , so as to form high voltage gate structure 30 , an oxidation is performed . ( step 514 of fig5 ) this oxidation causes a bird &# 39 ; s beak at the gate edges and also increases the oxide thickness across the channel ( collectively referred to as insulating region 34 ). see &# 34 ; sidewall oxidation of polycrystalline - silicon gate ,&# 34 ; ieee electron device letters , vol . 10 no . 9 , sept . 1989 , pp . 420 - 422 , which is incorporated herein . the oxidation time can be chosen to produce the desired high - voltage gate oxide thickness . wet oxidation increases the gate oxide thickness faster than dry oxidation . the type of oxidation selected is based upon voltage and reliability requirements of high - voltage transistor 12 . the lateral extent of polysilicon layer 26 is particularly important because it directly affects the extent in which an oxide region will be formed under the polysilicon . the polysilicon oxide growth process step is performed so as to grow an oxide region under an entire narrow polysilicon structure ( such as poly silicon gate structure 36 ) but not to grow oxide under polysilicon in region 10 . in fact , an entire oxide layer and a pair of &# 34 ; birds beaks &# 34 ; are formed ( see region 34 in fig3 ) under gate structure 36 , whereas , &# 34 ; bird &# 39 ; s beaks &# 34 ; will be formed only at the edge of polysilicon plate 26 . this bird &# 39 ; s beak is over the isolation oxide region 16 where it has no impact on the low voltage transistor performance . in addition to the growth of oxide region 34 , oxide regions 35 are grown on the sides of gate structure 36 during the polysilicon oxide formation process step . since these oxide regions are thermally grown , they basically form thin sidewall insulators for gate structure 36 . in addition , since they are thermally grown , they seal gate structure 36 so as to reduce any electrical leakage from gate structure 36 . in another embodiment of the instant invention , with oxidizing blocking layer 28 covering any exposed portions of the substrate , an oxide layer can be thickened to approximately 90 to 125å thick ( for a gate structure having a width of 0 . 6 μm -- or approximately 60å thick for a gate structure having a width of 0 . 35 μm ) under gate structure 30 . such a process would preferably be performed at between 800 ° and 950 ° c . ( more preferably around 850 ° c .) for 30 to 40 minutes in a dry oxidizing atmosphere or 10 to 30 minutes in a wet ( preferably steam ) oxidizing atmosphere . referring to fig4 the next process step to be performed is a patterning and etching of oxidation blocking layer 28 ( to form oxidation blocking cap 42 ) and polysilicon layer 26 to form the gates of low - voltage transistor 10 . ( see step 516 in fig5 ). after this gate structure is formed another polysilicon oxide growth step ( represented as step 518 in fig5 ) may or may not be performed . if this step is performed , the result is to form short &# 34 ; bird &# 39 ; s beak &# 34 ; regions ( region 38 ) over the source and drain overlap regions of low - voltage transistor 10 without increasing the thickness of low - voltage gate oxide 18 in the rest of the channel . in addition , thin side wall oxides 44 are formed on the sides of gate structure 40 . as was stated above , this step may or may not be performed . an advantage to performing at least a minimal oxide growth step is that it will form the &# 34 ; bird &# 39 ; s beak &# 34 ; regions at the lower corners of gate structure 40 ( between gate structure 40 and oxide layer 18 ). this is beneficial because it shifts the source / drain implantation damage away form the gate structure , it reduces the gate - to - source / drain overlap capacitance , and it reduces the electric field intensity at the corner of the gate structure . another advantage is that this oxide growth step forms thin side wall insulators on the gate structures so as to reduce the electrical leakage from the gate . after the formation of gate structure 40 and the optional step of growing a polysilicon oxide , a standard process flow is utilized to complete fabrication of the devices . as illustrated in fig5 the next step ( step 512 ) is to implant lightly doped source / drain regions (&# 34 ; ldd &# 39 ; s &# 34 ;). next , an insulator , preferably an oxide or nitride is deposited and etched so as to form side wall insulators . after the side wall insulators are formed , the source / drain regions are implanted . the device fabrication is then completed using a standard process flow . in another embodiment of the instant invention , a thin gate oxide layer is formed under the lv and hv transistors . the thickness of this layer is basically the desired thickness of the lv transistor . next , a polysilicon layer is formed on the oxide layer . this is followed by a selective etch process which forms the gate structures for the hv and lv transistors . next , ldd implants may be added to the source and drains if desired . a thin nitride layer is deposited and selectively etched so as to expose the hv transistor region only . next , a hv poly - oxidation step is performed so as to thicken the oxide region beneath the hv transistor gate structure . the result of this step will be similar to that of hv transistor 12 in fig4 . next , source / drain regions are formed . the remaining process steps are similar to any standard lv transistor or hv transistor fabrication process . although specific embodiments of the present invention are herein described , they are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention . many embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of methodology of the specification . the scope of the invention is limited only by the claims appended .	8
referring to fig2 to 4 , there is shown an embodiment of an air conditioner control device according to the present invention . as shown in fig2 an automatic transmission 12 , which is constituted by a torque converter , a shifting gear mechanism and a hydraulic circuit , is connected with an internal combustion engine 10 . an air conditioner 50 for conditioning a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle comprises a compressor 14 , a condenser ( not shown ), an expansion valve ( not shown ) and an evaporator ( not shown ) which make a refrigerating cycle . the air conditioner 50 provides cool air into a passenger compartment of the automotive vehicle by means of its refrigeration system . the compressor 14 of the air conditioner 50 is connected with the internal combustion engine 10 through pulleys and a belt to be operated according to the operation of the internal combustion engine 10 . the automatic transmission 12 is electrically connected with an automatic transmission controller 16 through which the operation of the automatic transmission 12 is controlled . the compressor 14 is electrically connected with and controlled by an air conditioner controller 18 . the automatic transmission controller 16 is arranged to output signals indicative of judgment of shifting , accelerating time and the like to the air conditioner controller 18 . furthermore , a signal indicative of the switching of the air conditioner is outputted from an air conditioner switch 20 to the air conditioner controller 18 . the air conditioner switch 20 is manually turned on and off by a passenger of the automotive vehicle . the air conditioner controller 18 controls the on - off switching operation of the compressor 14 by controlling a magnetic clutch ( not shown ) installed in the compressor 14 according to the signals from the automatic transmission controller 16 and the air conditioner switch . such control operations of the air conditioner controller 18 will be discussed in detail with reference to a flow chart of fig3 . a program shown by this flow chart is repeatedly implemented from a time that an ignition switch of the automotive vehicle turned on . after starting of the program , in a step s102 , it is judged whether the air conditioner switch 20 is turned on or not . when the air conditioner switch 20 is not turned on , the program proceeds to a step s120 wherein the compressor 14 is turned off . when the air conditioner switch 20 is turned on , the program proceeds to a step s104 wherein it is judged whether the automotive vehicle is in an accelerating condition or not . such a judgment in the step s104 is implemented on the basis of a throttle opening and a shift - position in the automatic transmission 12 . this information of the engine 10 and the automatic transmission 12 is sent through the automatic transmission controller 16 to the air conditioner controller 18 . when the automotive vehicle is not in an accelerating condition , the program proceeds from the step s104 to a step s106 wherein a flag f1 indicative of a predetermined accelerating condition of the automotive vehicle is set at 0 . when the automotive vehicle is in an accelerating condition , the program proceeds to a step s108 wherein it is judged whether the flag f1 is 1 or not . when the judgment in the step s108 is &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ;, the program proceeds to a step s109 wherein the compressor 14 is turned on . when the judgment in the step s108 is &# 34 ; no &# 34 ;, the program proceeds to a step s112 wherein it is judged whether a flag f2 is 1 or not . when the judgment in the step s112 is &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; ( f2 = 0 ), the program proceeds to a step s114 . the flag f2 indicates an elapsed time , that is , f2 = 1 represents that a time period , during which the compressor 14 is in a turned - off condition , is larger than a predetermined time period t0 , and f2 = 0 represents that the time period , during which the compressor 14 is in a turned - off condition , is smaller than the predetermined time period t0 . in the step s114 , a time t of a time counter is incremented by 1 ( t ← t + 1 ). following this , in a step s116 it is judged whether the time t is larger than the predetermined time period t0 or not . when the time t is larger than the predetermined time period t0 , the program proceeds to a step s118 wherein the flag f2 is set at 1 ( f2 ← 1 ). on the other hand , when the judgment in the step s112 is &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; ( f2 = 1 ), the program proceeds to a step s122 wherein it is judged whether a flag fs is 1 or not . the flag fs is determined from a flow chart shown in fig4 . the flag fs indicates another elapsed time which is larger than a predetermined time ts which is an elapsed time from the judgment of the shifting . that is , fs = 1 represents that an elapsed time from the judgment of shifting ( second predetermined time ) is not larger than the predetermined time ts , and fs = 0 represents that the elapsed time from the judgment of the shifting is larger than ts . when the judgment in the step s122 is &# 34 ; no &# 34 ;, the program proceeds to the step s109 wherein the compressor 14 is turned on . following this , in a step s110 the flag f1 is set at 1 ( f1 ← 1 ). when the judgment in the step s122 is &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ;, the program proceeds to a step s120 wherein the compressor 14 is turned off . the process for determining the flag fs will be discussed with reference to the flow chart shown in fig4 . a program shown by the flow chart in fig4 is repeatedly implemented after the turning - on of the ignition key . in a step s202 , it is judged whether the flag fs is 1 or not . when fs = 1 , the program proceeds to a step s204 wherein it is judged whether a time t1 becomes larger than the predetermined time ts or not . when the judgment in the step s204 is &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; ( t1 & gt ; ts ), the program proceeds to a step s206 wherein the time ts set at 0 ( fs ← 0 ). when the judgment in the step s204 is &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; ( t1 ≧ ts ), the program proceeds to a step s208 wherein the time t1 is incremented by 1 ( t1 ← t1 + 1 ). on the other hand , when fs is not 1 ( fs ≠ 1 ), the program proceeds to a step s210 wherein it is judged whether the start of the shifting was determined . when the start of the shifting is determined , the program proceeds to a step s212 wherein fs is set at 1 ( fs ← 1 ). following this , the program is returned to the start of the flow chart . consequently , with the above - mentioned control , when the air conditioner switch 20 is turned on and the automotive vehicle is accelerated , the compressor 14 is turned off . such an operation corresponds to the implement of the steps s102 , s104 , s108 , s112 , s114 , s116 and s120 . when the off - time of the compressor 14 becomes larger than the predetermined time t0 ( corresponding to the implement of the steps s116 and s118 ), that is , when the flag fs becomes 0 ( fs = 0 ), the compressor 14 is turned on by the implement of the steps s108 , s112 , s122 , s109 . however , when fs is 1 , the compressor 14 is not turned on by the implement of the steps s122 and s120 . the flag fs is set at 0 when a predetermined time ts has elapsed from the turning - off of the compressor 14 ( corresponding to the steps s202 , s204 and s206 ). accordingly , in case that the time t0 has elapsed from the turning - off of the compressor 14 and the time ts has elapsed from the judgment of the start of the shifting , the operation of the compressor 14 is restarted . therefore , it not necessary to provide a sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the turbine shaft of the torque converter for the purpose of the control of the air - conditioner . accordingly , even if the up - shifting can not be carried out due to the breakage of the automatic transmission , the operation of the compressor 14 can be restarred after the elapse of the predetermined time t0 and ts . although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been changed in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention has hereinafter claimed .	1
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure or the application and uses of the present disclosure . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description . in fig1 a , a passenger seat is shown with a seating 12 , a backrest 14 , which can be movably connected to each other . here , an example is shown , where conditioned air is supplied through a passenger service module 16 to a passenger sitting , for instance , in a seat behind the shown seat . the passenger service module is supplied with conditioned air through a passenger service module supply line 20 , which has a second end 26 positioned at a side plane of the seating 12 and connected with an interface 24 . instead of conditioned air , any other passenger service can be supplied analogously , which means , that the passenger service module 16 has to provide the respective service in an appropriate manner . for example , the passenger service module for access to a data network can be a suitable socket instead of the shown air outlet of this example . the interface 24 and the passenger service module supply line 20 are integrated into the seating 12 . the supply line 20 thereby extends from its first end 22 across the backrest 14 and the seating 12 to the second end 26 and is there connected to the interface 24 . the passenger service module 16 can , in difference to the shown arrangement in the backrest 14 , also be located in any other part of the backrest or any other part of the passenger seat . for example , it can be possible to dispose one or more passenger service modules in an armrest ( not shown ). fig1 b shows another example of a passenger seat 10 with a seating 12 , a backrest 14 and multiple passenger service modules 16 . in more detail , the passenger service modules 16 comprise a passenger air outlet 36 , a passenger light 38 , passenger oxygen 34 , passenger buttons 42 , and information signs 40 . all shown passenger service modules 16 are arranged on a rear side of the backrest 14 . through suitable arrangement all passenger service modules are easily accessible by a passenger sitting in a row behind the passenger seat 10 . the shown passenger service modules are supplied by several passenger service module supply lines 20 , which are connected to an interface of the passenger service module supply lines 24 . in the shown example , an air pipe interface of the passenger service module supply line 28 and an electric interface of the passenger service module supply line 30 are shown . the arrangement of supply lines and interfaces can be displaced within a seating opening 32 . therefore , a horizontal position of the interface of the passenger service module supply line 24 is variable on a substantially horizontal line across the opening 32 in the seating 12 . the information signs 40 can contain information about flight status , seatbelt signs , phone usage , smoking , and others . the passenger buttons 42 can allow switching of lights , flight attendant call or other functions . the passenger service module supply line 20 can also serve multiple passenger service modules for a plurality of seats , which are interconnected , as shown in fig1 b . the seating opening 32 can also be arranged below the backrest 14 in the seating 12 . fig2 shows a cross - sectional view of an aircraft fuselage 50 , comprising an aircraft cabin 52 , a cargo area 54 , a central supply line 56 , connecting branches 58 of the central supply line 56 , cabin wall segments 60 , an outer wall 62 , and rows of overhead bins 64 . the wall segment 60 comprises several interfaces 66 of the central supply line 56 , which are arranged approximately in the same height over the cabin floor 53 . each interface 66 may be connected to the central supply line via a respective connecting branch 58 . as it can be seen in this example , multiple seats can be supplied with services via one interface 66 of the central supply line . the central supply line 56 is shown here as a cross - sectional view and can be provided as tube or , in case of electric services , it can be a cable channel or similar . the connecting branches 58 allow accessing the central supply line 56 for one individual seat 10 or seat row by connection through a vertical side plane of the seating 12 . an advantage can be that due to their size , the central supply line 56 can be disposed , for instance in the or near the cargo area 54 or the lower part of the aircraft fuselage 50 . fig3 shows a top view of an aircraft cabin 52 with a seat 10 or a seat row , multiple seatings 12 , connecting branches 58 of a central supply line 56 ( not shown ), several interfaces 66 of the central supply line , wall segments 60 , and several passenger service module supply lines 20 . the central supply line 56 ( not shown ) extends , for instance as an air tube or cable channel across the aircraft fuselage and may comprise vertical branches 56 , which reach to an area near the seats for individual connections . the seats 10 and the wall segments are positioned close to each other to achieve short distances between the cabin wall segments 60 and the seating 12 . the second end of the passenger service module supply line 20 can be displaced along a horizontal distance within the seating 12 . this way , for all positions of the second end 26 of the passenger service module supply line 20 always a corresponding interface 66 of the central supply line 56 is available on the same horizontal position . therefore , in any layout and seating configuration , a direct connection between the seat 10 , in particular the passenger service module supply line 20 , and the central supply line 56 can be established . in other words , the horizontal distances and positions of the interfaces 66 of the central supply line in the cabin wall segment 60 in combination with the displaceable interfaces 24 of the passenger service module supply lines may provide higher flexibility in terms of any possible cabin seating layout . fig4 shows a vertical cross - sectional view of an aircraft cabin 52 comprising multiple passenger seats 10 with a seating 12 and a backrest 14 . furthermore , also here , a central supply line 56 with connecting branches of the central supply line 58 and corresponding interfaces 66 of the central supply line are shown . the connecting branches 58 are equally distanced from each other in a horizontal direction . furthermore , the interface 24 of the passenger service module supply line is displaceable along the opening 32 of the seating 12 . depending on the positioning of the passenger seats 10 , in particular the distance between two neighboring seats or seat rows 10 , not all connecting branches 58 and interfaces 66 of the central supply line may be used . unused interfaces 66 may be covered to be protected from damaging . the horizontal position of the interface 24 of the passenger service module supply line may vary depending on the position of the interface 66 of the central supply line and extends orthogonally to a surface of the cabin wall segment 60 . fig5 shows a simplified view of a cabin wall segment 60 , comprising window openings 68 and interfaces 66 of the central supply line . the interfaces 66 of the central supply line are arranged along a horizontal line with equally the same distance . the horizontal distance 70 can be , for example about 12 . 5 inches or 31 . 75 cm . a length 74 of the cabin wall segment can be about 50 inches or 127 cm . the interfaces 66 of the service supply line are , in this example , equally distanced in horizontal direction . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the present disclosure in any way . rather , the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment , it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents .	0
as used herein , the following terms and expressions have the indicated meanings . it will be appreciated that the compounds of the present invention contain asymmetrically substituted carbon atoms , and may be isolated in optically active or racemic forms . it is well known in the art how to prepare optically active forms , such as by resolution of racemic forms or by synthesis , from optically active starting materials . all chiral , diastereomeric , racemic forms and all geometric isomeric forms of a structure are intended , unless the specific stereochemistry or isomeric form is specifically indicated . with the center bearing r 2 , this center can be non - chiral ( i . e ., each r 2 can be the same ), or this center can be either ( r )- or ( s )-. additionally , with the center bearing two ch 3 ( ch 2 ) m groups , this center can be non - chiral ( i . e ., each m can be the same ), or this center can be either ( r )- or ( s )-. as used herein , “ hiv reverse transcriptase inhibitor ” is intended to refer to both nucleoside and non - nucleoside inhibitors of hiv reverse transcriptase ( rt ). examples of nucleoside rt inhibitors include , but are not limited to , azt , ddc , ddi , d4t , and 3tc . example of non - nucleoside rt inhibitors include , but are not limited to , delavirdine ( pharmacia and upjohn , u90152s ), efavirenz ( bristol - myers squibb ), nevirapine ( boehringer ingelheim ), ro 18 , 893 ( roche ), trovirdine ( lilly ), mkc - 442 ( triangle ), hby 097 ( hoeschst ), hby 1293 ( hoeschst ), act ( korean research institute ), uc - 781 ( rega institute ), uc - 782 ( rega institute ), rd4 - 2025 ( tosoh co . ltd . ), and men 10979 ( menarini farmaceutici ). as used herein , “ hiv protease inhibitor ” is intended to refer to compounds which inhibit hiv protease . examples include , but are not limited , saquinavir ( roche , ro3l - 8959 ), ritonavir ( abbott , abt - 538 ), indinavir ( merck , mk - 639 ), amprenavir ( vertex / glaxo wellcome ), nelfinavir ( agouron , ag - 1343 ), palinavir ( boehringer ingelheim ), bms - 232623 ( bristol - myers squibb ), gs3333 ( gilead sciences ), kni - 413 ( japan energy ), kni - 272 ( japan energy ), lg - 71350 ( lg chemical ), cgp - 61755 ( ciba - geigy ), pd 173606 ( parke davis ), pd 177298 ( parke davis ), pd 178390 ( parke davis ), pd 178392 ( parke davis ), tipranavir ( pharmacia and upjohn , u - 140690 ), dmp - 450 ( bristol - myers squibb ) and abt - 378 . as used herein , “ pharmaceutically acceptable salts ” refer to derivatives of the disclosed compounds wherein the parent compound is modified by making acid or base salts thereof . examples of pharmaceutically acceptable salts include , but are not limited to , mineral or organic acid salts of basic residues such as amines ; alkali or organic salts of acidic residues such as carboxylic acids ; and the like . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts include the conventional non - toxic salts or the quaternary ammonium salts of the parent compound formed , for example , from non - toxic inorganic or organic acids . for example , such conventional non - toxic salts include those derived from inorganic acids such as hydrochloric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , sulfamic , phosphoric , nitric and the like ; and the salts prepared from organic acids such as acetic , propionic , succinic , glycolic , stearic , lactic , malic , tartaric , citric , ascorbic , pamoic , maleic , hydroxymaleic , phenylacetic , glutamic , benzoic , salicylic , sulfanilic , 2 - acetoxybenzoic , fumaric , toluenesulfonic , methanesulfonic , ethane disulfonic , oxalic , isethionic , and the like . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the present invention can be synthesized from the parent compound , which contains a basic or acidic moiety , by conventional chemical methods . generally , such salts can be prepared by reacting the free acid or base forms of these compounds with a stoichiometric amount of the appropriate base or acid in water or in an organic solvent , or in a mixture of the two ; generally , nonaqueous media like ether , ethyl acetate , ethanol , isopropanol , or acetonitrile are preferred . lists of suitable salts are found in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 17th ed ., mack publishing company , easton , pa ., 1985 , p . 1418 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the phrase “ pharmaceutically acceptable ” is employed herein to refer to those compounds , materials , compositions , and / or dosage forms which are , within the scope of sound medical judgment , suitable for use in contact with the tissues of human beings and animals without excessive toxicity , irritation , allergic response , or other problem or complication commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio . “ stable compound ” and “ stable structure ” are meant to indicate a compound that is sufficiently robust to survive isolation to a useful degree of purity from a reaction mixture , and formulation into an efficacious therapeutic agent . only stable compounds are contemplated by the present invention . “ substituted ” is intended to indicate that one or more ( e . g ., 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , or 5 ; preferably 1 , 2 , or 3 ; and more preferably 1 or 2 ) hydrogens on the group indicated in the expression using “ substituted ” is replaced with a selection from the indicated group ( s ), provided that the indicated atom &# 39 ; s normal valency is not exceeded , and that the substitution results in a stable compound . for example , “ substituted aryl ”, is intended to mean an “ aryl ” group substituted by one or more ( e . g ., 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , or 5 ; preferably 1 , 2 , or 3 ; and more preferably 1 or 2 ) indicated group ( s ). when a substituent is keto ( i . e ., = o ) or thioxo ( i . e ., = s ) group , then 2 hydrogens on an atom of the indicated group are replaced . “ therapeutically effective amount ” is intended to include an amount of a compound of the present invention or an amount of the combination of compounds claimed effective to inhibit hiv infection or treat the symptoms of hiv infection in a host . the combination of compounds is preferably a synergistic combination . synergy , as described for example by chou and talalay , adv . enzyme regul . 22 : 27 - 55 ( 1984 ), occurs when the effect ( in this case , inhibition of hiv replication ) of the compounds when administered in combination is greater than the additive effect of the compounds when administered alone as a single agent . in general , a synergistic effect is most clearly demonstrated at suboptimal concentrations of the compounds . synergy can be in terms of lower cytotoxicity , increased antiviral effect , or some other beneficial effect of the combination compared with the individual components . one diastereomer of a compound of formula ( i ) may display superior activity compared with the other . when required , separation of the racemic material can be achieved by hplc using a chiral column or by a resolution using a resolving agent such as camphonic chloride as in thomas j . tucker , et al ., j . med . chem . 1994 37 , 2437 - 2444 . a chiral compound of formula ( i ) may also be directly synthesized using a chiral catalyst or a chiral ligand , e . g . mark a . huffman , et al ., j . org . chem . 1995 , 60 , 1590 - 1594 . the term “ alkyl ” refers to a monoradical branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon chain preferably having 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , or 6 carbon atoms , and more preferably from 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 carbon atoms . examples of alkyl include , but are not limited to , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , iso - propyl , n - butyl , iso - butyl , sec - butyl , n - hexyl , and the like . preferred “ alkyl ” group , unless otherwise specified , is methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , iso - propyl , n - butyl , iso - butyl , and sec - butyl . the term “ substituted alkyl ” refers to an “ alkyl ” group which is substituted , for example , with one or more ( preferably 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , or 5 ; more preferably 1 , 2 , or 3 ) substituents , independently selected from methyl , ethyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkoxy , trifluoromethoxy , halo , haloalkyl , hydroxy , hydroxyalkyl , carboxyalkyl , difluoromethyl , trifluoromethyl , nitro , cyano , carboxy , alkanoyl , alkoxycarbonyl , amido , alkylamido , dialkylamido , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , acylamino , sulfonylamino , alkylthio , trifluoromethylthio , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , sulfonamido , alkylsulfonamido , dialkylsulfonamido , aryl , substituted aryl , heteroaryl , substituted heteroaryl , heterocycle , substituted heterocycle , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , keto , and thioxo . the term “ alkenyl ”, as used herein , is intended to include monoradical hydrocarbon chains of either a straight or branched configuration and one or more unsaturated carbon - carbon bonds which may occur in any stable point along the chain preferably having 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , or 6 carbon atoms , more preferably from 2 , 3 , or 4 carbon atoms . this term is exemplified by groups such as ethenyl , 1 - propenyl , 2 - propenyl , 1 - butenyl , 2 - butenyl , 3 - butenyl , 1 - hexenyl , 2 - hexenyl , 3 - hexenyl , and the like . the term “ alkynyl ”, refers to a monoradical hydrocarbon chain of either a straight or branched configuration and one or more carbon - carbon triple bonds which may occur in any stable point along the chain , preferably having from 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , or 6 carbon atoms , and more preferably from 2 , 3 or 4 carbon atoms . this term is exemplified by groups such as ethynyl , 1 - propynyl , 2 - propynyl , 1 - butynyl , 2 - butynyl , 3 - butynyl , 1 - hexynyl , 2 - hexynyl , 3 - hexynyl , and the like . the term “ alkoxy ” refers to the groups alkyl - o -, where alkyl is defined herein . preferred alkoxy groups include , e . g ., methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , iso - propoxy , n - butoxy , tert - butoxy , sec - butoxy , n - pentoxy , n - hexoxy , 1 , 2 - dimethylbutoxy , and the like . preferred alkoxy groups are methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , i - propoxy , n - butoxy , s - butoxy , and t - butoxy . the term “ aryl ” refers to an unsaturated aromatic carbocyclic group of from 6 to 12 carbon atoms having a single ring ( e . g ., phenyl ) or multiple condensed ( fused ) rings , wherein at least one ring is aromatic ( e . g ., naphthyl , tetrahydromaphthyl , dihydrophenanthrenyl , fluorenyl , or anthryl ). preferred aryls include phenyl , naphthyl and the like . the term “ substituted aryl ” refers to an “ aryl ” group which is substituted , for example , with one or more , and in particular one to three , substituents , independently selected from methyl , ethyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkoxy , trifluoromethoxy , halo , haloalkyl , hydroxy , hydroxyalkyl , carboxyalkyl , difluoromethyl , trifluoromethyl , nitro , cyano , carboxy , alkanoyl , alkoxycarbonyl , amido , alkylamido , dialkylamido , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , acylamino , sulfonylamino , alkylthio , trifluoromethylthio , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , sulfonamido , alkylsulfonamido , and dialkylsulfonamido . the term “ cycloalkyl ” refers to cyclic alkyl groups of from 3 to 10 carbon atoms having a single cyclic ring or multiple condensed rings . such cycloalkyl groups include , by way of example , single ring structures such as cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl , cyclooctyl , and the like , or multiple ring structures such as adamantanyl , and the like . preferred cycloalkyl groups include cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , and cyclohexyl . the term “ substituted cycloalkyl ” refers to a “ cycloalkyl ” group which is substituted , for example , with one or more , and in particular 1 , 2 , or 3 , substituents , independently selected from alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkoxy , trifluoromethoxy , halo , haloalkyl , hydroxy , hydroxyalkyl , carboxyalkyl , difluoromethyl , trifluoromethyl , nitro , cyano , carboxy , alkanoyl , alkoxycarbonyl , amido , alkylamido , dialkylamido , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , acylamino , sulfonylamino , alkylthio , trifluoromethylthio , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , sulfonamido , alkylsulfonamido , dialkylsulfonamido , keto , and thioxo . the term “ halo ” or “ halogen ” refers to fluoro , chloro , bromo , or iodo . unless otherwise specified , preferred halo is fluoro or chloro . “ haloalkyl ” refers to alkyl as defined herein substituted by 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , or 5 halo groups as defined herein , which may be the same or different . representative haloalkyl groups include , by way of example , difluoromethyl , trifluoromethyl , trichloromethyl , pentafluoroethyl , pentachloroethyl , 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl , 2 , 2 - difluoroethyl , and the like . preferred haloalkyl is selected from difluoromethyl and trifluoromethyl . the term “ heteroaryl ” is defined herein as a monocyclic , bicyclic , or tricyclic ring system containing one , two , or three aromatic rings and containing at least one nitrogen , oxygen , or sulfur atom in an aromatic ring . examples of heteroaryl groups include , but are not limited to , 2h - pyrrolyl , 3h - indolyl , 4h - quinolizinyl , 4nh - carbazolyl , acridinyl , benzo [ b ] thienyl , benzothiazolyl , β - carbolinyl , carbazolyl , chromenyl , cinnolinyl , dibenzo [ b , d ] furanyl , furazanyl , furyl , imidazolyl , imidizolyl , indazolyl , indolisinyl , indolyl , isobenzofuranyl , isoindolyl , isoquinolyl , isothiazolyl , isoxazolyl , naphthyridinyl , naptho [ 2 , 3 - b ], oxazolyl , perimidinyl , phenanthridinyl , phenanthrolinyl , phenarsazinyl , phenazinyl , phenothiazinyl , phenoxathiinyl , phenoxazinyl , phthalazinyl , pteridinyl , purinyl , pyranyl , pyrazinyl , pyrazolyl , pyridazinyl , pyridyl , pyrimidinyl , pyrimidinyl , pyrrolyl , quinazolinyl , quinolyl , quinoxalinyl , thiadiazolyl , thianthrenyl , thiazolyl , thienyl , triazolyl , and xanthenyl . in one embodiment the term “ heteroaryl ” denotes a monocyclic aromatic ring containing five or six ring atoms containing carbon and 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 heteroatoms independently selected from the group non - peroxide oxygen , sulfur , and n ( z ) wherein z is absent or is h , o , alkyl , phenyl or benzyl . in another embodiment heteroaryl denotes an ortho - fused bicyclic heterocycle of about eight to ten ring atoms derived therefrom , particularly a benz - derivative or one derived by fusing a propylene , or tetramethylene diradical thereto . the term “ substituted heteroaryl ” is defined herein as a “ heteroaryl ” group which is substituted , for example , with one or more , and in particular 1 , 2 , or 3 , substituents , independently selected from alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkoxy , trifluoromethoxy , halo , haloalkyl , hydroxy , hydroxyalkyl , carboxyalkyl , difluoromethyl , trifluoromethyl , nitro , cyano , carboxy , alkanoyl , alkoxycarbonyl , amido , alkylamido , dialkylamido , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , acylamino , sulfonylamino , alkylthio , trifluoromethylthio , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , sulfonamido , alkylsulfonamido , and dialkylsulfonamido . the term “ heterocycle ” refers to a saturated or partially unsaturated ring system , containing at least one heteroatom selected from the group oxygen , nitrogen , and sulfur . typically heterocycle is a monocyclic , bicyclic , or tricyclic group containing one or more heteroatoms selected from the group oxygen , nitrogen , and sulfur . a heterocycle group also can contain an oxo group (= o ) attached to the ring . non - limiting examples of heterocycle groups include 1 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran , 1 , 3 - dioxolane , 1 , 4 - dioxane , 1 , 4 - dithiane , 2h - pyran , 2 - pyrazoline , 4h - pyran , chromanyl , imidazolidinyl , imidazolinyl , indolinyl , isochromanyl , isoindolinyl , morpholine , piperazinyl , piperidine , piperidyl , pyrazolidine , pyrazolidinyl , pyrazolinyl , pyrrolidine , pyrroline , quinuclidine , and thiomorpholine . the term “ substituted heterocycle ” refers to a “ heterocycle ” group , as defined herein , which is substituted with one or more , and in particular one to three , substituents , selected from alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkoxy , halo , haloalkyl , hydroxy , hydroxyalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , alkanoyl , alkoxycarbonyl , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , trifluoromethylthio , difluoromethyl , acylamino , nitro , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , carboxy , carboxyalkyl , keto , thioxo , alkylthio , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl and cyano . examples of nitrogen heterocycles and heteroaryls include , but are not limited to , pyrrole , imidazole , pyrazole , pyridine , pyrazine , pyrimidine , pyridazine , indolizine , isoindole , indole , indazole , purine , quinolizine , isoquinoline , quinoline , phthalazine , naphthylpyridine , quinoxaline , quinazoline , cinnoline , pteridine , carbazole , carboline , phenanthridine , acridine , phenanthroline , isothiazole , phenazine , isoxazole , phenoxazine , phenothiazine , imidazolidine , imidazoline , piperidine , piperazine , indoline , morpholino , piperidinyl , tetrahydrofuranyl , and the like as well as n - alkoxy - nitrogen containing heterocycles . preferred 5 to 6 membered heterocycles include , but are not limited to , pyridinyl , pyrimidinyl , pyrazinyl , pyridazinyl , triazinyl , furanyl , thienyl , thiazolyl , pyrrolyl , piperazinyl , piperidinyl , pyrazolyl , imidazolyl , oxazolyl , isoxazolyl , tetrazolyl ; more preferred 5 to 6 membered heterocycles include , but are not limited to , pyridinyl , pyrimidinyl , triazinyl , furanyl , thienyl , thiazolyl , piperazinyl , piperidinyl , pyrazolyl , imidazolyl , and tetrazolyl . the term “ alkanoyl ” refers to — c (═ o ) r a , wherein r a is an alkyl group as previously defined . the term “ alkoxycarbonyl ” refers to — c (═ o ) or a , wherein r a is an alkyl group as previously defined . the term “ alkylamino ” refers to — nhr a , wherein r a is an alkyl group as previously defined . the term “ dialkylamino ” refers to — n ( r a ) 2 wherein each r a is an alkyl group as previously defined and may be the same or different . the term “ alkylamido ” refers to — c (═ o ) nhr a , wherein r a is an alkyl group as previously defined . the term “ dialkylamido ” refers to — c (═ o ) n ( r a ) 2 wherein each r a is an alkyl group as previously defined and may be the same or different . the term “ acylamino ” refers to — nhc (═ o ) r b , wherein r b is an alkyl group or an aryl group as previously defined . the term “ sulfonylamino ” refers to — nhs (═ o ) 2 r b , wherein r b is an alkyl group or an aryl group as previously defined . the term “ alkylthio ” refers to the groups alkyl - s —, wherein alkyl is as previously defined herein . the term “ alkylsulfinyl ” refers to — s (═ o ) r a , wherein r a is an alkyl group as previously defined . the term “ alkylsulfonyl ” refers to — s (═ o ) 2 r a , wherein r a is an alkyl group as previously defined . the term “ alkylsulfonamido ” refers to — s (═ o ) 2 nhr a , wherein r a is an alkyl group as previously defined . the term “ dialkylsulfonamido ” refers to — s (═ o ) 2 n ( r a ) 2 wherein each r a is an alkyl group as previously defined and may be the same or different . the term “ hydroxyalkyl ” refers to an alkyl group as defined above substituted by a hydroxy group . the term “ carboxyalkyl ” refers to an alkyl group as defined above substituted by a — co 2 h group . as to any of the above groups , which contain one or more substituents , it is understood , of course , 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 . other features of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following descriptions of exemplary embodiments which are given for illustration of the invention and are not intended to be limiting thereof . as used herein , “ μg ” denotes microgram , “ mg ” denotes milligram , “ g ” denotes gram , “ μl ” denotes microliter , “ ml ” denotes milliliter , “ l ” denotes liter , “ nm ” denotes nanomolar , “ μm ” denotes micromolar , “ mm ” denotes millimolar , “ m ” denotes molar and “ nm ” denotes nanometer . “ sigma ” stands for the sigma - aldrich corp . of st . louis mo . the compounds of formula ( i ) possess hiv protease inhibitory activity and are therefore useful as antiviral agents for the treatment of hiv infection and associated diseases . the compounds of formula ( i ) possess hiv protease inhibitory activity and are effective as inhibitors of hiv growth . the ability of the compounds of the present invention to inhibit viral growth or infectivity is demonstrated in standard assay of viral growth or infectivity , for example , using the assay described below . the compounds of formula ( i ) of the present invention are also useful for the inhibition of hiv in an ex vivo sample containing hiv or expected to be exposed to hiv . thus , the compounds of the present invention may be used to inhibit hiv present in a body fluid sample ( for example , a serum or semen sample ), which contains or is suspected to contain or be exposed to hiv . the compounds provided by this invention are also useful as standard or reference compounds for use in tests or assays for determining the ability of an agent to inhibit viral clone replication and / or hiv protease , for example in a pharmaceutical research program . thus , the compounds of the present invention may be used as control or reference compound in such assays and as a quality control standard . the compounds of the present invention may be provided in a commercial kit or container for use as such standard or reference compound . since the compounds of the present invention exhibit specificity for hiv protease , the compounds of the present invention may also be useful as diagnostic reagents in diagnostic assays for the detection of hiv protease . thus , inhibition of the protease activity in an assay ( such as the assays described herein ) by a compound of the present invention would be indicative of the presence of hiv protease and hiv virus . plasmid pdab 72 containing both gag and pol sequences of bh10 ( bp 113 - 1816 ) cloned into ptz 19r was prepared according to erickson - vitanen et al . aids research and human retroviruses 1989 , 5 , 577 . the plasmid was linearized with bam hi prior to the generation of in vitro rna transcripts using the riboprobe gemini system ii kit ( promega ) with t7 rna polymerase . synthesized rna was purified by treatment with rnase free dnase ( promega ), phenol - chloroform extraction , and ethanol precipitation . rna transcripts were dissolved in water , and stored at − 70ec . the concentration of rna was determined from the a 260 . biotinylated capture probes were purified by hplc after synthesis on an applied biosystems ( foster city , calif .) dna synthesizer by addition of biotin to the 5n terminal end of the oligonucleotide , using the biotin - phosphoramidite reagent of cocuzza , tet . lett . 1989 , 30 , 6287 . the gag biotinylated capture probe ( 5 - biotin - ctagctccctgcttgcccatacta 3n ) was complementary to nucleotides 889 - 912 of hxb2 and the pol biotinylated capture probe ( 5n - biotin - ccctatcatttttggtttccat 3n ) was complementary to nucleotides 2374 - 2395 of hxb2 . alkaline phosphatase conjugated oligonucleotides used as reporter probes were prepared by syngene ( san diego , calif .). the pol reporter probe ( 5n ctgtcttactttgataaaacctc 3n ) was complementary to nucleotides 2403 - 2425 of hxb2 . the gag reporter probe ( 5n cccagtatttgtctacagccttct 3n ) was complementary to nucleotides 950 - 973 of hxb2 . all nucleotide positions are those of the genbank genetic sequence data bank as accessed through the genetics computer group sequence analysis software package ( devereau nucleic acids research 1984 , 12 , 387 ). the reporter probes were prepared as 0 . 5 m stocks in 2 × ssc ( 0 . 3 m nacl , 0 . 03 m sodium citrate ), 0 . 05 m tris ph 8 . 8 , 1 mg / ml bsa . the biotinylated capture probes were prepared as 100 : m stocks in water . streptavidin coated plates : streptavidin coated plates were obtained from du pont biotechnology systems ( boston , mass .). mt - 2 and mt - 4 cells were maintained in rpmi 1640 supplemented with 5 % fetal calf serum ( fcs ) for mt - 2 cells or 10 % fcs for mt - 4 cells , 2 mm l - glutamine and 50 μg / ml gentamycin , all from gibco . hiv - 1 rf was propagated in mt - 4 cells in the same medium . virus stocks were prepared approximately 10 days after acute infection of mt - 4 cells and stored as aliquots at − 70 ° c . infectious titers of hiv - 1 ( rf ) stocks were 1 - 3 × 10 7 pfu ( plaque forming units )/ ml as measured by plaque assay on mt - 2 cells ( see below ). each aliquot of virus stock used for infection was thawed only once . for evaluation of antiviral efficacy , cells to be infected were subcultured one day prior to infection . on the day of infection , cells were resuspended at 5 × 10 5 cells / ml in rpmi 1640 , 5 % fcs for bulk infections or at 2 × 10 6 / ml in dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagles medium with 5 % fcs for infection in microtiter plates . virus was added and culture continued for 3 days at 37 ° c . cell lysates or purified rna in 3 m or 5 m ged were mixed with 5 m ged and capture probe to a final guanidinium isothiocyanate concentration of 3 m and a final biotin oligonucleotide concentration of 30 nm . hybridization was carried out in sealed u bottom 96 well tissue culture plates ( nunc or costar ) for 16 - 20 hours at 37 ° c . rna hybridization reactions were diluted three - fold with deionized water to a final guanidinium isothiocyanate concentration of 1 m and aliquots ( 150 μl ) were transferred to streptavidin coated microtiter plates wells . binding of capture probe and capture probe - rna hybrid to the immobilized streptavidin was allowed to proceed for 2 hours at room temperature , after which the plates were washed 6 times with dupont elisa plate wash buffer ( phosphate buffered saline ( pbs ), 0 . 05 % tween 20 .) a second hybridization of reporter probe to the immobilized complex of capture probe and hybridized target rna was carried out in the washed streptavidin coated well by addition of 120 μl of a hybridization cocktail containing 4 × ssc , 0 . 66 % triton x 100 , 6 . 66 % deionized formamide , 1 mg / ml bsa and 5 nm reporter probe . after hybridization for one hour at 37 ° c ., the plate was again washed 6 times . immobilized alkaline phosphatase activity was detected by addition of 100 μl of 0 . 2 mm 4 - methylumbelliferyl phosphate ( mubp , jbl scientific ) in buffer δ ( 2 . 5 m diethanolamine ph 8 . 9 ( jbl scientific ), 10 mm mgcl 2 , 5 mm zinc acetate dihydrate and 5 mm n - hydroxyethyl - ethylene - diamine - triacetic acid ). the plates were incubated at 37 ° c . fluorescence at 450 nm was measured using a microplate fluorometer ( dynateck ) exciting at 365 nn . compounds to be evaluated were dissolved in dmso and diluted in culture medium to twice the highest concentration to be tested and a maximum dmso concentration of 2 %. further three - fold serial dilutions of the compound in culture medium were performed directly in u bottom microtiter plates ( nunc ). after compound dilution , mt - 2 cells ( 50 μl ) were added to a final concentration of 5 × 10 5 per ml ( 1 × 10 5 per well ). cells were incubated with compounds for 30 minutes at 37 ° c . in a co 2 incubator . for evaluation of antiviral potency , an appropriate dilution of hiv - 1 ( rf ) virus stock ( 50 μl ) was added to culture wells containing cells and dilutions of the test compounds . the final volume in each well was 200 μl . eight wells per plate were left uninfected with 50 μl of medium added in place of virus , while eight wells were infected in the absence of any antiviral compound . for evaluation of compound toxicity , parallel plates were cultured without virus infection . after 3 days of culture at 37 ° c . in a humidified chamber inside a co 2 incubator , all but 25 μl of medium / well was removed from the hiv infected plates . thirty seven pl of 5 m ged containing biotinylated capture probe was added to the settled cells and remaining medium in each well to a final concentration of 3 m ged and 30 nn capture probe . hybridization of the capture probe to hiv rna in the cell lysate was carried out in the same microplate well used for virus culture by sealing the plate with a plate sealer ( costar ), and incubating for 16 - 20 hrs in a 37 ° c . incubator . distilled water was then added to each well to dilute the hybridization reaction three - fold and 150 μl of this diluted mixture was transferred to a streptavidin coated microtiter plate . hiv rna was quantitated as described above . a standard curve , prepared by adding known amounts of pdab 72 in vitro rna transcript to wells containing lysed uninfected cells , was run on each microtiter plate in order to determine the amount of viral rna made during the infection . in order to standardize the virus inoculum used in the evaluation of compounds for antiviral activity , dilutions of virus were selected which resulted in an ic 90 value ( concentration of compound required to reduce the hiv rna level by 90 %) for dideoxycytidine ( ddc ) of 0 . 2 μg / ml . ic 90 values of other antiviral compounds , both more and less potent than ddc , were reproducible using several stocks of hiv - 1 ( rf ) when this procedure was followed . this concentration of virus corresponded to ˜ 3 × 10 5 pfu ( measured by plaque assay on mt - 2 cells ) per assay well and typically produced approximately 75 % of the maximum viral rna level achievable at any virus inoculum . for the hiv rna assay , ic 90 values were determined from the percent reduction of net signal ( signal from infected cell samples minus signal from uninfected cell samples ) in the rna assay relative to the net signal from infected , untreated cells on the same culture plate ( average of eight wells ). valid performance of individual infection and rna assay tests was judged according to three criteria . it was required that the virus infection should result in an rna assay signal equal to or greater than the signal generated from 2 ng of pdab 72 in vitro rna transcript . the ic 90 for ddc , determined in each assay run , should be between 0 . 1 and 0 . 3 μg / ml . finally , the plateau level of viral rna produced by an effective protease inhibitor should be less than 10 % of the level achieved in an uninhibited infection . a compound was considered active if its ic 90 was found to be less than 1 μm . compounds of the invention have demonstrated ic 90 of less than 1 μm in the above assay . for antiviral potency tests , all manipulations in microtiter plates , following the initial addition of 2 × concentrated compound solution to a single row of wells , were performed using a perkin elmer / cetus propette . in addition to the above , it is desirable to find new compounds with improved pharmacological characteristics compared with known hiv protease inhibitors . for example , it is preferred to find new compounds with improved hiv protease inhibitory activity and selectivity for hiv protease versus other enzymes . it is also desirable and preferable to find compounds with advantageous and improved characteristics in one or more of the following categories : ( a ) pharmaceutical properties ( i . e . solubility , permeability , amenability to sustained release formulations ); ( c ) factors which decrease blood concentration peak - to - trough characteristics ( i . e . clearance and / or volume of distribution ); ( d ) factors that increase the concentration of active drug at the receptor ( i . e . protein binding , volume of distribution ); ( e ) factors that decrease the liability for clinical drug - drug interactions ( cytochrome p450 enzyme inhibition or induction ); ( f ) factors that decrease the potential for adverse side - effects ( i . e . pharmacological selectivity beyond hiv proteases , potential chemical or metabolic reactivity , limited cns penetration ); and ( g ) factors that improve manufacturing costs or feasibility ( i . e . difficulty of synthesis , number of chiral centers , chemical stability , ease of handling ). the antiviral compounds of this invention can be administered as treatment for viral infections by any means that produces contact of the active agent with the agent &# 39 ; s site of action , i . e ., the viral protease , in the body of a mammal . they can be administered by any conventional means available for use in conjunction with pharmaceuticals , either as individual therapeutic agents or in a combination of therapeutic agents . they can be administered alone , but preferably are administered with a pharmaceutical carrier selected on the basis of the chosen route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice . the dosage administered will , of course , vary depending upon known factors , such as the pharmacodynamic characteristics of the particular agent and its mode and route of administration ; the age , health and weight of the recipient ; the nature and extent of the symptoms ; the kind of concurrent treatment ; the frequency of treatment ; and the effect desired . a daily dosage of active ingredient can be expected to be about 0 . 001 to about 1000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight , with the preferred dose being about 0 . 1 to about 30 mg / kg . dosage forms of compositions suitable for administration contain from about 1 mg to about 1000 mg of active ingredient per unit . in these pharmaceutical compositions the active ingredient will ordinarily be present in an amount of about 0 . 5 - 95 % by weight based on the total weight of the composition . the active ingredient can be administered orally in solid dosage forms , such as capsules , tablets and powders , or in liquid dosage forms , such as elixirs , syrups and suspensions . it can also be administered parenterally , in sterile liquid dosage forms . gelatin capsules contain the active ingredient and powdered carriers , such as lactose , starch , cellulose derivatives , magnesium stearate , stearic acid , and the like . similar diluents can be used to make compressed tablets . both tablets and capsules can be manufactured as sustained release products to provide for continuous release of medication over a period of hours . compressed tablets can be sugar coated or film coated to mask any unpleasant taste and protect the tablet from the atmosphere , or enteric coated for selective disintegration in the gastrointestinal tract . liquid dosage forms for oral administration can contain coloring and flavoring to increase patient acceptance . in general , water , a suitable oil , saline , aqueous dextrose ( glucose ), and related sugar solutions and glycols such as propylene glycol or polyethylene glycols are suitable carriers for parenteral solutions . solutions for parenteral administration preferably contain a water soluble salt of the active ingredient , suitable stabilizing agents , and if necessary , buffer substances . antioxidizing agents such as sodium bisulfite , sodium sulfite , or ascorbic acid , either alone or combined , are suitable stabilizing agents . also used are citric acid and its salts , and sodium edta . in addition , parenteral solutions can contain preservatives , such as benzalkonium chloride , methyl - or propyl - paraben and chlorobutanol . suitable pharmaceutical carriers are described in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , supra , a standard reference text in this field . useful pharmaceutical dosage - forms for administration of the compounds of this invention can be illustrated as follows : a large number of unit capsules can be prepared by filling standard two - piece hard gelatin capsules each with 1000 mg of powdered active ingredient , 150 mg of lactose , 50 mg of cellulose , and 6 mg magnesium stearic . a mixture of active ingredient in a digestible oil such as soybean oil , cottonseed oil or olive oil can be prepared and injected by means of a positive displacement pump into gelatin to form soft gelatin capsules containing 1000 mg of the active ingredient . the capsules should then be washed and dried . a large number of tablets can be prepared by conventional procedures so that the dosage unit is 1000 mg of active ingredient , 0 . 2 mg of colloidal silicon dioxide , 5 milligrams of magnesium stearate , 275 mg of microcrystalline cellulose , 11 mg of starch and 98 . 8 mg of lactose . appropriate coatings may be applied to increase palatability or delay absorption . an aqueous suspension can be prepared for oral administration so that each 5 ml contain 25 mg of finely divided active ingredient , 200 mg of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , 5 mg of sodium benzoate , 1 . 0 g of sorbitol solution , u . s . p ., and 0 . 025 mg of vanillin . a parenteral composition suitable for administration by injection can be prepared by stirring 1 . 5 % by weight of active ingredient in 10 % by volume propylene glycol and water . the solution is sterilized by commonly used techniques . each therapeutic agent component of this invention can independently be in any dosage form , such as those described above , and can also be administered in various ways , as described above . in the following description component ( b ) is to be understood to represent one or more agents as described previously . thus , if components ( a ) and ( b ) are to be treated the same or independently , each agent of component ( b ) may also be treated the same or independently . components ( a ) and ( b ) of the present invention may be formulated together , in a single dosage unit ( that is , combined together in one capsule , tablet , powder , or liquid , etc .) as a combination product . when component ( a ) and ( b ) are not formulated together in a single dosage unit , the component ( a ) may be administered at the same time as component ( b ) or in any order ; for example component ( a ) of this invention may be administered first , followed by administration of component ( b ), or they may be administered in the revserse order . if component ( b ) contains more that one agent , e . g ., one rt inhibitor and one protease inhibitor , these agents may be administered together or in any order . when not administered at the same time , preferably the administration of component ( a ) and ( b ) occurs less than about one hour apart . preferably , the route of administration of component ( a ) and ( b ) is oral . the terms oral agent , oral inhibitor , oral compound , or the like , as used herein , denote compounds , which may be orally administered . although it is preferable that component ( a ) and component ( b ) both be administered by the same route ( that is , for example , both orally ) or dosage form , if desired , they may each be administered by different routes ( that is , for example , one component of the combination product may be administered orally , and another component may be administered intravenously ) or dosage forms . as is appreciated by a medical practitioner skilled in the art , the dosage of the combination therapy of the invention may vary depending upon various factors such as the pharmacodynamic characteristics of the particular agent and its mode and route of administration , the age , health and weight of the recipient , the nature and extent of the symptoms , the kind of concurrent treatment , the frequency of treatment , and the effect desired , as described above . the proper dosage of components ( a ) and ( b ) of the present invention will be readily ascertainable by a medical practitioner skilled in the art , based upon the present disclosure . by way of general guidance , typically a daily dosage may be about 100 milligrams to about 1 . 5 grams of each component . if component ( b ) represents more than one compound , then typically a daily dosage may be about 100 milligrams to about 1 . 5 grams of each agent of component ( b ). by way of general guidance , when the compounds of component ( a ) and component ( b ) are administered in combination , the dosage amount of each component may be reduced by about 70 - 80 % relative to the usual dosage of the component when it is administered alone as a single agent for the treatment of hiv infection , in view of the synergistic effect of the combination . the combination products of this invention may be formulated such that , although the active ingredients are combined in a single dosage unit , the physical contact between the active ingredients is minimized . in order to minimize contact , for example , where the product is orally administered , one active ingredient may be enteric coated . by enteric coating one of the active ingredients , it is possible not only to minimize the contact between the combined active ingredients , but also , it is possible to control the release of one of these components in the gastrointestinal tract such that one of these components is not released in the stomach but rather is released in the intestines . another embodiment of this invention where oral administration is desired provides for a combination product wherein one of the active ingredients is coated with a sustained - release material which effects a sustained - release throughout the gastrointestinal tract and also serves to minimize physical contact between the combined active ingredients . furthermore , the sustained - released component can be additionally enteric coated such that the release of this component occurs only in the intestine . still another approach would involve the formulation of a combination product in which the one component is coated with a sustained and / or enteric release polymer , and the other component is also coated with a polymer such as a low - viscosity grade of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or other appropriate materials as known in the art , in order to further separate the active components . the polymer coating serves to form an additional barrier to interaction with the other component . in each formulation wherein contact is prevented between components ( a ) and ( b ) via a coating or some other material , contact may also be prevented between the individual agents of component ( b ). dosage forms of the combination products of the present invention wherein one active ingredient is enteric coated can be in the form of tablets such that the enteric coated component and the other active ingredient are blended together and then compressed into a tablet or such that the enteric coated component is compressed into one tablet layer and the other active ingredient is compressed into an additional layer . optionally , in order to further separate the two layers , one or more placebo layers may be present such that the placebo layer is between the layers of active ingredients . in addition , dosage forms of the present invention can be in the form of capsules wherein one active ingredient is compressed into a tablet or in the form of a plurality of microtablets , particles , granules or non - perils , which are then enteric coated . these enteric coated microtablets , particles , granules or non - perils are then placed into a capsule or compressed into a capsule along with a granulation of the other active ingredient . these as well as other ways of minimizing contact between the components of combination products of the present invention , whether administered in a single dosage form or administered in separate forms but at the same time or concurrently by the same manner , will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , based on the present disclosure . pharmaceutical kits useful for the treatment of hiv infection , which comprise a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of component ( a ) and one or more compounds of component ( b ), in one or more sterile containers , are also within the ambit of the present invention . sterilization of the container may be carried out using conventional sterilization methodology well known to those skilled in the art . component ( a ) and component ( b ) may be in the same sterile container or in separate sterile containers . the sterile containers of materials may comprise separate containers , or one or more multi - part containers , as desired . component ( a ) and component ( b ), may be separate , or physically combined into a single dosage form or unit as described above . such kits may further include , if desired , one or more of various conventional pharmaceutical kit components , such as for example , one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , additional vials for mixing the components , etc ., as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . instructions , either as inserts or as labels , indicating quantities of the components to be administered , guidelines for administration , and / or guidelines for mixing the components , may also be included in the kit . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . abbreviations used in the examples are defined as follows : “ atm ” for atmosphere , “ br s ” for broad singlet , “° c .” for degrees celsius , “ d ” for doublet , , “ eq ” for equivalent or equivalents , “ g ” for gram or grams , “ mg ” for milligram or milligrams , “ ml ” for milliliter or milliliters , “ h ” for hydrogen or hydrogens , “ hplc ” for high - pressure liquid chromatography , “ m ” for multiplet , “ mmol ” for millimole or millimoles , “ hr ” for hour or hours , “ m ” for multiplet , “ m ” for molar , “ min ” for minute or minutes , “ mhz ” for megahertz , “ ms ” for mass spectroscopy , “ n ” for normal , “ nmr ” or “ nmr ” for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , “ s ” for singlet , “ t ” for triplet , and “ tlc ” for thin layer chromatography . step 1 : a solution of 6 . 3 g ( 10 mmol ) of 1 in water was made basic by the addition of 1 n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , and the resulting mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate . the extract was washed with brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . the residue was dissolved in 50 ml of ethyl acetate and 50 ml of methanol . this solution was stirred at room temperature under hydrogen gas ( 1 atm .) in the presence of 0 . 60 g of 10 % palladium on carbon until the reaction was complete as determined by reverse - phase hplc . the mixture was filtered through celite , and the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum . the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate , and an excess of 4 n hydrogen chloride in dioxane was added . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration and dried under vacuum to afford 4 . 5 g of 2 . mass spec . : m / e 505 ( m + h ) + . step 2 : to a mixture of 0 . 32 g ( 0 . 58 mmol ) of 2 , 0 . 18 g ( 0 . 58 mmol ) of n -[ 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethyl ] glycine ( 3 ), and 0 . 09 g ( 0 . 64 mmol ) of 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole in 10 ml of ethyl acetate at room temperature was added 0 . 33 ml ( 2 . 32 mmol ) of triethylamine followed by 0 . 13 g ( 0 . 7 mmol ) of 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride . the resulting mixture was stirred at 40 - 45 ° c . for 4 hours . after cooling to room temperature the mixture was washed with water , 8 % aqueous citric acid solution , water , 5 % aqueous potassium carbonate solution , water , and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 10 - 30 % ethyl acetate / methylene ) furnished example 1 as its free - base . this material was dissolved in 5 ml of 1 , 4 - dioxane to which was added an excess of 4 n hydrogen chloride in dioxane followed by 20 ml of diethyl ether . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration , washed with diethyl ether , and dried under vacuum to furnish 0 . 24 g of example 1 as its hydrochloride salt . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 37 h 53 fn 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 698 . 3751 ; found : 698 . 3770 . step 1 : to a solution of 7 . 2 g ( 53 mmol ) of 3 - fluorophenylacetonitrile ( 4 ) in 115 ml of tetrahydrofuran at 0 ° c . was added 118 ml of 1 . 00 m sodium hexamethyldisilazide in tetrahydrofuran , and this solution was stirred at 0 ° c . for 0 . 5 hour . to the solution was added 10 . 0 ml ( 161 mmol ) of iodmethane , and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours . the mixture was quenched at 0 ° c . by the addition of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution . the phases were separated , and the aqueous phase was extracted with diethyl ether . the combined organic phases were washed with brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 10 % diethyl ether / hexane ) afforded 8 . 0 g of 2 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - methylpropionitrile . nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 7 . 35 ( d of d , 1 h ), 7 . 25 ( d of d of d , 1 h ), 7 . 15 ( d of t , 1 h ), 6 . 99 ( t of d , 1 h ), 1 . 70 ( s , 6h ). step 2 : a mixture of 6 . 2 g ( 38 mmol ) of of 2 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - methylpropionitrile , 14 ml of ethanol , and 10 ml of 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was stirred at 100 ° c . for 8 hours . after cooling the mixture was diluted with water and washed with ethyl acetate . the aqueous mixture then was adjusted to ˜ ph 2 with conc . hydrochloric acid and extracted with ethyl acetate . the combined extracts were washed with brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to provide 5 . 7 g of of 2 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - methylpropionic acid ( 5 ). nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 12 . 20 ( br s , 1 h ), 7 . 32 ( d of d , 1 h ), 7 . 13 - 6 . 97 ( m , 3 h ), 1 . 41 ( s , 6h ). step 3 : to a solution of 5 . 74 g ( 36 mmol ) of 2 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - methylpropionic acid ( 5 ) in 180 ml of toluene at room temperature was added 5 . 5 ml ( 40 mmol ) of triethylamine followed by 7 . 8 ml ( 36 mmol ) of diphenylphosphoryl azide . the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 0 . 5 hour , heated slowly to reflux over 0 . 5 hour , and then heated at reflux for 2 hours . the mixture was allowed to cooled to 40 ° c ., 20 ml of tert - butanol was added , and the resulting mixture was heated at reflux for another 20 hours . after cooling the mixture was concentrated under vacuum , and the residue was dissolved in diethyl ether . this solution was washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution , water , and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 20 % ethyl acetate / hexane ) furnished 4 . 0 g of n - boc - 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethylamine . nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 7 . 27 ( d of d , 1 h ), 7 . 16 ( d of d of d , 1 h ), 7 . 09 ( d of t , 1 h ), 6 . 90 ( t of d , 1 h ), 4 . 95 ( br s , 1 h ), 1 . 60 ( s , 6 h ), 1 . 40 ( s , 9 h ). step 4 : to a solution of 4 . 0 g ( 15 . 8 mmol ) of n - boc - 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethylamine in 10 ml of ethyl acetate at room temperature was added 15 ml of 4 n hydrogen chloride in dioxane . the solution then was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours . the solution then was concentrated under vacuum , and the residue was diluted with diethyl ether . the resulting suspension was filtered , and the solids were washed with diethyl ether and then dried to furnish 2 . 67 g of 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethylamine ( 6 ) as its hydrochloride salt . nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 9 . 02 ( br s , 3 h ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 29 ( m , 3 h ), 7 . 02 ( t of d , 1 h ), 1 . 81 ( s , 6 h ). step 5 : to a mixture of 2 . 67 g ( 13 . 2 mmol ) of 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethylamine hydrochloride ( 6 ) and 4 . 0 g ( 30 mmol ) of potassium carbonate in 40 ml of acetonitrile at room temperature was added slowly 1 . 25 ml ( 13 mmol ) of methyl bromoacetate . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours and then filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum , and the residue was dissolve in ethyl acetate . this solution was washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution , water , and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 20 % ethyl acetate / hexane ) provided 1 . 8 g of n -[ 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethyl ] glycine , methyl ester ( 7 ). nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 29 ( d of d , 1 h ), 7 . 21 - 7 . 11 ( m , 2 h ), 6 . 92 ( t of d , 1 h ), 3 . 69 ( s , 3 h ), 3 . 17 ( s , 2 h ), 1 . 46 ( s , 6 h ). step 6 : to a solution of 1 . 8 g ( 8 mmol ) of n -[ 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethyl ] glycine , methyl ester ( 7 ) in 40 ml of tetrahydrofuran at room temperature was added a solution of 0 . 67 g ( 16 mmol ) of lithium hydroxide monhydrate in 10 ml of water . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours . the mixture was concentrated under vacuum to ˜ 5 ml of volume , adjusted to ph 2 with hydrochloric acid , and then diluted with brine . this mixture was extracted with 3 : 1 chloroform / isopropanol . the combined extracts were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to afford 1 . 76 g of n -[ 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethyl ] glycine ( 3 ) as its hydrochloride salt . nmr ( 300 mhz , dmso - d 6 ) δ 7 . 56 - 7 . 45 ( m , 3 h ), 7 . 27 ( t of d , 1 h ), 3 . 50 ( s , 2 h ), 1 . 72 ( s , 6 h ). step 1 : to a solution of 1000 ml of isobutylamine and 1000 ml of isopropanol at room temperature was added 500 g of the commercially - available epoxide ( 8 ), and the resulting mixture was heated to reflux for 1 hour . after cooling , the mixture was concentrated under vacuum , and the residue was triturated with 1000 ml of heptane . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration , washed with heptane , and dried to provide 625 g of the aminoalcohol ( 9 ). step 2 : to a solution of 100 g ( 300 mmol ) of aminoalcohol ( 9 ) in 500 ml of isopropyl acetate was added a solution of 83 g ( 600 mmol ) of potassium carbonate in 500 ml of water . the two - phase mixture was vigorously stirred and heated to 50 ° c ., and a solution of 69 g ( 312 mmol ) of 4 - nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride in 200 ml of isopropyl acetate then was added , while the reaction mixture was maintained at 50 ° c . finally , the mixture was stirred at 50 ° c . for another 0 . 25 hour . after cooling , the phases were separated , and the organic phase was washed with water and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and filtered . the resulting solution was heated to reflux (˜ 85 ° c . ), and 34 . 3 g ( 360 mmol ) of methanesulfonic acid was added dropwise over 0 . 5 hour . the mixture was heated at reflux for another 0 . 5 hour and then allowed to cool to room temperature . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration , washed with isopropyl acetate , and dried to afford 140 g of sulfonamide ( 10 ) as its methanesulfonate salt . mass spec . : m / e 422 ( m + h ) + . step 3 : to a suspension of 60 g ( 116 mmol ) of the product of step 2 , 29 . 4 g ( 128 mmol ) of n - boc - l - tert - leucine , and 19 . 8 g ( 150 mmol ) of 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole in 540 ml of ethyl acetate at room temperature was added 74 ml ( 382 mmol ) of triethylamine followed by 26 . 4 g ( 139 mmol ) of 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride . the resulting mixture was stirred at 40 ° c . for 2 . 5 hours . after cooling to room temperature the mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate . this solution was washed with 5 % aqueous potassium carbonate solution , water , 8 % aqueous citric acid solution , water , and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . the residue was dissolved in 900 ml of ethyl acetate . to this solution was added 7 . 40 g ( 150 mmol ) of methanesulfonic acid , and the mixture was heated at reflux for 4 hours . after cooling , the suspension was filtered , and the recovered solids were washed with ethyl acetate and dried to furnish 65 g of 1 as its methanesulfonate salt . mass spec . : m / e 535 ( m + h ) + . this compound was prepared as described for example 1 employing α , α - dimethylbenzylamine as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 37 h 54 n 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 680 . 3846 ; found : 680 . 3843 . this compound was prepared as described for example 1 employing 4 - fluorophenylacetonitrile as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 37 h 53 fn 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 698 . 3751 ; found : 698 . 3762 . this compound was prepared as described for example 1 employing 3 , 5 - difluorophenylacetonitrile as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 37 h 52 f 2 n 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 716 . 3657 ; found : 716 . 3681 . this compound was prepared as described for example 1 employing 3 - methoxyphenylacetonitrile as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 56 n 5 o 6 s ( m + h ) + : 710 . 3951 ; found : 710 . 3933 . this compound was prepared as described for example 1 employing n - boc - valine as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 36 h 51 fn 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 684 . 3595 ; found : 684 . 3586 . part 1 : to a suspension of 3 . 2 g ( 5 . 0 mmol ) of 1 , 1 . 17 g ( 5 . 5 mmol ) of n -[ 1 -( 3 - fluorophenyl )- 1 - methylethyl ] glycine ( 3 ) from example 1 , and 0 . 75 g ( 5 . 5 mmol ) of 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole in 50 ml of ethyl acetate at room temperature was added 2 . 30 ml ( 16 . 5 mmol ) of triethylamine followed by 1 . 2 g ( 5 . 5 mmol ) of 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride . the resulting mixture was stirred at 40 ° c . for 2 . 5 hours . after cooling to room temperature the mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate . this solution was washed with 5 % aqueous potassium carbonate solution , water , 8 % aqueous citric acid solution , water , and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 10 - 50 % ethyl acetate / methylene chloride ) provided 3 . 5 g of 11 . mass spec . : m / e 728 ( m + h ) + . step 2 : to a mixture of 3 . 5 g ( 4 . 8 mmol ) of 11 and 2 . 0 g ( 14 . 5 mmol ) of potassium carbonate in dimethylformamide at room temperature was added 0 . 77 ml ( 7 . 5 mmol ) of thiophenol , and the reaction mixture then was stirred at room temperature for 2 . 5 hours . the mixture was poured into ethyl acetate , and the resulting solution was washed repeatedly with water and then brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 10 % methanol / methylene chloride ) furnished 2 . 0 g of 12 . mass spec . : m / e 543 ( m + h ) + . step 3 : a mixture of 0 . 22 g ( 0 . 4 mmol ) of 12 , 0 . 14 g ( 0 . 6 mmol ) of quinoline - 6 - sulfonyl chloride , and 0 . 55 g ( 4 . 0 mmol ) of potassium carbonate in 4 ml of ethyl acetate and 4 ml of water was stirred at room temperature for 16 hours . the mixture then was diluted with ethyl acetate , and the resulting solution was washed twice with water and then brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to provide example 7 as its free - base . to a solution of this material in 10 ml of ethyl acetate at room temperature was added an excess of 4 n hydrogen chloride in dioxane . the resulting mixture was diluted by slowly adding 40 ml of diethyl ether . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration , washed with diethyl ether , and dried under vacuum to afford 0 . 2 g of example 7 as its hydrochloride salt . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 40 h 53 fn 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 734 . 3751 ; found : 734 . 3770 . this compound was prepared as described for examples 1 and 7 employing α , α - dimethylbenzylamine as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 40 h 54 n 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 716 . 3846 ; found : 716 . 3840 . this compound was prepared as described for examples 1 and 7 employing n - boc - valine as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 39 h 51 fn 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 720 . 3595 ; found : 720 . 3603 . this compound was prepared as described for examples 1 and 7 employing n - boc - isoleucine as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 40 h 53 fn 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 734 . 3751 ; found : 734 . 3764 . this compound was prepared as described for example 7 employing indazole - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 52 fn 6 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 723 . 3704 ; found : 723 . 3727 . this compound was prepared as described for example 7 employing benzothiazole - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 51 fn 5 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 740 . 3316 ; found : 740 . 3331 . this compound was prepared as described for examples 1 and 7 employing n - boc - valine and benzothiazole - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting materials . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 37 h 49 fn 5 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 726 . 3159 ; found : 726 . 3136 . this compound was prepared as described for examples 1 and 7 employing n - boc - isoleucine and benzothiazole - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting materials . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 51 fn 5 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 740 . 3316 ; found : 740 . 3308 . this compound was prepared as described for examples 1 and 7 employing α , α - dimethylbenzylamine and benzothiazole - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting materials . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 52 n 5 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 722 . 3410 ; found : 722 . 3416 . a mixture of 0 . 30 g ( 0 . 4 mmol ) of example 1 , 1 . 05 g of potassium thiocyanate , 0 . 84 g of copper ( ii ) sulfate , and 5 ml of methanol was heated at reflux for 2 hours . after cooling , the mixture was filtered , diluted with 5 ml of water , and heated at reflux for another 1 hour . finally , the mixture was diluted with 8 ml of ethanol , allowed to cool to room temperature , and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum , and the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate . the organic solution was washed twice with an aqueous ammonium chloride / ammonia buffer followed by brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 2 - 5 % methanol / methylene chloride ) provided the pure product as its free - base . this material was dissolved in 5 ml of 1 , 4 - dioxane to which was added excess of 4 n hydrogen chloride in dioxane followed by ˜ 20 ml of diethyl ether . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration , washed with diethyl ether , and dried under vacuum to afford example 16 as its hydrochloride salt . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 52 fn 6 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 755 . 3425 ; found : 755 . 3426 . this product was prepared from example 2 as described for example 16 . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 53 n 6 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 737 . 3519 ; found : 737 . 3544 . step 1 : to a solution of 0 . 37 g ( 0 . 5 mmol ) of 13 ( prepared as described for example 7 employing 4 - methyl - 3 - nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride as starting material ) in 10 ml of ethanol and 2 ml of conc . aqueous ammonium hydroxide at room temperature was added a solution of 0 . 70 g ( 4 mmol ) of sodium dithionite in 4 ml of water , and the reaction mixture then was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours . the resulting mixture was diluted with water and then extracted with ethyl acetate . the combined extracts were washed with water and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 20 - 50 % ethyl acetate / methylene chloride ) afforded 0 . 24 g of example 18 as its free - base . to a solution of this material in 10 ml of ethyl acetate was added an excess of 4 n hydrogen chloride in dioxane . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration , washed with diethyl ether , and dried under vacuum to provide 0 . 14 g of example 18 as its hydrochloride salt . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 55 fn 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 712 . 3908 ; found : 712 . 3918 . this compound was prepared as described for examples 1 and 7 employing n - boc - s - methylpenicillamine and quinoline - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting materials . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 40 h 53 fn 5 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 766 . 3472 ; found : 766 . 3476 . to a solution of 5 . 09 g ( 34 . 1 mmol ) of penicillamine and 12 ml of 6 n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution in 75 ml of 1 , 4 - dioxane and 25 ml of water at 0 ° c . was added 2 . 35 ml ( 37 . 6 mmol ) of iodomethane . the reaction mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 3 hours followed by 2 hours at room temperature . the mixture was returned to 0 ° c ., and 8 . 7 g ( 40 . 0 mmol ) of di - tert - butyl dicarbonate was added slowly . the resulting mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 1 hour followed by 14 hours at room temperature . the mixture then was concentrated under vacuum , and the residue was diluted with water . this aqueous phase was washed with diethyl ether , adjusted to ˜ ph 3 employing hydrochloric acid , and then extracted with ethyl acetate . the combined extracts were washed with brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to afford 7 . 0 g of the desired aminoacid . step 1 : to a mixture of 3 . 05 g ( 4 . 8 mmol ) of 1 , 1 . 30 g ( 5 . 3 mmol ) of n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- d - alanine hydrochloride ( 14 ), and 0 . 73 g ( 5 . 3 mmol ) of 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole in 48 ml of ethyl acetate at room temperature was added 2 . 70 ml ( 19 . 4 mmol ) of triethylamine followed by 1 . 12 g ( 5 . 8 mmol ) of 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride . the resulting mixture was stirred at 40 - 45 ° c . for 4 hours . after cooling to room temperature the mixture was washed with water , 8 % aqueous citric acid solution , water , 5 % aqueous potassium carbonate solution , water , and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 20 % ethyl acetate / methylene ) furnished 3 . 10 g of 15 . mass spec . : m / e 724 ( m + h ) + . step 2 : a mixture of 0 . 28 g of 15 , 0 . 050 g of 10 % palladium on carbon , and 10 ml of ethyl acetate was stirred at room temperature under hydrogen gas ( 1 atm .) for 18 hours . the resulting mixture was filtered through celite ®, and the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 5 % methanol / methylene chloride ) afforded 0 . 20 g of example 20 as its free - base . to this material in 3 ml of dioxane was added 1 ml of 4 n hydrogen chloride in dioxane followed by the dropwise addition of ˜ 15 ml of diethyl ether . the resulting precipitate was recovered by filtration , washed with diethyl ether , and dried under vacuum to provide 0 . 20 g of example 20 as its hydrochloride salt . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 56 n 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 694 . 4002 ; found : 694 . 4017 . step 1 : to a solution of 4 . 05 g ( 30 mmol ) of α , α - dimethylbenzylamine in 30 ml of methylene chloride at room temperature was added 2 . 50 g ( 10 mmol ) of ethyl o - trifluoromethanesulfonyl - l - lactate , and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours . the mixture was washed with water and brine , dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 0 - 5 % ethyl acetate / methylene chloride ) furnished 2 . 22 g of n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- d - alanine , ethyl ester . nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 7 . 46 ( m , 2 h ), 7 . 34 - 7 . 18 ( m , 3 h ), 4 . 04 ( quart ., 2 h ), 3 . 06 ( quart ., 1 h ), 1 . 44 ( s , 3 h ), 1 . 41 ( s , 3 h ), 1 . 22 - 1 . 17 ( m , 6 h ). step 2 : to a solution of 2 . 22 g of n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- d - alanine , ethyl ester in 25 ml of ethanol at room temperature was added an excess of 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hour . the mixture was concentrated under vaccum , and the residue was diluted with brine . the aqueous mixture was adjusted to ph 2 - 3 with conc . hydrochloric acid and then was extracted with 1 : 4 isopropanol / chloroform . the combined extracts were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to afford 1 . 40 g of n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- d - alanine hydrochloride ( 14 ). this compound was prepared as described for example 7 employing 15 from example 20 and quinoline - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting materials . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 41 h 56 n 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 730 . 4002 ; found : 730 . 4016 . this compound was prepared as described for example 7 employing 15 from example 20 and benzothiazole - 6 - sulfonyl chloride as starting materials . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 39 h 54 n 5 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 736 . 3566 ; found : 736 . 3582 . this product was prepared from example 20 as described for example 17 . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 39 h 55 n 6 o 5 s 2 ( m + h ) + : 751 . 3675 ; found : 751 . 3662 . this compound was prepared as described for example 1 employing n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- β - alanine as starting material . high - resolution mass spec . : calc &# 39 ; d for c 38 h 56 n 5 o 5 s ( m + h ) + : 694 . 4002 ; found : 694 . 4005 . step 1 : a solution of 0 . 73 g ( 5 . 4 mmol ) of α , α - dimethylbenzylamine , 0 . 59 g ( 5 . 4 mmol ) of methyl 3 - bromopropionate , and 1 . 49 g ( 10 . 8 mmol ) of potassium carbonate in 15 ml of acetonitrile and 2 . 5 ml of water was stirred at room temperature for 48 hours . the mixture was diluted with water and then extracted with ethyl acetate . the combined extracts were washed with water and brine , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated . column chromatography on silica gel ( elution : 5 % methanol / methylene chloride ) furnished 0 . 23 g of n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- β - alanine , methyl ester . nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 7 . 44 ( d , 2 h ), 7 . 33 ( t , 2 h ), 7 . 21 ( t , 1 h ), 3 . 67 ( s , 3 h ), 2 . 58 ( t , 2 h ), 2 . 44 ( t , 2 h ), 1 . 46 ( s , 6 h ). part 2 : a mixture of 0 . 22 g ( 1 . 0 mmol ) of n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- β - alanine , methyl ester , 3 ml of 1 . 0 n lithium hydroxide in water , and 3 ml of methanol was stirred at room temperature for 3 . 5 hours . the resulting mixture was concentrated to dryness under vacuum , and the residue was suspended in brine . this mixture was extracted with 9 : 1 methylene chloride / methanol , and the combined extracts were dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated to furnish 0 . 060 g of n -( 1 - phenyl - 1 - methylethyl )- β - alanine . nmr ( 300 mhz , cd 3 od ) δ 7 . 59 - 7 . 40 ( m , 5 h ), 2 . 93 ( t , 2 h ), 2 . 60 ( t , 2 h ), 1 . 80 ( s , 6 h ).	2
with reference now to the various drawing figures a description is provided of embodiments that are examples of how inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure may be practiced . it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive aspects disclosed herein . it will also be appreciated that while the inventive concepts disclosed herein are often described using stents as exemplary implants these inventive concepts are not limited to stents or to the particular stent configurations disclosed herein , but are instead applicable to any number of different implant configurations . in this specification various drawing figures and descriptions are provided of embodiments that are examples of stretchable implants , that is , implants that can be lengthened from a shorter length to a longer length , generally by applying a tensile force to the ends of the implant . it is contemplated that the implants described in the examples can also be used as shortenable implants , that is , implants that can be compressed from a longer length to a shorter length by applying a compressile force to the ends of the implant . it is further contemplated that the implant delivery catheters , systems , and methods described for use with stretchable implants are equally useful when applied to shortenable implants . fig1 a and 1b illustrate stretchable implant 10 comprised of struts 12 , bridges 14 , and one or more tab 16 at each end 10 b , 10 a of implant 10 . the implant is shown cut longitudinally and laid flat . while eight rows of struts are illustrated in fig1 a and 1b it is understood that any number greater than two rows of struts are suitable for the disclosure . similarly , while fifteen struts per row are illustrated in fig1 a and 1b it is understood that any number greater than three struts per row are suitable for the disclosure . the perimeters enclosed by struts and bridges define cells 18 . struts are joined at bend regions 13 . in some embodiments tabs 16 are comprised of holes therethrough having markers 17 attached to tabs . tabs 16 interlock with retainers of stretchable implant delivery catheter ( discussed below ). implant 10 can be stretched along axis a by stretchable implant delivery catheter ( also discussed below ). implant 10 has length l and circumference c , and includes a plurality of struts 12 . at least some of the struts 12 have bend regions 13 without tabs 16 , or free terminal ends 15 that define proximal and distal ends 10 a and 10 b of implant 10 . implant 10 includes interlock geometry in the form of tabs 16 attached to or integral to one or more free terminal ends 15 of struts 12 . the tabs 16 project outwardly from the struts 12 in a circumferential direction ( i . e . in a direction coinciding with the circumference c of the implant 10 ). markers 17 are located adjacent the proximal or distal ends 10 a , 10 b or both of implant 10 and may be located at any position along the length of the stent between the proximal and distal stent ends 10 a , 10 b . markers 17 can be attached to implant 10 by techniques such as adhesives , heat fusion , interference fit , fasteners , intermediate members , as coatings , or by other techniques . in one embodiment , markers 17 are comprised of radiopaque materials press fit into a through - hole provided in tab 16 . in one embodiment , shown in fig1 a and 1b , the tabs are circular enlargements . it will be appreciated that other shapes and other interlock configurations could also be used . suitable designs of tabs 16 and markers 17 include but are not limited to those described in fig6 a , 6 b , 7 to 13 , 14 a , 14 b , 15 a and 15 b and related discussions thereof in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 623 , 518 entitled “ implant delivery system with interlock ”, and include but are not limited to those described in fig4 to 15 and related discussions thereof in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 814 , 746 entitled “ implant delivery system with marker interlock ”, the contents of which being incorporated in their entirety herein by reference for all purposes . in other embodiments markers 17 are comprised of ultrasonic markers , mri safe markers , or other markers . in one embodiment ultrasonic markers 17 permit a physician to accurately determine the position of implant 10 within a patient under ultrasonic visualization . ultrasonic visualization is especially useful for visualizing implant 10 during non - invasive follow - up and monitoring . materials for ultrasonic marker 17 have an acoustical density sufficiently different from implant 10 to provide suitable visualization via ultrasonic techniques . exemplary materials comprise polymers ( for metallic stents ), metals such as tantalum , platinum , gold , tungsten and alloys of such metals ( for polymeric or ceramic stents ), hollow glass spheres or microspheres , and other materials . in another embodiment mri safe markers permit a physician to accurately determine the position of implant 10 within a patient under magnetic resonance imaging . mri visualization is especially useful for visualizing implant 10 during non - invasive follow - up and monitoring . exemplary materials for making mri safe marker 17 have a magnetic signature sufficiently different from implant 10 to provide suitable visualization via mri techniques . exemplary materials comprise polymers ( for metallic stents ), metals such as tantalum , platinum , gold , tungsten and alloys of such metals ( for polymeric or ceramic stents ), non - ferrous materials , and other materials . implant 10 may be comprised of metal , polymer , ceramic , permanent enduring materials , and may comprise either of or both of non - bioabsorbable and bioabsorbable materials . exemplary materials include but are not limited to nitinol , stainless steel , cobalt chromium alloys , elgiloy , magnesium alloys , polylactic acid , poly glycolic acid , poly ester amide ( pea ), poly ester urethane ( peu ), amino acid based bioanalogous polymers , tungsten , tantalum , platinum , polymers , bio - polymers , ceramics , bio - ceramics , or metallic glasses . part or all of implant 10 may elute over time substances such as drugs , biologics , gene therapies , antithrombotics , coagulants , anti - inflammatory drugs , immunomodulator drugs , anti - proliferatives , migration inhibitors , extracellular matrix modulators , healing promoters , re - endothelialization promoters , or other materials . in one embodiment , implant 10 is comprised of shape memory urethane polymer . implant 10 can be manufactured by forming cells 18 through the wall of the tube , by means such as laser cutting , electrochemical etching , grinding , piercing , or other means . in some embodiments implant 10 is formed by electroforming . in one embodiment , implant 10 can be manufactured by cutting ( e . g ., laser cutting ) the various features from a solid tube of superelastic nitinol metal . in some embodiments implant 10 is finished by processes to remove slag ( such as microgrit blasting ), to remove implant material having a heat affected zone or other imperfections ( e . g . by electropolishing ), and to render surface of implant 10 more resistant to corrosion ( e . g . by surface passivation ). in other embodiments implant 10 may be comprised of intertwined , joined , or non - woven filaments . in some embodiments filaments are braided , woven , knitted , circular knitted , compressed , or otherwise fabricated into a porous mesh structure having cells 18 . filaments may be joined at one or more filament crossings by sintering , bonding , soldering , fusing , welding , or other means . implant 10 may have one or more of the following characteristics : self expanding , self contracting , balloon expandable , and shape memory . in one embodiment implant 10 is comprised of balloon expandable stainless steel alloy . in another embodiment implant 10 is comprised of superelastic nitinol struts 12 and non - superelastic malleable bridges 14 . in various embodiments implant 10 is a stent , a stent graft , a mesh covered stent , or other implants . implant 10 has un - stretched length l 1 as illustrated in fig1 a and stretched length l 2 as illustrated in fig1 b . in the examples of fig1 a and 1b bridges 14 can be lengthened along axis a in response to tensile force applied to ends 10 a , 10 b of implant 10 . lengthening of implant 10 causes bridges 14 to align in a direction more parallel with stent axis a , thereby increasing distance d 3 between free terminal ends and causing a small offset 11 between adjacent rows of struts 12 . lengthening of contracted implant 10 causes little or no change in stretched circumference c 2 as compared to un - stretched circumference c 1 . in some embodiments lengthened implants remain lengthened after removal of the tensile forces which caused the implant to lengthen . implants are envisioned which can be lengthened any incremental amount up to the maximum stretched length of the implant . implants having a maximum stretched length l 2 from 3 % to 50 % greater than the implant un - stretched length l 1 are contemplated . in one embodiment , implant 10 has a maximum stretched length 5 % greater than the implant un - stretched length . in other embodiments , implant 10 has a maximum stretched length 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 35 %, 40 %, or 45 % greater than the implant un - stretched length . implants having a stretched circumference c 2 within 0 % to 10 % of un - stretched circumference c 1 are contemplated . in one embodiment , implant 10 has a maximum stretched circumference within 9 % of the implant un - stretched circumference . in other embodiments , implant 10 has a maximum stretched circumference within 1 %, 2 %, 3 %, 4 %, 5 %, 6 %, 7 %, or 8 % of the implant un - stretched circumference . in some embodiments of stretchable implants , for example a metallic arterial stent , it is desirable to have the percentage of vessel inner wall area that is covered by the expanded metal stent (“ percent metal coverage ”) to fall within a pre - programmed range . in one example a 6 mm diameter by 100 mm long ( 6 × 100 ) stent is designed to be lengthened only by a maximum of 29 %, to have a pre - programmed average percent metal coverage of 14 % at the nominal size of 6 × 100 and to have a percent metal coverage of 14 - 18 % over its indicated usable range . as illustrated in fig3 a , the exemplary stent , deployed at 100 mm long in a 6 mm vessel , has 14 % metal coverage . the exemplary stent , deployed at 100 mm long in a 4 . 7 mm vessel , has 18 % metal coverage (( 14 %/ 18 %)* 6 mm = 4 . 7 mm ). the exemplary stent , deployed at 129 mm long in a 4 . 7 mm vessel , has 14 % metal coverage (( 18 %/ 14 %)* 100 mm = 129 mm ) and deployed at 129 mm long in a 3 . 7 mm vessel , has 18 % metal coverage (( 14 %/ 18 %)* 4 . 7 mm = 3 . 7 mm ). the shaded region s 1 in fig3 a describes the indicated usable range of this exemplary stent when stretched . stents deployed in vessels having a length and diameter combination within shaded region s 1 will have percent metal coverage of 14 - 18 %. in another example a 6 mm diameter by 100 mm long ( 6 × 100 ) stent is designed to be deployed in vessels having a limited diameter range ( 6 mm to 5 . 3 mm ), be mainly stretchable but to a limited extent contractable , to have a pre - programmed average percent metal coverage of 14 % at the nominal size of 6 × 100 , and to have a percent metal coverage of 14 - 18 % over it &# 39 ; s indicated usable range . as illustrated in fig3 b , the exemplary stent , deployed at 100 mm long in a 6 mm vessel , has 16 % metal coverage . the exemplary stent , deployed at 114 mm long in a 6 mm vessel , has 18 % metal coverage , and deployed at 88 mm long in a 6 mm vessel , has 14 % metal coverage . the exemplary stent , deployed at 100 mm long in a 5 . 3 mm vessel , has 18 % metal coverage and deployed at 129 mm long in a 5 . 3 mm vessel , has 14 % metal coverage . the shaded region s 2 in fig3 b describes the indicated usable range of this exemplary stent when stretched and the shaded region c 2 in fig3 b describes the indicated usable range of this exemplary stent when contracted . stents deployed in vessels having a length and diameter combination within shaded regions s 2 and c 2 will have percent metal coverage of 14 - 18 %. in other embodiments of stretchable implants it is desirable for a plurality of repeating units , such as a cell 18 , to have similar or the same axial and radial expansion or contraction characteristics , or both . in one embodiment the implant has similar axial and radial cellular expansion characteristics so that the implant will uniformly stretch and will uniformly expand . in fig4 a and 4b , cell 18 of implant 10 is represented by cell 48 . cell 48 is shown unexpanded , cut longitudinally and laid flat . in one embodiment of implant 10 , when the implant is expanded , representative cell 48 will expand from length 41 to length 42 with little or no change to axial dimension 46 ( fig4 a ). in another embodiment ( fig4 b ), when implant 10 is first stretched and then expanded , representative cell 48 will first stretch from axial dimension 46 to axial dimension 47 with little or no change to length 41 , and will then expand from length 41 to length 42 with little or no change to axial dimension 47 . ratio &# 39 ; s of expanded cell length 42 to unexpanded cell length 41 of from 200 % to 800 % are contemplated . in one embodiment , implant 10 has a ratio of expanded cell length to unexpanded cell length of 300 %. in other embodiments , implant 10 has a ratio of expanded cell length to unexpanded cell length of 350 %, 400 %, 450 %, 500 %, 550 %, 600 %, 675 %, or 750 %. ratio &# 39 ; s of stretched cell axial dimension 47 to unstretched cell axial dimension 46 of from 3 % to 50 % are contemplated . in one embodiment , implant 10 has a ratio of stretched cell axial dimension to unstretched cell axial dimension of 5 %. in other embodiments , implant has a ratio of stretched cell axial dimension to unstretched cell axial dimension of 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 35 %, 40 %, or 45 %. fig2 a to 2e illustrate alternate embodiments of stretchable implants . fig2 a illustrates stretchable implant 20 a comprised of struts 12 a , bridges 14 a , and one or more tabs 16 having markers 17 . the implant is shown partially expanded , cut longitudinally and laid flat . the perimeter of struts and bridges define cells 18 a . struts are joined at bend regions 13 a . implant 20 a has substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as implant 10 described above in conjunction with fig1 a , 1 b , 3 a , 3 b , 4 a , and 4 b . implant 20 a can be stretched along axis a by stretchable implant delivery catheter ( discussed below ). in one embodiment cross sectional area of bridges 14 a normal to axis a is less than cross sectional area of struts 12 a normal to axis a and less than cross sectional area of tabs 16 normal to axis a . in one embodiment bridges are locally thinned using processes such as electroetching with or without use of masks , grinding , polishing , laser ablation , or other processes . in another embodiment strut thickness is selectively increased by stiffening a particular region by means of an additive process such as plating , electrodeposition , sputtering , coating , or other processes . in another embodiment yield force of bridges 14 a normal to axis a is less than yield force of struts 12 a normal to axis a and less than yield force of tabs 16 normal to axis a . in a further embodiment cross sectional area of bridges 14 a normal to axis a is less than cross sectional area of struts 12 a normal to axis a and less than cross sectional area of tabs 16 normal to axis a and yield force of bridges 14 a normal to axis a is less than yield force of struts 12 a normal to axis a and less than yield force of tabs 16 normal to axis a . in some embodiments one or more bridge 14 a is comprised of malleable material such as annealed metal , engineering polymer , or other materials . annealed metal may be produced by selectively heating bridges 14 a using processes such as laser heating , electrical resistive heating , inductive heating , or other processes . in use , when tension is applied to implant 20 a bridges 14 a lengthen in the direction of axis a ( i . e . dimension 21 increases ) but struts 12 a and tabs 16 do not lengthen in the direction of axis a . in some embodiments bridges 14 a are permanently deformed by the applied tensile forces . after implant lengthening the implant is radially expanded . in one embodiment implant 20 a is a self expanding stent and the stent is allowed to self - expand by means of sheath removal . in another embodiment implant 20 a is a balloon expandable stent and the stent is expanded by means of balloon inflation . during implant 20 a stretching and expansion implant dimensional changes fall within the ranges disclosed for implant 10 ( above ). fig2 b and 2c illustrate stretchable implants 20 b , 20 c comprised of struts 12 b , 12 c , bridges 14 b , 14 c , and one or more tabs 16 having markers 17 . the implants are shown partially expanded , cut longitudinally and laid flat . the perimeter of struts and bridges define cells 18 b , 18 c . struts are joined at bend regions 13 b , 13 c . implant 20 a has substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as implant 10 described above in conjunction with fig1 a , 1 b , 3 a , 3 b , 4 a , and 4 b . implants 20 b and 20 c can be stretched along axis a by stretchable implant delivery catheter ( discussed below ). bridges 14 b , 14 c are comprised of a serpentine shape and one or more gap 23 . the perimeter of struts and bridges define cells 18 b , 18 c . struts are joined at bend regions 13 b , 13 c . fig2 b illustrates stretchable implant 20 b comprised of bridges 14 b having one gap 23 and fig2 c illustrates stretchable implant 20 c comprised of bridges 14 c having three gaps 23 . in other embodiments bridges can have serpentine shapes with any number of bends and lengths along circular perimeter of stent . bridges can also join one or more bend regions radially adjacent to each other or can join one or more bend regions radially offset from each other . in some embodiments one or more bridge 14 b , 14 c is comprised of malleable material such as annealed metal , engineering polymer , or other material . in one embodiment yield force of bridges 14 b , 14 c normal to axis a is less than yield force of struts 12 b , 12 c normal to axis a and less than yield force of tabs 16 normal to axis a . in some embodiments one or more bridge 14 b , 14 c is comprised of malleable material such as annealed metal , produced by selectively heating bridges 14 a using processes such as laser heating , electrical resistive heating , inductive heating , or other processes . in another embodiment bridges are locally thinned using processes such as electroetching with or without use of masks , chemical milling , edm , grinding , polishing , laser ablation , or other processes . in use , when tension is applied to implant 20 b , 20 c gap ( s ) 23 in bridges 14 b , 14 c widen in the direction of axis a but struts 12 b , 12 c and tabs 16 do not elongate in direction of axis a . in some embodiments bridges 14 b , 14 c are permanently deformed by the applied tensile forces . after implant lengthening the implant is radially expanded . in one embodiment implant 20 b , 20 c is a self expanding stent and the stent is allowed to self - expand by means of sheath removal . in another embodiment implant 20 b , 20 c is a balloon expandable stent and the stent is expanded by means of balloon inflation . during implant 20 b , 20 c stretching and expansion implant dimensional changes fall within the ranges disclosed for implant 10 ( above ). fig2 d and 2e illustrate stretchable implant 20 d comprised of struts 12 d , bridges 14 d , and one or more tabs 16 having markers 17 . the implant is shown cut longitudinally and laid flat , also the implant is shown partially expanded in fig2 d and contracted to a delivery configuration in fig2 e . the perimeter of struts and bridges define cells 18 d . struts are joined at bend regions 13 d and follow a serpentine path along their length with one or more bend regions 24 along the length of each strut . implant 20 d has substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as implant 10 described above in conjunction with fig1 a , 1 b , 3 a , 3 b , 4 a , and 4 b . implant 20 d can be stretched along axis a by stretchable implant delivery catheter ( discussed below ). in some embodiments one or more bend region 24 is comprised of malleable material such as annealed metal . in one embodiment yield force of bend region 24 normal to axis a is less than yield force of struts 12 d normal to axis a and less than yield force of tabs 16 normal to axis a . in some embodiments one or more bend region 24 is comprised of malleable material such as annealed metal , produced by selectively heating bend region 24 using processes such as laser heating , electrical resistive heating , inductive heating , or other processes . in another embodiment bend points are locally thinned using processes such as electroetching with or without use of masks , grinding , polishing , laser ablation , or other processes . in use , when tension is applied to implant 20 d struts 12 d straighten and lengthen in the direction of axis a due to deformation in bend regions 24 . tabs 16 do not lengthen when tension is applied . in some embodiments bend regions 24 are permanently deformed by the applied tensile forces . after implant lengthening the implant is radially expanded . in one embodiment implant 20 d is a self expanding stent and the stent is allowed to self - expand by means of sheath removal . in another embodiment implant 20 d is a balloon expandable stent and the stent is expanded by means of balloon inflation . during implant 20 d stretching and expansion implant dimensional changes fall within the ranges disclosed for implant 10 ( above ). fig2 f illustrates a portion of stretchable implant 20 f comprised of struts 12 f , bridges 14 f , proximal end 25 a ( not shown ), distal end 25 b , and one or more tabs 16 having markers 17 . the implant is shown contracted to a delivery configuration , cut longitudinally and laid flat . the perimeter of struts and bridges define cells 18 f . struts are joined at bend regions 13 f , are malleable at least in part , and are oriented at twist angle α relative to axis a . implant 20 f has substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as implant 10 described above in conjunction with fig1 a , 1 b , 3 a , 3 b , 4 a , and 4 b . in one embodiment torsional yield force of struts 12 f and bridges 14 f is less than torsional yield force of tabs 16 . in some embodiments one or more strut 12 f and bridge 14 f is comprised of malleable material such as annealed metal , produced by selectively heating strut 12 f and / or bridge 14 f using processes such as laser heating , electrical resistive heating , inductive heating , or other processes . in another embodiment struts 12 f and / or bridges 14 f are locally thinned using processes such as electroetching with or without use of masks , grinding , polishing , laser ablation , or other processes . implant 20 f can be lengthened along axis a by stretchable implant delivery catheter ( discussed below ) by twisting proximal end 25 a ( not shown ) relative to distal end 25 b in a direction that reduces twist angle α . in one embodiment , a stent having a length of 71 mm when α = 45 ° can be lengthened by any incremental amount by twisting proximal end 25 a ( not shown ) relative to distal end 25 b in a direction that reduces twist angle α , to a maximum length when α = 0 °. for one embodiment where implant 20 f is a 100 mm long stent when fully stretched , fig2 g illustrates stent length vs . stent twist angle . in use , when proximal end 25 a ( not shown ) of implant 20 f is twisted relative to distal end 25 b of implant in a direction that reduces twist angle α , struts 12 f become oriented in a direction more parallel to axis a , thereby lengthening the implant the direction of axis a . in some embodiments malleable struts 12 f and bend regions 13 f are permanently deformed by the applied torsional forces . after implant lengthening the implant is radially expanded . in one embodiment implant 20 f is a self expanding stent and the stent is allowed to self - expand by means of sheath removal . in another embodiment implant 20 f is a balloon expandable stent and the stent is expanded by means of balloon inflation . during implant 20 f stretching and expansion implant dimensional changes fall within the ranges disclosed for implant 10 ( above ). in some embodiments the implant when stretched will lengthen preferentially in certain regions along the length of the implant . for example , implants 10 , 20 a , 20 b and 20 c tend to lengthen in the region adjacent to bridges 14 , 14 a , 14 b and 14 c respectively . when expanded , implants 10 , 20 a , 20 b and 20 c will have a structure that may be characterized as a series of linearly separated serpentine rings interconnected by axial bridges . in one example deployed implants 10 , 20 a , 20 b and 20 c are stretched more in the distal superficial femoral artery where challenging fatigue conditions are prevalent and stretched less in the mid and proximal superficial femoral artery where fatigue conditions are less challenging . in another example deployed implants 10 , 20 a , 20 b and 20 c are stretched more in the region of a previously deployed stent so as to minimize vessel stiffening in the already stiffened portion of the vessel and stretched less in the regions proximal to and distal to the previously deployed stent so as to provide adequate vessel scaffolding in the previously unstented region of the vessel . in other embodiments the implant when stretched will lengthen the majority of cells along the length of the implant . for example , each cell 18 d , 18 f of implants 20 d and 20 f tend to lengthen in similar amounts when the implant is stretched . in the case of stent implants , structures similar to implants 20 d and 20 f may be advantageous by maintaining a uniform percent metal coverage over the length of the stent . in some embodiment &# 39 ; s stretchable implant 10 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , or 20 f offers advantages when comprised of biologically active drugs in the form of coatings , bound moieties , elutable molecules , or other forms over some or all of the implant . in one embodiment a uniformly coated implant is deployed with more implant structure ( such as unstretched stent ) in one region of the treatment site and less implant structure ( such as stretched stent ) in a second region of the treatment site , thereby allowing more drug to be delivered in the first region as compared to that delivered in the second region . in another embodiment a uniformly coated implant is deployed with more implant structure in one region of the treatment site and less implant structure in a second region of the treatment site , thereby allowing the structure in the second region to be driven more deeply into the treatment site as compared to the structure in the first region , allowing different kinetics of drug delivery in the two regions . in yet another embodiment , a stretchable implant can be comprised of drugs confined in a brittle coating that is cracked on stretching of the implant . said coating can isolate reactive drugs from each other , can provide barrier functions for improved drug shelf life , can confine liquids , or have other functions . in one example a stretchable implant comprised of brittle coating is stretched prior to deployment over at least a portion of it &# 39 ; s length to alter drug release kinetics from the coating . in another example a stretchable implant comprised of brittle coating is stretched over at least a portion of it &# 39 ; s length prior to deployment to fracture reservoirs of two or more drugs that will react with one another so as to form a more desirable bioreactive species . in another example a stretchable implant comprised of brittle coating is stretched over at least a portion of its length prior to deployment to fracture reservoirs of two or more drugs that desirable are delivered simultaneously to a treatment site . fig5 a , 5 b and 5 c illustrate stretchable implant system 50 comprised of catheter 51 having stretchable stent 54 mounted on distal region 50 d of catheter . catheter 51 is comprised of catheter shaft 52 , manifold 56 , and retainers 55 p and 55 d . system 50 is configured to be advanced through the patient &# 39 ; s body lumen . in use , system 50 is sufficiently long for distal region 50 d to be placed at the deployment site in the patient &# 39 ; s body lumen with proximal region 50 p remaining external to the patient &# 39 ; s body for manipulation by an operator . working length of catheter 51 , defined as the catheter length distal to manifold 56 , is contemplated to be from 60 to 200 cm . stretchable stent 54 has proximal end 54 p , distal end 54 d , is balloon expandable , and is secured to catheter 51 by crimping the stent to a delivery diameter onto balloon 59 with interlock of stent tabs 16 into pockets of retainers 55 p and 55 d . stretchable stent 54 may be but is not limited to any of the stretchable stents 10 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , or 20 f discussed previously and unstretched stent 54 lengths of from 20 mm to 400 mm are contemplated . catheter shaft 52 is fixedly attached to proximal retainer 55 p . manifold 56 is attached to proximal region 50 p of catheter shaft 52 and provides means for attachment of a stent expansion device and means for stretching stent 54 . a guidewire channel ( not shown in fig5 a and 5b ), extending from distal region 50 d to proximal region 50 p , is optionally provided in catheter shaft 52 . fig5 c illustrates further that catheter 51 is comprised of bilumen inner member 57 having balloon inflation lumen 62 , guidewire lumen 61 , tip 58 , distal retainer 55 d , and having balloon 59 sealingly attached thereto at bonds 59 p , 59 d . tip 58 and distal retainer 55 d are fixedly attached to distal portion of bilumen inner member 57 . lumen 62 is in fluid communication with interior of balloon 59 . bilumen inner member 57 is slideable within catheter shaft 52 and attached retainer 55 p catheter shaft 52 of system 50 may have a variety of different constructions . shaft 52 may have a tubular construction adapted to resist kinking , traverse through tortuous passageways , and to transmit axial and in some embodiments torsional forces along the length of the shaft . shaft 52 may be constructed so as to have varying degrees of flexibility along its length , and may be comprised of nylon , pebax , polyester , polyurethane , pvc , peek , liquid crystal polymer , polyimide , braid reinforcement , metal reinforcement , or other materials . in one embodiment , shaft 52 has a tubular construction of braid - reinforced polyester . inner member 57 of system 50 is relatively flexible in bending , resists kinking , has high column stiffness and in some embodiments has high torsional stiffness . inner member 57 may be comprised of nylon , pebax , polyester , peek , liquid crystal polymer , polyimide , braid reinforcement , metal reinforcement , or other materials . in one embodiment , inner member 57 has a bilumen tubular configuration , defining one lumen 61 that extends through an entire length of inner member 57 and one lumen 62 that extends through most of a length of inner member 57 . this type of configuration allows the system to be passed over a guidewire for guiding the system to a desired implant deployment location and allows inflation of balloon 59 . however , in other embodiments , inner member 57 can have a single lumen configuration that provides for balloon inflation only . distal region 50 d of system 50 includes a tapered and flexible distal tip 58 that is sufficiently flexible to permit advancement of stretchable implant system 50 through a patient &# 39 ; s lumen while minimizing trauma to the walls of the patient &# 39 ; s lumen . tip 58 may be comprised of pebax , pvc silicone rubber , c - flex , polyurethane , thermoplastic elastomer , polyfluoroethylene , hydrogenated ( styrene - butadiene ) copolymer , or other materials and may be connected to inner member 57 by bonding , overmolding , adhesives , or other means . proximal facing edges of tip may be chamfered so as to reduce the possibility of snagging on an implant during proximal withdrawal of the tip through the implant . balloon 59 is capable of expanding a balloon expandable stent at inflation pressures as high as 10 , 14 , 18 , or 20 atmospheres and may be comprised of biaxially oriented polymers such as nylon , pebax , polyester , or other materials . balloon 59 is sealingly attached to inner member 57 at bonds 59 p and 59 d using processes such as laser welding , heat bonding , adhesive bonding , or other processes as are known to those skilled in the art . distal and proximal retainers 55 d , 55 p are attached to inner member 57 and shaft 52 respectively and have sufficient strength to stretch stent 54 without mechanical failure . distal and proximal retainers 55 d , 55 p in the form of separate pieces can be secured to inner member 57 , and proximal facing edges of distal retainer may be chamfered so as to reduce the possibility of snagging on an implant during proximal withdrawal of the retainer through the implant . retainers 55 d , 55 p can be machined , etched , stamped , formed , injection molded from thermoplastics or metals , or otherwise fabricated into the surface of a ring of metal , engineering polymer , ceramic , or other material and the ring applied to inner member 57 and shaft 52 by adhesive bonding , welding , solvent welding , fusing , or other techniques known in the art . in some embodiments one or both of distal and proximal retainers 55 d , 55 p are formed as an integral / unitary structure with inner member 57 and shaft 52 respectively . in one embodiment one or both of retainers 55 p , 55 d are provided with inclined surface 55 x that prevents tab 16 from exiting out of retainer when stent is tensioned along axis a ( fig5 d ). in another embodiment one or both of retainers 55 p , 55 d are provided with inclined surface 55 y that prevents tab 16 from exiting out of retainer when stent is compressed along axis a ( fig5 e ). in yet another embodiment one or both of retainers 55 p , 55 d are provided with inclined surfaces 55 x and 55 y that prevent tab 16 from exiting out of retainer when stent is tensioned or compressed along axis a ( fig5 f ). further , in some embodiments the minimum opening distance between inclined surfaces 55 x and 55 y is less than the corresponding dimension of tab 16 to prevent tab 16 from exiting out of retainer when stent is neither in tension nor in compression . in said embodiments stent is forced out of retainers 55 d , 55 p by the expanding force of balloon 59 against stent 54 . alternatively , pockets of retainers 55 p , 55 d can be filled with an adhesive or a space filling substance ( not shown ) to prevent exit of tab 16 from retainer 55 d , 55 p when stent is in tension , in compression , or in neither . said substance may be comprised of polymers such as polyethylene , polyurethane , polybutylene , pebax , bioabsorbable polymers such as polyethylene oxide , carbowax , malleable metals , or other materials . lumen 61 slideably receives a guidewire ( not shown ) and is dimensioned to allow low friction passage of a guidewire therewithin . guidewires suitable for use with system 50 have a nominal outer diameter of 0 . 