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without restrictions to the scope of the invention , in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention , the invention is presented against the background and within the scope of a current gsm / umts implementation of mobile communication system deployed in a combinational network environment . however , the present invention may be deployed in any communication system comprising combinational networks . fig1 illustrates schematically a combinational network 10 comprising several networks of different network type 11 , 12 , 13 , with a first user equipment ( ue ) 1 and a second ue 2 connected to all or at least two of the networks 11 , 12 , 13 . as to provide physical connection to the networks 11 , 12 , 13 , the ue 1 , 2 has network interfaces 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , each associated with a network address , towards said networks 11 , 12 , 13 . for the explanation of the invention , it is arbitrarily assumed that the network 11 is a network of a cs - network type , and the networks 12 and 13 are of a ps - network type . in the present invention , it is assumed that the cs - call uses dtap , isup and dss1 as bearer . other bearer types may be used . the invention provides a solution to the problem of retrieving the ps - domain addresses and ps - domain terminal capabilities of a b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 by having the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 query a b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 or a network service node 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 for the desired address ( es ) or terminal capabilities of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . the solution uses either one of the following two different types of queries : a ) ue 1 , 2 initiated query using a cs - domain method , b ) ue 1 , 2 initiated query using a ps - domain method . at the cs - domain based address retrieval method , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 deploys cs - domain methods via the cs network , in particular an unstructured supplementary service data mechanism [ ussd , 3gpp ts 23 . 090 ] as to query either a service node 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 35 in the network or the peer ue 1 , to retrieve the ps - domain address ( es ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . the invention provides that the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , being a calling party in the cs - domain , generates a terminal - initiated unstructured supplementary service data mechanism [ ussd , 3gpp ts 23 . 090 ] for retrieving the ps identifier ( s ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , being the called party in the cs - domain . when having received the called party &# 39 ; s ps identifier such as an address , the calling a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 queries the called b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 directly to obtain the ue &# 39 ; s 1 terminal capabilities . depending on the terminal capabilities of a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , the presence of appropriate terminal capabilities of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 are highlighted on a graphical user interface gui of the calling a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the b - party may deploy the same method to retrieve the terminal capabilities of the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the ussd mechanism allows a user of the ue 1 , 2 such as a mobile station , and a public land mobile network ( plmn ) operator defined application to communicate in a way , which is transparent to the ue 1 , 2 and to intermediate network entities . according to 3gpp ts 23 . 090 , which specifies the handling of ussd at the ue and network entities , a ussd mechanism is applied by the ue 1 , 2 user , in a method described below : the ue 1 , 2 can at any time initiate a ussd request to the cs - network 11 . when the a - party or b - party of the ue 1 , 2 or an application running in the ue 1 , 2 makes a request for an address retrieval , wherein the ue 1 , 2 determines to make use of the ussd mechanism , the ue 1 , 2 sets up a transaction to the cs - network 11 , sends the request to a mobile switching center ( msc ) and awaits a response . when the ue 1 , 2 receives a response . the ue 1 , 2 displays information contained in the response to the a - or b - party or relays the information to the application running in the ue 1 , 2 . when the msc receives a ussd request containing a home public land mobile network ( hplmn ) service code , the msc sets up a transaction to a visitor location register ( vlr ) and forwards the ussd request unchanged to the vlr . when a vlr receives the ussd request containing the hplmn service code and the ue 1 , 2 is not in the hplmn , the vlr sets up a transaction to the hlr and forwards the ussd request unchanged . when the msc receives a ussd request containing a local service code , the msc and the vlr process the ussd request locally . when the ussd request is relayed to the hlr , the msc and the vlr are transparent to any further ussd requests or responses ( in either direction ) for that transaction , passing them between the ms and hlr without taking any action . when one transaction is released ( ms - msc / vlr or msc / vlr - hlr ), the msc / vlr shall release the other transaction as well . if the msc or the vlr does not support an alphabet used in the ussd request , it shall set up a transaction to the vlr or hlr respectively and forward the ussd request unchanged , in the same way as when the hplmn service code is received . according 3gpp ts 23 . 090 , the hlr forwards the ussd request , or process the ussd request locally . the location , nature and contents of the ussd application ( s ) is , by definition , service provider and network operator dependent , but generally includes ; setting up or releasing signalling and / or speech channels ; passing the ussd request to another network entity ( unchanged or changed ); passing a different ussd request to another network entity ; and / or requesting further information from the ue 1 , 2 ( one or more times ). upon completion of handling the ussd request , the network entity shall respond to the ussd request and shall release the transaction . the ussd - aided address retrieval of a ps - identifier is implemented in either of two ways . a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends ussd request to b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends a ussd request to a network service . at the first way of retrieving the ps identifier of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends the ussd request , via the cs - network directed to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , requesting ps - domain identifier ( s ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . in this first way , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 composes a ussd request inquiring about the internet protocol ( ip ) address of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . if the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 is in a visited public land mobile network ( vplmn ), the ussd request is received by the vlr and is sent to the hlr of the a - party in the hplmn of the a - party . upon analysis of the service code in the ussd request , it is detected that the ps - domain identifier ( s ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 is requested . the hlr initiates a second ussd request to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . this second ussd request towards the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 may pass through the hlr of the b - party . an application in the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 decodes the ussd request , and sends the requested ps - domain identifier ( s ) of the ps - terminal part of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 back to the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the response from the b - party may pass through the hlr of the b - party and the hlr of the a - party when the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 replies with a session initiation protocol ( sip ) unified resource identifier uri , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 subsequently sends a “ sip options ” message to b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , using the b - party &# 39 ; s sip uri , and inquires for the terminal capabilities of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . in accordance with the terminal capabilities of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , certain icons may be highlighted on the graphical interface of a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends pictures to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 if picture messaging gets enabled , based on the retrieved information on b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 terminal capabilities . this first way of ussd - aided address retrieval requires that there are terminal applications loaded and running at the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 and b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 that are able to send and process ussd queries and generate ussd responses . these applications , e . g . embedded in the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 and in the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 are proprietary or standardized ; the latter is preferred to avoid interoperability problems . it is an option that the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 sends an acknowledgement using ussd signaling via the cs - network 11 and uses an entirely different protocol to send the ps - domain identifiers . another option is that the incoming ussd request received at the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , carries the ip - address of the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 and thus the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 directly uses this ps - domain network address information for further communication . at the second way of this ussd - aided address retrieval the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends a ussd message directed to a network based service . the service , implemented as a lookup database server 34 or a proxy server 35 , returns a ussd response towards the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the difference with the first ussd - aided address retrieval way , presented above , is that instead of relaying the ussd message to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , the hlr sends a response to the a - party . via the hlr , which may use any time interrogation ( ati ) [ 3gpp ts 23 . 078 v6 . 1 . 0 ch . 11 . 3 . 3 . 1 . 2 ] to obtain information from the vlr or a serving gprs support node ( sgsn ) [ 3gpp ts 23 . 078 v6 . 1 . 0 ch . 11 . 3 . 6 . 1 . 2 ] the “ state ” of a subscriber is made available , whereby the subscriber ( here the b - party ) is identified in the ussd request to hlr either by the international mobile subscriber identity ( imsi ) or the mobile station integrated services digital network ( msisdn ) number . in particular , information is obtained about the “ ps - domain subscriber state ” and “ packet data protocol ( pdp ) context information list ” of a subscriber . this list also contains the ip - address of the subscriber , in this case the ip - address of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , connected to the ps - network 12 , 13 . depending on the requested ps - domain identifier , the hlr contact other network entities 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 that maintain appropriate databases ( e . g . presence servers ). network nodes 21 , 22 , 32 , 33 , are arranged to retrieve the network address of ue 1 , 2 . the nodes 21 and 22 are comprised inside the network 11 , 12 , and the nodes 32 , 33 are located external to the networks 11 , 12 , 13 . network node 31 is an e . 