010 ″, 0 . 012 ″, 0 . 014 ″, 0 . 018 ″, 0 . 025 ″, 0 . 035 ″, 0 . 038 ″, or other diameters . catheter shaft 52 maximum outside diameter can range from about 3 fr to about 10 fr . a catheter shaft 52 outside diameter of about 5 fr is desirable for compatibility with currently popular guide catheter ( not shown ) dimensions . in one embodiment catheter working length is about 145 cm . fig6 illustrates manifold 56 at proximal region 50 p of stretchable implant system 50 . manifold 56 is comprised of y - fitting 63 , advancer 64 , and flange 65 . outer surface of proximal most portion of inner member 57 is sealingly attached to inner wall 63 g of y - fitting 63 proximal to lumen 62 a , and outer surface of inner member 57 is sealingly attached to inner wall 63 b of y - fitting 63 distal to lumen 62 a . lumen 62 of inner member 57 is in fluid communication with lumen 62 a of y - fitting 63 and lumen 61 of inner member 57 is in fluid communication with lumen 61 a of y - fitting 63 . y - fitting 63 is comprised of standard luer fittings 66 b , 66 g at proximal end of lumens 62 a , 61 a respectively . shaft 52 is fixedly attached to flange 65 , flange is held captive within groove 64 a of advancer 64 , flange is slideable within groove 64 a and flange is slideable over inner member 57 by means of through hole 65 a . in an alternate embodiment where length of stretchable stent is changed by applying torque to the stent , flange 65 is fixedly bonded to advancer 64 . advancer is slideably attached to y - fitting 63 by means of threads 64 t and 63 t integral with advancer 64 and y - fitting 63 respectively . rotation of advancer 64 displaces catheter 52 relative to inner member 57 , causing tensile or compressile forces to be transmitted through retainers 55 p , 55 d and tabs 16 to implant 54 . in one embodiment manifold 56 is comprised of one or more indicators which display one or more of implant stretched , nominal , or compressed length . y - fitting 63 , advancer 64 , and flange 65 may be comprised of polycarbonate , polystyrene , or other materials . alternate materials for these components are generally well known in the art can be substituted for any of the non - limiting examples listed above provided the functional requirements of the component are met . inner member 57 may be sealingly attached to y - fitting 63 using adhesives , welding , or other means as are known in the art . catheter shaft 52 may be attached to flange 65 using adhesives , welding , or other means as are known in the art . advancer / y - fitting threaded connection is provided with sufficient axial travel to stretch and / or contract stent 54 over the entire design range of the stent . optionally , a strain relief ( not shown ) may be attached to catheter shaft 52 , flange 65 , or both to prevent kinking of system 50 in the region proximate flange 65 . optionally , an access port and sealing means ( not shown ) may be provided on flange 65 so that fluid can be injected into the system to displace air from the annular space between inner member 57 and catheter shaft 52 . exemplary methods of using stretchable implant system 50 in a body of a patient are now described with the assistance of fig7 a , 7 b and 7 c . while a stent is chosen as the exemplary implant in the methods it is understood that the disclosure is not limited to stent implants . using techniques well known in the art , a guidewire gw is percutaneously inserted into a patient &# 39 ; s blood vessel v and advanced to a region of interest in the patient &# 39 ; s body . using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy the diseased portion d of the vessel is identified and a stretchable stent system comprised of a stretchable stent 54 having the correct length range and diameter range for treating the diseased portion d is chosen . stretchable implant system 50 is advanced over the guidewire to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy , markers 17 at distal end 54 d of stent 54 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion d ( fig7 a ). markers 17 at proximal end 54 p of stent 54 are then imaged and by rotating advancer 64 stent 54 is stretched or contracted to the desired length as evidenced by positions of proximal and distal markers relative to disease length d ( fig7 b ). stretchable implant system 50 is held stationary , an inflation device ( not shown ) is attached to luer fitting 66 b and used to inflate balloon 59 . inflated balloon expands stent 54 into contact with lumenal wall of vessel v , and balloon is then deflated using inflation device . catheter 51 is repositioned such that balloon is within any unexpanded or underexpanded portion of stent 54 , balloon is reinflated and subsequently deflated as many times as are needed to effect satisfactory stent contact with lumenal wall of vessel v . system 50 is then withdrawn from vessel v ( fig7 c ). an alternative exemplary method of using a stretchable implant system 50 in a body of a patient is now described . using techniques well known in the art , percutaneous access to a patient &# 39 ; s blood vessel v is established . using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy the diseased portion of the vessel is identified and a stretchable stent system comprised of a stretchable stent 54 having the correct length range and diameter range for treating the diseased portion d is chosen . a guidewire is either back - loaded or front - loaded into lumen 61 of stretchable implant system 50 and the position of the guidewire is adjusted such that a short length ( typically 10 - 20 cm ) of the guidewire extends distally of tip 58 . the system / guidewire combination is advanced through the patient &# 39 ; s vessel to a region of interest in the patient &# 39 ; s body . the combination is advanced to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy markers 17 at distal end 54 d of stent 54 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion d . alternatively , the treatment site is initially crossed by further advancement of the guidewire alone , stretchable implant system 50 is subsequently advanced over the guidewire to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy , markers 17 at distal end 54 d of stent 54 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion d . markers 17 at proximal end 54 p of stent 54 are then imaged and by rotating advancer 64 stent 54 is stretched or contracted to the correct length as evidenced by positions of proximal and distal markers relative to disease length d . fitting / advancer of stretchable implant system 50 is held stationary , an inflation device is attached to luer fitting 66 b and used to inflate balloon 59 . inflated balloon expands stent 54 into contact with lumenal wall of vessel v , and balloon is then deflated using inflation device . catheter 51 is repositioned such that balloon is within any unexpanded or underexpanded portion of stent 54 , balloon is reinflated , and subsequently deflated as many times as are needed to effect satisfactory stent contact with lumenal wall of vessel v . system 50 is then withdrawn from vessel v . fig5 g and 5h illustrate stretchable implant system 50 ′, similar in many respects to stretchable implant system 50 , and comprised of catheter 51 ′ having stretchable stent 54 mounted on distal region 50 d ′ of catheter . catheter 51 ′ is comprised of catheter shaft 52 , manifold 56 ′, and retainers 55 p ′ and 55 d . system 50 ′ is configured to be advanced through the patient &# 39 ; s body lumen . in use , system 50 ′ is sufficiently long for distal region 50 d ′ to be placed at the deployment site in the patient &# 39 ; s body lumen with proximal region 50 p ′ remaining external to the patient &# 39 ; s body for manipulation by an operator . working length of catheter 51 ′, defined as the catheter length distal to manifold 56 ′, is contemplated to be from 60 to 200 cm . stretchable stent 54 has proximal end 54 p , distal end 54 d , is balloon expandable , and is secured to catheter 51 ′ by crimping the stent to a delivery diameter onto balloon 59 ′ with interlock of stent tabs 16 into pockets of retainers 55 p ′ and 55 d . stretchable stent 54 may be but is not limited to any of the stretchable stents 10 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , or 20 f discussed previously and unstretched stent 54 lengths of from 20 mm to 400 mm are contemplated . catheter shaft 52 is fixedly attached to proximal retainer 55 p ′ and corrugated balloon 59 ′ is attached to proximal retainer 55 p ′ at bond 59 p ′. manifold 56 ′ is attached to proximal region 50 p ′ of catheter shaft 52 and provides means for attachment of a stent expansion device and means for stretching stent 54 . a guidewire channel extending from distal region 50 d ′ to proximal region 50 p ′ is optionally provided in catheter shaft 52 . catheter 51 ′ is comprised of single lumen inner member 57 ′ having guidewire lumen 61 , tip 58 , distal retainer 55 d , and having balloon 59 ′ sealingly attached thereto at bond 59 d . balloon lumen 62 is formed by the annular space between the outer diameter of inner member 57 ′ and the inner diameter of catheter shaft 52 . tip 58 and distal retainer 55 d are fixedly attached to distal portion of inner member 57 ′. lumen 62 is in fluid communication with interior of balloon 59 ′. inner member 57 ′ is slideable within catheter shaft 52 and attached retainer 55 p ′. retainer 55 p ′, inner member 57 ′, and bond 59 p ′ have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as retainer 55 p , inner member 57 , and bond 59 p respectively described above in conjunction with fig5 a to 5c , as do all components having the same numbers in fig5 a to 5c and 5 g to 5 h . balloon 59 ′ is capable of expanding a balloon expandable stent at inflation pressures as high as 10 , 14 , 18 , or 20 atmospheres and has corrugations formed into the balloon during the balloon blowing process such that balloon is capable of stretching axially as stent is stretched prior to stent radial expansion . balloon 59 ′ may be comprised of biaxially oriented polymers such as nylon , pebax , polyester , polyurethane or other materials in monolithic or layered structures . balloon 59 is sealingly attached to inner member 57 at bond 59 d and to proximal retainer 55 p at bond 59 p using processes such as laser welding , heat bonding , adhesive bonding , or other processes as are known to those skilled in the art . fig5 h illustrates manifold 56 ′ at proximal region 50 p ′ of stretchable implant system 50 ′. manifold 56 ′ is comprised of y - fitting 63 ′, advancer 64 , and flange 65 ′. outer surface of proximal most portion of inner member 57 ′ is sealingly attached to inner wall 63 g of y - fitting 63 proximal to lumen 62 a . lumen 62 of catheter 51 ′ is in fluid communication with lumen 62 a of y - fitting 63 and lumen 61 of inner member 57 ′ is in fluid communication with lumen 61 a of y - fitting 63 . y - fitting 63 is comprised of standard luer fittings 66 b , 66 g at proximal end of lumens 62 a , 61 a respectively . shaft 52 is fixedly attached to flange 65 ′, flange is held captive within groove 64 a of advancer 64 , flange is slideable within groove 64 a and flange is slideable over inner member 57 by means of through hole 65 a . flange 65 ′ has proximal extension 65 b with seal 67 housed in a groove in proximal extension 65 b . seal 67 creates a fluid tight axially slideable seal between exterior diameter of proximal extension 65 b and inner diameter of counterbore 63 c in y - fitting 63 . advancer is slideably attached to y - fitting 63 by means of threads 64 t and 63 t integral with advancer 64 and y - fitting 63 respectively . rotation of advancer 64 displaces catheter 52 relative to inner member 57 ′, causing tensile or compressile forces to be transmitted through retainers 55 p , 55 d and tabs 16 to implant 54 and balloon 59 ′. in one embodiment manifold 56 is comprised of one or more indicators which display one or more of implant stretched , nominal , or compressed length . y - fitting 63 ′, advancer 64 , and flange 65 ′ have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as y - fitting 63 , advancer 64 , and flange 65 respectively described above in conjunction with fig5 a to 5c . optional strain relief , access port and sealing means , or both may be provided on flange 65 ′ as described above in conjunction with fig6 . seal 67 may be comprised of elastomeric materials such as butyl rubber , silicone rubber , viton , c - flex , pvc , polyurethane , or other materials and may be molded , cut from sheet , or made using other processes known in the art . exemplary methods of using stretchable implant system 50 ′ in a body of a patient are identical to those for stretchable implant system 50 with the following exceptions . when advancer 64 is rotated both the stent 54 and the balloon 59 ′ will be stretched or contracted . also , the initial balloon will expand substantially all of the length of the stretchable stent due to the length change of the balloon when the advancer is rotated . for this reason catheter 51 ′ may not need to be repositioned to effect satisfactory stent contact with lumenal wall of vessel v . fig8 a and 8b illustrate the distal and proximal ends respectively of an alternate embodiment of a stretchable implant system . stretchable implant system 70 is comprised of catheter 71 having stretchable stent 74 mounted on distal region 70 d of catheter . catheter 71 is comprised of catheter shaft 72 , proximal retainer 75 p , and manifold 76 . working length of catheter , defined as the catheter length distal to manifold 76 , is contemplated to be from 60 to 200 cm . catheter 71 is further comprised of inner member 77 having single lumen proximal tube 77 b , single lumen extension tube 77 s , bitumen distal tube 77 g having balloon inflation lumen 82 , having guidewire lumen 81 and having balloon 79 sealingly attached thereto at bonds 79 p and 79 d , track 77 j , tip 78 , and distal retainer 75 d . tip 78 and distal retainer 75 d are fixedly attached to distal tube 77 g . single lumen proximal tube 77 b , single lumen extension tube 77 s , and bitumen distal tube 77 g are fixedly attached to track 77 j . lumen 82 is in fluid communication with interior of balloon 79 . proximal retainer 75 p is slideable over track 77 j and extension tube 77 s is slideable within lumen 72 b of bitumen distal portion of catheter shaft 72 . guidewire lumen 81 extends from distal region 70 d of catheter to catheter port 72 s . stretchable stent 74 has proximal end 74 p , distal end 74 d , is balloon expandable , and is secured to catheter shaft 72 by crimping the stent to a delivery diameter onto balloon 79 with interlock of stent tabs 16 into pockets of retainers 75 p and 75 d . stretchable stent 74 may be but is not limited to any of the stretchable stents 10 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , or 20 f discussed previously and unstretched stent lengths of from 20 mm to 400 mm are contemplated . manifold 76 is attached to proximal region 70 p of catheter and provides means for attachment of a stent expansion device and means for stretching stent 74 . catheter shaft 72 , retainer 75 p , inner member 77 ( including tubes 77 b , 77 g , 77 s and track 77 j ), lumen 81 , balloon 79 , bonds 79 p and 79 d , tip 78 , and retainer 75 d have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as catheter shaft 52 , retainer 55 p , inner member 57 , lumen 61 , balloon 59 , bonds 59 p and 59 d , tip 58 , and retainer 55 d respectively described above in conjunction with fig5 a to 5c . track 77 j may be comprised of polymers and may be manufactured using processes such as insert molding or reflow techniques . fig8 b illustrates manifold 76 at proximal region 70 p of stretchable implant system 70 . manifold 76 is comprised of fitting 83 , advancer 84 , and flange 85 . outer surface of proximal portion of tube 77 b is sealingly attached to inner wall 83 b of fitting 83 . lumen 82 of tube 77 b is in fluid communication with lumen 82 a of fitting 83 . fitting 83 is comprised of standard luer fitting 86 b at proximal end of lumens 82 a . shaft 72 is fixedly attached to flange 85 , flange is held captive within groove 84 a of advancer 84 , flange is slideable within groove 84 a and flange is slideable over tube 77 b by means of through hole 85 a . in an alternate embodiment where length of stretchable stent is changed by applying torque to the stent , flange 85 is fixedly bonded to advancer 84 . advancer is slideably attached to fitting 83 by means of threads 84 t and 83 t integral with advancer 64 and fitting 83 respectively . rotation of advancer 84 displaces shaft 72 relative to inner member 77 , causing tensile or compressile forces to be transmitted through retainers 75 p , 75 d and tabs 16 to implant 74 . fitting 83 , advancer 84 , and flange 85 have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as y - fitting 63 , advancer 64 , and flange 65 respectively described above in conjunction with fig6 . tube 77 b and shaft 72 are attached to fitting 83 and flange 85 respectively in substantially the manner as inner member 57 and catheter 52 are attached to y - fitting 63 and flange 65 respectively described above in conjunction with fig6 . optional strain relief , access port and sealing means , or both may be provided on flange 85 as described above in conjunction with fig6 . exemplary methods of using stretchable implant system 70 are the same as the exemplary methods described above for using stretchable implant system 50 . fig9 a , 9 b and 9 c illustrate the distal and proximal portions respectively of an alternate embodiment of a stretchable implant system . stretchable implant system 90 is comprised of catheter 91 having stretchable stent 94 mounted on distal region 90 d of catheter . catheter 91 is comprised of catheter shaft 92 , retainer 95 p , manifold 96 and sheath 93 . catheter shaft 92 is fixedly attached to retainer 95 p . working length of catheter 91 , defined as the catheter length distal to handle 106 , is contemplated to be from 60 to 200 cm . catheter 91 is further comprised of inner member 97 having guidewire lumen 101 , tip 98 , and distal retainer 95 d . tip 98 and distal retainer 95 d are fixedly attached to inner member 97 . retainer 95 p is slideable over inner member 97 and sheath 93 is slideable over catheter shaft 92 and stent 94 . guidewire lumen 101 extends from distal region 90 d of catheter to manifold 96 . stretchable stent 94 has proximal end 94 p , distal end 94 d , is self expandable , and is secured to catheter 91 by compressing the stent to a delivery diameter within sheath 93 with interlock of stent tabs 16 into pockets of retainers 95 p and 95 d . stretchable stent 94 may be but is not limited to any of the stretchable stents 10 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , or 20 f discussed previously and unstretched stent lengths of 20 mm to 400 mm are contemplated . manifold 96 is attached to proximal region 90 p of catheter , provides means for withdrawal of sheath 93 from stent 94 , and provides means for stretching stent 94 . catheter shaft 92 , retainer 95 p , inner member 97 , lumen 101 , tip 98 , and retainer 95 d have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as catheter shaft 52 , retainer 55 p , inner member 57 , lumen 61 , tip 58 , and retainer 55 d respectively described above in conjunction with fig5 a to 5c . sheath is fixedly attached to handle 106 , has sufficient distal hoop strength to constrain self expanding stent 94 at a delivery diameter , has sufficient axial strength to be slid proximally off of stent 94 without damage or tensile failure , and sufficient flexibility to be advanced as part of system 90 through tortuous vessels . sheath 93 may be comprised of polyester , nylon , peek , liquid crystal polymer , polyimide , metal reinforcement , or other materials and may be manufactured at least in part by extrusion , braiding , joining of tubing lengths , or other processes known in the art . fig9 b illustrates manifold 96 at proximal region 90 p of stretchable implant system 90 . manifold 96 is comprised of fitting 103 , advancer 104 , and flange 105 . outer surface of inner member 97 is sealingly attached to inner wall 103 b of fitting 103 . lumen 101 of inner member 97 is in fluid communication with lumen 102 a of fitting 103 . fitting 103 is comprised of standard luer fitting 106 b at proximal end of lumen 102 a . shaft 92 is fixedly attached to flange 105 , flange is held captive within groove 104 a of advancer 104 , flange is slideable within groove 104 a and flange is slideable over inner member 97 by means of through hole 105 a . in an alternate embodiment where length of stretchable stent is changed by applying torque to the stent , flange 105 is fixedly bonded to advancer 104 . advancer is slideably attached to fitting 103 by means of threads 104 t and 103 t integral with advancer 104 and fitting 103 respectively . rotation of advancer 104 displaces shaft 92 relative to inner member 97 , causing tensile or compressile forces to be transmitted through retainers 95 p , 95 d and tabs 16 to implant 94 . handle 106 houses seal 107 that is sealingly slideable over shaft 92 . in a transport position , handle 106 and advancer 104 are spaced apart and sheath 93 covers stent 94 to prevent premature deployment of stent 94 . when handle 106 and advancer 104 are moved toward each other , sheath 93 slides proximally relative to catheter 92 and inner member 97 , uncovering self expanding stent 94 , thereby permitting stent to deploy by radially expansion . optionally , handle 106 may be provided with a lock ( not shown ) to limit axial movement of handle relative to catheter shaft 92 prior to deployment of stent 94 . fitting 103 , advancer 104 , and flange 105 have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as y - fitting 63 , advancer 64 , and flange 65 respectively described above in conjunction with fig6 . handle 106 may be comprised of the same materials as fitting 103 , advancer 104 , or flange 105 and may comprise an annular groove along the inner diameter to house seal 107 . seal 107 may be comprised of elastomeric materials such as butyl rubber , silicone rubber , viton , c - flex , or other materials and may be molded , cut from sheet , or made using other processes known in the art . inner member 97 and shaft 92 are attached to fitting 103 and flange 105 respectively in substantially the manner as inner member 57 and catheter 52 are attached to y - fitting 63 and flange 65 respectively described above in conjunction with fig6 . optional strain relief , access port and sealing means , or both may be provided on flange 105 or handle 106 as described above in conjunction with fig6 . optionally , system 90 is comprised of stretchable stent retainer 95 s as illustrated in fig9 c . stretchable stent retainer influences stretching characteristics of stent 94 . stretchable stent retainer is fixedly attached to distal retainer 95 d and proximal retainer 95 p by molding , fusing , adhesive bonding , welding , or other means . stretchable stent retainer is slideably attached to stent 94 by means of tabs 99 . in some embodiments , tabs 99 protrude from surface of retainer 95 s and into cells 18 , 18 a , 18 b , 18 c , 18 d , or 18 f of stents 10 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , or 20 f respectively . stretchable retainer 95 s is axially stretches uniformly along its length , preferentially along one or more localized region along it &# 39 ; s length , or at different rates along one or more localized region along it &# 39 ; s length . stretchable stent retainer may be comprised of polymers such as nylon , pebax , polyester , peek , of metals such as stainless steel , nitinol , or of other materials and may be fabricated using processes such as molding , extrusion , or other processes . in one embodiment retainer 95 s is a coextruded tube comprised of nylon 12 tabs 99 and outer shell with a 72 d pebax inner shell . stretch rate of retainer 95 s may be adjusted by varying the wall thickness of the retainer at various regions along the length of the retainer . in one embodiment retainer 95 s has a uniform wall thickness over its length and undeployed stent 94 / retainer 95 s combination uniformly stretches along it &# 39 ; s length prior to stent deployment . in another embodiment retainer 95 s has a locally thin wall thickness over the distal and proximal thirds of its length and undeployed stent 94 / retainer 95 s combination preferentially stretches along the distal and proximal regions of retainer prior to stent deployment . in yet another embodiment retainer 95 s has more one or more distinct regions of locally thin wall thickness over its length and undeployed stent 94 / retainer 95 s combination preferentially stretches at pre - programmed discrete regions along the length of the stent / retainer combination prior to stent deployment . exemplary methods of using stretchable implant system 90 in a body of a patient are now described . while a stent is chosen as the exemplary implant in the method it is understood that the disclosure is not limited to stent implants . using techniques well known in the art , a guidewire gw is percutaneously inserted into a patient &# 39 ; s blood vessel v and advanced to a region of interest in the patient &# 39 ; s body . using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy the diseased portion of the vessel is identified and a stretchable stent system comprised of a stretchable stent 94 having the correct length range and diameter range for treating the diseased portion is chosen . stretchable implant system 90 is advanced over the guidewire to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy markers 17 at distal end 94 d of stent 94 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion . markers 17 at proximal end 94 p of stent 94 are then imaged and stent 94 is stretched or contracted to the correct length by rotating advancer 104 as evidenced by positions of proximal and distal markers relative to disease length . fitting / advancer of stretchable implant system 90 is held stationary and sheath 93 is withdrawn proximally to uncover stent 94 thereby permitting stent to deploy by radial self expansion . system 90 is then withdrawn from vessel . in an alternative method , stretchable implant system 90 may be used according to the exemplary method described for using stretchable implant system 110 . fig1 a and 10b illustrate the distal and proximal portions respectively of an alternate embodiment of a stretchable implant system . stretchable implant system 110 is comprised of catheter 111 having stretchable stent 114 mounted on distal region 110 d of catheter . catheter 111 is comprised of catheter shaft 112 , extension rod 116 , proximal retainer 115 p , inner member 117 , manifold 116 and sheath 113 . catheter shaft 112 is fixedly attached to extension rod 116 and extension rod 116 is fixedly attached to retainer 115 p . the working length of catheter , defined as the catheter length distal to handle 126 , is contemplated to be from 60 to 200 cm . inner member 117 is further comprised of core rod 117 c , track 117 a , distal tube 117 b , extension tube 117 s , tip 118 , and distal retainer 115 d . tip 118 and distal retainer 115 d are fixedly attached to distal tube 117 b , distal tube 117 b is fixedly attached track 117 a , and track 117 a is fixedly attached to extension tube 117 s and core rod 117 c . guidewire lumen 121 extends from distal region 110 d of catheter to sheath port 113 s . sheath 113 is comprised of a single lumen over much of its length as well as a short bilumen portion in the vicinity of lumen 113 b . proximal retainer 115 p is slideable over track 117 a , single lumen extension tube 117 s is slideable within lumen 113 b of sheath 113 , and sheath 113 is slideable over catheter shaft 112 , retainer 115 p and stent 114 . stretchable stent 114 has proximal end 114 p , distal end 114 d , is self expandable , and is secured to catheter 111 by compressing the stent to a delivery diameter within sheath 113 with interlock of stent tabs 16 into pockets of retainers 115 p and 115 d . stretchable stent 114 may be but is not limited to any of the stretchable stents 10 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , or 20 f discussed previously and unstretched stent lengths of 20 mm to 400 mm are contemplated . manifold 116 is attached to proximal region 110 p of catheter and provides means for withdrawal of sheath 113 , thereby allowing stent self - expansion , and provides means for stretching stent 114 . optionally , a stretchable inner member ( not shown ) is fixedly attached to retainers 115 p , 115 d and slideably attached to stent 114 as described for stretchable implant system 90 . catheter shaft 112 , retainer 115 p , lumen 121 , tip 118 , and retainer 115 d have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as catheter shaft 52 , retainer 55 p , lumen 61 , tip 58 , and retainer 55 d respectively described above in conjunction with fig5 a to 5c . distal tube 117 b and extension tube 117 s have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as inner member 57 described above in conjunction with fig5 a to 5c . sheath 113 has substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as sheath 93 described above in conjunction with fig9 a to 9b . track 117 a may be comprised of polymers and may be manufactured using processes such as insert molding or reflow techniques . extension rod 116 and core rod 117 c may be comprised of metal , engineering polymer , or other materials intended to resist axial tensile and axial compressive deformation including but not limited to stainless steel , nitinol , liquid crystal polymer , peek , polyimide , metal reinforced materials , fiber reinforced materials , or other materials . sheath is fixedly attached to handle 126 , has sufficient distal hoop strength to constrain self expanding stent 114 at a delivery diameter , has sufficient axial strength to be slid proximally off of stent 114 without damage or tensile failure , sufficiently low coefficient of friction to allow for movement of the sheath across the compacted stent , and sufficient flexibility to be advanced as part of system 110 through tortuous vessels . sheath 113 may be comprised of polyester , nylon , peek , liquid crystal polymer , polyimide , metal reinforcement , or other materials and may be manufactured at least in part by extrusion , braiding , or other processes known in the art . fig1 b illustrates manifold 116 at proximal region 110 p of stretchable implant system 110 . manifold 116 is comprised of fitting 123 , advancer 124 , and flange 125 . outer surface of core rod 117 c is fixedly attached to fitting 123 . fitting 123 is comprised of handle 126 b at proximal end of fitting 123 . shaft 112 is fixedly attached to flange 125 , flange is held captive within groove 124 a of advancer 124 , flange is slideable within groove 124 a and flange is slideable over core rod 117 c by means of through hole 125 a . in an alternate embodiment where length of stretchable stent is changed by applying torque to the stent , flange 125 is fixedly bonded to advancer 124 . advancer is slideably attached to fitting 123 by means of threads 124 t and 123 t integral with advancer 124 and fitting 123 respectively . rotation of advancer 124 displaces shaft 112 relative to core rod 117 c , causing tensile or compressile forces to be transmitted through retainers 115 p , 115 d and tabs 16 to implant 114 . handle 126 houses seal 127 that is sealingly slideable over shaft 112 . in a transport position , handle 126 and advancer 124 are spaced apart and sheath 113 covers stent 114 to prevent premature deployment of stent 114 . when handle 126 and advancer 124 are moved toward each other , sheath 113 slides proximally relative to catheter 112 and core rod 117 c , uncovering self expanding stent 114 , thereby permitting stent to deploy by radial expansion . optionally , handle 126 may be provided with a user activated mechanical lock ( not shown ) to limit axial movement of handle relative to catheter shaft 112 prior to deployment of stent 114 . fitting 123 , advancer 124 , and flange 125 have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as y - fitting 63 , advancer 64 , and flange 65 respectively described above in conjunction with fig6 . handle 126 may be comprised of the same materials as fitting 123 , advancer 124 , or flange 125 and may comprise an annular groove along the inner diameter to house seal 127 . seal 127 may be comprised of elastomeric materials such as butyl rubber , silicone rubber , viton , c - flex , or other materials and may be molded , cut from sheet , or made using other processes known in the art . core rod 117 c and shaft 112 are attached to fitting 123 and flange 125 respectively in substantially the manner as inner member 57 and catheter 52 are attached to y - fitting 63 and flange 65 respectively described above in conjunction with fig6 . optional strain relief , access port and sealing means , or both may be provided on flange 125 or handle 126 as described above in conjunction with fig6 . exemplary methods of using stretchable implant system 110 in a body of a patient are now described . while a stent is chosen as the exemplary implant in the method it is understood that the disclosure is not limited to stent implants . using techniques well known in the art , percutaneous access to a patient &# 39 ; s blood vessel v is established . using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy the diseased portion of the vessel is identified and a stretchable stent system comprised of a stretchable stent 114 having the correct length range and diameter range for treating the diseased portion is chosen . a guidewire is either back - loaded or front - loaded into lumen 121 of stretchable implant system 110 and the position of the guidewire is adjusted such that a short length ( typically 10 - 20 cm ) of the guidewire extends distally of tip 118 . the system / guidewire combination is advanced through the patients vessel to a region of interest in the patient &# 39 ; s body . the combination is advanced to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy markers 17 at distal end 114 d of stent 114 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion . alternatively , the diseased portion is initially crossed by further advancement of the guidewire alone , stretchable implant system 110 is subsequently advanced over the guidewire to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy markers 17 at distal end 114 d of stent 114 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion . markers 17 at proximal end 114 p of stent 114 are then imaged and stent 114 is stretched or contracted to the correct length by rotating advancer 124 as evidenced by positions of proximal and distal markers relative to disease length . fitting / advancer of stretchable implant system 110 is held stationary and sheath 113 is withdrawn proximally to uncover stent 114 thereby permitting stent to deploy by radial self expansion . system 110 is then withdrawn from vessel . in an alternative method , stretchable implant system 110 may be used according to the exemplary method described for using stretchable implant system 90 . in a further alternative method , stretchable implant system 50 , 70 , 90 , 110 may be used advantageously during delivery of an implant through a tortuous path , for example , to a treatment site in the brain . while a stent is chosen as the exemplary implant in this method it is understood that the disclosure is not limited to stent implants . a stretchable implant system comprised of a stretchable stent of a length suitable for treatment of a diseased vessel is chosen . the stent is stretched before introduction of the system into the tortuous path so as to increase the bending flexibility of the system in the region of the unexpanded stent . for example , a stent similar to implant 20 c , when stretched , will be more flexible than when in an unstretched state due to increases in gaps 23 . the stretchable implant system is then advanced through tortuosity to the treatment site and the stent is axially contracted to the length suitable for treatment of the diseased vessel . the stent is then deployed and the system is withdrawn from the patient . fig1 illustrates the distal portion of an alternate embodiment of a stretchable implant system . stretchable implant system 120 is comprised of catheter 121 having stretchable stent 54 mounted on distal region 120 d of catheter , short balloon 129 mounted on distal region of inner member 57 , and manifold 56 ( illustrated in fig6 ). aside from the shortened length of balloon 129 as compared to balloon 59 , all components of system 120 have substantially the same construction , dimensions , and function as all components of system 50 described above in conjunction with fig5 a to 5c and fig6 . exemplary methods of using stretchable implant system 120 in a body of a patient are now described with the assistance of schematic illustrations in fig1 a to 12c . while a stent is chosen as the exemplary implant in the methods it is understood that the disclosure is not limited to stent implants . using techniques well known in the art , percutaneous access to a patient &# 39 ; s blood vessel v is established . using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy the diseased portion of the vessel is identified and a stretchable stent system comprised of a stretchable stent 54 having the correct length range and diameter range for treating the diseased portion is chosen . a guidewire is either back - loaded or front - loaded into lumen 61 of stretchable implant system 120 and the position of the guidewire is adjusted such that a short length ( typically 10 - 20 cm ) of the guidewire extends distally of tip 58 . the system / guidewire combination is advanced through the patients vessel to a region of interest in the patient &# 39 ; s body . the combination is advanced to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy markers 17 at distal end 54 d of stent 54 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion . alternatively , the diseased portion is initially crossed by further advancement of the guidewire alone , stretchable implant system 120 is subsequently advanced over the guidewire to the treatment site and by using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy markers 17 at distal end 54 d of stent 54 are positioned at a correct location relative to the diseased portion . if desired , stent 54 can be stretched by rotating advancer 64 prior to initial deployment . distal end of stent 54 is then deployed by inflating balloon 129 . stent 54 is then stretched in - situ by pulling catheter 120 proximally so that stent 54 becomes tensioned between deployed segment ( which is anchored to the vessel in an expanded form ) and proximal retainer 55 p . a stretched portion of stent 54 is then deployed over region d 1 by adjusting position of balloon 129 relative to stent and then inflating balloon 129 ( fig1 a , with one alternate balloon position shown in phantom ). stent 54 is then contracted in the vicinity of disease d 2 and the contracted portion of stent 54 is then deployed by adjusting position of balloon 129 relative to stent and then inflating balloon 129 ( fig1 b with contracted portion of stent shown by heavy line ). stent 54 is then again stretched in - situ and proximal most stretched portion of stent 54 is then deployed by adjusting position of balloon 129 relative to stent and inflating balloon 129 ( fig1 c , with one alternate balloon position shown in phantom ). system 110 is then withdrawn from vessel . optionally , fully deployed stent 54 is further expanded using a balloon long enough to extend over the entire length of the expanded stent . in an alternate exemplary method , may - thurners syndrome is treated by deploying compressed stent 54 in the region of crushed vein and deploying stretched stent 54 in the region of un - crushed vein . while the various embodiments of the present disclosure have related to stents and stent delivery systems , the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited . it will be appreciated that the various aspects of the present disclosure are also applicable to systems for delivering other types of expandable implants . by way of non - limiting example , other types of expanding implants include anastomosis devices , blood filters , grafts , vena cava filters , percutaneous valves , aneurism treatment devices , occlusion coils , or other devices . it has been shown how the objects of the disclosure have been attained in a preferred manner . modifications and equivalents of the disclosed concepts are intended to be included within the scope of the claims . further , while choices for materials and configurations may have been described above with respect to certain embodiments , one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the materials and configurations described are applicable across the embodiments .	0
the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 of the present invention is shown in fig2 of the drawings in the typical environment in which it is to be used . the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 is illustrated as being mounted relative to the valve 3 located within the water or other fluid or gas transmission line 5 and positioned beneath ground 7 , as is well known . an elongated rod 9 having suitable mating surfaces for engagement with the valve - actuator torque overload protector 1 , as will become apparent , is utilized to rotate the valve / actuator 1 , applying torque t in the direction of the arrow as shown in fig2 . by rotating or turning the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 , the valve 3 is opened or closed to open or close water fluid flow in the transmission line 5 , as will be apparent . the construction of the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 and 3 - 7 of the drawings . in fig1 the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 is shown as including an upper or driving member 11 with an integral standard two - inch awwa operating nut 13 that can be engaged by the elongated rod 9 for operating the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 . axial and radial openings 15 , 17 are provided in the operating nut 13 , to permit exposure to the adjusting screw 19 shown in fig4 of the drawings , for adjusting the amount of pre - set torque desired , as will become apparent . a set screw opening 21 is also provided in the operating nut 13 for receiving a set screw ( not shown ) for engaging and holding the adjusting screw 19 in the desired position after the desired torque adjustment has been made . the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 further includes a lower or driven member 23 having a standard two - inch awwa operating socket 25 for engagement with a complementary configured elongated rod 9 , when the member 23 becomes the driving member and the member 11 becomes the driven member . thus , as will be understood , the other end of the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 may be mounted to the valve 3 such that either member 11 or member 23 becomes the driving member . for purposes of the discussion that is to follow , the upper member 11 will be considered the driving member while the lower member 23 will be considered the driven member in the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 of the present invention , although their roles may be reversed as discussed above . it will be noted that the lower member 23 is secured to the upper member 11 by an annular ring 27 that is bolted by bolts 29 to the upper member 11 . the annular ring 27 includes an internal shoulder 31 that underlies an overhanging shoulder 33 of the lower member 23 in order to allow the annular ring 27 , through the bolts 29 , to draw and position the lower member 23 relative to the upper member 11 as illustrated in the drawings . in order to operate as a torque limiting overload protector , so as to prevent valve damage caused by the application of too much operating torque , the present invention utilizes a plurality of tapered rollers 35 as shown in fig4 of the drawings which have the roller angle as shown in fig8 of the drawings the tapered rollers 35 are circumferentially received within and supported by a retainer or drive plate 37 having a corresponding member of tapered roller openings 39 suitably large enough to accommodate the tapered rollers 35 therein without interference . as shown in fig4 of the drawings , the retainer 37 is mounted between the upper face of the annular ring 27 and the lower face of a circumferentially depending flange 41 of the upper or driving member 11 , and has a plurality of spaced openings 43 for receiving the bolts 29 therethrough in order to allow the bolts 29 to be threadably mounted relative to the annular depending flange 41 of the upper or driving member 11 , as shown in fig4 of the drawings . the retainer 37 further includes a centrally positioned opening or bore 45 for centrally mounting the retainer 37 over the upstanding centrally positioned boss or shoulder 47 that projects upwardly from the upper face 49 of the lower or driven member 23 , as illustrated in fig4 and 7 . the tapered rollers 35 are constructed to be received and retained within the complementary shaped detents or bearing seats 51 formed in the upper face 49 of the lower or driven member 23 , when the torque is operated below a pre - set level or amount . as illustrated in fig8 of the drawings , the complementary shaped detents 51 have a detent conical face angle that is complementary shaped relative to the roller angle of the tapered rollers 35 , for purposes which will become apparent . in order to pre - set the disengagement torque between the tapered rollers 35 and the complementary detents 51 , spring elements in the form of opposed belleville spring washers 53 are mounted upon the internal cylindrical collar 55 which has an upper shoulder 57 for engaging the uppermost belleville spring washer 53 to engage and releasably clamp the belleville spring washers 53 between the upper shoulder 57 and the tapered rollers 35 , as shown in fig4 of the drawings . to adjust the amount of disengagement torque between the tapered rollers 35 and the complementary detents 5 -, the adjusting screw 19 extends through the upper or driving member 11 and is threadably engaged therewith , and disposed relative to the internal cylindrical collar 55 for raising or lowering the cylindrical collar 55 to lower or increase the amount of pre - set disengagement torque required before the tapered rollers 35 become disengaged from the complementary detents 51 . as best seen in fig4 of the drawings , torque applied to the operating nut 13 is transmitted through the upper or driving member 11 and bolts 29 to the drive plate or retainer 37 . the rotating drive plate or retainer 37 carries the tapered rollers 45 so that the torque is further transmitted through the plurality of tapered rollers 35 through the complementary detents 51 of the lower or driven member 23 . as long as the applied torque is below the pre - set threshold disengagement torque , as determined by the amount of spring force applied to the tapered rollers 35 , the driving member 11 will drive the driven member 23 through the complementary tapered rollers 35 and complementary detents 51 . the magnitude of the torque that can be transmitted , without disengagement , depends upon the amount of force that is applied to the tapered rollers 35 forcing them downwardly by the spring action into engagement with the matching complementary detents 51 . as has been explained above , the downward force , and hence the disengagement torque , is adjustable by means of the adjusting screw 19 operating via the internal cylindrical collar 55 on the spring elements in the form of opposed belleville spring washers 53 . if the applied torque becomes greater than the pre - set disengagement torque or trip torque , the excess torque will cause the tapered rollers 35 to move up out of the complementary detents 51 so that they are out - of - engagement or out - of - register with one another . when this occurs , torque can no longer be transmitted between the driving member 11 and the driven member 23 . at this point , the valve / actuator torque overload protector 1 will remain disengaged and will not transmit further torque until the applied torque has been reduced below the pre - set trip torque amount or level . after disengagement of the tapered rollers and complementary detents 35 , 51 , respectively , and after the applied torque has been reduced to a level or amount less than the pre - set trip torque , the torque overload protector 1 will automatically re - engage upon further rotation of either the driving or driven member relative to the other . the amount of relative rotation required to re - engage the tapered rollers 35 within the complementary detents 51 depends upon the number and spacing of the tapered rollers 35 and complementary detents 51 . in most instances , it usually is one revolution or less . by means of an irregular spacing of the tapered rollers 35 and complementary detents 51 , it is possible to control re - engagement thereof such that the driving and driven members 11 , 23 respectively will always re - engage in the same angular position relative to one another prior to disengagement . as shown in fig8 of the drawings , the relationship between the tapered roller 35 angle relative to the complementary detent 51 conical face angle and the axis of torque overload protector i rotation is shown . in order for th tapered roller drive to function properly , the relationship between the tapered roller 35 and the complementary detents 51 must be interrelated to one another as shown in fig8 of the drawings . it will be noted that the apex of the tapered roller angle must be located on the axis of the clutch or torque overload protector rotation . also , the apex of the detent conical face must coincide with the apex of the roller angle . it will be further noted that the axis of the tapered rollers 35 , as shown in the fig4 illustration , extend substantially perpendicular to the axis or center of rotation of the clutch or torque overload protector 1 . furthermore , as illustrated in fig4 of the drawings , the complementary detent 51 engage less than one - half of the tapered rollers 51 , with said tapered rollers 35 also projecting above the retainer or drive plate 37 carried by the drive member 11 . by engaging less than one - half of the tapered rollers 35 , the complementary detent 51 facilitate movement of the tapered rollers 35 out - of - register therewith , without substantial binding or interference . also , as has been explained previously , the spring elements , in the form of the opposed belleville spring washers 53 , are constructed to engage the tapered rollers 35 as they project upwardly beyond the retainer or drive plate 37 , in order that a suitable amount of downward force on the tapered rollers 35 may be applied to regulate the disengagement or trip torque . as explained in the introduction above , the prior art spherical ball or cylindrical roller / complementary detent drives have substantial contact stress between the spherical ball or cylindrical rollers , as they move out - of - engagement with the complementary detents thereof , when disengagement or trip torque is reached . with the tapered rollers 35 and complementary detents 51 of the present invention , in the environment of the torque overload protector 1 as described above , there will be significantly lower contact stress between the tapered rollers 35 and complementary detents 51 , thereby causing less distortion than would be the case with the spherical and straight cylindrical roller drives of the prior art . this results in greater precision , better repeatability , longer life , and greater trip torque , all in a more compact overall design , than prior art designs . the greater the radial distance from the center of rotation of the torque overload protector 1 , the farther each tapered roller 35 must travel with respect to its complementary detent 51 , as it disengages . the tapered rollers 35 and complementary detents 51 of the present invention are constructed such that the roller diameter is directly proportional to the radial distance from the center of rotation of the torque overload protector or clutch 1 . this allows the tapered rollers to maintain line , rather than point , contact with the corner of the complementary detents 51 as they move - out - of - engagement or out - of - register therewith . the tapered rollers 35 permit rolling rather than sliding action upon disengagement from the complementary detents 51 , resulting in substantially lower friction that provides the above described advantages . it is to be noted at the base of adjusting screw 19 , where it locates within the opening provided centrally of the cylindrical collar 55 , there is provided a ball bearing , as at 70 , and the purpose of said bearing is to allow the belleville spring washers 53 to freely rotate not only upon the tapered rollers 35 , when disengagement of the rollers occurs from within the bearing seats 51 , but likewise when any relative rotation occurs , of the rollers 35 , upon the surface or upper face 49 , of the driven member 23 . thus , this further facilitates the rotation of the said spring washers , upon the bearings , so as to reduce any sliding friction , if not totally eliminate the same , relative these two components , and to enhance the trip repeatability of the device , during its usage and application . obviously , this adds to the useful life of the overload protector , during its application . although the description set forth above has referred to the upper member - 1 as the driving member and the lower member 23 as the driven member , it will be understood that as a result of the two - inch awwa socket 25 provided in the lower member 23 , the latter may become the driving member in a particular arrangement . as a result , torque can be transmitted equally to the torque overload protector 1 from either end of the torque overload protector 1 , and in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction , as may be desired . to provide a corrosion protected and sealed mechanism , the upper and lower members 11 , 23 are preferably formed from cast iron and are epoxy coated inside and outside . to sealingly encase the torque overload protector 1 , suitable gaskets ( not shown ) may be provided on either side of the retainer or drive plate 37 , and a sealing caulk or the like 59 may be applied over the head of the adjusting screw 19 to totally encase the torque overload protector 1 in a sealed environment . also , a gasket , as at 60 , may be provided within the ring 27 to prevent the escape of lubrication from within the chamber 61 , or to prevent the entrance of moisture therein . this enables the torque overload protector 1 to be used for the long term , and even in a buried and submerged environment , if required . with a sealed environment , the operating components , including the tapered rollers 35 and complementary detents 51 , may be permanently lubricated , thus requiring zero maintenance . the tamper - proof construction prevents unauthorized torque adjustment . however , if such is required , it is a relatively simple matter to remove the sealing caulk and turn the adjusting screw 19 to apply a greater or lesser amount of force on the spring elements 53 , to apply the desired disengagement or trip torque . also , as can be seen in fig3 the device can be fixedly mounted through the use of bolts upon the top of the valve 3 , as can be noted in fig2 . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that the valve - actuator torque overload protector of the present invention , through the use of the tapered rollers and complementary detents , in one or the other of the drive and driven members thereof , may be operated to automatically disengage when subjected to excessive force the driving and driven members from one another if pre - set torque is exceeded , but then are automatically re - set when the applied torque reduces to below the pre - set amount . the rolling action of the tapered rollers as they are moved out - of - register with the complementary detents , upon torque disengagement , results in substantially lower friction that provides more consistent and repeatable trip torque than has been possible with prior art designs . in addition , greater trip torque capacity is possible , and much longer life of the units is also achieved . in view of the above , it will be seen that the several objects and features of this invention have been achieved and other advantageous results have been obtained . as various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	5
referring to fig1 which shows a typical prior art cutting structure for a rotary drill bit , the bit body is indicated at 10 and , as is well known , may be formed from steel or solid infiltrated matrix material . the general arrangement of such drill bits is well known and will not therefore be described in detail . the bit body is formed over the surfce thereof with a plurality of cylindrical sockets 11 , usually of circular cross - section , and received in each socket is a cutting structure 12 . the cutting structure comprises a carrier in the form of a generally cylindrical stud 13 , formed for example from tungsten carbide , which is formed adjacent one end thereof with an inclined plane surface 14 which is disposed at an angle of less than 90 ° to the longitudinal axis of the stud . bonded on to the inclined surface 14 is a preform cutting element 16 comprising a cutting layer 17 of polycrystalline diamond bonded to a thicker backing layer 18 of tungsten carbide . the cutting element 16 is in the form of a circular disc . the stud 13 may be shrink - fitted and / or brazed into the socket 11 . in a cutting structure of this kind , the backing layer 18 of the cutting element and the stud 13 together make up the aforementioned backing structure for the cutting layer 17 . fig2 shows the cutting structure of fig1 after the drill bit has been in use for some time and wear of the structure has taken place . the formation on which the cutting structure is acting is indicated at 19 . it will be seen that a wear flat has been formed across the diamond layer 17 , backing layer 18 and stud 13 . however , since the backing layer 18 and stud 13 are formed from material which is less hard than the diamond layer 17 these parts have worn to a slightly greater extent than the diamond layer with the result that a step , indicated at 20 , has been formed between the diamond layer 17 , and backing layer 18 . it will thus be seen that a self - sharpening effect is provided . fig3 shows an alternative known form of cutting structure comprising a front cutting layer 26 of polycrystalline diamond bonded to a thicker cylindrical backing layer 27 of tungsten carbide . in this case , a separate carrier is not provided , and the backing layer 27 constitutes the entire backing structure . the cutting structure is received in a socket 22 formed in an upstanding blade 23 on the bit body 24 . here , again , a step 25 is formed , after wear has occurred , between the diamond layer 26 and the backing layer 27 . in this case , however , since the material of the blade 23 will normally be less hard than the material of the backing layer 27 ( for example being formed of infiltrated matrix material ) there may also be a further step as indicated at 28 between the material of the backing layer and the blade material . although two - layer cutting elements are commonly used to provide this self - sharpening feature , cutting elements are also known which comprise a single unitary layer of polycrystalline diamond material and in this case the self - sharpening effect is provided by the formation of a step , after wear has occurred , between the rear surface of the cutting element and the carrier on which it is mounted , or between the element and the body of the drill bit in the case where the cutting element is mounted directly on the body . in each of the prior art arrangements described it will be seen that the total area of the wear flat will increase progressively as wear increases . the steps between the different parts of the structures are very small so that in practice the whole area of the wear flat is rubbing on the formation . this provides substantial frictional resistance to the rotation of the drill bit with the result that greater driving torque is required as the bit becomes worn . furthermore , the increase in the rubbing area generates increasing heat with the risk of diamond degradation and failure of the components of the cutting assembly or of the bonds between them . fig4 shows an arrangement in accordance with the invention . the cutting structure 29 is generally similar in configuration to the prior art arrangement of fig3 and comprises a cutting element 30 bonded to a carrier 31 . the cutting element comprises a front cutting layer 32 of polycrystalline diamond bonded to a backing layer 33 , for example of tungsten carbide . the cutting edge of the cutting element is indicated at 34 . the carrier 31 to which the cutting element 30 is bonded comprises several layers of flat plates 35 ( see also fig5 ). the plates makes up the cylindrical shape of the carrier 31 . the individual plates are bonded together by a solder , braze or other suitable bonding agent . in use of the drill bit , a wear flat is first formed on the cutting element 30 adjacent the cutting edge 34 . as wear increases the wear flat will eventually reach the lowermost plate 35 of the carrier 31 . as this plate rubs on the formation two effects occur . firstly the lowermost plate is subjected to forces which impose increasing plate is subjected to forces which impose increasing stresses on the bond holding the plate in position on the carrier . at the same time the increase in temperature in the lower part of the carrier , due to the lowermost plate rubbing on the formation , will have the effect of weakening the bond . the combination of these two effects will eventually result in the bond breaking down and the lowermost plate becoming detached from the carrier and being carried away with the rest of the drilling debris , entrained in the drilling mud . the sudden removal of the lowermost plate of the carrier has the effect of instantly increasing the clearance to the rear of the cutting edge 34 and reducing the size of the wear flat , thus reducing the resistance to drilling and reducing the temperature rise . the process is then repeated successively on the plates 35 , so that as the cutting structure wears plates become successively detached from the structure . thus , during the life of the cutting structure , the wear flat engaging the formation does not steadily increase , as is the case with the prior art structures , but is intermittently reduced as the elements forming the carrier are successively removed . in the arrangement of fig4 and 5 , the end of the carrier 31 remote from the cutting element 30 may be formed by a solid disc of tungsten carbide or other hard material as indicated in dotted lines at 36 , the plates 35 then being sandwiched between the disc 36 and the cutting element 30 . the plates 35 may be individually formed and assembled into the cylindrical shape of the carrier . alternatively , the carrier may be preformed as a solid cylindrical shape and then cut into individual plates , for example by a spark cutting process . in the alternative arrangement shown in fig6 the front diamond layer 41 is bonded to a thick cylindrical backing layer 37 of tungsten carbide . parallel slots 38 are cut into the backing layer 37 from one end , formng plates 39 . the slots 38 do not extend for the whole length of the backing layer but stop short of one end to leave a solid portion 40 adjacent the diamond layer 41 . a disc 37a of solid tungsten carbide may abut the end of the backing layer 37 , as shown . in this arrangement each plate 39 is likely to be retained in the backing layer 37 until the wear on the backing layer rearwardly of the cutting edge 42 has been sufficient to break through or weaken the solid connection between each plate 39 and the portion 40 . fig7 shows an alternative arrangement where a carrier 43 for a cutting element 46 is partly slotted to form plates 44 but in this case a solid portion 45 is disposed at the end of the carrier remote from the cutting element 46 . in this case the lowermost plate 44 will become detached when the stresses thereon are sufficient to break the plate away from the solid portion 45 . in the above arrangements the plates 35 , 39 and 44 extend away from the cutting element in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the cutting structure . fig8 shows an arrangement where the plates 47 extend at a non - perpendicular angle to the axis of the carrier 48 , and the cutting structure is oriented in the bit so that the plates are at a shallower angle to the formation 49 . a drill bit normally ends it useful working life before the cutting structure has been completely worn away and there may therefore be no advantage in forming from separate elements that part of the backing structure which would not , in use , be subjected to wear . as shown in fig9 therefore , the carrier 50 may comprise individual plates 51 in its lower portion and a solid part 52 in its upper portion . in the above described arrangements , the individual elements making up the carrier or backing layer have been described as plates . however , the elements might also be in the form of elongate rods or bars as shown in fig1 , which is a diagrammatic cross - section through a carrier or backing layer 53 . in this case the elements 54 making up the carrier or backing layer are of rectangular section and are formed by cutting the initially solid material of the carrier or backing layer by two sets of slots 55 and 56 at right angles to one another . in the alternative construction shown in fig1 a carrier 57 , instead of being formed from an initially solid stud , is assembled from a plurality of cylindrical circular section rods 58 which are bonded together . fig1 shows diagrammatically an alternative construction in which the carrier 59 , or at least the part thereof rearwardly adjacent the cutting edge 60 of the cutting element 61 , is formed from comparatively large grains 62 of hard material bonded together . in this arrangement , as wear occurs whole grains 62 become detached and removed in succession so as to provide a continuing substantial clearance of the carrier to the rear of the cutting edge 60 . to provide a similar effect to the rod and plate structures described above , the granular structure of the carrier 59 is preferably such that the large whole grains are elongate , as indicated at 62a in the arrangement of fig1 . fig1 shows an alternative construction where a cutting element 63 is mostly mounted on a surface 64 on a stud 65 received in the bit body 66 . rearwardly adjacent the cutting edge 67 there is provided a single element 68 which is mechanically coupled to the stud 65 and to the cutting element 63 itself . this mechanical coupling is achieved by bevelled edges 69 and 70 on the element 68 being received in correspondingly shaped grooves 71 and 72 in the stud 65 and rear of the cutting element 63 respectively . the element 68 may also be bonded in position . as the cutting element 63 wears in use , a point will be reached where the wear breaks the connection between the front end of the element 68 and the rear surface of the cutting element 63 , whereupon the element 68 will become detached from the stud 65 providing once again substantial clearance behind the cutting edge of the cutting element .	4
the design of an injector cap in accordance with the invention and attaching it to an ampoule support will now be illustrated first , with reference to fig1 . in the figures , the ampoule support is indicated by the reference numeral 5 . a cannula support 3 is placed at its front facing end , said cannula support in turn keeping the cannula 6 protruding towards the front both at its facing side and centrally . the cannula support 3 comprises a locking protrusion 9 , running in a circle , at the front end of its circular cylindrical section , said locking protrusion forming a heel at its end facing the ampoule support 5 , and tapering towards the other side . the components described above are those which are fixed in their positions . the cut - away sliding sleeve 1 is shown in fig1 and 2 , mounted slidably and like a cap . as with the components described herein below , this sleeve 1 is one of the movable components of the injector cap . in the initial state shown in fig1 and 2 , the injector is ready to administer an injection . to this end , the sliding sleeve 1 is situated in a first position in which its facing side exhibits its greatest distance from the ampoule support 5 . in this state , the cannula 6 is completely hidden within the sliding sleeve 1 . the sliding sleeve 1 is held in the position in which it is shown in fig1 and 2 by a spring 4 between the facing end of the cannula support 3 and inner attachment ( not shown ) at the facing end of the sliding sleeve 1 . a circular opening 7 is provided on the front facing wall of the sliding sleeve 1 , to provide the cannula 6 with a way of emerging . a locking ring , indicated at 11 , is mounted slidably in a guide on the inside of the sliding sleeve 1 . in the initial state shown in fig1 and 2 , the locking ring 11 comprises inner locking clips 8 , arranged circumferentially and forwards and converging inwards , as well as two spacer clips 2 likewise extending forwards and further outwards . the locking ring 11 abuts the stopper 12 of the sliding sleeve 1 via its spacer clips 2 , i . e ., via its front facing edge . the stopper 12 forms the front end of the guide for the locking ring 11 , said guide being worked out of the inside of the sliding sleeve 1 over a particular length . in this area , the sliding sleeve 1 also comprises two opposing stays 10 , exposed from the surrounding material , which at their free end form a heel protruding obliquely inwards . the stays 10 can be elastically deformed in the radial direction . proceeding from the state shown in fig1 and 2 , it can be shown by way of the representations in fig3 and 4 how the injector cap in accordance with the present invention functions . if a dose of medicine is to be administered by means of the injector , then said injector is placed on the skin of a patient at the front facing side of the sliding sleeve 1 . the ampoule support 5 is then slid forwards , such that the sliding sleeve 1 slides backwards relative to the ampoule support 5 and against the force of the spring 4 , until the cannula support 3 abuts the inner attachment at its front facing end , said attachment surrounding the opening 7 and being enclosed by the spring 4 . this state is shown in fig3 . activating the device as described above does not affect the position of the locking ring 11 comprising the clips 8 and clips 2 relative to the sliding sleeve 1 , i . e ., the spacer clips 2 are still pressing against the stopper 12 . what does change , however , is the position of the locking ring 11 relative to the cannula support 3 ; the cannula support 3 is slid , together with the ampoule support 5 , forwards into the locking ring 11 , through the locking clips 8 . as they pass through the locking protrusion 9 , this first pushes the locking clips 8 outwards , somewhat elastically , and they then latch in behind the locking protrusion 9 , fixing the locking ring 11 with respect to the cannula support 3 . in this state , the cannula 6 has traveled far out of the opening 7 , and the injection can be administered . after the injection has been administered , the spring 4 causes the sliding sleeve 1 to be slid back away from the cannula support 3 , as depicted in fig4 . since , as shown in fig3 and already mentioned above , the locking ring 11 is then fixed behind the locking protrusion 9 on the cannula support 3 by the locking clips 8 , it also remains fixed when the sliding sleeve 1 is brought forward again , i . e ., the sliding sleeve 1 moves forward again without slaving the locking ring 11 . as the sliding sleeve 1 thus moves forward , the stays 10 then slide along the outer circumference of the spacer clips 2 and are briefly , elastically pressed outwards as the rear heel passes over the spacer clips 2 , before they latch back inwards beyond the front end of the spacer clips 2 with their rear facing end . after this latching back , the stays 10 are in the position shown in fig4 i . e ., they abut the front area of the spacer clips 2 with their facing side . this locks or prevents the sliding sleeve 1 from sliding back again relative to the cannula support 3 or the ampoule support 5 . in the state depicted in fig4 once the medicine dose has been administered once , the sliding sleeve 1 is therefore blocked against sliding further and again completely covers the cannula 6 against the environment . in this way , using the injector again is positively prevented . the possibility of injury or infection from the needle is likewise prevented . the locking and / or blocking means of an injector cap in accordance with the invention are all substantially situated in the interior of the cap or have their functional parts facing the interior , such that repeated use — which in accordance with health care standards and regulations is not supposed to happen — can only be achieved by extensively manipulating it , which would probably lead to the injector or injector cap being destroyed . in the foregoing description embodiments of the invention have been presented for the purpose of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principals of the invention and its practical application , 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
referring to fig1 and 2 , one form of bubble - producing element 10 is shown as comprising an integral member , preferably of injection - molded plastic , having an arm portion 11 and a circular ring portion 12 attached to one end of the arm portion . the arm portion 11 carries a pair of laterally - extending prongs 11a , 11b , which may be pushed through a pair of holes to mount the bubble - producing element , as will be explained below . prong 11b carries a slot , so that it may be pushed through a hole in a mounting tab , and then spread to removably lock that prong in place . ring portion 12 is provided with a plurality of radially outwardly extending fingers 13 , 13 which increase the surface area of the ring . when the ring is immersed in a bubble solution the fingers increase the amount of solution which adheres to the device , thereby aiding the eventual formation of one or more sizeable bubbles . a central portion of ring 12 is open , and as air passes over the element , generally perpendicular to the plane of fig1 one or more bubbles are formed , with each bubble having a diameter approximating the diameter of ring portion 12 . notably in fig1 thin band portions 15 , 16 are provided spaced radially outwardly from ring portion 12 , with the radial distances of the band portions being a fraction of the diameter of the ring portion . it also should be noted that the radial distance of the band portions from ring 12 approximates the angular distance around the ring at which fingers 13 , 13 are spaced . when the assembly is immersed in bubble solution , the solution also coats the spaces 15a , 16a between the band portions 15 , 16 and ring 12 , and when air is then suitably directed over the element , not only is a relatively large bubble produced by the ring , but a pair of smaller bubbles attached to the larger bubble , due to the close proximity of openings 15a , 16a to the central opening of ring 12 . the general nature of the compound bubble is illustrated in fig3 . it should be compared with the top view of the toy airplane shown in fig4 and both will be seen as comprising a larger generally - circular portion having two smaller generally - circular portions . having a toy airplane which produces a compound bubble which generally simulates a small version of the toy airplane itself is believed to be an outstanding feature of the invention . a toy which produces a compound bubble which simulates a familiar cartoon character is also believed to be very desirable . as shown in fig4 the top or wing piece 20 of the toy airplane is decorated with indicia resembling the face of mickey mouse , or the face of some other cartoon character , which tends to insure that the user will associate the compound bubble with that cartoon character , even if the user is a very young child . the top wing piece 20 is preferably cut from a thin ( e . g ., 15 mil ) sheet of polystyrene foam or an equivalent light plastic , with a very simple stamping operation . the body 22 comprises a rigid plastic rod which is preferably injection molded . a soft rubber cap 23 friction - fitted on the front end of the rod both helps determine the longitudinal center - of - gravity , to provide stable aerodynamic characteristics , and acts as a bumper to avoid injury or damage if the toy strikes a person or other object . an enlarged pad portion 22a serves as a handle which a user can readily grasp between a thumb and forefinger in order to throw the toy airplane . the body 22 may include a plurality of laterally - projecting arms which support the wing piece near the center of the wing piece . a tab portion 21b includes a plurality of holes into a pair of which the prongs of the bubble - producing element may be fitted to hold that element at a desired angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the toy airplane . the idea of adjusting that angle is not new , and is shown in my above - mentioned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 071 , 382 . the wing piece 20 can be affixed to the body piece 22 in a variety of different ways , such as cementing . in the specific embodiment shown , a nose piece 25 having a pin - like lower projection is force - fitted into a hole in rod 22 to affix wing 20 to 22 . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained , and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	0
the embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustrate the best mode of practicing the invention . upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures , those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the invention and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein . it should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims . the present invention is preferably incorporated in a gps receiver 10 . the basic architecture of a gps receiver 10 is represented in fig1 and may include a receiver frontend 12 , an antenna 14 , and a digital application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) 16 . the receiver frontend 12 receives information previously modulated on a radio frequency carrier from one or more satellite vehicles through antenna 14 . the received signal is amplified , filtered , downconverted , and digitized by the receiver frontend 12 to produce a digital baseband signal representative of the received signal . the receiver frontend 12 also produces a clock ( clk ) signal based on a signal from a local oscillator 17 . the frequency uncertainty of the local oscillator 17 is a major source of the frequency uncertainty of the received signal . the digital asic 16 processes the digitized baseband signal to extract the information and data bits conveyed in the received signal . correlation circuitry 18 communicates with a controller 20 to perform such operations as decimation , demodulation , correlation , and accumulation . the controller 20 is interfaced to memory 22 , which may include random - access memory ( not shown ) and read - only memory ( not shown ) and may alternatively be internal to the controller 20 . the memory 22 is used by the controller 20 to store gps related information such as ephemeris data , almanac data , last known position , etc . further , the memory 22 may store program instructions to be executed by the controller 20 . the n parallel outputs from the correlation circuitry 18 are multiplexed by the multiplexer ( mux ) 24 , which is controlled by a select signal ( sel ) from the controller 20 , into a serial stream of data ( data ) and transferred to addresses in the memory 22 . the addresses where the data is stored are determined by using address translation logic ( atl ) 26 to translate addresses from a direct memory access ( dma ) controller 28 . once the data is stored in the memory 22 , fast fourier transform ( fft ) circuitry 30 retrieves the data via the dma controller 28 and produces transformed data , which is the result of the fast fourier transform of the data . the result of the fft process is stored in the memory 22 via the dma controller 28 for use by the controller 20 . additionally , the controller 20 is operatively connected to an input / output ( i / o ) subsystem 32 in order to communicate with external devices . jammer response circuitry 38 provides a control signal ( cntl ) to the correlation circuitry 18 when a transmission from a nearby wireless communication device is detected . in another embodiment , the jammer response circuit 38 may be part of a wireless communication device , such as a mobile telephone , capable of asserting the control signal cntl while transmitting . however , the jammer response circuit 38 may be any circuit or device that is capable of detecting a transmission of a jamming interference signal . fig2 illustrates the correlation circuitry 18 in more detail . the correlation circuitry 18 includes a number of correlators n having been divided into n / 4 channels each having four correlators . as an example , a first channel 40 and a last channel 42 each have four correlators 44 , 46 , 48 and 50 and 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 , respectively . each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 is capable of correlating the baseband signal from the receiver frontend 12 with a generated frequency ( f ) and a pseudo random noise code having a time offset ( offset ,) generated by the controller 20 , where i = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . n − 1 . further , each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 is controlled by the control signal cntl from the jammer response circuit 38 such that the correlation process pauses during transmissions from the nearby wireless communication device . while only the first channel 40 and the last channel 42 are illustrated , it should be clear that the correlation circuitry 18 includes n / 4 channels , each being essentially the same as the channels 40 and 42 described above . a more detailed illustration of each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 is given in fig3 . each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 may include decimation circuitry 60 , carrier demodulation circuitry 62 , code correlation circuitry 64 , and accumulation circuitry 66 . the decimation circuitry 60 receives the baseband signal from the receiver frontend 12 and decimates a sample rate of the received signal to a decimated rate equal to or less than the sample rate . after decimation , the carrier demodulation circuitry 62 demodulates the decimated baseband signal using the generated frequency f from the controller 20 , thereby providing a demodulated baseband signal to the code correlation circuitry 64 . the code correlation circuitry 64 correlates the demodulated baseband signal with the generated pseudo - random noise ( prn ) code from the controller 20 having the time offset offset i . further , each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 may demodulate the decimated baseband signal using the same generated frequency f , but may correlate the demodulated baseband signal with the generated code having different time offsets offset i . the output of the code correlation circuitry 64 is accumulated for an amount of time , which depends on the particular design of the gps receiver 10 , and transferred to the memory 22 via the multiplexer 24 . in one embodiment , the amount of time the output of the code correlation circuitry 64 is accumulated is 32 μs , which is discussed in detail below . the accumulated output of the accumulation circuitry 66 is at a maximum when the frequency f and the time offset offset i match the frequency and time offset of the baseband signal from the receiver frontend 12 . according to one embodiment , the gps receiver 10 of the present invention is capable of concurrently searching an approximately 30 , 000 hz range of frequencies for the baseband signal received from the receiver frontend 12 . further , the gps receiver 10 is capable of performing a two - dimensional search for both the frequency of the baseband signal and the time offset of the c / a code or the y - code carried in the received signal . for this example , the received signal includes up to twelve l1 signals , the baseband signal is a baseband digital representation of the received signal , and the generated code from the controller 20 is the c / a code corresponding to a particular one of the l1 signals . in addition , the number of correlators is 48 ( n = 48 ), thereby defining 12 ( n / 4 ) channels . fig4 illustrates a data set consisting of the data produced by the correlation circuitry 18 during the two - dimensional search performed by the digital asic 16 in the gps receiver 10 . each row is the output over time of one of the 48 correlators , examples of which are the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 . each column is a partial correlation sample period s 0 . . . s m − 1 . additionally , the data elements data x , y , or partial correlation samples , can be any number of bits , where the subscript x = 0 , 1 , . . . n − 1 corresponds to the time offset offset i and the subscript y = 0 , 1 , . . . m − 1 corresponds to the partial correlation sample periods s 0 , s 1 , . . . s m − 1 and m is the number of points in the fft operation . in this example , each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 correlate the received signal with the generated frequency f and the generated prn code having a different time offset offset i for a total of 2 ms . however , the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 accumulate the results of the correlation and provide the data elements data x , y , also called partial correlation samples , at 32 μs intervals , thereby defining the partial correlation sample periods . by producing 64 partial correlation samples at 32 μs intervals , the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 have effectively correlated the baseband signal with the generated frequency f and the generated prn code having a different time offset offset i for a total of 2 ms . if each partial correlation sample data x , y is a 32 μs accumulation of the results of the correlated data , 64 partial correlation samples may be processed by the fft circuitry 30 by performing a 64 - point fft operation to accomplish a search over an approximately 30 , 000 hz frequency range for each of the time offsets corresponding to each of the 48 correlators . the frequency separation , or bin width , of the results of the 64 - point fft operation is 1 /( m × t ), where m is the number of points in the fft operation and t is equal to the partial correlation sample period . therefore , the frequency separation of this 64 - point fft operation is approximately 500 hz , and the frequency range covered by the operation is approximately 30 , 000 hz ( 64 × 500 hz = 30 , 000 hz ). the frequency range covered by the fft operation corresponds to the approximately 30 , 000 hz range of frequencies containing the received signal . although the two are not centered at the same frequency , the results of the fft operation can be used to determine the location of the frequency of the received signal within the approximately 30 , 000 hz range of frequencies . in operation , the two - dimensional search begins when the controller 20 sets the generated frequency f to a nominal frequency associated with the baseband signal from the receiver frontend 12 and sends the generated code with offsets offset 0 , offset 1 . . . offset 47 to the correlation circuitry 18 . it is to be understood that the controller 20 can set the generated frequency f to any of a plurality of frequencies . in addition , the controller 20 is capable of generating a different generated frequency f for each of the channels 40 and 42 . once , the generated frequency f and time offsets offset i have been sent to the correlation circuitry 18 , the accumulation circuitry 66 of each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 accumulates the output of the code correlation circuitry 64 for a the partial correlation period s 0 of the c / a code , thereby producing the partial correlation samples data x , 0 . in this example , the partial correlation period is approximately 32 μs or 33 c / a code chips . the accumulated outputs of partial correlation samples from the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 are serially transferred by the multiplexer 24 to the addresses in the memory 22 determined by the address translation logic 26 . this process is repeated 64 times for each of the partial correlation sample periods s 0 . . . s m − 1 to produce the data set for the 64 - point fft operation performed by the fft circuitry 30 . a total correlation period for the data set is 2 ms ( 32 μs × 64 ). after the partial correlation samples data x , y have been stored for each of the partial correlation periods s 0 . . . s m − 1 and the offsets offset 0 . . . offset 47 , the data is transferred to the fft circuitry 30 from the memory 22 using the dma controller 28 . the fft circuitry 30 performs the 64 - point fft operation on the data from each of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 and transfers the results ( fft results ) back to the memory 22 using the dma controller 28 . this completes one iteration of the two - dimensional search , which has searched the approximately 30 , 000 hz range of frequencies and the 48 time offsets . the controller may now determine if the received signal was present at any of the frequency / time / prn combinations in the data set . several more iterations of the two - dimensional search can be performed to search each possible time offset of the 1023 chip c / a code . for example , if the c / a code is searched in ½ chip steps , 2046 time offsets will be searched . each iteration searches 48 new time offsets until all time offsets have been searched . after each of the possible time offsets has been searched , the controller 20 can then determine the frequency f and time offset offset i of the baseband signal from the receiver frontend 12 by processing the results from the fft circuitry 30 for each iteration . the frequency f and time offset offset i can be stored in the memory 22 to be accessed by the controller 20 . typically , the gps receiver 10 will attempt the search for and acquire signals from more than one satellite , each having a different c / a code . further , the c / a code ( or prn ) of the received signals may not be known . therefore , the gps receiver 10 may perform more than one successive two - dimensional search . for each successive search , the two - dimensional search described above is repeated with controller 20 sending different generated codes corresponding to possible c / a codes associated with each of the received l1 signals to the correlation circuitry 18 . once the desired number of two - dimensional searches has been completed , each received l1 signal is then tracked by the gps receiver 10 using the channels , examples of which are the channels 40 and 42 , where each of the channels is capable of tracking one of the received l1 signals . if the data from only one of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , and 58 were to be transferred to the fft circuitry 30 , the data transfer could be fully automated with standard dmas set up by the controller 20 . however , if the data is transferred from the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 in parallel and is multiplexed into the serial stream of data to be transferred to the memory 22 with the dma controller 28 , the resulting data blocks will have interleaved data from all of the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 . without the atl 26 , the data would need to be re - grouped manually by the controller 20 , increasing the need for system throughput , or de - multiplexed into as many fft modules as there are correlators . the address translation logic 26 allows the fft of the data associated with the parallel correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 to be performed by the single fft circuitry 30 rather than having numerous of fft modules processing the data in parallel , or having the controller manually reorganize the data before it is processed by the fft circuitry 30 . by doing so , the overall size of the gps receiver 10 and the power consumed by the gps receiver 10 is reduced . the address translation logic 26 translates the addresses from the dma controller 28 without intervention from the controller 20 such that consecutive data from each of the forty - eight correlators , examples of which are the correlators 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and 58 , is stored in consecutive memory locations , as illustrated in fig5 . by doing so , all of the data relating to a particular time offset offset i are grouped together in the memory 22 , enabling efficient transfer to the fft circuitry 30 . for example , the data elements , also referred to as the partial correlation samples , received consecutively from the correlation of the time offset offset 0 are defined as data 0 , 0 , data 0 , 1 , data 0 , 2 . . . data 0 , m − 1 . the address translation logic 26 operates to store these data elements in consecutive locations in the memory 22 . without the address translation logic 26 , the data from the correlation circuitry 18 would be stored in the order it is received by the memory 22 , which would require the controller 20 to reorganize the data before sending the data to the fft circuitry 30 . using fig5 as an example , the data elements data x , y corresponds to the data from the accumulation of the correlation of the received signal with the prn code having the time offset offset i and the generated frequency f , where the subscript x corresponds to the time offset offset i and the subscript y corresponds to the partial correlation sample period . the data is transferred such that the data is grouped by the partial correlation sample period corresponding to the subscript y , where y = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . m − 1 . for example , the partial correlation samples produced by the correlation of the received signal with the prn code having each of the time offsets offset i at the partial correlation sample period s 0 , data 0 , 0 , data 1 , 0 , data 2 , 0 , . . . data n − 1 , 0 , are grouped together when received by the memory 22 . using the translated address from the address translation logic 26 , the memory 22 stores the data transmitted serially from the multiplexer 24 such that the partial correlation samples are grouped by the time offset offset i corresponding to the subscript x . for example , the partial correlation samples associated with the time offset offset 0 corresponding to the subscript x , data 0 , 0 , data 0 , 1 , data 0 , 2 , . . . data 0 , m − 1 , are grouped together in the memory 22 . fig6 is a simplified block diagram of the gps receiver 10 being used in combination with a wireless communications device 68 , such as a mobile telephone . the wireless communications device 68 may include receive ( rx ) circuitry 70 , transmit ( tx ) circuitry 72 , and control and processing circuitry 74 . the receive circuitry 70 operates to receive the gps signal and any communication signals . the transmit circuitry 72 operates to transmit communication signals from the wireless communications device 68 . the control and processing circuitry 74 operates to process the communications signals sent to the wireless communications device 68 and send communications data to the transmit circuitry 72 to be transmitted as the communications signals . the receive circuitry 70 and the transmit circuitry 72 are shown to use the antenna 14 , which is also used to receive the gps signal . however , the receive circuitry 70 and the transmit circuitry 72 may use a separate antenna ( not shown ) to transmit and receive the communication signals . when a jamming signal is strong enough , because of jammer output power and / or close proximity to a gps receiver 10 , and close enough to the gps l1 or l2 frequencies , it may pass through the receiver frontend 12 and into the digital asic 16 and particularly into the correlation circuitry 18 , where the jamming signal may be tracked as a valid gps signal . this can cause the tracking loops ( not shown ) and navigation filters ( not shown ) of the correlation circuitry 18 and the controller 20 to malfunction , and because these functions incorporate relatively long time constant filters , it may take some time for the gps receiver 10 to return to normal operation even after the jamming signal is removed . the jammer response circuitry 38 detects , or is informed by the control and processing unit 74 , when the transmit circuitry 72 is transmitting the communication signals , which would be a jamming interference signal in the reception of the gps signal . the communications signals are signals that are transmitted from the wireless communications device 68 under normal operating conditions . therefore , by using the control signal cntl from the jammer response circuitry 38 , the digital asic has the ability to pause the baseband processing of the very weak l1 or l2 signal , which is typically − 133 dbm , while the much stronger communications signal is transmitted from the wireless communications device 68 . the control signal cntl from the jammer response circuitry 38 allows the accumulation circuitry 66 in the digital asic 16 to pause accumulation during a transmission from the transmitter . by doing so , the gps receiver 10 will only see a minimal performance degradation caused by the transmitted signals from the transmit circuitry 72 of the wireless communications device 68 . the gps receiver 10 will also return to normal operation much faster once the transmit circuitry 72 of the wireless communications device 68 stops transmitting . this is because the only filters ( energy storage elements ) that experience the energy from the jamming interference signal are relatively wide bandwidth filters with time - constants of much less than 1 μs ( 1 c / a chip ). fig7 illustrates the effect of the control signal cntl from the jammer response circuitry 38 on the output of the accumulation circuitry 66 . as illustrated , the accumulation circuitry 66 temporarily stops accumulation when the control signal cntl is asserted , thereby signifying a transmission of the jamming interference signal . further , the output of the accumulation circuitry 66 is constant while the control signal cntl is asserted . when the control signal cntl signifies the end of the transmission , the accumulation circuitry 66 resumes accumulation . the ability to temporarily stop accumulation during the transmission of a jamming interference signal allows the gps receiver 10 to maintain system performance while experiencing only a minimal drop in the signal - to - noise ratio . according to one embodiment , the controller 20 includes a clock and power management ( cpm ) module 76 as illustrated in fig8 . the clock and power management module 76 allows the controller 20 to control the power consumption of the digital asic 16 by controlling the clock signals used to clock the digital asic 16 . as an example , the digital asic 16 can be divided into twelve channel domains , examples of which are a channel 1 domain 78 and a channel 12 domain 80 , an integrated phase modulator ( ipm ) domain 82 , a data collect domain 84 , an events domain 86 , a user time logic domain 88 , a receiver circuitry domain 90 , and a fft domain 92 being clocked by clock signals clk 1 . . . clk 12 , clk 13 , clk 14 , clk 15 , clk 16 , clk 17 , and clk 18 , respectively . preferably , each of the domains 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 , 88 , 90 , and 92 implements complementary metal - oxide - silicon ( cmos ) or similar logic such that power consumption ceases when the logic is not clocked . the channel domains 78 and 80 include circuitry associated with the channels 40 and 42 and can be powered down when not in use by deactivating the clock signals clk 1 and clk 12 , respectively . the ipm domain 82 includes circuitry used by the controller 20 to produce the frequency f and the code having the time offset i and can be powered down by deactivating the clock signal clk 13 . the data collect domain 84 includes circuitry for deriving a noise floor used by the controller 20 to determine a relative magnitude of the data from the correlation circuitry 18 with respect to noise received by the receiver 10 , and can be powered down by deactivating the clock signal clk 14 . the events domain 86 includes logic used to time stamp input or output data received from or sent to the i / o subsystem 32 , and can be powered down by deactivating the clock signal clk 15 . the user time logic domain 88 includes logic used to keep a local clock ( not shown ) that is continuously corrected using the received gps signals , and can be powered down by deactivating the clock signal clk 16 . the receiver circuitry domain 90 includes circuitry not included in the other domains such as the controller 20 , the address translation logic 26 , and the dma controller 28 , and can be powered down by deactivating the clock signal clk 17 . the fft domain 92 includes the fft circuitry 30 and can be powered down by deactivating the clock signal clk 18 . the receiver 10 and in particular the digital asic 16 of the present invention offer substantial opportunity for variation without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the number of correlators n has been shown to be 48 as an example . however , the number n could be any number between 1 and 2046 . as another example , the frequency range covered by the 64 - point fft operation is shown to be the approximately 30 , 000 hz , but the frequency range could be any range sufficient to overcome errors caused by doppler and local oscillator imperfections . further , the number of points in the fft operation m used to cover the approximately 30 , 000 hz range of frequencies could vary depending on particular design requirements . as yet another example , the digital asic 16 could be divided into any number of domains , which can be powered down by deactivating the clock signals to the domains . the foregoing details should , in all respects , be considered as exemplary rather than as limiting . the present invention allows significant flexibility in terms of implementation and operation . examples of such variation are discussed in some detail above ; however , such examples should not be construed as limiting the range of variations falling within the scope of the present invention . the scope of the present invention is limited only by the claims appended hereto , and all embodiments falling within the meaning and equivalency of those claims are embraced herein . those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present invention . all such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow .	6
the following detailed description includes many specific details . the inclusion of such details is for the purpose of illustration only and should not be understood to limit the invention . throughout this discussion , similar elements are referred to by similar numbers in the various figures , for ease of reference . in addition , features in one embodiment may be combined with features in other embodiments of the invention . intellectual property information regarding intellectual property documents by a customer , intellectual property service provider , government entity or other source has been collected . likely such information is extracted and deposited into one or more databases . ultimately at least a portion of such intellectual property information is presented to an end user on behalf of a customer , such as via an intellectual property application , which may be executing locally , or via a web site over the world wide web , i . e ., the internet . for ease of description , such a collection of information will be referred to herein as “ database ”, although it should be recognized that the information might collected in other formats as well , and that an intellectual property application might not be restricted to data stored in a database . the association between selected intellectual property information is realized and optionally annotated . the annotation enables users to annotate images and text in intellectual property , such as , e . g ., patent drawings . those annotations are saved and optionally categorized . for example , annotated drawings or images are saved in the context of projects in order that notes and other thoughts of the user are memorialized and tied to a project . fig1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system architecture providing for annotating intellectual property documents and data , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention . in the illustrated example , the system is realized as an intellectual property portal 111 on a general purpose computer , communicating with a network , e . g ., the internet 105 . a user 107 accesses the portal 111 via the internet 105 . a document workspace 109 is provided on a computer for the user 107 . applications for locating , viewing and annotating intellectual property documents and data are provided on the portal 111 . in the present example , the applications include an editing view 119 , an annotation view 117 , a map view 115 , a report view 113 , a search application 101 , and a browse application 103 . any application program useful for searching or browsing intellectual property documents may be utilized to implement the search application 101 or the browse application 103 . intellectual property documents and data may be stored in any appropriate manner . in the present example , the intellectual property documents and data are stored in a patents database 131 , a trademarks database 125 , a copyrights database 127 , a licenses database 129 , and an opinions database 123 . in this example , the opinions database 123 is separate from the portal 111 . the system also includes storage of the annotations in an annotations database 121 . the user accesses one or more of the intellectual property documents together with any annotations , e . g ., by searching or browsing for the selected document . the user may manipulate , annotate , and / or link one or more selected documents via one or more of the applications . the annotated and / or linked document ( s ) are stored into the appropriate databases by the user . access to annotations and / or annotated documents optionally is limited , e . g ., by corporate affiliation of the user and annotation , by user , by express permission to one or more users , etc . a system design for use in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention , as illustrated in fig2 , may advantageously comprise a number of interconnected components . each component may focus on a specific task , and advantageously provides and / or utilizes an application programming interface ( api ) to communicate with other components within the system , according to the illustrated realization of one example system . components may include , for example , one or more data servers 205 - 211 , a data manager 201 , one or more analyzer views 113 , 115 , 117 , 119 , a management console 221 , and / or a watch agent 223 . components and / or functions thereof may be omitted , replaced , subdivided and / or combined and still remain within the scope of the invention . the data servers 205 - 211 provide access to the data representing the intellectual property documents ; the data analyzer 203 provides user interfaces to obtain , analyze and / or traverse intellectual property documents ; and the data manager 201 breaks down documents into storable units and builds up documents for the user interfaces . in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention , scalability may be provided by the logical and / or physical separation of data server 211 functionality from the data manager 201 . for example , the data manager may reside with one ( or more ) data server on e . g ., a single machine storing all patent , licensing , and annotation data . as one of many alternatives , the data manager may connect to multiple data servers , each running on a separate machine , and each storing only a portion of the data . according to one or more optional realizations of the present invention , offline storage and / or operation may be provided for example , by a document manager , discussed below , which stores some or all working data locally on the user &# 39 ; s machine , and / or by api functionality to retrieve and store documents from the data manager 201 . fig2 illustrates one or more embodiments of a general overall architecture for use in connection with the present invention . this figure illustrates internal architecture , useful for illustrating the concepts in relation to the invention . portions of the architecture may be omitted and / or replaced and / or combined when used in connection with certain embodiments of the present invention . this example of one or more embodiments of the present invention illustrates an optional 3 - tier architecture , including the data server tier , the data manager tier , and the data analyzer tier . more or fewer tiers may be utilized , in other embodiments of the present invention . the data server ( or multiple data servers ) 205 - 211 , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , may provide for storage , versioning , indexing and / or searching of ( possibly a subset of ) document data ( e . g ., xml ) annotation data , and / or image data . optionally , there may be provided one or more data servers 205 a - c , 207 , 209 , 211 amongst which the data server functions may be divided . in the present example , several data servers are provided . optionally , a multiple data server format may house one or more sets of related information . in this illustration , one data server might contain the entire united states patent and trademark office (“ uspto ”) database ; and / or one data server might contain multiple databases . according to one example alternative , the related information ( in this case , the uspto database ) may be spread over multiple data servers 105 a - c . according to a convenient realization , for example , one data server may contain only the patents ending in “ 1 ”, another server might contain patents ending in “ 2 ”, a third might contain patents ending in “ 3 ”, and so on ; according to this example , there are 10 servers , across which is distributed , preferably in a logical manner , preferably the entire uspto database . by distributing the data servers and functions , one or more embodiments of the present invention may provide for a scalable solution for storing generalized data used by the system . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the data may be stored in its original format . alternatively , it may be reformatted at some point or points prior to storage . the format for the data that the uspto currently provides data for patents is xml , a mark - up language which is fairly similar to html . xml is a generalized syntax for creating a document structure and tags , unlike html , which has predefined tags . xml essentially leaves the meaning of those tags to the developer of the dialect . in this case , the uspto has defined the individual tags that exist within this language and the meaning tag of each . the system may use the syntax as provided by one or more patent / trademark offices , government , and / or commercial data providers , or optionally , the syntax may be converted , e . g ., into one or more standard formats . in the illustrated example , the uspto patent database ( both text ( xml ) and image data ) is distributed across three data servers 205 a , b and c . similarly , one or more embodiments of the present invention may accommodate other data and / or other formats , e . g ., an xml schema for license agreements . such a schema for a license agreement may accommodate , e . g ., typical , usual , optional and / or advanced elements that are available within the license agreement , e . g ., a preamble , definition section , individual definitions , paragraphs , clauses , sections , articles , etc . in the illustrated example , license documents are stored on the data server 209 . as illustrated in the example of fig2 , each data server in a multi - data server embodiment within the system may contain all , a subset and / or a portion of the information that is available to the user . data server 5 209 stores , in the present example , license data , copyright data , and trademark data . these databases are likely to be much smaller than the uspto patent database . hence , a single server may store more than one type of data . optionally , non - uspto data is included . according to the illustrated example , data server 4 207 stores annotation data ( discussed below ), e . g ., having annotations corresponding to some of the patents and / or licenses . the annotation data may include , e . g . electronic mark - ups that attorneys or other users would make , e . g ., in connection with a document . further in this example , data servers 1 through 3 store the patent text and image data of the uspto patent database ( or a portion thereof ). the optional data manager 201 may pull together the data that may be distributed across one or more servers . the data manager advantageously provides a single cohesive and comprehensive management of a given database . the data manager , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , provides for the seamless distribution , coordination , and searching , of documents ( e . g ., xml ), or merging of annotation data ( e . g ., xml ), and image data across one or more data servers . it optionally may support caching of search requests and / or results , and / or replication of data to and / or from remote servers . reference is made to fig3 , providing one or more example embodiments of the data manager 201 architecture . the data manager may provide an object api 319 having services to receive requests and / transmit information to / from the data analyzer 323 , e . g ., to insert , update , delete , and / or request document data , e . g . xml data . the object api may have and / or retrieve binary data , such as for images and / or sound , for example . xml data requests may be further processed within the data manager ; and , if appropriate , passed to a data server 321 ; binary requests may be passed on through to the underlying data server 321 . consider for example that documents are provided in xml format , and that annotations for each document are provided as annotation data entities therein . when an xml data insertion or update occurs , the xml data is first parsed by an xml parser 308 . this parser maybe driven by a mark - up schema 317 , which identifies xml tags within the document for annotation data entities , and the relationship of the xml tags to the document data entities . the annotation data entities are extracted from the xml document . they may be used to create an annotation xml data stream . the remainder of the xml data , that is , the potentially revised document without the annotations , may be used to create a document xml data stream . where multiple data servers are provided , an optional connection manager 301 may be provided , to identify which data server ( s ) stores the data at issue if distributed , e . g ., the document data , the annotation data and / or the image data , such as by maintaining a mapping . image data may be stored on the same data server as the document data or may be stored elsewhere . continuing with the above example of xml documents , when an xml request occurs , the data manager 201 retrieves the document xml data and the annotation xml data from their respective one or more data servers . it then parses both these xml data streams with one or more xml parsers 308 . using the mark - up schema 317 , it embeds the annotations from the annotation xml data within the corresponding tagged elements of the document xml data , and with annotation merge logic 307 , merges both streams into a single xml document . when a search request occurs , search and result merge logic 303 optionally looks up each keyword in the one or more thesauri of the data server ( s ), and any match is added to a search keyword list . the search request may contain a list of searchable fields appropriate to the documents being searched ( e . g . abstract , inventor , claims , etc . for patents ), and / or the scope of the search ( e . g . patent , copyright , annotation , etc .). the search is then executed on the relevant data servers , the results are collected , and they are returned to the caller . search results optionally may be returned from the data server in partial result groupings , such as of a specified fixed size ; this permits the data manager 201 to satisfy a search request quickly , while deferring much of the processing overhead for result fetching until actually needed . if a user is browsing back and forth through a number of items returned from a search , it is likely that they will request the same document repeatedly within a short period of time . an optional cache manager 311 maintains a mapping of client search requests to search results . if a request is repeated while the result is cached , the result may be returned from an image and xml cache 313 through the cache manager 311 , instead of generating a new data server search request . when the optional change notification event is received from a data server , it is passed in to the change notification handler 309 , then through to the object api 319 . it may be passed to an optional replication service , which maintains a list of registered downstream data managers . one or more data managers may be registered for replication of information , as identified e . g ., by data server and item type , and will be notified of such changes . a notified data server may request the information . the replication service 315 maintains a queuing 316 of notifications for those registered data managers that are unreachable or are flagged for queuing . the optional change notification event may provide the basis for a subscription service , in order to provide customers with updated latest patent and trademark information . the optional change notification event and replication service may be used for enabling a system to distribute to multiple data servers , even if distributed around the world , while maintaining synchronization between them . the optional change notification event may be provided to the cache manager 311 , which may be used to enable it to flush an image and xml cache 313 of outdated items . reference is made back to fig2 . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , an optional search engine locates stored documents by performing searches on phrases and / or individual words . for example , the search engine interface may provide a column for proceeding word and another for following word . as a further example , to access intellectual property patent data , when doing a search , a search request may result in a hit to all three of the data servers 205 a , b , c in parallel . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the data manager 201 is responsible for coordinating among the distributed data servers where multiple data servers have potentially relevant data , and for being aware of the range of specific data on each data server . if a search request is received , the data manager 201 may broadcast that request to all of the relevant data servers ( three in the illustrated example ), receive the search request results returned from those data servers , and then merge the results back together again and create a single common results set . the advantage of distributing a search is that one may speed up the search , average - out the effect of multiple users , and / or numerous requests being received , and load - level the users working with an individual patent and its image data . the data manager 201 thus provides an optional second logical level , where it pulls together the content of the data servers , and / or provides among other things a view into a company &# 39 ; s intellectual property database . an optional third logical level is the data analyzer 203 . the data analyzer 203 performs , inter alia , formatting of information into a representation that is user friendly , so that a user may read and / or edit . the data analyzer 203 may include prompting the user for annotations , for accepting annotation data , for displaying data , for creating reports , for creating a document map which demonstrates the relationships of one set of information to another , etc . reference is made to fig4 - 8 , illustrating several example windows 401 , 501 , 601 , 701 , and 801 , open within a user interface according to one or more embodiments of the present invention . one or more aspects of the present invention assist in working with relationships between documents and / or portions thereof . the user interfaces to the intellectual property documents are optionally enabled by the data analyzer 203 , illustrated in fig2 . reference is made to fig1 and 4 - 7 . in this example , the license in the editing window 401 ( fig4 ) correlates to the editing view 119 ( fig1 ). a report window 701 ( fig7 ) demonstrates the report view 113 ( fig1 ), a map window 801 ( fig8 ) demonstrates the map view 115 ( fig1 ) and a mark - up window 501 ( fig5 ) represents the annotation view 117 ( fig1 ). reference is now made to fig4 . the user in this example has retrieved an intellectual property document to edit and / or annotate , e . g ., a license , into an editing window 401 . one or more aspects of the present invention provide that the user may logically subdivide that document into sections . those sections may then be related to sections within that or another document . the relationship between one document and another , and / or between one section in one document and a section in another document ( or the document itself ) may be annotated . the annotation allows a user , e . g ., an attorney who is analyzing this information , to indicate within a document , for example , an issue , the result of an analysis , how this portion of this document relates to that portion of that document , etc . referring again to fig4 , the intellectual property document 403 ( in this example , the license ) is displayed in the editing window 401 . the editing window 403 presently displays that portion of the document encompassing “ article 1 ,” “ section 1 . 1 ,” which in the example is entitled “ trade secret license .” in one or more embodiments of the present invention , one or more active portions 405 , e . g ., “ trade secret license ”, may be outlined , and / or highlighted such as in red on the screen , in order to indicate that this is an active portion 405 of the document being viewed . a further indication , e . g ., a special highlight or color , e . g ., optionally may be used to indicate that there is an annotation associated therewith , e . g . a possible conformance issue or a failed conflict . by way of example of a possible use of one aspect of the invention , if a user is performing , e . g . evaluation of a license against a patent or a product against a patent , for each of the claims in the patent , the user may be viewing parts of the license and the claims one at a time and indicating that a certain aspect of this product , license , or document fails to conform to some aspect of this patent claim . the user may select one of several standard notations reflecting , for example , a standard , system provided relation , and / or a super - user - customized attribute concerning the respective documents , e . g . that a product or license , etc . is in violation of this patent claim , or may be in violation of this patent claim , or is not in violation of this patent claim . the user may wish to add other text , annotations , references to other documents or url &# 39 ; s or files , etc . to the document being viewed . those thoughts , however they may be phrased or indicated , are important to capture . an attorney or other user going through an intellectual property document , such as a patent , may indicate that a product , license , etc . does not violate this patent , claims 1 , 2 , 3 , etc . because of annotated reasons , or indicate the need to look into this further , and / or indicate the need for a second opinion or any other indication as desired . multiple users may each provide separate annotations . the attorney or other user may review , edit and / or annotate an agreement or other intellectual property document in the editing window 401 for example by selecting a section , or traverse the document section by section . ( the document may be subdivided previously , currently , and / or subsequently into sections automatically ( e . g ., within the xml format ) manually , and / or semi - manually .) in the present example , beginning , e . g ., with section 1 . 1 the user may select a portion of the document in the editing window 401 to add an annotation or mark - up data . reference is now made to fig5 , showing an example mark - up window 501 , to interact with the user to obtain annotations . the mark - up window 501 pops up in response to a user indication that he wishes to annotate a document ( or portion thereof ). in the present example , the user may select one or more type of pre - defined notations , e . g ., “ conformance ” 503 , view “ notes ” 507 , view a history 509 of changes to this section , and / or view some user - defined attributes 511 , and / or categories or links to images or web pages , etc . in the illustrated example , “ harvey wallenbarger ” is the user and selects section 1 . 1 in the editing window 401 ( shown in fig4 ). in response to the selection , the system obtains the user &# 39 ; s annotation via the mark - up window 501 . in the mark - up window 501 , in “ conflicts ” under the “ conformance ” tab 503 , the user selects “ possible ” indicating that there is a possible conformance violation ; the user may alternatively or in addition type in text comments , e . g ., to memorialize concerns about the possible conformance violation . by selecting at the top of the mark - up window 501 , one or more embodiments of the present invention includes a drop down list box or chooser 505 that provides a mechanism for choosing a related intellectual property document , for example one of several documents that the user may be working with , thereby relating the section and / or its annotation to a section of another ( or the same ) intellectual property document . in the illustrated example , the user notes a relationship between the annotated license section 1 . 1 to a section of another intellectual property document . optionally , the other document or other section of the same document is displayed in an optional further editing window 601 , shown in fig6 . optionally , a selected section 603 of the related document is highlighted . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , annotation is realized as a manually - driven approach . for example , a user goes through a document one item at a time and performs an annotation . the process of annotating is preferably a manually - driven process , for several reasons . for example , one person may use the term “ cup ” but another person may choose to use the designation “ a liquid containing dispensing container ” for the same object . to create an automated mapping between those two designations may be possible , using for example a thesaurus , where the user may add synonyms that expand the scope of the search , etc . nevertheless , to be able to parse - out the complex language that tends to appear in intellectual property documents , and to be able to accurately perform an analysis against similarly complex wording by a completely different person is , may be better done manually or semi - automatically . reference is now made to fig7 . one or more embodiments of the present invention optionally provide for a report window 701 . the report window 701 provides a summary of the mark - ups to , e . g ., the selected document . in this example , the report window 701 includes a summary 709 of mark - ups including a count of sections and types of mark - ups . optionally , each section 703 and sub - section 705 also is summarized . a section or subsection summary optionally includes a mark - up summary 707 , with , e . g ., the standard notation type , any reference ( s ), author , date , and / or other annotation data . the present example indicates that one or more users has reviewed this license ( or other document ), checked it against a particular document or documents , and summarized some or all of the mark - up data and associated portions of the document that have been annotated . the optional map window 801 illustrated in fig8 provides a map of the sections of the mark - up document 809 and the related intellectual property documents noted in annotations . in the present example , the map window 801 includes a visual representation 803 of each document section and a summary 805 of each related document noted in a mark - up . a map line 807 indicates a relation between document sections and subsections , and a connection 808 is indicated between documents and sections / subsections . other components , plug - ins , reports , and / or tools may be provided to view , search , edit , annotate , link and / or mark - up intellectual property documents , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . the view and window functionality , for example , may be combined , omitted , and / or replaced and / or implemented in an alternative user interface in alternative embodiments of the present invention . reference is again made to fig1 . the mark - up data optionally is stored logically and / or electronically embedded within the original document , e . g ., as an annotation . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the system may host most or all of the databases 121 , 125 , 127 , 129 , 131 on web servers , for use by any of a large number of users . according to one or more embodiment of the present invention annotated documents are stored , e . g ., locally and / or remotely . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , intellectual property documents are linked to annotations , and the documents are shared . if the users are unaffiliated with each other , however it would be undesirable to have these unrelated users accessing , e . g ., the same patent , marking it up , and physically embedding additional information therein . it would not be suitable to make that information available to all of those users . consequently , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the mark - up data is maintained so that the separate and / or unrelated users are protected from disclosure to each other . accordingly , the mark - up data optionally is separately maintained from the document data and is correlated to a user and / or group of users . further , the mark - up data preferably is seamlessly associated with the document information , and according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is preferably presented to the user as a unitary document . despite the unitary appearance , when the user is finished working on this document , the document and mark - up information optionally is broken into components , optionally each being stored in the appropriate and / or separate storage . optionally , the document and mark - ups are stored together . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , there are provided two ( or more ) streams of data , corresponding respectively to the mark - up ( s ) and the document ( s ). these data streams are merged together into a single document , and that merged document is presented to the user and / or worked on as a single logical document . when that work is complete or the user otherwise is done , then the document is split up into two ( or more ) different streams corresponding to the mark - up ( s ) and the document ( s ). preferably , the document is in xml format , but could be in other formats . reference is made again to fig3 , a block diagram for one or more embodiments of a data manager 201 , also showing communications to / from a data server 321 and to / from a data analyzer 323 . the data manager 201 may , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention , provide for splitting and merging annotations and documents . in the illustration of fig3 , a document with annotations is split into data streams via annotation split 305 , and merged into an annotated document via annotation merge 307 . consider an example data flow through the data manager 201 : an “ xml request ” from the data analyzer communications 323 is received by an object api 319 . the “ xml request ” indicates a particular xml intellectual property document ( optionally with annotations ) to be retrieved , e . g ., to be accessed by the data analyzer . the request is received by annotation merge component 307 in the data manager 201 . the data manager 201 determines that it needs to obtain one ( or more ) xml document corresponding to the document data for the intellectual property document , and also one ( or more ) xml document corresponding to the annotation data . the annotation merge component 307 issues a request to retrieve these two ( or more ) documents . consider that one of these , for illustration purposes , is a patent document and the other is annotation data marking up the patent . the annotation data includes , within the set of its information , an association between one or more individual annotations , and the location of the item or section within the patent document ( the “ entity ”) that the annotation refers to , for example , specific claims in a patent . so , if ( as in this example ) the user has annotated a particular claim in the specified patent , then the annotation includes a reference corresponding to the identifier for the entity corresponding to that claim . ( there are a number of ways by which an “ entity ” within a document could be uniquely identified , e . g ., offset from document start , logical division , etc .) according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the annotation merge component 307 processes document data and annotation data ( e . g ., with an xml parser 308 ), identifies the one or more entities , within the document with a particular annotation , extracts the annotation ( e . g ., as an xml mark - up fragment ), and embeds the annotation within the section of the document ( e . g ., an xml section ) for the referenced entity within the document . in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention , there are provided two ( or more ) different documents , one containing annotations and the other containing the document , both including a respective series of entities . the annotation document ( s ) is broken up into the individual entities ; the documents are parsed and it is determined where the annotation entities go in the document ; and the document is fattened into a marked - up document . the fattened mark - up document is then returned to the data analyzer as the document in the proper format ( e . g ., xml ) via data analyzer communication 323 . the data analyzer then may , at that point , work with the mark - up document as if it is a single document . that the marked - up document originated from two or three or more different sources , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , is transparent to the data analyzer . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the data analyzer receives , processes , and / or acts on the marked - up document as a unitary document , and when done , returns it as a unitary document . optionally , the data analyzer works with the document encompassing more than one file , e . g ., separate document and annotation data , multiple files for document sections , etc . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the data manager 201 includes one or more annotation split components 305 , optionally driven by a mark - up schema 317 . the mark - up schema 317 identifies which types of entities belong in a document ( e . g ., a patent ) and which types of entities belong in an annotation . in scanning through the mark - up or expanded document , the system may identify the one or more entities that are an annotation entity . the schema identifies the annotation entities , such as in xml . further , the system can identify that a particular annotation entity is related to a particular parent document ( or entity within a parent document ) and may obtain the unique identifier for that parent associated back with the annotation entity . it may then start building a new annotation document . so , in this way the system then supports the collapsing of the expanded mark - up document from the analyzer back into its normal form , extracting the annotations , building another annotation document , and then inserting data for the annotation and / or document back into the data server . in the case of a patent , for example , the original document may be marked as read only , so the user cannot edit the original document . optionally , the annotation split logic determines whether the document is read - only , thereby avoiding the need to examine edits to the original document , e . g . the original patent document . consequently , for a read - only document , the annotation split logic 305 may review the mark - up document to extract the annotation information . reference is now made to fig9 , illustrating an example block diagram of one potential embodiment of the data server 205 . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , one or more data servers 105 retrieve / store documents and / or annotation data . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the intellectual property documents are stored separately from the annotation data . if desired , stored documents may be further subdivided , e . g ., by intellectual property type ( e . g ., patent , license , trademark ), or file format ( e . g ., xml , . tiff , . doc ) each data server may advantageously provide an object api 319 which , inter alia receives communications to / from a data manager 927 , to insert , update , delete , and / or request data in a format appropriate to the document ( s ), annotation and / or image data , e . g ., xml . hence , where documents and annotations are stored as , e . g ., xml formatted data streams , the data server may act as a repository for document and / or annotation data . when an xml data insertion or update occurs , the xml data advantageously may be stored within an xml repository 905 , e . g ., as a new revision of the document . the data server 205 receives the document or documents for storage , e . g ., through an xml update request . an xml update request is received through the object api 319 and is optionally sent to a data versioning manager 917 to handle version updates . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , revisions may be managed by a data versioning manager 917 . for example , when a data request occurs , the specified data may be retrieved from the data versioning manager 917 , the default optionally being to retrieve the latest changes ; however , a prior version may be specified within the data request . the changed document , for example the annotation document , is inserted into , e . g ., a data versioning manager 917 , to accomplish version control . there are several appropriate varieties of commercially available version control software . a version control program generally compares the revised document against the prior copy , makes a list of the changes , and associates a new revision with those changes . optionally , upon changing or updating a document , a change notification 923 may be initiated for use by other processes . the object api 319 may provide for services , e . g ., to insert , update , delete , and / or retrieve binary data ( such as for images ). such binary data advantageously may be managed by the data versioning manager 917 , and optionally a new revision may be created on update . the binary data type may be stored advantageously with the binary data when inserted or updated , e . g ., in image data files 907 . the various standard image types ( e . g ., jpeg , gif , tiff , etc .) optionally may be known to the system as predefined data types . optionally if an image is requested in a different known format than it is stored , conversion to the requested format may be performed , e . g ., during retrieval ; the may be done advantageously by one or more format converters 925 . one of the other aspects of the optional version control system is that it is possible to label a particular version as having a given name . the label then readily allows the system to associate a version of the annotation data with a version of the document data . ( the annotations and the document may be changing at different rates .) one or more embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to create an associated name with a revision , and the version control allows the system to then associate the various into version streams that are changing at different rates . the document being edited and / or marked up , e . g ., a license agreement , may be changing at a very rapid rate initially but then those versions may slow down as the license matures . conversely , the annotations may start to grow rapidly or there may be a period when a company is working with a particular sub - licensing arrangement where those changes are occurring rapidly as well . the xml document received from the data analyzer is then fit into the data versioning manager , 917 . relevant information optionally is stored into a repository 905 and that reflects one part of the life cycle of that document . the optional xml repository 905 provides the data versioning manager &# 39 ; s log file storage , for change records . it may use a form of data compression that is typically used in version control systems where storing the changes that have happened from one revision to the next of the document . when xml data is inserted or updated in an xml document , it may be parsed by an xml parser . optionally , a configuration data section 919 may be used to identify document structure . an index schema 913 , for example , may be used to identify xml tags that the xml parser 308 uses to break up the document into major sections ; and a separate index may be generated , e . g . by an index generator 915 , and may be maintained for each such section . during parsing , the various elements of the xml data stream may be identified . their contents further may be parsed to extract the individual words within each element . these extracted words may be compared against a table of unimportant words . if not matched in the table , the word , together with the unique ( fully qualified ) xml document name , plus its new revision number , if any , are may be stored in an index sql database 903 . each entry ( e . g . row ) in the table may be identified ( via e . g ., primary key ) by the word , the document name , and the revision , or in any other appropriate way . this table may contain a separate field ( e . g ., column ) for each section of the xml document , which may contain a count of the number of times ( e . g . frequency ) the word appears within that section . this realization may enable an index searcher 911 to place the most likely candidates at the beginning of the search results . other realizations are possible , and will be appreciated by one of skill in the art . the data server optionally includes a thesaurus 909 , which may reference and / or manage a table of synonyms to be used , inter alia , in broadening the field of search . thesaurus 909 may maintain relevant data in any appropriate form , such as thesaurus sql data 901 . when xml or binary data or other data is inserted , updated , or deleted in a document , a change notification 923 event optionally may be generated . this may be broadcast to registered listeners ( typically one or more data managers ). the change notification event may advantageously provide underlying support for replication , and / or may be used for notifying a user of modifications to a document that they may be reviewing . reference is made to fig1 , a block diagram of one embodiment of an architecture for the data analyzer 203 . the data analyzer communicates via the data manager to one or more data servers on the backend of the system . from a user &# 39 ; s perspective , one optionally is interacting with the data analyzer 203 via a user interface , e . g ., looking at a directory and / or search view 1001 in order to locate , edit , or annotate a document . for example , a user interface may present a directory as a navigable tree , allowing them to see one or more data managers in connection with respective data servers . optionally , a data manager may then be responsible for presenting a relevant part of the navigable tree . other means of displaying documents are equally appropriate , e . g ., the data analyzer may show a list of the patents by year issued , by classification , etc . an interface is provided so that the user can identify a document they want to work with . for example , a user may do a search , e . g . for all documents containing the term “ cup ”, and be presented with a list of search results , in order to access documents . in any event , the user identifies the document of interest , and a request for the document is sent by the data analyzer to the version manager 1003 , e . g ., for the latest version . in some cases , especially if the user is interested in looking at historical changes , then they may want to obtain a prior version of that document . the version may be important if there is an association between the version of annotation data and the version of the document data . optionally , the system retrieves multiple versions , e . g ., to illustrate a particular moment in the history of that document . the “ xml request ” may be sent as a data manager communication 1021 to a document manager 1005 , and the requested xml document may be returned . the document manager 1005 reads and then stores that document into the document workspace 1007 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention . in the document worked on by the data analyzer 203 , the annotation data preferably is already merged with the original document data . the merged document may be optionally stored into a document workspace 1007 . the purpose of the document workspace 1007 is so that a user may remotely work on a document , such as on a notebook computer not connected to a network . the data may be local in the workspace . hence , if there is a disconnect from the original data sources , it is irrelevant in terms of working with the document . when the remote user finishes edits or annotations on those one or more documents , they may then check those documents back into the data server through the data analyzer and the data manager . when a document is to be worked with , it may be extracted from the document workspace 1007 . optionally , the document to be worked on is broken down into elements , if any . the document workspace 1007 may be , for example , a file in a directory or a set of directories on a disk . to break the document into elements , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the document is extracted from the document workspace , and fed into the xml parser 308 within a document object model 1011 . the document object model 1011 may be , e . g ., standard binary representation or object representation of xml . an annotation schema 1017 may be referred to within either the xml parser 308 and / or an xml generator 1013 , for example in the process of conversion to and from the object model 1019 . once the xml data is broken down into an internal object representation , it is possible to look at an individual element , and determine , e . g . what is the content of that element in terms of text , name of the tag , text of the entity , tag name for the entity , and / or parent entity for it . the merged or annotated document advantageously may be provided in xml format . the xml document is a structure with a balanced mark - up tag ; each tag specifies a start and end of the section , and inside a section there may be nested one or more start / end of another section one . each one of these start / end blocks may be a node . each entity within that becomes a sub - node of a tree , creating an in - memory representation of the document tree that can be traversed to the parent node , child node , siblings , etc . the xml object model 1019 then contains the document data and child nodes for each one of the paragraphs or items that have been annotated . an annotation node contains the annotation data . it contains the type of a mark - up , e . g ., “ conformance ”, link to another document ; textual node , etc . optionally , the user is provided one or more views in order to assist with analysis of the document . each of the different views 113 , 115 , 117 , 119 works with the merged document , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention . the views 113 , 115 , 117 , 119 may determine document format , e . g ., by a reference to a document schema 1009 . the user selects the function he wishes to perform on a document , e . g ., view a report of the document 113 ; view a map of the document , links and mark - ups 115 ; view annotations 117 ; and / or edit the document 119 . reference is made to both fig4 and 10 . the editing view 119 , and editing window 201 illustrate one example of editing an intellectual property document , here , the license . the editing view examines the tree structure of the document or a nesting of levels within a document . here , there are articles at the outermost levels , sections within that , and perhaps each section has clauses with sub - clauses . they may be broken down separately . in this case , there is an article at the outer - most level , which is at the same level as the preamble , nested within that article 1 , “ grant of licenses ”, there is article 1 . 1 “ trade secret license ”. the entire text for “ trade secret licenses ” may be contained within one node in the document object model . the “ trade secret license ” tag may be contained elsewhere within that node and embedded therein ; “ 1 . 1 trade secret license ” is a node , the child node of that is the text of the paragraph , etc . at another child node of section 1 . 1 , there is provided a conformance mark - up ( displayed as illustrated in fig5 in the mark - up window 501 ). the data and / or attributes within the conformance mark - up would indicate that there is a possible conflict , together with the contents of the text within that child node or within a further child node thereof . this mark - up information for the illustrated conformance item may be associated with section 1 . 1 as a separate node . with regard to the illustrated section 1 . 1 , the user may select the node indicated as selected , e . g ., by a frame 405 , e . g . by a double click or click inside the frame 405 . the view may change to an editing view such as a frame with scroll bars . the user may modify the content of the selected information . the system automatically updates the original document information . reference is again made to both fig5 and 10 , illustrating an example mark - up window 501 and annotation view 117 within one or more embodiments of a data analyzer architecture . the annotation view 117 and mark - up window 501 display the mark - up associated with document , and / or documents to which the document has been linked . for example , the systems traverse the object - model tree in memory , locate annotations that exist within that tree , and locate the particular corresponding annotation ( s ) for items at a given level within the tree . it is also aware of the document object model in this example . reference is again made to both fig8 and 10 , illustrating the map view 115 together with the map window 801 . the map view 115 reviews each of the nodes within the selected document and displays them for example , within a tree or a map format . in the present example , it displays a tree of boxes representing nodes within the document , nodes of other documents connected from the selected document , and / or annotations associated with the document ; and lines connecting the boxes together , representing links from the document ( or nodes therein ) to other documents ( or nodes therein ) and / or associated annotations . it is working off of the object model in this example . reference is again made to both fig7 and 10 . the report view 113 and report window 701 look at different elements of the document , nodes , and annotations and pull them together into a textual representation and / or summary . advantageously , each of the views 113 , 115 , 117 , 119 is provided as a plug - in to the system architecture , or similar fashion , to enable views to be added , omitted , supplemented and / or combined . other views may be provided , and the examples herein are provided merely for illustration of the underlying principals . further , although it is advantageous for the views and / or data analyzer to work on one document as a whole , the document could be provided in multiple parts and / or with separate annotations . reference is now made to fig1 showing an example embodiment of an optional data flow for splitting an annotated document . in this conceptual illustration , the annotation data stream 1123 is separate from the document data stream 1121 , and the annotations and documents are stored separately . the annotated document 1127 is received by the annotation split logic 1111 and is broken apart into document output data stream 1121 and annotation output data stream 1123 , e . g ., for storage , e . g ., in an xml document repository 1101 and an xml annotation repository 1103 . the document is parsed , e . g ., by an xml parser 308 , and a document mark - up schema 1115 is used to help identify nodes within the document and / or annotations . if implemented using xml , tags are associated with the document , and the tags that are associated with the annotation . optionally , multiple versions of the document and / or annotation are managed , e . g ., by respective versioning data management systems 1105 , 1107 . preferably , any kind of annotation data , and / or any kind of document data , and / or format may be accepted . they are advantageously converted into xml , and then converted from xml into their native format . fig1 further illustrates that there may be two or more input data streams 1203 , 1205 , retrieved from the xml document repository 1101 and xml annotation repository 1103 , for a particular marked - up document , which are merged together in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . at least one set of the input data streams contains document data 1203 , and at least one other set of the input data streams contains the annotation data 1205 to be applied to such document data 1203 . annotation merge logic 1201 identifies locations in the document into which to associate annotation data . if the document is xml , e . g ., an xml parser 308 may utilize the document mark - up schema 1115 to identify appropriate locations . if more than one document is embedded within a stream , the system may extract that document from multiple documents embedded within a single stream , in order to obtain a single - document stream in any event . the document data may optionally be provided in multiple document streams . in the case of the uspto database , data from 1976 to 2000 is stored in a formatted character mode , which is non - standard and awkward to handle . this information is stored as provided by the uspto , in multiple files per patent . those files contain the abstract information , information about the inventor , a brief description of the claims , drawings , etc ., so there are several documents for a given patent . optionally , all of the annotations that relate to one other document could be stored in one annotation stream , and all of the annotations relating to yet a different document optionally may be stored in a separate annotation data stream . there is no requirement that all annotations for a document come from or be stored into a single annotation file . annotation merge logic 1201 inputs the input data streams 1203 , 1205 , and creates a mark - up representation of the document data , containing , referencing or including the annotation data , whether by structure or reference for associating the annotation data with its corresponding elements within the document data . fig1 further illustrates a document input data stream 1203 containing document data , and an annotation input data stream 1205 containing annotation data . the annotation merge logic 1201 outputs the result of the merge , i . e ., a marked - up output data stream 1207 . the representation of marked up output data can reference the annotation information in many different ways . xml is fairly flexible and one advantageously may define the annotations at the top of the document as entities . accordingly , one may take text as written , paste it into the xml document and then re - parse the document , to further evaluate the xml structure . the xml element is a macro that may be cut , pasted and inserted into another section of the document by reference . hence , one alternative according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is to take the annotation data , define each one of them as elements at the top of the file , and then simply embed a reference to that element within each of the paragraphs where it needs to be expanded . that provides the mark - up copy , and it is semantically equivalent to embedding the actual mark - up entities within the entities that they refer to in the original document . there are several alternative ways to include the annotations , e . g ., write the annotation to a separate xml file , and use an include statement to include the contents of that xml file . the concept of the different ways of expanding into the mark - up document may be realigned in different ways , whether by inclusion of an element , the macro - type element , by doing an include to pull it in from another document , or by expanding out the xml code for such representation further containing , referencing or including the annotation data . there are a number of alternative ways in which the data may be provided . the data stream could be , for example , a named pipe , data from a firewall , data from a disk , or data from a database , etc . according to one or more alternative embodiments of the invention , the document data and / or the annotation data are stored in multiple data servers , and may be accessed via one or more data managers . for example , data might be distributed among servers physically located , e . g ., at a global headquarters of an information service , a corporate headquarters of a company , of a small law office , and / or a personal computer . according to one or more alternative embodiments , the document data and / or annotation data and / or marked up document are provided as data streams . if a data stream contains image data or other binary data , one of the data streams may include data for associating the image or binary data with the annotation data and / or document data . this is useful if , for example , there are images that are associated with many of the patents , trademarks , etc . the image / binary data stream is not necessarily distinct from the document data stream or , if appropriate , the annotation data stream . the document itself may contain a reference to an image , and / or the annotation itself may contain the reference . in one or more embodiments of the present invention , on the other hand , the image / binary data stream might or might not be distinct from the document data or the annotation data . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , annotation data may contain an association of an external data stream of , e . g . document data . the annotation data may have an association to external data , e . g ., a hyperlink to a url web page , a fully - qualified file name on a network server , the document , a name of a program , a name of a command string that can be executed through a command shell to start , e . g ., a computer aided design ( cad ) system with a particular cad file , etc . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , associations may be formed between the version of an annotation with a version of the document . preferably , one or more of the input data streams is from a versioning system , where there is provided a version control system , with multiple versions of a document and / or annotation . the system and / or user selects one of those document versions and / or annotation data , from the versioning system . where both document data and annotation data are provided from a versioning system , there may be one or multiple versioning systems . marked up input data streams may contain annotation text , or may be related to a stream that contains annotation text . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , a marked up document may be received as an input data stream or marked up document coming in to an input data stream . annotation data may be included that is associated with , embedded in , or connected with the input data stream . the input data streams may include , inter alia , annotation data , and / or a marked up document representation . the system is capable of parsing such marked up document representation . the system may extract from such marked up document representation the annotation data which may be placed into one or more output data streams . the annotations are optionally stripped out , and made separate and distinct from the marked up data stream . the system can review the marked up document , and may extract the relationship between the annotation data and the elements of the document . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , there is provided a user interface . when the user selects a different kind of annotation or when the content of the annotation changes , for example , the user may dynamically change how a particular user interface displays the information that it is working with . depending on the type of the annotation , e . g . a conformance test , one or more parts of the user interface may display themselves differently than for history of the document . consider that something is displayed in a user interface window . the user selects one of several different annotations that they want to work with . the screen displays the information they are working , as it changes , in one form or another . fig1 illustrates an example of an annotated xml document 1301 , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention . the annotated xml document 1301 includes one or more document elements 1303 embedded therein or otherwise associated therewith , with document data . one or more annotations 1305 are embedded or otherwise associated therewith . the annotation 1305 includes one or more annotation elements 1307 , which reference data , a document , an external data source , etc . the annotation element 1307 may have a link 1309 to zero , one or more external data streams . in this example , a link 1309 is provided to data streams including a document element data 1313 within another document 1311 ; a url 1315 , e . g ., “ http :// www . www . xyz / page ”; and other external data source 1317 , e . g ., an executable shell script , image file , diagram , text file , document , or other file ( voice , audio , video , binary , etc .) reference is now made to fig1 a - b , illustrating an example flow chart for merging document data together with annotation data to produce a marked - up representation of the document . at step 1401 , the user selects a document to be marked - up . at step 1403 , the system determines whether the currently located document is the correct document for marking - up . if not , at step 1405 , the system searches for the correct document . once the correct document is obtained , at block 1407 the system determines whether the current version is the correct version . if not , the system searches for the current version of the document at block 1409 . once the correct version of the current document is obtained , at block 1411 , the system determines whether there is any annotation data for the selected document , for the particular user . if the current annotation data is not the correct annotation data , at block 1413 , the system continues to search for the annotation data corresponding to the selected document , block 1417 . at block 1415 , if the current version of the annotation data is not the correct version of annotation data , then at block 1419 the system continues to search for the correct version of the annotation data . at block 1421 , the system has the correct version of bother the selected document and the annotation data , and the system proceeds to place the document data into a mark - up representation of the document . at block 1423 , the system loops to check for additional items of annotation data . for another item of annotation data , at block 1425 the system locates the corresponding element within the mark - up representation of the document , and at block 1429 , the system , associates the annotation data with the corresponding element of the document . when there are no further items of annotation data , at block 1427 the system provides the user with a marked - up representation of the document . processing ends at block 1431 . reference is now made to fig1 , illustrating one example of splitting of a marked - up representation of a document into annotation data and document data . at block 1501 , the system obtains a marked - up representation of the document . in blocks 1503 , 1507 , 1511 , 1515 and 1517 , the system loops to obtain each element in the marked - up representation of the document , determine the annotation ( s ) in the element , and split out and store the annotations . in blocks 1505 and 1509 , the system separately stores the document data and annotation data . hence , in block 1503 , the system , determines whether there is another element in the document . if so , the system obtains the next element in the marked - up representation of the document at block 1507 . at block 1511 , the system checks whether the element includes one or more annotations . if so , the system stores the annotation ( s ) in the annotation data at block 1515 . at block 1517 , the system stores the element in the document data . the system loops back to block 1503 for the next element in the document . once done processing elements in the document , the system stores the document data , as a new version , for this user , at block 1505 ; and stores the annotation data , as a new version , for this user , at block 1509 . at block 1513 , the system returns from processing . fig1 is a linked diagram illustrating an example of linked , annotated intellectual property documents and data , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention . here , one or more users has linked together several related intellectual property documents , in this example including a text document 1601 ( titled “ power projects ”), technical description documents 1603 , 1605 ( titled “ jet engine ” and “ turbine engine ”), a patent infringement analysis 1607 , and several patents 1609 a - h . in this example , associations between two documents are illustrated by links 1613 . a document may be linked one way or both ways . a link may be to / from the document generally , or a specific location in the document . each link may include an annotation 1611 . preferably , the annotation includes any user comments , user - supplied text , other user - supplied digital data , user - defined attributes ( e . g ., company &# 39 ; s patent , competitor &# 39 ; s patent , project name ), history , etc . in the present example , a user could select the “ power projects ”, view the links and embedded annotations regarding the “ jet engine ” and “ turbine engine ” documents . the user could select one or more of the links to linked other intellectual property documents . the process continues throughout the chain of linked documents . the user optionally may select yet another intellectual property document and create a link with optional annotation . an intellectual property document may be multiply - linked , and may link to itself if desired . fig1 is a linked diagram illustrating another example of annotated intellectual property documents and data , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention . the subject of this example is a license 1701 including multiple terms 1713 . the license generally is linked both ways to a related product document 1715 . the license includes annotations with internal notes 1705 , 1707 on two terms ; an annotation of a term with multiple versions of proposed changes to a license term 1709 ; an annotation relating to two terms with a digitized voice recording of a negotiation 1711 ; and a link both ways to a related patent , trademark or other intellectual property document 1703 , with annotations 1611 . fig1 a - b is an example flow chart illustrating an interaction with the user to obtain annotations and links for an intellectual property document , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . at step 1801 , the document to be marked - up is provided to the user , for example via a display . the document may have been previously obtained , for example via a search , browse , or other retrieval component , tool or function . at step 1802 , the system interacts with the user to determine a portion of the document to be marked - up . the document may have been previously divided into sections and / or subsections , for example , that are candidates for marking up . alternatively , the user may , e . g ., perform a click - and - select function to selected a portion . at step 1804 , the system optionally indicates the determined portion , for example , by highlighting the portion , via a pop - up - window , via special color , etc . at step 1806 , the system interacts with the user to obtain a mark - up for this portion of the document . for example , the system may provided a pull - down menu , a pop - up window , a particular font , etc . the permissible contents of mark - up to be applied may be customized by an administrative user , may be free - form , and / or may have a check - list of pre - defined elements , etc . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the user may select and / or enter the mark - up information . at step 1808 , the system determines whether the mark - up is to include one or more references to an intellectual property document . if so , then at step 1810 , the system provides that the user can locate and / or link from the present document to the intellectual property document . in the present example , the system provides a search and / or browse tool to locate the document . at step 1814 , the system interacts with the user to indicate a selected portion of the document to be linked to . the selected portion may be some or all of the current document , and / or another document . at step 1818 , the system saves a reference , e . g ., a link , pointer , identifier , for the other document and any selected portion , together with the associated mark - up . at step 1812 , the system saves the mark - up , together with any optional reference to another document and / or the indicated portion thereof , into , for example , temporary storage . at block 1816 , the system checks whether there are any further mark - ups to be applied to the current document , and if so , loops back to step 1802 . if there are no further mark - ups and if the document and mark - ups are to be saved , then at block 1820 , the system determines whether the marked - up document was edited and / or was editable . if so , the document is stored at step 1822 . at step 1824 , the system determines whether there is one or more saved mark - ups to be applied to the document . if not , then the system exits . if there are mark - ups , then at step 1826 , the system determines whether the mark - ups are stored separately from the document . if not , then at step 1828 the system stores the saved mark - ups together with the document . otherwise , at step 1830 , the system stores the saved mark - ups separately from the document , and at step 1832 stores data representative of the mark - up locations within the document . the function then exits processing . fig1 is a flow chart illustrating one example of traversing from intellectual property document to intellectual property document , via links associated with the document and / or sections thereof , optionally having annotations . at step 1901 , the system obtains the document , and displays the document together with annotations ( or indications thereof ). at step 1903 , the system loops for the user to select an annotation and / or section of the document associated with a link . at step 1905 , the system displays the annotation information , if any . at step 1907 , the system determines whether the annotation ( or selected section ) includes or is associated with one or more links . if not , the system loops back to step 1903 . if there is at least one link associated with the annotation ( or selected section ), step 1907 , then the system loops at step 1909 until the user selects a link . when the user selects a link , then at step 1911 , the system determines the location of the linked document ( or section thereof ) via reference information , for example , stored or associated with the annotation , obtains the linked document ( or section thereof ), and displays the just - obtained document , optionally together with any annotation indications . the system then loops back to step 1903 , enabling the user thereby to continue to traverse the related linked documents . reference is now made to fig2 , illustrating an example architecture for use in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in the present example , a computer 2001 hosts one or more annotations components 2003 and one or more linkages components 2005 . the annotations component has one or more of the following : a component to apply an annotation 2013 to a document ; a component to edit an annotation 2015 ; and a component for document and / or section selection 2017 . the apply annotation component 2013 interacts with the user to create an annotation , e . g ., using menus , free form text , cut - and - paste of text , web pages and / or hyper links ; and to apply that annotation to the document ( or to the selected section of the document ). the annotation may be applied , e . g ., by inserting the annotation into the document , by saving the annotation separately in an annotations database 2011 and inserting a reference to the annotation into the document , and / or by saving metadata associating the reference and the document ( or selected section thereof ), etc . the edit annotation component 2015 interacts with the user to edit an existing annotation , e . g ., using menus , free form text , cut - and - pate , etc ., and optionally to save the edited annotation . the edited annotation may be saved , e . g ., by saving the edited annotation with the document , by saving the edited annotation separately and optionally updating a reference to the annotation into the document , and / or by updating metadata associating the reference and the document ( or selected section thereof ), etc . the document and / or section selection component 2017 interacts with the user to determine a portion , portions or the entirety of the document to be associated with the annotation . the linkages component ( s ) 2005 include one or more of : a component to establish , indicate and / or remove one or more links 2019 , a component to allow the user to traverse one or more links 2021 , and a component for document and / or section selection . the document and / or section selection component 2023 interacts with the user to determine a portion , portions or the entirety of one or more documents to be associated with a link . a link may be between one or more documents or sections thereof . a document may be linked back to itself or a section therein . the component to establish , indicate and / or remove a link 2019 interacts with the user to determine the document and / or section to link from , and the document and / or section to link to . the link may be established or indicated , e . g ., by inserting a link ( e . g ., reference , pointer , etc .) into the document , by saving the links separately in a links database 2009 and inserting a reference to the link into the document , and / or by saving metadata associating the link and the document ( or selected section thereof ), etc . optionally , links and annotations are stored in association . optionally , links are stored within the associated annotations , or vice versa . the component to traverse links 2021 determines one or more links , if any , associated with a selected document and / or selected portions thereof , optionally one or more annotations associated therewith , and optionally the document title or description at the node of the link . further , the links component 2021 interacts with the user to determine which link to traverse ; to obtain the link ( pointer , reference , etc .) to the linked document ; and to retrieve the linked document and provide to the user . with the retrieved document , the user may traverse further links therefrom . according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , one or more users 2027 are local communicating with the computer 2001 , and / or are connected over a network , e . g ., the internet 1005 . in the illustrated example , the documents database 2007 , links database 2009 , and annotations database 2011 are local to the computer 2001 ; a further documents database 2025 is accessed via the internet 1005 . fig2 is an illustration of a computer 58 used for implementing the computer processing in accordance with a computer - implemented embodiment of the present invention . the procedures described above may be presented in terms of program procedures executed on , for example , a computer or network of computers . viewed externally in fig2 , computer 48 has a central processing unit ( cpu ) 68 having disk drives 69 , 70 . disk drives 69 , 70 are merely symbolic of a number of disk drives that might be accommodated by computer 58 . typically , these might be one or more of the following : a floppy disk drive 69 , a hard disk drive ( not shown ), and a cd rom or digital video disk , as indicated by the slot at 70 . the number and type of drives varies , typically with different computer configurations . disk drives 69 , 70 are , in fact , options , and for space considerations , may be omitted from the computer system used in conjunction with the processes described herein . computer 58 also has a display 71 upon which information may be displayed . the display is optional for the computer used in conjunction with the system described herein . a keyboard 72 and / or a pointing device 73 , such as a mouse 73 , may be provided as input devices to interface with central processing unit 68 . to increase input efficiency , keyboard 72 may be supplemented or replaced with a scanner , card reader , or other data input device . the pointing device 73 may be a mouse , touch pad control device , track ball device , or any other type of pointing device . alternatively , referring to fig2 , computer 58 may also include a cd rom reader 95 and cd recorder 96 , which are interconnected by a bus 97 along with other peripheral devices 98 supported by the bus structure and protocol . bus 97 serves as the main information highway interconnecting other components of the computer . it is connected via an interface 99 to the computer 58 . fig2 illustrates a block diagram of the internal hardware of the computer of fig2 . cpu 75 is the central processing unit of the system , performing calculations and logic operations required to execute a program . read only memory ( rom ) 76 and random access memory ( ram ) 77 constitute the main memory of the computer . disk controller 78 interfaces one or more disk drives to the system bus 74 . these disk drives may be floppy disk drives such as 79 , or cd rom or dvd ( digital video / versatile disk ) drives , as at 80 , or internal or external hard drives 81 . as previously indicated these various disk drives and disk controllers are optional devices . a display interface 82 permits information from bus 74 to be displayed on the display 83 . again , as indicated , the display 83 is an optional accessory for a central or remote computer in the communication network , as are infrared receiver 88 and transmitter 89 . communication with external devices occurs using communications port 84 . in addition to the standard components of the computer , the computer may also include an interface 85 , which allows for data input through the keyboard 86 or pointing device , such as a mouse 87 . conventional processing system architecture is more fully discussed in computer organization and architecture , by william stallings , macmillan publishing co . ( 3d ed . 1993 ). conventional processing system network design is more fully discussed in data network design , by darren l . spohn , mcgraw - hill , inc . ( 1993 ). conventional data communications is more fully discussed in data communications principles , by r . d . gitlin , j . f . hayes , and s . b . weinstain , plenum press ( 1992 ), and in the irwin handbook of telecommunications , by james harry green , irwin professional publishing ( 2d ed . 1992 ). each of the foregoing publications is incorporated herein by reference . the foregoing detailed description includes many specific details . the inclusion of such detail is for the purpose of illustration only and should not be understood to limit the invention . in addition , features in one embodiment may be combined with features in other embodiments of the invention . various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . as one example , the information system may include a general purpose computer , or a specially programmed special purpose computer . it may be implemented as a distributed computer system rather than a single computer . similarly , a communications link may be world wide web , a modem over a pots line , and / or any other method of communicating between computers and / or users . moreover , the processing could be controlled by a software program on one or more computer system or processors , or could even be partially or wholly implemented in hardware . this invention is not limited to particular types of intellectual property . it is intended for use with any type of intellectual property , e . g ., patents , trademarks , trade secrets , designs , sui generis protection , copyrights , licenses , litigations , and / or other rights . further , various aspects of one or more embodiments of the present invention are useful with documents including those not related to intellectual property . further , the invention is not limited to particular protocols for communication . any appropriate communication protocol may be used . the report may be developed in connection with html display format . although html is the preferred display format , it is possible to utilize alternative display formats for displaying a report and obtaining user instructions . the invention has been discussed in connection with particular examples . however , the principles apply equally to other examples and / or realizations . naturally , the relevant data may differ , as appropriate . further , this invention has been discussed in certain examples as if it is made available by a provider to a single customer with a single site . the invention may be used by numerous customers , if preferred . also , the invention may be utilized by customers with multiple sites and / or agents and / or licensee - type arrangements . this invention has been described in connection with example data formats , for example xml and uspto defined xml . however , the invention may be used in connection with other data formats , structured and / or unstructured , unitary and / or distributed . the system used in connection with the invention may rely on the integration of various components including , as appropriate and / or if desired , hardware and software servers , applications software , database engines , server area networks , firewall and ssl security , production back - up systems , and / or applications interface software . the configuration may be , preferably , network - based and optionally utilizes the internet as an exemplary primary interface with the customer for information delivery . the system may store collected information in a database . an appropriate database may be on a standard server , for example , a small sun sparc or other remote location . the database is optionally an msql , mysql , mini sequel server minisql , or oracle . information is stored in the database ; and optionally stored and , backed up by a back - up server , periodically or aperiodically , for example , every night along with all other data in the servers that are behind the corporate firewall into a back - up storage facility . back - up storage facility comprises , for example , one or more tape silos that are also used to back up the entire network every night . data security and segregation of the various customers &# 39 ; data is advantageously maintained . the information , for example , will eventually get stored , for example , on a platform that may , for example be unix - based . the various databases may be in , for example , a unix format , but other standard data formats may also be used . windows nt , for example , is used , but other standard operating systems may also be used . optionally , the various databases include a conversion system capable of receiving data in various standard formats . from the user &# 39 ; s perspective , according to some embodiments the user may access the public internet or other suitable network and look at its specific information at any time from any location as long as it has internet or other suitable access . for example , the user opens its standard web browser , goes to the address that is specified for its load data , and optionally fills out a user id to log on , and a password to identify it as the specific user or the specific customer of that particular information . optionally , security of the networks is as tight as possible such that the data , not only customer data , but any information that is beyond the firewall is always protected against any kind of potential intrusion . the user , and , indeed , multiple users concurrently can look at the same information . advantageously , having this system on the internet enables users at various locations throughout the country or the world , to visit the same site at the same time and enter into a discussion or talk group as to what they are seeing , what it means , and maybe what they can do with that information .	8
fig1 shows in diagrammatic representation a yarn sheet 5 , which is wound from a creel , not shown , via a width - adjustable reed 10 , a so - called expanding reed , onto a sectional warp beam 24 . for this the reed 10 has a number of hinged points 9 , which are movable to and fro in a guide 25 in a manner to be explained below . in this way , the individual reed teeth 10 &# 39 ; can be pulled apart to a greater or lesser extent and as a result the width of the yarn sheet 5 is changed . reference is made to the fact that in place of an expanding reed , another type of reed , for example , a rotatable reed , can be used . a rotatable reed is not pulled apart but is swivelled about a point of rotation to change the width of the yarn sheet . for the adjustment of the width of the yarn sheet 5 , a first reed motor 20 is used which is controlled by a control system 8 such as a computer and which receives its control commands via a line 30 . via an indicated gear wheel transmission system , the first reed motor 20 drives a screw spindle 40 which has a collar 41 in the middle which is supported in bearings 42 against lateral displacement . a reed construction of this type is generally known to those skilled in the art . the screw spindle 40 carries a nut 43 , 43 &# 39 ; in the region of each of its end on which two of the hinged points 9 are arranged . if the first reed motor 20 sets the screw spindle 40 in rotation , the nuts 43 and 43 &# 39 ; are displaced in the axial direction of the screw spindle 40 and as a result pull the hinged points 9 apart in a first rotational direction , while they are pushed together in a second rotational direction . a second reed motor 21 serves to displace the reed 10 parallel to the axis of the sectional warp beam 24 , by which means the yarn sheet 5 can be displaced laterally with respect to the flanges 22 , 22 &# 39 ;. the second reed motor 21 is also steered by the control system 8 , suitable control commands being supplied via a line 31 . in the following the essential part of the invention , namely the sensor head 4 , is described . in the drawing , one sensor head of essentially identical construction is shown for both the right - hand and left - hand side of the sectional warp beam 24 . the individual parts are therefore provided with the same reference numbers ; they differ only by an apostrophe . for reasons of clarity in the following only the left - hand sensor head 4 is described . it is shown positioned approximately in the middle of fig1 at the inner flange side 23 of the flange 22 of the sectional warp beam 24 . the sensor head 4 is attached on the free end of a holding device 6 , which is mounted on a bidirectional table 14 . a person skilled in the art can be expected to construct a suitable holding device without further instructions , for example , by providing a profile with a rack , not shown , which can be moved to and fro on its longitudinal axis by the pinion 19 of a stepping motor 17 . it is clear that the rack for this purpose must be guided in bearings , not shown . in this way the sensor head 4 can be moved by the stepping motor 17 in a first or x - direction , which conveniently runs radially relative to the sectional warp beam 24 . a further directional movement of the sensor head 4 , namely in the y - direction , enables it to move the sensor head 4 parallel to the axis of the sectional warp beam 24 . this is possible using the bidirectional table 14 in a manner which is also known per se , for example by the holding device 6 being movable on a bed 7 arranged at a right - angle thereto perpendicular to its longitudinal extension . for example , another stepping motor 16 can be used for this , whose pinion 15 engages with a rack , also not shown , mounted on the bed 7 . the two stepping motors 16 and 17 are steered by the control system 8 via lines 36 and 37 . fig1 also shows details of the sensor head 4 , which carries the three sensors 1 , 2 and 3 . the first and second sensor 1 and 2 are infra - red sensors , while the third sensor 3 is an inductive sensor . the second sensor 2 and the third sensor 3 are mounted aligned with each such that their radiant axes form an angle of 90 °. in between these the first sensor 1 is mounted with a radiant direction of 45 °. the first ir sensor 1 is directed to the point of the ideal final winding of the sectional warp beam 24 . during operation its sensor focal point lies about 2 mm in front of the flange on the yarn . the second ir sensor 2 transmits infra - red radiation radially on to the wound - on yarn , which is reflected and received radially again . it is to maintain a constant distance of , for example , about 8 mm from the yarn . the third sensor 3 is an inductive sensor which is directed on to the inside 23 of the flange and is to hold the sensor head 4 at a constant distance from the flange 22 . the signals of the three sensors 1 - 3 are transmitted via lines 11 , 12 and 13 after processing by analogue amplifiers 26 , 28 and threshold - value switches 27 , 29 of the control system 8 which is a stored - programmable control system . fig2 a - h , shows eight faulty windings of a sectional warp beam , which are compensated by the three sensors 1 - 3 via the stored - programmable control system 8 ( sps ) with the help of the stepping motors 16 and 17 and the reed motors 20 and 21 . faults 2a - d are corrected by width - alteration and displacement of the reed 10 . faults 2e - f are corrected only by width - alteration of the reed 10 . faults g and h are corrected by displacement of the reed 10 . the first sensor 1 , 1 &# 39 ; is held exactly in its position by the sensors 2 , 2 &# 39 ; and 3 , 3 &# 39 ;. if , for example , it recognizes a positive excursion of the winding ( selvedge running - up ), this effects a positive alteration of the 0 - 20 ma output of its sensor amplifier . this current is supplied to a first analogue amplifier 26 . the working range of the first analogue amplifier 26 is 0 - 100 % and the limits can be varied as required . its output voltage accordingly is 0 - 10 volts d . c . voltage . this voltage is converted in a downstream first threshold - value switch 27 into a definite switch point and sets a relay , not shown . the relay picks up an input in the stored - programmable control system ( sps ) 8 . likewise the signals of the other sensors 2 and 3 and the sensors 1 &# 39 ;, 2 &# 39 ; and 3 &# 39 ; go to the other side of the beam . via corresponding different connections , for a certain time one or more of the sps - outputs are active . they act on the two reed motors 20 and 21 . the first reed motor 20 moves the reed 10 to the right or to the left , while the other reed motor 21 adjusts the width of the same reed 10 , through which the width of the yarn sheet 5 is changed . sensors 2 and 3 act on the stepping motors 16 and 17 , and sensors 2 &# 39 ; and 3 &# 39 ; act on the stepping motors 16 &# 39 ; and 17 &# 39 ; and thus position the sensors 1 and 1 &# 39 ;. the sensors 2 , 2 &# 39 ; have the task of holding the sensors 1 , 1 &# 39 ; exactly at the same distance ( e . g . 8 mm ) from the wound - on yarn . they operate in principle in the same way as the sensors 1 , 1 &# 39 ; and on recognizing a reduction in distance , through their sensor amplifier , switch to either one or a second analogue amplifier 28 , or a second threshold - value switch 29 of the sps 8 and a control unit 18 or a first stepping motor 17 , 17 &# 39 ;. this moves the holding device 6 , on which the sensor head 4 , 4 &# 39 ; is mounted , away from the yarn , until the set value is achieved . the distance of each sensor head 4 , 4 &# 39 ; from the flange is registered by the sensor 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, an inductive proximity switch . it has the advantage that differently coloured yarn containers swb can be used . if the proximity switch detects that the flange is at too great a distance from the switch , then this report goes directly to the sps 8 and via a linkage at time intervals addresses the other stepping motor 16 , again via the motor control unit 18 . in this way the sensor head 4 , 4 &# 39 ; is brought back to the same distance from the flange 22 by the moving out of the holding device 6 . at the beginning of warping , namely when using a new sectional warp beam , it is necessary to move the whole measurement device into the starting position very close to the sectional warp beam 24 . likewise , at the end of the warping process , a quick and uninterrupted removal must be ensured . this is achieved by additional measuring elements and processing in the sps 8 in a manner known per se to one skilled in the art . the analogue and threshold - value switches can be omitted if the sps offers the possibility of processing sensor signals like these two devices .	3
the processes , steps , and structures described below do not form a complete process flow for manufacturing integrated circuits . the present invention can be practiced in conjunction with integrated circuit fabrication techniques currently used in the art , and only so much of the commonly practiced process steps are included as necessary for an understanding of the present invention . the figures represent cross sections of a portion of an integrated circuit during fabrication and are not drawn to scale , but instead are drawn so as to illustrate important features of the invention . the present invention provides for the creation of air dielectric interconnections by post - processing standard cmos wafers using advanced etching techniques popular in micromachining literature . however , the process may be applied to most interconnection systems for other devices such as bipolar transistors , bulk cmos , and dram memory cells to name but a few . an example of a standard cmos wafer is depicted in cross section view in fig1 . in this particular example , an soi cmos wafer 100 is depicted . wafer 100 has a buried oxide layer 105 formed over a silicon substrate 102 . silicon - on - insulator (“ soi ”) transistors 107 and 109 have been formed in buried oxide layer 105 as shown . local interconnections have been formed from layers of tungsten metallization 190 , 191 , 192 , and 193 . dielectric layers 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 and 123 separated by thin silicon nitride layers 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , and 142 have been formed over the soi transistors 107 and 109 . interconnects 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 provide connections to various devices at different levels in the wafer 100 . a thick nitride layer 143 has been formed over dielectric layer 123 . a polyimide layer 145 covers thick nitride layer 143 . a c4 flip - chip solder 161 has been processed on the active substrate as shown . typically flip - chip solder 161 is a lead / tin (“ pb / sn ”) solder over nickel (“ ni ”) plated copper (“ cu ”). however , various kinds of solders can be used depending on the indium (“ in ”) and bismuth (“ bi ”) content . in the present example , dielectric layers 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 and 123 are silicon oxide . however , other dielectrics may be used in place of silicon oxide as will be obvious to one skilled in the appropriate art . examples of other dielectrics include but are not limited to fluorinated silicon dioxide , spun - on glass (“ sog ”), and silicon dioxide / polymers . the interconnections 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 in the present example are copper . however , other metals can be used for these interconnects as will be obvious to one skilled in the art . the copper interconnections 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 include a cladding layer ( not shown ) that acts as a chemical barrier layer between the copper and the silicon oxide . electrical connections 171 between interconnections 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 and 161 are typically constructed of the same material as interconnections 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 , which in this case is copper . thin silicon nitride layers 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , and 142 have been formed as a result of the dual - damascene copper electroplating process , which is described in further detail below . for cmos wafer 100 given as an example , interconnections 159 and 161 as well as dielectric layers 119 , 120 , 121 , and 122 are typically between 0 . 3 microns and 3 microns thick . thin silicon nitride layers 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , and 142 are typically around 0 . 1 microns thick . silicon nitride layer 143 is typically about 0 . 3 microns thick . polyimide layer 145 is typically about 3 microns thick . dielectric layer 123 is typically around 0 . 5 microns thick . metallization layers 151 , 153 , 155 , and 157 and dielectric layers 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , and 118 are typically around 0 . 5 microns thick . these dimensions are given merely as examples of appropriate thickness for the layers used in wafer 100 which is given merely as an example of a wafer . other dimensions appropriate for other examples will be obvious to one skilled in the art . fig2 a - 2 d illustrate the dual - damascene copper electroplating process used in forming each of interconnections 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 illustrated in fig1 . the dual - damascene copper electroplating process is merely exemplary of a process for forming interconnections and other processes for achieving the same result will be obvious to one skilled in the art . furthermore , other conductors other than copper may be used . copper is merely shown as an example . [ 0022 ] fig2 a shows a cross - section of a portion of a wafer with silicon nitride layers 211 , 213 , and 215 separated by silicon oxide layers 221 and 223 . line and via definition are etched into nitride layers 211 , 213 , and 215 and oxide layers 221 and 223 as depicted in fig2 b . barrier layer 231 and seed layer 233 are formed as depicted in fig2 c . typical barrier layer 231 materials are tin / ti , tantalum (“ ta ”), or electroless cobalt (“ co ”). typical seed layers 233 include thin sputtered copper (“ cu ”) or chemical vapor deposition (“ cvd ”) cu . more detail regarding the dual - damascene process is described in c .- k . hu and j . m . e . harper , “ copper interconnections and reliability ,” mater . chem . phys . vol . 52 , pp . 5 - 12 , 1998 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . finally , chemical mechanical polishing (“ cmp ”) is performed to planarize the surface of the interconnect . the result of the cmp is depicted in fig2 d . the process for post processing a cmos wafer to produce air - gap dielectric interconnects will be illustrated with reference to fig3 which shows a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the present invention . after a cmos wafer , such as wafer 100 depicted in fig1 has been formed , the top polyimide layer 145 is etched out ( step 310 ) using , for example , a plasma etch . fig4 a depicts cmos wafer 100 after this step . next , the dielectric layers 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 and 123 are removed . in a preferred embodiment , the silicon oxide dielectric is removed ( step 320 ) using a wet etching technique , such as a 49 % hf etch or a chf 3 / o 2 reactive - ion etch (“ rie ”) for steep profiles . this etch removes the silicon oxide dielectric layers 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 and 123 from the desired areas and leaves behind copper interconnects 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 supported by oxide islands 420 . silicon nitride layers 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , and 142 are used as an etch - stop such that the appropriate areas of the silicon oxide dielectric layers 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 and 123 are removed layer by layer . this results in controlled removal of the silicon oxide debris . thus , fig4 b depicts cmos wafer 100 after the thick nitride layer 143 has been removed . fig4 c depicts cmos wafer 100 after selected portions of dielectric layers 123 and 122 have been removed . fig4 d depicts cmos wafer 100 after selected portions of dielectric layers 120 and 119 have been removed . fig4 e depicts cmos wafer 100 after selected portions of dielectric layers 118 and 117 have been removed . the placement of the oxide layer is important in design because the island supports have to guarantee structural stability and be small in size . for example , the islands can be introduced at a pitch of 10 microns if the size of the oxide islands is 2 microns . this results in a dielectric constant reduction from the silicon oxide dielectric by a factor of 2 . 5 , i . e ., effective dielectric constant of 1 . 6 . this reduction is much larger than methods introducing advanced low - k dielectrics that reduce the dielectric constant from 3 . 9 to 3 . 0 . if the copper cladding material is stable to air ( step 330 ), then a separate low - k dielectric sheet cover can be introduced over the oxide islands 420 to protect the chip against dust particles or permit the use of underfills in a flip - chip process ( step 360 ). if the cladding material ( copper cladding material in this example ) is not stable to air , then the interconnects 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 can be etched ( step 340 ), preferably using sulfuric acid , to produce a clean standardized surface . in the present example , etching the copper cladding material with 10 % sulfuric acid plate will produce a clean standardized surface . this clean surface can then be coated with a thin layer of material that is stable in air ( step 350 ). in the present example , a thin layer of nickel (“ ni ”) 415 has been applied to the clean standardized surfaces by electroplating . fig4 f depicts cmos wafer 100 after the layer of nickel 415 has been applied . by introducing this thin layer of material that is stable in air , the long - term reliability of the exposed interconnects will be increased . following this coating , the low - k dielectric sheet cover is mechanically introduced over the islands to protect the chip ( step 360 ). wafer 100 , after post - processing to produce air - gaps , is depicted in a cross - sectional view in fig4 g . the silicon oxide dielectric has been replaced , in selected areas , by air 410 . cladded copper interconnects 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 have been coated with a nickel plating 415 wherever the interconnects 151 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 159 , and 161 would be exposed to the air 410 . other materials which could be used in place of nickel plating 415 include but are not limited to cobalt (“ co ”) or platinum (“ pt ”) or any refractory material such as tungsten (“ w ”), niobium (“ nb ”) or tantalum (“ ta ”). selected portions of the dielectric layers 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 and 123 remain as dielectric supports 420 to support the interconnect islands 425 . a low - k dielectric cover 430 lies over the islands to cover and protect wafer 100 . [ 0028 ] fig5 depicts a mask view of wafer 100 . by reference to fig5 the orientation of the dielectric supports 420 in relation to the interconnects can more readily be appreciated and understood . for clarity and illustration purposes , only certain aspects of wafer 100 are depicted in this view . interconnects 159 and 161 are shown with dielectric supports 420 . via connections 510 are also shown . the effective dielectric constant is determined by the pitch of the support structures 420 . speed - critical paths may be selectively tailored . although the present invention has been illustrated primarily with reference to an soi cmos wafer , the present invention may be applied to various semiconductor devices on other types of substrates containing interconnects as will be apparent to one skilled in the art . such devices include but are not limited to bipolar devices , bulk transistor devices , and memory chips such as drams . the processes of the present invention also may be applied to other substrates other than soi substrates , such as , for example , silicon substrates , silicon on sapphire ( sos ) substrates , and gallium arsenide substrates . furthermore , the present invention has been illustrated by way of example with reference to silicon oxide dielectrics and silicon nitride etch stop layers . however , the present invention is applicable to other dielectrics and etch stops as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art . additionally , materials other than copper may be used as the interconnect material . the only requirement for the interconnect material being that it be conductive to electricity . also , materials other than nickel may be used as the coating for the cladding material . all of these modifications will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art and are , accordingly , part of the scope of the present invention . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention , the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .	7
this invention is concerned with the synthesis of 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid and derivatives thereof . an exemplary reaction sequence begins by reacting sodium metal with ethanol to form sodium ethoxide , then adding diethyl oxalate to the sodium ethoxide , and then slowly adding ethyl cyanoacetate . it is to be appreciated that potassium , lithium , cesium , calcium or other metals may alternatively be used instead of sodium to form the ethoxide . an acidic workup resulted in diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate which was isolated as a pale yellowish solid . without further purification , the diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate was heated in the presence of aqueous sodium hydroxide . it is to be appreciated that potassium , lithium , cesium , calcium or other metals may alternatively be used instead of sodium as the hydroxide . these chemical reactions are shown in fig1 . fig1 is a typical reaction scheme for synthesis of 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid . fig2 is an x - ray crystal structure of diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate . fig3 shows different forms of 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid that may be made by the synthesis of the present invention . fig4 is a diagram of an embodiment of an overall process of the present invention . fig5 is a diagram of another embodiment of an overall process of the present invention fig6 is a comparison of alternative pathways of the present invention for forming 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid . fig8 is a spectrum showing peroxide / resin hydrolysis of nitrile . fig9 is a spectrum of the hydrogen peroxide / resin reaction run using 10 % labeled substrate . the details of a typical diester synthesis now follow . an exemplary synthesis of diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate began by fitting a dry 5 - liter morton flask with a reflux condenser . absolute ethanol ( 1040 milliliters ) was added to the flask under nitrogen , and sodium metal ( 35 . 2 g , 1 . 53 moles , 1 . 0 equivalent ) was placed into the absolute ethanol also under nitrogen while an ice - water bath was used to cool the flask . after the mixture was stirred for about 6 hours , the ice water bath was removed and the reaction was brought to room temperature . the temperature rose briefly to about 30 ° c . after about 24 hours , the sodium metal had completely dissolved . diethyl oxalate ( 219 . 2 grams , 1 . 5 moles , 1 . 0 equivalent ) was added neat in a single portion to the flask . while the reaction mixture was stirring , a solution of ethyl cyanoacetate ( 169 . 7 grams , 1 . 5 moles , 1 . 0 equivalent ) in absolute ethanol ( 1000 milliliters ) was added dropwise at room temperature to the reaction mixture . the addition , which was made at a rate of 1 drop every 2 to 3 seconds , took about 2½ days to complete . afterward , the reaction mixture was extracted with dichloromethane ( 1000 milliliters ) and deionized water ( 1000 milliliters ). the aqueous layer was extracted with an additional 100 milliliters dichloromethane . the resulting aqueous layer had a ph of about 8 - 9 . the layers were separated . the aqueous layer was acidified to a ph of about 1 with 6 m hcl . the acidic aqueous layer was then extracted with dichloromethane ( 1000 milliliters ) and the layers were separated . the organic layer was evaporated by rotary evaporator to yield diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate as a pale yellowish solid ( 304 grams , 95 %) that was used without any further purification . the 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoate was synthesized using the diethyl - 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate prepared as described above . a 5 - liter morton flask was equipped with an air condenser . diethyl 2 - cyano3 - hydroxy - butenedioate ( 214 . 2 . grams , 1 . 00 mole , 1 . 0 equivalent ) was dissolved in aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 1 . 0 m , 1000 milliliters , 4 . 0 equivalents ) at room temperature in the flask while stirring the contents of the flask . after about one minute , a heating mantle was placed underneath the flask . using the heating mantle , the flask was heated sufficiently for reflux while the reaction mixture was stirred . after about 4½ hours at reflux , the heat was removed and the reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature and was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction solution was placed into an ice - water bath and acidified using 6m hcl until the ph of was equal to about 1 . solids formed after about 5 minutes . the solids were filtered . the colorless solids ( 27 grams ) were analyzed by nmr and were found to include carbonate ( 13c - nmr δ = 162 ppm ). the bulk of the water was evaporated using a rotary evaporator at about 40 ° c . the solids were stirred in acetone ( 1000 milliliters ) and then filtered . the acetone was then removed under a vacuum using a rotary evaporator followed by a vacuum pump to yield 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoate ( alkali salt ). once acidified ( using an acid such as , without limitation , hydrochloric , phosphoric , formic , sulfuric ), the resulting product was the 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid in 56 % yield ( 74 grams ) as a light yellow solid that was used without further purification . the details of another exemplary synthesis now follow . ( see fig4 .) in a dry 3 - l round bottom flask fitted with a reflux condenser , sodium metal ( 21 . 5 g , 0 . 935 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) was placed into absolute ethanol ( 690 ml ) under argon , in a room temperature water bath for 24 hours while stirring . the temperature did not rise from ambient . after 24 hours , the sodium metal had completely reacted to form sodium ethoxide . a dialkyl oxalate , in this case diethyl oxalate ( 136 . 5 g , 0 . 935 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) was added neat in a single portion , and then and alkyl cyanoacetate , in this case ethyl cyanoacetate ( 105 . 7 g , 0 . 935 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) as a solution in absolute ethanol ( 500 ml ) was added dropwise at room temperature while stirring . this addition was made at a rate of 1 drop every 2 - 3 seconds , and took about 1½ days to complete . the volatiles were evaporated by rotary evaporator to yield an alkali salt , in this case diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate sodium salt as a pale yellowish sticky solid and residual ethanol . this material was used without further purification in the subsequent step ( 239 g , quantitative , 92 . 3 % pure by mass ). in a 1 - l round bottom flask , the alkali salt diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate sodium salt ( 11 . 2 g , 0 . 0475 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) was dissolved in aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 1m , 95 ml , 0 . 095 mol , 2 . 0 eq ) at room temperature . after one minute , the diethyl 2 - cyano - 3 - hydroxy - butenedioate sodium salt was completely dissolved and the flask was placed into a preheated heating mantle . the solution was heated at reflux with stirring for 4½ hours . the homogeneous solution was then removed from heat and stirred at room temperature overnight . the homogeneous solution was then placed into an ice - water bath and acidified to ph = 3 using 6m hcl ( 10 ml ) it is important to note here that ph 4 will not hydrolyze the cyano group , and ph lower than 3 risks hydrolyzing the amide . the reaction bubbled , which indicated the liberation of co 2 . an aliquot was examined by 13 c - nmr , and showed that the cyano group had been hydrolyzed to the amide and that the reaction had decarboxylated . this was ascertained by the disappearance of the signal at ˜ 120 ppm and appearance of a new peak at ˜ 172 . the reaction was then treated with 6m sodium hydroxide ( 13 ml ) to adjust the ph to 14 . the reaction was stirred at room temperature for approximately 5 days . as the reaction stirred , it became heterogeneous . at this time the solution was yellow . an aliquot was evaporated to show that the ester ( nmr peaks at 62 and 13 ppm ) had been 90 % hydrolyzed . the reaction was then filtered to remove 3 . 8 grams colorless solid that did not comprise the desired product . after this filtration was performed , the homogeneous solution was placed into a room - temperature water bath . the reaction was then acidified to ph = 4 . 5 using 1m hcl ( 20 ml ). the reaction volume was reduced by 75 ml using a rotary evaporator ( from its initial volume of 105 ml ). at this time , solids began to precipitate and the reaction was left to sit overnight at room temperature ( ph = 4 - 5 ). the reaction was filtered , removing 1 . 4 grams colorless solid that did not comprise the desired product . the volume was reduced by half on the rotary evaporator , and 2 - propanol ( 2 ml ) was added . solids formed immediately . the solids were removed by filtration to yield 1 . 4 grams of colorless solid that did not comprise the desired product . the remaining solution was evaporated by rotary evaporator followed by high - vacuum pump to yield a yellow solid ( 5 . 0 g , 81 %). 13 c - nmr ( d 2 o , 75 mhz ): δ = 176 . 1 , 175 . 2 , 174 . 2 , 44 . 9 . nmr indicates that the monomer and dimeric forms of the compound are in equilibrium as shown in fig3 . an alternative synthesis of 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoate using acetonitrile and diethyl oxalate is set forth in fig5 and in the following discussion . in this exemplary synthesis , a dry 2 - l round bottom flask fitted with a reflux condenser , sodium metal ( 10 . 7 g , 0 . 465 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) was placed into absolute ethanol ( 700 ml ) under argon , in a room temperature water bath for 24 hours while stirring . the temperature did not rise from ambient . after 24 hours , the sodium metal had completely reacted to form sodium ethoxide . a dialkyl oxalate , in this case diethyl oxalate ( 68 . 0 g , 0 . 465 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) was added neat in a single portion , and then acetonitrile ( 19 . 1 g , 0 . 465 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) was added neat in a single portion . the reaction was refluxed for 12 hours . the reaction was cooled in an ice - water bath and then filtered . the solids were rinsed with absolute ethanol , and then dried by vacuum to yield an alkali salt , in this case ethyl 3 - cyano - 2 - oxopropenolate sodium salt , as a tan solid ( 48 . 2 g , 63 %). this material was used without further purification in the subsequent step . in a 100 - ml round bottom flask , the ethyl 3 - cyano - 2 - oxopropenolate sodium salt ( 3 . 5 g , 0 . 022 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) was dissolved in aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 1m , 22 ml , 0 . 022 mol , 1 . 0 eq ) at room temperature . hydrogen peroxide ( 30 %, 7 . 5 g , 0 . 066 mol , 3 . 0 eq ) was added to the ice bath - cooled solution . a ion exchange resin , in this case amberlyst a - 26 resin ( 22 grams , 1 g / mmol eq ) was added to the stirring solution . the solution was permitted to come to room temperature as the cooling bath warmed . the solution was stirred for 18 hours at room temperature , and 13 c - nmr shows conversion of the nitrile to the amide . it is important to recognize that hydrolysis of the nitrile to the amide using acid and base conditions is another way to complete the synthesis . while hydrolysis will ultimately produce the desired compound , it may be problematic to control , and the yields may vary . the alternative method of using hydrogen peroxide and amberlyst a - 26 (— oh form ) is more reliable and is therefore preferred . the scheme in fig6 shows how the 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid or salt compound may be produced by either pathway . note that the ph = 10 - 11 in fig8 . the important peak for the illustrated carbon ( shown with the arrow ) is seen as the enolate , at ˜ 73 ppm . the large peaks at 58 and 17 are ethanol from the hydrolyzed and decarboxylated ester . fig9 is the spectrum of the hydrogen peroxide / resin reaction run using 10 % labeled substrate . the labels are at carbons 1 and 2 for the carboxylic acid and the ketone . fig9 is taken at 16 hours at room temperature . the hydrolysis of the nitrile is about 50 % complete . it is to be appreciated that the alternate route shown in fig5 to the desired compound makes the synthesis more economical . this route using acetonitrile in place of ethyl cyanoacetate is approximately 300 % less expensive for starting materials per mole of product . the 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid may be used as a foliar spray on the leaves on agricultural crops . plants would respond to treatments of such a spray by increasing their tillers . on cereal plants ( for example , wheat , rice , barley ), these are the structures on which the grain heads form and are developed . thus , the greater number of tillers , the greater the number of seed heads , which translates into greater grain yield . soybeans would respond to 4 - amino - 2 , 4 - dioxobutanoic acid by increasing their root nodules , the site of biological reduction of n 2 gas from the atmosphere to ammonia which the plants can use as a nitrogen source . this means that less expensive nitrogen - containing fertilizer would be needed by the farmer . although the present invention has been described with reference to specific details , it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention , except as and to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims .	2