164 number server [ enum network working group request for comments : 3761 ], network node is a lookup database server 34 and network node 35 is a proxy server 35 . the network nodes 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 are attached to the networks 11 , 12 , 13 by means of associated connections 21 a , 22 a , 31 a , 32 a , 33 a , 33 b , 34 a , 34 b , 35 a , 35 b , 35 c . also in this second way of ussd - aided address retrieval , the response is either based on cs - domain ussd signalling or uses another protocol to deliver the response . both these presented cs - domain based ussd - aided address retrieval ways are identical from a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 viewpoint , however they differ from the viewpoint of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . these two cs - domain ways also differ from the network &# 39 ; s viewpoint because in the first ussd - aided address retrieval way , the network is only relaying ussd messages while in the second ussd - aided address retrieval way , the service is implemented a network node as the lookup database server 34 or the proxy server 35 , that intercepts the ussd message , processes it and takes actions . radio resources of an access network ( gsm / umts ) towards the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 are not used up in the second way , which is regarded as an advantage . at the ps - domain based address retrieval method , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 deploys ps - domain methods via the ps - network , for example by means of sip messages , towards an entity in the network such as the network nodes 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 that maintain appropriate databases ( e . g . presence servers , lookup servers , proxy servers ) as to retrieve the ps - domain address ( es ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . since the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 does not have the b - party &# 39 ; s ps - domain address ( neither ip nor sip uri ), the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 cannot be contacted directly by the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . information regarding the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , which is currently in an ongoing cs - call with the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , comprises the cs - domain network address , which is available to a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . this cs - domain network address may be , among others , a telephone number of the called b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , msisdn or imsi . the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 queries a network service where the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 provides the network service with the telephone number ( or imsi , msisdn ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . this service is implemented using an e . 164 number server 31 [ enum network working group request for comments : 3761 ]. both the cs - domain and ps - domain based address retrieval methods described above , are carried out in the background without the intervention of the user of the ue 1 , 2 . by deploying the invention the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 presents , depending on the graphical terminal capabilities of the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , an icon to appear on his / her gui a few seconds after the set up of the cs - call . with the implementation of this invention , either the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 or the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 initiates during an ongoing cs - call , a ussd mechanism as to query the other party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , 2 or the network nodes 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 in order to obtain the ps - domain address ( e . g . ip address ) of the ue 1 , 2 of the other party . the present invention provides an efficient and inventive method for retrieving the ps - domain address and the terminal capabilities of the ue of the other party . an indication at the user &# 39 ; s ue 1 , 2 might be provided , indicating the other user &# 39 ; s ue 1 , 2 terminal capabilities .	7
an optical switch package in accordance with one embodiment of the invention will be initially described with reference to fig2 - 10 . fig2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an interposer based optical switch component 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the optical switch component 120 includes an interposer 122 , a die 123 having an array of mirrors 124 , a fiber array mount 128 and a plurality of electrical interposer connectors 129 . a fiber termination 126 is secured to the interposer 122 by the fiber array mount 128 and a bundle of optical fibers 127 exits from the fiber termination 126 . the interposer 122 can take a wide variety of forms . one suitable interposer construction is illustrated in fig3 . in this embodiment , the interposer 122 has a mirror opening 131 that is surrounded on one side by an array of contact pads 134 that make up a contact pad field . the contact pads , in turn , are electrically coupled to the electrical connectors 129 via electrical traces ( not shown ). the traces may be any type of electrical conductors produced using modern micro - fabrication techniques . with this arrangement , the die 123 can be mounted on the interposer 122 in a mirror array down configuration to expose the mirror array through the mirror opening 131 . the die 123 can be electrically connected to the contact pads 134 on the interposer 122 by any suitable method . by way of example , direct soldering in a flip chip mounting style or wire bonding may be used . in the illustrated embodiment , a flip chip mounting style is contemplated such that bond pads ( not shown ) on the die 123 are directly soldered to the contact pads 134 on the interposer using solder balls , posts or the like . in other embodiments , wire bonding , tab , conductive adhesives , as well as other conventional interconnection techniques can be used to electrically couple the die 123 to the interposer 122 . an alignment hole 136 may be provided to provide a reference for handling equipment during assembly of the optical switch component 120 . in the embodiments shown the die is mounted in a mirror array down configuration so that the mirror array 124 is exposed through the mirror opening 131 . this configuration has several advantages , one of which is that it allows the die 123 to be mounted on the opposite side of the interposer from the fiber termination 126 which makes it easier to prevent interference between the fiber array mount 128 and the die . however , in alternative embodiments , the die 123 may be mounted on the same side of the interposer 122 as the fiber termination 126 which eliminates the need for the mirror opening 131 . this arrangement has some advantages as well . for example , same side die mounting generally permits the use of smaller dice , which can have a significant impact on the production costs of the mirror arrays . interposers in general ( as well as suitable interposer fabrication techniques ) are well known in the semiconductor packaging area and any of a wide variety of interposer designs may be used . generally an interposer is a substrate structure that provides both mechanical support and electrical interconnection . by way of example , the interposers may be formed from ceramic materials such as alumina or aluminum nitride , or from a composite laminate ( such as printed circuit board laminates ), silicon , polymer composites , ceramic or metal matrices or a wide variety of other materials . the interposer may be constructed with traces on one side , both sides , or in a layered manner with multiple conductive layers depending upon the needs of the optical switch . the fiber termination 126 is mounted to the interposer by fiber array mount 128 . it should be appreciated that the fiber array mount 128 must both hold the fiber termination 126 and align the fiber array relative to the mirror array 124 . a wide variety of mount structures may be used and the actual construction of a particular mount 128 will depend in large part on the nature of the fiber termination being held . in the embodiment shown , a collimator is formed as part of the fiber termination by aligning a lens array ( not separately shown ) at the face of the optical fibers . in other embodiments , the lens array may not be necessary and / or additional components ( such as an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer , optical detectors , etc .) may be made part of the fiber termination 126 . in any of these embodiments , an appropriate mount 128 can be made to secure the fiber array to the interposer 122 . referring next to fig4 and 5 , a particular mount 128 will be described . as best seen in fig5 the mount includes a base 205 , an adjustable alignment stage 210 and a bracket 215 . the base 205 is substantially u - shaped and includes an alignment ridge 207 . the stage 210 is also substantially u - shaped and includes a substantially u - shaped slot 212 , which has a ledge 214 therein . the slot 212 is arranged to fit over the alignment ridge 207 . the bracket 215 is also sized and shaped to fit into the slot 212 in alignment stage 210 and its lower end is stepped down to form a ledge 216 arranged to rest on the ledge 214 . the bracket 215 has a recess in the bottom surface thereof ( not shown ) that is arranged to nest over alignment ridge 207 on base 205 to position the stage 210 . fasteners 218 ( which may be screws , bolts or a variety of other suitable fastening or locking means ) are then used to secure the bracket 215 to the base 205 . the fiber array termination 126 is held in the stage 210 . appropriate features ( not shown ) may be added to either the termination 126 or the stage 210 to help the stage hold the termination in place . in some embodiments , an adhesive such as epoxy may be used to secure the stage to the termination . it should be appreciated that in the described fiber array mount 128 , the position of the stage may be adjusted within the tolerances between the relative widths of the slot 212 and alignment ridge 207 . this permits the fiber array to be relatively precisely aligned relative to the mirror array 124 during installation of the fiber array . guide grooves 220 may be provided to provide a precision gripping point for handling equipment and may be used in combination with interposer alignment hole 136 to facilitate precise alignment of the fiber array relative to the mirror array 124 . when the proper alignment has been made , stage 210 is locked in place by tightening the fasteners ( e . g . screws ) 218 . it should also be appreciated that with the described independent alignment stage arrangement , the bracket 215 substantially only presses down against the ledge 214 in stage 210 . thus only vertical forces are transmitted from the bracket 215 to the stage 210 to lock the stage in place . the nesting of the recess in bracket 215 over ridge 207 absorbs any torsional component without passing any of that force to the stage 210 . notably , when screws are used as the fasteners , rotational forces are not transmitted from the fasteners 218 to the