in fig1 a , 1 b and 1 c numeral 1 denotes a drive motor mounted on a motor plate 2 of a screeding machine casing , not shown further , by means of a screw nut connection . inside the screeding machine casing there is a planet disk 3 , which is supported so that it can rotate in relation to the motor plate of said housing . the planet disk 3 is shaped like a dish open at the bottom . when the screeding unit is ready for use the dish is covered by a protective plate 3 a having openings for screeding disks 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 . the dish with the protective plate 3 a forms a protected space for the drive mechanism . the space accommodates four symmetrically located holders 4 a 1 - 4 a 4 for said screeding disks 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 , the holders being supported so that they can rotate , in the planet disk 3 . for the sake of clarity , the screeding disks have been omitted from fig1 a but are shown in fig1 c , in which the directions of rotation , according to the shown embodiment , of the screeding disks 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 and the planet disk 3 are also illustrated by arrows 3 p and 4 p respectively . a belt sheave 4 b 1 - 4 b 4 is connected to each holder 4 a 1 - 4 a 4 for driving each screeding disk in a known manner . a belt 6 runs over the belt sheaves 4 b 1 - 4 b 4 and over deflection sheaves 5 arranged between them . a belt sheave 1 a arranged on the shaft of the motor 1 is designed to drive the belt sheave 4 b 2 by way of a belt 7 , thereby causing the other belt sheaves to rotate . since the belt 6 runs over that section of the circumference situated nearest to the centre of the planet disk 3 in respect of the belt sheaves 4 b 1 and 4 b 3 and over the section of the circumference situated furthest away from the said centre in respect of the belt sheaves 4 b 2 and 4 b 4 , the belt sheaves 4 b 1 , 4 b 3 assume opposing directions of rotation relative to the belt sheaves 4 b 2 , 4 b 4 , thereby providing the characteristic feature of the adjacent screeding disks having opposite directions of rotation . from fig1 b it can be seen that shafts of the belt sheaves 4 b 1 , 4 b 3 protrude from the dished planet disk 3 and form belt sheaves 8 . a belt sheave 9 is fixed to the motor plate 2 . a belt 10 , by means of which the rotation of the motor 1 is transmitted to the planet disk 3 by way of the belt sheave 1 a , the belt 7 , the belt sheave 4 a 2 , the belt 6 and the belt sheaves 4 b 1 , 4 b 3 , runs over the belt sheaves 8 and 9 . it may be noted in this connection that the planet sheave 3 has the same direction of rotation as the screeding disks 4 c 2 , 4 c 4 . the screeding device described above , known from the applicant &# 39 ; s pct - application wo02 / 062524 , comprises what is called holders 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 . these were developed especially for screeding machines and , as the market is rather small , they are not produced in very large numbers , which of course makes them quite expensive . in order to lower the costs for all parties involved , the applicant began looking for alternative holders and finally found that automotive wheel hubs were the ideal solution . they turned out to be extremely durable and relatively cheap too . in fig2 one such automotive wheel hub 10 is shown in a schematic sectional view . it comprises a central shaft 11 , which is surrounded by two roller bearings 12 , 13 . these are mounted in a hollow central sleeve 14 a a of a rim part 14 , said rim part 14 further having a disk shaped flange 14 b surrounding said sleeve 14 a . the flange 14 b has holes 14 c for wheel bolts 15 , which are closely fitting mounted within said holes 14 c protruding on one of the flat sides of the flange 14 b . the skilled person realises that the schematically shown wheel hub 10 described this far is just like any ordinary or standard wheel hub on the market and that there are a few parts not shown , like sealings , which are not relevant for this disclosure . a first difference to known automotive wheel hubs is that it is the central shaft 11 of the wheel hub 10 that forms the runner , i . e . the rotatable part , of the wheel hub 10 . this is due to the wheel hub 10 being mounted on a planet disk 3 of a screeding machine by means of said wheel bolts 15 and the flange 14 b therefore not being rotatable , but it does not affect the structure of a standard wheel hub as such . a second difference is that the central shaft 11 is a stub axle having a section 11 a furnished with threads . this is due to use thereof for mounting a screeding disk 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 of the kind described hereinbefore by screwing it on said shaft 11 . in an alternative embodiment the shaft 11 is a bolt . part of the shaft extends through said screeding disk 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 and a fastening device 17 is used to secure the screeding disk 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 to the shaft 11 . in fig2 there is shown a fastening device in the form of a nut 17 which is screwed onto the shaft 11 . other ways of fastening may for example include use of a cotter pin , or any other suitable type of fastening device known to the person skilled in the art . in an alternative embodiment , the shaft 11 is not a solid stub axle but a hollow sleeve . this is due to use thereof for mounting a screeding disk 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 of the kind described hereinbefore by means of a bolt 11 extending through said sleeve and a nut 17 screwed onto the bolt 11 . thus , the screeding disk 4 c 1 - 4 c 4 becomes rotatable vis - à - vis the planet disk 3 of the screeding machine . even said second difference does not affect the structure of said standard wheel hub . a third difference is that the wheel hub 10 is circumferentially surrounded not by a wheel but by a belt sheave 4 b 1 - 4 b 4 of a screeding machine . by surrounding the wheel hub 10 the belt sheave 4 b 1 - 4 b 4 effectively protects the roller bearings 12 , 13 against dust produced while screeding , thereby prolonging life of the wheel hub 10 . neither the third difference affects the structure of said standard wheel hub . thus , it is obvious that almost any standard automotive wheel hub is usable for the screeding machine according to the preferred embodiment of the invention . although the invention above has been primarily illustrated and explained in connection with a screeding unit for a manually operated screeding machine , it is be obvious that the screeding machine according to the invention affords the same advantages when it is fitted to a powered screeding machine . it is recognized that the belt may be any known belt , such as a frictionally engaging belt or a toothed belt , and the chain may be any suitable transmission chain . it is further recognized that although the screeding machine is shown as having four screeding disks , the invention is applicable to any screeding machine having at least one screeding disk .	5
in fig1 to 3 we have shown a lower fixed chassis 1 with a tipping axle 2 at the rear on which a tilting tray 3 is hinged . the chassis 1 may be that of a transport vehicle , the tray 3 forming the base of a tipping body . the tray 3 has an axle 5 on which the top of the rod 6 of an elevating thrustor is hinged , the lower part of the cylinder 7 of which has lateral trunnions 8 . the thrustor 6 , 7 is placed between two identical triangular push rods 9 which are superposed in the projection of the lateral views of the drawings . each of these two push rods 9 have three apices , i . e . : a first apex articulated on the axle 8a of the thrustor 6 , 7 ; a second apex articulated on an axle 10 equipped with a bracket 11 on the chassis 1 ; and a third apex which holds the axle 12 of a roller 13 which runs against a thrust plate 14 on the inner surface of the tipping tray 3 . finally , the push rods 9 are linked by a cross bar 15 above the cylinder 7 of the thrustor . a slight clearance is provided when the three axles 5 , 10 and 8a are aligned on the same level . in the rest position as shown in fig1 the thrustor 6 , 7 is only slightly horizontally inclined between the chassis 1 and the tray 3 which rests on it . the largest arm located between axles 10 and 12 of each push rod 9 , lies horizontally towards the front of the chassis 1 . when pressure is increased in the thrustor 6 , 7 to lengthen it , the roller 13 exerts a lift - off thrust 16 against the plate 14 which is directed from the bottom upwards , almost vertically . this lift - off thrust , therefore acts with maximum leverage along 16 in relation to the tipping axle 2 . this allows a maximum reduction of the longitudinal thrust 17 which is then developed by the thrustor 6 , 7 . the tray 3 is lifted by the push rod 9 lifting round its fixed axle 10 ( arrow 18 ). this position in the center of the piston stroke is maintained during the rest of the movement when the push rod 9 remains immobile in relation to the thrustor 6 , 7 and follows its oscillations . during this sequence of movements , and until the position shown in fig3 is reached , it is the rigid assembly 6 , 7 , 9 which tilts around axle , which is fixed -- meanwhile , the roller 13 comes away from the plate 14 which continues to rise with the tray 3 . the cross bar 15 prevents any unwanted tilting of the push rod 9 beyond the center position of the stroke , shown in fig2 and any self induced tipping of the body . in the alternative preferred embodiment shown in fig4 to 6 , the thrustor 6 , 7 no longer has lateral trunnions 8 , but an axle 18a placed in a conventional manner to the bottom of the cylinder 7 . this axle 18a is linked by two tie rods 19 situated on the thrustor 6 , 7 at the first apex 8b of the triangular push rods 9 . the ends of the axle 18a slide along longitudinal slides 24 incorporated in the chassis 1 . the end of the slides 24 form a hooked tooth 20 which , when the tray 3 ceases to rise , as shown in fig5 and 6 , hooks into the latch 21 which protrudes under the cylinder 7 to which it is attached . in this embodiment , it is no longer necessary to link the two push rods 9 with a thrust cross bar 15 . pressure is applied to the thrustor 6 , 7 when the assembly is in the rest position ( fig1 ), each tie rod 19 exercises traction on the axle 18a of the push rod 9 which , as before , creates an upward thrust 16 under the plate . the tray 3 lifts from the chassis and starts to rise both because of the thrust 16 and also under the direct thrust 17 which the thrustor 6 , 7 exercises on the axle 5 . during this lift , the axle 18a moves towards the rear between the two slides 24 until it reaches the position shown on fig5 where the latch 21 hooks onto the tooth 20 of the slides . now the three axles 10 , 8a and 18a are aligned on the same level , this corresponds to the center of the piston stroke . they remain in this position , as do the push rods 9 during the rest of the movement until the position in fig6 is reached . during the whole of this last phase , the tilting of the tray 3 occurs due to the single thrust 17 of the thrustor 6 , 7 which , having pivoted upwards now has considerable leverage 22 in relation to the axle 2 . all things being equal , this tipping device has a high angle of inclination 23 ; the efforts are multiplied at the lift - off from the chassis ( fig1 and 4 ) due to the vertical thrust being added to the oblique thrust ; the kinematics described uses , not only the longitudinal action 17 of the thrustor 6 , 7 but also its reaction , which working about the axis 8a produces the take - off thrust 16 ; the stress on the various parts and joints is reduced by an amount from 30 to 65 % that of a prior art device at the take - off ; the effort 17 of the thrustor 6 , 7 remains almost constant from fig1 through 3 and 4 through 6 ; this reduction of effort at take - off allows a piston with a smaller bore to be used ; and if the push rods 9 are set on either side of the single central piston they will act as guides on each side of the cylinder 7 to prevent any transversal deflection . it is obvious the thrustor 6 , 7 can be of any conventional type , single or multiple expansion ( as in fig3 and 6 ). guidance of the axle 18a in the slides 24 may be ensured by rollers or sliding blocks . the tipping device could be mounted the other way around from the way shown in the drawing . in other words , the axis of the second axle 10 would be fixed on the upper tray 3 as well as the slides 24 , whereas the thrust of the third axis 12 would be exercised on one of the plates 14 which are an integral part of the lower chassis 1 . the tipping device could also be placed front to back , the thrustor 6 , 7 being towards the front and the push rods 9 at the rear of the vehicle . the same kinematics could be obtained with two lateral pistons and a single central push rod .	1
it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration , where appropriate , reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements . in addition , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein . however , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , methods , procedures , and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described . also , the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein . the drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure . the term “ comprising ,” when utilized , means “ including , but not necessarily limited to ”; it specifically indicates open - ended inclusion or membership in the so - described combination , group , series and the like . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of a sensor 1 capable of sensing a shear force and electrically connected to a mobile terminal 2 . the mobile terminal 2 can be a tablet computer or a cell phone . the sensor 1 includes a substrate 10 and at least one support 20 located on and secured to the substrate 10 . each support 20 is a three - dimensionally arched structure which can be elastically deformed . in at least one embodiment , the substrate 10 is a printed circuit board ( pcb ), and more specifically , the substrate 10 can be a flexible printed circuit board ( fpc ). each support 20 is made of stainless steel . the sensor 1 further includes a casing 30 located on the substrate 10 . the substrate 10 and the casing 30 cooperatively form a receiving space 100 for receiving each support 20 . the substrate 10 further includes a vibrator 11 and a processor 12 located on and secured to the substrate 10 . fig2 illustrates that each support 20 includes two opposite flange portions 201 and an arched portion 202 located between the two flange portions 201 . each support 20 is secured to the substrate 10 via the two flange portions 201 . the arched portion 202 is arched away from the substrate 10 , thereby forming a space 2020 between the arched portion 202 of each support 20 and the substrate 10 . an exterior surface 2000 of each support 20 facing or positioned away from the substrate 10 includes at least one shear force sensing unit 21 . in at least one embodiment , the exterior surface 2000 of each support 20 can further include at least one pressure sensing unit 22 . each of the shear force sensing unit 21 and the pressure sensing unit 22 is connected to wires 2210 . fig3 illustrates that each shear force sensing unit 21 includes a first piezoelectric film 210 sandwiched between two first electrodes 211 . the first piezoelectric film 210 partially covers the support 20 , with an upper end being secured to a top point of the arched portion 202 and a lower end being secured to a flange portion 201 of the support 20 . as such , each shear force sensing unit 21 is three - dimensionally arched . fig4 illustrates that when a shear force f 1 is applied to the support 20 , the support 20 is elastically deformed along a direction substantially parallel to the substrate 10 ( that is , along − x or + x direction , fig4 showing the support 20 being elastically deformed along + x direction ), causing an elastic deformation in the first piezoelectric film 210 of each shear force sensing unit 21 . the first piezoelectric film 210 outputs a signal corresponding to a degree of deformation thereof via one of the first electrodes 211 . the output signal can be an electrical vibration corresponding to a vibration produced in the first piezoelectric film 210 . the output signal can also be a voltage signal . in at least one embodiment , each support 20 includes two shear force sensing units 21 ( shown in fig2 ). two top points of the arched portion 202 with a distance between them anchor the upper ends of the first piezoelectric films 210 and two opposing flange portions 201 of the support 20 anchor the lower ends of the first piezoelectric films 210 . as such , the first piezoelectric films 210 of the two shear force sensing units 21 can be elastically deformed in opposing directions parallel to the substrate 10 ( that is , along − x and + x directions ) when shear forces f 1 are applied along the two directions . fig5 illustrates that each pressure sensing unit 22 includes a second piezoelectric film 220 sandwiched between two second electrodes 221 . the second piezoelectric film 220 partially covers the support 20 , with each end being secured to an opposing flange portion 201 of a support 20 . as such , each pressure sensing unit 22 is also three - dimensionally arched . fig6 illustrates that when a pressure f 2 is applied to the support 20 , the support 20 is elastically deformed toward the substrate 10 ( that is , substantially along − z direction ), causing an elastic deformation in the second piezoelectric film 220 of each pressure sensing unit 22 . the second piezoelectric film 220 outputs a signal corresponding to a degree of deformation thereof via one of the second electrodes 221 . the output signal can be an electrical vibration corresponding to a vibration produced in the second piezoelectric film 220 . the output signal can also be a voltage signal . the output signal can also be a voltage signal . the casing 30 ( shown in fig1 ) is made of elastic material such as rubber or polyformaldehyde , and can effectively transmit a representation of the shear force f 1 and the pressure f 2 to each shear force sensing unit 21 and each pressure sensing unit 22 . the first piezoelectric film 210 and the piezoelectric film 220 can be made of organic piezoelectric material . the organic piezoelectric material is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ), polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ), polytetrafluoro ethylene ( pfa ), polychlorotrifluoro ethene ( pctfe ), polypropylene ( pp ), polyethylene ( pe ), and polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ). the first piezoelectric film 210 and the second piezoelectric film 220 can also be made of inorganic material such as lead zirconate titanate ( pzt ). the first electrodes 211 and the second electrodes 221 can be made of a material selected from a group consisting of gold ( au ), silver ( ag ), platinum ( pt ), aluminum ( al ), nickel ( ni ), copper ( cu ), titanium ( ti ), and selenium ( se ). in at least one embodiment , the output signal from the shear force sensing unit 21 and the pressure sensing unit 22 is an electrical vibration . in this embodiment , referring to fig1 , the vibrator 11 is electrically connected to one end of the first electrode 211 of each shear force sensing unit 21 via the wire 2110 , and one end of the second electrode 221 of each pressure sensing unit 22 via the wire 2210 . the processor 12 is electrically connected to the opposite end of the first electrode 211 of each shear force sensing unit 21 via a wire 2110 , and the opposite end of the second electrode 221 of each pressure sensing unit 22 via a wire 2210 . the vibrator 31 outputs a reference electrical vibration with a reference frequency to each shear force sensing unit 21 and each pressure sensing unit 22 . if one shear force sensing unit 21 or one pressure sensing unit 22 is elastically deformed , the shear force sensing unit 21 or the pressure sensing unit 22 will change the frequency of the reference electrical vibration . the processor 12 obtains an actual vibration from each shear force sensing unit 21 and each pressure sensing unit 22 , and determines whether the actual frequency of the obtained actual electrical vibration equals the reference frequency . if so , the processor 12 determines that no deformation is being experienced by the first piezoelectric film 210 or the second piezoelectric film 220 ( that is , that no shear force f 1 or pressure f 2 is applied to the shear force sensing unit 21 and the pressure sensing unit 22 ). otherwise , the processor 12 calculates a difference between the actual frequency and the reference frequency and calculates a value of the shear force f 1 or the pressure f 2 being applied according to calculated difference . the processor 12 then outputs the calculated value of the shear force f 1 or the pressure f 2 to the mobile terminal 2 . in another embodiment , the output signal from the shear force sensing unit 21 and the pressure sensing unit 22 is a voltage signal . the value of the voltage signal is proportional to the value of the shear force f 1 or the pressure f 2 . in the embodiment illustrated by fig7 , the vibrator 11 is omitted . the substrate 10 further includes a signal amplifier 13 . the signal amplifier 13 is electrically connected to the first electrode 211 of each shear force sensing unit 21 via a wire 2110 , and is electrically connected to the second electrode 221 of each pressure sensing unit 22 via a wire 2210 . the signal amplifier 13 obtains the voltage signal from each shear force sensing unit 21 and each pressure sensing unit 22 , and amplifies the obtained voltage signal . the processor 12 filters the amplified voltage signal , and calculates the value of the shear force f 1 or the pressure f 2 being applied according to the voltage signal after filtered . the processor 12 then outputs the calculated value of the shear force f 1 or the pressure f 2 to the mobile terminal 2 . in at least one embodiment , the sensor 1 includes two supports 20 . the flange portions 201 of the two supports 20 are perpendicular to each other ( shown in fig1 ). that is , the first piezoelectric films 210 of the shear force sensing units 21 located on the two supports 20 can be elastically deformed along four different directions substantially parallel to the substrate 10 ( that is , along − x , + x , − y , and + y directions ). thus , the shear force sensing units 21 located on the two supports 20 can also sense shear forces f 1 along the same four different directions . it is to be understood , even though information and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of the structures and functions of the present embodiments , the disclosure is illustrative only ; changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size , and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present embodiments to the full extent indicated by the plain meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed .	6
with reference to the drawings , fig1 a illustrates the effect of thermal cycling on contact resistance for untreated panels and those treated in accordance with the invention . in fig1 a the untreated panels (&# 34 ; control &# 34 ;) are represented by various test positions designated by &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;. it is seen that after six days of thermal cycling at 150 ° centigrade , the contact resistance of the interconnect for a standard panel rose by a factor of 22 . in the case of panels that are treated with a preliminary acid solution followed by dipping in a metallic ion solution , in accordance with the invention , after six days of thermal cycling at 150 ° centigrade , the contact resistance had increased by a factor of only 1 . 8 . this represents a significant improvement by comparison with the substantial increase in contact resistance that characterized the untreated panels . similarly , in the case of efficiency ( percentage of light converted to electrical power ) of the untreated panels versus the treated panels , the untreated panel , again with test points represented by &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;, showed a reduction in efficiency by a factor of 10 after six days of thermal cycling at 150 ° centigrade ( fig1 ). by contrast , the panels treated in accordance with the invention , with test points indicated by &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; showed a reduction in efficiency by a factor of only 1 . 6 . here again there is a significant improvement in stabilizing the efficiency . it will be appreciated that the thermal cycling tests conducted at 150 ° centigrade represent significantly accelerated aging and although practiced over a period of six days correspond to actual environmental exposure to a substantially increased period of time on the order of a number of years . in a further example of the advantage provided by the invention , fig1 c compares fill factor of the treated and untreated panels . it is apparent from fig1 c that the untreated panels (&# 34 ; c &# 34 ;) sustained a reduction in fill factor by 50 % whereas the treated panels (&# 34 ; n &# 34 ;) have reduction in fill factor of 20 %. a further example of the invention is illustrated in fig1 d , where the untreated panel (&# 34 ; c &# 34 ;) sustained a reduction in short circuit current of 55 % after six days of thermal cycling . by contrast , treated panels (&# 34 ; n &# 34 ;) sustained a reduction in short circuit current of about 10 % after six days of thermal cycling at elevated temperatures ( 150 ° c .). in another example of thermal cycling of treated and untreated panels , two solar panels with individual cell structures formed by layers of glass , tin oxide , pin amorphous silicon , and aluminum were heated at 150 ° centigrade for 22 hours . upon subjecting the two panels , one the control and the other stabilized in accordance with the invention , to scanning auger analysis it was found that silicon could be detected through the aluminum grain boundary of the control panel . by contrast , silicon was detected only to a distance of about 750 angstroms form the aluminum - amorphous silicon interface of the stabilized panel . this aes ( auger ) depth profile was not corrected for the interface broadening effects of the sputter profiling technique . accordingly , the actual aluminum - silicon interface is narrower than indicated by the above analysis . the same type of analysis performed in separate experiments also revealed that nickel is adsorbed by both the tin oxide surface and the amorphous silicon surface . this is a clear indication of the capability of the present invention to retard also the interdiffusion of aluminum and silicon at the interface between a metallic electrode and a layer of silicon . a further illustration of the advantages of the present invention is provided by the test results summarized in fig2 a through 2d . for the graphs of these figures , a control and treated solar panel were heated at 120 ° centigrade and the photovoltaic parameters of the panels were measured as a function of time . as indicated in fig2 a the contact resistance ( between al & amp ; sno 2 ) of the control panel ( indicated with &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; test points ) increased by a factor of 8 . 5 after 300 hours at 120 ° centigrade . however , the panel , treated according to the present invention , showed hardly any change in the al / sno 2 contact resistance after thermal cycling at 120 ° c . for the same period ( 300 hrs .). these are indicated by points &# 34 ; n &# 34 ; in fig2 a . similar stabilizing effects of the method of the present invention on other photovoltaic parameters after heating for 300 hours at 120 ° c . are depicted in fig2 b - d . it has been theorized that the acid dip which is the initial step in the practice of the process has a cleansing effect on the panels and prepares the panels for the metallic ion dip . as indicated in fig3 a through 3d , the preliminary acid dip , taken alone , provides an improvement over the untreated control panels , but its effect is only nearly as significant as that of the metallic ion dip taken alone . thus in fig3 a the contact resistance of the untreated panel increased by a factor of 11 . 5 after 50 hours of thermal cycling at 150 ° centigrade . by significant contrast , the panels treated with the acid dip alone ( phosphoric acid ) with test points indicated by the designation &# 34 ; p &# 34 ;, showed an increase in contact resistance after 50 hours by a factor of 2 . 5 . the phosphoric acid has a concentration in the range from 10 to 100 percent . a desirable phosphoric acid concentration is 30 percent . the dipping time is approximately in the range from 10 to 30 seconds , with 30 seconds being particularly desirable . however , in the case of the metal ion dip ( nickel ) with test points indicated by &# 34 ; n &# 34 ;, the increase in contact resistance was just by a factor of 1 . 5 . similarly , in the case of efficiency , as before there was a significant reduction ( 75 %) for the control sample . this is in contrast with a reduction of 30 % for the acid cleansed samples , and the slight reduction of 10 % for the metallic ion solution . the results of fig3 b are also confirmed by fig3 c where the fill factor for the control sample was reduced by 50 % but the fill factor for the cleansing acid bath was reduced by 25 %, while the nickel ion bath produced substantially no change , ( about 5 % reduction ) even after 50 hours of thermal soaking at 150 ° c . finally , in the case of fig3 d the short circuit current sustained a significant reduction for the control sample but was virtually unchanged ( or marginally reduced ), for both the acid and the nickel baths , with the nickel ( ion ) bath producing virtually no change and being superior to the phosphoric acid cleansing bath taken alone . the results summarized by fig3 a through 3d refer to the treatment , and in the case of the control sample , the lack of treatment before aluminum metallization . after aluminum metallization all of the samples were heated at 150 ° centigrade and the various parameters were measured as a function of time and plotted as normalized parameters . it is seen from fig3 a through 3d that the untreated panel degrades very rapidly but the metal ion and the acid dipped panels show superior stability in the face of thermal cycling and soaking at 150 ° c . the better performance of the panels which are dipped in metallic ions alone may be attributable to the ability of the adsorbed metallic ion on the amorphous silicon and the exposed front electrode ( sno 2 ) to significantly limit interdiffusion of aluminum and silicon at the semiconductor metal interface , and the promotion of better contact between al and sno 2 . it is to be noted that the acid and metallic ion solution can be mixed so that only one dip is used instead of two separate dips . the boric acid in the metallic ion solution is desirable in acting as a buffer . in addition , other ions can be used , such as chromium and related metallic components . the foregoing detailed description is for illustration only and it will be apparent that other adaptations of the invention will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art .	8
while the present invention is susceptible of embodiments in various forms , there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be descried some exemplary and non - limiting embodiments , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated . the present system may be utilized in various network environments , as well as , systems such as automatic call distribution systems ( acd ). in some embodiments itu - t recommendation h . 323 may be utilized as a protocol for call control in an interconnection network having network communication protocol like lan , wan or the internet based on the ip networking technique . h . 323 includes q . 931 protocol which is used as a call control signaling for establishing and releasing calls among terminal equipment and gateways in the internet , where the gateway is an equipment which interconnects between a call in the circuit switched network such as telephone networks , integrated services digital networks and mobile communication networks and a call in the internet . the network architecture in the h . 323 includes a gatekeeper , which performs functions of address translation , access control , bandwidth management , etc . the gatekeeper may have additional functions relating to the call control such as a conference call control . in many cases , a public switched telephone network is constructed as intelligent network ( in ) in order to provide enhanced and diversified network service . the in is a network connection architecture recommended in q . 1200 series of itu - t . difference between conventional network and the in are two points of independence and integration of the service control function from the switching equipment . an aim of the conventional telephone switching system is to efficiently provide one to one communication services . however , in order to provide the service control function to each switching equipment , complex addition and modification on the function are required . therefore , advancing of services is somewhat limited . the in solves this problem by constructing a layered structure such that the switching equipment executes a basic call connection function and a dedicated information processing equipment executes a function for providing complex services . according to the in , a service control function needed for realization , maintenance and operation of the network services is integrated and controlling , monitoring and managing of the call control part are performed so as to meet an introduction of advanced network services . additional services such as freephone service , abbreviated dialing service , virtual private network service and transfer service are realized with the in technique . in a pbx and a private communication network composed mainly with dedicated line , these additional services are realized by adding a service control function to a server equipment connected to the pbx . when a call from an information terminal c 1 of the internet to a telephone terminal t 1 of the telephone network arrive , the information terminal c 1 inquires to the gatekeeper and the gatekeeper responds by retrieving a gateway address ag 1 for the called telephone number nt 1 . therefore , the gatekeeper has an address table to take the correspondence between the telephone number and the address of the gateway used to connect to the telephone number . the routing control can be thus performed by selecting the address of nearest gateway depending upon the called telephone number informed from the calling information terminal . wireless communications networks offer much flexibility to the user , in that they allow users of portable communications devices , such as personal digital assistants , laptop computers , telephones , and other appliances to get connected to the public switched telephone network from any location within the region served by the wireless network . personal communication systems are known by which a user uses an rf link to communicate with an intelligent base station . intelligent base stations provide radio access along with an integrated services digital network ( isdn ) interface to the public switched telephone network ( pstn ). the pstn aspect of the system may have three components : a personal communications switching center , where telephone central office switches have certain characteristics , a signaling transfer point , and a service control point where an intelligent data base exists maintaining certain user features and records . systems are also known by which a wireless communications device such as laptop computer with a cellular modem may access a packet - switched ( e . g ., ip ) data network such as a corporate backbone network or the internet . in some systems , a frame relay line connected to the wireless network couples the remote wireless user to the packet - switched network via an all - digital network access server . this type of network access server is occasionally known in the art as an interworking unit ( iwu ). the network access server provides an interface to the frame relay line and wireless network and an interface ( including router functionality ) to the packet switched network . the mobile device typically dial into the ip network through a network access server or otherwise register with an interworking unit or gateway router / home agent in order to gain access to the ip network and communicate with a remote terminal on the network . fig1 a is a schematic diagram of an interwork routing control system between a telephone network and the internet . fig2 a is a schematic illustration of the communications architecture that may be used to link a remote terminal on a packet - switched network and a user operating a mobile wireless communications device such as a laptop computer equipped with a cellular telephone modem , and in particular showing the relationship between the home agent , authentication server , a plurality of network access servers functioning as interworking units that link the wireless communications network to an ip lan and packet switched network , and signaling system 7 network . fig1 a depicts a call control part 11 for performing only basic connection of a circuit such as a digital switching system , a service control part 12 for directing the service to the call control part 11 , and a service control information database 13 for storing service control information are illustrated . a routing control communication system is connected between a telephone network and the internet . in addition to the in facility on the telephone network , a telephone terminal t 1 provided with telephone number nt 1 and a telephone terminal t 2 provided with telephone number nt 2 are depicted . a service control information database 131 and interworking equipment 132 are both shown as in a service database equipment 13 . in the internet 15 , a gatekeeper 17 is provided with address ak , an information terminal c 1 is provided with an address ac , and an information terminal c 2 is provided with an address ac 2 . moreover , for connecting a telephone network and the internet , a gateway 1 having a telephone number ng 1 and an address ag 1 , and a gateway 2 having a telephone number ng 2 and an address ag 2 are shown . referring now to fig2 a , a situation may occur in which a user , for example , a person operating a personal computer 10 on a corporate backbone network 12 , may wish to exchange information or data with one or more users of mobile wireless communications devices , such as the users operating laptop computer 14 or laptop computer 16 . similarly , the user of computer 24 may want to communicate with users operating laptop computer 14 or laptop computer 16 . however , the users of the laptop computers 14 and 16 , may desire to only communicate via text messages . for example , these users may be in a meeting or a conference where they cannot carry on a voice communication . instead of the laptops 14 and 16 the users may only have text capable devices . the wireless communications device 14 is a subscriber to a wireless communications network 40 . if the device 14 is authenticated and authorized to receive the ip packet ( i . e ., is a current , paid up subscriber to the wireless network 40 service ), a search is performed with a location server for an existing mobile ip address for routing the ip packet to the device . if the searching results in a negative outcome , the device 14 is paged via the wireless communications network 40 . when the device 14 responds to the page , the device becomes connected to the ip network 20 / 12 via a network access server or interworking unit ( e . g ., 30 ) coupling the wireless communications network 40 to the ip network 20 / 12 . thus connected , the device 14 may receive the ip packet and initiate communication via the ip network 20 / 12 with the source of the ip packet , remote terminal 10 . the backbone network 12 comprises an ip local area network ( such as an ethernet network ), which is coupled by an ip router 18 to a wide area ip network 20 such as the internet . when the pc 10 destined for the laptop computer 14 generates an ip packet , the ip protocol requires a destination address field in the packet corresponding to the device 14 . this address field will result in the call being forwarded over the ip network 20 to a home agent 22 for the device 14 . the home agent 22 comprises a gateway / router , which may be a router on the ip network 20 , which acts as mechanism for coordinating the receipt and transmission of communication sessions for the device 14 from multiple remote terminals , such as terminals 10 or 24 . the home agent 22 also performs these functions for a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices , such as laptop computers 14 and 16 . the network access servers 30 may be coupled to a frame relay line 42 which is linked to a wireless base station 44 via a central base station controller ( cbsc ). known and conventional additional equipment in the wireless network 40 , such as mobile switching centers , may be present but are omitted from the illustration . the cbscs multiplex a plurality of channels from multiple wireless devices on the frame relay line for transmission to the network access servers 30 and 30 a . the wireless base stations transmits and receives data to and from the wireless devices via radio frequency links 46 to a radio tower 48 and radio frequency links from the tower 48 to the devices 14 and 16 . the particular manner and details by which the wireless system 40 operates may be in any known manner . the cbsc of fig2 a is maintained and operated by the provider of the wireless communication service for the mobile nodes 14 and 16 . the cbsc multiplexes a plurality of calls ( e . g ., twenty three ) onto an integrated services digital network primary rate interface ( isdn pri ) t1 line and directs the data to the network access server 30 . the cbsc also initiates a page of the mobile node 14 , 16 over the wireless network 40 using a mobile switching center , base station 44 and a radio tower 48 . the connection between the cbsc and the network access server 30 could also use some other technology such as asynchronous transfer mode ( atm ). the ss7 network agent 34 is a known device , which is connected to the ss7 network on one side and the lan on the other side . it maps messages received from the lan side into ss7 messages to deliver to ss7 network elements , for example , a signaling transfer point , network control point or signal control point . the ss7 network has the ability much like a radius server . it can authenticate using various attributes received in ss7 signaling message to access a database and authenticate a user to access the network . it can also deliver ss7 signaling messages to the home agent 22 on the lan . the ss7 agent 34 thus allows the ss7 network to control a data network in addition to its current role , i . e ., of controlling access to the worldwide public switched telephone network . fig1 is a block diagram of a specific embodiment of a telephone system having an automatic call distributor 109 that is part of a private branch exchange 108 in a call center 106 . calls may be connected between callers 101 , 102 , 103 via a network 105 to an automatic call distributor 109 . the automatic call distributor 109 may distribute the calls to telemarketers or agents , such as virtual agent 110 , or live agent 112 . the network 105 may be any appropriate communication system network such as a public switch telephone network , cellular telephone network , satellite network , land mobile radio network , the internet , etc . similarly , the automatic call distributor 109 may be a stand - alone unit , or may be integrated in a host computer , distributed among multiple computers , etc . the illustrated embodiment may be implemented under any of number of different formats . for example , where implemented in connection with a public switch telephone network , a satellite network , a cellular or land mobile radio network , the illustrated embodiment of fig1 may operate within a host computer associated with the automatic call distributor and may receive voice information ( such as pulse code modulation data ) from a switched circuit connection which carries a voice between the callers 101 , 102 , 103 and the agents 110 , 112 . an alternative embodiment , which may be implemented , for example , in connection with the internet , may operate from within a server . voice information may be carried between the agents 110 , 112 and callers 101 , 102 , 103 using packets . as shown in the embodiment of fig1 , a caller , such as caller 101 , may place a call to the call center 106 . in this embodiment the caller 101 may also send a text message that is routed via the communication network 105 to the call center 106 , in a conventional manner . the call or text message in the illustrated embodiment may be routed within the call center 106 to the private branch exchange 108 that has the automatic call distributor 109 . the private branch exchange switch 108 and the automatic call distributor 109 may comprise conventional hardware and software , as modified herein to carry out the desired functions and operations . generally , the private branch exchange switch 108 and the automatic call distributor 109 of the embodiment of fig1 form a switching system designed to receive calls and text messages destined for the call center 106 , and queue them when an appropriate agent is not available . in addition , the automatic call distributor 109 distributes calls and text messages to agents or specific groups of agents according to a prearranged scheme . the automatic call distributor 109 may be integrated with the private branch exchange 108 , as in the illustrative embodiment shown in fig1 , or provided by a separate unit . the telephone network 105 , in the illustrated embodiment of fig1 may include the combination of local and long distance wire or wireless facilities and switches known as the public switched telephone network , as well as cellular network systems and the telephony feature of the internet . the telephone network 105 may be utilized to complete calls , for example , between ( i ) a caller at a station set , such as callers 101 , 102 , 103 , and the call center 106 ; ( ii ) a caller on hold and a third party ; and ( iii ) a caller on hold and a shared - revenue telephone service , such as a 900 or 976 service , provided by content provider . as is well known , shared - revenue telephone services deliver a particular service over the telephone and subsequently bill the caller . the telephone number from which a call is made typically identifies the caller . a subsequent bill is then included as part of the caller &# 39 ; s regular telephone bill . the internet network , as used herein , includes the world wide web ( the “ web ”) and other systems for storing and retrieving information using the internet or other computer network . to view a web site , the user communicates an electronic web address , referred to as a uniform resource locator (“ url ”), associated with the web site . it is noted that if the caller accesses the call center 100 from a conventional telephone , the textual portions of a premium web site may be converted to speech for presentation to the caller . present embodiments permit establishment of an archived history of past contacts , including voice contacts , which have been converted to text via voice recognition so that the contacts can be searched by automated means based on key words . the system , for example the automatic call distributor 109 ( depicted in fig1 ), typically may have a memory 220 as depicted in fig2 . the memory 220 may have a plug - in database 200 , which may have plugins , such as the data storing plugin 202 , as well as other plugins such as , agent - to - agent collaboration 204 , mentoring 206 , and monitoring 208 . the memory 220 also has a database of agents that are logged onto the system and is referred to as a database of logged - on agents 210 . furthermore , there is a database 212 of current agent assigned plug - ins . in another embodiment depicted in fig3 , an automatic call distributor 306 connects one of the callers 301 , 302 , 303 via the network 305 to one of the agents 314 , 316 . the automatic call distributor 306 keeps track of the logged - on agents by the logged - on agents database 310 . initially , or periodically , or on an ongoing basis , agents may be assigned to the various plug - ins . this information may be stored in a currently assigned plug - in to agent database 312 . in one embodiment , when one of the agents 314 , 316 becomes available , that is , when the agent is not connected with a caller , the automatic call distributor 306 then accesses the plug - in database 308 and enables one of the pre - configured appropriate plugs - ins for this agent . for example , this agent may be handicapped and needs to use the format conversion plugin 202 . the various embodiments permit a contact information to be stored in a central repository for use in post - processing reporting , research and evaluation . for each contact received , the pertinent data may be assembled and maintained in a database or central repository . for a voice contact , it may be “ packetized ,” as a “. wav ” or “. mp3 file ”, for example . the file may then be converted to text by a voice recognition module . when research or business intelligence is subsequently needed on a particular topic , the repository may be searched for key words that match . for example , perhaps a business entity wishes to develop a new part for an automobile and the word “ gasket ” is central to the product . all contacts may be searched for the key word “ gasket ” or other equivalent words to find all contacts that contain this key word . this may provide the necessary information . the contacts can then be further filtered , or may be inspected directly by the business intelligence or research personnel . fig4 is a flow diagram depicting one embodiment of a method of utilizing agents in which plug - ins are initially provided that implement at least one predetermined function in the call distribution system , or other communication systems as illustrated at step 400 . thereafter , the plug - ins are assigned to various agents in step 402 . in step 404 , the system keeps track of which agents are logged on to the system . the system activates plug - ins for an agent in step 406 . then in step 408 , it is determined whether a data storing plugin is required . if not , then according to step 410 , the agent continues in the active duty state . other wise the plug - in for this agent is enabled in step 412 . when the message is a voice message , the voice message is packetized in step 420 , and the converted to text in step 422 . in some embodiments , the automatic call distribution system has a plurality of agents and a plurality of plug - ins . agents are then matched and assigned to at least one plug - in . of course , it is to be understood that not all agents need to be assigned to plug - ins in the system , and that agents may be assigned to more than one plug - in . in a further embodiment , the plug - ins may be activated for a respective agent when the respective agent logs on to the system . fig5 depicts the elements of one such embodiment . a function determination module 502 determines for a plurality of agents 500 respective agent functions for respective agents . an assignment module 504 is operatively connected to the determination module 502 . this assignment module 504 assigns a respective agent function to a respective agent . the assignment module 504 also stores the assigned agent functions in a storage or database 506 . an activating module 508 is operatively connected to the storage or database 506 and retrieves a respective agent function from the database 506 , and activates the respective agent function for a respective assigned agent in response to at least one predetermined parameter ( such as identification of a data storing requirement , see parameter 510 ) that occurs in the automatic call distribution system . it is to be understood , of course , that the present invention in the various embodiments can be implemented in hardware , software , or in combinations of hardware and software . the present invention is not limited to the particular details of the apparatus and methods depicted , and other modifications and applications are contemplated . certain other changes may be made in the above - described apparatus and methods without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention herein involved . it is intended , therefore , that the subject matter in the above depiction shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	7
hereafter , the terminology “ wtru ” includes but is not limited to a user equipment , a mobile station , a fixed or mobile subscriber unit , a pager , or any other type of device capable of operating in a wireless environment . when referred to hereafter , the terminology “ node - b ” includes but is not limited to a base station , a site controller , an access point or any other type of interfacing device in a wireless environment . fig1 is a block diagram of a wtru 100 for eu multiplexing in accordance with the present invention . the wtru comprises an rlc layer 102 , a mac - d entity 104 , a mac - e entity 106 and a phy entity 108 . the rlc layer 102 , the mac - d entity 104 and the phy entity 108 perform similar functions of a wtru in a current wireless communication system . it should be noted that the configuration shown in fig1 is provided as an example , and the functions performed by the mac - d entity and the mac - e entity may be incorporated in one entity , and the functions of the entities in fig1 may be implemented in more or less functional entities . the rlc layer 102 comprises one or more rlc entities , each associated with certain logical channels , such as a dedicated control channel ( dcch ) or a dedicated traffic channel ( dtch ). each mac - d flow has its associated qos attributes . the mac - e entity 106 comprises a multiplexing function 106 a and an eu tfc selection function 106 b . the mac - e entity multiplexes the mac - d flows onto mac - e pdus while selecting a proper tf for the enhanced uplink dedicated channel ( e - dch ). the phy entity 108 processes mac - e pdus for wireless transmission . the wtru 100 is configured to support eu transmission through a single eu trch . in accordance with the present invention , a set of allowed combinations of mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ), that are allowed to be multiplexed within a mac - e pdu is defined for each wtru 100 . mac - e pdu multiplexing rules are defined which specify what data may be chosen from mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ), and multiplexed onto a mac - e pdu for maintaining qos requirements . the rules may be pre - specified by the standard or may be signaled to the wtru 100 by a radio network controller ( rnc ) through radio resource control ( rrc ) procedures . an rrc signaled set of combinations provides the ability for the rnc to control logical channels or corresponding mac - d flows to achieve their specific qos requirements . certain mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channels ), combinations that can not be blocked from transmission even when the wtru is in a transmit power restricted state may also be defined to avoid blocking of any one mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channels ). transmission of these combinations may also be allowed without requiring eu channel allocations from node - b . in accordance with one embodiment , the number of pdus per transmit time interval ( tti ) from each mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channels ), that can be multiplexed within a mac - e pdu may be configured . the number of pdus per tti represents a data rate for each channel . for example , all allowed combinations may include one or more pdus from a particular logical channel , which would guarantee that this particular logical channel is always served . in accordance with another embodiment , the set of combinations can be defined with specific data rate from each mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channels ), that can be multiplexed onto the mac - e pdus . the set of combinations may also be defined with specified data rate that can be combined or not , with specified data rates from other mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ). the data rates from each mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channels ), may be explicitly matched with the data rate of other mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ). in certain combinations , the other channel ( s ) may transmit no data . the combination may also just identify possible rates for each mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channels ), and allow the wtru to choose any know rate from other channels that does not exceed the allocated physical channel or transmission power limits . within the set of allowed combinations , absolute or relative priority multiplexing rules may be defined to maintain proper prioritization between mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ). in accordance with an absolute priority scheme , a logical channel or mac - d flow of higher priority is always served before a logical channel or mac - d flow of lower priority is served . the chosen multiplexing combination is the one that supports the most highest priority data within the set of tfs defined for the eu trch . alternatively , logical channel or mac - d flow combinations configured by rrc signaling procedures may take precedence over the absolute priority . the rrc signaling procedures may configure allowed combinations of logical channels or mac - d flows within a mac - e pdu . the core network may also specify the data size or number of mac - d pdus that are allowed to be multiplexed from each logical channel or mac - d flow into each mac - e pdu . in accordance with a relative priority scheme , a weighting mechanism is specified in order to properly serve low priority channels . a weight is defined for each mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ). available bandwidth on the e - dch is distributed to each logical channel or mac - d flow according to the defined weight . this approach allows data rates to be distributed across logical channels or corresponding mac - d flows and avoids bandwidth starvation of lower priority channels . the set of allowed combinations may by explicitly signaled by rrc procedures . the rrc configuration allows the rnc to control wtru multiplexing choices , which can be unique to requirements of the radio access bearer ( rab ). specific allowed combinations of logical channels or mac - d flows are configured for multiplexing within each mac - e pdu . the wtru continuously monitors the state of the allowed combinations of mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ), each eu tti and selects a proper combination for transmission in accordance with the monitored state . if a transmit power requirement for a particular combination exceeds a remaining transmit power allowed for the wtru e - dch transmission , the combination is in an excess power state and the combination is blocked from e - tfc selection . the time to detect and block transmission of the mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ), combinations may take several e - dch ttis . a similar mechanism is used to restore combinations to the set of allowed combinations when transmit power is sufficient . certain mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ), combinations that can not be blocked from transmission even when the wtru is in a transmit power restricted state may also be defined to avoid blocking of any one mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ). transmission of these combinations may also be allowed without requiring eu channel allocations from node - b . since there is only one eu trch , a set of tfcs corresponding to multiple trchs is not defined , but just a list of tfs is defined for the single eu trch . therefore it is necessary to define mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ), combinations in a minimum set which is excluded from being blocked . for example , the e - dch minimum set may be defined such that it is always possible to transmit at least one mac - d pdu from any mac - d flow or logical channel even when the remaining power available for the e - dch is restricted . the rules for multiplexing mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ), onto mac - e pdus per tti may include a combination for each mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ), that includes the smallest possible payload for one logical channel or mac - d flow and no data for all other logical channels or mac - d flows mapped to the eu trch . the set of these combinations may be defined as the minimum set . this may be a signaling radio bearer for guaranteeing a signaling to the node - b in a power restricted state . under current 3gpp standards , a tfc is configured for each trch that provides the smallest possible transmission on one trch and no data on other trchs within the cctrch . these tfcs are always allowed for transmission to avoid the possibility of blocking individual channels . in the case of eu with only one trch supporting multiple logical channels or mac - d flows , a single reserved tfc is not enough . for eu trch , several eu tfs or tfcs are required to support the minimum set on multiplexing combinations . eu tf or tfc includes configurations that allow for transmission of the smallest possible payload for one logical channel or mac - d flow . when the wtru is in a restricted power condition that reduces the eu transmission payload below what is allowed by the eu channel allocation received from a node - b , an indication of the restricted power condition is passed to the node - b with the eu transmission . the indication may be explicitly signaled by a signaling message , ( such as a new information element ). the wtru may inform the level of available transmit power of the wtru . the node - b may implicitly determine that the wtru is in a power restricted state . the node - b may detect the wtru power restricted condition by comparing the channel allocation signaled to the wtru and the corresponding transmission received from the wtru . if the channel allocation exceeds what is transmitted and the wtru either continues to transmit at the reduced rate or indicates it has more data to send , the node - b implicitly detects the wtru power restricted condition and takes appropriate actions . fig2 is a flow diagram of a process 200 for eu multiplexing in accordance with the present invention . a wtru is configured to support eu transmission through a single eu trch . a set of allowed combinations of mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ), which is allowed to be multiplexed onto one mac - e pdu is defined for each wtru ( step 202 ). transmit data is processed at an rlc layer by at least one rlc entity and forwarded to a mac - d entity via at least one logical channel ( step 204 ). the transmit data is mapped onto one or more mac - d flows at an mac - d entity ( step 206 ). each mac - d flow is associated with unique qos attributes . a combination of mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channels ), among the set of allowed combination is selected ( step 208 ). data from the mac - d flows are multiplexed onto mac - e pdus in accordance with the selected combination ( step 210 ). the mac - e pdus are forwarded via an eu trch to a physical layer for physical layer processing ( step 212 ). fig3 is a block diagram of an example of wtru mac - e entity 106 including functional blocks along with controlling signals in accordance with the present invention . fig3 shows three functional blocks . however , the configuration shown in fig3 is provided as an example , and it should be noted that any other configuration may be implemented without departing from the teachings of the present invention . the functional blocks may be combined or separated more or less functional blocks , the order of the functional blocks may be changed in different order , and the functions may be performed simultaneously or in sequence . data from logical channels or corresponding mac - d flows enter the first functional block 106 1 of the mac - e entity 106 . the first functional block 106 1 determines a subset of mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channels ), combinations among the allowed combinations of mac - d flows , ( and / or logical channel ). optionally , the first functional block 106 1 may determine possible rates for each mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ), in accordance with the rrc configuration . the second functional block 106 2 determines available power and e - tfcs for the subset of mac - d flow , ( and / or logical channel ), combinations . the available power for e - dch is also a configurable parameter . optionally , the second functional block 106 2 may determine the e - tfc based on a minimum set of combinations which cannot be blocked from transmission . the third functional block 106 3 generates mac - e pdus multiplexing mac - d flows in accordance with a predetermined criteria , such as configured logical channel or mac - d flow priorities maximizing transmission of the highest priority data . although the features and elements of the present invention are described in the preferred embodiments in particular combinations , each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention .	7
referring first to fig1 , there is shown a system according to the invention . the system comprises a computer 1 with display 4 , a cable connection 3 and a hearing aid 2 . often two hearing aids 2 are fitted at the same time , but for the sake of illustration one is thought to suffice . the hearing aid 2 is connected to an appropriate interface in the computer 1 via the cable 3 , allowing signals to be communicated to and from the hearing aid 2 during the fitting procedure . the computer display 4 , such as a screen , provides graphical information 5 about the hearing aid 2 to the fitter during the fitting procedure , as provided by fitting software running on the computer 2 . fig2 and 3 are examples of such graphical information 5 . during a fitting session , the hearing aid is connected to the computer , the fitter operates the computer , and the intended hearing aid user wears the hearing aid . the fitter may launch various sub - sections of the fitting session , may enter program parameters into the hearing aid and may play sound samples to the user for providing him or her with an immediate impression of the acoustic performance of the hearing aid . the sound samples may be played by means of a loudspeaker or they may be played by the hearing aid itself through feeding an electric input signal via the cable connection 3 to the hearing aid , wherein the input signal is fed to the input side of the processor . fig2 illustrates a diagram with the frequency in hertz along the abscissa and output sound from the hearing aid in db along the ordinate . starting from the top the curve 6 illustrates the discomfort threshold for the user of the hearing aid 2 . if this limit is exceeded by the sound output from the hearing aid 2 the user may sense discomfort or even pain . the curve 7 is the hearing threshold for the user of the hearing aid 2 . if the sound output from the hearing aid 2 is below this threshold , the user cannot hear it . these curves are static and do not change during the fitting procedure . the signal processing in modern digital hearing aids 2 is normally performed in a number of channels or frequency bands . in the example of fig2 , there is illustrated eleven such frequency bands , each represented by a column 8 . each column 8 represents the momentary sound output level from the hearing aid 2 in a given frequency band . this is a dynamic representation and the height of the columns change continually depending on the sound output level in each respective frequency band . since these changes may be very rapid and the sound level very fluctuating , the input signal typically comprising a sequence of sounds , a number of peak markings 9 may designate the maximum sound levels for a short interval of time , i . e . a few seconds . in order to provide more information about the current performance of the hearing aid 2 , the columns 8 may be subdivided in visually distinguishable parts 8 a , 8 b . in fig2 the lower , light gray part 8 a represents the unprocessed input signal to the hearing aid 2 . the upper darker gray part 8 b represents the insertion gain added to the input signal by the hearing aid 2 . thus , the combined parts 8 a , 8 b for each column represent the output signal . during fitting , the fitter modifies the insertion gains represented by the columns 8 b in each channel to adapt the hearing aid 2 to the actual hearing loss of the user . for different listening situations different schemes for the modification of the input signal may be devised . as long as the input signal represented by columns 8 a is a standardized signal , the fitter may still have a fairly good idea of what the hearing aid 2 does to the signal in addition to the amplification , irrespective of the fact that the signal is varying and irrespective of automated functions that may suddenly be activated by the hearing aid 2 itself . this however may not be the case , when non - standardized sounds are used . the inventor has discovered that performing a statistical analysis of the input signal , and displaying the results thereof may aid the fitter in understanding what the hearing aid 2 will do in terms of activation of automated functions . thus a statistical analysis is performed on the magnitude of the modified signal , i . e . the output signal . preferably this is done in a number of frequency bands . the number of frequency bands need not be the same as the number of channels in the hearing aid 2 , but could be far higher . the result of the statistical analysis is then presented to the fitter , e . g . in the form of curves 10 , 11 representing upper and lower limits , respectively . in the illustrated embodiment the statistical analysis is preformed by a percentile estimator , e . g . as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 687 , 241 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . in one embodiment the statistical analysis is performed in the hearing aid 2 and the results are transmitted back to the computer 1 as parameters via the cable 3 for display on the display device 4 . transmission of parameters originating from the hearing aid is as such well known , and the skilled person will know to use an appropriate protocol such as the digital screwdriver ( dsd ) protocol developed by etymotic research inc ., which allows register values to be read from a hearing aid . also , such transmission is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 989 , 251 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . preferably , the upper limit curve 10 represents the 90 % percentile of the statistical analysis and the lower limit curve represents the 10 % percentile . these percentile values are calculated continuously by the hearing aid 2 and the corresponding parameters are sent back to the computer 1 to update the curves 10 and 11 on the display . however , if during the fitting the settings of the hearing aid 2 are modified , e . g . if the fitter changes the insertion gain in a frequency band , the statistical analysis is reset and new curves 10 and 11 displayed and updated . if not , data aggregated based on the old and no longer valid setting would influence the future statistical analysis and falsify the curves 10 and 11 displayed . in another embodiment the statistical analysis is not performed in the hearing aid 2 but rather in the computer 1 . in still another embodiment , the computer emulates the entire hearing aid , so that the presence of the actual hearing aid is not needed . it should be noted that the statistical analysis might be performed in various different ways yielding different useful results . thus , a statistical analysis based on fast fourier transform or wavelets may be used . also , to provide more information to the fitter , a three - dimensional graphic representation could be used , rather than two - dimensional graphic representation used in fig2 and 3 . fig3 essentially differs from fig2 on one point . for better visibility the area 12 between the two curves 10 and 11 has been filled in with color , thus making it easier to identify them among the other curves presented . in this respect , it should be noted that the fig2 and 3 are only examples and that at least some of the curves other than the curves 10 and 11 need not necessarily be shown . fig4 shows a three - dimensional representation of the results of the statistical analysis , as performed in the hearing aid 2 or in a fitting computer 1 connected to the hearing aid 2 during the fitting . like fig2 and fig3 , fig4 has the frequency along the x - axis ( the abscissa ) and the output level along the y - axis ( the ordinate ). however , further to these it has the statistical percentage along the z - axis ( the third axis ). this then allows not only the representation of the curves corresponding to given percentiles as in fig2 and fig3 , but also a representation of the actual distribution within these limits . thus , for each frequency band , a plane parallel to the one spanned by the ordinate and the z - axis , represents a respective histogram of the statistical analysis . in other words , one could say that the area where the histograms raise above the plane spanned by the abscissa and the ordinate represents information similar to that in the curves represented in fig2 and fig3 . fig5 shows the signal level over time for each frequency band . the frequency bands are again arranged along the abscissa , whereas time elapses along the ordinate . along the third axis the signal level is displayed . the current signal level is always displayed in the plane spanned by the abscissa and the third axis , and historical signals recede backwards in the diagram along the ordinate . this representation could be combined with that of fig2 or fig3 , e . g . with the appropriate upper and lower limit statistical curves 10 and 11 displayed in the plane spanned by the abscissa and the third axis . moreover , this representation alone would give the fitter an impression of short term changes in the spectral distribution of the signals , so as to allow him to better assess what the hearing aid does in terms of automated functions relating to e . g . speech enhancement and noise suppression . though the above examples illustrate embodiments in which the statistical analysis is performed on the modified signal , i . e . the output signal , the skilled person will realize that the statistical analysis could just as well be performed directly on the input signal , e . g . if information on the input signal is more relevant to the fitter than the statistical information on the output signal . finally , the skilled person will appreciate that within the scope of the claims numerous modifications and adaptations of the method , system and hearing aid according to the invention , are possible . as an example the cable 3 could be substituted by a wireless connection .	7
referring to fig1 , absorbent particles 10 include clay fines agglomerated into clay particles 12 , which are coated with a powder 14 . in one embodiment , absorbent particles 10 are utilized in an animal litter . in alternative embodiments , the animal litter includes cat , dog , hamster and livestock litter . the clay fines used in the agglomeration process are about − 50 mesh in size and are sometimes referred to as a clay seed base or a seed material . in an exemplary embodiment , clay particles 12 range in size from about − 10 mesh to about + 50 mesh , based on standard u . s . mesh . in an exemplary embodiment , the clay fines are agglomerated using a pin mixer . a powder 14 is applied to particles 12 to form a coating . powder 14 is the active ingredient of the litter . exemplary coating powders include at least one of a sodium bentonite powder and a bentonite / guar gum blended powder . however , the powder coatings may be augmented with either or both of an odor control agent and an anti - microbial agent . particle 10 is spherical in shape , the shape shown is by way of example only as it is contemplated that a host of shapes and sizes of coated particles can be produced by the embodiments and processes described herein . one specific embodiment includes recovery of waste fines which include calcium - montmorillonite . the calcium - montmorillonite fines are agglomerated in a pin mixer using water as a binder . the agglomerated fines have a moisture content of about 20 % to about 40 %. in another embodiment , the fines have a moisture content of about 28 % to about 34 %. the agglomerated fines are then coated with a bentonite powder of about 200 mesh using a centrifugal coater or a rotary coater / dryer system . in one embodiment , the clay fines are fed into a pin mixer using a screw extruder . moisture ( water ) is added to the fines to act as a binder , in one embodiment about 28 %, while in the extruder . the fines and the moisture result in a cake like substance as it enters the pin mixer . a pin mixer includes a shaft with a series of pins which breaks up the cake and results in the formation of small , spherically shaped particles which are separated from the cake - like batch using shaker screens . as previously described , in one embodiment , the clay fines are about − 50 mesh in size and after addition of the moisture and the pin mixing process , resulting in particles 12 of between about − 10 mesh and + 50 mesh in size . other methods are contemplated which include using binders of guar gum and water or starch and water . another embodiment utilizes a blend of clay fines and bentonite fines with water as a binder to produce particles 12 through the pin mixing process . still another embodiment utilizes sodium bentonite fines with water as a binder to produce particles 12 of between about − 10 mesh and + 50 mesh in size through the pin mixing process . the agglomerated fines , including the clay and bentonite embodiment , or the bentonite embodiment , are then coated with a bentonite powder of about 200 mesh using a centrifugal coater or a rotary coater / dryer system for improved clumping capability . in alternative embodiments , methods for coating an outer surface of clay particles 12 with powder 14 include utilization of at least one of a fluidized bed dryer , a semi - continuous centrifugal coater or a rotary coating and drying system . in the rotary system , clay particles 12 and powder 14 are tumbled in a drum to mix for about 60 seconds . the litter is then removed from the drum and the drum is heated to about 300 ° to about 400 ° farenheit and the litter is returned to the drum and dried until about an 8 % moisture content is obtained . the resulting coated litter is typically in the − 10 to + 50 mesh size range , with a moisture content from about 15 % to about 5 %, preferably with a moisture content of about 8 %. in one embodiment , the bentonite coating is about 20 % to about 40 % by weight of a coated particle . in an alternative embodiment , the bentonite coating is about 25 % to about 35 % by weight of a coated particle . in a further alternative embodiment , the bentonite coating is about 30 % by weight of a coated particle . in alternative method for producing the litter , the agglomerated fines are placed in a fluidized bed and bentonite coating is sprayed in a low concentration solution . fig2 and 3 are an analysis of several samples of coated clumping litter which includes 70 % by weight particles produced from fines as described above and 30 % by weight 200 mesh bentonite coating . fig2 illustrates clumping weight and clumping strength for several representative samples and is charted based upon wetting , for example , 15 minutes after wetting with a saline solution , and for 15 minutes , one hour , and 24 hours after being wetted with a standard urine sample . fig3 shows a screen analysis , a bulk density , and a moisture content for each sample analyzed in fig2 . the screen analysis indicates a weight and a percentage for each sample that passed through standard mesh screens , for example , 8 , 12 , 14 , 20 , 40 , and 50 mesh screens . the litter resulting from the compositions and methods described above has superior clumping properties as the active clumping agent is kept on the surface of the particles , where the clumping bonds are formed . in addition , the litter has a dust content which is lower than known clumping litters , resulting in less tracking , as the coating processes described above result in a shell being formed around the agglomerated particles . further , the litter is easier to remove from litter boxes than known clumping litters as the litter described herein is less likely to attach to litter boxes . in the above described embodiments , coating with bentonite provides a litter which includes the clumping and absorption qualities of a litter which is composed solely of sodium bentonite . however , due to the coating process , the amount by weight of sodium bentonite is reduced over known clumping litters , resulting in more efficient use of the sodium bentonite while providing a production cost savings over those litters with higher percentage amounts of sodium bentonite . in addition , the coated litter produced provides a lighter weight product and has a unique , homogeneous appearance that appeals to consumers . further , the agglomeration process results in a utilization of clay product fines , which heretofore have been considered waste products , and since clay is not biodegradable , clay fines have traditionally required space for disposal . while the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims .	8
the present invention advantageously provides a method , apparatus and system for securely communicating content such as audiovisual content in , for example , a home network environment . although the present invention will be described primarily within the context of audiovisual content in a home network environment including a software player , the specific embodiments of the present invention should not be treated as limiting the scope of the invention . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and informed by the teachings of the present invention that the concepts of the present invention can be advantageously applied in substantially any network for the secure transfer of any content ( e . g ., video , audio , audiovisual , etc .) to be played on substantially any content player . fig1 depicts a high level block diagram of a system for adding security encryption to content such as audiovisual content in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the system 100 of fig1 illustratively comprises an audiovisual content transmission device ( illustratively a satellite dish ) 110 , a set - top box 120 , an electronic counter - measure device 125 and a content and key storage device 130 . in the system 100 of fig1 , the set - top box 120 includes a smart card 140 and a secure processing and storage module 150 . in the system 100 of fig1 , the module 150 of the set - top box has a secure communications link to the smart card 140 . in addition , the smart card 140 has secure processing and storage capabilities . in the system 100 of fig1 , an electronic counter - measure ( ecm ) message from the ecm device 125 is communicated to the stb 120 along with the audiovisual content . the ecm message contains , among other things , an encryption key or work key , k w . to prevent interception , the work key , k w , is encrypted with a key to be used by the smart card 140 . the key is denoted herein as the smart card key , k sc and the encrypted work key as k sc ( k w ). the smart card key is stored safely on the smart card 140 and cannot be recovered by someone attempting to intercept or copy the audiovisual content . in the embodiment of fig1 , the smart card key is a key to a symmetric key cipher . the encryption of the ecm message is not essential to the understanding of the embodiments of the invention presented herein and , as such , will not be described in detail herein . in one embodiment of the present invention , the encryption of the ecm message can be a public key cipher , however any known encryption methods can be applied . as previously described , the ecm message is stored along with the encrypted audiovisual content in for example the content and key storage device 130 . upon playback of the audiovisual content , the ecm is recalled from storage 150 and the encrypted work key is communicated to the smart card 140 . the smart card 140 uses a local copy of k sc to decrypt and return k w to the secure processing module 150 of the stb 120 . as such , the stb 120 obtains the necessary key to decrypt the stored audiovisual content . such decryption can be accomplished in the secure processing module 150 . although in the embodiment of the system of fig1 the audiovisual content and ecm is depicted as being communicated to a single stb 120 , in alternate embodiments of the present invention , the audiovisual content and ecm can be broadcast to more than one set - top box or other receiving device for encryption and processing as described above . for example , each broadcast audiovisual content can be encrypted using a symmetric key cipher . as previously recited , the encryption key or audiovisual work key is herein denoted as k w and the encrypted audiovisual content as k w ( w ). the encrypted audiovisual content is received by each stb and stored for later use . fig2 depicts a high level block diagram of a set - top box 120 as depicted in fig1 and a software player for receiving and playing the encrypted audiovisual content of fig1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 , the software player illustratively comprises a personal computer ( pc ) 210 . in content distribution systems , it is desirable to allow stored content , such as the audiovisual content stored in the stb 120 and / or the content and key storage device 130 of fig1 as described above , to be transferred to a personal computer for display . in fig2 , the software player 210 is provided with a unique private / public key pair and the public key of the stb 120 . the software player 210 encrypts its own public key with the stb public key and communicates this information to the stb . the stb can decrypt this message with its private key . as such , the two devices know each others public key and they can establish a secure communication channel . through this channel they create and exchange a session key and then terminate the secure channel . the session key will be used to securely transfer the content from the stb to the software player . more specifically , in one embodiment of the present invention , stored audiovisual content is communicated directly from stb storage to the pc 210 . as such , the key , k w , needs to be communicated to the pc 210 along with the audiovisual content . in the system of fig2 , the pc 210 is considered an unsecured platform and poses a risk to the security of the key , k w , which before to the communication to the pc 210 was very secure . to maintain the security of k w , a link encryption is implemented . more specifically , the pc 210 and the stb 120 use a public key cipher to establish a secure communications channel , ( e . g ., a tls ). public key ciphers , however , are computationally expensive and thus are not often used for large data payloads . instead , this tls channel is used to establish and exchange a session key , k s , for a symmetric key cipher . the stb will then decrypt the audiovisual content using the work key , k w , and then immediately encrypt it using the session key , k s . this re - encrypted audiovisual content can then be securely communicated through an unsecured channel , for example a home network , to the pc 210 and decrypted there for display . for example , fig3 depicts a high level block diagram of an audiovisual content distribution system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the audiovisual content distribution system 300 of fig3 illustratively includes a content and key storage device 130 and a set - top box ( stb ) 120 as depicted in fig1 and a software player 210 as depicted in fig2 . in the system of fig3 , once a session key , k s , has been established , the secure processing device 150 in the stb 120 is used to decrypt the work and re - encrypt it using the symmetric cipher session key , k s . the encrypted content can then be communicated to the pc 210 on an unsecured channel , such as a home network . the player can decrypt the content with its copy of the session key , k s . in order to use a public key cipher , the stb 120 and the software running on the pc 210 must each have a public / private key pair . in one embodiment of the present invention , the private key of the stb 120 , k stb pv , is embedded in the secure processing module 150 during manufacture and the public key , k sb pu , is stored in a secure database for subsequent distribution . the software player 210 can comprise a proprietary player distributed by a stb owner / operator to its customers upon request . each copy of the software player 210 will contain a unique private / public key pair , ( k pc pv , k pc pu ). a customer request for audiovisual content will include the unique identification of an stb from which the connection is requested . the public key of that stb will be embedded into a respective software player ensuring that the software player can only work with that stb . this also gives an stb operator a record of which stbs have been enabled to communicate with which pcs . as such and in accordance with the present invention , the stb 120 has a private key and the software player 210 will have the corresponding public key as well as its own private / public key pair . the software player 210 initiates a connection with the stb 120 over an unsecured channel , for example a home network , and can communicate to the stb 120 information regarding its public key . in such a manner , the stb 120 and the software player 210 are able to establish a secure channel through which they can establish and exchange a symmetric cipher session key as described above with reference to fig2 . many protocols for establishing a secure channel require that all communication devices have signed digital certificates from a trusted source . given the proprietary nature of the proposed architecture , these certificates can be generated by , for example , the stb operator ( the trusted source ) and provided to both the stb 120 and the software player 210 . this ensures that the stb 120 will only establish a secure link with an stb - operator authorized software player . the concepts of the present invention as described above will assist in protecting distributed audiovisual content from being pirated . in various embodiments of the present invention , advanced software security techniques are implemented to protect the software private key and derived session key from being discovered . unfortunately however , knowledgeable pirates most likely will be successful in discovering these keys . once discovered , the session key can be used to decrypt the audiovisual content . however , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , different audiovisual content will be encrypted with a different session key . as such , while a discovered key is valuable for decrypting corresponding protected audiovisual content on a corresponding stb , the discovered key will not be valuable to anyone else having a different stb nor would it be useful for decrypting other distributed audiovisual content . to do so , another session key would need to be discovered . even further , a software private key can be discovered and used to observe a tls session , thus learning each session key as the session is established . for example , there can be two groups of individuals who might pursue such unauthorized copying : customers who which to make copies for themselves and their friends and professional thieves . one difference between these two groups is that the misbehaving customers obtain primary value from the content delivery service and only secondary value from the copying . professional thieves take advantage of the content delivery service for the purpose of generating pirate content . digital watermarking is a technique for modifying digital imagery in order to attach certain identifiable metadata to audiovisual content . the metadata is recoverable from a copy of the watermarked content , even if that content has been re - compressed or has been converted to analog format . the digital watermark in content is also intended to survive the decryption , decoding , and digital - to - analog conversion of content that can be performed in a single secure silicon chip so that the only capturable , clear text content is analog . such a process is commonly referred to as the “ analog hole ”. in various embodiments of the present invention , watermarking can be optionally applied to audiovisual content secured in accordance with the present invention . for example , in a first approach , received audiovisual content is not directly stored in a set - top box ( stb ). instead , the content is decrypted , watermarked , and re - encrypted prior to storage . the watermark contains information that uniquely identifies the stb and the associated smart card and includes a timestamp indicating a receiving and recording time . fig4 depicts a high level block diagram of an audiovisual content distribution and watermarking system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the system 400 of fig4 illustratively includes a content transmission device ( illustratively a satellite dish ) 110 , a content and key storage device 130 and a set - top box ( stb ) 120 as depicted in fig1 . however , in the system of fig4 , the stb 120 further comprises a watermarking module 175 for applying a watermark to the content received from the content transmission device 110 prior to storage in the content and key storage device 130 . in the system 400 of fig4 , if the security of the stb 120 is compromised and the content is successfully obtained from the stb 120 and is successfully pirated , the watermark applied by the watermarking module 175 will identify the offending stb / customer . the watermarking of the present invention , however , introduces an additional decryption / encryption cycle to the process and this , along with the watermarking , can become computationally expensive for real - time processing in the stb . as such , in an alternate embodiment of the present invention , the content is not watermarked during storage , but instead , watermarked as they are transferred to the software player . for example , fig5 depicts a high level block diagram of a system for receiving and playing encrypted audiovisual content including an alternate watermarking means in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention . the system 500 of fig5 illustratively includes a content and key storage device 130 and a set - top box ( stb ) 120 as depicted in fig1 and a software player 210 as depicted in fig2 . similar to the embodiment depicted in fig1 , received content is stored directly in its encrypted form . upon request , the content is decrypted and re - encrypted with the session key as before , however in the embodiment of fig5 , a watermark is added by the watermarking module 175 to the content . as previously described , the watermark can include a time stamp identifying at least the time of download and , if available from the stb storage , the time of initial storage as is the case in the first watermarking approach . in addition , a unique id of the software player 210 is now known at the time of watermarking ( i . e ., because of the digital signature ), and as such , information identifying the particular software player 210 can be included in the watermark information . in one embodiment of the present invention , the watermark is added directly into an mpeg - 2 bitstream . the marking process can be real - time for the first watermarking embodiment described with respect to fig4 and can be faster than real - time for the second watermarking embodiment described with respect to fig5 . in one embodiment , the watermarking process does not introduce any visible or audible artifacts that would tip off a user of its existence . in addition , the watermark data can be recoverable after resizing to a smaller size , transcoding , and a number of other standard television picture processes including de - interlacing , noise reduction , color adjustment , etc . a watermark detector ( not shown ) does not have any information included in the embedding process . that is , an embedder ( not shown ) and detector can share a secret , but the detector will not know , apriori , which embedder was used . detection is a forensic operation and can be slower than real - time . both above described watermarking approaches embed customer identifying information into content that are intended to be viewed and not distributed if a user obtains piracy software that discovers software player keys and if that user uses that piracy software to make unauthorized copies of works stored on the stb , those copies will contain watermarks with identifying information to identify the location of origin of the pirated content . if any of those copies are distributed ( i . e ., on a p2p network or on a web site for example ), each and every unauthorized copy will contain the necessary forensic information ( e . g ., watermark and identification information ) to identify the original intended recipient of that content . after such discovery , an stb operator can take any remedial action deemed appropriate including but not limited to sending a warning letter , to cancellation of service , to the pursuit of legal remedies and the like . in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention , an stb includes a private / public key pair . the private key is embedded in the stb and the public key is stored in a secure database by the stb operator . the stb can also include a digital certificate supplied by the stb operator . subsequently , a customer can contact the stb operator and requests a software player for viewing desired content . the request is accompanied by an stb identifier ( this request could be facilitated through the stb ). the stb operator recovers the stb public key from the database , creates a digital certificate for the software player , and communicates such information to the customer . additionally , and as described above , the software player has its own private / public key pair . as described above , in a first approach , content to be stored locally at the stb is first decrypted , watermarked , and then re - encrypted . the software player initiates a session with the stb and provides its public key . the software player and the stb negotiate a secure channel using their digital certificates , and establish a session key . in the first approach , stored watermarked content is decrypted on the stb and re - encrypted with the session key before being transferred to the software player . in the second approach , stored content is decrypted on the stb , watermarked , and then re - encrypted with the session key before being communicated to the software player . the software player decrypts the content with the session key and plays the content . having described various embodiments for a method , apparatus and system for the secure distribution of content ( which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting ), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments of the invention disclosed which are within the scope and spirit of the invention as outlined by the appended claims . while the forgoing is directed to various embodiments of the present invention , other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof .	7
referring now to fig1 there is shown an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the instant invention . the ringer assembly 100 includes an upper housing 101 and a lower housing 102 the upper housing 101 is adapted to rest upon and , in this instance , overlap the lower housing 102 . a louvered grid 103 is provided in the upper surface of upper housing 101 . the louvered grid 103 can comprise a plurality of parallel strips of material separated by a plurality of spaces . the strips can be relatively narrow , substantially parallel , and extending across a space in the upper housing 101 . the strips may be rectilinear strips , trapezoidal shaped strips or the like . in addition , the upper housing 101 includes a cutout portion 104 in the lower edge adjacent one end thereof . this cutout portion is adapted to provide a space or opening between the upper and lower housings adjacent to the transducer ( described infra ). a tone control unit includes a knob 105 which extends outwardly from the upper housing 101 . the tone control unit comprises a potentiometer ( as described subsequently hereinafter ) which includes a rotatable shaft to which the knob 105 is attached . a switch 106 is also provided in the unit . the switch 106 is accessed through an appropriate aperture 107 in the side of upper housing 101 . of course , the switch 106 and the knob 105 can be located at any convenient position on the apparatus . an optional lip 108 also extends outwardly from one side of the housing 101 . the lip operates to protect the knob 105 of the potentiometer and may be omitted if so desired . it should be understood that appropriate modular phone jacks are provided in the housing 100 . these phone jacks are not shown in fig1 but are shown in other figures . of course , the phone jacks can be placed at any appropriate location on the housing and can be reversed with the switch 106 and the knob 105 . referring now to fig2 there is shown an exploded ( or opened ) representation of the housing 100 . in particular , a top view of the interior portion of lower housing 102 is provided at the same time , an inside view of upper housing 101 is provided . in particular , the upper housing 101 is , effectively , pivoted around the common side to show the relative relationship of the parts . the grid 103 is shown in somewhat greater detail and comprises a plurality of strips 103a which span the transducer mounting area which is described in greater detail hereinafter . between the strips 103a are spaces or openings 103b which pass through the upper housing 101 . each of the corners of the upper housing 101 includes a corner support bracket 201 . each of the support brackets 201 is formed in a corner of the upper housing 101 and includes a stepped portion 202 which is adapted to receive the corner of the lower housing 102 . the aperture 107 is provided to permit access to switch 106 . the lip 108 is provided in order to protect knob 105 as noted . in addition , a pair of intermediate support struts 203 and 204 are provided between the two ends of the upper housing 101 . the brackets 203 and 204 include stepped portions 203a and 204a to receive and support the edge of the lower housing 102 ( similar to the step 202 in the corner bracket 201 ). in addition , a pair of bracket components 209 and 210 are provided adjacent one side of the lower housing 101 . the bracket components are provided to receive and support modular phone jacks ( not shown ). in particular , the phone jacks are placed between the end brackets of the combination brackets 209 and 210 and rest upon the median bracket thereof . the phone jacks ( not shown ) is also mounted in the apertures 211 and 212 whereby connections can be made thereto . a pair of bosses 220 and 221 are formed in the upper housing 101 and extend from the inner surface thereof . the bosses 220 and 221 are adapted to receive screws or other fastening devices whereby the lower housing 102 is connected to the upper housing 101 . a circuit board 250 is shown mounted to the lower housing 102 . the circuitry ( see fig4 ) is placed thereon in accordance with typical circuit board manufacturing techniques . the circuit board 250 rests on the brackets 251 , a plurality of which are shown . in addition , a plurality of retaining clips 252 are also shown . the clips can be flexible or resilient arms which hook over the circuit board and latch the circuit board in place when it is placed on the apparatus . a pair of screw mounting units 253 are provided , as well . these units 253 are aligned with the bosses 220 and 221 to provide the mounting apparatus . a pair of keyhole - shaped apertures 254 are provided at the bottom surface of lower housing 102 . these apertures are used to provide a mounting for the housing 100 , especially if wall mounting is desired . an acoustical chamber is formed in the housing by means of the three integrally formed walls 260 , 261 and 262 . the three walls are joined together to form a u - shaped chamber 290 . a planar shelf 263 is joined to the three walls or sides 260 , 261 and 262 . the shelf 263 is , generally , u - shaped , as well , and includes an open portion therethrough . an acoustical signal generator 265 such as but not limited to a piezoelectric transducer is mounted to the shelf 263 by suitable fasteners 266 such as rivets , bolts , screws or the like . it is noted that the transducer 265 is mounted ( with the opening or throat thereof facing downwardly ) into the chamber 290 formed by the walls 260 , 261 and 262 together with the inside surface of the outer wall of the housing 102 and the inside surface of the bottom 270 of the lower housing 102 . thus , any sound generated by the transducer 265 will be projected downwardly ( in this embodiment ) into the cavity 385 ( see fig3 ). the sound produced in cavity 385 will also reverberate with chamber 290 . this configuration causes a significant amplification of the sound generated by the transducer 265 . as shown in fig2 the back or closed portion of the transducer 265 faces away from the grid 103 . this is contrary to the normal construction of a sound generator 100 . referring now to fig3 there is shown a partially broken away , partially sectioned , end view of the apparatus 100 . the upper housing 101 is mounted to the lower housing 102 . the corners of the upper housing 101 rest on the corner support brackets 202 . the grid 103 includes the straps 103a and the apertures 103b . the transducer 265 is mounted to the u - shaped shelf 263 by means of screws 266 which are inserted into the receptical 367 . the shelf 263 is connected to the floor 270 of the lower housing 102 by vertical walls 363 and 364 . a complementary side wall similar to wall 363 is provided at the other side of the unit . the walls 363 ( and complement ) and 364 together with the floor 270 and the exterior wall 280 , form a cavity 385 . chamber 385 communicates with the chamber 290 formed above the shelf 263 so that any sound generated by transducer 265 echoes , reverberates and resonates therein . the sound is , therefore , amplified before it emanates from the housing through grid 103 , cutout portion 104 , and the gap between upper housing 101 and lower housing 102 around the chamber / cavity area . sounds coming through opening 104 and the gap tend to reflect from the surface on which the assembly is mounted to thereby further enhance the loudness of the sound . thus , a higher intensity , volume and / or amplitude signal can be generated by transducer 265 through the means of the amplification chambers established in the housing . referring now to fig4 there is shown a schematic diagram of the circuitry used in the instant invention . in particular , two pairs of plural electrical connections are shown . these connections 409 and 410 represent the electrical connections of the phone jacks which are mounted in the brackets 209 and 210 shown in fig2 . the connections are arranged to permit proper operation of the unit by installation thereof . the electrical connections between connections 409 and 410 are arranged to permit uninterrupted service in the telephone line and , as well , appropriate operation of the ringer circuit . in particular , the ring line connections are supplied to the intergrated circuit device 400 which can be an amplifier device which operates directly from the ringer &# 39 ; s voltage from the telphone line . in particular , one of the ring lines is connected directly to the circuit 400 while the other ring line is connected to circuit 400 via the coupling network comprising capacitor c1 and resistor r4 . the output of the circuit 400 is connected to the transducer 265 which is shown in fig1 through 3 . in particular , the transducer 265 is connected to the integrated circuit via the switch sw1 which , in this embodiment , is a 4 - position switch . in one of the positions , the transducer ( and , thus , the ringer ) is turned off . that is , switch sw1 is connected to the off position wherein the transducer 265 is disconnected from circuit 400 . in the low , med and high positions , the switch and , thus , transducer 265 are connected to circuit 400 via the resistors r1 , r2 , or r3 , respectively . the other side of the transducer 265 is returned to the circuit 400 at the common terminal 7 which is equivalent to a system ground . terminating resistor r7 is connected from the common terminal to an other terminal on the circuit 400 . a tone control circuit comprising resistors r5 and r6 in parallel with the stray capacitance is connected to circuit 400 adjusting variable resistor r5 is used to adjust the frequency of the tone circuit . a dc storage capacitor c3 is connected around the tone control circuit . it should be recognized that the tone control potentiometer r5 is connected to and controlled by knob 105 in fig1 . in operation , the ringer assembly 100 is connected into the telephone lines by typical modular interconnections at contacts 409 and 410 . when a ring signal is applied , the circuit 400 operates thereon and provides the appropriate signal to the transducer 265 . the amplitude of the signal applied to the transducer 265 is a function of the position of switch sw1 . thus , the output signal produced 265 can be low , medium or high ( or off ) as decided by switch sw1 . likewise , the tone of the signal supplied by the transducer 265 can be altered by properly adjusting variable resistor r5 . in any event , the transducer 265 produces an audible signal . the audible signal is projected downwardly because of the mounting of the transducer 265 in the assembly 100 . the signal is produced in the cavity 385 and reverberates and echoes therein whereupon it is amplified and , as well , reverberates in the chamber 290 which surrounds the transducer 265 . the enhanced sound ultimately escapes through the grid 103 , the cutout 104 and the gaps between upper housing 101 and lower housing 102 . by properly mounting the transducer 265 to project the sound downwardly into the chamber 385 and within chamber 290 , rather than directly through grid 103 , an enhanced and amplified sound signal is produced . thus , there is shown and described a unique design and concept of a improved ringer assembly . the particular configuration shown and described herein relates to a latching configuration . while this description is directed to a particular embodiment , it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive modifications and / or variations to the specific embodiments shown and described herein . any such modifications or variations which fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein , as well . it is understood that the description herein is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to be limitative . rather , the scope of the invention described herein is limited only by the claims appended hereto .	7
referring first to fig1 to 4 , which show an embodiment of the mounting bracket 1 according to the invention , it is seen that the bracket 1 consists of a body part 3 and a clip part 5 . the body part 3 has a mounting hole 7 , to accept a mounting screw ( not shown but conventional ). the body part 3 further has first and second outer support legs 9 , 11 connected to a main body 13 of the body part 3 , which carries the mounting hole 7 , by first and second transition portions 15 , 17 . each of the respective first and second transition portions 15 , 17 has a respective first or second central slot 19 , 21 . the main body 13 has opposite first and second snap flanges 23 , 25 . each of the first and second snap flanges 23 , 25 is formed by a sloped section 23 a , 25 a and a holding ridge 23 b , 25 b . the first and second outer support legs 9 , 11 each have a respective first support leg aperture 27 and a second support leg aperture 29 . the clip part 5 has a web portion 31 which is provided with an opening 33 , adapted to correspond in size and position to the mounting hole 7 of the body part 3 . from the web portion 31 project first and second transverse locating projections 35 , 37 which are engageable in the first and second central slots 19 , 21 of the first and second transition portions 15 , 17 . the clip part 5 is further provided with opposite first to fourth flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 and 45 also projecting from the web portion 31 . in use with the body part 3 and clip part 5 assembled , the flexible tongues are positioned oppositely alongside the first and second transition portions 15 , 17 . each of the first , second , third and fourth flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 and 45 has a respective first to fourth retaining ledge 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 . these first to fourth retaining ledges 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 each engage over a respective first , second , third and fourth support surface 55 , 57 , 59 , 61 on the mounting bracket body part 3 . to guide the respective retaining ledges 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 of the flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 , 45 onto the relevant support surfaces 55 , 57 , 59 , 61 , the support surfaces are each provided with a first ramp surface 63 ( fig3 ), a second ramp surface 65 ( fig1 ), a third ramp surface 67 ( fig3 ) and a fourth ramp surface 69 ( fig1 ). the first , second , third and fourth flexible tongues 39 , 41 , 43 and 45 are further provided with a respective outwardly directed first , second , third or fourth detent projection 71 , 73 , 75 , 77 for a purpose later to be described . also projecting from the web portion 31 in the same direction as the various other projections , is a set of first , second , third and fourth flexible arms 79 , 81 , 83 and 85 . outwardly projecting from each of the first , second , third and fourth flexible arms is a respective first , second , third or fourth distance element 87 , 89 , 91 or 93 . these distance elements are provided for a purpose later to be described . fig5 and 6 illustrate a first step of mounting the brackets 1 to a mounting surface 101 . such a mounting surface 101 is usually vertically positioned in the vicinity of a window or other architectural opening . moreover , as shown in fig6 , such a mounting surface 101 may be recessed , so as to define a boundary surface 103 . fig5 and 6 also show a side guiding rail 105 , but only in a temporary position , in which it is used to space and align the mounting brackets 1 . when mounting side guiding rails on vertical wall surfaces of a building it is often problematic to correctly align and space the various mounting brackets used in the mounting of a single rail . it is therefore that the mounting bracket according to the invention is adapted to substantially simplify the alignment and positioning of a plurality of mounting brackets . as best seen in fig6 the guiding rail 105 in cross - section has a pair of first and second mounting legs 107 , 109 parallel to one another . with the arrangement described in reference to fig1 - 4 , it has now become possible to temporarily clamp one of the first or second mounting legs . 107 , 109 between the first and third flexible tongues 39 , 43 and the first and third flexible arms 79 , 83 or between the second and fourth flexible tongues 41 , 45 and the second and fourth flexible arms 81 , 85 of the clip part 5 of the mounting bracket 1 . this results in the arrangement as shown in fig5 and 6 , whereby several of a plurality of mounting brackets 1 a , 1 b can be spaced and clampingly positioned along the length of a guiding rail 105 intended to be eventually mounted on the brackets 1 a , 1 b once these have been properly attached to the wall surface 101 . the mounting brackets 1 a , 1 b are temporarily held in position by friction provoked by the resiliency of the flexible tongues and arms helped by the relevant first , second , third and / or fourth detent projections 71 , 73 , 75 and / or 77 . this greatly assists in accurately positioning the mounting brackets 1 a , 1 b on the mounting surface 101 and to ensure that these are properly aligned before fasteners are mounted to the holes 7 . once the brackets have been properly attached to the wall surface the guiding rail 105 can be taken from its temporary position and repositioned for proper and final mounting . when the mounting brackets 1 , 1 a , 1 b are to be mounted close to a boundary surface 103 , such as also shown in fig5 and 6 , then the first and third distance elements 87 , 91 will ensure the proper distance of the mounting brackets from the boundary surface 103 . it is convenient to position the lower most mounting bracket 1 a level with the lower longitudinal end of the guiding rail 105 to have an accurate reference for the vertical position of the side guiding rails . additionally , the side guiding rail can be provided with an end plug or end cap 111 . reference will now be made to fig7 and 8 which show the subsequent steps of mounting the guiding rail 105 onto the mounting bracket 1 . the bracket 1 , in fig7 , has been mounted to the vertical mounting surface 101 using the procedure of fig5 and 6 . it is further seen that the distance element 87 has served to appropriately space the bracket 1 from the recess wall surface 103 . the guiding rail 105 can now be positioned with its first mounting leg 107 snuggly against the recess wall surface 103 . when the guiding rail 105 is now pushed in the direction of arrow 113 , first and second detent portions 115 , 117 will deflect the distance elements 87 , 89 mounted on the flexible arms 79 , 81 inwardly and allow the first and second detent portions 113 , 115 of the guiding rail 105 to become engaged by the respective first and second snap flanges 23 , 25 of the bracket 1 . the guiding rail 105 will thereupon be retained in its mounted position as shown in fig8 . a further feature of the invention is the end cap 111 , already announced in fig5 , which will now be further explained in reference to fig9 to 11 . generally the guiding rail 105 includes a guide channel 119 , which is bounded by an exterior flange 121 and an intermediate flange 123 . to ensure that the guiding rail 105 is supported in a vertical direction , without totally relying on the friction between the mounting brackets 1 and the first and second detent portion 115 , 117 , the end cap 111 is arranged to co - operate with one of the mounting brackets 1 , which is in a lower most position . the intermediate flange 123 is provided with a screw receiving formation 125 , in which a screw fastener 127 ( fig1 ) can be engaged to firmly attach the end cap 111 to the guiding rail 105 . the end cap 111 is also provided with an inwardly projecting hook portion 129 with which it can engage the second support leg aperture 29 of the second outer support leg 11 . thus a positive connection is established between the guiding rail 105 and the superimposed mounting hole 7 and opening 33 by which the mounting bracket 1 is fastened to a surface with another screw fastener ( not shown but conventional ). it is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description . the invention is not limited to any embodiment herein described and , within the purview of the skilled person ; modifications are possible which should be considered within the scope of the appended claims . equally all kinematic inversions are considered inherently disclosed and to be within the scope of the present invention . the term comprising when used in this description or the appended claims should not be construed in an exclusive or exhaustive sense but rather in an inclusive sense . expressions such as : “ means for . . . ” should be read as : “ component configured for . . . ” or “ member constructed to . . . ” and should be construed to include equivalents for the structures disclosed . the use of expressions like : “ critical ”, “ preferred ”, “ especially preferred ” etc . is not intended to limit the invention . features which are not specifically or explicitly described or claimed may be additionally included in the structure according to the present invention without deviating from its scope .	4
for purposes of the discussion herein , the terms “ printer ” and “ plotter ” are used interchangeably . fig1 is a block schematic diagram that represents an exemplary system embodiment of the invention . the system is referred to herein by the general reference number 100 . system 100 is comprised generally of image source 110 , mask generator 120 and printer 130 , coupled via means known in the art including , without limitation , hard wiring such as metallic conductors or fiber optics , electromagnetic radiation such as visible light , laser , infrared , ultraviolet , microwave , radio frequency , or other suitable means of coupling . although fig1 shows only a single image source 110 , a single mask generator 120 and a single printer 130 , in actual practice any number of image sources 110 , mask generators 120 and printers 130 may coupled . image source 110 may comprise , without limitation , a computer , a scanner , a facsimile machine , a web - enabled device or other suitable means for providing an image . image source 110 provides image data to mask generator 120 , preferably in the form of binary data such as a bit map , but alternatively in any suitable form capable of being received and processed by mask generator 120 . mask generator 120 includes random number selector 121 and constraint controller 122 . mask generator 120 preferably comprises software . in alternative embodiments mask generator 120 may comprise firmware or an asic , or other suitable hardware or software means for generating masks . mask generator 120 receives image data from image source 110 , generates masks from the image data using random numbers received from random number selector 121 and constraints from constraint controller 122 , and sends the completed masks to printer 130 for printing on media . random number selector 121 is any conventional means of generating random numbers or such as may be known in the future , such that as more nearly perfect random number generators are developed they may be incorporated into the invention . random number selector 121 is preferably a module of mask generator 120 software . in alternative embodiments random number selector 121 may comprise firmware or an asic , or other suitable hardware or software means for randomly selecting numbers . mask generator 120 sends a request for a random number to random number selector 121 , which randomly selects a number and provides it to mask generator 120 . linkage of the range of all possible random numbers and the range of the number of passes selected may be by means of a mathematical hash function , or any other suitable hardware or software means of achieving such linkage . constraint controller 122 may comprise a module of mask generator 120 software . in alternative embodiments constraint controller 122 may comprise firmware or an asic , or other suitable hardware or software means for adjustably controlling constraints selected by one or more operators . constraint controller 122 is preferably provided with means for setting and adjusting one or more of the following parameters and constraints : horizontal , vertical and diagonal spacing of dots printed in a single pass , both within a mask and at boundaries where masks in a row abut each other ; advancing and retracting a page for extended drying time between passes ; operator control and adjustment of these constraints allows total control and customization so that optimal masks can be generated for virtually any application , to accommodate any media type and any apparatus . preferably , quality constraints may be overridden when necessary or desired by using fuzzy logic or any other suitable technique and a selected prioritization of quality constraints , but physical constraints such as maximum pen - firing frequency and carriage velocity cannot . printer 130 comprises , without limitation , any sort of apparatus which can incrementally produce a hard copy of an image or text by depositing “ ink ” on a “ page ”, including but not limited to , any conventional computer peripheral printers , graphics plotters , copiers , facsimile machines or any other suitable means for printing . image source 110 , and mask generator 120 with random number selector 121 and constraint controller 122 , may be co - located with or be separate from printer 130 , so that image processing and mask generation can be performed offline , thereby distributing memory and processor requirements and reducing such requirements for the printer 130 . this configuration is particularly advantageous in a networked environment , where memory and processor requirements are proportionately greater according to the number of network users and thus more likely to either overload the more limited memory and processor capacity of a typical printer , or require that an inordinately large and expensive amount of memory and processor capacity be built into the printer 130 . in addition , distributed memory and processing is more easily and inexpensively scalable as a network is expanded . the word “ ink ” is used generically herein , and refers to any suitable colorant which is or can be used by a “ printer ” to form an image on a “ page ”, including but not limited to , dye - based inks , uv based inks , dyes , liquid or dry toners , pigments , powders , glazes , paints or any other suitable colorant . the word “ page ” is used generically herein , and refers to any sort of media upon which a “ printer ” can deposit “ ink ” to form an image or text , including but not limited to , paper , transparency stock , polymers or plastics such as mylar , cloth or woven materials such as linen , metals , ceramics or any oither suitable media . fig3 a through fig3 d show , as examples only and without limitation , four masks generated pursuant to the method disclosed herein for an image to be printed in four passes using four colors ( cyan , magenta , yellow and black ). each of the four masks shown is used for each of the four colors , one mask per color per pass , and the masks are then rotated to another color for the next pass , until all four colors have been printed in four passes . as an example : on the first pass , the mask of fig3 a may be used for cyan , the mask of fig3 b for magenta , the mask of fig3 c for yellow , and the mask of fig3 d for black ; on the second pass , the mask of fig3 b may be used for cyan , the mask of fig3 c for magenta , the mask of fig3 d for yellow , and the mask of fig3 a for black ; and so on . fig2 is a flow diagram that represents an exemplary method embodiment of the invention . the method is referred to herein by the general reference number 200 . the system 200 provides for generation of pseudo - random printmasks for inkjet printers . at a step 203 , initialize all entries in mask to indicate no pass has yet been selected and no pass number has been tried yet . at a step 204 , to determine the number of the pass on which a pixel in any column of any row of mask will be printed , randomly select a number between one and the number of passes to be made . at a step 205 , store pass number currently selected in data structure of pass numbers attempted in each column until row is completed . at a step 206 , if all pass numbers have been attempted for current column and column is first column in row , return to step 202 , reset constraints , and repeat steps 202 through 206 . if all pass numbers have been attempted for current column and column is not first column in row , back up one column and repeat steps 204 through 206 for pass numbers not already attempted at that column . if pass number currently selected has not been attempted , proceed to next step . at a step 207 , check whether pass number currently selected satisfies constraints . if yes , store pass number currently selected in mask and repeat steps 204 through 207 for next column of this row . if no , repeat steps 204 through 207 until sequence of pass numbers is selected that satisfies constraints , skip step 208 and proceed to step 209 . if all pass numbers have been attempted at all previous columns and no sequence can be found which satisfies constraints , proceed to step 208 . at a step 208 , if all constraints have already been reset within permissible limits or constraints cannot be reset for some reason , employ fuzzy logic or any other suitable technique to select sequence of pass numbers which optimize image quality and throughput within constraint limits . store sequence of pass numbers selected and proceed to step 209 . at a step 209 , repeat steps 204 - 208 until entire mask is generated . at a step 210 , repeat steps 204 - 209 until masks for entire image are generated . at a step 211 , send masks for entire image to printer for printing . as an example only and without limitation , table 1 set forth below shows an embodiment of the algorithm which accomplishes the method set forth herein : those skilled in the art will recognize that table 1 sets forth only one example of the algorithm which accomplishes the method set forth herein , and that many and various alternative embodiments can be devised which are within the concept , scope and spirit of this invention . the following is an example of applying the above - described method and algorithm to the design of a simple mask . the process begins with mask generator 120 obtaining a digitized image , typically a bitmap , from image source 110 . various constraints are set in constraint controller 122 . one constraint is the size of the mask to be generated , typically a function of the resolution and throughput speed desired . “ size ” as used herein refers to the number of pixels in the mask , not the physical dimensions of the mask . for this example , it will be assumed that two masks will be required , tiled horizontally across the page , each mask containing 10 pixels in a grid pattern of 5 columns by 2 rows . in actual practice , masks typically contain many thousands of pixel , but the example chosen is sufficient for illustrative purposes . the number of passes to be taken by the printer over each swath is selected , in this case 4 passes being chosen . another constraint is the maximum pen - firing frequency recommended by its manufacturer for consistent and reliable operation , which is a function of the speed of the print head carriage and the density of the image ( resolution ) selected . in this instance , it will be assumed that this constraint will require that there be at least two pixels horizontally between pixels of the same color printed in the same pass . further constraints regarding avoidance of bleeding are selected , in this instance meaning that no two pixels may be printed on the same pass if they are horizontally , vertically or diagonally adjacent . beginning with the first pixel of the first mask , at row 1 , column 1 , mask generator 120 obtains from random number selector 121 a number selected at random . linkage of the range of all possible random numbers and the range of the number of passes ( here , between 1 and 4 ) may be provided by means of a mathematical hash function . for this example , the first number selected at random is pass number 2 . mask generator 120 checks a table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel , verifies that pass number 2 has not been attempted yet at the first pixel , and records pass number 2 in the table . mask generator 120 checks whether pass number 2 satisfies the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , and after determining that it does , records pass number 2 in the first mask at column 1 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 a . moving to column 2 of row 1 , mask generator 120 obtains another randomly selected pass number , in this example pass number 1 . checking the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel , mask generator 120 determines that pass number 1 has not yet been attempted for the second pixel , and records pass number 1 in the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel . after verifying that pass number 1 satisfies the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , mask generator 120 records pass number 1 in the first mask at column 2 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 b . moving to column 3 of row 1 , mask generator 120 obtains a randomly selected number from random number generator 121 , in this example pass number 1 . checking the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel mask generator 120 determines that pass number 1 has not been previously attempted at the third pixel , then records pass number 1 in the table . mask generator 120 then checks to see whether the number 1 satisfies the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , but discovers that a constraint is violated because pass number 1 has already been recorded for the second pixel in the first mask , and if pass number 1 is also recorded in the mask for the third pixel , then two horizontally adjacent pixels would be printed during the same pass . mask generator 120 therefore obtains another randomly selected pass number from random number selector 121 , in this case the number 2 . mask generator 120 verifies that pass number 2 has not already been attempted at the third pixel , and records pass number 2 in the table of pass numbers attempted at each pixel . mask generator 120 then checks the selected constraints in constraint controller 122 , and after verifying that pass number 2 does not violate any constraint , records pass number 2 in the mask at column 3 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 c . by the same process , pass number 3 is recorded for column 4 , row 1 , as shown in fig4 d , and pass number 4 is recorded for column 5 , row 1 , thereby completing row 1 of the first mask as shown in fig4 e . by the same process , at column 1 , row 2 , pass number 3 is recorded , as shown in fig4 f . at column 2 , row 2 , pass number 2 is randomly selected on the first attempt , but fails to satisfy the constraint requiring that no two diagonally adjacent pixels be printed in the same pass , since pass number 2 has already been recorded in column 1 , row 1 , and column 3 , row 1 . pass number 1 and then pass number 3 are randomly selected and attempted , but fail to satisfy constraints on vertically and horizontally adjacent pixels being printed on the same pass . on the next attempt , pass number 2 is selected at random again , but is immediately rejected as having already been attempted at that pixel . finally , pass number 4 is randomly selected and , not having been attempted previously and satisfying all constraints , is recorded in the first mask at column 2 , row 2 , as shown in fig4 g . at column 3 , row 2 , as shown in fig4 h , all 4 possible pass numbers are attempted and rejected as violating at least one constraint on printing adjacent pixels on the same pass : 1 violates the diagonally adjacent constraint with the 1 in column 2 , row 1 ; 2 violates the vertically adjacent constraint with the 2 in column 3 , row 1 ; 3 violates the diagonally adjacent constraint with the 3 in column 4 , row 1 ; and , 4 violates the horizontally adjacent constraint with the 4 in column 2 , row 2 . mask generator 120 therefore records no pass number for column 3 , row 2 . instead , as shown in fig4 i , mask generator 120 erases all entries for pass numbers attempted at column 3 , row 2 , and backs up one column to column 2 , row 1 , erases the pass number stored there , and checks to see if a different pass number will work there , as well as allow a pass number to be picked for the current pixel at column 3 , row 2 , which does not violate any constraint . however , the table of pass numbers attempted shows that all pass numbers have already been attempted at column 3 , row 2 , so mask generator 120 erases all the entries for pass numbers attempted there and backs up an additional column to column 1 , row 2 . now back at column 1 , row 2 , mask generator 120 obtains a randomly selected number from random number selector 121 . the next randomly selected pass number is 3 , but mask generator 120 rejects it because pass number 3 has already been attempted there . obtaining randomly selected pass number 4 on the next attempt , mask generator 120 verifies that it has not been attempted before and that it satisfies all constraints , then records pass number 4 in column 1 , row 2 , as shown in fig4 j . moving forward again to column 2 , row 2 , pass number 2 is randomly selected . because the previous pass numbers attempted there have been erased , pass number 2 is allowed to progress to the constraint checking step , where it fails because of the diagonally adjacent constraint . when pass number 1 is next randomly selected it fails the vertically adjacent constraint . and when pass number 4 is randomly selected next , although it was checked and verified and recorded previously in column 2 , row 2 , it now fails the horizontally adjacent constraint because mask generator 120 has backed up and changed the entry in column 1 , row 2 , to pass number 4 . when pass number 3 is finally randomly selected for column 2 , row 2 , it satisfies the constraints and is recorded there , as shown in fig4 k . returning to column 3 , row 2 , where the current regression began , mask generator 120 again attempts various randomly selected pass numbers until it comes up with 4 , which now satisfies the constraints and is recorded , as shown in fig4 l . similarly pass numbers 1 and 2 are selected , checked , verified and recorded in the last two pixels of the first mask , which is now complete , as shown in fig4 m . mask generator 120 next begins to fill in the second mask by the same process as the first mask , but now additionally considers the selected constraints with respect to border conditions where the two masks abut . receiving from random number generator 121 a randomly selected pass number 2 for column 1 , row 1 of the second mask , mask generator 120 determines that it does not work because pass number 2 has already been selected for column 5 , row 2 , of the first mask and would violate the diagonally adjacent constraint . next receiving from random number generator 121 a randomly selected pass number 4 for column 1 , row 1 of the second mask , mask generator 120 determines that it does not work either because pass number 4 has already been selected for column 5 , row 1 , of the first mask and would violate the horizontally adjacent constraint . when pass number 1 is selected it is checked , verified and recorded for column 1 , row 1 , of the second mask , as shown in fig4 n . skipping ahead , when mask generator 120 gets to column 1 , row 2 , of the second mask , neither 2 nor 4 can be selected . 2 would violate the horizontally adjacent constraint because 2 has already been recorded for column 5 , row 2 , of the first mask , and 4 would violate the diagonally adjacent constraint because 4 has already been recorded for column 5 , row 2 . additionally , pass number 1 cannot be chosen for column 1 , row 2 , of the second mask because pass number 1 has already been selected for column 1 , row 1 , of the second mask , and would violate the vertically adjacent constraint . thus , since pass number 1 was selected for column 1 , row 1 , of the second mask , and neither 2 nor 4 will work because of constraints at the boundary with the first mask , 3 will by process of elimination end up being selected as the pass number for column 1 , row 2 , of the second mask . the process is repeated until the second mask is completed , after which mask generator 120 sends the two completed masks to printer 130 for printing . the invention has general applicability to various fields of use relating to printers , copiers , and facsimile machines , whether stand - alone or networked , or any other type of device which creates images or text by incremental deposition of dots of colorant on a recording medium . further , the mask generation algorithm herein disclosed can be used in any case where multipass printing is involved in an inkjet printer and their constraints related to : ( b ) restriction regarding rendering of a same pixel by two separate inks in the same pass ; and ( c ) any other restriction dictated by print - quality or plotter hardware which prohibit some of the masks allowable because of the above constraints . because most inkjet printers perform multipass printing , the masks used in any currently available inkjet printer can be constructed using the algorithm herein . it should be noted that the mask generation algorithm herein disclosed is complete . this means that if there is a mask satisfying the constraints specified above , it is possible to find a mask irrespective of the complexity involved . if there is no such mask possible , the algorithm also provides this information . thus , the mask generation algorithm can be used to determine if the plotter hardware imposes any unreasonable constraints which hinders construction of good quality mask . this aspect of the invention is used to improve the plotter hardware . although preferred embodiments are disclosed herein , many variations are possible which remain within the concept , scope , and spirit of the invention , and these variations would become clear to those skilled in the art after perusal of this application .	6
referring to the drawings , the radial piston pump 1 as shown in fig1 has a substantially plate - shaped pump housing 2 formed with a continuous longitudinal bore 3 and a cylindrical recess 4 joining the latter . a control pin 5 is fixed a force fit , within the longitudinal bore 3 , and which protrudes into the recess 4 . rotatably disposed on the control pin 5 , in the radial recess 4 , is a rotor 6 in which are formed a plural number of radially oriented piston bores 7 wherein pistons 8 are slidably movable . the pistons 8 with the outer ends thereof protruding from the piston bores 7 are supported on the inner face of a stroke ring 9 which by means of an anti - friction bearing is disposed eccentrically relative to the control pin 5 within the recess 4 . the inner ends of the pistons 8 define pumping chambers in the piston bores 7 . the radially internal ends of the piston bores 7 are stepped within the rotor 6 and are connected to piston stem bores 10 which terminate in the central bearing bore 11 of the rotor 6 . as noted above , the stem bores 10 create throttle restrictions , as the ratio between the diameters of the piston bores 7 and stem bores 10 is between 1 : 4 to 1 : 7 . formed in the control pin 5 , in the plane of the piston stem bores 10 , are control orifices 12 , 13 which upon rotation of the rotor 6 successively communicate with the piston stem bores 10 . the control orifice 12 is located in the intake area of the pistons 8 and , through a suction bore 14 , is in communication with a suction channel 15 extending within the control pin 5 in the longitudinal direction , which suction channel 15 is in communication with a suction connection 16 . the control orifice 13 is located in the pressure area of the pistons 8 and , through the pressure bore 17 , is connected to a pressure channel 18 formed within the control pin 5 in parallel to the suction channel 15 . the pressure channel 18 terminates in an annular groove 19 which is in communication with a pressure connection 20 . the rotor 6 , through a coupling 21 , is driven by a shaft 22 extending through a cover 23 closing the recess 4 . the configuration of the control orifices 12 , 13 in the control pin 5 is shown in fig3 and 4 . the layout of the flow cross - sections of the control orifice 12 located in the area of the suction stroke of pistons 8 determines the maximum volumetric rate and filling level and insures a damping of the pressure pulsations on the intake side . the control orifice 12 is subdivided in three different areas , with the first one commencing at a location of about 30 °, viewed in the direction of rotation of the rotor 6 marked by arrow x following the suction - mode dead center et resulting from the lowest space between the control pin 5 and the stroke ring 9 creating a minimum volume of the pumping chambers in the bores 7 . the area is configured as a restriction groove 24 of small cross - section . the restriction groove 24 is in the form of a triangular groove having an aperture angle of about 60 °. the aperture width thereof , preferably , is between 0 . 7 and 1 . 2 mm . it is especially at low speeds that the restriction groove 24 insures a defined partial filling of the piston bores 7 , preventing an excessive pressure decrease before reaching the suction bore 14 , thereby reducing pressure pulsations . the narrow restriction groove 24 directly terminates in the suction bore 14 forming the second section of the control orifice 12 , which is located at a space of about 140 ° from the suction - mode dead center et . the suction bore 14 is joined by a filling groove 26 of larger cross - section , forming the third section , with the filling groove 26 terminating in the compressed - mode dead center at . it is especially the position of the suction bore 14 that determines the effective full - load speed regulation of the radial piston pump 1 , with the filling groove 26 of a comparatively large cross - section improving mainly the filling level at speeds below the full - load speed regulation . by selecting the length of the filling groove 26 to be short , conversely , a heavy restriction of the suction flow , in the piston stem bores 10 , can be largely foregone , thereby reducing the susceptibility of the pump to clogging by the entrance of dirt . if a low full - load speed regulation is desired , the suction bore 14 can be disposed immediately before the compressed - mode dead center at , foregoing a filling groove 26 . the control orifice 13 in communication with the pressure connection 20 , in the area of the compressed - mode dead center at , is separated by a web 27 from the filling groove 26 . it is subdivided into two sections , a damping groove 28 and a pressure groove 29 . the cross - section of the damping groove 28 is small . tests have shown that triangular grooves having an aperture angle of about 60 ° and an aperture width of between 0 . 6 and 1 mm are adequate for a large variety of end - use applications . the angular range of the damping groove 28 , in the described embodiment , is 40 °. the damping groove 28 firstly serves to avoid the gradient of the pressure rise in the piston bores 7 at speeds above the full - load speed regulation . at such speeds , the piston bores 7 , when opening into communication with the control orifice 13 , in part are filled with pressure fluid and in part with vapor . due to the high systems pressure prevailing in the control orifice 13 , pressure fluid flows back into the piston bores 7 , thereby filling the same . in this connection , a pressure decrease occurs and immediately thereafter , in view of the displacement work of the pistons 8 , a renewed rise in the pressure to the level of the systems pressure takes place . due to the throttling effect of the damping groove 28 , the return flow in the piston bore 7 is damped while the pressure fluid , through the retraction movement of the pistons 8 , is compressed therein . in this manner , a comparatively slow pressure equilibrium is achieved between the piston bores 7 and the pressure connection 20 , and the pressure pulsations are substantially reduced . moreover , the cross section of the pressure groove 29 joining the damping groove 28 which , although markedly larger , is reduced to a minimum value , and also contributes to the damping of pressure pulsations . the pressure groove 29 extends to the suction - mode dead center et , thereby permitting delivery of the pistons 8 until the maximum retraction position is reached . the pressure bore 17 terminates in the end of the pressure groove 29 adjacent the suction - mode dead center et , thereby equally contributing to the damping effect of the pressure groove 29 . fig5 shows a projection in a plane for a preferred solution which differs from the one of fig4 . the essential difference over fig4 resides in that a restriction groove 24 , on the intake side , is eliminated , and also on the pressure side , the pressure control groove 28 has a check valve 32 ( roughly corresponding to the previously described damping groove ). also the surface of the control pin 5 no longer passes into the pressure groove 29 , but is rather separated therefrom by a separating web 30 . the communication is effected through a radial bore 31 symbolically shown in fig5 as line 31 a . the radial bore 31 and , hence , the damping groove 28 , through a check valve 32 and a damping channel d , are in communication with the pressure connection 20 . the pressure control opening is configured as a pressure groove 29 which , through the pressure bore 17 and a pressure channel 18 , is in communication with the pressure connection 20 as previously described in connection with fig1 . the check valve 32 may be provided in the radial bore 18 , in the pressure channel d , and even at the end of the pressure channel d in the connecting area toward the pressure connection 20 within the housing . the diameter of the radial bore 31 , in this instance , is shown slightly smaller than the diameter of the bores 14 and 17 . however , the radial bore 31 may be of the same diameter as the afore - mentioned bores . also , the width and the diameter of the radial groove 28 shown in fig5 are substantially uncritical so that it may be of the same width as the grooves 26 and 29 . also , it is possible to provide between grooves 28 and 29 or in lieu of groove 28 , a plural number of single series - arranged grooves which , respectively through a check valve of their own , are in communication with the pressure connection 20 . this will insure an enhanced output and a reduced noise development . compared to fig4 in addition , the restriction groove 24 has been foregone as this will permit a substantial simplification of the configuration of the grooves which now will all be of the same shape . the reduced output and the increased noise caused thereby is extremely low so that this is deemed to be a solution preferred over the one of fig4 . the position of the suction bore 14 over the filling groove 26 is substantially uncritical as long as only the intake bore 14 is in the area of the filling groove 26 . the length of the filling groove substantially is determined by the desired throttling effect as the filling level of the respective pump cylinder increases with the length of the filling groove 26 . basically , fig5 clearly shows that the pressure - sided control orifice 13 according to fig4 has been subdivided into two grooves by a separating web 30 , with the stepped pressure control groove 28 accepting pressure fluid from the piston bore 7 ( fig1 and 2 ), thereby substantially contributing to the rating of the pump , whereas a return flow from the groove 29 , through the channels 18 , d , from the groove 29 under a higher pressure into the pressure control groove 28 is prevented from occurring by the check valve 32 . the angular position of the grooves and bores as shown in fig5 is not imperative . a distributed position of the type as shown in fig6 has rather also proved to be successful . it shows , in accordance with fig3 but with a reverse direction of rotation of the rotor , or the channels 15 , 18 and d extending normal to the viewer &# 39 ; s plane , with the individually shown angles being sized as follows : a = 110 °; b = 70 °; c = 20 °.	5
fig1 shows a filter cigarette making machine which comprises a distributor unit ve ( e . g ., of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 185 , 644 to heitmann and used in the aforementioned protos machine ), a rod treating unit se ( e . g ., of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 280 , 516 to reuland and used in the protos machine ), and a filter tipping unit fa ( e . g ., of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 281 , 670 to heitmann and used in the protos machine ). the distributor unit ve comprises a so - called distributor v ( also called hopper ) which serves to form a thin layer of tobacco particles and to convert such thin layer into a narrow stream s . the unit ve further comprises a temperature monitoring or measuring device t which generates signals denoting the temperature of successive increments of the stream s . the device t can comprise a conventional semiconductor which is installed in a channel for the tobacco stream and is influenced by changes in the temperature of successive increments of the stream s which is conveyed in a direction to the left . the temperature measuring device t is followed by a moisture measuring or monitoring device f which generates signals denoting the moisture content of successive increments of the stream s . a suitable moisture measuring device is disclosed in commonly owned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 979 , 581 to reuland . the device f is followed by an adjustable stream trimming or equalizing device e which removes the surplus from and thus converts the stream s into a rod - like filler which enters the rod treating unit se . a suitable trimming or equalizing device is used in the protos machine . the device e converts the stream s into a rod - like filler which has a predetermined cross - sectional outline as a result of removal of the surplus of tobacco extending from one or more sides of the stream to thus smoothen the external surface of the trimmed stream . an electric motor or other suitable means can be used to move the trimming device e relative to the stream s so as to change the plane of removal of the surplus and hence the quantity of fibrous material per unit length of the filler . reference may be had to numerous u . s . patents of the assignee of the present application . thus , the device e can influence the mass flow of fibrous material into the rod treating unit se . the rod treating unit se comprises a conventional wrapping device fo which drapes the filler into a continuous web of wrapping material ( such as a strip of cigarette paper which is drawn from a reel or another suitable source ). the wrapping device fo is followed by a conventional paster b which applies a film of adhesive to one longitudinally extending marginal portion of the running web of wrapping material before such marginal portion is folded over the other marginal portion to complete the conversion of the web into a tubular body surrounding the equalized filler and to form with the other marginal portion of the web a seam extending in parallelism with the axis of the thus obtained cigarette rod . the seam is thereupon heated or cooled by a sealer n ( e . g ., a conventional tandem sealer ) to promote rapid setting of the adhesive . the cigarette rod is monitored by a hardness measuring device h , e . g ., a device of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 921 , 644 to von der lohe , in british pat . no . 1 , 422 , 992 or in german offenlegungsschrift no . 22 41 774 . the device h generates signals denoting the hardness of successive increments of the filler in the cigarette rod . the device h is followed by a measuring or monitoring device d which generates signals denoting the mass flow ( quantity or mass per unit length ) of the filler in the cigarette rod . a suitable mass flow or density measuring device is manufactured by the assignee of the present application and is known as nsr . this device employs a source of corpuscular radiation ( e . g ., a source of beta rays ) and an ionization chamber which serves as a transducer and transmits signals denoting the mass per unit length of the filler in the cigarette rod . the device d is followed by a cutoff m which subdivides the cigarette rod into a file of discrete plain cigarettes z of unit length or multiple ( e . g ., double ) unit length , and such cigarettes are caused to move sideways by a transfer device a of the type used in the aforediscussed protos cigarette maker . the thus diverted cigarettes z enter the filter tipping unit fa . the unit fa comprises an applicator am ( used in the aforediscussed max 80 assembly of the protos machine ) which attaches to each cigarette z one or more filter mouthpieces by using uniting bands made of so - called tipping paper which is drawn off a bobbin or from another suitable source and is draped around the abutting ends of filter mouthpieces and the respective cigarettes z . reference may be had to u . s . pat . no . 4 , 281 , 670 to heitmann . the thus obtained filter cigarettes fz are introduced into an adjustable perforating apparatus pe wherein their wrappers are provided with perforations to alter their permeability and hence the rate of admission of atmospheric air into tobacco smoke . as a rule , the apparatus pe applies one or more annuli of perforations in the region where the filter mouthpiece of the filter cigarette fz abuts the respective tobacco - containing portion ( either a cigarette z or a portion of a cigarette z ). the perforating apparatus pe can employ one or more lasers as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 281 , 670 to heitmann or a spark generating device of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 247 , 754 to baier . if the device of baier is used , the outer layers of the filter mouthpieces are preferably permeable to air . the reference character sl denotes an apparatus which is used to adjust or regulate the operation of the perforating apparatus pe in accordance with a feature of the present invention . filter cigarettes fz1 which issue from the perforating apparatus pe are introduced into a permeability measuring or monitoring device p which generates and transmits signals denoting the actual permeability of the wrappers of rod - shaped articles fz1 . a suitable monitoring device is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 177 , 670 to heitmann . tested filter cigarettes fz2 are transported to storage , to a further processing station or to a packing machine . defective filter cigarettes fz2 are segregated from satisfactory filter cigarettes and are delivered to a device ( not shown ) which recovers the particles of tobacco and returns them to the magazine of the distributor v . the machine of fig1 further comprises a signal comparing stage vg1 whose input a receives a reference signal denoting the desired permeability of the wrappers of articles fz1 , whose input b receives signals from the output of the measuring device p , and whose output c transmits difference signals to the adjusting apparatus sl to regulate the making of perforations in dependency on a plurality of parameters including the mass per unit length of the filler of the cigarette rod . a second signal comparing stage vg2 has an input a which receives a reference signal denoting the desired mass flow ( mass per unit length of the filler ), a second input b receiving from the device d signals which denote the actual mass flow of the filler , and an output c which transmits signals to the aforementioned electric motor or other suitable means for adjusting the device e and for thus changing the mass flow . a third signal comparing stage vg3 has an input a receiving a reference signal denoting the desired hardness of the filler , an input b receiving signals from the device h and denoting the actual hardness of the filler , and an output c which transmits difference signals to the input a of a function generator fg . the signal at the output c of the stage vg3 is further transmitted to the input a of the stage vg2 . the signals pg at the output of the function generator fg are transmitted to the input a of the stage vg1 which , in turn , transmits signals to the adjusting apparatus sl . the signals ps are stored in the function generator fg and are modified in accordance with changes in characteristics of the input signals sg . it is assumed that the condensate k in the smoke which develops during smoking of tested filter cigarettes fz2 is at least substantially constant i . e ., that the taste of the smoke changes little or not at all . the input a1 of the function generator fg receives signals from the moisture measuring device f , and the input a2 of the function generator receives signals from the temperature measuring device t . such signals influence the output signals ps . the input a3 of the function generator fg can receive signals from a device ( not shown ) which monitors the blend ( mixture ) of the material forming the stream s . regulation of output signals ps in dependency on signals from the devices f and t is desirable and advantageous because the hardness of the filler depends on the temperature and moisture content of fibrous material forming the stream s . the distributor v forms a homogeneous shower of tobacco particles , and such shower is converted into the narrow stream s . the devices t and f respectively generate signals which denote the temperature and the moisture content of successive increments of the stream s , and such signals are transmitted to the corresponding inputs a1 and a2 of the function generator fg . the stream s is equalized by the device e , and the resulting filler is draped into cigarette paper in the wrapping device fo to form with the wrapping material a continuous cigarette rod . the wrapping material is coated with adhesive by the paster b , and the seam is conditioned by the sealer n upstream of the hardness measuring device h . the device h transmits to the input b of the signal comparing stage vg3 signals which denote the hardness of successive increments of the filler in the cigarette rod , and successive increments of the filler in the rod are then monitored by the device d which transmits signals to the input b of the signal comparing stage sg2 , such signals denoting the mass per unit length of the filler in the cigarette rod . the cutoff m subdivides the rod into discrete cigarettes z which are deflected by the device a to enter the tipping device am which turns out filter cigarettes fz . the filter cigarettes fz are treated in the perforating apparatus pe which provides the wrappers of the plain cigarettes , the wrappers of the uniting bands and / or the wrappers of the filter mouthpieces with one or more rows or other arrays of perforations to thus increase the permeability of the wrappers . the operation of the apparatus pe is regulated by the adjusting apparatus sl in accordance with the signals at the output c of the signal comparing stage sg1 . filter cigarettes fz1 which leave the apparatus pe are monitored in the device p which transmits signals denoting the permeabilities of the wrappers to the input b of the stage sg1 . such signals are compared with signals ps at the input a of the stage sg1 , and the signals at the output c of the stage sg1 are indicative of differences between the characteristics of signals ps and signals from the device p to adjust the apparatus pe accordingly by way of the apparatus sl . the device p ensures that the permeability of each filter cigarette fz2 matches or sufficiently approximates that which is denoted by reference signals ps transmitted by the output of the function generator fg . if the device h transmits a signal whose intensity and / or another characteristic deviates from the corresponding characteristic of the selected reference signal at the input a of the stage vg3 , the output c of the stage vg3 transmits a signal sg to the input a of the function generator fg . at the same time , the signal which is generated by the stage vg3 is transmitted to the input a of the stage vg2 whose output c then transmits a signal to adjust the level of the trimming device e , i . e ., to change the mass flow of fibrous material in the path leading to the device d . the signals which are generated by the device d are compared with those at the input a of the stage vg2 to ensure that the adjustment of the level of the trimming device e is completed as soon as the mass flow reaches a value which is denoted by the characteristics of the signal at the input a of the stage vg2 . the signal which is transmitted to the input a of the function generator fg influences the function generator to transmit a modified output signal ps which is transmitted to the adjusting apparatus sl by way of the stage vg1 to influence the perforating action at pe . the intensity and / or another characteristic of the output signal ps can also be influenced by signals which are applied to the inputs a1 , a2 , a3 of the function generator fg , i . e ., by changes in the moisture content , temperature and / or mixture of fibrous material . such signals influence the characteristics of the input signal sg . fig2 shows a modified filter cigarette making machine wherein all such units , stages , devices and apparatus which are identical with or clearly analogous to the corresponding components of the machine of fig1 are denoted by similar reference characters . the device h of fig1 ( which directly ascertains the hardness of the filler of the cigarette rod ) is replaced with a device fk which is designed to indirectly monitor the hardness of the filler ( e . g ., in a manner as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 280 , 516 , in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 290 , 436 or in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 284 , 087 ) and to transmit appropriate signals to the input a1 of a first function generator fg1 which replaces the signal comparing stage vg3 of fig1 . the function generator fg1 transmits output signals sg which are applied to the input a of the signal comparing stage sg2 as well as to the input a1 of a second function generator fg2 . signals sg at the output of the function generator fg1 denote the desired mass flow of fibrous material . the operation of the function generator fg1 is based on the assumption that the hardness h of the filler is at least substantially constant . the inputs a2 and a3 of the function generator fg1 receive signals from the moisture measuring device f and from the temperature monitoring device t , respectively . the input a4 of the function generator fg1 receives a signal denoting the mixture or blend of fibrous material forming the stream s . the signal sg at the output of the function generator fg1 is compared with the signal at the input b of the stage vg2 , and the latter transmits a signal which is used to adjust the level of the equalizing device e until the signal from the mass flow measuring device d matches the signal from the output of the function generator fg1 . the signals ps at the output of the second function generator fg2 are transmitted to the input a of the stage vg1 whose mode of operation is analogous to that of the similarly referenced stage in the machine of fig1 . the operation of the second function generator fg2 is based on the assumption that the quantity of condensate k in the smoke is substantially constant . the input a2 of the function generator fg2 receives a signal which is indicative of a characteristic of fibrous material , e . g ., of the mixture of tobacco particles which form the stream . fig3 shows certain detail of a distributor or hopper which can be used in the machine of fig2 and contains a filling power or firmness measuring device fk2 which can be used in lieu of the device fk . two carded drums 1 and 2 are provided to draw tobacco particles from a magazine 3 , and two picker rollers ( not referenced ) are used to expel fibrous material from the carding of the drums 1 , 2 and to propel the expelled particles onto the upper reach of the endless belt 4 of a belt weigher or scale 6 . a transducer 8 generates signals which denote the quantity of fibrous material on the upper reach of the belt 4 of the weigher 6 , and such signals are transmitted to a regulator 9 for a motor 11 which drives the belt 4 at a variable speed . a feeder 7 supplies the removed surplus from the equalizing device e . the arrangement is such that the right - hand end of the belt 4 delivers fibrous material at a constant rate into an upright duct 12 wherein the upper level of the accumulated column of fibrous material is monitored by one or more photoelectric cells 13 or other suitable monitoring means in a manner which is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 185 , 644 to heitmann . signals which are generated by the monitoring means 13 are transmitted to an evaluating circuit 14 which controls the operation of a variable - speed motor 16 for a carded drum 17 serving to draw fibrous material from the outlet at the lower end of the duct 12 . fibrous material which is entrained by the carding of the drum 17 is expelled by a picker roller 18 which propels the material onto a belt conveyor 19 corresponding to the conveyor 41 in fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 185 , 644 to heitmann . heavier particles of fibrous material ( such as fragments of tobacco ribs ) are intercepted by a trough 21 , and the lighter particles advance into the stream forming zone to be used for the formation of the stream s . if the filling power of fibrous material in the duct 12 remains unchanged , the drum 17 withdraws fibrous material at the rate at which the upper end of the duct 12 receives fibrous material from the belt 4 of the weigher 6 . when the filling power of fibrous material changes , the drum 17 withdraws more fibrous material per unit of time than before ( while its rpm remains unchanged ) if the filling power of fibrous material decreases , and the drum 17 withdraws less fibrous material per unit of time ( while its rpm remains unchanged ) if the filling power of the fibrous material increases . the level of the column of fibrous material in the duct 12 then changes , and such change is detected by the monitoring means 13 which induces the evaluating circuit 14 to alter the rpm of the drum 17 so that the rate of withdrawal is again constant and the drum 17 again draws a stream wherein the mass flow is constant . thus , the signal at the output of the evaluating circuit 14 is indicative of the filling power of fibrous material in the distributor v and can be transmitted to the input a1 of the first function generator fg1 of fig2 in lieu of the signal from the filling power measuring device fk . it is further possible to connect the output of the evaluating circuit 14 with the regulator 9 for the motor 11 so that the speed of the belt 4 of the weigher 6 can be caused to conform to the changed filling power of fibrous material . the perforating apparatus pe can be designed to provide certain first portions of the wrappers with holes by means of one or more lasers and certain second portions of the wrappers with holes which are formed with spark discharge as disclosed in the patent to baier . the signals which are applied to the input a3 of the function generator fg of fig1 or to the input a4 of the function generator fg1 of fig2 can be determined empirically . an important advantage of the improved apparatus and of the machine which embodies such apparatus is that the regulation of permeability of the wrappers does not affect the taste of the smoke and / or the quantity of condensate in the smokers &# 39 ; products so that it is possible to accurately report the quantities of condensate on the packs for cigarettes and the like . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of my contribution to the art and , therefore , such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the appended claims .	8
fig1 is a flowchart of a method for performing motion estimation and compensation to fractional pixel accuracy using polyphase prediction filters as part of a video compression / decompression technique in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a is a schematic block diagram of a video encoder which uses motion compensation as part of its video compression process . this fig1 a is representative of video encoders compliant with such standards as mpeg - 1 , mpeg - 2 , mpeg - 4 , h . 263 , and h . 26l ( proposed ). fig2 is a schematic block diagram of a system including an apparatus for performing motion estimation and compensation to fractional pixel accuracy using polyphase prediction filters as part of a video compression / decompression technique in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 shows a video encoder 100 and a video decoder 200 . fig2 shows a motion estimator 101 and a motion compensator 201 as elements of the video encoder 100 , and it shows a motion compensator 201 as an element of video decoder 200 . a communication channel 150 is shown interfacing video encoder 100 , presumably at a first location , to video decoder 200 , which is presumably at a second location . communication channel 150 provides a means for transmitting compressed video data from video encoder 100 to video decoder 200 . alternatively , video encoder 100 and decoder 200 may be co - located and the communication channel 150 used to transmit compressed video data to a storage medium such as an image server . the video data may then be compressed , transmitted to the storage medium , retrieved from the storage medium , and decompressed . fig3 is a schematic block diagram of the motion estimator 101 of the apparatus of fig2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . motion estimator 101 includes a reference image buffer 110 , a current image buffer 120 , a polyphase filter 170 , a video block comparator 130 , a video block estimator 140 , and a polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 . in fig3 , the output of the reference image buffer 110 interfaces to the polyphase filter 170 and also to the video block comparator 130 . the outputs of the polyphase filter 170 , the reference image buffer 110 and of the current image buffer 120 interface to inputs of video block comparator 130 in order to input macroblocks of video data to video block comparator 130 . the video block comparator can select between the reference image buffer 110 and the output of polyphase filter , as one of its inputs ; the signal from reference image buffer 110 can be utilized in place of the signal from polyphase filter 170 when phase shift or pixel interpolation is not required . an output of video block comparator 130 connects to an input of video block estimator 140 . an output of video block estimator 140 connects to an input of video block comparator 130 , and another output of video block estimator 140 connects to an input of the polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 . an output of polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 connects to an input of polyphase filter 170 . fig3 a illustrates encoder data interface 180 and decoder data interface 190 . encoder data interface 180 interfaces to signals 131 , 133 and 135 from motion estimator 101 , and to communications channel 150 . decoder data interface 190 interfaces to communications channel 150 and to signals 131 , 133 , and 135 to the motion compensator in the decoder . fig4 is a schematic block diagram of the motion compensator 201 of the apparatus of fig2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . motion compensator 201 includes a polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 and a video compensation module 270 . an output of polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 connects to an input of video compensation module 270 . a motion vector signal 131 connects to an input 131 of polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 . a residual error macroblock signal 133 connects to a first input 133 of video compensation module 270 . a reference macroblock signal 135 connects to a second input 135 of video compensation module 270 . in an embodiment of the present invention , connections 131 , 133 , and 135 may be separate , dedicated interfaces to motion estimator 101 , for example in a video encoder 100 . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention connections 131 , 133 , and 135 may be interfaces to decoder data interface 190 , for example in a video decoder 200 . the various elements illustrated in fig2 , 3 , 3 a , and 4 may be dedicated hardware elements such as circuit boards with digital signal processors or may be software running on a general purpose computer or processor such as a commercial , off - the - shelf pc . also , the various elements may be embedded in a single video processing chip . the various elements may be combined or separated according to various embodiments of the present invention . in an embodiment of the present invention , a motion estimation method provides motion compensation prediction to minimize the data bits that are required to be transmitted . an embodiment of the present invention also provides for less expensive and less complex structures and mechanisms for encoding and decoding video . one of the motion estimation methods searches for the ( locally ) most - similar macroblock ( denoted as the reference macroblock ) in the integer positions first and then refines to fractional positions by using the reference macroblock and data around it . referring to fig5 , the reference macroblock 112 is first found in the reference video image 111 and its surrounding data are used in the refining prediction ( estimation ) process through filtering using a set of polyphase prediction filters . in an embodiment of the present invention , polyphase prediction filters perform motion compensated prediction to fractional pixel accuracy . a polyphase filter structure is used to directly produce an optimized translation of the predicted video macroblock . the polyphase filter structure has the same number of phases as the number of fractional pixel positions required by the video compression algorithm . for example , in a system with ¼ - pixel resolution , the polyphase prediction filters have four unique phases for the horizontal axis , and four unique phases for the vertical axis . in the case of ⅛ - pixel resolution , for example , the polyphase filters have eight unique phases for each axis . it is also recognized that the 8 - phase filter can also be used in ¼ - pel position interpolation . other embodiments are contemplated in which the set of coefficients for one axis is the same as the set of coefficients for the other axis . for example , in fig6 , a current macroblock 122 of video data has moved with respect to a reference macroblock 112 of video data . more specifically , any given pixel 123 in the current macroblock 122 has moved ¼ of a pixel in the horizontal direction and ⅜ of a pixel in the vertical direction . in other words , the current macroblock 122 of video data has moved to a new fractional pixel position 113 with respect to the reference macroblock 112 . polyphase prediction filters may be used to translate the reference macroblock 112 accounting for the fractional pixel movement and associated phase shift . in the example , the polyphase filter structure supports eight phases or fractional pixel positions between integer pixel positions , thus providing a fractional pixel accuracy of ⅛ pixel . in h . 26l prediction , it is necessary to perform a series of tests depending on the relative position of the desired sub - pixel location with respect to the integer - pixel positions . an embodiment of the present invention uses a well - defined and regularized method that applies equally to all fractional - pixel positions without having to consider the relative position of the desired interpolated pixel with respect to the integer - pixel data . the regular structure enables the design of simple hardware for the application of motion translation of reference macroblock data . embodiments of the present invention are simple to implement and do not require performing tests on the relative positions of fractional - pixels . further embodiments of the present invention do not require performing different levels of filtering . the simplicity reduces production and operation costs . for example , the polyphase structure may be expressed by a single fir filter with loadable coefficients . particular coefficients are selected by a simple decision based on the fractional - pixel position . the implementation may be effected by very simple hardware and software . referring to fig1 , in step 10 , a particular set of polyphase prediction filters is selected based on a desired fractional pixel resolution . if a ⅛ pixel fractional pixel resolution is desired , then a set of eight polyphase prediction filters are selected , one filter for each phase between integer pixel locations . the same eight filters may be used for both horizontal and vertical directions or separate , dedicated sets of filters may be selected for each axis . as an illustration and corresponding to the motion estimation method described above , steps 20 and 30 in fig1 show one of the embodiments of the invention . in step 20 , a current macroblock 122 of video data is compared to the macroblocks whose top - left corner starts at integer positions in a reference image 111 . the comparison is accomplished by video block comparator 130 ( see fig3 ). video block comparator 130 selects a reference macroblock 112 that is closest ( or locally closest ) to the current macroblock 122 ( see fig6 ). in step 30 , polyphase prediction filters are applied to the selected reference macroblock 112 and its neighboring data according to the fractional pixel positions to generate estimated macroblocks to compare with the current macroblock and get the final closest estimated reference macroblock , which may start at a fractional pixel . fig7 shows an example of a fractional pixel array bounded by four integer pixels 450 on the corners and comprising a set of fractional pixels 460 . the array comprises a total of 81 pixel positions . the polyphase filter structure 400 is used to generate the set of estimated macroblocks of video data . in one embodiment of the present invention , the polyphase filter structure 400 comprises a bank of polyphase filter coefficients 410 from which to select , and a 6 - tap fir filter structure 420 to which the filter coefficients may be applied . in fig3 , the structure is represented by the polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 and polyphase filter 170 . each phase of the polyphase filter structure , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , is designed to perform the correct phase shift for the fractional - pixel location , improving the resulting picture quality . the improvement is especially noticeable where fine horizontally or vertically oriented detail in the picture travel across the active displayed region . when only bilinear interpolation is used , the picture may exhibit phase shifts that are characterized by a pulsating effect on such details . the use of the correct interpolative phases in accordance with an embodiment present invention minimizes the pulsating effect and other artifacts generated as a consequence of improperly shifting the interpolative fractional - pixel phase . for each row of pixels in the pixel array of fig7 , there is a corresponding set of polyphase filter coefficients for vertical interpolation filtering . similarly , for each column of pixels in the array , there is a corresponding set of polyphase filter coefficients for horizontal interpolation filtering which may be the same or different from the set of filter coefficients for the rows . to generate a particular estimated macroblock of video data from the original reference macroblock , the 6 - tap fir filter is loaded up with integer pixel values from the reference macroblock . for example , to generate the estimated macroblock corresponding to a shift in position of 3 fractional pixel positions in the horizontal direction ( i . e . the ⅜ shift shown in fig6 ), the polyphase filter coefficients corresponding to the third phase of the eight phases is applied to the fir filter 420 . the fir filter is loaded with six integer pixel values from the reference macroblock 112 at filter input 430 , three integer pixels 114 to the left of the fractional pixel of interest 113 and three integer pixels 115 to the right . each integer pixel value in the filter 420 is multiplied by its corresponding filter coefficient . the products are then summed to generate the new fractional pixel value at filter output 440 corresponding to the horizontal component of fractional pixel position 113 . the filtering process is performed for all integer pixels in the reference macroblock to generate the estimated macroblock corresponding to horizontal movement of three - phases ( i . e . three fractional pixel locations in the horizontal direction ). filtering is then performed similarly in the vertical direction on the horizontally translated data to obtain the final estimated macroblock of video data . as shown in the example of fig6 , the vertical shift corresponds to ¼ = 2 / 8 or two fractional pixel positions . the filtering process of step 30 is performed for each of the possible fractional pixel positions 460 . the result is multiple estimated macroblocks of video data , one macroblock for each fractional pixel position . video block estimator 140 is structured to select the filter coefficients from polyphase filter coefficient bank 160 via connection 146 , which coefficients are provided to polyphase filter 170 via connection 147 . the polyphase filter 170 creates an estimated macroblock from reference image data using the coefficients so provided . the video block estimator also directs the video block comparator 170 via signal 145 to compare the estimated macroblocks from the polyphase filter . in an embodiment of the present invention , a set of eight phases of 6 - tap filter coefficients include the following : phase 0 filter : 0 0 256 0 0 0 phase 1 filter : 5 − 21 249 30 − 8 1 phase 2 filter : 8 − 34 228 68 − 17 3 phase 3 filter : 9 − 38 195 111 − 27 6 phase 4 filter : 8 − 35 155 155 − 35 8 phase 5 filter : 6 − 27 111 195 − 38 9 phase 6 filter : 3 − 17 68 228 − 34 8 phase 7 filter : 1 − 8 30 249 − 21 5 in step 40 , the video block comparator 130 compares the estimated macroblocks to the current macroblock 122 to determine the estimated macroblock that is most similar to the current macroblock 122 . if the current macroblock 122 did indeed move by an exact number of fractional pixel positions , then the chosen estimated macroblock is typically very similar to the current macroblock 122 and it may have exactly the same value . however , it is often the case that the movement of the current macroblock is in between the fractional pixel locations . even though the fractional pixel prediction may get close to estimating the current macroblock , a residual error will typically still exist between the two . in step 50 , the video block comparator 130 computes the residual error between the chosen estimated macroblock and the current macroblock 122 for each pixel position . the result is a residual error macroblock that is output from video block comparator 130 at output 133 . if the difference between the chosen estimated macroblock and the current macroblock 122 is small , then the residual error macroblock may be represented with a small number of digital bits . in step 60 , video block estimator 140 computes a motion vector that is output from video block estimator 140 at output 131 . the motion vector represents the fractional pixel movement component between the final reference macroblock as described above and the current macroblock 122 . the motion vector may also be represented as a small number of digital bits . the reference macroblock 112 is also output from the video block comparator 130 at output 135 . in step 70 , the motion vector , and the residual error macroblock , usually after they are processed and coded in certain form , are transmitted over a communication channel 150 to either a video storage device or to a video decoder 200 at a remote location . the ( usually processed and coded ) motion vector and the residual error macroblock represent the compressed video data for the current macroblock 122 of video data . as a result , video data may be transmitted much more efficiently and may be re - created later . once the data is compressed and transmitted and / or stored as a motion vector and a residual error macroblock , a current macroblock may be re - created by applying the motion vector and residual error macroblock to the reference macroblock of video data as shown in step 80 . referring to fig4 , the motion vector at input 131 selects the correct polyphase filter coefficients from the polyphase filter coefficient bank 260 in motion compensator 200 corresponding to the fractional pixel motion of the current macroblock with respect to the reference macroblock . the video compensation module 270 applies the selected polyphase filter coefficients to the reference macroblock 112 and its neighboring data that is input to the video compensation module 270 at input 135 to generate the estimated macroblock . the video compensation module 270 filters the reference macroblock 112 , as previously described , to generate the estimated macroblock . the video compensation module 270 then applies the residual error macroblock , input to video compensation module 270 at input 133 , to the estimated macroblock to generate the compensated macroblock which is a reconstruction of the current macroblock 122 . the process is known as video reconstruction . as a result , the current macroblock 122 is reconstructed . the reconstructed data may be selectively stored to be used as reference pictures for future pictures . an embodiment of the present invention comprises applying a polyphase interpolative structure for the h . 26l codec in the form of an 8 - phase , 6 - tap polyphase filter . the method may be applied to other codecs that require more accurate fractional pixel prediction , bearing in mind that the number of phases in the structure corresponds to the number of desired fractional pixel positions . there is no restriction on the number of taps in each phase . in summary , certain embodiments of the present invention afford an approach to achieve efficient video compression / decompression of macroblocks of video data to fractional pixel accuracy by reducing the residual error data to be stored or transmitted . in an embodiment of the present invention used in h . 26l prediction , a general form polyphase filter structure computes the fractional - pixel prediction for macroblocks of pixel data . the polyphase structure consists of 8 phases , each phase comprising six coefficients . the number of phases corresponds to the number of fractional pixel locations needed to perform up to ⅛ - pixel prediction . each ⅛ - pixel location is assigned a set of coefficients corresponding to one phase of the polyphase filter structure . the computation of a fractional pixel position is done using a six - tap filter structure . the six - tap filter is implemented using one embodiment of a fir filter structure . in the embodiment , it is not necessary to perform any other operation for the desired fractional pixel position other than selecting the set of coefficients assigned to the position as indicated by the corresponding phase of the polyphase filter . for two - dimensional prediction , the polyphase interpolation is performed first in one direction ( horizontal or vertical ) and then the resulting data is polyphase interpolated in the other direction . the regularized structure of an embodiment of the present invention enables the interpolation for any fractional pixel location regardless of the number of fractional pixel positions . further , the same set of coefficients may be used to perform larger fractional - pixel positions . for example , the same set of coefficients used for ⅛ - pixel interpolation may be used for ¼ - pixel interpolation provided the correct phase is selected . for example , the selected phases may be 0 , 2 / 8 , 4 / 8 , 6 / 8 . while the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims .	7
while the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which particular embodiments and methods of implantation are shown , it is to be understood at the outset that persons skilled in the art may modify the invention herein described while achieving the functions and results of this invention . accordingly , the descriptions which follow are to be understood as illustrative and exemplary of specific structures , aspects and features within the broad scope of the present invention and not as limiting of such broad scope . the present invention comprises a method of identifying and treating patients who suffer from certain known psychiatric disorders . as suggested by this introductory statement , the specific steps involved with this method comprise two separate stages : first , the identification of patients and the preparation for surgical intervention ; and second , the actual surgical procedure . with respect to the first of these stages , that is the pre - operative steps , the identification of suitable patients begins with the accumulation of physical , chemical , and historical behavioral data on each patient . a collection of patients who have been identified as exhibiting similar clinical symptoms are then grouped together and subject to a series of common non - invasive brain imaging studies . these brain imaging studies are intended to identify the regions of the brain , and more particularly , the regions of the orbitofrontal cortex , which exhibits clinically recognizable deviation from normal electrica and / or metabolic activity . several diagnostic tools are useful in this capacity , including fluoro - deoxyglucose - positron - emission tomography ( fdg - pet ), electro - encephalography ( eeg ), magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ), and magnetoencephelagraphy . in the present invention , psychiatric disorders such as affective disorder ( including major depression and bipolar disorder ), anxiety disorder ( including general anxiety disorder , obsessive compulsive disorder , and panic disorder ) and substance abuse disorder are identified as having a probable commonality in frontal lobe activity associated with the orbitofrontal cortex . therefore , once a patient has been identified as exhibiting abnormal clinical behavior symptomatic of one of these disorders , subsequent pre - operative brain imaging scans are used to support the presumption that the abnormal signals associated with the disorder are being associated with this region of the frontal cerebral cortex , and then surgical intervention with electrical and / or chemical stimulation is taken . surgical intervention comprises the second stage of the treatment . it is the specific use of the electrical stimulator and / or drug - delivery catheter , for treatment of psychiatric disorders which comprises the inventive step in the present method , and not the implantation technique itself . more particularly , the standard neurosurgical techniques for implantation of an electrical stimulation device and / or drug delivery device into the brain may be utilized . in fact , referring to fig3 and 5 , in which a side cross - section of a human brain having the aforementioned types of stimulation is provided , it shall be understood that the impantation of electrodes and or catheters into various regions of the brain , specifically the ofc is known . in particular , fig3 shows a stimulation electrode implanted within the ofc in accordance with a method that is an aspect of the present invention . fig4 shows the stimulation electrode implanted epidurally ( subdurally ) to the ofc . fig5 shows a catheter implanted within the ofc . it is the application of this technique for the treatment of psychiatric disorders which has not previously been described . this technique , therefore , is as follows . patients who are to have an electrode and / or catheter implanted within the ofc , first have a steroetactic head frame , such as the leksell , crw , or compass , is mounted to the patient &# 39 ; s skull by fixed screws . subsequent to the mounting of the frame , the patient undergoes a series of magnetic resonance imaging sessions , during which a series of two dimensional slice images of the patient &# 39 ; s brain are built up into a quasi - three dimensional map in virtual space . this map is then correlated to the three dimensional stereotactic frame of reference in the real surgical field . in order to align these two coordinate frames , both the instruments and the patient must be situated in correspondence to the virtual map . the head frame is therefore rigidly mounted to the sugical table . subsequently , a series of reference points are established relative aspects of the frame and patient &# 39 ; s skull , so that the computer can adjust and calculate the correlation between the real world of the patient &# 39 ; s head and the virtual space model of the patient mri scans . the surgeon is able to target any region within the stereotactic space of the brain within 1 millimeter precision . initial anatomical target localization is achieved either directly using the mri images , or indirectly using interactive anatomical atlas programs which map the atlas image onto the steroetactic image of the brain . in the present invention , the target space is that occupied by the orbitofrontal cortex . one form of the surgical aspect of the invention involves the placement of an electrode and / or drug - delivery cathter within the ofc substance itself . this surgery can be performed under either local or general anaesthetic . an initial incision is made in the scalp , preferably 3 - 4 centimeters lateral to the midline of the skull , anterior to the coronal suture . a burr hole is then drilled in the skull itself ; the size of the hole being suitable to permit surgical manipulation and implantation of the electrode . this size of the hole is generally about 14 millimeters . the dura is then opened , and a fibrin glue is applied to minimize cerebral spinal fluid leaks and the entry of air into the cranial cavity . a guide tube cannula with a blunt tip is then inserted into the brain parechyma to a point approximately one centimeter from the target tissue . at this time physiological localization starts with the ultimate aim of correlating the anatomical and physiological findings to establish the final stereotactic target structure . physiological localization using single - cell microelectrode recording is preferable for definitive target determination . sole reliance on anatomical localization can be problematic because of the possible discrepancies between the expected location ( expected from the visualization provided by the virtual imaging of the mri ) and the actual position within the skull . microelectrode recording povides exquisite physiological identification of neuronal firing patterns via direct measures of individual single unit neuronal acitivity . single - cell microelectrode recordings obtained from intralaminar thalamic cells typically have a characteristic bursting activity . in addition to microelectrode recording , microstimulation and or macrostimulation may be performed to provide further physiological localization . once the final target nuclei have been identified in the real spatial frame of reference , the permanent electrode and / or drug - delivery catheter is implanted . general principles guiding the final implantation of an electrode involve the placement of the electrode in a , region , and in an orientation , allowing for maximal efficacy while minimizing the undesired side effects . the currently used brain stimulating electrodes are quadripolar electrodes . the electrode itself is approximately 1 - 1 . 5 millimeter diameter flexible elastomeric sheath which contains four wound wire leads . the leads terminate at the distal and proximal ends of the sheath in four electrically insulated cylindrical contact pad . the contact pads at the distal end are less than 2 millimeters in length and are separated by an insulating distance , for example between 0 . 5 and 2 millimeters . at the proximal end , which is anywhere from 25 to 50 centimeters distance from the distal end , a corresponding series of contacts are provided so that the electrode may be coupled to a potential source , or to a coupling lead which permits remote disposition of the signal source . the drug delivery cathter is a silastic tube similar to the one used in the intrathecal drug delivery systems commonly in use . with regard to catheter placement , care is taken not to place the catheter directly within a vascular structure . this can be achieved by combing data from conventional and / or magnetic resonance angiography into the stereotactic targeting model . the distal portion of the cathter has multiple orifices to maximize delivery of the agent while minimizing mechanical occlusion . the proximal portion of the catheter can be connected directly to a pump or via a metal and / or plastic hollow connector , to an extending cathter . the second aspect of the invention involves the placement of an electrode and / or drug - delivery catheter epidurally and / or subdurally in the region of the ofc . this is also a stereotactic procedure done either under local or general anaesthesia . in this case , however , a frameless based stereotactic system is used ( smn , steatlth , cygnus etc .). in these systems , fiducials , a type of marker , is placed on the patient &# 39 ; s scalp prior to preoperative imaging studies . these markers form a virtual frame around which the stereotactic targeting model is built . next , curivlinear incision is made behind the hairline , approximately 0 . 5 cm anterior to the pinna , extending from the root of the zygoma to the midline . next , a limited “ pterional - type ” craniotomy is fashioned with particular care in gaining access to the orbital surface of the frontal lobe . the electrodes could then be placed in the epidural and / or subdural space and secured with non - absorbable suture . the drug catheter would be placed in the subdural and ideally the subarachnoid space . further intraoperative physiological localization measures would proceed as above . the initial application of the electrical signal through the electrode is then attempted . the range of signal types are between 0 . 1 to 20 volts , with a pulse width of 10 microseconds to 1000 microseconds , and a frequency of 2 to 2500 hertz . the stimulation can be monopolar or bipolar depending upon the specific relative potentials applied to the electrical contacts relative to the patient &# 39 ; s tissue . various stimulation parameters are tested to assess side effects ( such as motor contraction , paresthesias , visual disturbance , pain , and autonomic modulation ) or clinical efficacy . with regard to a chemical based system , the drug - delivery pump may be programmed with an initial nominal dose scheme . psychiatric disorders treated by electrostimulation and / or pharmacotherapy , however , may take up to six months to demonstrate clinical efficacy . long term adjustment of the signal and / or dosage being applied by the power source and / or drug - delivery pump may be required to optimize the outcome . if the patient &# 39 ; s symptoms do not subside , the surgeon will attempt to adjust all of the parameters until they do . as is readily obvious to anyone who has witnessed the unnecessary surgical procedure associated with the remote localization of the power source and / or drug - delivery system , it is desirable the burr cap structure itself comprise the signal and / or drug source . however , as that option is not presently available the signal source generator and / or drug - delivery system must be disposed at a remote site in the patient &# 39 ; s body . a specially designed plastic cap is generally provided to seat in the burr hole , and permit the proximal end of the electrode to pass out through the skull . the incision in the patient &# 39 ; s skull is then sutured closed with the electrode temporarily stored under the skin . if the patient is not already under general anaesthesia , the patient is so disposed and a tunnel is formed under the dermal layers , connecting the incision in the scalp to the remote location for the signal generator and / or drug pump ( usually the infraclavicular region , beneath the collar bone — where cardiovascular pace makers are implanted or the paraumbilical region ). subsequent joining of the electrode and / or catheter to a coupling ( extending ) lead and / or cathteter from the signal source and / or drug - delivery pump to the brain electrode and / or cathter is then necessary , however , generally the manner in which the electrode and / or cathter and the extending lead and / or catheter are coupled utilizes the same terminal contacts and / or connections as would be used for direct coupling to the power source and or drug - delivery system . once the sugery is complete , a non - contrast ct scan is taken to ensure that there is no intracranial hematoma . subsequently , various stimulation parameters are programmed and patients are assessed for any side effects as well as clinical efficacy . as behavioral and related cognitive improvement may not occur immediately , long - term benefits may not be achieved until multiple adjustments are accomplished . while there has been described and illustrated specific embodiments of new and novel methods of treatment for psychiatric disorders , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications are possible without deviating from the broad spirit and principle of the present invention which shall be limited solely by the scope of the claims appended hereto .	0
preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which like reference numerals represent the same or similar elements . as shown in fig1 and 2 , magnetic tack 1 includes a knob 10 , a non - magnetic cover 16 secured to a circular plate 14 , and a circular magnet 15 contained between plate 14 and cover 16 . pin or projection 20 connects to knob 10 . as shown in fig2 circular plate 14 may be made of a ferromagnetic material and includes central hole 14 a , top side 14 b , and bottom side 14 c . as shown in fig2 and 7 , knob 10 has a knob head 11 and knob body 12 . knob 10 is positioned against circular plate 14 . knob 10 can be of any convenient shape . knob 10 may be made of any material . as shown in fig2 a , and 3 b , circular magnet 15 is toroidal in shape and has a central hole 15 a . magnet 15 may be made of any “ hard ” ( permanent ) magnetic material . circular magnet 15 is encased by plate 14 and by non - magnetic cover 16 as shown in fig2 , 5 , and 6 . cover 16 has top side 16 d and side wall 17 and circumscribes magnet 15 . flange 16 c on bottom side 16 b of cover 16 helps contain circular magnet 15 . continuous flange 18 on top side 16 d also maintains magnet 15 in place relative to plate 14 . the continuous flange 18 holds the magnet 15 in place more securely than if prongs or tabs are used . however , it is within the scope of the invention to use a plurality of prongs or tabs . preferably , continuous flange 18 extends about the entire periphery of non - magnetic cover 16 . non - magnetic cover 16 and circular magnet 15 have central holes 16 a and 15 a , respectively , which are substantially axially aligned with center hole 14 a of washer plate 14 . a projection or pin 20 extends through magnet 15 and is secured to knob body 12 from the bottom side 14 b of plate 14 . the pin 20 shown in fig8 is press fitted into knob body 12 . projection or pin 20 , sometimes called a rod , rivet or screw , is made of a soft - magnetic material . the existence of pin 20 serves to facilitate the magnetic attraction of the device to a soft - magnetic surface by making a magnetic circuit that channels magnetic flux from magnet 15 . pin 20 may be solid or hollow , that is , having an interior bore . the advantage of using a solid pin is explained in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 021 , 891 and 4 , 453 , 294 . the advantages of using a hollow pin are explained in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 722 , 126 and 5 , 933 , 926 . the disclosures of those patents are incorporated herein by reference . it is also within the scope of the invention to use a partially hollow pin as shown , for example , in british patent specification no . 1 , 519 , 246 . some of the components used in the magnetic tack may be interchangeable with those used in the magnetic snaps shown in the aforesaid patents . the top surface of pin 20 a should preferably extend through the magnet annulus 15 a and cover 16 and be flush with bottom surface of cover 16 b but this is not required . in another embodiment , as shown in fig9 knob body 12 is affixed to the cover / magnetic / plate assembly by pin 30 that is screw - fitted into knob body 12 . in another embodiment , as shown in fig1 , knob head 10 has an internal undercut 50 . knob body 12 is affixed to the cover / magnetic / plate assembly by a kwik rivet stem pin 40 . the kwik rivet stem pin 40 is crush fitted into knob body 12 . an alternative embodiment shown in fig1 depicts a magnetic tack with solid magnet 22 , soft magnetic material plate 23 with side walls 23 a , cover 24 , and knob 10 . the side walls 23 a serve to facilitate the magnetic attraction of the device to a soft - magnetic surface by making a magnetic circuit that channels magnetic flux from magnet 22 . knob 10 is attached by an appropriate means , such as gluing , soldering , or welding . another embodiment is shown in fig1 a and 12 b . it is similar to the embodiment of fig1 except that non - magnetic cover 25 is attached to plate 23 having side walls 23 a . this embodiment has a series of tabs 26 extending through slots 27 in plate 23 . tabs 26 are folded over to fasten the cover to the plate 23 . knob 10 is attached by an appropriate means , such as gluing , soldering , or welding . in place of the tabs shown , the cover can be press fit into side walls 23 a , or it can be glued , soldered , or welded in place to side walls 23 a . still another embodiment combines both side walls and a pin , as shown in fig1 , 12 a , 12 b and 12 c . cover 28 can attach either inside or outside the side walls 23 a . knob 10 can be attached by any of the methods previously described . various changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . as an example , the flange in the non - magnetic cover can be a series of tabs , rather than a continuous piece . as another example , the knob may be welded to the top side of the plate rather than secured to the pin .	8
the contention resolution system of the invention provides a method and system for enhancing a simple indication of acceptance to ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status that also carries information about whether or not a channel intends to attempt re - initiation of an operation . this information informs the control unit ( cu ) of the channel &# 39 ; s intentions regarding the re - initiation of the i / o operation , thereby eliminating the need for the cu to wait for the channel . the elimination of the wait time , which can be well over 10 ms , allows the cu to return a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to other channels almost immediately . this may significantly reduce the probability that these other channels will experience timeouts waiting for the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , thereby reducing error recovery problems that commonly occur using existing technology . the use of new bits in the ‘ status - acceptance ’ information unit ( iu ) eliminates these timeouts in most cases , without requiring any re - definition of the ficon usage of fibrechannel transport - layer facilities . the contention resolution system utilizes single - byte command code sets - 3 mapping protocol ( fc - sb - 3 ) of status in response to a request to initiate channel program execution . information regarding fc - sb - 3 can be found in “ fibre - channel single - byte command code sets - 3 , ( fc - sb - 3 ),” rev 1 . 6 , by the american national standards institute and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . an enhanced form of a status - acceptance packet that a channel sends in response to the ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ status is described . the new status - acceptance packet includes a new field that indicates whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for the device . this indication eliminates the need for a control unit to wait for the channel to re - initiate the operation in the case where the channel is not going to re - initiate the operation , thereby significantly enhancing overall performance . referring now to fig1 , a typical configuration in which the contention resolution system may be implemented is described . fig1 includes channels 101 a - 101 c that are under the control of host computing systems ( also referred to herein as ‘ hosts ’) a - c , respectively . hosts a - c refer to enterprise servers such as ibm &# 39 ; s z900 ™ servers . hosts a - c are attached to a fibrechannel fabric 102 . a fibrechannel fabric refers to a network transport that provides switching and interconnection capabilities for large enterprise servers and storage area networks . an example of a fibrechannel fabric is a mcdata ™ fibre optic switch model ed6140 . control units ( cus ) 103 and 104 refer to shared storage subsystems and are also attached to fibrechannel fabric 102 . each control unit 103 , 104 controls three input / out ( i / o ) devices ( also referred to herein as simply “ devices ”). control unit 103 controls devices 103 a - 103 c , and control unit 104 controls devices 104 a - 104 c . each of control units 103 and 104 may be an ibm ™ totalstorage enterprise storage server 2105 - 800 ™. an example of a device 103 a - 103 c includes a hard drive attached to a control unit . also included in fig1 is a sample status - acceptance packet 106 . status - acceptance packet 106 refers to data transmitted by a channel in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status as will be described further herein . in order to access a device 103 a - c , 104 a - c , a channel 101 a - c sends a command that initiates a channel program to the cu 103 , 104 that controls the particular device . a channel program includes a sequence of commands that designate the operations that the device is to perform on behalf of the channel . if the cu 103 , 104 accepts the command , then it performs internal operations that cause the device ( one of 103 a - c , 104 a - c ) to execute the command , as well as subsequent commands in the channel program . each device 103 a - c , 104 a - c is capable of executing only a single channel program at a time . if another channel attempts to initiate a channel program to a device that is currently executing a channel program with a different channel , the respective control unit responds with a status indicating “ device - busy ”. after a cu 103 , 104 has sent a device - busy indication for a given device ( one of 103 a - c , 104 a - c ) to the appropriate channel ( one of 101 a - c ), it is said to ‘ owe ’ the channel a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indication when the device becomes not busy . the ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indication is in a status packet . when the channel receives the device - no - longer busy indication in a status packet , it accepts the status by sending a status - acceptance packet . subsequently , if channel still needs to initiate the channel program , it re - initiates the channel program by sending a new command . as indicated above , the fc - sb - 3 protocol incurs a problem if , during the time when a device is busy , the cu controlling the device receives requests from several channels to initiate new channel programs with the same device . in this scenario , the cu responds to all of the channels 101 a - c ( except the channel for which it is executing a channel program ) with a ‘ device - busy ’ status , because the device can process only one channel program at a time . when the device completes the channel program and becomes not busy , the cu needs to send a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indication to all of the channels to which it previously sent a ‘ device - busy ’ status . at this time , the cu can either send a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ status to all the channels simultaneously , or it can send the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to a single channel at a time . in many cases , use of either of these alternative results in some of the channels timing out while waiting for the device - no - longer - busy status , as explained above . the indication of intent to re - initiate a channel program as described in this invention informs the cu of the channel &# 39 ; s intentions regarding re - initiation of an i / o operation , thereby eliminating the need for the cu to wait for the channel . the elimination of the wait time , which can be well over 10 milliseconds , allows the cu to return a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to other channels almost immediately . this significantly decreases the probability that these other channels will experience timeouts waiting for the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , thereby reducing error recovery problems . such compounded error recovery problems are common using today &# 39 ; s existing technology . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the capabilities of the present invention described herein may be implemented in software , firmware , hardware or some combination thereof . the contention resolution system describes the content of , and processing rules for , an enhanced form of status - acceptance packet that the channel sends in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the enhanced form of status - acceptance packet 106 contains header fields 11 and a control header field ch that are present in the current status - accepted packet , and a re - initiate field that indicates to the cu whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for the device . the re - initiate field can be defined as part of the control parameters field of the control header of the current status - accepted packet . details of the fc - sb - 3 protocol and the current status - accepted packet may be found in “ fibre channel - single - byte command - code sets - 3 mapping protocol ( fc - sb - 3 ), rev 1 . 6 , by the american national standards institute . since there are several bits in the control parameters field of the control header of the current status - accepted packet that are currently reserved and set to zero , two of these currently - reserved may be used for the re - initiate field as shown in the table below . 00 no indication of intention to re - initiate 01 no intent to re - initiate 10 intend to re - initiate 11 reserved if the re - initiate field is set to b ‘ 01 ’, it indicates that the channel does not wish to reinitiate the channel program . in this case , the cu may immediately send a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to another channel or all of the channels to which the cu owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , whichever is applicable . if the re - initiate field is set to b ‘ 10 ’, it indicates that the channel does intend to initiate a channel program within a specified time period . in this case , the cu waits for the specified time period for the channel to initiate the channel program . if the cu does not receive a new command from the channel initiating a new channel program within the specified time period , the cu sends a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to another channel for which it previously sent a ‘ busy ’ status or to all of the channels to which it owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status , whichever is applicable . existing channel implementations do not set either of the bits in the re - initiate field , as the field is currently reserved . thus , if the re - initiate field is set to b ‘ 00 ’, the cu waits a model - dependent timeout for a command initiating a new channel program from the channel . this model - dependent timeout is usually longer than the pre - specified timeout that the control unit waits if the re - initiate field were set to b ‘ 10 ’. the reason for this longer timeout period for this case is because existing channel implementations that do not implement re - initiate field do not usually initiate a new channel program as quickly as newer channel implementations which do implement re - initiate field . as indicated above , the contention resolution system provides an enhanced form of status - acceptance packet that a channel sends in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the new status - acceptance packet includes a new field that indicates to the cu whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for the device . fig2 illustrates a process describing how a channel uses the contention resolution system . at step 200 , the process of fig2 begins when a channel such as channel 101 a , having previously received a ‘ device - busy ’ indication , receives a status packet indicating a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ indicator at step 202 . at step 204 , it is determined whether the channel 101 a intends to re - initiate the channel program . if the channel does not intend to re - initiate the channel program , the re - initiate bits are set to 10 at step 206 and the process exits at step 208 . if , on the other hand , the channel 101 a intends to re - initiate the operation at step 204 , the re - initiation bits are set to 01 at step 210 . in this case , the channel 101 a re - initiates the channel program at step 212 and exits the process at step 214 . fig3 illustrates a flow diagram describing how a control unit uses the contention resolution system . at step 302 , the process of fig3 begins when a device ( such as device 103 a ) controlled by a control unit 103 becomes busy at step 302 . when the device 1003 a completes its operations at step 304 ( e . g ., completes the channel program that it is executing , it becomes not busy at step 306 . at this time , the cu 103 determines if it owes a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to any channels 101 a - c at step 308 . if the cu 103 does not owe a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to any channels 101 a - c , it exits the procedure at step 310 . if the cu 103 owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to at least one channel at step 308 , it sends a status packet indicating a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ to one of the channels at step 312 and the cu waits for a status - acceptance packet . alternatively , the cu may send a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to all of the channels to which it owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the channel to which the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status is sent may be selected in any manner by the cu . however , if the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status is owed to both channels that do and do not support the contention resolution system of the invention , the cu preferably selects the channels that support the contention resolution system before attempting to select channels that do not support the contention resolution system . in this manner , potentially long delays that are caused when a channel is selected that does not support this invention are avoided . when the status - acceptance packet is received at step 314 , one of three actions may occur . if the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 01 &# 39 ;, indicating that the channel does not intend to re - initiate the channel program , the process returns to step 308 whereby the cu again determines if it owes a ‘ device - no - longer - busy ’ status to another channel , and proceeds as described above in steps 310 - 314 . if the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 10 &# 39 ;, indicating that the channel intends to re - initiate the channel program , the cu waits a short time for a command that initiates a new channel program from the channel at step 316 . if the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 00 &# 39 ;, indicating that the channel does not support the contention resolution system of the invention , then the cu waits a longer period of time for a command that initiates a new channel program from the channel at step 322 . the wait time for the case where the re - initiate field is set to b &# 39 ; 10 &# 39 ; is relatively short compared to the wait time used if the re - initiate field were set to b &# 39 ; 00 &# 39 ; because only newer channels set the re - initiate field to b &# 39 ; 01 &# 39 ;, and these newer channels are able to reinitiate a new channel program more quickly than older channels . if the cu receives a command initiating a new channel program from the channel to which it sent the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ indication before the timeout expires ( at either of steps 318 and 324 ) it begins execution of the channel program at step 320 . upon completion of the execution , the process returns to step 306 where the device again becomes not busy . when a cu completes an operation and owes a ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to other channels , it may use a variety of algorithms to decide which of the channels to send the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . one such algorithm may be for the cu to send the ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status to some or all of the channels simultaneously . this method of selection might be advantageous in situations where many of the channels implement this invention and do not intend to re - initiate the channel program . in this case , the cu would be able to immediately determine that multiple channels did not intend to re - initiate channel program , thereby eliminating the need to send device - no - longer - busy status to each channel serially . as can be seen from the above , the contention resolution system provides the means to significantly enhance channel operations and reduce the incidences of channel timeouts with the use of a new status packet ( i . e ., status - acceptance packet ) that is sent in response to a device ‘ no - longer - busy ’ status . the status - acceptance packet includes a field that indicates whether or not the channel intends to re - initiate a channel program for a particular device . this indication eliminates the need for a control unit to wait for the channel to re - initiate the operation in the case where the channel is not going to re - initiate the operation . as described above , the present invention can be embodied in the form of computer - implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes . the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media , such as floppy diskettes , cd - roms , hard drives , or any other computer - readable storage medium , wherein , when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer , the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code , for example , whether stored in a storage medium , loaded into and / or executed by a computer , or transmitted over some transmission medium , such as over electrical wiring or cabling , through fiber optics , or via electromagnetic radiation , wherein , when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer , the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . when implemented on a general - purpose microprocessor , the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits . while the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims .	7