alignment stage 210 during tightening , which could have the effect of throwing off the alignment of the fiber array . as best seen in fig4 the mount 128 holds the fiber array termination 126 over the mirror array 124 , in a manner that covers only a portion ( e . g . half ) of the mirror array to leave an optical path for reflected light to pass through . it should be appreciated that the u - shaped nature of the various illustrated mount structures provide a good connection with the interposer without interfering with the optical path . however , a variety of other mount structure geometries and configurations may be used as well . in the illustrated embodiments , the only electrical components carried by the interposers are the dice , the connectors and the conductive features that electrically couple the connectors to the dice . however , it should be appreciated that a wide variety of other electrical components can be incorporated onto the interposer . by way of example , this may include other integrated circuits ( such as various asics or programmable logic devices ) as well as various discrete components ( e . g ., resistors , capacitors , inductors etc .) mounted on , formed on or formed within the interposer . referring next to fig6 the assembly of an optical switch 300 using a pair of identical optical switch components 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention will be described . the optical functioning of the switch 300 requires that the relative position of the input mirror array and the output mirror array be fixed . in the illustrated embodiment , this is accomplished by mounting an input optical switch component 304 and an output optical switch component 308 to an alignment frame 311 which provides the required spacing between the interposers . that is , the alignment frame 311 cooperates with the interposers to provide the physical structure holding the mirror arrays in a fixed relationship relative to one another thereby maintaining the required linear spacing ( in a direction parallel to the mirror planes ) and normal spacing ( in a direction perpendicular to the mirror planes ) between the mirror arrays . it will be appreciated that the required linear and normal spacing are determined by the design characteristics of the switch optics . the nature of the alignment frame 311 may be widely varied . in the embodiment shown , it takes the form of a rectangular open frame . as best seen in fig6 the frame 311 rests directly on the input and output interposers 305 , 309 . the frame is positioned such that it circumscribes the pairs of mounts 128 , dice 123 and fiber array terminators 126 , while leaving the connectors 129 outside of the frame 311 to facilitate external electrical connections . the frame 311 may be formed in any suitable manner . in the embodiment shown , the frame is composed of two pieces . the first piece is a u - shaped element 316 and the second piece is a cross bar element 318 that is secured to the u - shaped element 316 using an appropriate fastening arrangement such as screws 319 . an alignment pin 321 carried by the frame 311 may cooperate with alignment holes in the interposer to facilitate alignment of the frame relative to the interposers and to hold the frame in position . one noteworthy feature of the described optical switch 300 is that the switch is composed of two identical optical component halves . it should be appreciated that forming a switch from identical switch halves may have some significant production cost advantages over switches that are formed from different components due to standardization . on the other hand , the use of identical switch halves is not required by any means and the described interposer and alignment frame based packaging structure works well regardless of whether the optical switch components are identical . by way of example , it may be desirable to provide the optical connectors with all of the fiber connections on one side . one way that this can be accomplished is to utilize a folded switch geometry as discussed above with respect to fig1 ( b ). in this arrangement , the fixed mirror 145 may be carried by a rigid substrate 148 having a geometry similar to an interposer , while the moveable mirror array is carried by the interposer . it should be appreciated that the fiber arrays would only need to be attached to substrate in this arrangement , while the interposer connectors 129 ( which have large number of connections ) may only be required on the interposer . this arrangement has the benefit of requiring fewer components than the previously described embodiment . however , the described packaging arrangement can readily be used to protect either arrangement , or with a variety of other optical switch configurations . fig1 illustrates a suitable substrate that carries a fixed mirror . the optical switch 300 has all of the components necessary to form a fully functioning switch . however , since the mems mirror arrays in particular are somewhat delicate , it is generally desirable ( and necessary ) to provide environmental protection for the switch to create a commercially viable product . the environmental protection preferably isolates the switch from dirt , moisture and other contaminants . it also protects the switch from mechanical shock and vibration , electrostatic shock , rf interference and temperature extremes . referring next to fig7 a housing arrangement suitable for protecting the heart of the switch 300 will be described . in the embodiment shown , an inner housing 330 is arranged to slide over the interposers 305 , 309 between the alignment frame 311 and the electrical connectors 129 . thus , the housing has interposer slots 332 arranged to fit over the interposers as well as terminator slots 334 arranged to fit over fiber array terminations 126 . a base 336 forms a cap for the housing . in the embodiment shown , the base 336 is secured to the frame 311 by screws , although this is not required . flashings 339 are then slipped over the fiber bundles 127 and fiber array terminations 126 to enclose the terminator slots 334 . in some ( and possibly most ) applications , it will be desirable to seal ( and potentially hermetically seal ) the inner chamber of the switch . this can readily be done by joining the base 336 to the inner housing 330 , joining the housing 330 to the interposers 305 , 309 and joining the flashings 339 to the housing 330 . in the described embodiment , the various components are joined by soldering . however , such joining can be accomplished by a wide variety of conventional techniques including soldering , welding , adhesive bonding and the like . in some embodiments , metallic seal lines ( not shown ) may be formed on the interposer surface to serve as a solder base for soldering the housing to the interposers . when assembled with an inner housing , the optical switch 300 has the appearance illustrated in fig8 . it is not uncommon for optical switches to be placed in environments where it can get relatively cold . accordingly , a resistive heating blanket 342 may be placed over the inner housing to facilitate heating when necessary or desired . if a heater is desired , a heater cord 345 is provided to power the heating blanket 342 . the heater also allows the package to be held at a constant temperature for improved optical performance . in alternative embodiments it may be desirable to provide a cooler and / or a bi - directional heat pump either in addition to , or in place of the heater . referring next to fig8 ribbon cables 350 having internal connectors 351 and external connectors 353 may be provided to electrically couple the switch to external drivers . the internal connectors 351 plug into the interposer connectors 129 and the external cable connectors 353 plug into connectors external to the package . of course , when desired , connectorless joining methods may be used to couple the ribbon cable to the interposer . in the illustrated embodiment , each interposer has four connectors 129 and a separate ribbon cable 350 is provided for each connector . thus the optical switch has a total of eight ribbon connectors . of course the actual number of control lines and thus , the number and size of the various connectors that are required will vary significantly based on the needs of a particular switch . in current electrostatic mems mirrors that are rotatable in two degrees of freedom , four control lines are required for each mirror . in switches having 256 input ports , that requires over 2000 different control lines for the input and output mirrors alone ( four lines per mirror , 256 input mirrors , 256 output mirrors ). additionally , relatively high voltages are currently required to rotate electrostatic mirrors ( e . g . voltages on the order of 100 volts in available systems ). thus , high voltage drivers are required . in some embodiments , the high voltage drivers can be mounted on the interposers themselves . however , due to space limitations , it may be impractical to place the high voltage drivers on the interposers . thus , the drivers can be located on external circuit boards . one effect of this approach is that the spacing between conductors must be a bit larger than would be required in lower voltage applications which tends to increase the size of the required connectors . of course , these technologies are rapidly advancing and as the technology develops , it is likely ( indeed expected ) that lower drive voltages and higher connector densities will become common . although four control lines per mirror may be required in some mems based mirror arrays , it should be appreciated that fewer or more control lines may require for other mirror arrays . for example , mems based mirror arrays that have rotation though a single degree of freedom , may require just two control lines per mirror and further work in the area may be able to reduce the required number of control lines even further . once the ribbon cables have been attached an external housing assembly 360 , can be placed over the entire switch assembly to further environmentally protect the switch . of course , the actual design of the outer housing may be widely varied . by way of example , one suitable embodiment is illustrated in fig9 . in the embodiment shown , the outer housing assembly 360 includes an outer housing shell 362 , an outer housing base 365 , flexible cable strain relief clamps 386 , fiber bundle strain relief clamps 390 , and clamp covers 394 . the various components can be coupled together using appropriate fasteners such as screws ( not shown ). in the embodiment shown , the fiber bundle strain relief clamps 390 are coupled to the housing shell 362 using screws or other suitable fasteners . the clamp covers 394 are then coupled to the strain relief clamps 390 ( again using suitable fasteners such as screws ). similarly , the flexible cable strain relief clamps 386 may be attached to the base 365 by screws or other appropriate fasteners . foam padding ( not shown ) or another highly damping resilient filler material is placed within the outer housing assembly 360 so that the only mechanical support suspending the inner housing assembly within the outer housing assembly is the resilient foam padding . in the described embodiment , a loose piece of foam is placed within the housing . however , in alternative embodiments a resilient material may be adhered to or molded into the outer housing shell 362 . the foam padding allows substantially independent movement of the inner housing assembly within the outer housing assembly thereby isolating the switch from vibrations and / or shock impulses that may disturb the outer housing . a thermal path can be provided between the inner and