fig1 shows a prior art cam . in fig1 the cam includes a 4 row by 4 column core cell array . the four core cells 110 of each row are connected to a respective word line wl1 , wl1 , wl2 or wl3 and a respective match line ml0 , ml1 , ml2 or ml3 . the four match lines are connected to an encoder 112 . the four core cells 110 of each column are connected to a pair of bit lines bl0 , bln0 ; bl1 , bln1 ; bl2 , bln2 ; or bl3 , bln3 . the bit lines for differential data are connected to reference word storage and bit line drivers 114 which receive input data d for loading the contents of the cam and for the search reference word . data stored in the array &# 39 ; s core cells are searched by applying a reference word on the bit lines . the match lines are pulled low by any mismatched bit to which they are connected . in rows where the reference data matches the stored data exactly , the match line remains high . the encoder 112 selects a single row in the case of multiple matches , and provides a hit signal along with the binary address of the selected row . that row can then be accessed for subsequent reads and writes . the hit signal is a binary signal indicating whether a match was found . see a paper by k . j . schultz et al . entitled &# 34 ; architectures for large - capacity cams &# 34 ;, integration : the vlsi journal , vol . 18 , pp . 151 - 171 , 1995 , which is incorporated herein by reference . cams of sufficient capacity for many functions are not possible due to density and architectural factors : density -- because one normally needs to include a one - bit comparator ( xor or xnor gate ) with each bit core cell ; architectural -- because to do two - dimensional decoding ( necessary to achieve a reasonable array aspect ratio for a large memory ), there must be either ( a ) multiple words along a match line , or ( b ) multiple collinear match lines in a single physical row or column . to solve the density problem , standard ram core cells are used . the embodiment employs 6 - transistor core cells , with one - bit comparators shared between multiple core cells . tdm sharing of the comparator , to get 8 ( more generally , s ) cells along a match line , and a plurality of match lines running above a given core cell ( generally , m ; in the embodiment , 2 ), and a plurality of collinear match lines in each memory core column ( generally , the number of blocks b divided by the number of lobes l , i . e . : b / l ; in an embodiment , 4 ), and the product of m ( b / l ) giving the number of match lines for each core column ; this is 8 in the embodiment . fig2 shows a cam according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 the cam includes a 4 row by 4 column core cell array . the core cell 210 is a static random access memory ( sram ) cell . the four core cells 210 of each row are connected to a respective word line wl1 , wl1 , wl2 or wl3 . the four core cells of each column are connected to a pair of bit lines bl0 , bln0 ; bl1 , bln1 ; bl2 , bln2 ; or bl3 , bln3 . each pair of the bit lines is connected to a respective comparator 212 . the four comparators 212 are connected to a match line ml and a pair of data lines d and dn . the match line ml is connected to an encoder 214 . the data lines and the bit lines for differential data are connected to reference word storage and bit line drivers 216 which receive input data d for loading the contents of the cam and for the search reference word . data is stored in one row of the array &# 39 ; s core cells 210 by driving the data to be written onto the bit lines bl / bln from the bit line drivers 216 , and asserting one of the four word lines wl . data stored in the core cell array is searched by storing the reference data in the reference word storage 216 , and driving it onto the data lines d / dn . subsequently , the four word lines wl0 , wl1 , wl2 , and wl3 are asserted in sequence . the assertion of each word line wl causes the data stored in the core cells 210 of the accessed row to be read onto the bit lines bl / bln . the data on each bit line pair bl / bln are compared to the reference data on the data lines d / dn in the comparators 212 . the match line ml is pulled low by any mismatched bit in any of the four comparators 212 . if the reference data matches the stored data exactly , the match line remains high . it should be clear that a series of four operations ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; sub - cycles &# 34 ;) is required to compare all of the data in the array of fig2 to the reference data on d / dn , with one operation ( sub - cycle ) corresponding to the assertion of each word line wl . if this series of operations is performed as part of a single external clock cycle , the user perceives the search of the array as a single operation . a plurality of match lines ml converge on the encoder 214 , one match line from each array of core cells , such as the one represented in fig2 . in the case of at least one match line ml remaining high in a given sub - cycle , the encoder 214 selects a single match line ( corresponding to a single core cell array ), and provides a binary hit signal along with the binary address of the matched core cell array . this address may be combined with a knowledge of the number of the sub - cycle ( corresponding to the number of the wl ), to uniquely determine which individual row of core cells matched the reference data . note that the individual words of the cam need not be organized as shown in fig2 although they may . the preferred embodiment , described following , employs the plurality of core cells connected to each word line wl to store the same bit ( of n ) of different words . words are oriented in columns , with one bit of each word in each array ( hereinafter , &# 34 ; sub - block &# 34 ;), and the n bits of each word located in the n sub - blocks of each block , and the n bits of each word being compared in the same sub - cycle due to their connection to word lines which are activated in the same sub - cycle . fig3 shows a detail of the core cell 210 shown in fig2 . the core cell is a well known sram storage element which includes two cmos inverters . in fig3 the drains of a p - channel fet 310 and an n - channel fet 312 , which define one cmos inverter , are connected to the gates of a p - channel fet 314 and an n - channel fet 316 , which define the other cmos inverter . similarly , the drains of the fets 314 and 316 are connected to the gates of the fets 310 and 312 . the sources of the fets 310 and 314 are connected to the voltage terminal of the supply voltage + vdd . the sources of the fets 312 and 316 are connected to the ground terminal . the junction ( node c ) of the drains of the fets 310 and 312 is connected to source of an n - channel fet 318 , the drain of which is connected to the bit line bl . the junction ( node cn ) of the drains of the fets 314 and 316 is connected to the drain of an n - channel fet 320 , the source of which is connected to the bit line bln . fig4 shows a detail of a possible embodiment of the comparator 212 shown in fig2 . in fig4 the sources of n - channel fets 410 and 412 are connected to the bit line bl . the sources of n - channel fets 414 and 416 are connected to the bit line bln . the drains of the fets 410 and 414 are connected to the voltage terminal of the supply voltage + vdd . the drains of the fets 412 and 416 are connected to the match line ml . the gates of the fets 410 and 416 and the gates of the fets 414 and 412 are connected to the pair of data lines d / dn . fig5 shows a detail of the 4 - transistor comparator of fig4 the 4 - transistors being four n - channel fets 510 - 516 . also , fig5 shows one of the core cells ( an instance of 210 from fig2 ) and an inverter 518 used to control the match line ml . during a search operation , the write signal will be logically low , and the match line ml will be high ( at or neat the positive supply + vdd ). also during a search , one of the lines d / dn will be asserted high , while the other will be held low . at the same time , the core cell will draw current from either bl or bin , with the current drawn from bl if the stored data is a logical &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, and drawn from bin if the stored data is a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. fig5 shows current being drawn from both bl / bln for illustrative purposes , only . fig5 assumes that the data line d has been asserted high , and dn is being held low . if the core cell is drawing current from bin , the stored data matches the reference data , and the match line must be unaffected by the comparator . in this case , the fet 514 sources the necessary current drawn by the core cell . if the core cell is drawing current from bl , the stored data mismatches the reference data , and the match line must be discharged . this occurs through the fet 512 , as shown . in the event of a match of the opposite polarity , the fet 510 would source current through bl to the core cell . in the event of a mismatch of the opposite polarity , the fet 516 will conduct current from the match line ml to the bit line bln . this circuit shown in fig5 is also active in a write operation . during such an operation , the write signal is logically high , and as a result , the match line ml is pulled low . the data logically opposite of that to be written is driven onto the lines d / dn . to write a logical &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to the core cell , dn is high , the fet 510 holds bl high , and the fet 516 pulls bin low . to write a logical &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to the core cell , d is high , the fet 514 holds bin high , and the fet 512 pulls bl low . it is recognized that numerous extensions to the circuit of fig5 are obvious to anyone skilled in the art , including , but not limited to , an implementation with p - channel fets , more complicated driver circuitry on ml , or sense circuitry inserted between the 4 transistors and the match line ml . fig6 shows a detail of the comparator of fig4 and 5 , further augmented with three additional fets and two signal lines ( read and rd ) to enable a read operation . the fets are n - channel fets 610 - 616 and 620 - 624 . the signal line rd ( or read data line ) runs in parallel with the differential d / dn lines . the read signal must be bussed in some manner to all comparator structures , such as the one shown in fig6 on the memory chip . a read is initiated by asserting a word line ( not shown in fig6 ), which enables the data stored in the core cell to be passed to the bit lines bl / bln . also as part of the operation , the read signal is asserted , turning on the fet 622 . note that the fet 624 is intended to provide an even load on bl / bln ; it may be implemented as shown , replaced by other circuitry with the same function , or omitted entirely . the match line ml will be asserted at comparators associated with a selected ( addressed ) word , and the single - ended data on bl will be passed through the series the fets 622 and 620 to the line rd . fig7 shows a detail of the comparator augmented in an alternative manner to implement read functionality . here , two additional data lines rd / rdn are employed , along with two additional fets , but no additional control signals . the fets are n - channel fets 710 - 716 and , 720 and 722 . during a read operation , a word line is asserted , and core cell data is passed onto bl / bln , in the same way as in the description of the previous figure . also as in the previous figure , a match line ml is asserted high to select a comparator circuit for data transfer onto the read data line , which in this case is differential ( rd / rdn ). read data is passed differentially onto rd / rdn through the fets 720 and 722 , and the differential nature of the read operation tends to achieve more noise immunity , in addition to a higher speed or lower power operation . the disadvantage of the implementation shown in fig7 is that , with all match lines ml at a logical high value during a search operation , the state of the read data lines rd / rdn will have an effect on the bit lines bl / bln . fig8 shows a view of the metal layers present in ( or above ) each core cell . layers of second metal and higher are shown . the transistors employed to store and access a bit of information are beneath these layers . the comparator function is not performed in this core cell . power buses are not shown , for simplicity . fig8 may be compared to fig3 to appreciate the way in which the core cell fits into the architecture . the bit lines bl / bln run vertically in second layer metal . the word line wl runs horizontally in third layer metal . the match lines do not make connection with the core cell , and hence are not shown in fig3 . however , they are required to run above the core cells in fourth layer metal . in fig8 match lines are shown ; more generally , the parameter m represents the number of match lines running above each core cell . while we believe the choice of layers shown in fig8 is the optimum for most 4 or 5 layer technologies , it is obvious that the concept extends to any rearrangement and reassignment of the layers , or to the use of layers above the fourth layer of metal . fig9 shows a block diagram of the entire chip , in the embodiment . the data bus d may be single - ended or differential ; the latter implementation has been chosen for the previous detailed figures . the data bus d may use the same physical pins and bus for both search and write functions , or the search function may be supported through a &# 34 ; search port &# 34 ;, and the write function through a &# 34 ; processor port &# 34 ;. the processor port , if provided , may or may not also have read capability , using the ain bus shown , and a q bus ( not shown ). the purpose of aout is to provide to the user the physical address where the searched - for data resides ; this is the result of the search operation . it may be observed that the search thus accomplishes an address compression function , from the bit width of d to the bit width of aout . the chip , in the embodiment shown in fig9 has a total of 8 blocks , divided into 2 lobes ( l and r ), each of these aligned vertically . two blocks ( more generally , m blocks ) aligned horizontally and belonging to different lobes , share the same physical d bus ( 36 bits wide , in the case of the embodiment ). each block has 512 ( more generally , c ) columns and 1024 ( more generally , m c ) match lines . four blocks have their match lines , 4096 ( more generally , 2 * l * c * m ) in total number , converge on each rom , where an encoding to 12 bits of aout takes place . one of the 2 roms is selected , this selection providing a 13th bit of aout , resulting in an encoding of 8k unique match lines . the 8k match lines are tdm - shared in a deterministic sequence of 8 ( more generally , s ) internal cycles . a counter in conjunction with the encoding circuitry produces an 8 - to - 3 ( more generally , s - to - log 2 ( s )) encoding of this timing information , resulting in a total 64k - to - 16 bit address encoding to aout . to deal with the possible occurrence of a plurality of match lines remaining logically high , indicating that more than one entry in the cam is identical to the searched - for data , multiple match detection and / or resolution capability may or may not be provided . each block is divided into 36 ( more generally , n ) sub - blocks , one per bit of d , as shown in fig1 a - c . the conceptual view of xor gates and pull - downs , shown in the upper right portion of fig1 a - c , corresponds to 2 instances of the comparator circuit shown in previous figures . as shown , each of the 2 ( more generally , m ) match lines per column per block has one pull - down per sub - block ( equivalently , one pull - down per bit ), for a total of n pull - downs per match line . each sub - block has 16 rows of cells ( more generally , m * s ), with 8 ( more generally , s ) rows associated with each match line . control of row - access , through word line ( wl ) assertion , is by 8 - bit ( more generally , s - bit ) circulating shift registers , implementing 8 - way ( more generally , s - way ) tdm sharing of the comparators . the row number selected by each shift register is the same , and this row number is coordinated to be the same as the counter value , held in the encoder &# 39 ; s 3 - bit counter mentioned above . during write and read operations , the word lines are not controlled by the shift registers , but instead by a standard row decoder , which is physically located in the central spine between the two lobes , and may be shared between horizontally adjacent blocks . there is a plurality of instantiations of the identical 3 - to - 8 ( more generally , log 2 ( s )- to - s ) decode function in this spine , either m / 2 * n * b in number , if the function is shared between horizontally adjacent blocks , or m * n * b if it is not so shared . the total number of core cells in the horizontal ( y ) dimension is 512 columns / lobe * 2 lobes = 1024 columns ( more generally , c * l ). this corresponds to 1 column / 8 match lines * 8k match lines = 1024 columns . the total number of core cells in the vertical ( x ) dimension = s * m rows / sub - block * n sub - blocks / block * b / 2 blocks = s * m * n ( b / l ) rows . this equals 8 2 * 36 * 8 / 2 = 2304 rows in the embodiment . the number of columns per lobe , or columns per block , can thus be calculated as w /( s * m * b ), where w is the number of words in the cam . in write and read operations , the match lines will be driven outward from the roms , accomplishing their second function as outputs of 13 - to - 8k decoders ( more generally log 2 ( w / s )- to - w / s decoders ). the 13 - bit input is a 13 - bit field of ain , and the remaining 3 bits of ain are the bits driven to the multiple 3 - to - 8 ( more generally , log 2 ( s )- to - s ) word line decoders in the spine , as described above . the tdm sharing is hidden from the user . all 8 ( more generally , s ) serial operations occur during one externally - supplied clock cycle , and it appears to the user as a single - cycle operation . the s internal cycles are self - timed , using an internal timing loop , such that one cycle begins immediately after the previous cycle has completed . the self - timing mechanism may be realized with the circuitry shown , for a single block , in fig1 a and b . as shown in fig1 a and b , the top - most sub - block of each block has its shift register and word line driver circuitry augmented by a driver for a model word line mwl , which is asserted every sub - cycle , regardless of the state of the shift register . this model word line mwl passes over the width of the block , as shown . it then continues in a vertical dimension toward the rom . upon reaching the bottom of the block , it is redirected horizontally , before it performs its function as the clock for the match line amplifiers . these amplifiers may be single - ended or differential ; they may have a reference input supplied from a single or multiple paths or sources ; and they may operate on voltage or current mode principles . the model word line , as it is routed both horizontally and vertically , may or may not be loaded in such a way as to emulate load on an actual word line or match line . it may also be buffered , as required . fig1 shows how the model word lines mwl , further acting as match line amplifier clocks , are combined to create a timing source for sub - cycles 2 through 8 ( sub - cycle 1 is initiated by the system clock ). when all of the model / clock signals have made positive transitions , the output of an and gate 810 is asserted , and the next sub - cycle begins . alternatively , the next sub - cycle may be initiated after the first falling edge of any of the model / clock signals . this latter mechanism is demonstrated in the timing diagram of fig1 . note that it is not necessary that the time interval associated with each sub - cycle be sufficient to allow the rom encoding operation to complete . if necessary , the outputs of the match line amplifiers may be latched on the falling edge of their clock , and the actual rom encoding function may be pipelined into the following sub - cycle . internal serialization of the function is hidden from the user , who needs only to apply the slower system clock to the chip . simple integration with self - timed embedded memory architectures ( see co - pending united states patent application entitled &# 34 ; multi - port ram &# 34 ; filed by g . f . r . gibson on may 9 , 1996 , which claims priority from u . s . provisional application ser . no . 60 / 001 , 856 filed on aug . 3 , 1995 , which is incorporated herein by reference ). easy binning of parts during at - speed test -- increase the system clock frequency until the part fails . in write and read operations , a full external cycle is used for the operation ; from an internal chip viewpoint , this operation is relatively slow . power considerations must be addressed in the circuit design , since standard memory design power reduction techniques such as blocking and selective activation cannot be employed due to the nature of the operation the entire contents of the memory must be searched in one external clock cycle . some possible circuit design guidelines are now summarized . to perform a search , the data in the core cell selected by the shift register is first read onto the local bit lines bl / bln . the core cell transistors in fig3 numbered 312 , 318 , 316 , and 320 and transistors 410 , 412 , 414 , and 416 of fig4 must be sized such that the current sunk through the core cell is precisely supplied either from the match line ml through 412 or 416 ( in the case of a comparison mismatch ) or from 410 or 414 ( in the case of a match ). this prevents the voltage on the bit lines bl / bln from drooping , and removes the need for a precharge phase of the search sub - cycle . the current should be very small , and it is likely that minimum - sized devices will be used in this path . current may be further reduced by using an n - channel pull - up fet on the word line wl during searches . it is also important that the voltage level on the match lines does not droop , to avoid the need to precharge these nodes . this is a challenging circuit design task , since the match line voltage should remain relatively constant , while currents anywhere between 0 times and n times the single - cell read current are sourced from a single match line . sensing , to determine whether a match line ml is logically &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; low &# 34 ;, may be performed with a differential current sensing circuit . the reference current would in this realization be approximately one - half of a cell read current , and may be generated by an additional model ( or &# 34 ; dummy &# 34 ;) match line . it may be mirrored for input to multiple current comparators . as mentioned above , match lines perform the dual functions of sensing matches during a search operation , and of selecting words for write and read operations . based on the circuit of fig5 a write decode requires that 1 of 8k match lines be asserted low to select 8 words , while 1 of every 8 word lines is asserted high . a more general statement of these conditions follows : match lines are used for selection of a unique cam word , possibly in conjunction with the assertion of one or more word lines . a unique decoding is not necessarily accomplished by either the match lines alone ( though it may be ), nor the word lines alone , but by their combined effect . a fraction 1 / m of the memory is selected by the match lines ( one or more in actuality being asserted ), and the fraction 1 / w of the memory is selected by the word lines ( one or more in actuality being asserted ), such that their unique intersection , 1 / wm , accomplishes a full decoding of a wm - word cam for reading or writing operations . it is possible that w = 1 in the above explanation . a read function may be added to the same basic circuit , using either of the circuits shown in fig6 and 7 . any transistor - level embodiment of this cam architecture which involves voltage - mode match sensing is a relatively straightforward extension of the information presented herein , and should be obvious to anyone skilled in the art . a design alternative for higher throughput would be to tdm share only 4 ways , and provide one comparator for every 4 ram cells . this will approximately double power dissipation , as well as increasing chip area . it may be a legitimate &# 34 ; high - performance &# 34 ; implementation option . there are several features that may be added to provide extended functionality : the rom and other encoding circuitry may be augmented by circuitry capable of detecting the condition of multiple match lines remaining high , or the logically equivalent occurrence of multiple match lines remaining high among the s sub - cycles that comprise a search operation . insofar that the above multiple match functionality may be too expensive to provide , provide instead ( at the user &# 39 ; s option ) a two - cycle write operation , wherein : the first cycle is actually a search operation to determine whether the data to be written already exists in the memory , leading to abortion of the write operation if this is found to be the case , and the second cycle , if allowed to complete , is the actual write operation . one of the bits in the n - bit word may be a &# 34 ; valid / emptyn &# 34 ; bit , which may be reset to zero in all word locations of the cam in a single operation . this ensures that all data present in the memory at power - up is incapable of matching any searched - for data . all successful searches will require that &# 34 ; valid / emptyn &# 34 ;= 1 . additional ram storage ( with an output bus denoted qram ) may be provided on - chip in a separate array , addressable by the aout bus , most likely with one pipeline cycle delay between the outputs of aout and qram . although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail , it should be appreciated that numerous variations , modifications , and adaptations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims .	6
referring now to the drawings , wherein similar parts of the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 are identified by like reference numerals , there is seen in fig1 a perspective view of a typical smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 including a smart wallet 12 and a smartphone 14 which have been paired and are in electronic communication using one of many varying radio frequency means . in this fig1 perspective view of the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 configuration , there is illustrated the smart wallet 12 having a main on / off button 15 , a finger print sensor 16 that when the correct user &# 39 ; s finger print is recognized , the smart wallet 12 is unlocked , whereby the top latch link 18 and the bottom latch link 19 are retracted to open the smart wallet 12 and reveal the contents inside . using an application stored on the smartphone 14 and viewed on the smartphone screen 13 , the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 can be controlled with respect to security information stored on the smart wallet 12 and the smartphone 14 , and through communications passed between them using a wifi or bluetooth connection 11 . referring to fig2 a , a block diagram 20 of exemplary hardware components for the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 is shown . in a preferred embodiment , a biometric leader is realized as fingerprint module 23 . microprocessor 24 controls the actions of the range detection , for example with sound generator 21 and vibrator 22 , and also with authentication of the user via the fingerprint module 23 . a security parameter index ( spi ) is associated with a wallet owner &# 39 ; s biometric signature . microprocessor 24 communicates to wireless module 25 via a general purpose input / output ( gpio ), for example , and includes antenna 26 . it is preferred that both processor 24 and wireless module 25 are low power consuming and concurrent with the latest advancements in such electronics . further , wireless module 25 is configured , according to for example , short range low power protocols as defined by either bluetooth , wifi , zigbee ( ieee 802 . 15 . 4 ), radio frequency identification ( rfid ), z - wave , or ultra - wideband ( uwb ). fig2 b illustrates a smartphone hardware block diagram 30 for the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 , wherein a microprocessor 32 is integrated with a wireless module . similarly , the integrated processor and wireless module 32 control sound generator 34 and vibrator 36 , and is electronically connected to antenna 38 . fig3 a shows software block diagram 40 for the smart wallet 12 component within the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 of the present invention . this software component block diagram 40 includes application layer modules such as a registration , login , authentication , range detection module 42 , a wireless stack 44 , a security library 46 , a biometric middleware module 48 , an operating system 50 , and device drivers 52 . the operating system 50 includes all the services such as interprocess communications , memory management , clock , and file system . device drivers 52 include wireless , flash , i / o ports , timers , fingerprint reader and others . sitting on top of the os 50 are the wireless communication stack 44 , biometric library ( middleware ) 48 , and security library 46 . the application layer 42 includes applications such as sync , user registration , user authentication , and range detection , for example . fig3 b illustrates software block diagram 60 for the smartphone component 14 within the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 of the present invention . the smartphone software block 60 comprises applications including pairing and range detection 62 , communications stack 64 , system services and device drivers 66 . software on the electronic smartphone 14 is simpler than software on the smart wallet 12 . according , no full featured operating system is provided but instead a simple round - robin loop , where each software module , pairing and range detection 62 , communications stack 64 and system services and device drivers 66 is given a time slice of a cpu . fig4 depicts a block diagram illustration of hardware and radio frequency connected components 80 for the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 of the present invention . possible rf connections include : connection to a ( key fob ) dongle 82 , connection to a cell phone or smartphone 84 , connection to an automobile access control system 86 , connection to a building or home door lock 88 , and connection to a mobile computing device 90 to the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 . while the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 ( rf ) link is active , devices within the transmission range can monitor for and establish a connection with the smart wallet 12 . when a link is established the connecting device can be interrogated and ascertain the type of device which it is connected to smart wallet 12 and the connected devices capabilities . in the case of a connection with a ( key fob ) dongle 82 , the two devices pair and monitor for device separation . if separation greater than a preset level is detected audible and visual alarms are sounded . in the case of a connection with a smartphone or cell phone 84 or a mobile computing device 90 the two devices pair and a preinstalled application is loaded on the device providing enhanced capabilities , including setting the alarm range detection , sounding an alarm on the smart wallet 12 for finding a lost device within the transmission radius , a remote open function and a battery level monitoring function . in the case of a connection with a vehicle 86 , the vehicle authenticates that the smart wallet 12 is authorized to access the vehicle , and if granted unlocks the door and enables the ignition system . in the case of a connection with a access control door lock 88 , the door lock authenticates that the smart wallet 12 is authorized to access the seemed area , and if granted , activates the door lock open mechanism . in all of the above cases , if preconfigured , the pairing operation can also include a successful biometric authorization in addition to the described pairing operation to gram access to the paired devices protected operations within the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 . fig5 depicts a block diagram illustration of the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 100 having a radio frequency ( rf ) connection to multiple hardware and software components for the system . referring now to fig5 in detail , there is illustrated a functional design for a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system bluetooth locking system 110 , connected via a wireless connection 130 , to any of a variety of mobile devices 150 , including all of those examples shown in fig4 above . in this regard , referring now to fig5 the following outline of operations provides a functional design for a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 110 connected to any mobile device 150 . as previously described the mobile device 150 is one of a variety of devices which are enabled to communicate over a wireless connection 130 with a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 110 . any smartphone mobile device 150 would include the rf module 151 , an application processor 152 , as display 153 , a keypad 154 and a speaker 155 , as shown . fig6 depicts a block diagram illustration of the system components for the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock assembly including the motor control , lock . bluetooth antenna and bluetooth module as well as optional mass storage , gps and motion sensor . fig7 depicts a block diagram illustration of the hardware components for the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock assembly , including the main processor , speaker driver and speaker , as well as the usb port and battery power supply configurations . fig8 depicts a block diagram illustration of the hardware components for the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock assembly , including the fingerprint reader , internal lights and user interface . referring now to fig5 , and fig6 and 8 , the following outline provides a hardware design for a smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 with all optional equipment included . items listed as ‘ standard equipment ’ will be included on all smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled locking smart wallet system 10 product designs . items listed as ‘ optional equipment ’ may be included or omitted in any combination in a specific design as may be required by a final product specification definition . the system processor 117 ( standard equipment ) controls the overall operation of the smart wallet : system 110 unit . for example , the following operations are facilitated by the system processor : a . interprets the user &# 39 ; s inputs and convert them into commands which control the fingerprint enrollment and identification process . b . controls lock motor and monitors lock motor position feedback operation . c . controls and interprets commands passed from the user &# 39 ; s external bluetooth device . d . manages system power usage . e . controls the operation of all led &# 39 ; s ( status leds and hood light ). f . monitors and records motion sensor data . g . monitors and records temperature sensor readings . h . manages the real time clock for time - lock and alarm operation . i . supports usb communication for direct connect setup and firmware updating . j . monitors the battery voltage and reports battery status via status leds and bluetooth . k . optionally monitors and records gps data . l . microphone input for voice controlled operation . the bluetooth le rf module ( standard equipment ) 116 controls the bluetooth radio link to the users &# 39 ; smartphone or other compatible intelligent device 150 . it also receives commands and alerts from the external device 150 and passes them to the system processor 117 for action . additionally rf module 116 receives command and control data from the system processor 117 and passes that data to the external device 150 via the bluetooth link throe the mobile device rf module 151 . the fingerprint sensor ( standard equipment ) 111 is the device on which the users places their finger to enroll a finger or to unlock the device . a fingerprint compressor ( standard equipment ) receives commands from the system processor and then controls the operation of the fingerprint sensor . a usb interface ( standard equipment ) is used both to provide charging power for the battery and to control and setup the device with the individual user preferences and also allows reading the mass storage memory if equipped . the battery ( standard equipment ) provides all power to the system during normal operation . a power supply ( standard equipment ) will serve to provide the system with the regulated voltages that are required for the system to operate . the battery charger ( standard equipment ) provides controls and monitors the battery charge cycle when the unit is plugged into a usb port or usb wall charger . numerous status leds ( standard equipment ), and custom display ( optional equipment ) 118 are used to convey unit status and also to prompt the user to perform some action like placing a linger on or lifting a finger from the fingerprint touch sensor . the functioning of these varying color status leds and custom display may be as follows : a . a green led blinks slowly when battery is charging and is on solid when the battery is fully charged . one long blink indicates user should place their finger on the fingerprint sensor . green led is off when in standby mode . b . a red led flickers at a slow rate to indicate the battery is in need of charging . one long blink indicates the user should lift their finger from the fingerprint sensor . red led is off when in standby mode . c . a blue led conveys the current state of the bluetooth link . an internal lighting ( standard equipment ) can be used , and may be configured in the form of an illuminated frame around the case . these lights illuminate the contents of the case momentarily when opened in low light conditions . a lock status switch ( standard equipment ) signals the main processor when the lock motor has completed the full unlock / relock cycle . an activate / power button ( standard equipment ) powers the unit on if it is off and requests the user to input a fingerprint to unlock the unit . if the unit is already on or in standby mode the unit will just request that the user inputs a fingerprint to unlock the unit . the bluetooth enable button ( standard equipment ) is used to enable and disable the bluetooth link to the user &# 39 ; s external device . a reset button ( standard equipment ) is used to reset the system . the reset button is accessed via a small diameter hole somewhere on the device . the button is activated by inserting the tip of a paperclip straight into the hole until it clicks . this is used to restart the main processor in the event of trouble . the unit will restart with all previous settings intact . an alarm will sound for a few seconds and the user will be prompted to place their finger on the fingerprint reader . a lock motor control ( standard equipment ) provides power to the lock motor when requested by the system processor . the lock motor ( standard equipment ) is an electromechanical device which unlocks and relocks the unit . an alarm amplifier ( standard equipment ) is present within the system . it amplifies the low power audio signals from main processor to the high power signal required by the alarm speaker . the alarm speaker ( standard equipment ) provides the sounds which alert the user about a status change of the device , or other alarms which may require their attention . a wifi connectivity ( optional equipment ) module 116 allows longer distance control , access a id monitoring of the unit through wifi communications . a gps sensor ( optional equipment ) 115 allows global position information to be monitored and recorded . the gps sensor 115 also allows for gps aware security . the temperature sensor ( optional equipment ) 120 allows the monitoring of environmental conditions in the device which may be detrimental to the contents . an alarm may be triggered or the temperature profile may be recorded over time for later analysis . an axis accelerometer ( optional equipment ) 113 can be used to prevent the device from being opened while not being held at a specific angle . can also be used to detect or record rough handling of the device . may also trigger an alarm if not handled as instructed . can also be used where a specific set of motions is required to allow for low level authentication operations . can also be used in multi - factor authentication where both a specific set of motions and a biometric operation are required to authenticate a given operation . an axis magnetometer ( optional equipment ) 114 can be programmed to trigger an alarm if the device is physically moved . it also may provide a virtual lock in place function . an axis gyroscope ( optional equipment ) may be programmed to trigger an alarm when the device is rotated in any axis at a rate greater than a fixed value . the display ( optional equipment ) 118 may take the form of a custom display 118 . a custom display may be added for applications that require re complex user interaction . the keypad ( optional equipment ) 119 may be included to facilitate user interaction . a custom keypad may he added for applications that require more complex user interaction . a mass storage device ( option equipment ) may be within the system unit . this mass storage device would allow storage and recall of sensor history data such as temperature , motion and when and where the device was opened . the mass storage device can also securely store and recall multiple user passwords . using the ( rf ) link the passwords can be securely transferred to unlock user accounts , door access codes and point of sale pin numbers using the bluetooth enabled case biometric functions . the microphone input ( optional equipment ) 112 allows voice activation of various features . developing voice recognition systems such as alexa , siri , and goggle voice among others provide high quality voice command access to multiple devices including home lights , door locks , temperature control , streaming media players among other uses . with a bluetooth enabled case lock and the cell phone connected to each other high security voice operations such as garage door operation can use the multi - device authentication of this system . in addition , the bluetooth enabled case can use its limited voice recognition capabilities to control operation of the case . referring now to fig9 there is shown a smart wallet 12 in the unlocked open position illustrating the various internal features . the smart wallet 12 upper portion 202 and lower portion 204 swing open at the resistance hinge 206 when unlocked . the upper portion 202 includes one or more locking lug tabs 208 and 209 , and an led lighted frame 210 . the smart wallet 12 lower portion 204 includes a card storage area 212 , one or more locking lug accepting slots 214 and 216 , as well as an internal led lighted bluetooth activation button 218 to provide for bluetooth activation once the smart wallet 12 is unlocked and opened using the external biometric reader mechanism or password opening steps . a usb port 220 is located on the power portion 204 of the smart wallet 12 . referring now to fig1 a and 10b there is shown an exploded view of the smart wallet 12 illustrating the various components which make up the physical construction of same . in fig1 a , from top to bottom , the components shown include : a bottom case 250 , a lower frame member 252 , a bottom foam liner 254 , a molded foam inner frame member 256 , and an inner liner 258 with a cut out inner bluetooth activation button window , a pca cover 260 and a battery 262 . moving now to fig1 b , from top to bottom , the physical components of the smart wallet 10 include : a gear assembly 264 , a printed circuit board ( pcb ) 226 , a lower frame member 268 , a flex circuit speaker 270 , a home button 272 and a top case member 274 . it should be noted that this smart wallet system may also take the form of a smart locking case , and that this anticipated smart locking case may be equipped similarly to the smart wallet 12 but be in the form of a small , medium or large locking case such as an attache case , brief case , or other form of luggage , etc . any locking case so equipped would be controllable and controlled through the smartphone application as described and disclosed herein . within this case locking system may be any combination of the standard and optional equipment as described above for the smart wallet 12 system . fig1 a , 11b , 11c , and 11d represent smartphone screen shots for a mobile application ( app ) stored on the smartphone 14 for controlling the smart wallet . in fig1 a there is shown a home screen 280 for the mobile app . on this home screen 280 , the user may choose from a variety of connection options including wifi , zigbee , bluetooth and z - wave , by pushing the corresponding button to activate that type of connection with the smart wallet ( not shown ). in fig1 b the next menu screen is the enter password screen 282 in which the user enters the appropriate password 284 for the type of connection chosen . fig1 c then shows a lock / unlock screen 286 , in which the user may unlock or lock a door by pushing the lock button 288 , as accessed by the type of connection chosen in fig1 a . fig1 d shows another possible lock / unlock screen 290 in which the user may lock or unlock a vehicle by pushing the lock button 292 . these screen shots , and this mobile app are just examples of various means in which the smartphone controlled biometric and bluetooth enabled smart wallet system 10 can be used to access , open , lock and unlock various other devices through wireless communications means . the biometric and bluetooth enabled case lock 10 shown in the drawings and described in detail herein disclose arrangement of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present application . it is to be understood , however , that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof ; other than those illustrated and described may be employed for providing a case lock 10 in accordance with the spirit of this disclosure , and such changes , alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this design as broadly defined in the appended claims . further , the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the u . s . patent and trademark office and the public generally , and especially the scientists , engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology , to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application . the abstract is neither intended to define the inventing of the application , which is measured by the claims , nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way .	6
fig2 diagrammatically illustrates a radiation generator 20 according to the invention . this radiation generator includes a chamber 21 which is generally closed but with one side 210 open to let pass the beams emitted by the chamber . the chamber 21 includes a source 211 that can produce an initial radiation r 0 . typically this is a source containing a plasma . the initial radiation includes beams whose wavelength corresponds to a desired range of wavelengths . in a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the invention , the desired range of wavelengths falls within the interval [ 0 - 100 nm ]. this desired range of wavelengths can thus be located in the euv spectrum . the chamber 21 can thus produce initial radiation in which a significant quantity of beams correspond to the desired wavelength range . as mentioned previously , it is possible however that undesirable effects can be associated with the emission from the source : the initial radiation can also contain beams whose wavelengths do not correspond exactly to the desired range ; and it is also possible that the source 211 may emit a certain amount of debris with the initial radiation . in order to prevent these undesirable effects , the generator 20 includes resources for filtering the initial radiation . these filtering resources can introduce a controlled distribution of the refraction index of the beams in a control region 212 traversed by the initial radiation , to selectively deflect the beams of the initial radiation according to their wavelength . the beams of a desired wavelength are then recovered ( in particular using resources which will be described in this text ). such embodiment makes use of a physical principle similar to that , for example , which causes the deflection of light beams in the presence of a gradient of the refraction index of the air ( the particular case of air with high temperature gradients ). in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 , the control region is located inside of the chamber itself 21 . note that it is also possible for this control region to be located outside the chamber 21 , downstream of the latter on the trajectory of the initial radiation . control of the distribution of the refraction index in the control region can be achieved by controlling the electron density distribution in the control region . in this regard , it is possible to exploit the relationship linking the refraction index η to the electron density n e : η =( 1 − n e / n c ) 1 / 2 , where n represents a critical electron density value beyond which the beams are no longer able to pass , since this value of n c is related to the wavelength of the beams concerned . returning to the method of implementation illustrated in fig2 , the control region 212 is therefore located in the chamber 21 , and this control region is thus in the plasma associated with the source 211 . control of the electron density distribution in the control region allows one to influence the trajectories of the different beams of the initial radiation , according to the wavelength of these beams . this is illustrated in fig2 , which shows two general trajectories of two types of beam : beams of a first wavelength λ1 , these beams have the trajectory r 1 ; and beams of a second wavelength λ2 , which is shorter than the first wavelength λ1 , these beams have the trajectory r 2 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated here , an electron density distribution is established in the control region such that the electron density is greater at a distance from a median initial radiation emission line than it is on the median initial radiation emission line . the “ median initial radiation emission line ” corresponds , in the embodiment shown in fig2 , to the straight line a . note that in the embodiment illustrated here , the chamber is typically in the shape of a round cylinder , and that the initial radiation is emitted with a generally axi - symmetrical distribution of the beams , around line a . the configuration of the electron density distribution desired in this embodiment is illustrated diagrammatically in fig3 , which shows electron density curves . in this figure , it can be seen that the electron density value is greater at the edges of the chamber ( distanced from line a ) than in the middle of this chamber ( close to line a ). it can also be seen that the three electron density curves that are shown diverge in the peripheral region of the chamber . such an electron density distribution is opposite to the electron density distribution that can normally be observed in the chamber of a radiation source . in the case of a chamber of known type , one generally observes a higher density at the center of the chamber . the density configuration shown in fig3 is therefore specific , and it is created by design for the embodiment of the invention described here . in order to create such an electron density distribution in the control region , energy is injected into the plasma of the chamber 21 along the line a . this input of energy can be effected , for example , by a beam of electrons or by a laser beam , directed into the control region along the axis defined by line a . this input of energy is illustrated diagrammatically by arrow e . it is used to ionize the plasma in the control region , along line a . prior to this input of energy , it was possible to establish an electric voltage at the terminals of the chamber containing the plasma , the terminals being spaced along the general direction defined by the median initial radiation emission line . fig3 diagrammatically represents such terminals 2121 and 2122 . it is thus possible to create an electron density distribution of the type shown in fig3 . note that such a distribution can be obtained by starting from a density distribution of a known type , in which the density is higher at the center of the chamber . the input of energy and the ionization associated with it is used in this embodiment to “ invert ” the density configuration , and to obtain a higher density close to the peripheral walls of the chamber . fig3 shows three density distribution curves as mentioned . these three curves are generally coincident in the central region of the chamber ( close to line a ), but have different values of density close to the walls of the chamber . these three curves correspond to successive states of the electron density distribution , when ionization of the central zone of the control region has been effected . at the end of such an ionization , there can be an electron density which is already higher at the periphery of the control region . if , however , one then allows the plasma thus ionized to develop , this configuration will then become accentuated , and the value of the density will again increase at the periphery . in fact the high - density electrons present in great quantity at the periphery of the chamber will have a tendency to cause the internal walls of this chamber to melt , single layer of wall coating by single layer of wall coating . this melting leads to an additional input of electrons at the periphery of the chamber , which still further increases the electron density in this area . fig2 specifically represents a window 222 which is positioned at the focal point of the beams on the trajectory r 2 . this window corresponds to a resource for recovery of beams of a desired wavelength , from amongst the beams of the initial radiation . it has been seen that the different beams emitted by the initial radiation r 0 were deflected in a different manner , by the electron density distribution which existed in the control region , according to their wavelength . this selective deflection causes the beams associated with a given wavelength to converge toward a specific point on line a , referred to herein as the “ focal point ”. the position of the focal point on line a ( a position that can be defined by a curvilinear abscissa of a marker linked to the line a ) therefore depends on the wavelength associated with this focal point . fig2 shows focal points f 1 and f 2 associated respectively with the beams of trajectories r 1 and r 2 . the window 222 is thus positioned at focal point f 2 . the function of this window is to allow to pass only the beams arriving at line a generally at focal point f 2 ( that is the beams of wavelength λ2 ). to this end , window 222 includes an opening 2220 which is preferably centered on line a . this window thus forms an advantageous resource for recovering only the beams of a desired wavelength . it thus improves filtration of the beams emitted by the initial radiation . in this way , it is possible to have windows in any desired position on line a , according to the wavelength that one wished to isolate . it can therefore be seen that the invention allows beams of a desired wavelength ( or at desired wavelengths , to be exact ) to be isolated in an efficient manner . with respect to the invention , there is no exposing of a filtration resource , such as a multi - layer mirror , to debris that can damage it . with respect to the invention , the fact that the desired beams are recovered at a specific point toward which they were deflected already allows a large part of any debris emitted by the source 21 to be avoided . implementation of recovery resources such as a window allows the quantity of debris to be reduced still further . the result is that at the end of this filtration , there is very little or no debris . note that downstream of the focal point of the beams that need to be recovered , it is possible to create resources for optical conditioning of the beam formed by these filtered beams . in particular , this optical conditioning can be a collimation and / or a focusing process . the recovered beam can therefore be sent directly toward a lithography mask . it is also possible to direct the recovered beam toward additional filtering resources , if so desired . such additional filtering resources can include a multi - layer mirror like those which constitute the filtering resources that are known currently . the layers of such a multi - layer mirror are designed ( in composition and thickness ) so that the mirror selectively reflects only the beams of a given wavelength ( according to a condition known as the bragg condition , which links the reflectivity of the mirror to the wavelength of the incident beams ). in this variant , several filtering resources are used in series . the resource that is furthest upstream , which performs a selective deflection of beams and their recovery , provides protection for the resource furthest downstream ( the multi - layer mirror ) from the debris emitted by the source . note finally that it is possible to implement the invention in a device that includes a multiplicity of sources of initial radiation , each associated with resources that can be used to control a distribution of the refraction index in an associated control region . this mode of implementation is illustrated diagrammatically in fig4 . in this figure , a multiplicity of chambers 21 i which are similar to the chamber 21 already described , direct their respective radiation along respective median lines ai , which converge toward a central optic 23 . the central optic can thus receive the beams emitted by one or more chambers 21 i , according to the chambers that are active . the distance between the optic 23 and each chamber is adjusted to select the radiation filtering wavelength associated with each active chamber . it is also thus possible to cause beams of different wavelengths , coming from different chambers , to arrive at the optic 23 . the optic 23 is able to redirect the received beams toward the exterior , and therefore toward other optical processing resources ( such as a lithography mask ) for example .	6
referring to fig1 , there is shown an interior wall 102 of an enclosure for holding and carrying freight of various kinds . the enclosure can be , without limitation , a cargo carrying truck trailer or van , a rail car or other type of cargo container . two rails 104 and 106 are fixably attached to interior wall 102 , in a horizontal orientation and in spaced apart relationship with one another . a frame 108 is mounted upon rails 104 and 106 , for slidable motion therealong in a horizontal direction , that is , motion either to the left or right as viewed in fig1 . frame 108 comprises side members 108 a and 108 b , and top and bottom members 108 c and 108 d , respectively . while not shown , top frame member 108 c is provided with rollers or other conventional mechanisms for engaging rail 104 , such as in a groove thereof ( not shown ), in order to allow easy travel of top member 108 c along rail 104 . bottom member 108 d is likewise provided with such rollers or other conventional mechanisms ( not shown ), to allow easy travel of member 108 d along rail 106 . thus , frame 108 can be moved along rails 104 and 106 with a minimal amount of manual effort , over a pre - specified path of travel . the path of travel could comprise the entire length of wall 102 , or alternatively could be limited to a selected section thereof . fig1 also shows frame 108 provided with a locking mechanism , such as a pin or plunger 114 . when frame 108 has been moved to a selected position , pin 114 may be inserted into one of a series of complementary holes ( not shown ) located along rail 106 to retain frame 108 at the selected position . referring further to fig1 , there is shown a lower panel segment 110 , joined to frame 108 by means of hinges 116 or the like . hinges 116 support lower panel 110 for rotational or pivotal movement with respect to frame 108 , about a vertical axis . more particularly , lower panel segment 110 is supported for rotation between a position wherein it is in perpendicular relationship with wall 102 , as shown in fig1 , and a position wherein lower panel 110 is in abutting or closely spaced relationship with wall 102 , as shown in fig2 . in this latter position , lower panel 110 is moved into a recessed space or recess defined by frame 108 , as discussed hereinafter in connection with fig2 . fig1 further shows an upper panel segment 112 having an edge 112 a that is joined to the upper edge of lower panel 110 by means of hinges 118 or the like . upper panel 112 can thereby be pivoted or rotated with respect to lower panel 110 , about a horizontal axis . more particularly , upper panel 112 can be rotated between a horizontal orientation as shown in fig1 , and a vertical orientation as shown in fig2 , described hereinafter . by supporting upper panel segment 112 in the horizontal mode shown in fig1 , the upper panel can provide a convenient shelf for carrying parcels or other goods . upper panel segment 112 also acts to protect goods that are stored under it , such as from other goods that fall from a higher location in the freight carrying enclosure . in one useful embodiment , upper panel 110 could be supported at approximately one - half the distance from the floor to the ceiling of the freight enclosure , so that load carrying pallets that were “ half high ” ( not shown ) could be placed under upper panel segment 112 . in the horizontal mode shown in fig1 , upper panel 112 and freight carried thereby is supported in part by lower panel 110 , attached to frame 108 . upper panel 110 can be further supported , proximate to edge 112 b thereof that opposes edge 112 a , by means of a bracket 122 attached to side member 108 a of frame 108 . bracket 122 can usefully be pivoted to a horizontal position , and locked therein to support upper panel 112 as shown in fig1 . bracket 122 can also be pivoted downward to a vertical position when not needed , so that it may be kept out of the way . alternatively , or in addition , a rotational or pivotable leg 120 may be attached proximate to edge 112 b of upper panel 112 . the leg would be rotated into the position shown in fig1 , in order to support panel 112 and goods carried thereon in a horizontal mode . it will be understood that various other means besides those shown , which are well known by those of skill in the art and are within the scope of the invention , may alternatively be employed to support upper panel 112 in its horizontal position . in a further configuration described hereinafter in connection with fig4 , a panel segment similar to lower panel 110 , and attached to another slidable frame 108 , is positioned so that its upper edge can receive and support edge 112 b of upper panel segment 112 . fig1 further shows a locking pin 124 or similar device slidably attached to lower panel segment 110 , by means of brackets 124 a or the like . when frame 108 is held in a pre - specified position by means of pin 114 as described above , locking pin 124 is aligned with a well or socket 126 , when lower panel 110 is moved to its perpendicular position as shown by fig1 . thereupon , pin 124 is moved downward into socket 126 , to lock lower panel 110 into the perpendicular position , and to thereby provide rigid support for upper panel 112 . socket 126 is formed in the floor 138 of the freight enclosure . as is further shown by fig1 , a pin 128 mounted on upper panel segment 112 is positioned in complementary relationship with a socket structure , or other device 132 , that is mounted on lower panel segment 110 . thus , when the upper panel is rotated into its vertical position , pin 128 can be inserted into socket structure 132 . the two panel segments are thereby firmly joined together , to form a full or complete panel . the members 108 a - d of frame 108 collectively define a recess 130 adjacent to wall 102 . this recess is sized to receive the full panel , when panel segment 112 is in its vertical mode , and panel segment 110 is rotated into abutting relationship with wall 102 . latches 134 and 136 are mounted on frame 108 , for use in retaining the full panel in recess 130 . panel segments 110 and 112 respectively comprise flat , thin rectangular members formed of suitable material , such as wood , wire mesh , metal , or composite . referring to fig2 , there are shown both panel segments 110 and 112 vertically oriented and rotated into recess 130 , in abutting relationship with wall 102 . latches 132 and 134 are set to firmly retain the panel segments in the recess . a sectional view provided by fig3 indicates that the thickness of panel segments 110 and 112 is substantially the same as the thickness of the members 108 a - d that respectively form frame 108 . as a result , when the full panel comprising both segments is moved into recess 130 , the panel is flush with frame 108 , and thus does not obstruct or interfere with activity in the freight carrying enclosure . it will be seen that the system components shown by fig1 and 2 provide a high degree of flexibility . the sliding frame 108 allows the panel segments to be located at a range of positions along the length of the enclosure . thus , as further described hereinafter , one or both panel segments can be used to secure loads of varying lengths . upper panel segment 112 , when in a horizontal mode , provides a very useful shelf for carrying smaller sized goods , and thus has great utility in a small parcel environment . to accommodate large sized freight , both panels can be moved into the recess 130 , and thus kept out of the way . as a further benefit , existing cargo carrying vehicles and containers can be readily retrofitted with the respective components needed for embodiments of the invention . referring to fig4 , there is shown the partitioning configuration of fig1 together with a similar configuration 402 , which comprises a slidable frame 408 , a lower panel segment 410 and an upper panel segment 412 . components of configuration 402 are similar or identical to the respectively corresponding components of the fig1 configuration . thus , frame 408 is substantially similar to frame 108 , and is mounted for slidable movements along rails 104 and 106 . frame 408 comprises members 408 a - d , corresponding to members 108 a - d , respectively , of frame 108 . panel segments 410 and 412 are similar to segments 110 and 112 , respectively , and are similarly connected to one another and to frame 408 . components 416 - 418 , 424 - 426 and 434 - 436 have substantially the same forms and functions as components 116 - 118 , 124 - 126 and 134 - 136 , respectively . in one useful implementation , all the latches 134 - 136 and 434 - 436 are respectively recessed , to avoid being an obstruction or interference when the corresponding panels are received into recesses 130 and 430 of the frames 108 and 408 . referring further to fig4 , there is shown upper panel 112 supported by foldable leg 120 as described above . however , upper panel 412 is not provided with a foldable leg . instead , frame 408 is moved along rails 104 and 106 to position the edge 412 b of upper panel 412 upon edge 112 a of upper panel 112 , and on the upper edge of lower panel 110 . thus , panel segment 412 is supported in its horizontal mode by the combined action of lower panel segments 110 and 410 . while fig4 shows only two partitioning configurations , it is to be understood that any reasonable number of configurations 402 could be located along wall 102 b , in spaced relationship with one another , to form an array . each upper panel 412 would be supported in its horizontal mode by the lower panel segment 112 immediately to its right , as viewed in fig4 . only the upper panel segment at the end of the array would require other support , such as leg 120 or bracket 122 as described above . usefully , each upper panel 412 is also provided with a support member such as leg 120 . a panel 412 can then be supported independently of an adjacent lower panel 110 , if desired . in yet another embodiment of the invention , one or more frames 408 could be fixably attached to wall 102 , so that they were not horizontally movable , while one or more other frames 108 or 408 were allowed to move horizontally . this could further enhance the adaptability of the system disclosed herein . referring to fig5 a , there are shown two of the configurations as shown by fig1 , respectively mounted to opposing internal walls 102 and 502 of a freight carrying enclosure 500 . to secure a load of a particular length , each of the upper panels 112 is rotated to its vertical position , and the two configurations are moved the same distance along the walls 102 and 502 , wherein such distance is equal to the particular load length . the two panels 110 are thus brought into closely spaced relationship , and are joined together with a latch 506 . the two upper panels 112 are similarly placed in closely spaced relationship , and joined by a latch 504 . latches 508 and 510 are further provided , to secure the lower edges of the two full panels . fig5 b shows an arrangement similar to that of fig5 a , except that the two upper panel segments 112 are rotated to their horizontal positions . this may be done to accommodate a load of reduced height , or to provide shelves as described above . embodiments of the invention described above show the lower segment 110 attached to a slidable frame , for rotation about a vertical axis , with upper panel segment 112 being rotatably supported on the upper edge of the panel segment 110 . however , in other embodiments of the invention , the upper panel segment could be attached to the slidable frame , for rotation about a vertical axis . a lower panel segment would then be rotatably supported on the lower edge of such upper panel segment , for rotation between horizontal and vertical positions . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention , the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .	1
fig1 shows the overall structure of a rotary head type digital tape recorder , which is the so - called r - dat . a drum 1 has a diameter of 30 mm and rotates at 2000 rpm and a pair of magnetic heads 2a and 2b are attached to drum 1 and are separated by an angular interval of 180 °. a magnetic tape 3 is obliquely wound around drum 1 with a wrap angle of 90 ° and magnetic tape 3 extends between reel hubs 4a and 4b of a tape cassette and is moved at a speed of 8 . 15 ( mm / sec ) in the standard mode by a capstan 5 and a pinch roller 6 according to the well - known operation . magnetic heads 2a and 2b alternately come into contact with magnetic tape 3 , so that oblique tracks 7a and 7b are formed on the magnetic tape 3 , as shown in fig2 . the tape width a of the magnetic tape 3 is typically 3 . 81 mm , and the magnetic gap of one rotary head 2a is inclined by an angle + α with respect to the direction perpendicular to the track . the magnetic gap of the other rotary head 2b is inclined by the angle - α with respect to the direction perpendicular to the track . the angles of the magnetic gaps of the magnetic heads 2a and 2b are referred to as the + azimuth and - azimuth , respectively , and in this embodiment α = 20 °. the magnetic heads 2a and 2b are alternately selected by a head change - over switch 8 . a recording signal from a terminal r of a recording / reproducing switch 9 is supplied to magnetic heads 2a and 2b through rotary transformers ( not shown ). the signals reproduced by magnetic heads 2a and 2b are taken out at a terminal p of the recording / reproducing switch 9 through the rotary transformers . an analog input audio signal fed in at an input terminal 10 is supplied to an a / d converter 12 through a low - pass filter 11 and converted into a digital audio signal . in the standard mode , the sampling frequency is selected as 48 khz and 16 - bit linear digitization is employed . the digital audio signal from the a / d converter 12 is supplied to a recording signal processor 13 , where the error correction coding process of the digital audio signal and conversion into the recording data format are performed . in this case , an id signal ( pcm - id ) to identify the on / off state of the preemphasis of the signal to be recorded , the sampling frequency , the number of digitization bits , and the like is added . in addition , the subcodes such as program number , time code , and the like of the signal to be recorded and the id signal for the subcodes are formed by a subcode encoder ( not shown ) and are supplied to recording signal processor 13 from a terminal 14 . the serial recording data for every track is generated from recording signal processor 13 synchronously with the rotation of magnetic heads 2a and 2b . the recording data is supplied to head change - over switch 8 through a recording amplifier 15 and terminal r of recording / reproducing switch 9 . the recording data is alternately supplied to magnetic heads 2a and 2b by head change - over switch 8 . during playback the signals reproduced by the magnetic heads 2a and 2b are supplied to a reproducing amplifier 16 through head change - over switch 8 and terminal p of recording / reproducing switch 9 . the output signal of the reproducing amplifier 16 is supplied to a pll 17 , where the clocks synchronized with the reproduction signal are extracted . the reproduction signal is subjected to processing for error correction , interpolation , and the like in a reproduction signal processor 18 . the reproduced , processed digital audio signal is supplied to a d / a converter 19 . the analog audio signal output from d / a converter 19 is fed to an output terminal 21 through a low - pass filter 20 . the subcodes and subcode id are separated in reproduction signal processor 18 and are fed out at an output terminal 22 . a subcode decoder ( not shown ) is connected to the output terminal 22 , and the control data and the like are formed from the subcodes . suitable control signals to control head change - over switch 8 and recording / reproducing change - over switch 9 are produced by a timing controller 23 . timing controller 23 also generates clock signals and timing signals that are used in recording signal processor 13 and in reproduction signal processor 18 . the portion of data that is recorded in one track is called one segment . fig3 a shows an arrangement of the data of one segment that is recorded by one rotary head . assuming that a unit amount of the recording data is one block , 196 blocks ( 7500 μs ) of data are included in one segment . eleven block margins are provided in both ends of one segment , which correspond to the ends of a track . subcodes 1 and 2 are recorded adjacent the margins , and these two subcodes are the same data recorded twice . generally , the subcode includes the program number and the time code . a run - in interval of two blocks of the pll and a postamble interval of one block are arranged on both sides of the recording area of eight blocks of the subcode . to improve the ability to discriminate data inter - block gaps of three blocks , in which no data is recorded , are provided at the beginning and end of data blocks . a five - block pilot signal for automatic track finding ( atf ) is recorded between two inter - block gaps of three blocks each . the pcm signal that has been subjected to the recording processing is recorded in an area of 128 blocks that is preceded by a run - in interval for the pll of two blocks . the pcm signal is derived from the data corresponding to the audio signal for a period of time equal to 15 ms when the rotary head rotates one - half of a full rotation . the pcm signal comprises stereophonic pcm data for two channels consisting of the left ( l ) and right ( r ) channels and the parity data of the error detection / correction codes . when one segment as shown in fig3 a is recorded / reproduced by magnetic heads 2a , data le is recorded in the left - half portion of the 128 block pcm signal recording area and data ro is recorded in the right - half portion . the data le consists of the even number designated data of the l channel and the parity data concerned with that data . the data ro consists of the odd number designated data of the r channel and the parity data concerned with this data . the odd numbers and even numbers are based on the order when counted from the beginning of the interleave blocks . one segment of data having the same constitution as that of the foregoing track is recorded in the next track that is formed by the other magnetic head . in that next track data re is recorded in the left - half portion of the data interval in the one segment of data in the other track , and data lo is recorded in the right - half portion . the data re consists of the even number designed data of the r channel and the parity data concerned with that data . the data lo consists of the odd number designed data of the l channel and the parity data with respect to this data . the reason why the even number designated data and the odd number designed data of each channel are separately recorded in two adjacent tracks and the data of the l and r channels is recorded in the same track is to prevent the continuous data of the same channel from becoming erroneous due to dropouts and the like . fig3 b shows a data construction of one block of the pcm signal . a block sync signal of eight bits , in which eight bits equals one symbol , is added to the beginning of one block and the pcm - id of eight bits is then added . the block address is added after the pcm - id . the error correction coding processing of the simple parity kind is performed with respect to two symbols , w1 and w2 , comprising the pcm - id and block address , respectively . the eight - bit parity code is then added after the block address . as shown in fig3 d , the block address is constituted by seven bits excluding the most significant bit ( msb ). the most significant bit is set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; to indicate that the block is the pcm data block . the seven bit block address sequentially changes from ( 00 ) to ( 7f ) in hexadecimal notation . the pcm - id that is recorded in each block having a block address whose lower three bits are ( 000 ) ( 010 ) ( 100 ) ( 110 ) is determined . an optional code of the pcm - id can be recorded in each block having a block address whose lower three bits are ( 001 ) ( 011 ) ( 101 ) ( 111 ). subcodes id1 to id8 each consisting of two bits and the frame address of four bits are included in the pcm - id . the identification information is defined for each of the id1 to id7 subcodes . one block includes thirty - two id8 subcodes . for example , the id1 subcode is the format id indicating the kind of application , whether audio or otherwise , for the data . the on / off state of the preemphasis and the characteristics of the preemphasis are identified by subcode id2 . the sampling frequency is identified by subcode id3 . the foregoing subcodes id1 to id7 and the frame address have the same data in the segment of the interleave pair . fig3 c shows a data structure of one block of the subcodes . the data constitution is similar to that of the foregoing pcm block . as shown in fig3 e , the most significant bit of the symbol w2 of the subcode block is set to &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; thereby indicating that the block is the subcode block . the lower four bits of the symbol w2 are used as the block address . eight bits of the symbol w1 and three bits in the symbol w2 , except the msb and the block address in symbol w2 , are used as the subcode id . the error correction coding using simple parity is executed with regard to the two symbols , w1 and w2 , of the subcode block and the parity code of eight bits is added after the block address subcode id . the data of the subcode id that is recorded in the even number designated block addresses has the least significant bit of the block address set at &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; which differs from the data of subcode id that is recorded in the odd number designated block address , wherein the least significant bit of the block address is set at &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the subcode id includes the control id used to designate the producing method , the time code , and the like . the subcode data is subjected to error correction coding processing using a reed - solomon code similar to the pcm data . the processes of the error detection / correction codes are executed every 128 blocks of the data that is recorded in one segment . fig4 a shows a code construction of one segment of the data that is recorded by one magnetic head 2a , and fig4 b shows the code construction for one segment of the data that is recorded by the other magnetic head 2b . the pcm signal having sixteen digitization bits is divided into upper eight bits and lower eight bits and subjected to processing of the error detection / correction codes in which eight bits are used as one symbol . data of 4096 symbols ( 128 × 32 = 4096 ) is recorded in one segment and , as shown in fig4 a , the coding processes of an error detection code c1 and an error correction code c2 are executed with respect to each of the vertical and horizontal directions of the two - dimensional arrangement of the data comprising the even number designated data le of the l channel consisting of the symbols ( l0 , l2 , . . . , l1438 ) and the odd number designated data ro of the r channel consisting of the symbols ( r1 , r3 , . . . , r1439 ). the twenty - eight symbols in the vertical direction are subjected to the coding process of the c1 code using the ( 32 , 28 , 5 ) reed - solomon code . parity data p of four symbols of the c1 code is arranged at the last position of the two - dimensional arrangement . on the other hand , the fifty - two symbols in the horizontal direction are subjected to the coding process of the c2 code using the ( 32 , 26 , 7 ) reed - solomon code . the coding of the c2 code is secured with respect to twenty - six pairs of every two symbols among the fifty - two symbols . parity data q consisting of six symbols is generated with respect to one code series . the parity data q consisting of a total of twelve symbols of the c2 code is arranged in the central portion of the two - dimensional code arrangement . a coding process similar to the c2 code is performed with regard to the other fifty - two symbols of the pcm data arranged in the horizontal direction . parity data q is arranged in the central portion of the two - dimensional arrangement . each error correction of the c1 code and the c2 code is made with respect to the series of 128 symbols . the code construction shown in fig4 b is obtained by replacing the even number designated pcm signals of the l channel in the code construction of fig4 a by even number designated pcm signals ( r0 , r2 , . . . , r1438 ) of the r channel and by replacing the odd number designated pcm signals of the r channel by the odd number designated signals pcm signals ( l1 , l3 , . . . , l1439 ) of the l channel . a complete pcm block is formed by adding the sync signal , pcm - id , block address , and parity to the vertically arranged thirty - two symbols , as shown in fig3 b . this invention relates to error correction of the reproduced data in the reproduction signal processor of the above - described rotary - head , digital audio tape recorder and fig5 shows one embodiment of such a reproduction signal processor . the reproduced signal is fed in at an input terminal 31 to a demodulator 32 and each ten - bit symbol is demodulated into an eight - bit symbol . when the data was recorded on the magnetic tape , eight bits making one symbol were subjected to digital modulation to convert it into a desirable pattern of ten bits in order to reduce the low - frequency component as much as possible . the reproduced demodulated data from demodulator 32 is supplied to a data bus 35 through a data register 33 and a buffer 34 . the data from demodulator 32 is also fed to a c1 syndrome check circuit 36 , and error detection is performed by the c1 code . the c1 syndrome check circuit 36 has a simplified circuit structure for calculating a syndrome for every series of c1 codes and for checking whether there is an error from the syndrome without executing error correction . the result of this check indicative of the presence of absence of an error of the c1 syndrome check circuit 36 is supplied to a pointer generation circuit 37 . pointer generation circuit 37 generates a c1 pointer indicating the presence of absence of an error for every series of 128 c1 codes . the c1 pointer is fed to data bus 35 also through data register 33 and buffer 34 . since the direction of the c1 code series coincides with the direction of the data arrangement with which the data was recorded / reproduced , the error detection operation by the c1 syndrome check circuit 36 is performed in parallel with , and simultaneously with , the writing of the reproduced data into a buffer ram 40 . buffer ram 40 and an error correction circuit 41 are also connected to data bus 35 , and the reproduced data is stored in buffer ram 40 and is subjected to error correcting processing using a reed - solomon code in error correction circuit 41 . buffer ram 40 has memory areas specifically allotted for the reproduced data and the pointer . the error corrected pcm signal and the pointer are also supplied to an interpolating circuit 42 , wherein uncorrectable errors are interpolated . then , the reproduced error corrected pcm signal is fed out at an output terminal 43 and supplied to d / a converter 19 of fig1 . also , the subcodes are subjected to processing such as error correction and the like by a subcode decoder ( not shown ) and made available at the output terminal for the subcodes . interpolating circuit 42 performs average - value interpolation , the holding of a previous value , or some other kind of interpolation with respect to pcm signal words specified by the pointer among the pcm signals subjected to the error correction processing . in addition , a block address detection circuit 38 receives the output of demodulator 32 and operates to detect the reproduction block address . the detected reproduction block address is then supplied to an address generation circuit 39 that generates a reproduction address used as an address signal for buffer ram 40 . the reproduction address used to write the reproduction data of one segment ( 32 symbols × 128 blocks ) in accordance with the order from the first block to the 128th block . an address for error correction circuit ( ecc ) 41 is also generated by address generation circuit 39 , and the address for ecc 41 is also supplied to buffer ram 40 . the address for ecc 41 is used to read out the data from buffer ram 40 for the respective c1 and c2 decoding and to write the error corrected data and a pointer into buffer ram 40 . in this reproduction signal processor , a frame address detector for detecting a frame address from pcm - id in the reproduced data , a frame address decision circuit for deciding whether the detected frame address is correct , an interpolation control circuit for controlling the interpolating circuit and the like are also provided but are not shown in the interest of clarity and brevity . the c1 pointer is developed by c1 syndrome check circuit 36 and pointer generation circuit 37 in parallel with the writing of the demodulated data into buffer ram 40 . this development of the c1 pointer is done as the first c1 decoding , the first c2 decoding is then performed , the second c1 decoding is carried out , and the second c2 decoding can be further performed by error correction circuit 41 . fig6 is a timing chart of the decoding operation according to one embodiment of the present invention and shows a reference pulse dref in synchronism with the rotation of rotary heads 2a and 2b . because the rate of revolution of rotary heads 2a and 2b is 2000 rpm , the period of the reference pulse dref is 30 ms , and the rotary head 2a reproduces data from the magnetic tape 3 during a 15 ms period having a low level , while the rotary head 2b reproduces data from the magnetic tape 3 during a 15 ms period having a high level . consequently , an rf signal shown in fig6 b is produced and a represents the output of rotary head 2a and b represents the output of rotary head 2b . in fig6 b , each of the rf signals is numbered successively corresponding to the reproduced signals from the respective tracks . as described above , the first c1 decoding is performed in synchronism with the timing of the rf signal , as represented in fig6 c . a change of the contents of the data area of buffer ram 40 is indicated in fig6 e , and a change of the contents of the pointer area is indicated in fig6 f . to store reproduced data having a period of 15 ms , a 32 k - bit memory capacity is needed , and for this data area a memory capacity of 192 k - bits ( 3 × 6 = 192 ) is prepared . a memory capacity of 64 k - bits ( 8 × 8 = 64 ) is prepared for the pointer area and buffer for the subcode . the reproduced , demodulated data is written into the data area of buffer ram 40 sequentially , such that the reproduced data from track 1 to track 6 is written into each 32k - bit area sequentially , and the reproduced data of track 7 is written into the same area as the reproduced data of track 1 . for example , looking at the processing of the reproduced data of track 3 , the c1 decoding is carried out at the timing when the reproduced data is provided . a not - updated pointer ( ng ) is set beforehand in a previous rotation period in the pointer area where the c1 pointer of track 3 is written , as shown in fig6 f . the c1 pointer generated by the first c1 decoding is written into the pointer area at the timing when the reproduced data is written into the data area . in the rotation period in which the reproduced rf signals of next successive tracks 5 and 6 are provided , as shown in fig6 d , the c2 decoding , the second c1 decoding , and the second c2 decoding are carried out with respect to the reproduced data of track 3 . this decoding process is performed by error correction circuit 41 and at the completion of the decoding the decoded data , which is shown by , in fig6 e , has all been stored in the data area of buffer ram 40 . meanwhile , the c1 pointer and c2 pointer developed by the above - mentioned decoding process are stored in the pointer area of buffer ram 40 . in this example , since an interleave format that is completed with two tracks is applied , after the decoding of tracks 3 and 4 data is output for a period indicated at t2 , following the decoding of the reproduced data of track 3 and following the decoding of the reproduced data of the track 4 . t1 is a period in which data is output after the decoding of tracks 1 and 2 . in this case , the data is output with the points ( 3 , c1 - c2 ) and ( 4 , c1 - c2 ) of the pointer area . the time allowed for the first c2 decoding , the second c1 decoding , and the second c2 decoding is 15 ms . the first c1 decoding is performed with the timing of the rf signal , and the decoding of the remaining three stages is done in the rotation period after the writing of data into the data area of buffer ram 40 . for this reason , it is possible to complete the decoding process within this time without increasing the processing speed , which processing speed increase is typically required by the prior art . because the decoding of the rf signal is performed in the period of 15 ms in which the rf signal is obtained , each of the c1 decoding and c2 decoding can be done only once , conventionally . the decoding operation is sequentially performed and is illustrated in the flow chart of fig7 a - 7c . as a first step , the c1 pointer of ng , for example , ( 91 ) h is set into the pointer area of the buffer ram 40 , the use of h refers to the hexadecimal notation , then the first c1 decoding is performed as follows . the ng pointer is rewritten into the c1 pointer ( c1p ) ( 00 ) h developed in the absence of an error at pointer generation circuit 37 or into the c1 pointer ( ff ) h in the presence of an error . the c1 pointer is read out of the pointer area of the buffer ram , and a constant needed for erasure correction is calculated . see step 51 in fig7 b . the first c2 decoding is performed as follows . correction of double errors is performed at steps 52 and 53 of fig7 b , the c2 pointer c2p is developed at steps 54 , 55 , 56 , and 57 for c2 decoding depending on the correction operation as shown below , and the c2 pointer c2p is written into the pointer area of buffer ram 40 . the following listing shows the various values for the first c2 decoding . the second c1 decoding is performed as follows . correction of double errors is carried out at steps 52 and 53 of fig7 b , the c1 pointer c1p is developed at steps 54 , 55 , 56 , and 57 for c1 decoding depending on the correction operation as shown below , and the c1 pointer c1p is written into the pointer area of buffer ram 40 . the following listing shows the code values for the second c1 decoding . no error : in the case of c1p =( 91 ) h , c1p =( 81 ) h is established . in the case of c1p ≠( 91 ) h , c1p =( 80 ) h is established . correction of one error : in the case of c1p =( 91 ) h , c1p =( 85 ) h is established . in the case of c1p ≠( 91 ) h , c1p =( 84 ) h is established . the second c2 decoding is performed as follows . correction of double errors is carried out at steps 52 and 53 of fig7 b , the c2 pointer c2p is developed at steps 54 , 55 , 56 , and 57 for c2 decoding depending on the correction operation as shown below , and the c2 pointer c2p is written into the pointer area of the buffer ram 40 . the following listing shows the code values for the second c2 decoding . the c1 pointer c1p and the c2 pointer c2p are output to interpolating circuit 42 of fig5 with the decoded data , and an interpolating operation is performed based on such pointer information . each of the least significant bits of the c1 pointer and the c2 pointer has information indicative of the presence or absence of an error . a least significant bit of &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; means an error , while a least significant bit of &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; means the absence of an error . the use of an eight - bit code for the c1 pointer and the c2 pointer permits the checking of the tape running system , for example , so as to enable the state of an error and the state of correction processing to be monitored by upper bits of the pointer . in this embodiment , the ng pointer indication that data is not updated is set beforehand in the pointer area allotted for the c1 pointer of buffer ram 40 before the first c1 decoding is executed , and the c1 pointer is rewritten depending on the result of the first c1 decoding . therefore , it can be detected that the data is not updated by reading out the c1 pointer after the first c2 decoding . if old data is left partially or completely without the updating in buffer ram 40 , an erroneous correction operation is performed , so that an abnormal sound may be generated . nevertheless , because in this embodiment it can be detected with certainty that the data of buffer ram 40 is not updated , the possibility of erroneous correction can be lessened . also , as compared with a method for destroying the contents of the buffer ram with a random series , for example , an m series after reading out decoded data from the buffer ram , there are the advantages that the method of this embodiment does not need a random series generating circuit , that the data stored in the buffer ram can be identified from the beginning of decoding as one that is not updated , and the possibility of erroneous correction can be lowered . as described above , in a product code error correction capability increases with an increased number of performances of the c1 decoding and c2 decoding . for example , as represented in fig8 cross - points of the series of c1 codes , which can correct a two - symbol error , and the series of c2 codes , which can correct a two - symbol error , form information symbols . an error pattern of error symbols of sixteen cross - points , represented by o and • is shown in fig8 . in a conventional error correction system for sequentially performing the c1 decoding and the c2 decoding , seven error symbols indicated at • are corrected , while nine error symbols indicated at o remain as they are without being corrected . all error symbols , however , can be corrected by performing the c1 decoding and the c2 decoding once again after the initial c1 decoding and the c2 decoding are completed . having described a specific preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment , and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims . for example , in the above - described embodiment , the invention has been applied to the processing of a reproduced signal of a rotary head digital tape recorder , however , the invention can be applied equally to the decoding of reproduced signals of other recording media , such as an optical disc . this invention can achieve the increased repetition number of the c1 code decoding and c2 code decoding in the vertical and horizontal directions of a product code so as to improve the error correction capability . the invention also has the advantage that the problem of a power consumption increase will not take place , because the invention differs from a conventional system that has a processor for error correction with an increased operational frequency to raise a processing speed .	6
before explaining embodiments of the present invention , a data recorder according to the present invention will be described . the data recorder records / reproduces digital data to / from a cassette tape with a rotating head . fig3 is a front view showing the data recorder . fig4 is a rear view of the data recorder . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the data recorder is composed of two units that are an upper unit and a lower unit . the lower unit is literally disposed below the upper unit . the lower unit is a tape drive controller 1 . the upper unit is a digital information recorder 2 . the tape drive controller 1 has a front panel that includes a button 3 and a plurality of light emitting diodes 4 . the button 3 is used to perform the loading / unloading processes for a cassette tape . the light emitting diodes 4 represent whether or not a cassette tape has been loaded , whether or not the power has been turned on , and so forth . the digital information recorder 2 has a front panel with a cassette tape loading / unloading opening 5 . in addition , the digital information recorder 2 has a detachable panel 6 . inside the detachable panel 6 , other operation buttons are disposed . as shown in fig4 on the rear panels of the tape drive controller 1 and the digital information recorder 2 , a plurality of connectors are disposed . on the rear panel of the lower tape drive controller 1 , a data input / output connector 11 , a control connector 12 , an rs232c connector 13 , two scsi connectors 14 and 14b , an ac power input connector 15 , and a dc power output connector 16 are disposed . on the rear panel of the digital information recorder 2 , a data input / output connector 21 , a control connector 22 , and an rs232c connector 23 are disposed . by connecting a dedicated cable to the dc power output connector 16 of the tape drive controller 1 , power is supplied to the digital information recorder 2 . the data input / output connectors 11 and 21 are connected with a dedicated cable . data is sent and received between the controller 1 and the recorder 2 . the control connectors 12 and 22 are connected with a dedicated cable . thus , control signals are exchanged between the controller 1 and the recorder 2 . the rs232c connectors 13 and 23 are used for diagnosis purposes . as shown in fig5 when a host computer 20 is connected to the data recorder , the scsi connectors 14a and 14b are used . when the host computer 20 sends for example a read command to the data recorder , it outputs data to the host computer 20 . the digital information recorder 2 records / reproduces data to / from a cassette tape with rotating heads . ( in the following description , the rotating heads may be treated as a single head for convenience .) fig6 shows the arrangement of the heads used in the recorder 2 . four record heads ra , rb , rc , and rd and four reproduction ( playback ) heads pa , pb , pc , and pd are disposed on a drum 25 that rotates at a predetermined speed in the direction shown in fig6 . the heads ra and rb are adjacently disposed . this relation applies to pairs of heads rc and rd , heads pa and pb , and heads pc and pd . the extended directions of each pair of heads are different from each other . the extended directions are referred to as azimuths . referring to fig6 the heads ra and rc are disposed at an interval of 180 ° and have a first azimuth . the heads rb and rd are disposed at an interval of 180 ° and have a second azimuth . the heads pa and pc have the first azimuth . the heads pb and pd have the second azimuth . with the different azimuths , cross talks can be prevented between adjacent tracks . each of the adjacent heads is integrally composed as one head . the integrally composed head is referred to as a double - azimuth head . a tape ( for example , 1 / 2 inch wide ) that is led out of the cassette is helically wound around the periphery of the drum 25 for an angle range of 180 ° or greater . the tape is supplied at a predetermined speed . thus , when a signal is recorded to the tape , in the first half period of one rotation of the drum 25 , the heads ra and rb scan the tape . in the second half period , the heads rc and rd scan the tape . when a signal is reproduced from the tape , in the first period , the heads pa and pb scan the tape . in the second period , the heads pc and pd scan the tape . fig7 shows a track pattern on the tape of the digital information recorder 2 . longitudinal tracks are disposed in the width direction of the tape . helical tracks are disposed between the longitudinal tracks . a control signal is recorded on an upper longitudinal track 26 . a time code is recorded on a lower longitudinal track 27 . the time code represents the position in the longitudinal direction of the tape . for example , the time code is an smpte time code . whenever the drum 25 is rotated , the head ra and rb form two helical tracks ta and tb at the same time . thereafter , the heads ra and rb form two helical tracks tc and td at the same time . on each helical track , a first half portion and a second half portion are separately formed . between the first half portion and the second half portion of each helical track , a record area 28 is disposed . the record area 28 is used to record a tracking pilot signal . the smpte time code was developed for a video signal for use with a vcr or the like . the minimum unit of the smpte time code is a frame ( 1 / 30 second ). as will be described later , in the data recorder , data that can be recorded on the four tracks ta to td shown in fig5 is defined as a logical data unit ( referred to as track set ). when 16 tracks accord with one frame of a video signal , a sub - digit ( values 0 , 1 , 2 , and 3 ) lower than the digit of the frame of the time code is defined . this time code is also referred as id . since the smpte time code has a user data area , such a modification can be performed . fig8 is an outlined block diagram showing a system structure of the tape drive controller 1 and the digital information recorder 2 . the controller 1 has a system controller 31 . the system controller 31 in controller 1 has the following functions . the system controller 31 is connected to the host computer through the scsi controller 32 . a drive controller 34 is disposed between the buffer memory 33 and the tape drive controller 1 . data that is read from the buffer memory 33 is supplied to a c2 encoder 35 through the drive controller 34 . the c2 encoder 35 is connected to a track interleave circuit 36 and a c1 encoder 37 . the c2 encoder 35 and the c1 encoder perform an error correction encoding process for record data with a product code . the track interleave circuit 36 controls the distribution of data to tracks so as to improve the error correction performance in the recording / reproducing processes . when data is recorded on the tape , it is recorded as sync blocks separated by a synchronous ssignal . in this case , the track interleave circuit 36 adds a block synchronous signal to the output signal of the c2 encoder 35 . the c1 encoder 37 generates a c1 parity . thereafter , data is randomized and words are interleaved in a plurality of sync blocks . digital data that is output from the c1 encoder 37 is supplied to the digital information recorder 2 . the digital information recorder 2 encodes digital data received from a channel code encoder 38 . the resultant record data is output to the record heads ra to rd through an rf amplifier 39 . the heads ra to rd record the record data on the tape . the rf amplifier 39 performs a process corresponding to partial response class 4 ( pr ( 1 , 0 , - 1 ). data reproduced from the tape by the reproduction heads pa to pd is supplied to a channel code decoder 42 through an rf amplifier 41 . the rf amplifier 41 includes a reproducing amplifier , an equalizer , and a viterbi decoder . the output data of the channel code decoder 42 is supplied to the tape drive controller 1 . the output data of the channel code decoder 42 is supplied to a c1 decoder 43 . the c1 decoder 43 is connected to a track deinterleave circuit 44 . the track deinterleave circuit 44 is connected to a c2 decoder 45 . the c1 decoder 43 , the track deinterleave circuit 44 , and the c2 decoder 45 perform the reverse processes of the c1 encoder 37 , the track interleave circuit 36 , and the c2 encoder 35 , respectively . the reproduction ( read ) data received from the c2 decoder 45 is supplied to the buffer memory 33 through the drive controller 34 . the digital information recorder 2 has a system controller 46 . in addition , the digital information recorder 2 has a fixed head 47 for the longitudinal tracks on the tape . the head 47 is connected to the system controller 46 . the head 47 records / reproduces a control signal and a time code . the system controller 46 is connected to the system controller 31 of the tape drive controller 1 through a bidirectional bus . a mechanism controller 48 is connected to the system controller 46 . the mechanism controller 48 includes a servo circuit that drives a motor 50 through a motor drive circuit 49 . the system controller 46 has for example two cpus . the system controller 46 communicates with the tape drive controller 1 , controls recording / reproducing of a time code , controls recording / reproducing timings , and so forth using the cpus . the mechanism controller 48 has for example two cpus . the mechanism controller 48 controls a mechanical system of the digital information recorder 2 with the cpus . in particular , the mechanical controller 48 controls the rotation of the head and tape system , the tape speed , the tracking operation , loading / unloading processes of the cassette tape , and the tape tension . the motor 50 includes a drum motor , a capstan motor , a reel motor , a cassette mounting motor , a loading motor , and so forth . the digital information recorder 2 has a dc - dc converting circuit 52 that receives a dc voltage from a power supply unit 51 of the tape drive controller 1 . the digital information recorder 2 also has position sensors ( such as a tape end detecting sensor ), a time code generating / reading circuit , and so forth ( that are not shown ). fig9 shows the layout of the entire tape ( in a cassette , for example ). the entire tape is referred to as physical volume . the tape has a leader tape . between the pbot ( physical beginning of tape ) and the peot ( physical end of tape ) of a physical tape , a recordable area is between the lbot ( logical beginning of tape ) and the leot ( logical end of tape ). the recordable area is defined because the tape tends to be damaged at the beginning and end of the tape and thereby the error rates thereof are high . for example , the invalid area between the pbot and the lbot is defined 7 . 7 ± 0 . 5 m . in addition , the invalid area between the peot and leot is defined 10 m or greater . to manage one or more logical volumes ( referred to as partitions ), a vsit ( volume set information table ) is recorded at the beginning of the record area . the vsit includes the number of volumes recorded on the tape and position information of the logical volumes on the tape . the position information includes physical ids of vits of up to 512 logical volumes , end physical ids and logical ids of vits . the vsit further includes a flag indicating presence or absence of uit of each logical volume . the position at the beginning of the vsit is defined as the position of 0 - id . an id is an address corresponding to the position of every set of four tracks on the tape . ids are simply incrementally assigned from the vsit area to the dit area of the last volume . the length of one vsit is 1 - id . a logical volume is composed of a dit ( directory information table ), an uit ( user information table ), and a user data area . the dit has information for managing a file in the logical volume . the length of one dit is 40 - ids . the uit is optional . the uit is user information for managing a file . in fig9 hatched areas are run - up areas . with run - up areas , data tracks are servo - locked . dotted areas are position tolerance areas . with the position tolerance areas , when the vsit and the dit are updated , valid data can be prevented from being erased . as shown in fig1 a , the vsit is repeatedly recorded ten times so as to improve the reliability of data . thus , the vsit area is composed of 10 track sets (= 10 - ids ). the vsit area is followed by a retry area composed of 90 track sets or more . as shown in fig1 b , the dit is repeatedly recorded seven times . as shown in fig1 c , the dit is composed of six tables . the six tables are a vit ( volume information table ), a bst ( bad spot table ), an lidt ( logical information table ), an fit ( file information table ), a ut ( update table ), and a uit ( user information table ) disposed in the order . each of the vit , the bst , the lidt , and the ut has the length of 1 - id . the fit has the length of 20 - ids . the remaining area for 16 - ids is reserved . next , each table of the dit will be described . the id address of the vit is a physical id at the beginning of volumes written in the vsit . the logical id of the vit is the logical id at the beginning of the volumes written in the vsit . the vit includes a volume label and volume information such as a start physical id of the first data block in the physical volume and the last physical id thereof . the id address of the bst is the physical id of the vit plus 1 , whereas the logical id thereof is the logical id of the vit plus 1 . the bst includes information of logically invalid data . the logically invalid data is data that is treated invalid because of presence of the same track set id . for example , as shown in fig1 , a hatched area a is logically invalid data . a write retry operation and a write operation associated therewith cause logically invalid data . when a write operation is performed , if an error takes place , a write retry is automatically performed and an error location thereof is output . the error location is stored in the bst . when a read operation is performed , the bst represents an invalid area . the logically invalid data is also referred to as bad spot . the bst can manage top physical ids and last physical ids of up to 14592 bad spots . the id address of the lidt is the physical id of the vit plus 2 , whereas the logical id thereof is the logical id of the vit plus 2 . the lidt is a data table for a high speed block space and a locating operation . in other words , the lidt includes logical ids and physical ids of pointers 1 to 29 , file numbers , and the first block number of the id data in the block management table . the id address of the fit is the physical id of the vit plus 3 , whereas the logical id thereof is the logical id of the vit plus 3 . the fit is composed of two types of data corresponding to tape marks . the tape marks are file delimiter codes . the n - th data pair accords with an n - th tape mark counted from the beginning of the volume . one data of each pair is the physical id of the n - th tape mark . this value is the physical track set of the tape mark . the other data of the pair is the absolute block number of the tape mark n . this value is the absolute block number of the last block with the same file number as the tape mark . the position of the tape mark can be detected . thus , a desired physical position on the tape can be accessed at a high speed . the id address of the ut is the physical id of the vit plus 39 . the ut is information that represents whether or not a volume has been updated . before a volume has not been updated , a word ( four bytes ) that represents the update status of the ut is ffffffffh ( h represents hexadecimal notation ). after a volume has been updated , the word is 00000000h . the uit is optional . the uit is an area of for example 100 - ids . the uit is a user accessible data table for storing a user header . in this example , 1 - id is assigned to each track set composed of four helical tracks . the logical structure of a data block is defined for each track set . fig1 shows the structure of a logical track set . as shown in fig1 , a header information area , a user data area and a footer information area are included in one track set . the header information area consists of management information of related track set . the id and another information of above mentioned table ( vsit , vit , and bst , etc . . . ) are included the header information area , for example . the user data area includes the data is sent block by block in a burst manner from host computer , and block management table which manages the data blocks . a code indicated end of this track set is written into the footer information area . fig1 shows the logical formats of the data recorder . the vsit is recorded for each physical volume such as one volume of tape . a dit is recorded for each logical volume ( partition ). the dit includes five tables that are a vit , a bst , an lidt , an fit , and a ut . in addition , the dit includes a uit as optional . in addition , the track set is defined every four helical tracks , the user data area in the track set includes four types of track sets that are a user data track set , a tape mark track set , an eod ( end of data ) track set , and a dummy track set . fig1 is a block diagram showing a system structure of the tape drive controller 1 . reference numeral 61 is a main cpu . reference numeral 70 is a two - port ram . reference numeral 80 is a bank memory . reference numeral 81 is a sub cpu . the main cpu 61 is a cpu that manages the entire system . in association with the main cpu 61 , a cpu bus 62 is disposed . each structural portion of the tape drive controller 1 is connected to the cpu bus 62 . in other words , a rom ( flash rom ) 63 , pios ( parallel i / os ) 64 and 65 , a control panel 66 , an lcd 67 , a timer 68 , an rs232c interface 69 , a two - port ram 70 , and a ram 71 are connected to the cpu bus 62 . the pio 65 is connected to a button on the front panel . the lcd 67 is a display unit that displays the operation state of the drive so that the user can know it . the rs232c interface 69 is connected to a serial terminal . the ram 71 is a work ram for use with firmware . the ram 71 has a down - load area of programs and temporarily stores header information ( vsit / dit ). an im bus 74 is connected to the cpu bus 62 through a unidirectional controlling device 73 . an s - ram 72 , a bank memory 80 , and an scsi controller 75 are connected to the im bus 74 . the host computer is connected to the scsi controller 75 through a bus 76 . the s - ram 72 is a back - up ram with a condenser . the s - ram 72 is used for a script memory . in addition , the s - ram 72 is a memory which holds data of the logger . after the power of the system is turned off , this memory can hold data for around two days . the two - port ram 70 stores five types of packets for communicating information between the two cpus 61 and 81 . the five types of packets are ( 1 ) a command transmission packet that is used when the main cpu 61 requests the sub cpu 81 to perform an operation , ( 2 ) an end status reception packet that is used when the end status of the operation of the sub cpu 81 is sent corresponding to a command requested by the main cpu 61 , ( 3 ) a command status that is a flag representing the progress status of a command , ( 4 ) a drive management status table used to inform the main cpu 61 of the status of the drive ( this table is rewritten by the sub cpu 81 at predetermined periods ), and ( 5 ) a data send / receive packet that is a buffer used when the firmware on the drive ( recorder ) side is down - loaded through the scsi bus or when a diagnosis on the drive side is activated with the serial port of the main cpu 61 . the bank memory 80 is a buffer memory for data . the sub cpu 81 is a cpu that controls the drive . in association with the sub cpu 81 , a cpu bus 82 is disposed . the cpu bus 82 is connected to a rom ( flash rom ) 83 , a ram ( work ram ) 84 , a timer 85 , an rs232c interface 86 , an rs422 interface 87 , a pio ( parallel i / o ) 88 , and a dma controller 89 . in addition , the cpu bus 82 is connected to the two - port ram 70 and the bank memory 80 . the bank memory 80 stores data that is written to the tape or data that is read from the tape . the bank memory 80 has for example eight memory banks in which write data or read data is stored . the dma ( direct memory access ) controller 89 stores data written to the drive to the bank memory 80 . the rs232c interface 86 is used for a self diagnosis . the rs422 interface 87 is a communication means with the drive . fig1 shows an example of the use of a data recorder according to the present invention . in this case , as an example of the above - described four types of track sets , a user data track , on which user data is written , will be described . a data recorder 101 composed of a tape drive controller 1 and a digital information recorder 2 is connected to a host computer 100 through a scsi bus 76 . when data is written on a magnetic tape loaded in the data recorder 101 , data is sent block by block in a burst manner from the host computer 100 to the data recorder 101 through the scsi bus 76 . when the data recorder 101 receives the data , a main cpu 61 of the tape drive controller 1 adds management information such as header information and footer information to the data . the resultant data is written as a track set to a bank memory 80 . the data is sent from the bank memory 80 to the digital information recorder 2 through an rs422 interface 87 and a pio 88 . the resultant data is written on a magnetic tape . fig1 a to 16d show steps for forming a track set . in fig1 a to 16d , the top position of the track set is disposed on the left side . first , the host computer 100 sends a write command to the data recorder 101 through the scsi bus 76 so as to cause the data recorder 101 to write data on the magnetic tape . the write command is sent to a scsi controller 75 of the data recorder 101 and then stored in an s - ram 72 . the cpu 61 reads the write command from the s - ram 72 . the cpu 61 sends a data read command to the scsi controller 75 . after the host computer 100 issues the write command , it sends data to be written on the magnetic tape to the data recorder 100 . the data is sent block by block in a burst manner . the data is sent to the scsi controller 75 and then written to a predetermined data area of the bank memory 80 . as shown in fig1 , the bank memory 80 stores the data as track sets written on the tape . thus , the data is written at a position relevant to a track set in the bank memory 80 . in other words , first data is written from the top position of the user data area shown in fig1 in the direction of the last position thereof . when data is written to the bank memory 80 , the main cpu 61 forms a block management table relevant to the data . fig1 shows an example of the content of the block management table . in the block management table area , block management tables that are eight word long are formed . word 0 represents an id of a data block ( for example , the first data block ) managed by the block management table . word 1 represents a file number relevant to the data block managed by the block management table . word 2 represents a block number of the data block managed by the block management table . word 3 represents an absolute block number used to manage the logical block number of the data block in the volume . word 4 represents the top position of the data area used to manage the start address of 1 - id to be referenced . word 5 represents the data size of the block managed by the table ( in bytes ). in addition , word 5 represents information of whether or not the block is a part of a large block and information of whether or not the block is followed by another block . word 6 represents the total number of bytes of the block managed by the table . word 7 is reserved . &# 34 ; offset in id &# 34 ; represents the position of each of the above - described words in the track set ( in bytes ). as represented with &# 34 ; offset in id &# 34 ; shown in fig1 , block management tables are successively written from the last position of the track set . fig1 a shows the state that first user data and a block management table relevant thereto are written in a track set . as shown in fig1 , the size of one block management table is fixed at eight words . in addition , the last position of the block management table area in which the block management table is formed is also fixed . the first block management table is written from the position that is earlier than the last position of the block management table area for the size of the block management table . in the example shown in fig1 , since the reserved area preceded by the block management table area starts at the position of byte 117024 , the block management table is written from the position of byte 116992 that is earlier than the position of byte 117024 for 32 bytes . in such a manner , a block management table relevant to the first block is formed . next , a second block is written . the second block is just preceded by the first block . after the second block is written , a block management table relevant thereto is formed . the second block management table is formed from the position that is earlier than the top position of the first block management table for 32 bytes ( namely , from the position that is earlier than the position of the second block management table for the size thereof in the direction of the last position of the track set ). fig1 b shows the state that a second block and a block management table relevant thereto are written . in such a manner , user data is written from the top position of the track set . in contrast , block management tables are formed from the last position of the track set . when the data area has a blank space , a third block , a fourth block , and so forth are written in the same manner as the second block . thus , blocks and block management tables relevant thereto are written . fig1 c shows the state that a third block and a block management table relevant thereto are written in the track set . when the size of a blank area between the position of the last user data in the user data area and the top position of the last block management data in the block management data area becomes a predetermined value ( for example 48 bytes or less ) or when the number of block management tables exceeds a predetermined value ( for example , 512 ), blocks and block management tables relevant thereto are written no more . when the last block cannot be fully written in the track set , the block is divided and the portion that is not written in the track set is written in the next track set . the information of which the block is divided is written in a relevant block management table . after the last block is written , a block terminate code is written to the last position of the last block . in addition , as header information , a format id and sub - code data are added at the top position of the track set . the format id is for example ( ffff0000h ). fig1 shows an example of the content of the sub - code data . referring to fig1 , the effective number of block management tables relevant to blocks written in the track set is written to the sub - code data as effective block table count . after the header information of the track set is written , an id end code ( 0f0f0f0fh ) that represents the last position of the track set is written after the block management table area . thus , as shown in fig1 d , one track set is formed . when the track set is stored in the bank memory 80 in such a manner , the main cpu 61 causes a two - port ram 70 to store a command so as to write the track set on the tape . the command stored in the two - port ram 70 is read by a sub - cpu 81 . the sub cpu 81 sends the write command to a system controller 46 of the digital information recorder 2 . in addition , the sub cpu 81 sends a command to a dmac 89 so that it sends particular data stored in the bank memory 80 to the drive controller 34 of the tape drive controller 1 . thus , the dmac 89 sends the data to the drive controller 34 through the pio 88 . when the system controller 46 receives the write command , a motor is controlled so as to write the data on the tape . in addition , after the data is sent to the drive controller 34 , the output data thereof is sent to a signal processing portion that is composed of a c2 encoder 35 , a track interleave circuit 36 , a c1 encoder 37 , a channel encoder 38 , and an rf amplifier 39 . data that has been signal - processed in the signal processing portion is sent to a head . thus , the data is recorded on the tape . fig2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a track set written on the tape in the above - described manner . each track set is composed of four helical tracks of the tape . a format id ( ffff0000h ) is written in the first four bytes . the format id is followed by a sub code area of 136 bytes . sub code data is written in the sub code area . the sub code data includes management information of block management tables . the sub code area is followed by a data area that ends at the position of byte 117023 . the data area is used for user data and block management tables . blocks of the user data are managed by relevant block management tables . as described above , the user data is written from the top position of the data area ( namely , the position of byte 140 ). block management tables are written from the last position of the data area ( namely , the position of byte 117023 ). at this point , the first block is managed corresponding to the last block management table . the second block is managed corresponding to a block management table followed by the last block management table . in such a manner , blocks are managed corresponding to block management tables relevant thereto . a reserved area is formed from the position of byte 117024 for 12 bytes . the value of the reserved area is always &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the reserved area is followed by an id end code ( 0f0f0f0fh ) that represents the last position of the track set . next , a data reading process for reading data written on the magnetic tape will be described . data on the magnetic tape is read by a head . the resultant data is signal - process by a signal processing portion composed of an rf amplifier 41 , a channel decoder 42 , a c1 decoder 43 , a track deinterleave circuit 44 , and a c2 decoder 45 . the resultant data is written track set by track set to a bank memory 80 . the data written to the bank memory 80 is read by the main cpu 61 . the main cpu 61 determines whether or not the sub code in a track set represents user data . when the track set represents user data , a relevant block management table is read corresponding to an address represented by the sub code . block data is read corresponding to the content of the block management table for the length of the block data . in addition , the main cpu 61 sends a data transfer command to the scsi controller 75 . when the scsi controller 75 receives the data transfer command , it sends block data read from the bank memory 80 to the host computer through the scsi bus 76 . when a plurality of data blocks have been written in the data area , block management tables relevant to the data blocks are read in the direction of the top position of the track set . at this point , whenever a block management table is read , a data block relevant thereto is sent to the host computer in the above - described manner . as described above , an id end code is written at the last position of the track set . when data is written on the magnetic tape , the above - described signal processing portion detects the id end code and sends it to an rf portion such as the rf amplifier 39 . thus , a data error such as a data deviation that takes place between the scsi controller 75 that is an interface with the host computer and the signal processing portion can be detected . in addition , when data is read from the magnetic tape , since the host computer detects the data on the tape , the host computer can detect a data error such as a data deviation that takes place between the rf portion and the scsi controller 75 . since the id end code is written in such a manner , erroneous data can be prevented from being sent to the host computer . when a detected id end code is different from a predetermined value , it can be determined that a data error takes place . as described above , according to the present invention , user data is successively written from the top position of the data area . in contrast , block management tables are successively written from the last position of the data area . thus , a blank area can be effectively prevented in the data area . consequently , the record area can be effectively used . in addition , according to the present invention , since the id end code is written at the last position of a track set , even if an id error or the like takes place between the scsi controller and the signal processing portion , since it can be detected when data is written to the tape , the host computer can be informed of the error . although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to best mode embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes , omissions , and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	6
an embedded power management point of load delivery control circuit assembly 10 is illustrated in fig1 . a control board 14 is interposed between a power integrated circuit 12 , such as a d - c to d - c power converter , and a motherboard 15 of an electronic device . for example , the electronic device may be a small cellular phone , which requires optimal use of the printed circuit board real estate in order to reduce the size of the device . the power ic 12 may contain control circuitry for a synchronous buck converter , a control mosfet , a synchronous mosfet , over - current / over - voltage protection and over - temperature protection . alternatively , power ic 12 maybe a power supply module of any other suitable or desired architecture and construction . embedded passive devices , such as resistors , capacitors and inductors may be added in layers appended to the die surface . power transistors such as field effect transistors ( fets ) are embedded in control board 14 interposed between the power ic and the motherboard . a suitable process for assembling control board 14 with embedded active semiconductor devices is shown in fig2 a - 2f , but it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the illustrated process . in fig2 a , an electrically insulating mask layer 22 is applied to a conductive layer 24 which may be conductive surface on a insulating layer 21 of a conventional ball grid array 23 ( see fig1 ) or a land grid array style package . conductive layer 24 may alternatively be a copper foil of a direct bonded copper ( dbc ) element , the upper conductive component of an insulated metal substrate ( ems ) or a copper foil element used in a printed wiring board . alternatively the conductive layer may form part of a complex leadframe assembly such as those used in power electronics applications . as the next step , as shown in fig2 b , a conductive adhesive 26 is applied to at least a portion of the exposed conductive surface 24 as defined by a mask layer 22 such as a conventional solder mask . the conductive adhesive 26 may be a solder or an electrically conductive epoxy die attach adhesive , or any other suitable or desired material , applied , for example , by screen printing . in the next step , as shown in fig2 c , an active semiconductor device 28 , such as a fet or ic , is mounted such that electrical contact is made between electrodes 71 , 73 on one major surface of the semiconductor device and the conductive adhesive 26 . for example , the semiconductor device may be connected by contact pads on its surface . this surface may contain a solderable metal or metal containing adhesive , an array of solder bumps or an array of metallic or polymeric studs , or any other suitable or desired structure . the other major surface 75 is a metallization on the body of die 77 . for a power device , this may be the back metallization , for an ic , this can be metallization on the electrodes . likewise , other semiconductor and passive devices such as diodes , mesfets or igbt &# 39 ; s , capacitors , resistors or inductors may be mounted and spaced in relationship to device 28 . for example , as shown in fig8 a - 8d a resistor 79 and a second mosfet 78 device may be placed on the adhesive 26 deposited on the copper foil 24 . then , semiconductor device 28 and spaced devices 78 and 79 may be embedded in an electrically insulating encapsulant 21 , such as a pre - preg adhesive bonding ply or similar adhesive film and a laminated core 23 formed of a dielectric backed copper foil or simply a copper foil may be applied , as shown in fig2 d . the resulting control board 14 module is illustrated in fig1 and 2 e . conductive layer 24 may be etched at 29 to define contacts and wire traces as shown in fig1 and 2 f . wire traces 25 and pads 27 may be incorporated in laminated core 23 either before or after incorporation in control board 14 by any suitable or desired process , such as by drilling holes , followed by metallization and patterning . to add further layers of passive and / or other active semiconductor devices to either surface of the control board , the fabrication process described above in connection with fig2 a - 2f is repeated , with connections between layers made by metallized vias , as described in more detail below . fig3 a - 3i illustrate an example of a process for embedding passive devices in a structure such as control board 14 . fig3 a illustrates an embedded ic device 30 , for example , a control ic , with contact pads 31 on one of its surfaces . in fig3 b , a passivation layer 33 is shown applied over contact pads 31 . a portion of the passivation layer 33 is then removed , such as by etching , to expose at least some of the contact pads 31 ( see fig3 c ). next a metallization layer 50 , for example in the form of electroplated copper , is applied to the surface of ic 30 over contact pads 31 , as shown in fig3 d , and patterned by etching , to produce conductive pattern tracks 35 as shown in fig3 e . other suitable processes for creating the pattern tracks shown in fig3 e include vapor deposition , sputtering or screen printing . alternatively , a nonmetallic , conductive pattern may be used in place of the patterned metallization layer . for example , an electrically conductive paste may be printed on the surface to form the desired contact pattern 35 and subsequently cured . next , passive components 32 , 34 may be deposited on or between the tracks of contact pattern 35 , such as by screen printing a resistive paste 32 or a dielectric paste 34 for resistors and capacitors , respectively . similarly an inductor may be formed by a spiral pattern in copper layer 50 . an electrically insulating material having a high dielectric constant , such as a polymer / ceramic composite is printed on the surface of a first electrically conductive contact and a second electrically conductive contact is positioned opposite of the first electrically conductive contact sandwiching the electrically insulating material between the two conductive contacts . in fig3 g , a second passivation layer 37 is applied , and portions of the passivation are removed to reveal pattern tracks 35 and contacts 31 for the underlying passive components 32 and 34 , and ic 30 . subsequent steps of plating and etching and / or printing may be used to build up additional layers of passive electronic components as required . additional layers of passivation and conductive traces may be applied to build up and form a pad grid array 39 having electrically conducting contact pads 36 separated by an insulating grid 38 , as shown in fig3 i . this pad grid array 39 may be used with balls of solder in a conventional ball grid array for connecting the integrated circuit 30 and passive components 32 , 34 with another circuit board or a semiconductor device , as shown in fig1 , for example . the resulting three - dimensional structure of active and passive components , when electrically connected to an external circuit such as motherboard 15 , can be used to provide embedded power management control with minimum utilization of motherboard area . as an example of an embedded semiconductor device constructed according to the principles of this invention , fig4 shows a circuit diagram of a control board 14 including an ic 40 which functions as a half - bridge gate driver , and one or more embedded mosfet or igbt devices 6 and 7 of which control the current flow between the positive and negative dc rails ( dc + and dc − or gnd ) and the output node 125 connected to a motor . also included are an embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 , a bootstrap resistor 43 and a diode 45 which forms part of the bootstrap circuit required to drive the high side mosfet 121 , and embedded resistors 101 - 106 which control the current into and out of the gates of the power devices 6 and 7 . it should be noted that the circuit diagram is intended to be a generic one that represents a typical half bridge . resistors 101 through 106 may not be present on all driver circuits . one terminal of each of the resistors 101 through 103 are connected to the gate of the high side device 7 . the opposite terminals of each resistor are connected to individual pins on the control ic 40 . resistors 104 through 106 are connected in a similar configuration but to the gate of the low side device 6 . bootstrap capacitor 41 , bootstrap resistor 43 and diode 45 are electrically connected to the half - bridge gate driver integrated circuit 40 by integrated wire traces , contact pads and ball grid arrays . in one application , by connecting embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 in parallel with an electrolytic tank bootstrap capacitor ( not shown ), capacitor 41 can act as a fast charge tank for the gate charge only and the electrolytic tank capacitor keeps the voltage ripple ( δv bs ) across the parallel bootstrap capacitors within acceptable limits . alternatively , embedded bootstrap capacitors 41 may be used without an electrolytic tank capacitor if the limitations of using only ceramic or polymer / ceramic capacitors as the bootstrap capacitor 41 are acceptable . selecting the value of bootstrap capacitor 41 is known to limit duty - cycle and on - time of the power mosfets , because the charge on the bootstrap capacitor 41 must be refreshed periodically . specific sizing of bootstrap capacitors 41 is known in the art , as described in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 696 , 711 , filed oct . 29 , 2003 , now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 859 , 087 , issued feb . 22 , 2005 . the capacitance size of an embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 is defined by the area , thickness and dielectric constant of the insulating layer , for example . thus , the embedded bootstrap capacitor 41 may be sized and the dielectric constant selected such that the embedded capacitor 41 or capacitors meet the requirements for a bootstrap capacitor 41 of the power management control device 10 . wiring traces and wiring contacts may be provided by the embedding process described above such that embedded capacitor 41 is electrically coupled , along with as a bootstrap capacitor for an integrated power management control circuit including completing the bootstrap circuit , as shown in fig4 . the mosfets 6 , 7 of fig4 may be any power transistor . for example , an insulating gate bipolar transistor igbt , such as irgp30b120k ( d ), and irg4ph30k ( d ) manufactured by international rectifier corporation may be used . preferably , the mosfets embedded in the control boards are a flip fet or fetky devices which may be mounted using automated pick and place equipment . alternatively , these devices may be any mosfet with a suitable surface contact that may be attached to tracking layer 24 . a heat sink ( 150 ) may be attached to one or more surfaces of control board 14 . preferably , the thermal resistance between the heat sink and the heat - generating devices such as diodes 120 - 123 and power transistors 6 , 7 is reduced by making thermal pathways to the embedded heat - generating devices . for example , thermal pathways may be provided by placing heat - generating devices near one of the surfaces of the control board , by using thermally conductive materials to conduct heat from the surface of the heat - generating device or both . the heat sink may be used for both embedded and non - embedded heat - generating devices . fig5 illustrates a heat sink 150 sandwiched between a control board 152 and another non - embedded device 154 . fig6 a - 6c are examples of three possible contact pattern layers that maybe used to couple embedded passive electronic components such as resistors 43 and 101 - 106 , diodes 45 , 120 , 122 and capacitor 41 . for example , the process described in connection with fig3 a - 3i may be used to build up embedded passive components connected by the contact pattern shown in fig6 a and 6b . the contact layer of fig6 a is disposed above the contact layer shown in fig6 b , which is disposed above the contact layer shown in fig6 c . in one example , high side voltage v eh is coupled to a first wire trace segment 70 , as shown in fig6 b . the first wire trace segment 70 is coupled to a second wire trace segment 72 by a third wire trace segment 71 , the third segment being disposed on the contact layer shown in fig6 a . by coupling these segments 70 , 71 , 72 in this manner , these wire traces 70 , 71 , 72 avoid making electrical contact with another wire trace segment 73 , which is shown in fig6 b . thus , an embedded power management control circuit 10 may be coupled to embedded passive devices by a three - dimensional network formed by coupling a plurality of contact pattern layers , each disposed at least partially above the other . in one example , stacking each of the contact layers 31 , 33 , 35 disposes each layer directly above the other , providing a circuit board surface no larger than that required for the active semiconductive devices that are to be mounted on the control board 14 , such as a power integrated circuit 12 . by limiting the area of the control board 14 , valuable real estate on the surface of the motherboard ( not shown ) is conserved . although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof , many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is preferred , therefore , that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein , but only by the appended claims .	7
turning first to the roadmap of our said fig1 , this involves an idealized theoretical explanatory scheme consisting of a hot - side surface s h and a juxtaposed cold - side carrier charge - to - electricity converter surface s c separated by a small vacuum gap g . on the cold side , there is schematically shown a first quantum well w c1 having a lower electron potential level 1 and an upper level 2 and wherein an electron is introduced or supplied into the lower level or state 1 from a source of electrons called a reservoir r 1 , which may be at relative ground potential . as later explained , in practical implementation , the well w c1 may be inherently provided in a quantum dot , such as an appropriate semi - conductor dot , and the electron reservoir r 1 may be a conductor of a conducting network interconnecting such dots in an array or matrix of dots distributed along the cold - side s c as later more fully described in connection with the embodiments of fig2 and 3 . electrostatic coupling to charges on the hot side surface s h produces a quantum - correlation . this appears schematically in fig1 as a well w h with two levels connected to an electron reservoir r a . as an electron is supplied from the cold - side reservoir r 1 to the cold - side level 1 of the well w c1 , accordingly , coulomb electrostatic coupling between that electron and a charge on the hot side produces a quantum correlation between the cold side electron and such carrier , providing electrostatic interaction u that leads to excitation energy transfer from the hot side to the cold side , thereby elevating the electron in the cold - side well w c1 up to higher potential level or state 2 , as indicated by the upward arrow portion shown below the symbol u . from this upper state 2 , the electron may tunnel , as shown schematically at v , through a potential barrier pb to a matched level 2 1 in a second quantum dot well w cr on its way to a second reservoir r 2 which is at elevated voltage relative to ground , as schematically illustrated at +. the well w cr permits only one level — level 2 1 . the two cold - side reservoirs r 1 and r 2 are connected together through an electrical load , so - labeled . thus , when elections are promoted in the first quantum well w c1 , they have the possibility of tunneling to the second well w cr and then continuing on to do electrical work before ending up in the first reservoir r 1 at ground . the levels of the hot - side relax to an electron reservoir r a comprising a continuum of excitation levels , wherein the level “ a ” is coupled to each level in the reservoir with matrix element m 2 and m 3 . electric fields between an electron on the hot side well w h and an electron on the cold side , couple the product states \| b & gt ;\| 1 & gt ; and \| a & gt ;\| 2 & gt ; with coupling u such that excitation transfer can occur across the gap g . level 1 of the well w c1 , in turn , relaxes to reservoir r 1 with matrix element m 1 and level 2 1 of well w cr relaxes to reservoir r 2 with matrix element m 4 . in coulomb - coupling energy is transferred from a hot - side electron to a cold - side electron through the coulomb force between the two electrons . the basic mechanism of the device is that high temperature on the hot side results in excited electrons in the hot - side image , with excitation transferred via electrostatic interaction coupling u ( between the hot - side charge , which is itself coupled to excited electrons and phonon modes , and the cold - side electron ) to promote a cold - side electron from level 1 to level 2 in well w c1 . the invention of fig1 can also functions as a refrigerator where the load is a power source providing energy into the system to cool the cold - side down and to heat up the hot - side . in summary , thus , an electron reservoir on the cold side supplies an electron to a lower state ; and coupling with the hot side causes the electron to be promoted to an excited state , and then the electron proceeds to a second electron reservoir at elevated potential . an electrical load connected between the two reservoirs can be driven from the electrical current caused by the promoted electrons . such a scheme can work with either electrons or holes . we have called it a “ single carrier converter ” since , in accordance with the invention , it is only a single carrier that is promoted at a time ( either an electron or a hole but not both ), as opposed to a photovoltaic in which electron - hole pairs are created and photon exchange coupling occurs , namely an electron on the hot side emits a photon and an electron on the cold side accepts the photon . this photon exchange coupling is in contrast to coulomb coupling . the magnitude of the photon exchange coupling and the coulomb coupling have different distance dependencies ( that is , the distance between the hot - side and the cold - side ) where coulomb coupling has a 1 / r 3 dependence on distance while the photon exchange coupling has a 1 / r dependence . coulomb coupling dominates over the photon exchange coupling at narrow distances roughly shorter than the wavelength corresponding to the energy separation of the cold - side single level and higher level excitation quantum state elements divided by 2π or at distances roughly shorter than λ / 2π . at larger distances , the coulomb coupling decays rapidly . fig2 presents an exploded view of a preferred physical structure of a thermal - electric converter constructed in accordance with the invention to operate in accordance with the methodology thereof as outlined in fig1 . as explained previously , the cold - side surface s c of the device is shown juxtaposed to the hot - side heat emitter surface s h with a small vacuum gap g there between . the cold - side converter comprises an array of appropriate semi - conductor small elements or dots , two of which are shown as “ dot 1 ” and “ dot 2 ”, implemented as by well - known chip technology and in a chip substrate matrix schematically illustrated by s . in practice , these semi - conductor converter dots may assume any desired geometry , such as the rectangular boxes or bar elements shown , supporting and serving as quantum - confined electron energy excitation state wells ( w c1 and w cr , fig1 ) along ( at or near ) the surface s c . other forms of these semi - conductor elements may include small cylinders or wires , small quantum - well sheets or even molecules . the array of dot elements or the like will be conductor - interconnected , as earlier mentioned by , a network of conductors feeding and outputting electrons to and from the respective elements ( reservoir r 1 , r 2 , etc . in fig1 ) interconnecting the array of dot elements in series and / or in parallel fashion , as appropriate , and also formed into the substrate matrix s of the converter chip side of the device . in the device of fig2 , moreover , segments of these electron “ reservoir ” conductors are shown at “ reservoir 1 ” ( r 1 in fig1 ) and at “ reservoir 2 ” ( r 2 in fig1 ) as rectangular cross - section bus portions . in accordance with the invention , in an appropriately dimensioned structure , the charge in the quantum dot on the cold side surface s c will couple to a charge on the nearby conductive hot - side surface s h , providing a coupling to surface currents , resulting in the two - level system model of the invention herein presented . in the device of fig2 , the hot side surface s h may accordingly be a simple flat surface comprising aluminum oxide or a metal , semi - metal or highly doped semiconductor . the metal surface has surface charges and the charges act as an effective dipole with zero energy separation that is coupled to thermally excited electrons and phonons . across the gap g , the cold - side is shown as comprising the before - mentioned two quantum dots on the surface s c ; dot 1 having two levels ( well w c1 of fig1 ) and they couple to the hot - side dipole via the electrostatic coulomb coupling interaction before described . dot 2 has one level ( in well w cr of fig1 ) and it couples to the excited upper level of dot 1 ( state 2 in well w c1 of fig1 ) through the tunneling ( v ). the lower level of dot 1 ( level 1 in well w c1 ), as before stated , relaxes to the ground voltage conductor reservoir 1 ( r 1 in fig1 ). the dot 2 level relaxes to conductor reservoir 2 which is at the elevated voltage +. reservoir conductor 1 is shown having a horizontal branch bus portion extending from the vertical leg of the bus conductor in order to couple the lower level of dot 1 , the branch being oriented horizontally to dot 1 and facing the center of dot 1 , with a distance . reservoir conductor 2 is shown parallel to dot 1 and it runs parallel along the surface s c next to dot 2 , with a distance . where desired , these dot and conductor elements may also be oriented at other angles , including substantially perpendicular to the plane of the surface s c . the converter elements may comprise an array of semi - conductor elements that are chip - integrated along the cold surface in a matrix substrate and interconnected by a network of electron reservoir conductors or buses , interleaved within the chip substrate to provide the appropriate series and / or parallel connections amongst and between the elements of the array . the cold - side structure is repeated as an array over the surface s c as shown in fig3 , with the reservoir 1 conductor buses linked together , and the reservoir 2 conductor buses linked together , and within reservoirs 1 and 2 connected through the load as in fig1 . in one embodiment , a simulated specific structural design of this implementation , we obtained the following exemplary results . the temperature on the hot - side is 1300k , and that on the cold - side , 300k . dot 1 has x × y × z dimension 120 å × 100 å × 100 å and is of the preferred material insb . the energy separation of the dot 1 levels is 0 . 2 ev . the relaxation time of insb at 0 . 2 ev is 1 · ps . the hot - side is metallic copper , in this equipment , of which relaxation time at 0 . 2 ev is 0 . 57 fs . in one embodiment , dot 2 has dimension 50 å × 100 å × 100 å and is horizontally pointing to the top part of dot 1 . ( fig2 is not drawn to scale ). dot 2 is of material ga 0 . 31 in 0 . 69 sb but may also be comprised of other materials as described herein . the distance between dot 1 and dot 2 is 100 å . reservoir 1 branch is horizontally positioned 50 å away from the center of dot 1 . reservoir 2 is located 50 å next to dot 2 . both reservoirs are preferably made up of n - type insb doped such that its relaxation time at 0 . 2 ev is 10 ps . the relaxation time for an n - type insb with doping level 3 × 10 17 cm − 3 at 0 . 2 ev is 52 ps , and it is expected that the relaxation time will decrease to zero as the doping increases , since this is the behavior at dc . therefore there exists a doping level with any desired relaxation time . the surrounding matrix material substrate on the cold side may be gasb . in other embodiments , the quantum element dimensions , spacing there between and materials may differ as described herein . electrostatic interaction increases with smaller vacuum gap thickness . radiative heat transport occurs between the hot and cold region , however , if two surfaces are close together , the amount of useful power transferred from the hot to cold side increases much more rapidly because of the effects of coulomb coupling . in a vacuum , coulomb coupling dominates over photon contribution by the absorption wavelength in the divided by 2π . for example , the absorption wavelength corresponding to 0 . 2 ev is 6 . 2 μm , and hence the gap should be below about 1 μm for that case in a vacuum . in the calculations , coulomb coupling dominates below about 500 angstroms because of the dielectric constants . therefore if the gap between the hot surface and the cold surface is sufficiently small , the effects of transverse photon generation are minimized relative to the amount of thermal energy transferred by the coulomb interaction . the converted power per unit area is improved as the gap becomes smaller at very small distances due to coulomb - coupling interactions . the amount of power converted per unit area is important since it fundamentally impacts the cost of power conversion . if the gap between the hot surface and the cold surface is sufficiently small the converted power per unit area will be increased due to coulomb - coupling interactions . gaps below 50 - 100 nanometers with a lower limit as small as practically possible such as 1 nanometer may facilitate the maximization of the amount of thermal energy transferred by the coulomb interaction . shown in fig4 and fig5 are the power on load density and efficiency , respectively , as a function of voltage for the device . an initial estimate for maximum power per unit active area is 202 w / cm 2 occurring at voltage 107 mv . fig5 shows that the maximum efficiency 49 . 8 % occurs at voltage 129 mv . while the invention has been described with references to its preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teaching of the invention without departing from its essential teachings .	7
illustrated in fig1 is a perspective and exploded view of an automotive swash plate type compressor 10 for propelling refrigerant gas through a cooling circuit . the compressor 10 comprises a two - piece cylinder block 12 , 14 which is provided with a plurality of reciprocating pistons 16 . for clarity , fig1 depicts only one of such reciprocating piston 16 . in practice , each piston 16 reciprocates within cylinder bore 18 . each piston 16 is in communication with the swash plate 20 which is fixably mounted on an axially extending rotateable shaft 22 . the reciprocating motion of each piston 16 within its associated cylinder bore successively siphons , compresses , and discharges refrigerant gas . a pair of pivoting shoes 24 are positioned between each piston 16 and swash plate 20 . the shoe 24 transfers the rotational motion of the swash plate 20 to the linear motion of the piston 16 . the swash plate 20 has two facial surfaces 26 ( only one shown for clarity ) which contact the shoe 24 . rotation of the shaft 22 causes the swash plate 20 to rotate between the cylinder blocks 12 , and 14 . the facial surfaces 26 contact the shoes 24 and are subjected to a shear - type frictional contact with shoe 24 . an end surface 28 may contact the piston 16 if the piston 16 is slightly skewed or bent . end surface 28 and the facial surfaces 26 are coated to prevent wear from the contact with piston 16 and shoes 24 . the surface coating 30 should also have a low coefficient of friction to increase the efficiency of the compressor . the shape of swash plate 20 according to the present invention may be the same as those of the conventional swash plates . the material composing the matrix of swash plate body 20 should be aluminum or aluminum alloy . the aluminum alloy can be , for example , aluminum - high - silicon type alloy , aluminum - silicon magnesium type alloy , aluminum - silicon - copper - magnesium type alloy and , aluminum alloys containing no silicon . swash plate 20 is usually made from an aluminum or aluminum alloy material to make it light - weight and strong . aluminum and aluminum alloys containing hypereutectic silicon , that is more silicon than is required to form a eutectic crystalline structure , are often used . while the surface coating 30 of the present invention may be used with hypereutectic aluminum , it is primarily intended for use on non - hypereutectic aluminum and aluminum alloys having less than 12 . 5 % by weight of silicon . hard grains , as used herein means grains having average particle diameters of 20 through 100 micrometer and a hardness greater than 300 on the vickers hardness scale or , more preferably , having a hardness greater than 600 on the vickers hardness scale , such as a primary crystal silicon . for example , aluminum - high - silicon type alloy can be considered as one of materials suitable materials for swash plate body 20 . because alsil alloy contains about 13 % to 30 % by weight of silicon meaning that alsil alloy contains more silicon than is required to form a eutectic crystal structure , alsil alloy has primary crystal silicon dispersed in the matrix structure . also alsil has superior characteristics and could withstand very severe sliding operations at the swash plate . other materials having the hard grains and possibly applicable to swash plate body 20 are the intermetallic compounds of : aluminum - manganese ; aluminum - silicon - manganese ; aluminum - iron - manganese ; aluminum - chromium and the like . conventionally , swash plate body 20 is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy directly contacts shoes 24 . however , according to the present invention , during operation with surface coating layer 30 , on swash plate body 20 contacts shoes 24 so that the frictional resistance with the shoes is greatly reduced . while it is only necessary to coat facial surface 26 having contact with shoes 24 , for ease of manufacture the entire swash plate body 20 is coated . according to the present invention , the swash plate body 20 has a surface coating layer 30 . the surface coating layer 30 is formed on the surface of swash plate body 20 at least on the part of the surface having slidable contact with shoes 24 . the surface coating layer 30 may , however , be formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the surface coating layer 30 acts to reduce frictional resistance with shoes 24 and prevents the occurrence of seizure at the sliding facial surface 26 of the swash plate 20 . the present invention surface coating layer 30 is composed primarily of tin , modified with cobalt . if surface coating layer 30 is composed only of tin the coefficient of friction will be lowered but at the same time , the surface coating layer becomes rather soft due to the characteristics of tin and , as a result , surface coating layer 30 will be susceptive to abrasion . in particular , by weight percent based on the total weight of the tin / cobalt surface coating 30 comprises 0 . 2 - 2 . 1 wt . % cobalt and the balance being tin , more preferably being 98 . 9 to 99 . 7 wt . % tin and 0 . 3 to 1 . 1 wt . % cobalt and most preferably 0 . 5 to 0 . 9 wt . % cobalt and the balance being tin . it is found by the inventors of the present invention that the coexistence of tin and cobalt in the matrix structure of surface coating layer 30 provides a low coefficient of friction as well as improved hardness , so that high abrasion resistance is obtained . in addition , the adhesion of the coating to the swashplate 20 is improved by the addition of cobalt . surface coating 30 maybe applied to the swash plate 20 by means of a conversion coating . an aqueous tin bath is prepared according to convention and then cobalt chloride is dissolved in the bath and the aqueous solution is heated to a temperature above 120 ° f . the concentration of cobalt in the bath is that necessary to provide a coating on the swash plate of 0 . 2 - 2 . 1 wt . % cobalt with the balance being tin . preferably the bath is in between 120 ° f . and 150 ° f . to provide that amount of cobalt / tin on swash plate 20 , the bath generally comprises 0 . 003 to 0 . 03 wt . % cobalt chloride and 6 - 7 . 2 wt . % potassium stannate . more preferably , maintaining the same amount of potassium stannate , 0 . 005 - 0 . 015 wt . % cobalt chloride and most preferably 0 . 007 - 0 . 013 wt . % cobalt chloride . additionally the bath comprises conventional materials like chelates and ph buffers . preferably the source of the cobalt ion is cobalt chloride , compounds such as cobalt nitrate do not demonstrate the same results . before applying surface coating 30 , the swash plate 20 is exposed to a cleaning solution which removes surface oils and prepares the part for the coating application . cleaning methods typically include solvent , acid or alkaline washings . the parts are then exposed to the solution for 5 - 6 minutes to coat . the thickness of the surface coating 30 is preferably from 0 . 8 to 2 . 5 microns . applicants found that if the surface coating layer 30 has a thickness of less than 0 . 8 microns , the coefficient of friction will not be sufficiently lowered . on the other hand , if the surface coating layer 30 has a thickness of more than 2 . 5 micrometers , the surface coating layer 30 will be susceptive to problems concerning its strength such as to resist peeling - off . according to the present invention , the coefficient of friction between swash plate 20 and shoe 24 is small so that the smooth sliding of shoe 24 on the swash plate 20 is ensured . the surface coating layer 30 is superior in strength thereby reducing the amount of abrasion which occurs thereon . still further , seizure of the shoe 24 to the surface of swash plate 20 is prevented even when a liquid refrigerant is compressed or the compressor is operated under unfavorable circumstances such as insufficient lubrication of the sliding parts caused by leaks of refrigerant gas to the outside of the compressor . consequently , by the effects described above , the swash plate compressor according to the present invention can satisfactory withstand very severe use and achieve long service life . example 1 : according to the swash plate type compressor as shown in fig1 the swash plate 20 is composed of a swash plate body 20 made of an aluminum alloy containing 10 - 12 . 5 % by weight of silicon , and the surface coating layer 30 ( number will have to be added to the figure ) formed on the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the surface coating layer 30 consists of tin and cobalt as described below . the surface coating layer 30 was formed by the following process : the swash plate 20 was cleaned with alkaline cleaner at 140 ° f . for 5 minutes . the swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous bath solution which contains 6 . 6 wt . % potassium stannate and 0 . 007 wt . % cobalt chloride by weight , and which was kept at 130 °- 147 ° f . it was then taken out from the sn / co bath and water washed . as a result , a surface coating layer 30 consisting of tin and cobalt was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the resultant surface coating layer 30 had a thickness of 1 . 0 micrometers and was composed of 99 . 5 wt . % tin , and 0 . 5 wt . % cobalt by weight . example 2 : the swash plate body 20 as in example 1 , wherein the surface coating layer 30 was formed by the following process : the swash plate 20 was cleaned with alkaline cleaner at 140 ° f . for 5 minutes . the swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous bath solution which contains 6 . 6 wt . % potassium stannate and 0 . 005 wt . % cobalt chloride by weight , and which was kept at 130 °- 147 ° f . it was then taken out from the sn / co bath and water washed . as a result , a surface coating layer 30 consisting of tin and cobalt was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . the resultant surface coating layer 30 had a thickness of 1 . 0 micrometers and was composed of 0 . 36 wt . % cobalt and the balance being tin . example 3 ( a comparative example ): the swash plate body as in example 1 and 2 was coated with a sn coating composition , not according to the present invention as follows : the swash plate body 20 is immersed for 5 minutes into a aqueous solution which contains 6 . 6 wt . % potassium stannate , and which was kept at 130 °- 147 ° f . it was coated , taken out from the solution and water washed . as a result , a surface coating layer 30 having a thickness of 1 . 0 micrometers was composed of 100 wt . % tin was formed over the whole surface of the swash plate body 20 . fig2 a and 2b illustrates the comparison of the two hour calorimeter test administered to three different coatings prepared above . the calorimeter test measures accelerated wear and loss of adhesion of a typical tin coating . test samples are subject to the same conditions and then the wear of the coating is compared . the assembled compressor is subjected to both high and low speed usage . a test compressor pump was run for 1 hour at point 19 , which stimulates low speed usage , and 1 hour at point 26 conditions , which stimulates high speed usage . at point 19 , and 26 the compressor is subjected to 1000 and 3000 rpms respectively . the data comparing the three coatings prepared in examples 1 - 3 is compiled in table 1 . the wear of both facial surfaces 26 of the swash plate body 20 was compared . ______________________________________wt . % co loss of adhesionin solution front surface ( mm ) rear surface ( mm ) ______________________________________0 150 10 . 4 56 . 8 23 . 76 4 . 15 39 . 93 20 . 46 43 . 8 40 . 2 194 . 940 . 005 0 0 0 0 38 0 0 0 0 6 . 3 170 . 4 00 . 007 0 0 0 0 18 0 16 . 8 0 0 70 0 0 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0______________________________________ as indicated in fig2 a , 2b and table 1 , the adhesion measured for swash plates 20 having the surface coating layer 30 in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention were much higher than that for the conventional type coating described in comparative example 3 . also , a comparison between different levels of cobalt of the present invention , shows that the addition of higher levels of cobalt in the composition of the surface coating layer is effective in improving the adhesion and wear resistance of the swash plate 20 . thus , surface coating layer 30 of the comparative example 3 , containing only tin , is more susceptive to rapid abrasion than a coating of tin and cobalt according to the present invention . as is apparent from the test results shown in fig2 a and 2b , according to the present invention , the occurrence of loss of adhesion of the coating is greatly reduced due to the effect of the surface coating layer 30 although the swash plate type compressor is operated under severe conditions . swash plates 20 coated with the tin / cobalt coating do not exhibit the poor adhesion caused by poor wear resistance of pure tin coating because of the added cobalt . a standard tape adhesion test was administered on the samples prepared in examples 1 - 3 . the test measures the amount of coating that can be removed when placed under stress . 3m 610 cellophane tape was applied to the coated swashplates in 2 - 3 mm strips . the tape was rubbed with a rubber eraser to ensure the adhesion of the tape and then the tape was removed in one quick motion in which a 90 degree angle was kept between the tape and the surface of swash plate 20 . the coating with no cobalt , ( all tin ) showed poorest adhesion . adhesion improved correspondingly with increasing amounts of cobalt in the coatings , i . e ., the cobalt / tin coating with 0 . 005 wt . % co had improved adhesion over the 0 . 005 wt . % cobalt / tin coating . also , according to the present invention , even in the state where the surface coating layer 30 of the swash plate 20 is gradually reduced by abrasion , the primary crystal silicon dispersed on the surface of the swash plate body 20 was exposed and sticks on the swash plate surface 20 . since primary crystal silicon has a great hardness , the further abrasion of the surface coating layer 30 is prevented . it will be obvious to those of skill in the art that various modifications variations may be made to the foregoing invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow .	8
as has been previously indicated , the process of the present invention is directed to provide a means for cracking heavy hydrocarbon feedstock without the need for the large amount of dilution steam . previously , this large steam requirement was necessary to provide the partial pressures required to suppress coke formation in the radiant section of the cracking furnace . the heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks contemplated are naphtha , kerosene , atmospheric gas oil , vacuum gas oil and resid . further , the process of the invention is capable of being performed in conventional furnace apparatus , however , as will be seen , a furnace uniquely suited and specifically designed for the process of the present invention is also provided . the process of the invention is conveniently characterized as &# 34 ; duocracking &# 34 ;. as best seen in fig1 a conventional furnace 2 comprised of a convection zone 6 , and a radiant zone 8 , is provided with convection and radiant section lines capable of performing the process of the present invention . the convection zone 6 of the present invention is arranged to receive a feedstock inlet line 10 for the light hydrocarbon feedstock and an inlet line 18 for a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock . coils 12 and 20 through which the light hydrocarbon feedstock and heavy hydrocarbon feedstock pass respectively are located in the convection zone 6 of the furnace 2 . lines 14 and 22 are provided to deliver dilution steam to the convection coils 12 and 20 , respectively . the radiant zone 8 is provided with coils 16 for cracking the light hydrocarbon feedstock to high conversion , and coils 24 for partially cracking the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock . a common coil 26 is also provided in which the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is cracked to high severity by any one of the four modes explained earlier and the effluent from the light hydrocarbon is in effect , quenched to terminate the reactions . an effluent discharge line 28 is provided and conventional quench equipment such as a usx ( double tube exchanger ) and / or a tlx ( multi - tube transfer line exchanger ) are afforded to quench the cracked effluent . the system also includes a separation system 4 which is conventional . as seen in fig1 the separation system 4 is adapted to separate the quench effluent into residue gas ( line 32 ), ethylene product ( line 34 ) propylene product ( line 36 ) butadiene / c 4 product ( line 38 ), raw pyrolysis gasoline / btx product ( line 40 ), light fuel oil product ( line 42 ), and fuel oil product ( line 44 ). optionally , a line 24a is provided to deliver the partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon directly from the convection coil 20 to the common line 26 . under certain conditions , the heavy hydrocarbon can be partially cracked in convection zone 6 thereby rendering further cracking in the radiant zone unnecessary . in essence , the process of the present invention is conducted by delivering a light hydrocarbon feedstock such as ethane , propane , normal and iso - butane , propylene , mixtures thereof , raffinates or naphthas through line 10 to the convection coils 12 in convection section 6 of furnace 2 . heavy hydrocarbon feedstock such as naphtha , kerosene , atmospheric gas oil or vacuum gas oils are delivered through line 18 to the convection coils 20 . dilution steam is delivered by line 14 to convection coils 12 through which the light hydrocarbon feedstock is being passed . it is preferable that the dilution steam be superheated steam at temperatures in the range of 800 ° f . to 1000 ° f . the dilution steam is mixed with the light hydrocarbon feedstock at approximately 0 . 3 to 0 . 6 pound of steam per pound of feedstock . the composite of light feedstock and dilution steam is elevated in temperature to approximately 1000 ° f . to 1200 ° f . in convection section 6 . thereafter , the heated hydrocarbon is passed through coil 16 in radiant section 8 of furnace 2 . in the radiant section , the light hydrocarbon feedstock is preferably cracked under high severity conditions to temperatures between 1500 ° f . and 1700 ° f . at residence times of about 0 . 1 to 0 . 3 seconds . at the same time , the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is delivered through line 18 to convection coils 20 in convection zone 6 of furnace 2 . dilution steam is delivered by line 22 to convection coils 20 to mix with the heavy hydrocarbon in a ratio of about 0 . 15 to 0 . 20 pound of steam per pound of hydrocarbon . the mixture is elevated to a temperature between 850 ° f . and 1200 ° f .- preferably 900 ° f . and 1000 ° f . in convection zone 6 of furnace 2 . thereafter , heavy hydrocarbon feedstock from convection section 6 is delivered to radiant coils 24 wherein it is partially cracked under low to medium severity conditions to a temperature of about 1250 ° f . to 1450 ° f . at residence times of about 0 . 05 to 0 . 20 seconds . the partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon feedstock is delivered to the common line 26 and the completely cracked light hydrocarbon pyrolysis gas from line 16 is also delivered to common line 26 . in common line 26 , the completely cracked light feedstock effluent provides heat to effect more complete cracking of the partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon . concomitantly , the light hydrocarbon feedstock effluent is quenched by the lower temperature partially cracked heavy hydrocarbon feedstock in common line 26 . the composite mixture is further cracked , then quenched in conventional quench equipment and thereafter separated into the various specific products . furnace 102 of fig2 has been developed particularly for the process of the present invention . as in the conventional furnace , a convection zone 106 and a radiant zone 108 are provided . however , a separate coil 120 in the convection zone for the passage of heavy hydrocarbon is provided and a separate coil 112 for the passage of light hydrocarbon are also provided . radiant zone 108 is arranged with a radiant coil 116 and a plurality of burners 140 for high severity cracking of the light hydrocarbon feedstock . practice has taught that coil 116 can be a multi - tube coil with the burners having a composite capacity of firing to achieve a conversion level of about 60 to 65 % ethane , 85 to 95 % propane , 90 to 95 % c 4 &# 39 ; s , 95 to 98 % of raffinate or light naphtha conversion . a short coil of 116 will provide a low residence time but higher coil outlet temperature . such a short coil will enhance selectivity . a longer coil of 116 which can bring about the above - mentioned conversions of lighter components can also be used to provide a lower coil outlet temperature . either of them can be used to advantage as is known to those who are well versed in this art . an array of radiant burners 140 will provide the necessary heat to bring about high severity cracking of the light hydrocarbon in coils 116 . radiant section 108 is also provided with a coil 124 for partial cracking of the heavy hydrocarbon which can be a single tube . an array of burners 142 will provide the heat necessary to partially crack the heavy hydrocarbon . an array of burners 146 located opposite common tube 126 will provide discrete heating of common tube 126 in which the heavy hydrocarbon is completely cracked and the light hydrocarbon effluent is quenched . the heat available in the light hydrocarbon effluents now provide enthalpy for continued decomposition of heavy hydrocarbon . by selecting appropriate flow quantities of light and heavy hydrocarbon streams , the requisite amount of heat for the completion of heavy hydrocarbon decomposition can be provided . however , tube 126 can now be discretely fired by burners 146 so as to provide additional heat needed over and above that supplied from the light hydrocarbon effluents . maintaining coil 126 inside the firebox environment provides an atmosphere for the heavy hydrocarbon to isothermally absorb the heat from the light effluents under controlled conditions . the heavy hydrocarbon which instantly reaches a higher temperature due to mixing is maintained at the mixed temperature of about 1400 ° f . for a short residence time of about 0 . 02 to 0 . 05 second to bring about the desired conversion level . maintaining coil 124a shadowed from direct radiation provides an atmosphere for heavy hydrocarbon to adiabatically absorb heat from light effluents . the successive introduction of light hydrocarbon cracked effluents into the heavy hydrocarbon stream in coil 124a , would also provide a controlled increasing temperature profile with respect to heavy hydrocarbon . higher conversion levels of heavy hydrocarbon are achieved by increasing the mixture temperature to 1500 °- 1600 ° f . by adding additional heat if required by burners 146 . under these increased firing conditions , lower residence times of 0 . 01 to 0 . 02 seconds effect the complete conversion of the heavy hydrocarbons . an example of the process of the present invention compared with a conventional process reveals the yield advantages of the invention . in the example , the following process conditions were maintained : ______________________________________ conventional duocracking______________________________________feedstock kuwait gas oil kuwait gas oil 100 lbs / hr 100 lbs / hr ( line 18 ) equivalent equivalent ethane 59 lbs / hr ( line 10 ) gas oilcracking severity * 2 . 2 2 . 2convection exit ( line 20 ) ( line 12 ) temperature 1050 ° f . 1000 ° f . 1160 ° f . dilution steamlb / lb hydrocarbon 1 . 07 0 . 18 0 . 5radiant zone ( line 24 ) ( line 16 ) residence time 0 . 3 sec 0 . 1 0 . 25exit temperature 1480 ° f . 1453 ° f . 1525 ° f . supplementary dilutionlb of cracked 0 . 0 0 . 89 ( line 26 ) ethane + steam / lbof heavy gas oiltotal dilution lb / lb 1 . 07 1 . 07of heavy gas oilduocracking coilresidence time 0 . 06exit temperature 1525 ° f . yields , wt % of hgo 12 . 5 13 . 0ch . sub . 4ultimate c . sub . 2 h . sub . 4 23 . 0 26 . 4c . sub . 3 h . sub . 6 13 . 0 13 . 2c . sub . 4 h . sub . 6 3 . 5 2 . 6total olefins 39 . 5 42 . 2c . sub . 5 - 400f . 16 . 1 14 . 3btx 9 . 7 10 . 1400f .+ 25 . 9 24 . 4______________________________________ * defined as kinetic severity function , analytical . the duocracking yield data reported in the example are only the gas oil contributions in the combined cracking process . the ethane contribution was obtained by allowing the ethane to crack under identical process conditions as the mixture . the ethane contribution was then subtracted from the mixture yields to obtain only the gas oil contribution under duocracking process conditions .	2
in the following description , like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views . also in the following description , such terms as “ forward ,” “ rearward ,” “ left ,” “ right ,” “ upwardly ,” “ downwardly ,” and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms . also , the illustrations and descriptions are for disclosing various embodiments of a breakaway vest and do not limit the vest to any particular embodiment disclosed . fig1 shows one embodiment of a safety garment 10 of the present invention . while the garment depicted is a vest , and in particular a breakaway vest , the present invention is inclusive of other breakaway garments as well , for example , breakaway jackets . vest 10 includes front panel 4 ( also shown individually in fig2 ) coupled to back panel 7 ( also shown individually in fig3 ). front panel 4 includes upper portion 20 and bottom portion 22 , and back panel 7 includes upper portion 24 ( see fig3 ) and bottom portion 26 ( see fig3 ). front panel 4 includes a pair of front panel sections , depicted here as section 42 and section 43 , which are joined by donning fastener 51 . donning fastener 51 is configured to facilitate donning , securing , and removing the garment , and is , in this embodiment , depicted as zipper 51 . zipper 51 may be any of the variety of zippers available , and may be for example , a tooth or coil style zipper and may be locking or non - locking . preferably zipper 51 is a separating zipper . zipper 51 includes a first tape 52 ( a ) on one side of the zipper and a second tape 52 ( b ) on the opposite side of the zipper . while , as depicted , first tape 52 ( a ) is shown on the left of the zipper and second tape 52 ( b ) is shown on the right of the zipper , “ first ” and “ second ” are not intended to impart any positional limitation . for example , in other embodiments , tape 52 ( a ) may be the second tape and tape 52 ( b ) may be the first tape . in other embodiments , the donning fasteners can be conventional means for closing a garment , but not elongated strips of hook and loop fasteners . for example , others may desire buttons , snaps , hooks , buckles , or loops , all of which are within the scope of the present invention . fig2 shows a first safety fastener 62 of the present embodiment . first safety fastener 62 is configured to allow panels to separate under tension above a breakaway threshold . while the tension may vary from embodiment to embodiment , in some embodiments 1 pound , 2 pounds , 3 pounds , or 4 pounds of tension may be ideal . still others may prefer more or less tension . somewhat similarly , others may desire a breakaway threshold tension based on current or future ansi standards or recommendations . those skilled in the art will recognize that the threshold tension may be adjusted , for example , in hook and loop embodiments , by increasing the number of hooks and loops per unit of area , or by using larger , stronger , or more rigid hook and loop fasteners . in the embodiment of fig2 , first safety fastener is a hook and loop fastener , e . g . velcro , and includes a first tape 62 ( a ) and a second tape 62 ( b ). the “ first ” and “ second ” adjectives are used for descriptive purposes and are not intended to impart any numeric or positional limitations to first safety fasteners of the present invention . zipper 51 is connected at first tape 52 ( a ) to the first section 42 of front panel 4 . hook and loop fastener 62 , is connected at side 62 ( a ) to the second tape 52 ( b ) of zipper 51 . the second side of hook and loop fastener 62 ( b ) is connected to the second section 43 of front panel 4 . when in use , hook and loop side 62 ( a ) is fastened to hook and loop side 62 ( b ) until it is torn away by tension . those skilled in the art will recognize that either 62 ( a ) or 62 ( b ) may be either the hook or the loop portion of the hook and loop fastener . zipper 51 is used to put on and remove the vest during everyday use . such a configuration allows for the safety garment to be easily donned and secured over bulky uniforms and clothing , while at the same time increases a wearer &# 39 ; s safety by allowing the garment to be easily torn off in the event it becomes entangled . while in the preferred embodiments , front panels have a pair of sections , e . g ., first section 42 and second section 43 , other embodiments of the invention may have additional sections . for example , some embodiments of the invention may include three sections in the front panel , wherein , for example , the donning fastener connects a first and second section and wherein the safety fastener connects a second and third section . all such embodiments are considered to be within the scope of the present invention . in preferred embodiments , the front and back panels of the garments of the present invention are coupled by a plurality of second safety fasteners . preferably , the plurality of second safety fasteners includes a pair of upper safety fasteners 92 and 93 , and a pair of lower safety fasteners 94 and 95 , configured to connect front panel 4 with back panel 7 . in the preferred embodiment , the plurality of second safety fasteners include hook and loop fasteners , with mating portions of hook and loops shown generally as horizontal strips 64 , 65 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 77 and 78 ( seen in various figures ). as shown in fig1 , in some embodiments , it may be desirable to position upper safety fasteners 92 and 93 drop - shoulder , for example , to increase comfort and prevent safety fasteners from snagging of uniforms or tools located about uniforms . preferably , lower safety fasteners 94 and 95 connect the lower front portion 22 of panel 4 to the lower back portion 26 of panel 7 with arms 12 and 13 ( also visible in fig3 ), which are positioned to wrap around a wearer &# 39 ; s waist . while arms are preferable for practicing certain embodiments of the present invention , for example , for allowing a single vest to fit a variety of wearers wearing a variety of clothing or uniforms , in other embodiments front portion 22 , may connect to back portion 26 directly , e . g ., without the use of arms . fig5 shows vest 10 on a wearer 106 , who may be , for example , a police officer . vest 10 includes tool access 38 that is defined , at least in part , by either the front or back panel . tool access 38 is configured to allow a wearer to access tools , e . g ., gun 39 , located on the wearer &# 39 ; s belt , hip or lower leg region , and allow vest 10 to be torn away under tension without becoming caught on tools located in the same region . in the preferred embodiment shown , the depicted tool access 38 is defined at its sides by both portion 34 of the front panel and by portion 37 of the back panel , and to some extent , at its top by arm 12 . preferably , tool access 38 has a height of about 7 inches and width of about 8 inches , which allows wearers to access multiple , or a variety of different , tools . while only one tool access is shown , the opposite side of vest 10 may include a similar tool access . others may wish to practice the present invention using other configurations for the tool access . most embodiments of the garment of the present invention may also include high - visibility coloring or a reflective portion , and many embodiments , e . g ., high visibility safety vests , will preferably include both high visibility coloring and reflective tape . for example , referring to the vest shown in fig1 , portion 46 may be considered to be any high visibility coloring , and will preferably be a high visibility coloring in compliance with ansi safety standards , and tape 83 may be considered to be reflective tape . other portions of the vest may also be considered to be either high visibility or reflective as well . referring to the back view of panel 7 shown in fig4 , other reflective and high visibility portions may be seen . for example , portions 57 and 58 may be high visibility , while a portions 88 and 89 , which are shown in chevron formation , may be reflective tape . fig4 also shows a band of material 45 is secured along four axes 46 , 47 , 48 and 49 to the panel 7 to form a clip capable of receiving and retaining items such as radio microphones and pens . numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of structure and function . the novel features are pointed out in the appended claims . the disclosure , however , is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size , and arrangement of parts , within the principle of the invention , to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the general claims are expressed .	0
the present invention will be described with reference to an ep catheter utilized in cardiac ep studies , such as the afocus ii eb diagnostic catheter of st . jude medical , atrial fibrillation division , inc ., which can provide access to difficult - to - reach portions of atrial anatomy , in particular the right superior and inferior pulmonary veins . the catheter described , depicted and claimed herein also provides relatively faster cardiac activity data collection ( especially in duodecapolar configurations ) by rapidly providing the necessary detail to efficiently diagnose complex cardiac arrhythmias . it should be understood , however , that the present teachings can be applied to good advantage in other contexts as well , such as radiofrequency ( rf ) ablation catheters or other diagnostic cardiac catheters . referring now to the drawings , fig1 a and 1b depict an ep catheter 10 according to a first aspect of the present invention . fig1 a is a plan view including a partially exploded depiction of an exemplary ep catheter 10 having a distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 with ep diagnostic , or mapping , electrodes 20 ( as depicted herein arranged in an exemplary decapolar configuration ), with the partially exploded depiction illustrating the catheter 10 in both a undeflected and a deflected configuration ( denoted as “ c ” and “ d ” respectively ). the off - axis , or peripheral , junction of the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop to the neck region of the catheter allows 180 degree deflection in on the order of 50 mm ( as illustrated in said “ d ” configuration ). fig1 b is a plan view of the exemplary ep catheter 10 illustrated in fig1 a in an undeflected configuration ( i . e ., configuration “ c ” of fig1 a ). fig1 b shows an approximate minimum length for the catheter body of on the order of about 110 cm , although other lengths can be employed according to this disclosure . fig1 c is an enlarged view of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a ; namely , an illustration of a pair of electrodes 20 residing on a segment 16 ′ of the offset shaft - to - loop axis , single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 . the lateral edges 20 ′ of electrodes 20 are bonded to the adjacent relatively smaller ( e . g ., 4f ) diameter biocompatible tubing ( e . g ., ptfe or the like ) of portion 16 with a biocompatible material such as a polyurethane matrix composed of polycin 936 and vorite 689 ( mixed 52 : 48 percent , as an example ) produced by caschem inc . of bayonne , n . j . fig1 d is an elevational side view in partial cross section of a neck portion 18 formed just proximal of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 depicted in fig1 a and 1b . as shown , an extended braid tube / spring assembly 50 surrounds a variety of subcomponents of catheter 10 and is itself wrapped by a relatively smaller diameter biocompatible tubing 18 that covers the neck region and transitions the outer diameter to the about 4 f distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 . where the extended braid tube / spring assembly 50 terminates at its distal edge a small amount of medical grade adhesive polymer 20 ″ ( e . g ., like the polymer 20 ′ used at the edges of electrodes 20 ) can be applied . a polyimide tube 56 ′ passes through the assembly 50 ( and neck region 18 ) and into the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 and isolates a plurality of elongate conductive strands 70 ′ ( shown in fig4 b ) that couple the electrodes 20 , 46 to remote circuitry via a handle ( 22 as shown in fig1 a and 1b ) having a mass termination where the conductors 70 pass through the handle to couple to an ep recording system or other diagnostic equipment , for example . a flat wire subassembly 52 , which includes segment of flat wire 59 , is coupled to an activation wire 54 and is adapted to impart and release tension to deflect the proximal end 16 in a plane defined by the flat wire subassembly 52 ( via manipulation of the handle , such as by rotation or linear actuation members , and the like ). the flat wire subassembly 52 is sometimes described as a planarity member or element because it promotes such planar deflection . a short segment of polyimide tubing 56 ′ surrounds a junction of several components ; namely , a lubricous tubing member 58 ( e . g ., peek tubing ) that receives a proximal end of an elongate shape memory member 30 ( formed of nitinol , for example ) that is preformed into a desired dimension and configuration for distal portion 16 . in one embodiment , the distal portion 16 has an overall outer diameter of about 15 mm ( i . e ., for the outermost loop ) with a 4 f dimension for portion 16 ′ and 1 mm ( wide ) platinum electrodes 20 and a 2 mm ( long ) tip electrode 46 . in this embodiment , the electrodes 20 can be spaced apart in bipolar pairs or evenly ( e . g ., about 3 mm , 5 mm or other nominal spacing between them ). in a bipolar pair configuration the electrode spacing can vary , of course , although in on embodiment the spacing for 1 mm ( wide ) ring - type electrodes is 1 mm per bipolar pair with 2 . 5 mm between pairs . in this embodiment the spacing between the tip electrode 46 to the most distal ring - type electrode 20 can be 1 mm or 2 mm or other value . in the embodiments depicted herein the diameter of the outer loop of the distal portion 16 is fixed ( e . g ., at about 15 , mm , 20 mm or less than about 33 mm , or more , if desired ). at the junction of the flat wire subassembly 52 with the nitinol wire 30 wrapped in , for example , peek tubing urethane adhesive ( denoted by reference numeral 26 in fig2 b ) can be applied between , above , and around the components within the polyimide tubing 56 ′ to encapsulate same . similarly , urethane adhesive 26 can be impregnated into the interstices of the neck region 18 and distal portion 16 to reduce or eliminate any migration of the nitinol wire 30 or peek tubing 58 or polyimide tube 60 ( surrounding conductor 70 ′) during use . in general , ep catheter 10 can include an elongate catheter body 12 , which , in some embodiments , is tubular ( e . g ., it defines at least one lumen therethrough ). catheter body 12 includes a proximal region 14 , a distal portion 16 , and a neck region 18 between proximal region 14 and distal portion 16 . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the relative lengths of proximal region 14 , distal portion 16 , and neck region 18 depicted in fig1 a and 1b are merely illustrative and can vary without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention but likely should not have a magnitude of less than about 110 cm . of course , the overall length of catheter body 12 should be long enough to reach the intended destination within the patient &# 39 ; s body . catheter body 12 will typically be made of a biocompatible polymeric material , such as polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) tubing ( e . g ., teflon ® brand tubing ). of course , other polymeric materials , such as fluorinated ethylene - propylene copolymer ( fep ), perfluoroalkoxyethylene ( pfa ), poly ( vinylidene fluoride ), poly ( ethylene - co - tetrafluoroethylene ), and other fluoropolymers , can be utilized . additional suitable materials for catheter body 12 include , without limitation , polyimide - based thermoplastic elastomers ( namely poly ( ether - block - amide ), such as pebax ®), polyester - based thermoplastic elastomers ( e . g ., hytrel ®), thermoplastic polyurethanes ( e . g ., pellethane ®, estane ®), ionic thermoplastic elastomers , functionalized thermoplastic olefins , and any combinations thereof . in general , suitable materials for catheter body 12 can also be selected from various thermoplastics , including , without limitation , polyamides , polyurethanes , polyesters , functionalized polyolefins , polycarbonate , polysulfones , polyimides , polyketones , liquid crystal polymers and any combination thereof . it is also contemplated that the durometer of catheter body 12 can vary along its length . in general , the basic construction of catheter body 12 will be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art , and thus will not be discussed in further detail herein . referring now to fig2 a which is a close up isometric view of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a and 1b ( with a perspective view of connecting elements within interior portions of the catheter body , or shaft , illustrated ) according to some embodiments of the present invention . as illustrated , the proximal and distal ends of the flat wire subassembly 52 ( e . g ., implemented to promote planarity during deflection ) are emphasized . fig2 b is an isometric illustration of the neck region 18 and the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop distal portion 16 , polyimide tubing 56 , and the flat wire subassembly 52 . fig2 b ′ is an enlarged isometric fragmented view of the interior details of the ends of the various connecting elements within the interior of the catheter body 14 , 18 of fig2 a . as depicted , the proximal end of a flattened peek tube 58 that contains the nitinol wire 30 is adhered with urethane adhesive 26 ( or other suitable medical grade adhesive ) to segment of flat wire 59 of the flat wire subassembly 52 and wrapped in polyimide tubing 56 ′ for containment . the proximal end of the flat wire subassembly 52 couples via a segment of polyimide tubing 56 filled with urethane adhesive 26 that also encapsulates the smaller diameter polyimide tubing 61 where the activation wire 54 resides . a gap of about 1 - 2 mm between the tubing 56 and the distal end of extended braid / spring subassembly 50 should be optionally maintained ( as depicted ) and the activation wire 54 and conductor wires 70 ( within polyimide tube 60 ) are conveyed through braid / spring subassembly 50 to a handle or other remote location . fig2 c is an enlarged fragmented plan view of the interior details of the ends of the connecting elements within the interior of the catheter body shown in fig2 a . as depicted , the flattened section of the peek tubing 58 disposed within the polyimide tubing 56 ′ can comprise a 1 mm segment to promote adhesion to the urethane adhesive 26 impregnated therein and thus to the flat wire subassembly 52 , including segment of flat wire 59 . similarly , the proximal end of the flat wire subassembly 52 can be surrounded by polyimide tubing 56 and impregnated with urethane adhesive ( not shown ) to promote mechanical coupling to the adjacent extended braid / spring subassembly 50 . a suitable biocompatible compound 20 ″ ( e . g ., such as polymer 20 ′) can be applied to the junction between the outer covering for distal portion 16 ′ and the neck region 18 . fig3 is an elevational view showing exemplary dimensions of the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a and 1b according to an embodiment of the present disclosure . for example , the “ plane ” of the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop distal portion 16 can be on the order of 2 mm to the neck region 18 , although other dimensions can be used if desired . whatever dimension is used the wire support length therefrom should be a reasonable length . fig4 a depicts the distal single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop cardiac mapping portion 16 of the exemplary ep catheter 10 of fig1 a and 1b ( with cross references to details shown in fig4 b and 4c ). in the illustrated embodiment the single shallow helical fixed - diameter loop distal portion 16 includes evenly - spaced ten - pole electrodes 20 with a nominal separation between adjacent electrodes 20 . of course , other dimensions can be used for the electrodes 20 and the spacing therebetween . at the proximal end of the catheter body 12 ( not specifically shown ) a plurality of individually electrically insulated elongate conductors 70 emerge and are adapted to be individually coupled to mass termination terminal 72 within a handle for ultimate electrical communication with an ep recording system , an electroanatomical localization and visualization system ( e . g ., such as the ensite system of st . jude medical , inc . operating the onemap facility or other similar systems for monitoring cardiac activity and providing one or more visual representations of same ). fig4 b is an enlarged fragmentary view in partial cross section and partial cut - away of the distal tip electrode 46 and two ring - type electrodes 20 and flat wire subassembly 52 connection within the catheter body 12 , respectively , shown in fig4 a . each electrode 20 , 46 couples via an elongate conductor 70 ′ in fig4 b to remote ep recording and / or localization and visualization equipment . a biocompatible adhesive 21 ( e . g ., loctite adhesive ) can be applied to the junction of the biocompatible tubing 16 of the distal portion 16 and the electrode 46 to eliminate body fluid ingress therein . a so - called safety wire ( or element ) 71 can couple to the electrode 46 and a proximal location to reduce or eliminate the chance that the electrode 46 might separate from the catheter assembly 10 . fig4 c is an enlarged fragmentary view in partial cross section of the catheter body near the neck region shown in fig4 a and indicates a cross sectional view along lines a - a therein which is reflected in fig5 hereinbelow described . the dimensions indicated on fig4 c are merely exemplary and illustrative and not intended as limiting in any way . fig5 is a cross - sectional view of the ep catheter 10 illustrated in fig4 c taken along line a - a as shown in fig4 c . the biocompatible tubing overlaying next region 18 includes ( electrode 20 ) conductor wires , denoted by reference numeral 70 in fig5 , surrounded by polyimide tubing 60 and nominally spaced from nitinol wire 30 by a space impregnated with urethane adhesive 26 . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that electrodes 20 can be ring - type electrodes or any other electrodes suitable for a particular application of ep catheter 10 . for example , where ep catheter 10 is intended for use in a contactless ep study , electrodes 20 can be configured as described in u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 496 , 855 , filed 2 jul . 2009 , which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein . of course , in addition to serving sensing purposes ( e . g ., cardiac mapping and / or diagnosis ), electrodes 20 can be employed for therapeutic purposes ( e . g ., cardiac ablation and / or pacing ). referring again to the present disclosure in general , various handles and their associated actuators for use in connection with deflecting ep catheters are known , and thus handle 22 will not be described in further detail herein except that is has a means for imparting tension ( e . g ., push - pull knob 24 depicted in fig1 a and 1b , although other biasing structures can of course be used ) to an activation wire . in use , ep catheter 10 is introduced into a patient &# 39 ; s body proximate an area of interest , such as a pulmonary vein ostium . of course , ep catheter can be introduced surgically ( e . g ., via an incision in the patient &# 39 ; s chest ) or non - surgically ( e . g ., navigated through the patient &# 39 ; s vasculature to a desired site ). activation wire 54 can be actuated in order to deflect proximal region 14 of catheter body 12 such that distal portion 16 is oriented generally towards the ostium of interest . electrodes 20 can then be employed for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes . all directional references ( e . g ., upper , lower , upward , downward , left , right , leftward , rightward , top , bottom , above , below , vertical , horizontal , clockwise , and counterclockwise ) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader &# 39 ; s understanding of the present invention , and do not create limitations , particularly as to the position , orientation , or use of the invention . joinder references ( e . g ., attached , coupled , connected , and the like ) are to be construed broadly and can include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements . as such , joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other . it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting . changes in detail or structure can be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims .	0
the present invention is an extensile fluidic muscle actuator ( fam ) that achieves compressive force generation and extensile motion output with a supplementary motion conversion feature that changes the normal direction of force and motion with just a small increase in friction , weight , and cost . fig1 and 2 show the extensile fluidic muscle actuator in a non - pressurized state . fig3 is a cross section of the embodiment of fig1 - 2 . with combined reference to fig1 - 2 and 3 , the actuator body 1 comprises an elastic fluid bladder 2 surrounded by a stiff braided mesh sleeve 3 . end fittings 4 , 5 are attached to each end to seal the bladder 2 and allow for connection of the actuator 33 to other components . in the preferred embodiment , a swage tube 6 is plastically deformed around the end fittings 4 , 5 , braided sleeve 3 and bladder 2 to provide a fluid seal and a strong mechanical connection . this swaging process is described in full detail in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 456 , 139 for “ fluidic artificial muscle actuator and swaging process therefor .” any other conventional method of attaching these components could also be used with this invention , including hose clamps , crimping , wire winding , adhesive based approaches , etc . normally , when the elastic fluid bladder 2 is filled with fluid , the stiff braided sleeve 3 radially expands and axially contracts , yielding compressive and contractive force generation , respectively . however , the present invention accomplishes compressive force generation and extensile motion output with a direction change mechanism . the direction change mechanism is attached to the actuator body via the two end fittings 4 , 5 . one end fitting is designated the fixed end fitting 4 , as it does not generally move upon pressurization of the actuator . the other end fitting is designated as the moving end fitting 5 . as best seen in fig3 ( a - c ) , pushrod 7 is affixed to the internal end 8 of the moving fitting 5 . pushrod 7 passes through a seal housing 9 which is attached to the fixed end fitting 4 . the seal housing 9 contains at least one sealing element 10 which provides a pressure tight seal around the circumference of the pushrod 7 . additionally , linear bearings 11 may be included on one or both sides of the seal 10 to maintain alignment of the pushrod 7 relative to the seal housing 9 . the pushrod 7 extends from its mounting point on the moving end fitting 5 through the entire internal length of the actuator body 1 , through and then past the seal housing 9 . the actuator 33 may be connected to the system or machine in which it is being employed via the pushrod and fixed end fitting 4 / seal housing 9 . with this arrangement , compressive force and extensile motion are created by the actuator 33 upon internal pressurization of the bladder 2 . specific details of the above - described components follow . the elastic fluid bladder 2 is preferably made from a low modulus , high strain elastic material , including , but not limited to , an elastomer or rubber . silicone , polyurethane , and latex rubbers are the preferred materials , although any suitable material may be used without changing the invention . these materials allow for the large strains associated with pressurization , while minimizing the amount of energy required for their expansion . in the preferred embodiment , the bladder 2 is substantially cylindrical in shape , although other shapes of bladders can be used . wall thickness 12 of the bladder 2 is chosen to ensure that the operating pressure can safely be maintained without rupture , when coupled with the braided sleeve 3 . additional wall thickness may or may not be desired to allow for material loss during long term actuation cycling due to braided sleeve 3 / bladder 2 interactions , such as friction . accordingly , the bladder 2 and / or braid 3 materials may be coated in a complementary material to reduce friction , heating , etc . examples include , but are not limited to , ptfe , graphite , and dry film lubricants . the braided sleeve 3 preferably comprises a web of fiber filaments 13 that are braided in a helical fashion to form a sleeve that can expand or contract in diameter . while this is the preferred embodiment , the sleeve may alternatively be comprised of separate layers of helically wrapped filaments that are stacked instead of woven , where , in the case of two layers , the two individual layers encircle the bladder in opposing directions . in another embodiment , the filaments may be aligned with the length axis 15 of the actuator . these filaments could then be embedded into a soft ( e . g . elastomer or rubber ) matrix to maintain the spacing between fibers . filament material can be any suitable high strength , high modulus material . low friction and high wear resistance are also desirable in the braid material to reduce actuator self - heating and to extend fatigue life . favored materials include , but are not limited to , aramid fibers , para - aramid , poly - p - phenylenebenzobisoxazole ( pbo ) fibers , carbon , or fiberglass fibers . polymers such as nylon , polyether ether ketone ( peek ), polyester ( pet ), and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene ( uhmwpe ), etc . are also suitable . metallic filaments ( steel , stainless steel , titanium , etc .) can also be used , although they are not generally preferred . the sleeve filament density ( distance between strands ) and initial angle 14 of the braid 3 can be varied to influence the stiffness , force generation , deflection range , and other important actuator performance properties . initial braid angle of the sleeve 14 is defined as the angle between a braid filament 13 and the longitudinal axis 15 of the actuator when the braid 3 is tight against the pressure bladder 2 and the actuator is at its resting length 16 ( no internal pressure , no external loading ). the end fittings 4 , 5 are preferably constructed from a lightweight , but strong , material such as aluminum , titanium , plastic , fiber reinforced polymer , or similar . these can be machined , molded , or manufactured in any other way that allows for the necessary features and tolerances to be produced . the fittings 4 , 5 in the preferred embodiment shown include several features that are related to the aforementioned swaging manufacturing method . also shown are the swage tubes 6 which clamp the bladder 2 and braided sleeve 3 onto the end fittings 4 , 5 . the design features of the swage tubes 6 need not be described in detail as they are conventional components . the moving end fitting 5 is provided with some means of attachment for the pushrod 7 . for example , the pushrod 7 may be attached preferably to the center of the inside face of the internal end 8 of the moving fitting 5 . in the shown embodiment , moving end fitting 5 is provided with a tapped hole 17 that allows the pushrod 7 to screw into the internal end 8 of the moving fitting 5 . preferably , this tapped hole 17 is of a smaller diameter than the pushrod 7 , creating a step down in the diameter of the pushrod 7 that provides a mating face to ensure that the fitting 5 and pushrod 7 are parallel . any other attachment means could be used instead of threading , including adhesive bonding , through pins , clips , etc . alternatively , the pushrod 7 and moving fitting 5 could be manufactured as a single part . if desired , the pushrod 7 could be attached to the fitting 5 in a non - rigid manner . for example , a ball and socket joint or a universal joint could be integrated between the two , allowing angular rotation , but still transmitting the compressive forces . such an approach might be useful if lateral loads or moments on the actuator 33 needed to be accommodated . the fixed end fitting 4 can be of two basic designs , one that is designed to connect to a separate external seal housing 9 ( as shown ), or one that is integrally formed with the seal housing 9 . in the embodiments shown in fig3 , the seal housing 9 is an external component that attaches to the fixed end fitting 4 . many options exist for the attachment between these components , although it is necessary that the pushrod 7 be able to travel through the fitting 4 and into the seal housing 9 without interference . the embodiment shown incorporates a threaded hole 18 of large enough diameter that the hollow threaded extension of the seal housing 19 can have sufficient strength to handle the actuation forces , while the hole into the seal housing is large enough to provide clearance for the pushrod 7 . alternatively , the body of the end fitting 4 could be extended past the end of the swage tube 6 and the exposed external surface could be given threads or any other means of attachment to the seal housing 9 . the fixed end fitting 4 can also be designed to accommodate the seal housing 9 internally . if the direction change mechanism is a removable unit , then the seal housing 9 can be sized to fit inside of the end fitting 4 and be attached in a manner as to allow installation and removal of the direction change mechanism at will . if a permanent direction change mechanism were desired , the components and features of the seal housing 9 could be integrated into the design of the fixed end fitting 4 such that the two functions are performed by a single component . the pushrod 7 is designed to carry the actuation forces from the moving end fitting 5 to the system or machine into which the actuator 33 is installed . therefore , it must be made from a suitably strong and stiff material . metals or composite materials are preferred . the loading is primarily compressive , so compressive strength and critical buckling load of this component are paramount . the critical buckling load of the pushrod 7 can be increased without increasing its weight by using a tube instead of a solid rod . it is preferred that the portion of the pushrod 7 that comes in contact with the pressure seal 10 and the optional linear bearings 11 in the seal housing 9 have mechanical properties amenable to use with such components . examples of properties that may be desired include high surface hardness , good wear resistance , low surface roughness , and low friction . two preferred materials for obtaining these properties include heat treated metals and ceramics . the pushrod 7 could be made entirely from such materials , or if a lighter weight option were desired , bearing surface sleeves made from these high hardness materials could be installed around a pushrod made from a lighter material . for example , a heat - treated , precision ground 17 - 4ph stainless steel , thin - walled tube can be bonded to the outside of a carbon fiber / epoxy rod or tube . fluidic muscle actuators typically have maximum strokes 20 on the order of 25 - 40 % of their resting active length 16 . for this reason , it is not necessary that a bearing surface sleeve cover the entire length of the pushrod 7 . all that is required is to cover the portion that comes in contact with the seals 10 and bearings 11 . the external end 22 of the pushrod 7 may include some means of connection ( such as threads as shown , rod end bearings , through holes , snap rings , etc .) for ease of integration and force transfer . while any such feature is within the scope of this invention , a modular approach is preferred . for example , the end of the pushrod 22 may be supplied with a specified standard size of male thread . an adapter block having the female equivalent threads on one side can be screwed thereto , and the adapter block may have any number of different features on the other side as a matter of design choice . this would simplify adaptation of the actuator 33 to different systems or different attachment schemes within the same system . for example , adapter blocks could be provided with different sized male or female threads , through holes , clevis pins , rod end bearings , snap rings , plain bearings , etc . this would eliminate the need to replace or modify the pushrod 7 whenever changes to the mounting scheme were desired . the pushrod 7 may be a single part or alternatively may be made of any number of separate parts that combine to perform the functions described herein . constructing the pushrod 7 from multiple parts gives more flexibility to its design and allows different portions of the components to be optimized to perform different functions . as one of many examples , the multi - part pushrod 21 shown here is made by combining a tube 29 with two rod segments 30 , 32 . the tube portion 29 gives high buckling strength and large volume fill for the portion of the pushrod that stays internal to the actuator over the full deflection range . one of the rod segments 30 allows for attachment to the moving end fitting 5 , preferably via a threaded extension 31 . the second rod segment 32 allows for effective sealing and attachment to the external system . the seal housing 9 contains the components needed to allow the pushrod 7 to slide in and out of the actuator body 1 with minimal loss of the pressurized actuating fluid , and to do so with minimal friction . the primary component needed to perform this function is a sealing element 10 of some form . any suitable single acting or double acting seal may be used , with the exact geometry and materials used being optimized for the operating fluid , pressure levels , and external environmental factors expected . in the shown embodiment , a symmetrical buna - n rubber u - cup rod seal is used . other preferred embodiments include , but are not limited to , rod hat seals , v - packing seals , rod t seals , and o - rings . preferred materials for the seal 10 include natural , polyurethane , and silicone rubbers , as well as polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) and similar low friction materials . in addition to the sealing element 10 , it may be desirable to include linear bearings 11 into the seal housing 9 to help maintain alignment of the pushrod 7 relative to the seal 10 . linear bearings are particularly well suited to applications where pushrod alignment is critical , or where significant lateral ( perpendicular to the pushrod ) forces are expected . a single linear bearing can be installed on either side of the sealing element 10 , or two or more can be included , with at least one on either side of the seal to better maintain alignment through the seal . in the preferred embodiment shown , one plain linear bearing is installed on either side of the seal 10 . preferred materials for these bearings include high strength , low friction polymers ( nylon , peek , roulon , vespel etc .) or composite materials that provide the required strength and low friction by combining two or more different materials . ptfe lined aluminum and glass fiber filled ptfe are two preferred composite material bearing solutions . metallic bearings are also an option , although they are not preferred . alternatively , if the seal housing 9 were made from a suitable material , plain linear bearings could be included as integral features of the housing itself . for example , the housing 9 could be machined or molded from high strength , low friction polyetheretherketone ( peek ), with precise linear bearing features included into the machining process or in the mold . careful material selection for the seal housing 9 is critical to successful design of the component . in the embodiment shown , the seal housing 9 is a primary structural component that must carry the actuation loads between the active region of the fluidic muscle 23 and the structure or machine into which the actuator 33 is mounted . for this reason the material used for its construction must be suitably strong . for high cycle applications , the fatigue resistance of the seal housing , and of all other components , may also be an important design consideration . expected operating temperatures will also guide material selection . finally , manufacturing cost is also an important material selection driver . the preferred materials include metals ( steel , aluminum , magnesium , etc . ), polymers , and fiber reinforced polymers . an optional addition to the invention that may be useful in particularly dirty operating environments is a shaft wiper around the pushrod 7 . this would be installed such that it wiped the external portion of the pushrod clean as the pushrod 7 contracted back into the body of the actuator 1 , thereby limiting the exposure of the linear bearings 11 and the seal 10 to dirt , grit , abrasive particles , or anything else that might reduce their effectiveness and life cycle duration . this component can be included into the seal housing 9 or can be installed separately . in the embodiments shown , the sealing element 10 is contained within the seal housing 9 by a seal retainer 24 , 25 that is designed to be easily separated , facilitating installation and removal of the seal 10 and / or the linear bearings 11 . when assembled , the seal retainer 24 , 25 and seal housing 9 hold the seal 10 completely captive , such that its alignment is maintained and it is unable to migrate or leave the body of the actuator 1 . thus , one of the multiple functions of the combination of seal housing 9 and seal retainer 24 , 25 is similar to that of a two - piece gland . two different means of creating such a multiple part seal housing are shown in fig3 . at fig3 ( a ) , one embodiment 24 uses screws to attach the seal retainer 24 to sealing element 10 . at fig3 ( b ) , another embodiment 25 has the two parts thread into each other . these are only two of many possible solutions , and the invention is not intended to be limited to these specifically noted embodiments . the invention encompasses any appropriate method of designing and fabricating the seal housing 9 , whether it be a single part , multiple parts , or an integral part of the end fittings as discussed earlier . in order for the actuator 33 to operate , it is necessary to have at least one fluid port which allows for flow of the operating fluid , resulting in pressurization or exhaustion of the actuator . this feature is mentioned separately from the above components because it may be incorporated into the actuator 33 at many different places . the fluid port can be anything that connects the inside of the active portion of the actuator to a source of pressurized fluid . the port must be designed such that it can be effectively sealed to prevent pressure loss . two different embodiments are shown here as examples . the embodiments shown in fig3 ( a - c ) have the fluid port 26 as part of the seal housing 9 . in this case , a pressure fitting would be connected to the shown port 26 to allow for attachment to any manner of fluid piping system . this embodiment allows for the fluid piping to remain stationary as the fluidic muscle 33 is actuated . another embodiment shown in fig7 has a threaded fluid port 27 integral to the moving end fitting 5 . in this case , the pressure fitting connects directly to the moving end fitting 5 and the fluid piping provides sufficient slack to move with the end fitting as the muscle 33 is actuated . an important feature of this embodiment is the passage by which the pressurized fluid is able to travel through the end fitting 5 and into the interior of the actuator . it is important that the material removed to allow passage of the fluid does not interfere with the ability of the end fitting 5 to attach to the pushrod 7 and transfer loads through it . one of many possible solutions is shown here . a radial pattern of through - holes 28 allows passage of the fluid while maintaining a web of material through which the actuation loads can be transferred from the moving end fitting 5 to the pushrod 7 . the radial pattern of fluid ports 28 allows for fluid flow from the open end of the end fitting 5 into the internal portion of the actuator , while retaining sufficient material connection between the pushrod 7 mounting point and the end fitting to transfer the actuation loads from the bladder / braided sleeve / moving end fitting assembly into the pushrod . many other options exist for placement of the fluid port , including , but not limited to , the fixed end fitting 4 , the end of a hollow pushrod , etc . additionally , multiple fluid ports could be included into the actuator . for instance , a dedicated fluid fill port could be included into the seal housing 9 or fixed end fitting 4 , and a dedicated fluid exhaust port could be included into the moving end fitting 5 , or vice versa . any number or combination of ports could also be used to increase fluid flow rates into and out of the actuator . fig8 shows a cross section view of an embodiment which includes an outer casing around the fluidic muscle actuator . outer casing 34 is an optional feature which surrounds the fluidic muscle actuator . the casing attaches to the actuator at the fixed end , either to the seal housing 9 , the swage tube 6 , the fixed end fitting 4 , or by some other means . the length of this tubular casing then extends over the fluidic muscle actuator . this casing may be provided with a casing end fitting 35 , which serves as a mounting point for the actuator ( into the system or machine in which it operates ). in this embodiment , mounting the actuator at the casing end fitting 35 and at the end of the pushrod 7 will provide the desired reversal of the actuator force and displacement . this casing may also be used without such an end fitting as a means of protecting the fluidic muscle actuator . in this instance , it may still be desirable to have an outer casing end fitting 35 of some form to seal the open end of the outer casing 34 . fig9 shows the experimentally measured force versus displacement behavior of an extensile fluidic muscle actuator as described above . the extensile behavior of the actuator is shown at three different internal operating fluid pressures . increasing pressure increases force and displacement . the contractile behavior of the same fluidic muscle tested without the displacement conversion device detailed in this invention is also shown here . the magnitudes of force and displacement are similar , showing the effectiveness of this device . having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention , various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept . it is to be understood , therefore , that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims .	5
fig1 is an isometric view of a probe assembly 10 capable of measuring the contact potential difference between a vibrating electrode and a semiconductor substrate . a semiconductor substrate 12 is placed upon a flat upper surface of grounded wafer chuck 14 . an electrode 16 is positioned parallel to and suspended a distance d ag of about 1 . 0 mm above a pecvd oxide layer deposited upon a frontside surface of semiconductor substrate 12 . electrode 16 is mechanically coupled to a vibrating reed 18 . signal cable 20 electrically couples electrode 16 to a measurement system ( not shown ) and a direct current ( dc ) bias voltage network ( not shown ). power supply cable 22 supplies electrical power to vibrating reed 18 during use . optical cable 24 is coupled to a light source 25 and provides high intensity illumination 26 during use . wafer chuck 14 and probe assembly 10 are able to move in relation to one another in order to allow all areas of the frontside surface of semiconductor substrate 12 to be probed . electrode 16 is very small , about 3 . 0 mm in diameter , and substantially transparent . thus electrode 16 is preferably made of thin , loosely - woven strands of an electrically conductive material . suitable materials for electrode 16 include gold and platinum . fig2 is a partial cross - sectional view of semiconductor substrate 12 and electrode 16 . a frontside surface 17 of semiconductor substrate 12 has an pecvd oxide layer 28 formed thereupon . the thicknesses of typical pecvd oxide layers ( d 0x ) range from 1 , 000 to 5 , 000 angstroms . electrical charges exist within pecvd oxide layer 28 . the net electrical charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 is neutralized by an equal and opposite net charge in a space charge region 30 of semiconductor substrate 12 . space charge region 30 exists in semiconductor substrate 12 from frontside surface 17 to a depth d sc of about 80 to 100 angstroms . the difference in electrical potential between electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 ( v ms ) is given by : where v ag is the potential difference across the air gap separating electrode 16 and pecvd oxide layer 28 , v ox is the potential difference across pecvd oxide layer 28 , v sp is the potential difference across space charge region 30 ( i . e ., the surface barrier potential ) of semiconductor substrate 12 , and c is a constant which depends on the difference in the work functions of electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 . the value of v ox is directly related to the net electrical charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 . the work function of a material is the energy necessary to remove an electron from an atom of the material . a contact potential difference exists between any two conducting solids with different work functions . during use , power is applied to vibrating reed 18 via power supply cable 22 , causing vibrating reed 18 to vibrate sinusoidally at a frequency of about 100 hz . mechanically coupled to vibrating reed 18 , electrode 16 also vibrates sinusoidally at a frequency of about 100 hz . electrode 16 thus moves alternately closer and farther away from the frontside surface of silicon substrate 12 . when electrode 16 is closest to the frontside surface , distance d ag is about 0 . 5 mm . when electrode 16 is farthest away from the frontside surface , distance d ag is about 1 . 5 mm . when electrode 16 is vibrating , the distance between electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 varies sinusoidally . the capacitance between two parallel conducting plates varies inversely with the distance between them . any electrical potential difference between vibrating electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 creates a sinusoidal electrical voltage between the two conductors moving in relation to one another . in fig1 a direct current voltage v dc applied between electrode 16 and silicon substrate 12 by the dc bias voltage network ( not shown ) via signal cable 20 results in the configuration shown in fig3 : as described in p . edelman , et al ., &# 34 ; new approach to measuring oxide charge and mobile ion concentration ,&# 34 ; ( referenced above ), adjusting the magnitude of v dc to a value which results in a zero potential difference across the air gap separating electrode 16 and pecvd oxide layer 28 causes the amplitude of the sinusoidal electrical voltage developed between vibrating electrode 16 and semiconductor substrate 12 to go to zero . the magnitude of v dc is then equal to the contact potential difference v cpd between electrode 16 and silicon substrate 12 . when the intensity of high intensity illumination 26 is zero : when semiconductor substrate 12 is subjected to a continuous beam of high intensity illumination 26 through electrode 16 and pecvd oxide layer 28 as shown in fig4 photons may penetrate semiconductor substrate 12 to a depth of about 10 μm as shown . the energies of incident photons may be absorbed at any point along the path of penetration of high intensity illumination 26 . if the energies of the incident photons are greater than the bandgap energy of the material of semiconductor substrate 12 , photons penetrating the semiconductor material are eventually absorbed , producing excess charge carriers ( holes and electrons ) within semiconductor substrate 12 . these excess charge carriers diffuse to the surface of semiconductor substrate 12 , where they become separated by the electric field of space charge region 30 and produce a surface photovoltage . under continuous illumination , the number of excess charge carriers reaches an equilibrium condition and the surface photovoltage becomes constant . high intensity illumination produces a surface photovoltage which is equal and opposite to the surface barrier potential v sp . see , p . edelman , et al ., &# 34 ; surface charge imaging in semiconductor wafers by surface photovoltage ( spv ),&# 34 ; proceedings of the materials research society meeting , san francisco , calif ., april , 1992 ( incorporated herein by reference ). thus the contribution of the surface barrier potential v sp is cancelled by the equal and opposite surface photovoltage produced by a continuous beam of high intensity illumination 26 . the value of v dc applied between vibrating electrode 16 and silicon substrate 12 which causes the amplitude of the sinusoidal electrical voltage between the two conductors to go to zero changes by an amount equal to the surface barrier potential v sp : measurement of v cpd with semiconductor substrate 12 subjected to a continuous beam of high intensity illumination 26 thus results in a value equal to v ox ( plus a constant ). the value of v ox ( plus a constant ) allows detection and an assessment of the net charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 . alternately , light source 25 and optical cable 24 may be deleted from probe assembly 10 . without high intensity illumination , probe assembly 10 may be used to measure the contact potential difference v cpd : a conventional spv apparatus 31 as shown in fig5 may be used to measure surface barrier potential v sp of semiconductor substrate 12 . spv light source 32 includes a high intensity illumination source 34 as described above and a rotating chopper 36 . rotating chopper 34 modulates a beam of monochromatic light 38 produced by illumination source 34 . spv light source 32 thus produces a train of monochromatic light pulses 40 with constant photon flux φ . the train of monochromatic light pulses 40 passes through a housing 42 and strikes the surface of semiconductor substrate 12 resting on electrically grounded wafer chuck 14 . pickup electrode 44 sends an electrical signal reflecting the magnitude of the surface photovoltage produced by semiconductor substrate 12 to lock - in amplifier 46 . lock - in amplifier 46 is synchronized with rotating chopper 36 of spv light source 32 via an electrical signal from spv light source 32 . lock - in amplifier 46 provides an output signal reflecting the resultant magnitude of surface photovoltage produced by semiconductor substrate 12 . as shown in fig6 the train of monochromatic light pulses 40 has an associated modulation period ` t ` and modulation frequency ` f `, where f = 1 / t . it is noted that the modulation frequency ` f ` of the train of monochromatic light pulses 40 is not related to the wavelength or frequency of the beam of monochromatic light 38 . light modulation frequencies from 0 hz to about 40 . 0 khz may be used to analyze the presence , indicated by charge , of mobile surface ions ( from 0 hz to about 300 hz ), interface states ( from about 300 hz to about 5 . 0 khz ), and near - surface recombination ( from about 5 . 0 khz to about 40 . 0 khz ). as before , excess charge carriers diffuse to the surface of the semiconductor substrate where they become separated by the electric field of the surface space charge region and produce a surface photovoltage . in a semiconductor substrate doped with p - type material , surface photovoltage increases when an incident light pulse strikes the surface of the semiconductor substrate , and decreases when the light is blocked by rotating chopper 36 of spv light source 32 . in a semiconductor substrate doped with n - type material , surface photovoltage decreases when an incident light pulse strikes the surface of the semiconductor substrate , and increases when the light is blocked by rotating chopper 36 of spv light source 32 . the number of excess charge carriers and the surface photovoltage eventually reach an equilibrium condition . as described above , high intensity illumination produces a surface photovoltage which is equal to the surface barrier potential v sp . the value of v sp determined using conventional spv apparatus 31 may be subtracted from the value of v cpd measured using probe assembly 10 to obtain the value of v ox ( plus a constant ): measurement of v cpd using probe assembly 10 and v sp with conventional spv assembly 31 thus also allows detection and assessment of the net charge in pecvd oxide layer 28 . it is noted that in the second embodiment , electrode 16 need not be substantially transparent . thus electrode 16 may be a thin sheet of conductive material such as gold or platinum . in a manufacturing environment , statistical process control ( spc ) is commonly used to maintain control of a process and improve yields . continuous process monitoring allows operating personnel to make necessary changes to keep a process under control . control charts aid the process monitoring function . see , k . ishikawa , guide to quality control , chapt . 7 , asian productivity organization , 1982 ( incorporated herein by reference ). one type of control chart applicable to pecvd oxide charge assessment is an x - r control chart . an x - r control chart is actually two charts in one . in each chart , parameter values are plotted on the y ( vertical ) axis versus chronological sample subgroups ( i . e ., lots ) on the x ( horizontal ) axis . thus each data point on an x - r control chart represents a value for a specific sample subgroup . each subgroup typically contains from two to five samples . a first average ( x ) chart is a graph of the average subgroup parameter values versus sample subgroup number ( fig7 ). a horizontal line through the center of the averages chart ( cl x ) is the overall average . the overall average is computed as the sum of the averages of all subgroups divided by the number of subgroups . an upper control limit ( ucl x ) and a lower control limit ( lcl x ) define maximum allowable deviations from cl x . as defined herein , the values of cl x , ucl x , and lcl x are the control parameters for an average ( x ) chart . a second range ( r ) chart is a graph of the largest differences between subgroup parameter values ( i . e ., subgroup range ) versus subgroup number ( fig8 ). a horizontal line through the center of the r chart ( cl r ) is the average of all subgroup range values . the average of all subgroup range values is computed as the sum of the range values of all subgroups divided by the number of subgroups . an upper control limit ( ucl r ) and a lower control limit ( lcl r ) define maximum allowable deviations from cl r . as defined herein , the values of cl r , ucl r , and lcl r are the control parameters for a range ( r ) chart . a process which is in control will have average and range values that ( i ) remain within the areas of the charts bounded by the ucls and lcls , and ( ii ) vary above and below cl x ( average chart ) and cl r ( range chart ) in a random pattern . in region a of fig7 average and range values meet these requirements . thus in region a of fig7 the process is in control . in region b , however , the average values remain above the overall average cl x , indicating that the process is out of control . the range values in region b do not exceed ucl r . thus the average values associated with subgroups have increased in region b , but the ranges associated with these subgroups have not changed appreciably from those in region a . changes need to be made to the process to bring it back into control before ucl x is exceeded . measured values of v ox ( plus a constant ) may be used as pecvd oxide charge derivative values . an x - r control chart to evaluate a pecvd oxide deposition process is formed by first measuring pecvd oxide charge derivative values for a number of semiconductor substrates . the measurement data is divided into k subgroups according to measurement order . the average pecvd oxide charge derivative values are calculated for each subgroup : ## equ1 ## where each subgroup contains n pecvd oxide charge derivative values and x n is the nth pecvd oxide charge derivative value in a given subgroup . the range of pecvd oxide charge derivative values for each subgroup is calculated : where max ( x ) is the largest pecvd oxide charge derivative value in the kth subgroup and min ( x ) is the smallest pecvd oxide charge derivative value in the kth subgroup . next the overall average of the pecvd oxide charge derivative values ( cl x ) is calculated : ## equ2 ## the average of the range values of pecvd oxide charge derivative values for all subgroups ( cl r ) is calculated : ## equ3 ## the ucls and lcls are calculated : ## equ4 ## where the values of factors a 2 , d 4 , and d 3 may be taken from table 1 below : table 1______________________________________factors for ucl and lcl calculationsn a . sub . 2 d . sub . 4 d . sub . 3______________________________________2 1 . 880 3 . 267 03 1 . 023 2 . 575 04 0 . 729 2 . 282 05 0 . 577 2 . 115 06 0 . 483 2 . 004 07 0 . 419 1 . 924 0 . 076______________________________________ the x - r control chart is generated using the computed values for the overall average ( cl x ), the average of the range values ( cl r ), and the ucls and lcls . the average and range values of pecvd oxide charge derivative values for each subgroup are then plotted on the x and r charts , respectively . the pecvd oxide deposition process may then be evaluated as described above with respect to net charge based upon an interpretation of the x - r control chart . it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that this invention is believed to be capable of detecting and assessing the net charge in a pecvd oxide layer deposited on a surface of a semiconductor substrate . furthermore , it is also to be understood that the form of the invention shown and described is to be taken as exemplary , presently preferred embodiments . various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims . it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such modifications and changes .	7