outer housings by using a thermally conductive ( yet resilient ) filler material . although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described , it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . for example , although the illustrated embodiment has been described primarily in the context of a device having optical inputs and outputs carried by different interposers ( e . g ., using a simple 2 mirror array optical switch approach ), it should be appreciated that the majority of the described packaging techniques can be readily applied to folded optical path based optical switches as well . these might include optical switches wherein both the input and output fiber bundles are carried by the same interposer and the second interposer carries all of the moveable mirrors and their associated electronics and / or other components . it may also apply to mirror array based optical switches having other optical paths and to optical switches having a single , or more than two fiber bundles . the described packaging techniques can be used with optical switches of any appropriate size . current efforts are primarily focusing on building 64 , 256 and 1000 channel optical switches , however the described packaging can readily be applied to substantially larger and smaller switches as well . the invention has been described primarily in the context of semiconductor based mims mirror array structures . however , it should be apparent that most of the described techniques can apply equally well to switches using other mirror array technologies . also , a number of unique packaging features have been described that combined to provide a particular optical switch packaging arrangement . however , it should also be appreciated that many of the described features are independent and do not need to be used in combination . therefore , it should be apparent that the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims .	6
referring first to fig1 and 2 , the present invention is shown embodied in a portable automatic frame assembly apparatus 20 which assembles lumber of standard dimensions into a building wall frame 22 , applies sheathing material to the frame , and cuts holes in the wall for apertures such as doors , windows , and the like . in the frame assembly apparatus 20 , construction of a wall takes place by assembling the raw materials and fastening them to each other in a horizontal position on an elongate support 24 . the elongate support 24 is carried on a wheeled supporting structure such as the trailer 26 , so that the apparatus 20 may easily be transported by highway from one building construction site to another . the wall frame plates 28 , which will be the top and bottom horizontal pieces of the wall frame when the wall is erected , are fed longitudinally onto the front of the elongate support 24 at opposite sides thereof until their ends reach a fastening station 30 . there a frame stud 32 of a preselected size is placed automatically to extend transversely between and perpendicular to the plates 28 , and is nailed thereto by automatic stud - nailing assemblies 34 , one of which is located on each side of the support 24 . each stud - nailing assembly 34 preferably has a pair of nailers 35 mounted so as to drive a pair of nails through each plate 28 and into the ends of the stud 32 . thereafter , the plates 28 and nailed stud 32 are moved toward the rear of the trailer along the support 24 , as shown by the arrow 36 , a predetermined distance corresponding to the desired stud spacing of the wall frame 22 , and another stud 32 is placed between the plates 28 and nailed thereto at the fastening station 30 . this process is repeated until a complete wall frame 22 has been assembled and nailed together . for framing around openings for doors , windows , and the like , additional studs are nailed as required between the regularly spaced studs . after a completed portion of the wall frame 22 passes from the fastening station 30 , it is stopped over the wall frame squaring devices 29 where adjustable wall frame squaring forks 31 ( fig6 ) are extended upward to ensure that the studs 32 are perpendicular to the plates 28 and hold them in that configuration . pieces of standard sized sheathing material are then laid individually by hand upon the top of the frame in edge - to - edge abutment . a semi - automatic sheathing fastener unit 37 has multiple ( preferably four ) automatic fastener guns such as the overhead nailer guns 38 which are arranged abreast , longitudinally of the support 24 , and are drivably mounted on transverse tracks 40 of a carriage 42 . the carriage 42 is movable on rails 44 located along the exterior edges of the support 24 so as to be aligned properly with the completed portion of the wall frame 22 . pins 45 are spring biased to engage holes 47 to retain the carriage 42 properly aligned with a section of a wall frame 22 while sheathing is nailed in place . this allows the nailer guns 38 to be advanced along the studs 32 transversely to the length of the support 24 , nailing the sheathing to the studs 32 and plates 28 . in addition , a router or saw 50 , adapted for movement into a variety of positions , is provided for cutting openings in the wall frame 22 and sheets of sheathing , for placement of windows , doors , and the like , either before or after the sheathing has been attached . finally , a slideway 52 , which includes a pulley 53 , is attached at the rear of the elongate support 24 and permits use of a winch 55 and a hook - equipped cable 57 to slide completed wall frames 22 from the apparatus 20 to a desired location for use . to allow the apparatus 20 to be transported on highways in compliance with legal vehicle width limitations , yet be capable of assembling wall frames of desired height , the elongate support 24 has hinged rear trackway sections 54 , which are attached by hinges 56 and interconnected by latches 58 ( fig3 ). there are also laterally extendible forward sections 60 and forward plate support extensions 62 . the apparatus 20 is placed in a transport configuration by removing the stud - nailing assemblies 34 from the fastening station 30 and placing the sheathing nailer carriage 42 in a stowed position shown in fig2 . this is accomplished by moving the sheathing fastener unit 37 forward along the rails 44 to a position above the lift 46 . a cradle 48 raises the carriage 42 clear of the rails 44 , and the cradle 48 and carriage 42 may then be rotated 90 ° to a position above the trailer 26 . the carriage 42 is then lowered by the lift 46 and may be steadied , for example by corner guides ( not shown ), to prevent shifting during transport . the hinged trackway sections 54 are raised to the position illustrated in fig2 as permitted by the hinges 56 and latches 58 , while the extendible forward sections 60 are slid inwardly , and the forward plate support extensions 62 are slid rearwardly within the extendible forward sections 60 . the slideway 52 may be removed from the rear of the elongate support 24 for storage ( not shown ) atop the apparatus 20 . the automatic frame assembly apparatus 20 is thus made small enough for legal transport on the highways yet in extensible to a width sufficient to permit assembly of standard height walls . referring now to fig4 through 8 , the trailer 26 is seen to comprise a trailer hitch 64 ( fig4 ) and a pair of jacks 66 at each end , used to level and firmly support the trailer 26 in position at a construction site . a stud stack holder 68 , located at the front end of the apparatus 20 , is used to hold a stack of studs 32 in readiness for placement between a pair of plates 28 for assembly into a wall frame 22 . the stud stack holder 68 comprises a pair of roller - equipped rails 70 . the rails 70 are higher than the extendible forward sections 60 to hold the supply of studs 32 where they do not interfere with the plates 28 . right and left side walls 72 and 74 have flared edges 76 and 78 to align the ends of the studs 32 as the stack of studs is moved rearward . a stanchion 80 may be fitted into any of three pairs of sockets 82 of a table 84 which may be moved by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 88 to move the stack of studs 32 rearwardly toward a pair of vertical retaining members 90 , which align the studs 32 vertically to permit selection and transfer to the fastening station 30 . the extendible forward sections 60 may be seen to include lateral support members 92 which slide laterally with respect to the trailer 26 within lateral support tubes 94 . the support members 90 are held at a desired position of lateral extension by pins 96 which fit in corresponding holes 98 in the lateral support tubes 94 . similarly , the forward plate support extensions 62 slide in tubular support 100 . the stud - selector mechanism in the preferred embodiment comprises a pair of stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 located between the rearward portions of the rails 70 and mounted for reciprocal rotation about an axis which extends laterally of the trailer 26 . a double acting hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 104 is connected to the stud - selecting plate 103 to reciprocatingly rotate both of the stud - selecting plates 102 and l03 , as will be explained in greater detail below . the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 each include a stud - receiving recess 106 of adjustable size used to transfer a stud 32 from the stack holder 68 to the stud - fastening station 30 . a stud / plate hold - down unit 108 , comprising a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly and a pressure plate connected to the piston , is located on each side of the apparatus , attached to the respective retaining member 90 where the pressure plate can exert downward pressure on both a plate 28 and a stud 32 in the stud - fastening station 30 . right and left elongate plate - support members 110 are provided to support the plates 28 which form the top and bottom of each completed wall frame 22 . diagonal guides 112 are provided on each plate - support member 110 to align each plate 28 properly for assembly into a wall frame 22 . a hydraulic plate spreader cylinder and piston assembly 113 is located on each side of the apparatus , near the diagonal guides 112 . a hydraulic pump and pressure tank unit 119 is located at the right - hand front corner of the trailer 26 . a magnetic timer 125 and two three - position four - way solenoid operated valves 123 and 127 are also located nearby the hydraulic pump and pressure tank unit 119 . the solenoid - operated valve 123 controls a hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 , while the solenoid - operated valve 127 controls the hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies 104 . rearward from the stack holder 68 , a spacer table 114 is supported for forward and rearward reciprocal motion in slide bearing gibs 116 . the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 is connected between the undercarriage of the trailer 26 and the spacer table 114 to move the spacer table 114 reciprocatingly forward and rearward . switch operating tabs 120 and 122 , mounted on the spacer table 114 , operate switches 124 and 126 respectively to control movement of the spacer table 114 and other operation of the apparatus 20 as will be explained in greater detail below . a pair of stud pusher brackets 128 extend vertically from the forward edge of the spacer table 114 and extend above the level of the plate support members 110 . the brackets 128 engage the forward side of a stud 32 which has been nailed between a pair of plates 28 , to push the wall frame 22 rearward during assembly . a pair of parallel rails 130 extend rearwardly from the rails 70 , with their top surfaces 132 at the same height as the tops of the elongate plate support members 110 . a finger 134 is mounted in each rail 130 for reciprocal rotation by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 135 , between a lowered position below the top surface 132 of the rail 130 , and a raised position in which the fingers 134 extend above the top surface 132 . when raised , the fingers 134 hold a stud 32 in the stud - fastening station 30 , while it is being nailed to the plate members 28 . a pair of rubber bumpers 136 limit rearward movement of the spacer table 114 as it completes its rearward stroke . each trackway section 54 has a plurality of horizontal rollers 138 which support the plates 28 as a wall frame 22 is moved rearwardly during assembly . a plurality of edge rollers 140 , also mounted on the trackway sections 54 , guide the frame 22 to keep it moving straight toward the rear of the apparatus 20 . for building wall frames 22 of different heights , the separation between the edge rollers 140 of the two sides of the apparatus may be varied by mounting the edge rollers 140 in appropriate ones of a plurality of sets of locator holes 142 . the stud - nailer assemblies 34 comprise small wheeled stud - nailer carriages 144 which permit a double action pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 146 ( fig1 ) to move each stud - nailer carriage 144 laterally toward and away from the respective fastening station 30 . a clamping screw 149 holds each stud - nailer assembly 34 in a socket 148 connected to one of the laterally extendible forward sections 60 of the apparatus 20 . the pair of nailers 35 are adjustably mounted on the carriage 144 , permitting proper placement of nails in plates of differing sizes . each nailer 35 includes a trigger 150 which actuates the nailer when depressed by contact with an object . referring now to fig5 it may be seen that the trailer 26 comprises a plurality of wheels 151 supporting the trailer . springs 152 provide a suitable suspension for highway transport of the apparatus 20 . the sheathing nailer lift 46 may be seen to comprise a hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 154 , mounted within a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ;- shaped frame 156 . an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;- shaped lever 158 supports the cradle 48 . the lever 158 is pivotably supported by a pivot connection 160 , so that extension of the cylinder and piston assembly 154 causes the cradle 48 to rise relative to the trailer 26 . a compressor 161 , powered preferably by an electric motor 162 which may be operated on electrical power normally available at the construction site , compresses air , which is then stored in an air flask 164 , whose capacity in a preferred embodiment of the invention is 120 gallons . a relief valve 166 protects against excessive air pressure , and the motor 162 is controlled by a pressure - operated switch to maintain the pressure within the air flask 164 within about 10 % of its rated pressure of 160 pounds per square inch . the air pressure is lowered to about 100 psig by a reducing valve ( not shown ) before the air is further distributed . air at a known pressure is thus made available for operation of the several pneumatic cylinder and piston assemblies and the pneumatically operated fasteners . the frame squaring device 29 mounted on each side of the apparatus includes a fork 31 mounted on a hinge 170 and may be movable , for example , by means of a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 172 controlled by manually operated valves ( not shown ) as may be seen in greater detail in fig6 . the forks 31 are raised by the cylinder and piston assemblies 172 to fit around each end of one stud of a completed or partially completed frame 22 . this squares the frame , making the studs 32 perpendicular to the plates 28 , before a sheet of sheathing material is fastened to the frame 22 . referring now to fig7 showing the rearward portion of the apparatus 20 of the present invention , as indicated by the bracket 7 in fig1 the sheathing fastener unit 37 may be seen to comprise a carriage 42 which rides on rollers 174 permitting the carriage 42 to move longitudinally of the apparatus 20 along the tracks 44 . pins 45 , which operate similarly to pins 58 ( fig3 ), may be engaged in holes 47 to properly locate the carriage 42 for nailing into the studs 32 and plates 28 of a frame 22 engaged by the frame squaring devices 168 . the rollers 174 are secured to the carriage 42 by bolts which pass through c - shaped slots 176 allowing the carriage 42 to be raised or lowered with respect to the level of the trackway sections 54 , to accommodate wall frames 22 made from studs and plates of various sizes of lumber . a pneumatic hold - down cylinder and piston assembly 178 is mounted at each corner of the carriage 42 to hold sheathing material firmly in place on to of a section of an assembled wall frame 22 as the sheathing is nailed in place by the nailers 38 . a nailer transport unit 180 , moved by motor 182 through a drive pinion 183 which engages a rack 184 , carries the four nailer guns 38 along the tracks 40 to automatically place nails at predetermined positions . a plurality of cams 186 are located along a flange of one of the rails 40 to operate a valve periodically during movement of the transport unit 180 along the rails 40 to cause each of the center pair of the nailer guns 38 to discharge a nail into the sheathing and underlying stud 32 . a plurality of similar cams 188 at a different , preferably closer , spacing similarly operate the nailer guns 38 on each end of the transport unit 180 . a cable support member 190 and slides 192 attached thereto support the hoses and electrical cables which supply electricity and compressed air to the nailer guns 38 , motor 182 , and control devices for the nailer guns 38 . switches are included in a control panel ( not shown ) to individually enable and disable the nailer guns 38 . limit switches 194 and 196 limit the motion of the transport unit 180 in each direction . referring now to fig8 it may be seen that each nailer gun 38 is attached to a pivotally mounted frame 198 which is attached by a pivotal connection 200 to a nail gun support 202 . the nailer guns 38 are adjustably mounted on slotted plates which are part of the frames 198 , to allow tilting and horizontal or vertical adjustment . the position of each nailer gun 38 can thus be adjusted to properly place nails through sheathing of various thicknesses into the studs 32 and plates 28 . a double acting pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 204 is normally provided with air at about 25 psig , via its bottom air inlet 206 , while each impulse initiated by one of the cams 186 or 188 supplies high pressure air to an upper air inlet 208 , overcoming the air pressure in the lower end of the cylinder and forcing the respective nailer 38 down toward sheathing or other material below . if a nail gun trigger 210 contacts material , it causes the nailer gun 38 to place a nail . as the respective follower goes off the cam 186 or 188 , the respective valve dumps pressure from the upper end of the cylinder 204 , allowing the 25 psig air to raise the associated nailer gun 38 . a solenoid - operated valve 207 connected with each cylinder 204 permits exclusion of high pressure air , to selectively disable a nailer gun 38 . lifting any nailer gun from its normal position opens a mechanically operated valve , dumping the air pressure from the nailer gun 38 and thus rendering the nailer gun safe . fig9 and 10 show the left hand side of the stud - selecting mechanism and fastening station 30 of the invention , with the stud - selecting plate 102 in the downward position . at this point in the wall frame assembly cycle , the fingers 134 are in their raised position , holding a stud 32 tightly adjacent to the rearward faces 212 of the rails 70 . a slotted adjustment plate 214 is adjustably bolted to the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 to adjust the size of the recesses 106 to the width of the studs 32 being used . with the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 in the lowered position , the stud - selector operating cylinder and piston assembly 104 ( fig4 and fig1 - 13 ) is extended . one of a pair of stud holder dogs 216 , operated by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 218 , is pivotally attached to each end of a crossbar 220 which interconnects the left and right stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 , providing simultaneous rotation . operation of the stud holder dog operating cylinder and piston assembly 218 is controlled by means of a valve 222 operated by a raised cam plate 224 attached to the side of the stud - selecting plate 102 on the left side of the frame assembly apparatus 20 . when the cam 224 raises the cam follower , operating the valve 222 , the cylinder and piston assembly 218 raises the stud holder dog 216 . the valve 222 also directs air to the plate spreader assemblies 113 ( fig4 and 10 ) at the same time . one of a pair of catcher hooks 226 is located on each side of the apparatus , ( see also fig1 - 13 ) attached to the laterally extendible forward section 60 by a pivot connection 228 . the catcher hooks 226 may be raised by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 230 . a valve 232 , situated along the slide bearing gibs 116 on the left side of the apparatus , is operated by the spacer table 114 during the rearward portion of its cycle , and causes the cylinder and piston assemblies 230 to extend , raising the catcher hooks 226 to catch the most recently nailed stud 32 and thus positively stop the rearward motion of a wall frame 22 . referring now particularly to fig1 , each stud - nailing assembly 34 may be seen to comprise a track 234 which guides the roller - supported stud nailer carriage 144 . the double action pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 146 is interconnected between mounting points on the track 234 and the carriage 144 to move the carriage 144 toward and away from a plate 28 and stud 32 in the nailing station 30 . referring now to fig1 through 13 , it may be seen that additional switches are operated by the righthand stud - selecting plate 103 . a stud - selector upper limit switch 240 is operated by a pin 242 extending from the stud - selector plate 103 , and controls solenoid - operated valve 27 to stop retraction of the stud - selector cylinder and piston assemblies 104 . a stud - selector lower limit switch 244 is operated by a switch operating tab 246 as the right - hand stud - selector plate 103 approaches its fully down position , and causes solenoid - operated valve 127 to stop extension of the stud - selector cylinder and piston assembly 104 . a nailer sequence initiating valve 248 is attached to the left side of the right - hand rail 40 , adjacent to the right - hand stud - selector plate 103 . a cam 250 protruding from the right side of the right - hand stud - selecting plate 103 operates the nailer sequence initiating valve 248 as the stud - selecting plate 103 rotates downward , a hinge in the cam follower connected to the nailer sequence initiating valve 248 allowing the stud - selecting plate 103 and cam 250 to move in the opposite direction without operating the valve 248 . referring to fig1 , the stud nailers 34 are seen to be controlled by a network of mechanically and electrically operated valves controlling the compressed air supplied from the air flask 164 . while the majority of the work is done by the 100 psig compressed air , a pressure reducing valve 249 also provides air at about 25 psig . the pneumatic valve 248 initiates the stud nailer operational sequence . a pilot - operated air control valve 252 controls distribution of air from the air flask 164 to operate the various elements of the stud - nailing mechanism . in one position , valve 252 supplies air pressure to retract the finger - operating cylinder and piston assemblies 135 , raising the fingers 134 , and also supplies air pressure to the solenoid - operated valve 254 . in its other position control valve 252 retracts cylinder and piston assembly 108 , allowing cylinder and piston assembly 135 to extend by exhausting air previously directed to solenoid - operated valves 254 and 255 . a normally open solenoid - operated valve 255 is located in the air line between the control valve 252 and the cylinder and piston assemblies 135 , and may be closed by a switch located at a control panel ( not shown ). the valve 254 is electrically controlled by the spacer table power control switch ( not shown ) and is always open if the spacer table is energized . this is a safety feature , preventing the nailers 35 from being moved should the valve 248 be accidently operated , with the machine deenergized , but while air pressure is present in the lines . the solenoid - operated air cut - off valve 254 , when the solenoid is actuated , admits air pressure from the pilot - operated air control valve 252 to an air timer unit 256 . the air delay timing unit 256 may , for example , by a model 59121 mechanical air delay timer manufactured by a . p . 