fig1 shows in top view from above a right glove , consisting of a unified glove body h , while the glove body has a hand part 1 and a cuff 2 adjacent to the latter . the inventive configuration of the glove h is used primarily in variants lying tightly and directly against the hand of the wearer , preferably made from liquid - tight , elastic material , such as rubber , serving preferably as examining or operating gloves . nevertheless , the benefits of the inventive glove design also extend to all other kinds of gloves , such as fabric or leather gloves or even all kinds of disposable gloves made of plastic , as are customary in supermarkets and gas stations . now , on a peripheral segment on the outside of the cuff 2 there is provided , for example , a looplike gripping aid 3 a . this at least one gripping aid 3 a is provided on a peripheral part of the cuff 2 , which covers the wristbone region of the hand on the outside , although this statement must be considered merely an approximate positioning in the peripheral direction . the gripping aid 3 a can also extend across a certain angular region in the peripheral wristbone region . looking in the lengthwise direction , the gripping aid 3 a can be situated in very different positions , and for gloves with very short cuffs 2 it can even be moved to the region of the actual hand part 1 and lie in the region of the wrist or even the edge of the hand . these gripping aids and all others yet to be explained are advantageously so little removed from the glove body h or stand out so little from it that they can be easily and firmly grasped , on the one hand , but in no way impede the work or examination procedures , etc . they are also so far away from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 that there is no danger of touching with one glove - protected hand the tissue ( skin ) of the opposite hand when putting on or taking off the gloves fig2 shows the gripping aid 3 a in larger scale , it being evident that this gripping aid 3 a is made as a single piece with the glove cuff 2 and is raised above the surface of the cuff 2 opposite the skin of the wearer such that one or even several fingers of the other hand or even a helping implement can be inserted for manipulating the glove . this helping implement can be , say , a hook or the like , which can be fixed in place or held by the other hand . any type of gripping aid 3 a can be provided in any meaningful orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 . fig2 shows a slanting arrangement , for example , of a loop - shaped gripping aid similar to fig1 , which optimally allows a pulling force to be exerted from the wristbone region of the glove obliquely across the back side of the hand to the thumb side . fig3 shows the start of the pulling off process of a pair of gloves according to the invention in perspective view . besides the gripping aid 3 a in the wristbone region of the cuff 2 already described in connection with fig1 and fig2 , an additional gripping aid 3 is preferably provided on the glove h of the other hand , being provided at a position opposite the back hand part 4 , when seen in the peripheral direction , or at a place which is adjacent thereto on at least one side . the first gripping aid , as well as the further gripping aid 3 , could also be designed as structures extending for approximately 180 °, from the wristbone region to the inner surface of the hand . after grasping the gripping aid 3 on the left glove in fig3 with the other , i . e ., right hand ( fig3 ), the gripping aid 3 a arranged in the wristbone region on the outer side of the second , right glove , as shown in fig4 , can be grasped by the left hand in an ergonomically favorable position of both hands and forearms to each other . the skin of the wearer does not make any contact with any dirty or contaminated outer surface of the gloves . as the hands are further moved apart , as can be seen in fig5 and 6 , the gloves will be pulled off diametrically opposite and substantially at the same time from the forearms and then also from the surface of the hand or the back of the hand , and a portion of the gloves with its normally outside situated surface will already be drawn into the other respective glove . as the hands are moved further apart and the gloves are also pulled off from the fingers of both hands , the gloves will finally be fully turned inside out and joined together as they continue to be drawn into each other , as can be seen in fig7 to 10 . thus , as can be seen in fig1 , after pulling off the gloves the user can hold and handle them without coming into contact with their potentially dirty or contaminated outer surface . the gripping aid 3 , 3 a configured and arranged according to the invention not only facilitates the pulling off of the gloves , as explained above , but the user can also more easily slip on the glove by grasping a loop or the like ( 3 , 3 a ) and slipping on the glove by pulling on it in the direction of the arm or body . the same can be done by a helper , who may already be wearing ( sterile ) gloves , as shown in fig1 , thereby ensuring excellent sterility . furthermore , this second person can stretch the glove apart by pulling the gripping aids 3 , 3 a apart , if it has two or more of them , and thereby widening the opening of the glove h . the user of the glove can then slip more easily into the expanded glove opening ( and the glove ). if the cuff 2 of the glove h has already been somewhat turned inside out , or if the exterior gripping aids 3 , 3 a have been lost or slipped through the fingers , the further pull - off process can also be facilitated by providing at least one gripping aid 3 b in addition on the inside of the cuff 2 , as shown in fig1 . preferably , such a gripping aid 3 b on the inside of the cuff 2 will lie closer to the hand part 1 of the glove h than a gripping aid 3 , 3 a on the outside of the cuff 2 . other kinds of gripping aids 3 , 3 a , 3 b , their configurations , arrangements and orientations are then represented as examples , but not limited thereto , in fig1 to 54 . besides gripping aids 3 , 3 a in the above described embodiment as a loop with a continuous opening , gripping aids 3 , 3 a in a tongue or flap configuration can also be provided , as is shown in fig1 and 14 for a gripping aid 3 arranged on the inside of the hand . this flaplike gripping aid 3 normally lies flat on the surface of the cuff 2 , as is also advantageously the case with the looplike and all other configurations of gripping aids 3 , 3 a , 3 b . fig1 shows , in top view , a gripping aid 4 extending across a broad peripheral region , extending around the wristbone region proper onto the side of back of the hand and also the hand &# 39 ; s bottom surface of the cuff 2 , as is clearly recognizable in the view from behind of fig1 . the gripping aid 4 of fig1 and 16 is also different in construction from the gripping aids 3 , 3 a , 3 b explained thus far , namely , it is designed as a pocket closed off in front , i . e ., toward the hand part 1 of the glove h , and open at the rear . configurations with central ridge and thus a pocket open both in front and at the rear are also possible , into which the fingers of the other hand or also other helping implements can be inserted from the front and / or from behind for pulling the gloves on and off and thus firmly holding the gripping aid . another embodiment of the gripping aid is shown in fig1 and 18 , where an elevation 4 a running around the entire periphery of the cuff 2 is provided as the gripping aid . this elevation 4 a can be formed by a bulge of the material of the cuff 2 itself or by additional material which is applied to the cuff 2 . for making the bulge 4 a — as for any kind of gripping aids in the form of bulges — the dipping glove mold can be provided with a corresponding projection . this projection after the dipping and finishing of the glove can remain on the dip mold , be removed from the glove , or even be left inside it . the dip mold can also have a permanent bulge . of course , gripping aids 4 running around the entire cuff 2 can be provided for pairs of gloves , as well as for individual gloves . these all - around gripping aids 4 could also be in the form of pockets , both with backward pointing opening , i . e ., toward the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 , or being open in front , or alternating in both directions . fig1 shows other gripping aids 4 in bulge configuration , which are designed as essentially circular symmetrical elevations of the cuff 2 and are hollow and open toward the inside of the glove . the latter embodiment can also be provided for the all - around elevation 4 a of fig1 and 18 . an embodiment of the gripping aid similar to that of fig1 and 18 is shown in fig2 and 21 . two ridges lying close together in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 and being oriented essentially perpendicular to this axis form a gripping aid 4 all around the cuff 2 with the exception of four interruptions . the ridges of the gripping aid 4 extend essentially across an angular region of around 45 ° and are located — in terms of the periphery — on the side of the back of the hand , the outer wristbone region , the thumb side , and the inner hand surface of the cuff 2 . fig2 shows a cuff with gripping aids 4 similar to fig2 in side view , again designed as two ridges lying next to each other and divided by four interruptions into four separate regions . but whereas fig2 shows an embodiment in which the gripping aid 4 is formed by additional material placed on the cuff 2 , the ridges of fig2 are formed by protuberances of the cuff 2 itself , preferably open toward the inside , preferably cavities that are formed during the dipping process in the manufacturing . the gripping aid 3 of the left glove of a pair of gloves according to the invention runs on the back hand side of the wristbone region essentially parallel with the rear edge 5 of the cuff , then merges into a segment which runs obliquely in the direction of this rear edge 5 to the inside of the hand , and from there again runs largely parallel to the edge 5 for a short distance . the gripping aid 3 a provided in the upper wristbone region of the right glove of a pair of gloves is designed in the shape of two half - tubes , oriented obliquely to the axis of the cuff 2 , running in the direction from the wristbone side to the thumb side . the user can slip the fingers of his other hand and / or a helping implement into the half - tube - shaped gripping aid from either side . fig2 shows a cuff of a left glove of a pair of gloves as in fig2 and 24 , in top view . an oblong pocket , open in front and in the rear , is applied as a gripping aid 3 — indicated by dotted lines — on the hand inner surface of the cuff 2 and peripherally in the thumb region , i . e ., the bottom side in fig2 . the lengthwise axis of the pocket serving as the gripping aid 3 , and in identical fashion its central inner ridge , joined to the cuff 2 , is inclined relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , for example , here it subtends an angle of around 40 ° with this lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 . the gripping aid 3 — in each of its configurations — can be arranged at such an angle to the axis of the glove , even clearly deviating from an arrangement oriented normal to the lengthwise axis , that at least one finger of the opposite hand can ergonomically , easily and firmly grasp and hold the gripping aid . fig2 shows the cuff of the right glove of the pair of gloves with gripping aid 3 a arranged at the upper wristbone side , which like the gripping aid 3 of fig2 is designed as a pocket open on both sides . fig2 and 28 show the cuffs of fig2 and 26 in a view from behind , revealing the position of the gripping aids on the periphery , as well as their extent along the periphery . another embodiment and also arrangement of gripping aids 3 and 3 a of a matched pair of gloves — similar to the pairs of fig2 to 28 — are shown by fig2 and 30 . again , the dotted representation of the gripping aid 3 in fig2 indicates that it is located on the underside of the cuff 2 , the inner surface of the hand in terms of periphery , whereas the gripping aid 3 a on the opposite glove of fig3 is placed on the back hand side of the cuff 2 . the lengthwise axis of the gripping aids 3 , 3 a are now oriented here exactly perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the glove and the gripping aids 3 , 3 a extend across a peripheral angular range of around 90 ° of the cuff 2 . as is especially evident in the views from behind of fig3 and 32 , the gripping aids 3 , 3 a are formed , for example , by pockets open in front and behind , yet whose central ridge has two interruptions , thus forming two openings through which a finger of the other hand or also a helping implement can be inserted for even better grasping of the gripping aids 3 , 3 a . certain cross section shapes can also serve for better grasping of the gripping aids 3 , 3 a . thus , fig3 shows a shape of a gripping aid similar to the greek letter omega , which can also pass into a mushroomlike configuration with outer margin curved downward . a similar upward broadening of the cross section of the gripping aid of fig3 , in the shape of the letter “ y ”, also facilitates the firm holding of the gripping aid . another variant of the gripping aid is shown in fig3 , which corresponds in cross section or side view to two triangles , having one side parallel to and facing each other . a gripping aid cross section in the shape of adjacent , rounded ridges is shown in fig3 . preferable , however , are upwardly broadening shapes , such as gripping aids with the cross section or side view in the form of a triangle placed on its tip , as shown in fig3 . for many applications , however , even pockets open in front can be advantageous as gripping aids , such as for the configuration of the inventive glove shown in fig3 and 39 for example . as made clear by the rear view of the cuff 2 in fig3 , a pocket - shaped gripping aid 4 can also run essentially around the entire periphery of the cuff 2 and only be divided into separate regions by small interruptions . the individual pocket - shaped regions extend in terms of angle across somewhat more than 90 °, they are positioned at the back of the hand region , the inside of the hand , the wristbone region and the thumb region of the periphery of the cuff 2 and separated from each other by narrow regions of cuff with no gripping aid . as can be seen in fig4 , as many individual gripping aids or gripping aid segments as desired can be provided adjacent to each other , with or without spacing from each other . for example , this is shown in fig4 by means of four individual loops arranged on an oblique line in the upper wristbone region of the cuff 2 , each of which is slightly separated from the neighboring loop , and each loop being itself oriented in the direction from the wristbone region to the thumb side of the hand , so as to exert an optimal pulling action in this direction . fig4 is a top view of a cuff with yet another embodiment of the gripping aid 3 a on the back of the hand side of the cuff 2 . a pocket - shaped gripping aid 3 a with perpendicular orientation to the lengthwise axis of the glove is additionally provided with openings in the region forming the top side of the pocket . these openings can be , for example , in the form of slots ( far left ), essentially circular ( middle ) or elliptical holes ( far right ), and when the openings have a preferential direction this direction can in principle have any desired orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the gripping aid 3 a and / or the cuff 2 of the glove . as shown by another embodiment in fig4 , two or more different configurations of gripping aids 3 , 3 a can also be combined on the same glove , as well as different positions and orientations of the gripping aids relative to each other and / or to the lengthwise axis of the glove . in the example of fig4 , a straight , ridgelike elevation oriented perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the glove is provided on the back of the hand side of the cuff 2 as the gripping aid 3 a , and a pocket - shaped gripping aid 3 , likewise perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , is provided diametrically opposite on the inside of the hand . the position in terms of periphery is clearly shown in fig4 . of course , several gripping aids 3 , 3 a can take up different positions in the lengthwise direction of the glove not only on different gloves , but also on the same glove . thus , in the exemplary embodiment of fig4 , the ridgelike upper gripping aid 3 a is further away from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 than the pocket - shaped lower gripping aid 3 , which is farther from the hand part 1 of the glove . in any case , however , the gripping aid 3 , 3 a , or 4 lying closest to the rear edge 5 is so far from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 that there is no danger of touching the skin or clothing of the wearer , no longer covered by the cuff 2 , when grasping the gripping aid 3 , 3 a , or 4 with a dirty or contaminated glove . fig4 is a view of a cuff 2 with loop - shaped gripping aid 3 a , oriented parallel to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 . an entirely different embodiment of a gripping aid 3 a is shown by fig4 . it is designed as a thread lying against the cuff 2 in serpentine fashion in its state of rest , which can be lifted up from the cuff 2 by the other hand and used to exert a pulling in basically any desired direction . several gripping aids , even of different design , can also be directly adjacent to each other , as is shown for example in fig4 . here , on either side of a central loop - or tongue - shaped gripping aid , with a lengthwise hole in addition for secure grabbing , there are arranged looplike gripping aids . the different adjacent gripping aids 3 d could be oriented identical or parallel , but they could also have different orientation to each other , as shown . for example , fig4 shows an embodiment in which the outer ends of the outer loop - shaped regions of the gripping aid 3 d are shifted toward the hand part 1 of the glove . fig4 likewise shows a cuff according to the invention with a gripping aid 3 a with different orientation at different positions on the periphery , but the different regions of the gripping aid 3 a are configured essentially identical , namely , as a pocket - shaped structure with slits in the upper pocket boundary . but here , in contrast to the gripping aid 3 d of fig4 , the outer ends of the outer segments of the gripping aid 3 a are shifted in the direction of the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 . to facilitate the grasping and holding of the gripping aids when putting on or pulling off the gloves , various measures can be taken to improve the grip of the surface in the region of the gripping aids . thus , as shown for example in fig4 , grooves can be present , running in the lengthwise direction or the peripheral direction of the cuff 2 when the gripping aids are of oblong shape and also when the gripping aids 4 travel around the periphery . these grooves can also be formed by folding of the material of the cuff 2 , which at the same time lets one expand the region of the gripping aid , which can thus be held even more easily and simply . besides grooves as in fig4 , differently structured surface regions are also possible for the gripping aids . besides simply roughened surfaces , knobs or other eminences can also be provided over an area . the knobs themselves can have various configurations , such as substantially hemispherical , dowel shaped , conical or pyramidal , and so on . different configurations can also be provided in adjacent regions , as is shown for example for the peripheral , interrupted gripping aid 4 of fig4 . fig4 also reveals that not only the gripping aid itself ( as in fig4 ), but also the intervening regions x can be provided with a stretchable design , such as grooves or folds or stretchable material . fig5 shows a gripping aid 3 a raised up somewhat above the surface of the cuff 2 , here , for example , the back hand side . it consists of a flap - shaped part , whose central region is higher than the side parts and which is also provided with a lengthwise hole oriented transverse to the cuff 2 . fig5 shows in top view another embodiment of a cuff 2 according to the invention with a pocket - shaped gripping aid 3 a , which on one lengthwise segment is open toward the back , toward the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 , and on the adjoining segment ( to the right in the drawing ) it is open toward the front , toward the hand part 1 of the glove . in addition , to enhance the grip , the outer surface of the gripping aid 3 a is provided with a waffle imprint , for example . fig5 shows , as an example , that the gripping aids of the invention can not only adjoin each other in the peripheral direction as well as the lengthwise direction of the cuff 2 , 11 but also overlap each other . here , four looplike gripping aids are provided on the back hand side of the cuff 2 , every two loops being arranged to intersect in a cross . the individual loops are each inclined by substantially 45 ° relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , for example , and every two crosswise pairs of loops are positioned alongside each other at substantially the same distance from the rear edge 5 of the cuff 2 , for example . fig5 shows a tongue - shaped gripping aid 3 a on the back hand part of the cuff 2 , pointing toward the hand part 1 of the glove , with reinforcement fibers incorporated in the gripping aid 3 a itself and the connection region . this type of reinforcement of the connection or transition region of gripping aid and cuff can be provided , of course , for any configuration of gripping aid and cuff . as an example for gripping aids manufactured separately and then placed on the cuff 2 , fig5 shows a loop - shaped gripping aid 3 a for the back hand side of the cuff , which has tablike enlargements 3 c at its ends facing the cuff 2 , by which the gripping aid 3 a can preferably be glued to the cuff 2 . but a peripheral gripping aid can also be constructed after the embodiment shown in fig5 and 56 . here , a closed band or one with both ends fastened to the glove is passed through the cuff 2 of the glove in several places , here eight places , preferably sealed off or tightly joined to the material of the cuff at the points of passage , for example , it is glued or welded . the result is several loops ( here , four ) as exterior gripping aids 3 , 3 a on the outside of the glove , and at the same time the interior segments of the band ( here again four ) could be used as inner gripping aids 3 b , if the points of passage through the cuff 2 are sufficiently far apart . fig5 shows another embodiment of a gripping aid 3 , 3 a in which edge segments branching to the outside are joined by a straight segment lying parallel to the rear edge 4 of the cuff 2 . on the cuff 2 of fig5 there is positioned a group of adjacent gripping aids 3 at a distance from each other , also for example with different orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 and of different configurations , i . e ., a flap - shaped gripping aid 3 with lengthwise hole 6 at the center and two loop - shaped gripping aids 3 at the sides . the dashes represent a gripping aid 3 a , for example designed here as a pocket open on at least one side , which is also provided on the hand inner surface of the cuff 2 . fig5 shows as an example that peripheral gripping aids 5 can also be provided in groups . furthermore , fig5 shows as an example that these peripheral gripping aids 5 can also be oriented obliquely to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 , and also in a different way for each of the gripping aids 5 of the group , of course . fig6 and 61 are representations of gripping aids 3 extending over a relatively large angular range from the outer wristbone region across the back hand region of the cuff 2 and changing their orientation relative to the lengthwise axis of the cuff 2 twice in their course , for example . whereas the gripping aid 3 of fig6 consists of three segments , merging directly one into another , fig6 shows a group with , say , three individual gripping aids 3 of different orientation and at a short distance from each other .	0
in fig4 an ion mirror 60 in accordance with the present invention is shown . seven traces 62 having rectangular frame - like configurations are positioned in a sequential manner . the number of traces 62 is not critical to the invention . the traces 62 are made of stainless steel material . however , the traces 62 can be fabricated with other metals having similar conductive characteristics , such as nickel . preferably , the traces 62 have sufficient rigidity so that the traces 62 are able to maintain their rectangular shape . in the preferred embodiment , the traces 62 are covered by an ion mirror shell 64 , such that the traces 62 are affixed to the interior surface of the ion mirror shell 64 . the ion mirror shell 64 is illustrated in a transparent form in order to highlight the traces 62 . the ion mirror shell 64 is composed of polymer material , such as polyimide . preferably , non - conductive kapton ® is used to form the ion mirror shell 64 . however , other polymer materials can be utilized to create the ion mirror shell 64 . the traces 62 are electrically insulated from each other by the ion mirror shell 64 . the ion mirror shell 64 along with the traces 62 create a hollow conduit for passage of ion packets . situated on top of each trace 62 are l - shaped fast - on connectors 66 ( only six are illustrated ). the fast - on connectors 66 are attached to the traces 62 through the ion mirror shell 64 in order to provide voltages to the traces 62 when voltages are applied to the fast - on connectors 66 . the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 are functionally equivalent to the mirror plates 32 of the ion mirror 44 in fig2 . similarly , a back plate 68 , located at the end of the ion mirror 60 , is functionally equivalent to the mirror back plate 34 of the ion mirror 16 . preferably , the back plate 68 is designed to attach to the ion mirror shell 64 by fasteners , e . g . clips . a conventional wire - mesh grid 70 is positioned within the rectangular hollow conduit created by the ion mirror shell 64 . the wire - mesh grid 70 is supported by two grid frames 72 . the grid frames 72 are similarly shaped as the traces 62 to fit into the rectangular hollow conduit . the wire - mesh grid 70 and the grid frames 72 may be electrically coupled to an adjacent trace 62 . the ion mirror shell 64 is supported by a brace plate 74 . the brace plate 74 is designed to be attached to a mass spectrometer . the brace plate 74 has a rectangular aperture to hold the ion mirror shell 64 . preferably , the brace plate 74 is soldered to one of the traces 62 that is positioned in the aperture of the brace plate 74 . the connection between the brace plate 74 and the trace 62 will be described in detail with reference to fig5 . the ion mirror 60 operates in an identical manner as the ion mirrors 16 in fig1 . signals of varying voltage are applied to the traces 62 through the fast - on connectors 66 . a separate voltage may be applied to the wire - mesh grid 70 . if the wire - mesh grid 70 is electrically coupled to the adjacent trace 62 , the separate voltage is not required . a voltage may also be applied to the back plate 68 . the voltages on the traces 62 , the wire - mesh grid 70 , and the back plate 68 generate an electrostatic field gradient within the hollow conduit of the ion mirror 60 . a packet of ions enters the ion mirror 60 through the aperture of the ion mirror 60 and traverses toward the back plate 68 . the electrostatic field gradient within the hollow conduit decelerates the ions as they approach the back plate 68 . the electrostatic field gradient eventually redirects the ions almost 180 degrees and accelerates the ions away from the back plate 68 . the ion mirror 60 can be positioned within a mass spectrometer , such that the packet of ions entering the ion mirror 60 is redirected toward another ion mirror or a detector . although the ion mirror 60 has a rectangular box - like shape , other geometrical shapes can also be utilized . for example , the ion mirror shell 64 could be configured into a circular tube - like shape . in this embodiment , the hollow conduit of the ion mirror 60 is circular . the back plate 68 can also be circular to fit into the circular conduit . the wire - mesh grid 70 and the grid frames 72 can be circular as well . however , the operation of a circular ion mirror 60 would be identical to the rectangular ion mirror 60 . the geometrical configuration of the ion mirror 60 is not critical to the invention , as long as the desired electrostatic field gradient within the hollow conduit of the ion mirror 60 can be generated . fig5 is an illustration of the ion mirror 60 that is in the process of being shaped into a desired geometrical form , i . e . rectangular box - like configuration . the back plate 68 and the wire - mesh grid 70 with the grid frames 72 are positioned to conform to the hollow conduit of the ion mirror shell 64 when shaped . initially , traces 62 are deposited or etched onto a flexible substrate , such as kapton ®. the traces 62 are configured in long strips on the ion mirror shell 64 . the long strips will contour into the rectangular frame - like structures when the ion mirror shell 64 is folded around the back plate 68 and the grid frames 72 . the second trace 62 from the far left includes two tabs 76 . the tabs 76 are part of that trace 62 . the tabs 76 can be folded out and soldered to the brace plate 74 . in other words , the tabs 76 can be folded away from the hollow conduit created by the ion mirror shell 64 when shaped . the ion mirror shell 64 includes two holes to allow the tabs 76 to be folded out through the ion mirror shell 64 . after the ion mirror shell 64 is folded into the rectangular box - like shape , the traces 62 can be soldered to hold each trace 62 in the rectangular frame - like configuration . preferably , the traces 62 will slightly overlap when folded . the back plate 68 may be glued to the ion mirror shell 64 . the back plate 68 may include clips to secure the back plate 68 onto the ion mirror shell 64 . the grid frames 72 can also be glued to the ion mirror shell 64 . alternatively , the grid frames 72 can be soldered to the adjacent trace 62 . the adjacent trace 62 can be configured to form tabs ( not shown ) similar to the tabs 76 in order provide an area to solder the adjacent trace 62 to the grid frames 72 . the wire - mesh grid 70 is positioned in place by the grid frames 72 . an ion mirror having a circular tube - like structure can also be formed using similar methods as described above . in this embodiment , the back plate 68 , the grid frames 72 , and the wire - mesh grid 70 will have circular shapes instead of the rectangular shapes shown in fig5 . the ion mirror shell 64 can then be rolled into the circular tube - like shape . the soldering of traces 62 can be accomplished in the same manner as described previously . the back plate 68 and the grid frames 72 can also be affixed to the ion mirror shell 64 in the manner as described above . using a similar design as the ion mirror 60 , other optical path devices can be constructed . in fig6 an einzel lens 80 in accordance with the present invention is shown . a lens shell 82 defines the shape of the einzel lens 80 . the lens shell 82 has a circular tube - like shape . the shape of the lens shell 82 provides a circular conduit through the einzel lens 80 . the hollow conduit is designed to accommodate a propagation path of a packet of ions through the einzel lens 80 in a time - of - flight mass spectrometer . identical to the ion mirror shell 64 , the lens shell 82 can be composed of a polymer material , preferably kapton ®. formed on the surface of the lens shell 82 are two lateral traces 84 , upper and lower traces 86 , and three focus traces 88 . the lateral , upper , and lower vertical traces 84 and 86 are rectangular sheets that have been contoured to fit onto the curved surface of the lens shell 82 . similar to the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 , the traces 84 , 86 and 88 can be made of stainless steel , nickel , or other metal having similar conductive characteristics . preferably , the traces 84 , 86 and 88 are affixed to the interior surface of the lens shell 82 . a brace plate 90 is attached to the lens shell 82 . the brace plate 90 is designed to be attached to a mass spectrometer . although not shown in fig6 fast - on connectors can be attached to each of the traces 84 , 86 and 88 to provide voltages of varying degrees . in operation , the einzel lens 80 functions in an identical manner as the conventional einzel lens 50 in fig3 . initially , voltages are applied to the traces 84 , 86 and 88 , thereby creating an electrical field within the circular conduit of the einzel lens 80 . a packet of ions enters the input aperture , the left open end of the circular conduit created by the lens shell 82 . the electrical field created by the lateral traces 84 , the upper and lower traces 86 , and the focus traces 88 induces the ions to form a narrower packet . the effects of such an electrical field on moving ions are well known to persons skilled in the art . the narrowed packet of ions exits through the output aperture , the right open end of the circular conduit , and then travels to another optical path element , such as an ion mirror , or to a detector . the einzel lens 80 shown in fig6 could be configured into another geometrical shape . in an alternative embodiment , the einzel lens 80 has the same rectangular box - like shape as the ion mirror 60 . the only modifications needed to construct the rectangular einzel lens 80 are to configure the lens shell 82 along with the traces 84 , 86 and 88 into a rectangular box - like shape . utilizing the configuration of the einzel lens 80 , an entire non - reflecting linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer may be constructed . by increasing the length of the lens shell 82 , a pulser and a detector can be placed in the lens shell 82 , creating an integrated linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer . a circular pulse plate and a circular pulse exit plate can be attached to the lens shell 82 to the left of the horizontal traces 84 . the detector can be placed to the right of the vertical traces 86 . other designs of an integrated linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer are also possible using similar configurations . for example , an integrated linear time - of - flight mass spectrometer having two einzel lenses may be constructed . in another embodiment , resistive material is used to create an electrostatic field gradient within an optical path device . fig7 shows an ion mirror shell 92 having two traces 94 at opposite ends of an area of resistive material 96 . the traces 94 can be identical to the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 in fig5 . the area of resistive material 96 may be formed by depositing or silk screening the resistive material onto the ion mirror shell 92 . alternatively , the area of resistive material 96 may be formed prior to being affixed to the ion mirror shell 92 . preferably , the resistive material 96 has a higher electrical resistance that the traces 94 to provide a uniform voltage drop across the area of resistive material 96 when a potential difference is formed across the traces 94 . the ion mirror shell 92 along with the traces 94 and the resistive material 96 can be utilized to create another embodiment of the ion mirror 60 in fig4 . the ion mirror shell 64 and the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 can be replaced by the ion mirror shell 92 , the traces 94 , and the resistive material 96 . the traces 94 and the resistive material 96 can be configured to be functionally equivalent to the traces 62 of the ion mirror 60 . in the modified ion mirror 60 , the traces 94 and the resistive material 96 will operate to create the electrostatic field gradient needed to redirect an incoming packet of ions . a similar configuration may be utilized to replace the focus traces 88 of the einzel lens 80 in fig6 . instead of having three focus traces 88 , the einzel lens 80 may have resistive material placed between two focus traces in order to manipulate packets of ions . the traces - and - resistive material configuration of fig7 may be used in other optical path devices to generate various electrostatic field gradients . in addition , the traces - and - resistive material configuration may be modified to create non - conventional electrostatic fields within an optical path device . instead of having only one area of resistive material , a number of areas of resistive material can be employed . an area of resistive material may be subjected to one or more potential differences supplied by two or more traces . each area of resistive material would then create a particular electrostatic field . the areas of resistive material could vary in size and shape to create a wide range of electrostatic fields . the electrostatic fields created by the areas of resistive material can then be used in an optical path device to manipulate ions .	7
the controller 10 of fig1 includes the back panel 11 attached to its casing which consists of the top 12 , the sides 13 and 14 , the front 15 , and the bottom 16 . at the front 15 appear the on - off switch 19 and a weak - battery indicator and rate - selection switches which the figure does not show . however , the cover 20 for the rotary selection switches appears behind the front panel 15 . behind the front panel 15 appears a z - shaped metal bracket 23 . the screws 24 hold the front leg 25 of the z bracket 23 to the front panel , receiving the assistance of the posts 26 in this task . the screw 28 , along with an additional screw beneath it , similarly holds the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 to the front panel 15 . the post 30 extends from the front panel 15 to the screw 28 to provide an attachment for the latter to the former . the front panel 15 of the controller 10 has the opening 31 into which can fit a casette . the casette generally has a greater height than does the controller . moreover , the connections leading to and from the casette extend out of the controller &# 39 ; s top and bottom , respectively . accordingly , an opening 33 in the bottom 16 and a similar opening 34 in the top 12 ( seen in fig2 ) allow for the insertion of the casette into the controller 10 through the front panel 15 . as shown in fig1 the opening 33 in the bottom panel 16 has a shape of an inverted &# 34 ; l .&# 34 ; the lateral leg of the l - shaped opening permits the movement of the casette from the left to the right . the opening 34 in the top panel 12 has the same shape as the bottom panel &# 39 ; s opening 33 . as the casette enters the controller 10 through the front panel 15 , it snugly fits between the metal plate 37 and the upper arm 38 . as shown in fig2 the lower arm 39 sits below the upper arm 38 and also serves to orient the casette . moreover , as discussed below with regards to fig4 the two arms 38 and 39 fit snugly around a protuberance on the casette to orient the latter in a vertical direction . the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 form part of a single metal holder . they connect together through the back piece 40 which also has the upper leg 41 and the bottom leg 42 . the top of the upper leg 41 sits inside of a groove provided in the upper track 44 . as seen in fig2 the track 44 has the thick , short section 45 which sits in front of the upper leg 41 . the screws 47 retain the upper track 42 to the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 . similarily , the lower leg 42 sits in a groove formed in the lower track 49 . similar to the upper track 44 , the lower track 49 includes the short thick section 50 which sits in front of the lower leg 42 . its thin , long section 51 sits behind the lower leg 42 . the screws 52 attach the lower track 49 to the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 . the grooves in the tracks 44 and 49 allow the upper and lower legs 41 and 42 to slide to the left and right in fig1 to 3 . since the legs 41 and 42 must slide to the right and left in the tracks 44 and 49 , they should encounter the minimum possible resistence as they do so . correspondingly , the tracks 44 and 49 may assist this objective by having a composition of a low - friction material such as teflon ® ( manufactured by e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; co ., wilmington , del . the legs 41 and 42 move laterally , as does the entire metal holder 54 which includes the legs 41 and 42 , the back piece 40 , the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 . when the metal holder 54 occupies its leftward position shown in fig1 and 2 , it allows for the insertion of a casette between the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 . when the metal holder 54 has moved furthest to the right as in fig3 it places a casette in the position where the controller 10 may open and close the casette &# 39 ; s valves . furthermore , with the holder 54 in the position of fig3 a casette cannot move towards the front or the rear of the controller 10 . the shape of the openings 33 and 34 in the bottom 15 and the top 11 , respectively , prohibits this latter type of motion . preventing the casette from moving forward or backward has particular importance when the casette occupies the position that the holder 54 in fig3 would place it . there , the casette would engage the alignment pins 57 and 58 as well as the inlet valve member 59 and the outlet valve member 60 . moving the casette forward and back while engaged with these items could damage the casette and possibly the components of the controller . where the holder 54 occupies the position of fig2 and retains a casette , neither the alignment pins 57 and 58 nor the valve members 59 and 60 can engage the casette . however , the openings in the casette which engage these components fall on straight lines passing through the components &# 39 ; individual centers . moreover , each of the valve members moves along the same line that leads to the appropriate opening in the casette . to provide its motion to the right and left , the metal holder 54 has the slotted opening 63 in its bottom piece 40 . the pin 64 extends into the slot 63 and contacts its sides . in turn , the pin 64 rigidly attaches to the circular disc 65 which may rotate about its center . most of the back of the disc 65 has a flat configuration which lies against the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 . the shaft 66 , shown in fig1 passes through the back leg 29 of the z bracket 23 and rigidly adjoins the circular disc 65 . in fact , the disc 65 and the shaft 66 may simply form part of a single piece . turning the shaft 66 thus has the effect of rotating the disc 65 . moreover , the knob 57 , located on the outside of the back panel 11 , attaches firmly to the shaft 66 to allow for the manual rotation of the latter . the end of the shaft 67 closest to the disc 65 has screw threads formed on it . this allows for the attachment of the bolt 68 on the side of the bracket &# 39 ; s leg 29 opposite the disc 65 . the bolt 68 thus presses the washer 69 and 70 against one side of the leg 29 of the z bracket 23 and holds the disc 65 against the other side of the leg 29 . consequently , the bolt 68 and the washer 70 keep the disc 65 pressed against the back leg 29 in the position shown in fig2 and 3 . forming the washer 70 and the disc 65 of a low - friction material , such as teflon ®, allows them to rotate relative to the back plate 29 although the bolt 68 firmly squeezes them against it . rotate they must in order to move the holder 54 to the right and left which carries the casette from its insertion position to its operational position . specifically , after placing the casette between the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 , the casette and , thus , the holder 54 , must move to the right as seen in fig1 through 3 . to accomplish this , the operator turns the knob 67 to the right ( in fig1 ). this rotates the shaft 66 in the same direction and results in a clockwise rotation of the disc 65 . as the disc 65 begins to rotate , the pin 64 moves initially towards the top of the slot 63 . however , the rotation of the disc 65 causes it to contact and bear against the right side of the slot 63 . further clockwise rotation of the disc 65 forces the pin 64 to push against the right side of the slot 63 and move the holder 54 to the right . during the first half of the journey of the holder 54 from the position of fig2 to that in fig3 the pin 64 moves towards the top of the slot 63 and very nearly reaches it . during the second half of the journey , the pin 64 continues to move to the right . however , it now travels downward in the slot 63 . at the end of the journey , the pin 64 has moved the holder 54 to the position shown in fig3 . once again , however , it has a location at the bottom of the slot 63 . removing the casette from the controller 10 reverses the process which places the casette in its operational position described above . first , the attendant rotates the knob 67 to the left in fig1 . this induces a counterclockwise rotation of the disc 65 . the pin 64 , attached to the disc 65 , begins to rise in the slot 63 . it also contacts the left side of the slot 63 and moves the holder 54 to the left . for a while , the pin 64 continues to rise in the slot 63 while it moves the holder 54 to the left . subsequently , however , the pin 64 descends in the slot 63 until the holder 54 has reached the left position . when the holder 54 returns to the position shown in fig1 and 2 , the attendant may again disengage the casette and the controller from each other . since the pin 64 has a rigid attachment to the disc 65 , it travels over the circumference of a circle as it moves between the positions of fig2 and 3 . to allow for this required motion of the pin 64 , the slot 63 must have a length equal to the radius of that circle plus , of course , the width of the pin 64 itself . when the casette occupies its operational position within the controller 10 , the metal holder 54 and , thus , the pin 64 , occupy the position shown in fig3 . specifically , the pin 64 lies as far to the right at the disc 65 can move it . alternatively , if the slot 63 had its bottom located slightly below the configuration shown in the figures , the pin 64 would actually lie somewhat below its position in fig3 . in either case , to disengage the casette from the controller , the pin 64 initially moves upward and has no component of motion to the left . subsequently , of course , it does move to the left . however , physically pushing the pin 64 to the left , when in the position in fig3 cannot cause it to rotate in the counterclockwise direction . only an upward force can begin the movement of the pin 64 along its arc and , thus , produce counterclockwise rotation of the disc 65 . in particular , if the holder 54 attempted to push the pin 64 to the left in fig3 it could not effect any motion of the pin 64 or the disc 65 . moreover , when a casette sits in the holder 54 , pushing the casette to the left cannot move the pin 64 or rotate the disc 65 in the direction that would disengage the casette from the controller 10 . the pin 64 and the disc 65 prevent motion of the casette to the left which represents the direction it must move to disengage from the controller 10 . consequently , the pin 64 and the slot 63 lock the holder 54 and , thus , the casette in a position in which the controller 10 can effectively operate the inlet and outlet valves on the casette . the pin 64 and the disc 65 prevent disengagement of the casette from the controller 10 due to an inadvertant force , such as from an accidental knocking . similarly but less importantly , pin 64 in fig2 can only move upwards in order for the holder 54 to move to the right . an accidental force applied against the holder 54 or against the casette retained in the holder 54 cannot cause movement of the casette toward the engagement position . the locking of the bracket to the left of fig2 does provide a benefit , however . after the removal of the casette from the holder 54 , the holder 54 remains properly aligned with the opening 31 in the front panel 15 . there , it can readily receive the insertion of a subsequent casette . after a casette enters between the plate 37 and the arms 38 and 39 in fig1 and 2 , it receives transportation to the right until the holder 54 has the position shown in fig3 . with the holder 54 in this configuration , a casette 75 will occupy its operational position as in fig4 . the casette 75 includes the base section of plastic 76 and the plastic cover slip 77 . fused together , they hold the elastomeric membrane 78 between them . the cover slip 77 has the protuberance 81 which barely fits between the upper arm 38 and the lower arm 39 to roughly align the casette 75 in the controller 10 . in order to provide a fine adjustment of the casette 75 , the controller 10 includes the alignment pins 57 and 58 attached to the middle leg 84 of the z bracket 23 . normally , the plastic cover slip 77 occupies a position between the base plastic section 76 and the middle leg 84 . however , the base plastic section 76 includes the circular protuberances 85 and 86 which actually extend through openings 87 and 88 , respectively , in the cover slip 77 . the protuberances 85 and 86 have the depressions 89 and 90 formed in them . to closely align the casette 75 and the controller 10 , the alignment pins 57 and 58 fit into the depressions 89 and 90 . the pins 57 and 58 , thus , directly provide substantially no alignment of the cover section 77 although it normally sits between the base plastic section 76 and the middle leg 84 . however , the openings 87 and 88 in the cover slip 77 surround the protuberances 85 and 86 . this produces the necessary alignment of the cover slip 77 to both the base section of plastic 76 and the controller 10 . a critical alignment , of course , exists between the base plastic section 76 and the valve members 59 and 60 . the valve members 59 and 60 must properly sit upon the inlet valve face 93 and the outlet valve face 94 , respectively , to control the amount of fluid passing through the casette 75 . the valve seats 93 and 94 , however , form part of the base section of plastic 76 . its proper alignment results directly from the insertion of the alignment pins 57 and 58 into the openings 89 and 90 which also form part of the base plastic section 76 . alternatively , the alignment pins 57 and 58 could snugly fit into appropriately sized depressions in the cover section 77 . however , the correct alignment of the valve members 59 and 60 relative to the valve seats 93 and 94 would then depend upon the orientation of the cover slip 77 to the base plastic section 76 . the direct insertion of the pins 57 and 58 into the openings 89 and 90 in the base section 76 eliminates the need for an absolutely precise alignment between the base section 76 and the cover slip 77 . the valve members 59 and 60 must , nonetheless , move through the openings 97 and 98 in the cover slip 77 . making the openings 97 and 98 appreciably larger than needed for the valving members 59 and 60 eliminates the criticality of the alignment of the cover slip 77 to either the base section 76 or to the controller 10 . fig4 shows a close fit between the alignment pin 57 and the opening 89 . at the other end of the drawing , however , the pin 58 appears to have a loose fit within the opening 90 . in fact , the opening 90 has an oblong shape which allows motion in its inside of the pin 58 in the direction towards and away the opening 89 at the casette &# 39 ; s other end . the opening 90 , however , fits close to the pin 58 in the direction into and out of the paper . when the pin 57 sits in the opening 89 , the only allowed motion of the casette 75 relative to the controller 10 involve a rotation around the pin 57 . the close fit of the opening 90 to the front and back of the pin 58 , as seen in fig4 specifically prevents this type of motion . thus , the looseness of the oblong opening 90 does not detract from the precise alignment of the casette 75 in the controller 10 . it merely eliminates the criticality of the distance of the pin 58 away from the pin 57 . similarly , the opening 87 in the cover slip 76 tightly fits around the circular protuberance 85 of the basic plastic section 76 . at the other end , the cover section 76 has an oblong opening 88 which allows some leeway to the circular protuberance 86 . again , the sides of the sides of the oblong opening 88 closely approach the protuberance 86 . no misalignment between the two sections of plastic can result . it merely lowers the exactness with which the manufacturing process must locate the opening 88 relative to the protuberance 86 . the controller 10 and the casette 75 operate cyclicly . the cycle of operation begins with the closing of the outlet port 101 . this occurs when the outlet valve member forces the membrane 78 to seat upon the outlet valve face 94 . retracting the inlet valve member 59 allows the membrane 78 to contract to the configuration shown in fig4 . this opens the inlet port 102 . fluid may then flow from the inlet channel 103 through the inlet port 102 . it arrives at the metering chamber 103 located between the membrane 78 and the portion 104 of the base section 76 located between the inlet and outlet ports 102 and 101 , respectively . as the fluid enters the metering chamber 103 , the membrane 78 expands until it contacts the concave depression formed in the cover plastic section 77 . at this point , the membrane 78 can expand no further and , consequently , the metering chamber 103 has reached its maximum volume . the slot 107 in the cover plastic section 77 allows for the equalization of the air pressure between the cover section 77 and the membrane 78 . fig5 shows the configuration of the membrane 78 in the region of the outlet port 101 when the valve member 60 has closed it . as shown there , the valve member 60 has extended towards the outlet valve face 94 . when it moves in that direction , it contacts the membrane 78 , stretches it , and forces it to seat tightly upon the valve face 94 . with the membrane 78 seated upon the face 94 , no fluid can pass out the outlet port 101 . to continue the cycle of operation , the controller inserts the inlet valve 59 until it stretches the membrane 78 sufficiently to seat upon the valve face 93 of the inlet port 102 . then , the controller retracts the outlet valve member 60 which allows for the contraction of the membrane 78 in the region of the outlet port 101 . as the membrane 78 there contacts , it moves away from the outlet valve face 94 which , thus , opens the outlet port 101 . with the outlet port 101 open , the fluid from the metering chamber 104 may pass through the outlet port 101 , the outlet channel 110 , and to the patient . the controller completes the cycle of operation by again inserting the outlet valve member 60 to cause the membrane 78 to close the outlet port 101 . when all of the fluid from the metering chamber 104 has passed out of the casette 75 , the middle portion of the membrane 78 contracts to the flat position shown in fig4 . to move the valving members 59 and 60 , the controller 10 includes the e - frame electromagnet , shown generally at 117 in fig1 to 3 . screws and posts 119 attach the electromagnet 117 to the front leg 25 of the z - shaped bracket 23 . as seen in fig2 and 3 , the electromagnet 117 includes the coil 118 which surrounds the magnet &# 39 ; s middle leg 119 . the back 120 of the magnet 117 connects its middle leg 119 to its side legs 120 and 121 . when current flows along the leads 122 to the magnet 117 , it induces the ends of both the legs 120 and 121 to become magnetic poles of the same type . thus , the side legs 120 and 121 may both have a north pole at their ends . reversing the current in the leads 122 causes the opposite magnetic pole to appear at the ends of the legs 120 and 121 . following the example given above , reversing the current in the leads 122 produces a south magnetic pole at the ends of the legs 120 and 121 . adjacent to the end of the leg 120 sits the permanent magnet 125 , while the permanent magnet 126 has a location in proximity to the end of the other side leg 122 . both of the permanent magnets 125 and 126 connect to the same rocker arm 127 . however , the magnets 125 and 126 present opposite magnetic poles to the e - frame electromagnet 117 . in other words , if the permanent magnet 125 has its north pole lying closest to the end of the side leg 120 , then the permanent magnet 126 has its south pole lying closest to the end of the side leg 121 . as stated above , the current passing along the leads 122 and through the coil 118 can cause the ends of both side legs 120 and 121 to become south magnetic poles . when that occurs , the south magnetic pole on the side leg 120 attracts the north magnetic pole on the permanent magnet 125 . simultaneously , the south magnetic pole on the leg 121 repels the south pole on the permanent magent 126 to produce the configuration shown in fig2 . reversing the direction of the current in the leads 122 and the coil 118 produces the opposite effect , or north magnetic poles at the ends of the side legs 120 and 121 . in this instance , the resulting north magnetic pole on the side leg 120 repels the north magnetic pole of the permanent magnet 125 . further , the north magnetic pole on the side leg 121 attracts the south magnetic pole on the permanent magnet 126 . this reversal of attraction and repulsion causes the rocker arm 127 to rotate about its pivot point 128 located on a line passing through the center leg 119 of the e - frame electromagnet 117 . the rocker arm 127 will continue to rotate until the permanent magnet 126 makes actual contact with the side leg 121 and produces the configuration shown in fig3 . in general , the rotating of the rocker arm 127 about its pivot point 128 moves the valve members 59 and 60 to open and close the inlet and the outlet valves on the casette 75 . to provide the interconnection between the rocker arm 127 and the valve members 59 and 60 , the spring member 131 attaches to the former with the aid of the screw 132 . additional screws at the pivot point 128 attach the side 133 of the spring member 131 to the middle leg 119 electromagnet 117 . the spring member 131 in turn has the two legs 135 and 136 . each of the legs 135 and 136 has a slot in its end barely large enough to allow it to fit into grooves provided near the end of the movable valve member 59 and 60 , respectively . the end of the valve members 59 and 60 with these grooves lie on the same side of the middle leg 84 of the z bracket 23 as the rocker arm 127 . fig1 shows the slot in the leg 135 with barely sufficient room to enter the groove in the end of the inlet valve member 59 . as the rocker arm rotates about the pivot point 128 between the two positions shown in fig2 and 3 , the spring member 131 rotates between its two positions , which also appear in those figures . in the position in fig2 the leg 136 of the connecting member 131 lies closer to the middle plate 84 and thus to the casette that the holder 54 would retain . this situation , in particular , receives illustration in fig4 . the leg 136 thus projects the outlet valve member sufficiently far through the plate 84 to cause the membrane 78 to close off the outlet port 101 . the other leg 135 of the spring member 131 retracts the inlet valve member 59 which , in turn , opens the inlet port 102 . when the connecting member changes its position from that of fig2 to that in fig3 the opposite result occurs . specificially , it thrusts the inlet valve member 59 through the middle plate 84 to close the inlet valve . it then retracts the outlet valve member 60 sufficiently to allow the casette &# 39 ; s outlet 101 to open . the composition of the spring member 131 should provide it with a modicum of inherent resiliency or &# 34 ; springiness &# 34 ;. moreover , it should have a location sufficiently close to the middle plate 84 that a leg 135 or 136 must flex when forcing a valve member , 59 or 60 , respectively , to close its appropriate valve in the casette . as a result , when the rocker arm 127 changes positions , the spring member causes the other valve member to start moving and close off its valve in the casette . the other leg , during this time , starts to unbend , but keeps its valve member in the position where its valve stays closed . thus , the spring member 131 , with the flexing legs 132 and 133 and a close location to the middle plate 84 , when it changes its position , causes the open valve to close before it allows the closed valve to open . this prevents a period of time during which both valves in the casette could open and permit an unknown amount of fluid to pass to the patient . if no current flows along the leads 122 to the coil 118 , no magnetic pole will appear at the end of either the side legs 120 or 121 . however , the permanent magnetic poles 125 and 126 still remain . both of these would then exert an attractive force upon the ferromagnetic material of the side legs 120 and 121 . the pole creating the greater force would move to and actually contact the leg nearest it while the other pole would then move from its leg . however , the permanent magnetic poles 125 and 126 have very nearly the same strength . thus , the pole lying closer to the e - frame would actually move towards its leg . accordingly , with no current in the electromagnet 117 , a magnetic bistable device results ; either the permanent pole 125 makes contact with the e - frame to create the configuration shown in fig2 . or , the magnetic pole 126 would attract itself to the bottom leg 121 to produce the situation in fig3 . one of these two situations must result because of the bistable magnetic device created by the permanent magnets 125 and 126 in proximity to the electromagnet 117 without any current in it . moreover , each of the situations in fig2 and 3 place one of the movable valve members 59 or 60 in a position where it closes its valve in the casette . in fig2 the outlet would close will , in fig3 the inlet would close . thus , one of the valves in the casette would necessarily have to close as long as the casette remained engaged in the controller 10 . this occurs even if no current passed to the electromagnet 117 . under no circumstances would the controller 10 allow fluid to pass in an uncontrolled manner to the patient . in the figures , the magnetic bistable device includes the ferromagnetic material of the electromagnetic 117 . other powering devices , however , could move the rocker arm 127 . examples include mechanical or pneumatic motive means . nonetheless , placing ferromagnetic material in the locations of the side legs 120 and 121 and permanent magnets 125 and 126 on the rocker arm 127 would still produce the magnetic bistable device . this would continue to assure the closure of at least one valve in a casette placed in the controller 10 . when using the electromagnet 117 , the rocker arm 127 with its pivot point 128 should not make direct contact with the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 . if it did contact , it could provide a shunt for the magnetic field through the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 . the shunt would provide a circuit between the permanent magnet making actual contact with a side leg . the shunt would reduce the field strength of the other side leg which repels the other permanent magnet . moreover , displacing the rocker arm 127 slightly from the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 prevents the grinding of the two components and the concommitant production of coarse fillings between them which could interfere with the free rotation of the rocker arm 127 . instead of having the two attached permanent magnets 125 and 126 , the rocker arm 127 may simply take the form of a long permanent magnet having its poles near the location of the magnets 125 and 126 . that would assure the rocker arm 127 of magnetic poles of equal strength . moreover , such a permanent magnet could not have an induced pole at its middle . consequently , the magnetic field could not shunt across the middle of the rocker arm 127 to the middle leg 119 of the electromagnet 117 . however , the rocker arm 127 should still remain slightly removed from the middle leg 119 . this prevents the grinding of the two together as the rocker arm 127 rotates and the production of filings from either component to interfere with the free rotation of the rocker arm 127 . fig6 shows a metal holder 41 with arms 143 and 144 slightly different from the arms 38 and 39 of the prior figures . the openings 145 and 146 in the arms 143 and 144 , respectively , allow the alignment pins 147 and 148 to pass through and reach the casette 75 . as shown in fig7 the alignment pins 147 and 148 form part of an alignment block 149 which sits behind the middle leg 150 of a z bracket corresponding to the bracket 23 of fig1 . the bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 has the similar openings 151 and 152 through it . these again allow the alignment pins 147 and 148 to reach the casette . the snap rings 157 and 158 clamp on to the alignment pins 147 and 148 . they affix the alignment block 149 to the z bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 . the alignment block 149 also has the protuberances 159 and 160 oriented in the same direction as the alignment pins 147 and 148 . the middle leg 150 has the openings 161 and 162 into which fit the protuberances 159 and 160 . the other side of the mounting block 150 has the protuberances 165 and 166 . these generally fall at the same location as the protuberances 159 and 160 , but on the other side . the opening 167 passes through the mounting block 149 and centers itself in the proturberances 159 and 165 . the second opening 168 also passes through the alignment block 159 and has a central location in the protuberances 160 and 166 . the openings 167 and 168 serve a dual purpose . first , they guide the valving members 59 and 60 to their proper locations relative to the inlet 102 and the outlet 101 on the casette 75 . secondly , the alignment block 149 has a composition of a low frictional material . delrin 500 cl ®, an acetal resin manufactured by the e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; co ., represents a good example of such a material . its surface has a low coefficient of friction . the valving members 59 and 60 protract and retract to operate the valves on the casette . sliding on the material of the alignment block 149 , they encounter substantially no frictional resistence from the surfaces of the openings 167 and 168 . fig8 shows the front of the alignment block 149 prior to its assembly on the z bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 . this surface shows the alignment pins 147 and 148 , the protuberances 159 and 160 , and the openings 167 and 168 . the side view of fig9 shows these components as well as the protuberances 165 and 166 on the side of the alignment block 149 opposite to the protuberances 159 and 160 . the openings 167 and 168 through these protuberances appear in phantom in the figure . fig9 also shows a small ridge 170 on the back of the alignment block 149 . the ridge 170 provides the alignment block 149 with greater structural rigidity . fig1 shows the ridge 170 passing down the middle of the back of the alignment block 149 . as suggested above , the alignment pins 147 and 148 provide the fine alignment of the casette 75 within the controller 10 . the openings 167 and 168 guide the valving members 59 and 60 as they operate the openings 101 and 102 in the casette 75 . consequently , the same section of material that aligns the casette also guides the valve members . the alignment pins 147 and 148 do not attach to a separate section of material which then either guides the valve members or would include further sections of material to perform that function . the resulting alignment would then not only depend upon the orientation of the casette relative to the alignment pins 147 and 148 . the casette &# 39 ; s proper placement would also depend upon the correct orientation of the pins 147 and 148 to , for example , the z bracket &# 39 ; s middle leg 150 . utilizing the single molded block 149 assures the correct orientation of the alignment pins 147 and 148 to the guiding openings 167 and 168 .	0
as seen in fig1 and 2 , a resistor 10 includes a rectangular conductive carrier plate 10a , 10b that carries a serpentine resistive track 15 disposed beneath a protective insulator lacquer layer 20 . at two opposed edges of the resistor 10 the resistive track 15 is electrically connected to one of the carrier plates 10a and 10b by a respective strip - shaped metallic layer 16 . the internal construction of the resistor is best seen in fig2 . as illustrated , the carrier plate comprises the two plate elements 10a and 10b which are electrically separated from one another by a continuous gap 11 parallel to the strip - shaped metallic layers 16 . the gap 11 , which is also visible in fig3 is filled with a solid insulating material 12 , such as an epoxy resin , which holds the two plate elements 10a and 10b together in a mechanically stabilizing manner and together with them forms the carrier plate . of course , other possible techniques for mechanically joining plate elements 10a and 10b can be used as , for example , a suitable insulation structure between the plate elements and the resistance track 15 . between the resistive track 15 and the carrier plate 10a , 10b there is an insulating layer 18 which , like the ends of the resistive track , terminates somewhat set back from the lateral edges of the plate elements 10a and 10b . see fig2 . the edge regions of the plate elements which are thus exposed are covered by the metallic layers 16 which , as shown in fig2 extend at the ends of the resistive track 15 onto their surface directed away from the carrier plate . as shown , the surface of the resistor 10 between connector layers 16 is covered by the protective lacquer layer 20 mentioned above . the insulating layer 18 comprises a thermostable adhesive film of as good thermal conductivity as possible , for instance a film of polyimide plastic material covered with a suitable adhesive . the plate elements 10a and 10b , and conveniently also the metallic layers 16 , preferably comprise copper . the resistive track 15 is preferably formed from a cuni or another alloy that has proved satisfactory for precision resistors . the outwardly exposed surfaces of the copper components , and particularly the large connecting surfaces of the plate elements 10a and 10b serving for the soldering of the resistor to a circuit board , may be tinned to protect them from corrosion and to improve their solderability . in a typical embodiment the illustrated smd resistor 10 has a length of about 7 mm and an overall thickness of about 0 . 8 mm . the manufacture of the described resistor 10 can be effected in by the steps schematically illustrated in fig4 ( a ) through 4 ( f ). firstly , a composite film or foil as shown in fig4 ( a ) is produced , in a size corresponding to the number of the desired resistors , from a thin metallic resistive sheet 15 &# 39 ; and a thin adhesive film 18 &# 39 ; constituting the insulating layer 18 ( fig2 ). as already mentioned , more than two thousand resistors can be manufactured together without problems . parallel rows of elongate holes 22 are produced in this large area of composite film , the position of which corresponds to the strip - shaped metallic layers 16 ( fig1 ) which are to be produced later . the elongate holes 22 can be produced with an automatic boring machine or may be stamped out . in the currently preferred method each row includes a plurality of elongate holes 22 which are space apart in their longitudinal direction and whose length is only somewhat greater than the breadth of the components to be produced . the prebored thin composite film is laminated , as shown in fig4 ( b ), onto a thicker copper sheet or plate 10 &# 39 ;, for instance about 0 . 7 mm thick , of appropriate size which is subsequently to constitute the carrier plates 10a and 10b ( fig2 ). the mechanical joining together of this laminate can be effected in a manner known per se , as in a multilayer vacuum press . as shown in fig4 ( c ), the resistive film 15 &# 39 ; is subsequently photolithographically structured and etched , in a manner which is not shown , so that the resistive tracks 15 for the individual resistors are produced . these resistive tracks are then adjusted on their common support ( panel ) in a manner known per se , as by mechanical milling with a computer controlled micromilling cutter . after the adjustment has been performed , the etched structure is covered , in a screen printing process , by the protective lacquer layers 20 , for instance of epoxide resin . the edge regions 24 of the surfaces of the resistive tracks 15 at the elongate holes 22 and the regions of the copper plate 10 &# 39 ; situated beneath the elongate holes 22 remain exposed . the next method step , as shown in fig4 ( d ), is a galvanic copper plating of the regions which are not covered by the protective lacquer layers 20 to produce the metallic layers 16 ( fig1 and 2 ), which electrically connect the copper plate 10 ° to each of the resistive tracks 15 . the thickness of the metallic layers 16 can be about 30 to 50 μm . as shown in fig4 ( e ), the gaps 11 ( fig2 and 3 ) for electrically separating each pair of plate elements 10a and 10b of each resistor are produced in plate 10 &# 39 ; below the resistive tracks and between each pair of metallic layers 16 . this is preferably effected by etching the copper plate 10 &# 39 ; from the rear ( bottom ) side of the laminate . subsequently , but before splitting the laminate into the individual resistors , the gaps 11 are filled with epoxide resin or a similar suitable insulating material 12 , as shown in fig2 and fig4 ( f ). this can be performed in a manner corresponding to the screen printing technique . only after completing all the method steps described above are the resistors separated , in the example in question , as shown in fig4 ( f ). one technique for separation is the use of a coordinate stamp which separates the resistors successively along cut lines which extend centrally along the length of the elongate holes 22 through the metallic layers 16 and perpendicularly thereto along the length of the edges of the resistive tracks so that smd resistors are produced in the form shown in fig1 - 3 . the separated resistors can be subsequently galvanically tinned together on all sides , for instance in a metallic cage , and then require only cleaning and electrical testing in automatic testing apparatus . deviations from the described method sequence are possible . in particular , it is possible to alter the order of individual method steps including the steps explained with references to fig4 ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ). in order to explain an exemplary use for resistors of the type described herein , two electrically separate current terminals 30 , 31 of a printed circuit board 35 are shown in fig5 . each terminal 30 , 31 terminates in a tin plated connector pad 32 . the geometrical position of the separated connector pads 32 corresponds approximately to the form and size of the connector surfaces 19 on the underside of the resistor 10 ( fig3 ) which are to be soldered to these connector pads 32 . the location of an smd resistor on printed circuit board 35 is shown by phantom outline 10 in fig5 . as mentioned above , the resistors of the type described herein generally do not require a four - pole construction . the usual electrical / electronic connections can instead be provided by the connector pads 32 ( fig5 ) in the form of additional leads 34 on the printed circuit board 35 , conveniently in the illustrated geometrical arrangement , in which they are connected in the gap between the connector pads 32 , to the centers thereof and pass out through that gap perpendicular to the length of the current terminals 30 , 31 .	8
referring now to fig1 - 3 , a dual variable cam timing phaser 10 can be driven by power transferred from an engine crankshaft ( not shown ) to be delivered to a concentric camshaft 12 for manipulating two sets of cams ( not shown ). a portion of a variable cam timing ( vct ) assembly 10 is illustrated including the concentric camshaft 12 having an inner shaft 12 a and an outer shaft 12 b . primary rotary motion can be transferred to the concentric camshaft 12 through the sprocket ring 52 of annular flange 16 operably associated with drive stator 14 . secondary rotary motion , or phased relative rotary motion between inner camshaft 12 a and outer camshaft 12 b , can be provided by the dual variable cam timing phaser 10 . the phaser 10 can include the drive stator 14 to be connected by an endless loop , flexible , power transmission member for rotation with the engine crankshaft . two concentric driven rotors 20 , 30 can be associated with the stator 14 . each rotor 20 , 30 can be connected for rotation with a respective one shaft 12 a , 12 b of the concentric camshaft 12 supporting the corresponding two sets of cams . the drive stator 14 and the driven rotors 20 , 30 are all mounted for rotation about a common axis . a plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings 40 , 50 for coupling the driven rotors 20 , 30 for rotation with the drive stator 14 enable the phase of the driven rotors 20 , 30 to be adjusted independently of one another relative to the drive stator 14 . the plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings can include a radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 and a radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include at least one radially outer located vane 22 and at least one corresponding radially outer located cavity 20 a associated with the radially outer located rotor 20 to be divided by the at least one radially outer located vane 22 into a first outer variable volume working chamber 20 b and a second outer variable volume working chamber 20 c . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include at least one radially inner located vane 32 and at least one corresponding radially inner located cavity 30 a adjacent the radially inner located rotor 30 to be divided by the at least one radially inner located vane 32 into a first inner variable volume working chamber 30 b and a second inner variable volume working chamber 30 c . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include a combination of an outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a associated with the outer rotor 20 to define first and second outer variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c . the combination of the outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a wall portion 14 a with a radially outer surface 14 b defining the outer vane 22 , and the outer rotor 20 surrounding the radially outer surface 14 b of the stator 14 to define the outer cavity 20 a . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include a combination of an inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a associated with the inner rotor 30 to define first and second inner variable volume working chambers 30 b , 30 c . the combination of the inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a wall 14 a with a radially inner surface 14 c defining the inner cavity 30 a , and the inner rotor 30 having an outer surface 30 d defining the inner vane 32 . as best seen in fig1 and 2 , the drive stator 14 is connected to the annular flange 16 and associated sprocket ring 52 through fasteners 24 . outer rotor 20 is connected to inner concentric camshaft 12 a through end plate 34 , outer fasteners 36 and central fastener 38 . inner rotor 30 is directly connected to an outer surface 42 of outer concentric camshaft 12 b . in operation , a dual variable cam timing phaser 10 provides radially outer annular spaces or cavities 20 a and radially inner annular spaces or cavities 30 a with respect to the drive stator 14 and the concentrically located driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 . the annular spaces or cavities 20 a , 30 a are divided into segment - shaped or arcuate variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c by outer and inner vanes 22 , 32 extending radially from a surface of the outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 and one or more vanes or walls 18 extending radially from a surface of the drive stator 14 . as hydraulic fluid is admitted into and expelled from the various chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c , the vanes 22 , 32 rotate relative to one another and thereby vary the relative angular position of the driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 with respect to each other and with respect to the stator 14 . referring now to fig4 - 6 , and as previously described with respect to fig1 - 3 , a dual variable cam timing phaser 10 can be driven by power transferred from an engine crankshaft ( not shown ) to be delivered to a concentric camshaft 12 for manipulating two sets of cams ( not shown ). a portion of a variable cam timing ( vct ) phaser assembly 10 is illustrated including the concentric camshaft 12 having an inner camshaft 12 a and an outer camshaft 12 b . primary rotary motion can be transferred to the concentric camshaft 12 through the assembly of sprocket ring 52 to annular flange 16 operably associated with drive stator 14 . secondary rotary motion , or phased relative rotary motion between inner camshaft 12 a and outer camshaft 12 b , can be provided by the dual variable cam timing phaser 10 . the phaser 10 can include the drive stator 14 to be connected for rotation with the engine crankshaft . two concentric driven rotors 20 , 30 can be associated with the stator 14 . each rotor 20 , 30 can be connected for rotation with a respective one of the concentric camshafts 12 supporting the corresponding two sets of cams . the drive stator 14 and the driven rotors 20 , 30 are all mounted for rotation about a common axis . a plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings 40 , 50 for coupling the driven rotors 20 , 30 for rotation with the drive stator 14 enable the phase of the driven rotors 20 , 30 to be adjusted independently of one another relative to the drive stator 14 . in this configuration , the stator 14 includes a radially outer wall portion 14 d , and a radially inner wall portion 14 f . the plurality of radially stacked , vane - type hydraulic couplings can include a radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 and a radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include at least one radially outer located vane 22 and at least one corresponding radially outer located cavity 20 a associated with the radially outer located rotor 20 to be divided by the at least one radially outer located vane 22 into a first outer variable volume working chamber 20 b and a second outer variable volume working chamber 20 c . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include at least one radially inner located vane 32 and at least one corresponding radially inner located cavity 30 a adjacent the radially inner located rotor 30 to be divided by the at least one radially inner located vane 32 into a first inner variable volume working chamber 30 b and a second inner variable volume working chamber 30 c . the radially outer located vane - type hydraulic coupling 40 can include a combination of an outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a associated with the outer rotor 20 to define first and second outer variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c . the combination of the outer vane 22 and cavity 20 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a radially outer wall portion 14 d with an inner surface 14 e defining the outer cavity 20 a , and the outer rotor 20 having an outer surface 20 d defining the outer vane 22 . the radially inner located vane - type hydraulic coupling 50 can include a combination of an inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a associated with the inner rotor 30 to define first and second inner variable volume working chambers 30 b , 30 c . the combination of the inner vane 32 and cavity 30 a can be defined by the stator 14 having a radially inner wall portion 14 f interposed radially between the outer rotor 20 and the inner rotor 30 . the inner wall portion 14 f can have a radially inner surface 14 g defining the inner cavity 30 a , and the inner rotor 30 can have an outer surface 30 d defining the inner vane 32 . as best seen in fig4 - 5 , the outer wall portion 14 d of drive stator 14 is connected to the flange 16 and associated sprocket ring 52 through fasteners 24 . outer rotor 20 is connected to inner concentric camshaft 12 a through end plate 34 , outer fasteners 36 , and central fastener 38 . the inner wall portion 14 f of drive stator 14 is connected to the flange 16 and associated sprocket ring 52 through fasteners 26 . the inner rotor 30 is connected directly to an outer surface 42 of the outer concentric camshaft 12 b . in operation , a dual variable cam timing phaser assembly provides radially outer annular spaces or cavities 20 a and radially inner annular spaces or cavities 30 a with respect to the drive stator 14 and the concentrically located driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 . the annular spaces or cavities 20 a , 30 a are divided into segment - shaped or arcuate variable volume working chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c by outer and inner vanes 22 , 32 extending radially from a surface of the outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 and one or more vanes or walls 18 extending radially from a surface of the drive stator 14 . as hydraulic fluid is admitted into and expelled from the various chambers 20 b , 20 c , 30 b , 30 c , the vanes 22 , 32 rotate relative to one another and thereby vary the relative angular position of the driven outer and inner rotors 20 , 30 with respect to each other and with respect to the stator 14 . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law .	5
fig1 shows one embodiment of a parking brake actuator 10 according to the present invention including a motor 12 . the motor 12 is preferably a direct current motor , and drives a gear train 14 of any suitable configuration to rotate a screw 16 . a nut 18 is threadingly engaged with the screw 16 such that the nut translates linearly as the screw rotates . the nut 18 is fixed to a tube 20 , which in turn is pivotably attached to a force balancer 22 . a pair of cables 24 and 26 , one for each of the rear wheel brakes , is attached to the force balancer 22 . a single cable configuration is also acceptable and functions identically except the force equalization is performed external to the apparatus in fig1 . a force transducer or other suitable force sensor measures the tension in cables 24 and 26 . the force may be measured in terms of motor current or by any other conventional standard . the force transducer relays the measured force back to a controller 28 , which operates the motor 12 until a preset load registers at the transducer . for instance , the motor 12 may continue to operate until zero pounds of force is indicated . further details of this arrangement are described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 930 , 890 filed aug . 16 , 2001 , entitled “ multiple hall effect position sensor ” and hereby incorporated by reference . once the preset load is achieved , a control program advantageously instructs the controller 28 to transition from operation within a force control mode to a position control mode . a position sensor is provided to furnish information to the controller 28 to reliably release the parking brake without brake damage due to brake drag from under release , and to avoid undue vibration and damage to the parking brake system due to over - release . in a preferred embodiment , the position sensor takes the form of a slide potentiometer shown schematically at 30 provided proximate the nut 18 . in conjunction with the position sensor , a compliant spring element 32 detects any change in the desired steady load on the cables 24 and 26 . the compliant element 32 may be a bellville washer , and is disposed around the screw 16 between a pair of flat washers 34 and 36 . the flat washer 34 in turn bears against a relatively stationary shoulder 38 , while the flat washer 36 bears against a thrust bearing 40 and a retaining nut 42 to fix the flat washer 36 relative to the screw 16 . in effect , the compliant element 32 extends to take up any slack in the cables 24 and 26 . the position x p of the nut 18 as measured by the potentiometer 30 is equal to the deflection x s of the compliant element 32 subtracted from the position x n of the nut relative to the screw . because the nut 18 is fixed relative to the screw 16 , x s is equal to the inverse of x p . also because the nut 18 is fixed , any drop in cable tension t is equal to the spring rate k s of the compliant element multiplied by the change in position x s of the compliant element . combining these two equations , the change in the absolute position x p of the nut is equal to the inverse of the change in cable tension divided by the spring rate k s of the compliant element . knowing the spring rate of the compliant element thus allows the system to determine the change in cable force from a change in potentiometer output . if the change in cable force is greater than a predetermined value the actuator can reapply or release as the measured change in force dictates . in practice , the sensitivity and usable range are determined by the stiffness and active length of the compliant element , and the compliance of the loading system including the brake cables and wheel brake mechanisms . while the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is presently considered to be preferred , various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for instance , slots may be provided in the periphery of the plunger to serve as the anti - rotation feature , or a permanent magnet with annular pole pieces and a non - magnetic housing may be substituted for the like parts described above . the scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims , and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents are intended to be embraced therein .	5
in fig1 of the drawings there is shown a microprocessor 10 which includes the following components :— an internal clock 12 to provide the timing signals for operation of the microprocessor . the internal clock 12 stores the time and date as well as the clock which times when a new instruction should be read . internal clock 12 can be programmed to accommodate longer instructions by varying the length of the clock cycle . registers 14 - 16 are basically intermediate storage devices used to store temporary data . the microprocessor still relies on the registers to perform this task but allows the use of the register to be used more for storing important and common data rather than an intermediate storage device in between its final destination . the registers store an n — bit word as well as some of the basic flags . flags are reminders of what occurred in the last arithmetic logic units ( alu ) 30 - 32 output results . such flags are :— carry — if the last operation generated a carry from the most significant bit parity — if the number of one bits in the result of the last operation was even ( even parity or odd ( odd parity ) these flags are only stored for each associated register and the instruction set decoder 34 must decide if the flags will have an influence on the next calculation . registers 14 - 16 will also be connected to the instruction set decoder 34 as will any flags associated with each register . because more than one operation can occur at once we need to store the associated flags for each register . the flag attachment to each register is ideal for a solution to the problem , that more than one operation will occur at once but this is only a suggestion and there are many ways of implementing flags in the microprocessor architecture . ( this is unlike some traditional architecture which only has one flag register ) 12 . compare functions such as greater than , less than and equal to 14 . any other common or required function can be added to enable microprocessor 10 to have access to these required functions . the alu 30 - 32 can change from a simple adder to a complex unit that can perform many arithmetic and logical functions . therefore if the alu cannot perform a function directly , several instructions will be necessary in order to produce the desired result . internal memory 36 - 38 can comprise cache , general purpose internal memory , stacks , internal sound card , and other internal functions like video , modem etc . external memory 40 - 42 can comprise cache , general purpose memory , internal sound card , and other internal functions like video , modem etc . except unlike internal memory 36 - 38 external memory is not on the microprocessor per se and the read and write speed is a lot slower than internal memory 36 - 38 . an internal instruction set 44 comprises a set of instructions which may be a single command or a set of commands to comprise a procedure . it could even be capable of calling other basic instructions in an instruction based procedure . there may be more than one internal instruction set types like ram for temporary and eeprom for critical instructions ( or critical procedures ). the instruction set decoder 34 interprets the instruction set into timed control signals to the registers 14 - 28 , alus 30 - 32 , internal clock of microprocessor 12 , memories 36 - 44 and xy or grid connector 46 and / or any other device to be controlled by the microprocessor . address registers 18 - 28 are basically registers that hold the current or next address for a particular portion of memory . in traditional microprocessors there is only one address register which limits you to read data sequentially . whereas microprocessor 10 has a number of address registers one for each main segment ( or memory chip ) of memory . this allows the microprocessor to read the data from one address and write it to another address assuming that there are two distinct memory segments . where a segment is a physically different memory , like memory chips or a hard - drive then every memory segment will have its own address register . xy connector 46 controls an x - y grid which is formed of x bus lines 50 - 62 and y bus lines 64 - 78 . thus xy connector 46 will interconnect a component on the x bus e . g . alu 30 to a component on the y bus e . g . register 14 . the interconnection can be made in various ways as shown in fig5 to 7 . the basic interconnection is shown in fig5 where each intersection or node of a y bus line with an x bus line contains switches ( not shown ) which can be activated by a control register or similar under program control . to simplify the description only one bus line is shown with a more complete description of the bus discussed with reference to fig6 and 7 . the number of control bits in the control register to select the appropriate switch positions can be calculated as follows :— where n is the number of bits in the control register ; x is the number of x bus lines ; and y is the number of y bus lines . thus each bit will control one associated switch . if required , the number of bits can be reduced by compressing the data because not all possible combinations of switching will be required . fig6 shows a second embodiment where a bi - directional switch 80 with a single position . there is shown a bus of 4 wires for simplicity but the bus width can be any number i . e . b = 1 to n , where b is the bus width and n is an integer . using the 4 wire bus scheme there would need to be 4 bi - directional rotary switches per each x unit or for each y unit . fig6 shows alu 1 30 ( a y unit ) connected to any x unit ( registers 14 , 16 a , 16 b , 16 c ) via the position of the rotary switch . the problem with this solution is that there is only one possible switch location which limits the microprocessor architecture . this solution will however provide a simpler design to implement . a further option for the limiting to the one position is to have two switches so that the possibility of two or more positions can be made available by adding another switch . the third embodiment shown in fig7 overcomes the problem by having a bi - directional switch 82 with multiple positions . this is particularly efficient and flexible method of implementation of switching . fig7 shows all the bus connections . this example also uses a 4 - wire bus , where when one node is closed then all 4 switches associated with that node also close . fig7 shows how the x bus is connected to the y bus via 4 bi - directional switches . therefore for a b size bus we would therefore require b switches per node . for the example shown in fig7 there are 4 nodes , which can connect the alu 30 to registers 14 , 16 a , 16 b , 16 c in any combination . all 4 nodes can be connected to registers 14 , 16 a , 16 b , 16 c , or some can be closed . accordingly , there are 16 possible combinations in this example for what nodes can be closed and open . the operation of microprocessor 10 is shown in fig2 . in this example the switch positions have been labelled as 86 - 96 . the switch positions 86 - 96 have been set by xy connector 46 in its control register . this results in the following operations :— external memory 42 → external memory 40 → register 16 ( switches 94 , 96 ) output of alu 32 → register 16 c ( switch 92 ) this set of connections shows the potential for microprocessor 10 to perform multiple operations in a single clock cycle . obviously only one datum ( word ) can be output on to any data bus but multiple components can read the particular data bus . for example , where the external memory 42 is stored into external memory 40 , it can also be stored into register 16 as seen above . from the above it can be clearly seen that a bad programmer could easily cause a bus crash . accordingly , there must be software and hardware error checking hardware error handling is performed by reading the instruction set before it is performed , or while it is in the process of being performed . this is achieved by reading the instruction set and performing a simple check to see that no two components are output onto the same data bus . when an error occurs the software is halted and a fatal error message is returned . this method of error handling is basically a back up if the software error handling does not work . for software error handling a preferred method is to put checks into the software so that before the software compiles its programs , it performs a check to see if the instruction set will perform a fatal error . therefore the error can be fixed before it occurs by the software developer . again this has limitations because it is very difficult to predict some outcomes of complex software . in the description of the prior art an example was given which showed a traditional method of operation for adding three numbers together from memory . the example took at least 7 clock cycles . the same example will now be shown with reference to microprocessor 10 . 3 . register 14 + register 16 a → register 16 b , memory 36 → register 16 c such a sequence of operations takes 4 clock cycles and results in a 175 % increase in speed from the traditional method . again with reference to the prior art example microprocessor 10 can perform a single operation in one clock cycle or it the instruction set memory could be programmed to perform a whole operation which could comprise a number of sub - commands . you could also write a program just in simple instructions a clock cycle at a time , rather than an instruction which takes around 4 clock cycles in the prior art . this would allow an instruction containing several clock cycles with no definite length . if the numbers in steps 1 and 2 above are from different memories then two buses can be used to download both numbers to two registers in one cycle as shown in the following example :— 2 . register 14 + register 16 a → register 16 b , memory 36 → register 16 c this will provide a 233 % increase in speed from the traditional method . if the alus 30 , 31 , 32 can be timed and operate quick enough to be able to be operated in cascade , then a further increase in speed can be obtained as follows :— 1 . register 14 + register 16 a → register 16 b , reg 16 b + memory 40 → memory 36 this results in a 350 % increase in speed over the traditional method . fig4 shows a further operation that is made possible with the invention . in this operation two alus 30 , 32 are used that allows the programmer to achieve a very quick calculation . as the output of alu 32 must wait for the output of alu 30 , the total time of these two operations must be smaller than one clock cycle of microprocessor 10 . assuming a hypothetical 1 second clock cycle , and an alu time of 0 . 4 seconds , then the total time to perform the two alu operations would be 0 . 8 seconds . such time would allow the result to be stored into memory , assuming that the data can be stored immediately . if the alu takes 0 . 55 seconds to perform its operation then both alu operations would take 1 . 1 seconds which is too slow for microprocessor 10 whose hypothetical clock runs at 1 second . thus the total operation would take 2 seconds to complete as 2 clock cycles are required . to overcome this problem internal clock 12 could be slowed to a hypothetical 1 . 2 seconds . as the two alu operations are completed within 1 . 1 seconds then the complete calculation is completed within 1 . 2 seconds ( 1 clock cycle ) and thus there would be a saving of a hypothetical 0 . 8 seconds from the previous 2 seconds taken by the previous example . the internal clock 12 can be slowed by hardware or software solutions . in software , an instruction can be sent to internal clock 12 to slow down . in hardware , circuit elements can be used to sense the need to slow down the clock in order to perform the operation . in fig3 there is shown a diagram of the loading procedures for a computer ( not shown ) which includes microprocessor 10 of the invention . the loading procedures are as follows :— critical procedure 100 : when a computer starts up it must initiate a few basic or “ bootstrap ” operations so that it knows where to start loading the operating system for example . therefore this critical procedure 100 is loaded when the computer is turned on and loads the main set of instructions 102 together with the operating system . these critical instructions would be few in number and very simple so that they would not need to be changed in the future . main set of instructions 102 : the main set of instructions 102 are the basic set of instructions which are critical in the start - up procedure . they would normally be written by the operating system programmer to be used for the operating system essential instructions . the operating system instructions would be required to operate the operating system , for example a windows based operating system . program instructions 104 , 106 : each program , if it requires , can have its own set of instructions , and therefore can be as many sets of program instructions as long as there is sufficient memory . fig3 shows the critical procedures 100 which would be used to start up the computer and load the operating system 102 which would load its own set of instructions . programs 104 , 106 would have their own set of instructions , if required . all the different programs can use each others &# 39 ; instructions , if required . software compilers could be developed so as to create an optimal set of instructions for a particular program so that it minimises memory space required and maximises speed and performance . therefore a modest programmer could continue to write programs in languages such as c ++, visual basic and many other languages . the programmer would not need to worry about developing the instruction set because the compiler develops the optimal set . the flexibility of microprocessor 10 enables a software developer to have full control over the computer while not increasing the computer in complexity . microprocessor 10 can have different programs working on a different set of instruction sets while also being able to implement a basic set of instructions . microprocessor 10 is also capable of deleting and adding new instructions as they are needed . the use of microprocessor 10 in a computer system allows a software developer to have full control of what he or she wants the computer to perform . the software developer can write his or her own instruction set and then to use that instruction set in their software . this enables the software developer full control over the microprocessor and the computer . microprocessor 10 can also simulate other microprocessors and the hardware level rather than at software level which is difficult and ineffective . if a programmer encountered a fundamental problem eg the y2k problem he or she could simply re - write the instruction set to calculate dates and store dates in an improved way . in the embodiments shown in fig8 and 9 the same numerals have been used , where applicable , to indicate similar integers to those used in fig1 to 7 to avoid repetition of description . in fig8 there is shown a similar arrangement to that shown in fig1 but the positions of some components have been changed . such changes allow for the flexibility of the invention . the switch nodes a 1 , a 2 , b 1 , b 2 etc each have n switches , where n is the bus size , eg for a 8 parallel bus n = 8 . fig8 illustrates a single grid where data can only travel in the x or y directions but this can be extended to multiple grids as shown in fig9 . fig9 includes a first grid 98 which corresponds to fig8 . a second grid 100 is linked to first grid 98 by nodes z 1 and z 2 . the exact number and linking of the z nodes can vary to suit requirements . in the embodiment shown , node z 1 links node c 1 of first grid 98 to node c 1 of second grid 100 and node z 2 links node c 4 of first grid 98 to node a 1 of second grid 100 . as each connection is made in the architecture the number of switching units ( or nodes ) required will increase and also the complexity of programming will also increase . the advantage of this method is that you can have two processors operating independently of each other but can also communicate with each other . it is not necessary to have every node in grid 98 connecting to a corresponding node in grid 100 . there is also no limit to the number of grids 98 , 100 that can be connected . although grids 98 , 100 are identical in the embodiment shown this is not necessary and variations can occur to suit requirements . there may be one instruction set decoder 34 as shown to control both grids 98 , 100 or there could be a dedicated one instruction set decoder for each grid 98 , 100 . each grid 98 , 100 would require communication to each other via a separate data bus or via control signals . for example this would enable one grid to communicate to the next grid and request information or a function . although the preferred embodiments have shown limited components the invention can have any number of registers , alus , internal memory and external memory of any size . any component ( alu , register internal or external memory ) can be connected together in many combinations and more than one connection can take place in one clock cycle . in the preferred embodiment the registers 14 - 28 are shown on the y bus but they can be on the x bus or in any combinations on either bus . the buses can either be serial or parallel . parallel bus will be quicker but to create a serial bus ie b = 1 would be much easier as only one switch would be required per node unlike n switches for an n - bit bus . the invention will be understood to embrace many further modifications as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and which will be deemed to reside within the broad scope and ambit of the invention , there having been set forth herein only the broad nature of the invention and certain specific embodiments by way of example .	6
fig1 is a schematic of the electronics which amplifies and conditions the signal from a triboelectric probe 1 inserted into a flow pipe fp . the electronics provides a standard instrumentation current output 19 , and a 0 to 8 v . voltage output , drives a meter 20 , and inputs a signal to a threshold circuit 21 ( comprising an op amp in two stages with differential adjustment , fig1 a ), which actuates a relay 24 . the single ended signal is directed through a low noise coaxial cable 2 , a low noise current limiting resistor 3 , then through a relay 5 contact closure to an op amp 10 configured as a voltage to current converter . an over voltage protection device 4 protects against excessive voltages , together with the current limiting resistors they provide an intrinsically safe network , allowing the probe to be used in hazardous areas . over voltage devices 1a and 1b limit the maximum voltage within the probe itself . a low noise , low drift op amp 10 directs the signal current from the probe 1 through resistor 6 and 7 . this configuration produces a low output impedance signal voltage at the op amp output 8 . the signal voltage equals the signal current multiplied by the effective resistance of resistor 6 whose voltage drop is modified by a voltage divider which has gain adjustment ( step ) means ( not shown ). since the signal current may be in either ( direction ), the voltage signal at op amp 10 output 8 can be either a positive or negative voltage . an absolute value circuit 12 produces a positive voltage at its output 12a equal in magnitude to the positive or negative voltage magnitude at its input 12b . fig2 shows a more detailed schematic of this circuit . if a positive voltage is applied to the input 34 of op amp 35 , the op amp 35 drives its output 35a positive forward biasing the diode 36 , reverse biasing diode 41 , and driving the input 38 of op amp 39 positive , which in turn drives the output 40 positive . diode 41 is reversed bias . resistors 43 and 44 provide feedback to input 42 of op amp 35 to cause the whole absolute value circuit to act as a follower with a gain of + 1 . when the signal is a negative voltage applied to input 34 , the output 35a drives negatively thereby reverse biasing diode 36 and forward biasing diode 41 . op amp 35 acts to cause the input 42 to go negatively until it equals the negative signal input . the negative voltage at input 42 causes a current through resistor 43 . the input 38 of op amp 39 is held at zero volts by resistor 37 , and the output 40 drives positive enough to supply the current through resistor 44 to equal the current through 43 and hold the input 45 at zero volts . resistors 43 and 44 are equal ensuring the positive voltage at output 40 equals the negative voltage value at input 42 and also input 41 -- the signal input . the gain is - 1 . the circuit thus produces an output positive voltage equal in magnitude to the positive or negative voltage magnitude input . referring back to fig1 the positive voltage at the absolute value circuit output 12a is directed , through switch 13 , to a one pole low pass filter composed of a capacitor 15 and an adjustable resistor 14 , which allows the time constant to be trimmed . a voltage follower buffer op amp 16 receives the filtered signal at node 16a and drives : a milliammeter 20 scaled to read appropriately by resistor 21 ; a comparator 21 which closes relay contacts available to the user and lights a red led when a selected threshold is exceeded ; and a voltage to current converter circuit 18 suitable as an instrumentation output . fig3 is a more detailed schematic of the voltage to current circuit 18 . a voltage signal 0 volts to 8 volts is input at node 46 and creates a current through resistor 47 into input 49 of op amp 51 . this current is balanced by the current through resistors 61 and 48 holding input 49 at 0 volts . op amp 51 drives its output 50 to a voltage necessary to produce the balance at input 49 . the output 50 voltage is applied to a voltage divider formed by resistors 52 and 53 and the divided voltage is applied to the input 54 of op amp 55 . op amp 55 responds by turning on fet 59 , driving a current through resistor 57 and the fet 59 to a point of use 60 . this current increases to where the voltage across resistor 57 at the input 56 equals the voltage at input 54 . the value of resistor 57 determines the current value delivered through fet 59 . by varying resistor 61 , its current changes and the output 50 of op amp 51 changes to maintain the current balance at input 49 . by this mechanism the subsequent current output throgh fet 59 can be trimmed to a convenient level to represent a zero or full scale signal ( 4 ma ). as the signal at 46 goes positive , the voltage across 57 increases thereby increasing output current at 60 up to 20 ma at 8 volts . referring back to fig1 the output of op amp 10 , the input current to voltage converter , is temperature sensitive and it is automatically zeroed each minute . in fig1 when switch 11 is closed the integrating amplifier 27 drives a current through resistor 26 to input 10a forcing the output 8 to zero volts . during this time the input current from the probe 1 is decoupled by input relay 5 , so the integrating amplifier 27 is balancing out temperature caused offsets . the integrating amplifier 27 stores the voltage necessary to maintain the offset balancing current when switch 11 is opened and relay 5 closes . relay 5 also connects the signal input to 10a during the zeroing sequence to prevent charge build - up on cable 2 . the auto zeroing would cause all the outputs to go to their zero levels . however , switch 13 , resistor 14 and capacitor 15 act as a track and hold circuit . the last signal , before auto zeroing , is represented by the voltage on capacitor 15 , and before the auto zero can change this voltage , switch 13 opens . this holds the voltage on capacitor 15 and the outputs to their last values while auto zeroing occurs . when auto zero is complete switch 11 opens , and , after the new signal levels are established through to the absolute value circuit output 12a , switch 13 closes . the requisite delay is formed in delay circuit 30 . timing circuit 33 provides the timing signals necessary to auto zero approximately each minute and lights a yellow led when the auto zero is active . a capacitively coupled probe 1p with ovp , which produces an ac signal , can be used with the aforementioned circuitry . with this probe 1p and switch , with sections 29 , 32 , and 17 , places the auto zero function in continuous operation and directs the signal from the current to voltage converter op amp output 8 directly to the voltage to current converter 18 . it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments , improvements , details , and uses can be made consistent with the latter and spirit of the foregoing disclosure and within the scope of this patent , which is limited only by the following claims , construed in accordance with the patent law , including the doctrine of equivalents .	6
referring to fig1 and 2 , there is shown a first embodiment of a plastic clip - on valve plate assembly , generally shown at 10 . fig3 through 9 show an alternate embodiment of the plastic short runner valve plate assembly , generally shown at 100 . referring now to fig1 and 2 , the valve plate 12 includes a widened portion 14 and tabs a and b for securing the member in a widened area of a slot in a short runner valve shaft 16 . tabs a and b are compressible for installation , and then flare out to lock , hold and secure the plate in the shaft . the plate is self - centering and is lighter and easier to assemble than short runner valve plates of the past . referring now to fig3 a similar protrusion 114 of valve plate 112 stops the clip on the valve plate from traveling too far into the slot portion 116 of the shaft 118 . in this embodiment , a resilient clip portion 120 is included for engaging the outer surface of the shaft . tabs 122 prevent the clip from being withdrawn from the slot by engaging shelf 124 in the wide area of the slot . in a preferred embodiment , a pair of resilient clip portions 120 and 120 a are provided for stabilizing the valve plate 112 on the shaft 118 . the clip portion 120 includes a resilient base portion 126 , a shaft engagement portion 128 and a ramp portion 130 . as shown in fig3 the ramp portion 130 deflects arms 120 and 120 a over the shaft 118 until engagement portion 128 engages the shaft against abutment 114 . this secures the plate 112 to the shaft 118 and the position is locked in place via the deflectable tab 122 . the clips of the present invention may be readily constructed of a suitable plastic or polymer material , such as a 25 % to 40 % carbon fiber loaded ppa ( polythalamide ) or a nylon 66 ™ polyamide material , and are lightweight and easy to install in the shafts . preferably , the valve plate is injection molded in a single piece . these plates are also self - centering in the short runner valve orifice . referring now to fig9 a sectional of the valve plate 112 is shown . the difference being that a pre - designed indentation 101 is provided . this indentation reduces the amount of plastic where the clip 102 a joins the body of the valve plate 100 . this allows and compensates for curing characteristics of the injection mold plastic . this indentation 101 provides for a more constant thickness part which is less susceptible to warpage during cure . the rib 103 is configured to be an injection gate during manufacturing of the part . referring now to fig1 and 11 , a method and apparatus for lubricating a short runner valve shaft at the anti - chatter or shaft biasing locations is shown generally at 300 . an applicator 302 is provided which is insertable into shaft biasing device cavity or orifice 304 ( such as shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 992 , 370 ). the applicator 302 is inserted into the cavity 304 and a lubricant is injected through hollow opening 306 in the applicator 302 . therefore , the anti - chatter device is secured in the cavity or orifice 304 . a suitable lubricant such as grease or the like may be utilized . thus , the subject lubrication apparatus and method enhances the runner valve biasing or anti - chatter system by adding lubrication . this results in improved performance of the short runner valve system . the lubrication reduces the friction associated with the biasing load or anti - chatter device . this provides for improved system performance , including faster response times , increased durability and reduced actuator torque requirements . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited , since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , specification and following claims .	8

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