0 . of bryon , ohio , which delays passage of air for an adjustable period of time . the outlet side of the air delay timer 256 is connected to extend the stud / plate hold - down units 108 and to an air metering valve 258 . the air metering valve 258 is adjustable to allow air to pass at a predetermined rate from the air delay timer 256 to a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 connected to move a cam 262 . a cam follower 264 rides on the cam 262 , and is connected by a pivotal connection 266 to the operating lever of an air valve 268 which is biased to a normally closed condition . the cam follower 264 opens the valve 268 in response to the cam 262 as the piston and cylinder assembly 260 extends , directing air to pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 148 and drawing the stud - nailing assembly 34 toward the plate 28 and stud 32 in the nailing station 30 . the cam follower 264 , however , is free to pivot as indicated in broken line in the drawing without opening the pneumatic valve 268 during the return stroke of the cam 262 as the cylinder and piston assembly 260 contracts . as the cylinder and piston assembly 260 approaches its fully extended position it moves an air valve 239 , which is biased to an exhaust position , to a transmitting position . in its transmitting position the air valve 239 pneumatically operates valve 252 , which provides air to retract the stud / plate holders 108 . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , the magnetic timer 125 is connected to an actuation switch 129 located on the right stud / plate hold - down unit 108 . the switch 129 is closed when the hold - down unit 108 retracts , sending an electrical signal to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 123 . the solenoid - operated valve 123 , in response , directs hydraulic fluid to extend the cylinder and piston assembly 118 . since the fingers 134 and the stud / plate hold - down units 108 retract simultaneously when the air valve 239 is opened , the switch 129 ensures that the spacer table 114 is not moved rearwardly while the fingers 134 are still raised . additionally , the actuation switch 129 reduces cycle time for the operation of the apparatus from about 11 seconds / cycle to about 9 seconds / cycle . operation of the frame assembling portions of the apparatus 20 is initiated by energizing the hydraulic unit 119 and the air compressor 161 , ensuring sufficient compressed air pressure is available in the air flask 164 , and energizing the electrical control systems for the spacer table and stud - selecting mechanism . upon being energized , the spacer table 114 ( fig4 ), powered by the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 , moves rearward until the switch operating tab 120 engages the limit switch 124 . the switch 124 is located so that the spacer table 114 comes into contact with the rubber bumpers 136 as the spacer table 114 completes a stroke of rearward movement which is equal to the desired spacing between consecutive studs 32 of the frame 22 being assembled . the switch 124 sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 123 , which reverses the direction of the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 , returning the spacer table 114 toward the front of the apparatus . the switch 124 also sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 127 , which initiates the cycle of the stud - selector mechanism by valving hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 104 , causing it to contract and rotate the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 , moving the stud - receiving recesses 106 toward the raised position . as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 rotate upward , the cam plate 224 actuates the valve 222 ( fig1 ), directing air pressure which causes the pneumatic cylinder and piston assemblies 218 to contract , raising the stud - holder dogs 216 , and also causes the plate spreader pneumatic cylinder and piston assemblies 113 to extend . during this rotation of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 , the bottom - most stud 32 in the stack nearest the retaining members 90 rests upon the arcuate edges of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 and the slotted adjustment plates 214 . as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 approach their uppermost position , the operating arm roller of the valve 222 rolls off the cam plate 224 , extending the cylinder and piston assemblies 218 , moving the stud - holder dogs 216 away from the recesses 106 of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 . as the right - hand stud - selecting plate 103 ( fig1 ) approaches its uppermost position , the pin 242 engages a lever arm of the upper limit switch 240 , sending an electrical impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 127 , which stops the flow of hydraulic fluid to the cylinder and piston assembly 104 , terminating the rotation of the stud - selector mechanism . when the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 are in this uppermost position , the bottommost stud in the stack adjacent to the retaining members 90 drops into the recess 106 in each of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 . as the spacer table 114 approaches the front of the apparatus , the switch - operating tab 122 engages the limit switch 126 , which sends an electrical impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 123 which then stops the contraction of the cylinder and piston assembly 118 . the limit switch 126 also starts the magnetic timer 125 , which measures the time during which the spacer table should remain forward during a cycle of operation of the stud - selecting and nailing sequences . the switch 126 also sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 127 , which initiates the downward rotation of the stud - selector mechanism . upon receiving an impulse from the switch 126 , the solenoid - operated valve 127 sends hydraulic fluid to extend the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 104 , moving the stud - receiving recesses 106 downward toward the nailer station 30 . as the cylinder and piston assembly 104 extends , the lowermost stud 32 in the stack is pushed rearwardly and out from under the rest of the stack of studs 32 by the slotted plates 214 . as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 rotate downward , the cam follower of the valve 222 again rides up onto the cam 224 , contracting the cylinder and piston assembly 218 to close the stud holder dogs 216 around the selected stud 32 and extend the plate - spreader cylinder and piston assemblies 113 . the stud - selector assembly thus brings the selected stud 32 positively downward into position adjacent to the rearward faces 212 of the rails 70 and between the slightly spread apart plates 28 . as the stud - selector plate 103 rotates downward , the cam 250 actuates the nailer sequence initiating valve 248 . valve 248 sends an impulse of air to reposition control valve 252 , which initiates contraction of the cylinder and piston assemblies 135 to raise the fingers 134 to hold the selected stud 32 in position for nailing between the plates 28 . the control valve 252 also sends air to the solenoid - operated air valve 254 . if the solenoid - operated valve 254 is open it allows compressed air to proceed into the air delay timer 256 . during the delay period required by the air delay timer 256 , as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 approach the lowermost position , the cam follower of the stud - holder operating valve 222 again rolls off the cam plate 224 . in response , the stud - holder hooks 216 open and the plate spreader cylinder and piston assemblies 113 retract , allowing the plate members 28 to return toward the stud 32 . after a predetermined delay period during which the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 arrive and stop in their lowered position and the fingers 134 move upward to hold the stud 32 in the nailing position , the air delay timer 256 admits air pressure to the stud / plate hold - down cylinder and piston assemblies 108 , which extend to hold the plates 28 and the selected stud 32 down tightly against the supports 110 , the air delay timer 256 also admits air to an adjustable metering valve 258 which sends air at a predetermined rate to a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 which moves the cam 262 . the cam follower 264 connected to the pneumatic valve 268 rides along the cam 262 , operating the pneumatic valve 268 . the valve 268 admits air to the cylinder and piston assemblies 146 on each nail gun assembly 34 , retracting the piston into the cylinder to move the stud nailer carriages 144 toward the plates 28 in the nailing station 30 on each side of the apparatus . as the stud nailer carriages 144 move the nailers 35 toward the plates 28 , actuating triggers 150 on the individual nailers 35 are pushed toward each nailer 35 by the plates 28 , causing each nailer 35 to place a nail . as may be seen in fig1 the nailers are aligned so as to place a pair of nails through each plate member 28 into the stud 32 in the fastening station 30 so that the nails converge slightly toward one another . as the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 continues to extend , the cam follower 264 of the valve 268 rolls off the cam 262 , allowing the air valve 268 to move to the exhaust position , and allowing reduced pressure ( about 25 psig ) from the pressure reducing valve 249 to re - extend the cylinder and piston assemblies 146 , holding the stud nailer carriages 144 normally away from the plates 28 . continued movement of the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 to its fully extended position engages the pneumatic valve 239 , which causes the plate hold - down cylinder and piston assembly 108 to contract , releasing the plates 28 and stud 32 , and simultaneously causes the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 135 to extend , lowering the fingers 134 . upon expiration of the preset time during which stud - selection and nailing occur , the magnetic timer 125 sends an electrical pulse to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 123 , initiating the rearward movement of the spacer table 114 by the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 . in the alternate embodiment , when the actuation switch 129 is closed , after expiration of the preset time of the timer 125 , by the retraction of the right side hold - down cylinder and piston assembly 108 , it causes operation of the solenoid - operated valve 123 for the same purpose . as the spacer table 114 moves rearwardly , it engages the valve 232 ( fig9 ) which causes the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 230 on each side of the apparatus to extend , raising the catcher hooks 226 to engage the rearward side of the just - nailed stud 32 , limiting rearward movement of the frame 22 . at about the same time , the switch - operating tab 120 engages the arm of the switch 124 ( fig4 ) which sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 123 . the solenoid - operated valve 123 redirects hydraulic fluid to the retraction side of the cylinder and piston assembly 118 , reversing the direction of movement of the spacer table 114 , which moves forward to initiate the next stud - selection and fastening cycle . the above cycle may be repeated automatically until studs 32 have been nailed between a pair of plates 28 at the desired spacing along the full length of the pair of plates 28 . adjustment of stud spacing is accomplished by relocation of the switch 124 , valve 232 , bumpers 136 , and catcher hooks 226 . double studding , or shorter distance studding capability is provided by manually operable electric switches on a control box ( not shown ). these switches close valve 225 , keeping fingers 134 down , close a solenoid - operated valve ( not shown ) between catcher valve 232 and catcher cylinder and piston assembly 230 , keeping the catchers 226 down , and parallel the functions of limit switch 124 , signaling for the return of the spacer table 114 and initiating another stud - selection and nailing cycle . successive plates 28 must be manually positioned on each support 110 as the first stud 32 of each frame 22 is selected and nailed . as enough of a given section of frame 22 is completed to receive a sheet of sheathing material , the frame straighteners 168 are raised by the cylinder and piston assemblies 172 , under manual control , to ensure that the frame 22 is properly aligned with the studs 32 perpendicular to the plates 28 , before sheathing is nailed into place . with the frame straighteners 168 raised , a sheet of sheathing is manually positioned over the frame 22 , after which the nailer carriage 42 is positioned appropriately along the tracks 44 where it is held in place by the pins 45 in the holes 47 . the nailer transport unit 180 , moved by the motor 182 , carries the four nailer guns 38 along the track 40 to automatically place nails at predetermined positions . a plurality of cams 186 located along a flange of one of the rails 40 operate a switch ( not shown ) periodically during movement of the transport unit 180 along the rails 40 controlling solenoid valves to cause each of the center pair of the nailer guns 38 to move downward and discharge a nail into the sheathing and underlying stud 32 . a similar plurality of cams at a different , preferably closer , spacing similarly operate the nailer guns 38 on each end of the transport unit 180 . limit switches 194 and 196 limit the motion of the transport unit 180 in each direction , so that once the motor 182 is energized , the transport unit 180 moves across the entire width of a panel of sheathing , automatically nailing the sheathing to the frame 22 across the entire width of the frame 22 and then stops . after nailing one piece of sheathing to a frame 22 the carriage 42 is moved along the rails 44 into position over the next sheet of sheathing to be nailed . the carriage 42 is again secured by pins in proper position for nailing by additional holes placed relative to the frame squaring devices 168 . the next sheet of sheathing is then nailed with the transport unit 180 moving in the opposite direction along the tracks 40 . if a double - sheathed wall section is desired , the wall frame 22 may be manually inverted after the first sheathing has been applied . thermal insulation may be placed between the studs , and sheathing may be affixed to the opposite side of the plates 28 and studs 32 by the sheathing fastener unit 37 in the same general manner previously described . the apparatus of the invention may be used to assemble frames completely of uniform dimension studs , later cutting out apertures for windows and the like , or pre - cut cripples and headers may be used to assemble frames around apertures for windows and doorways . similarly , openings may be cut in sheathing material either before or after nailing to the wall frames 22 . completed wall sections may be pulled along the slideway 52 by the winch 55 and cable 57 for delivery directly to the floor of a building being erected . the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow .	1
before describing detailed embodiments of the invention , it will be useful to set forth abbreviations and definitions that are used in describing the invention . the definitions set forth apply only to the terms as they are used in this patent . the following description of the preferred embodiments and examples are provided by way of explanation and illustration . as such , they are not to be viewed as limiting the scope of the invention as defined by the claims . additionally , when examples are given , they are intended to be exemplary only and not to be restrictive . for example , when an example is said to “ include ” a specific feature , that is intended to imply that it may have that feature but not that such examples are limited to those that include that feature . in describing and claiming the present invention , the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below . “ oligoguanidine compound ” refers to an oligomer of subunits , each subunit of which contains a chemically tethered guanidine group . a guanidine residue has the general structural characteristics of a guanidine head group , plus a tether of up to 12 methylene groups linking the guanidine moiety to the core of the transporter composition , where the core includes at least one triazine ring . accordingly , in one embodiment of the invention , one component of an oligoguanidine compound has the following sectional formula a : wherein : m and n are integers of from 2 to 6 . in the formula above , the guanidine group is illustrated as being neutral . one of skill in the art will appreciate that the extent to which an oligoguanidine compound is charged will depend on the environment in which it is present ( including medium , ph , etc .) and both charged and uncharged forms are contemplated by the present invention . the core of the oligoguanidine transporter composition is a “ triazine ” which serves as the scaffold on which the guanidine - containing components are assembled . one site on this triazine moiety is used to install a linker or a linking group for conjugation with bioactive substances . the other two sites on the triazine are used to install the side chains of amino groups in a protected form , which are subsequently deprotected and converted to guanidines , preferably after coupling with bioactive substances . accordingly , in one embodiment of the invention , the core structure of the delivery composition has the following formula b : wherein : m is an integer of from 0 to 10 ; n is an integer of from 1 to 5 . l is a linker or a linking group to conjugate to a bioactive substance . therefore , merger of formula a and b represents a whole piece of transporter composition containing oligoguanidine head groups , triazine core scaffold and a linker bound to or suitable for binding to a bioactive substance . as used herein , the term “ oligoguanidine compound ” refers to an oligomer of subunits , each of which contains a chemically tethered group that is a guanidine or that has been chemically transformed to generate a guanidine group . transformation to the guanidine group can be done prior to the conjugation with a bioactive substance by using an appropriate starting material ( i . e ., an oligomer having chemically built - in guanidine in a suitably protected form ). alternately , an oligoguanidine compound can be made at the end of the synthesis by a perguanidinylation step . a linking moiety “ l ” has two termini , one that covalently attaches to the transporter composition and one that covalently bonds to a bioactive substance . examples of such groups include , without limitation , carboxylic acid , carboxylic acid derivatives , alcohols , amines and thiols . for example , one end of a dicarboxylic acid is used in attaching the transporter composition , while the other in attaching a bioactive substance . the cleavable linking moiety is preferable when it is used in vivo . “ cleavable ” in this case refers to separation of transporter composition from the bioactive substance . the separation is effected through cleavage of a covalent bond unstable in a biological environment . for example , a linking moiety containing a disulfide bond may be cleaved in the reducing environment within cells in the living organism . or a linking moiety contains a short section of peptide , which can be cleaved by peptidases or proteases in the living organism . the cleavage releases a free bioactive substance from the transporter composition . “ delivery ” refers to an increase in amount and / or rate of transporting a bioactive substance across a biological barrier . the term is also meant to include altering tissue distribution , localization and release of a bioactive substance or agent . “ biological barrier ” refers to a physiological barrier to the delivery of a bioactive substance to its intended target site . it includes , for example biological membranes . “ biological membrane ” refers to a lipid - containing barrier that separates cells or groups of cells from extracellular space . “ bioactive substance ” refers to a therapeutic compound or a diagnostic agent , as well as lead compounds in a research and development setting . still further the term is meant to include various probes ( e . g ., oligonucleotides alone or those having attached imaging agents ) and substances effective to alter biological processes within cells . the term “ therapeutic compound ” refers , without limitation , to any composition that can be used to the benefit of a mammalian species . a number of such agents cause an observable change in the structure , function or composition of a cell upon uptake by the cell . observable changes include increased or decreased expression of one or more mrnas , increased or decreased expression of one or more proteins , phosphorylation of a protein or other cell component , inhibition or activation of an enzyme , inhibition or activation of binding between members of a binding pair , an increased rate of synthesis of a metabolite , increased or decreased cell proliferation and the like . other agents exert therapeutic effects when present in a tissue , even in the absence of cellular entry . the term “ diagnostic agent ” refers to both diagnostic imaging agents and contrast agents . the following are non - limiting examples of diagnostic agents : radio - labeled substances such as 99 mtc glucoheptonate ; substances used in magnetic resonance imaging such as gadolinium doped chelation agents ( e . g ., gd - dtpa ); metals bound to chelating agents such as eu , lu , pr , gd , tc 99 m , ga 67 , in 111 , y 90 , cu 67 and co 57 ; and , proteins such as β - galactosidase , green fluorescent protein and luciferase . other diagnostic agents include molecular sensors . the term “ macromolecule ” refers to large molecules ( mw greater than 1000 daltons ) of biological or synthetic origin , exemplified by , but not limited to , peptides , proteins , oligonucleotides , polynucleotides and analogs thereof , such as peptide nucleic acids and morpholinos . “ small organic molecule ” refers to a carbon - containing agent having a molecular weight of less than or equal to 1000 daltons . in describing and claiming the present invention , the following abbreviations will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below . alt alanine aminotransferase ast aspartate aminotransferase bnpc bis ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) carbonate dce 1 , 2 - dichloroethane dcm dichloromethane diea n , n - diisopropylethylamine dmi 1 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 - imidazolidinone edci 1 - ethyl - 3 -[ 3 -( dimethylamino ) propyl ] carbodiimide hydrochloride ep endo porter , a peptide delivery composition ( gene tools , llc ) etoac ethyl acetate hmds hexamethyldisilazane hobt 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole hydrate l linking group mecn acetonitrile meoh methanol mw molecular weight pg protecting group rt room temperature tbme t - butyl methyl ether tea triethylamine tfa trifluoroacetic acid tfe 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethanol thf tetrahydrofuran tlc thin layer chromatography tr trityl vm vivo - morpholino commonly referred to a conjugate of transporter composition of this invention and a morpholino oligo . the present invention relates to the finding that guanidine residues provide an enhanced transport of drugs and other agents across biological membranes when the residues are part of an oligoguanidine that provides suitable assembly of the guanidines . this is in contrast to the previously described polymers of , for example , arginine , in which the guanidine moieties are present on essentially all subunits of the linear transport polymer . this is also different from the previously described dendrimers of guanidines , in that the guanidine moieties in the present invention are assembled on a triazine scaffold . thus , the transporter oligomers of the present invention can be viewed in one group of embodiments as polymers in which guanidine residues are present , but spaced by dendrimeric branches such that each guanidine moiety is in the terminal head group of side chains . synthetically , the side chains can be selected to enhance the freedom of the arm length and adjust the lipophilicity of the transporter oligomer . furthermore , the central amino group can provide a site for attachment to a linking group which can conjugate with bioactive substances . more importantly , guanidine moieties are prepared from their amine precursors , which are transformed by a single step perguanidinylation . this process takes the advantage of avoiding using the expensive reagent as compared with the prior art which involves use of costly reagents for conversion and protection of guanidines . the whole assembly of the transporter composition and its joining to the bioactive compound was designed in a concise manner which can be implemented simply and cost - effectively . as noted above , the present invention provides compositions and methods that enhance the transport of bioactive substances across biological membranes . the compositions are represented by the structures containing triazine as scaffold , oligoguanidine as head groups of each side chains and bioactive substances attached to a linking group . accordingly , the invention also includes the oligoguanidine compounds described herein that are chemically tethered to a bioactive substance ( which includes therapeutic agents and prodrugs thereof ). the oligoguanidine compounds can be tethered to the therapeutic agent in a variety of different ways . the therapeutic agents can be linked to a transporter composition of the invention in numerous ways , including a direct bond or by means of a linking moiety . in particular , carbamate , amide , ester , thioether , disulfide , and hydrazone linkages are generally easy to form and suitable for most applications . in addition , various functional groups ( e . g ., hydroxyl , amino , halogen , etc .) can be used to attach the therapeutic agent to the transporter composition . for those therapeutic agents that are inactive until the attached transporter composition is released , the linker is preferably a readily cleavable linker , meaning that it is susceptible to enzymatic or solvent - mediated cleavage in vivo . for this purpose , linkers containing carboxylic acid esters and disulfide bonds are preferred , where the former groups are hydrolyzed enzymatically or chemically , and the latter are severed by disulfide exchange , e . g ., in the presence of glutathione . therapeutic agents that benefit from the transporter composition of the invention include both small organic molecules and macromolecules ( e . g ., nucleic acids , oligonucleotides and the analogs thereof , morpholinos and peptide nucleic acids , polynucleotides , peptides , polypeptides , and proteins ). exemplary therapeutic agents include local and systemic anti - cancer agents , antibiotics , antisense drugs , protease inhibitors , and so forth . in addition , there are numerous releasable linkers that can be used with the transporter composition of the invention , which can be cleaved by phosphatases , proteases , esterases , redox compounds , photochemical agents , nucleophilic agents , acidic compounds , and so forth . release of the therapeutic agent can be the result of either enzymatic or non - enzymatic action . turning next to the bioactive substance , the present invention finds broad application to essentially any therapeutic or diagnostic agent . examples of therapeutic compounds include , without limitation , the following : oligonucleotides and polynucleotides formed of dna and rna ; oligonucleotide analogs such as phosphonates ( e . g ., methyl phosphonates ), phosphoramidates , thiophosphates , locked nucleic acids ( lna ), uncharged morpholinos and peptide nucleic acids ( pnas ) or their structural variations containing positive or negative charges ; proteins such as kinase c , raf - 1 , p21ras , nf - κb and c - jun ; and , polysaccharides and polysaccharide analogs . diagnostic agents include both diagnostic imaging agents and contrast agents . the following are non - limiting examples of diagnostic agents : radio - labeled substances such as 99 mtc glucoheptonate ; substances used in magnetic resonance imaging such as gadolinium doped chelation agents ( e . g ., gd - dtpa ); metals bound to chelating agents such as eu , lu , pr , gd , tc 99 m , ga 67 , in 111 , y 90 , cu 67 and co 57 ; and proteins such as β - galactosidase , green fluorescent protein and luciferase . still other useful agents include dyes such as , for example , fluorescein . in certain embodiments , the transporter composition is attached to the bioactive substance through a linking moiety . such a linking moiety has two termini , one that covalently bonds to the transporter composition and one that covalently bonds to the bioactive substance . the termini each contain a functional group that serves as a facile point of attachment . examples of such groups include , without limitation , carboxylic acid , carboxylic acid derivatives , alcohols , amines and thiols . for example , suberic acid is a linking moiety having a carboxylic acid at each terminus . one terminus is used in attaching the transporter composition , while the other in attaching the bioactive substance . the linking moiety is preferably cleaved in vivo . “ cleaved ” in this case refers to separation of a linking moiety from the bioactive substance . the separation is effected through cleavage of a covalent bond . for instance , a linking moiety containing a disulfide bond may be cleaved in the reducing environment in the cells of a living organism , resulting in the separation of transporter composition from the bioactive substance . or a linking moiety contains a short section of peptide , which can be cleaved by proteases in the living organism . the cleavage releases a free bioactive substance from the transporter composition . fig1 provides an illustration for the synthesis of a dendrimeric octaguanidine beginning with monoprotected piperazine 1 . the protected piperazine 1 reacts with cyanuric chloride to give monosubstituted dichlorotriazine . the dichloride is then treated with diethanolamine to give tetraalcohol 4 . the hydroxyl groups are activated with a suitable activating reagent to provide tetracarbonate 5 . the tetracarbonate 5 is treated with a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine to tetracarbamate 6 containing octaamine in a protected form . the secondary amine of piperazine 7 is regenerated by deprotection , which reacts with an activated linker 3 to give the transporter moiety 8 with an active functional moiety at one terminus . this active functional group 8 couples with a bioactive substance to give a conjugate 9 . the final removal of protecting groups to give octaamine 10 and perguanidinylation thereof fulfills the whole entity assembly for a transporter - enabled bioactive substance 11 . more detail below is provided for perguanidinylation . fig2 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing four side chains each with a protected primary amine . the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine is treated with a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine to give an entity containing triazine as scaffold and four primary amines in a protected form 13 . fig3 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing six side chains each with a protected primary amine . the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine is treated with aminotrialcohol to give hexa - alcohol intermediate 14 which is activated to form the corresponding carbonate 15 . the carbonate 15 is then treated with suitably protected amines to give hexa - primary amines in a protected form 16 . fig4 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing twelve side chains with a protected primary amine . by using the same reactive carbonate intermediate 15 as shown in fig3 , and introducing a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine , a dozen of side chains each with a protected primary amine are furnished to afford compound 17 . fig5 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing sixteen side chains with a protected primary amine . by using the same reactive carbonate intermediate 5 as shown in fig1 b , treatment of diethanolamine gives octa - alcohol 18 . activation of the alcohol 18 to the corresponding carbonate intermediate 19 , followed by introduction of a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine , gives a triazine scaffold 20 containing sixteen side chains each with a protected primary amine . fig6 illustrates a sequence for construction of a rigid core scaffold of octaamines in a protected form . the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine is treated with piperazine to give di - secondary amine 21 . disubstituted monochlotriazine 22 , obtained from treatment of cyanuric chloride with the secondary amine 2 by a controllable manner , reacts with the di - secondary amine 21 , resulting in a fully protected form of octaamine 23 . fig7 illustrates a sequence for construction of a flexible scaffold of octaamines in a protected form . reaction of monoprotected alcohol or amine 24 with cyanuric chloride gives monosubstituted dichlorotriazine 25 , which is further exposed with two equivalents of secondary amine to give trisubstituted triazine 26 . removal of the trityl group generates a primary amine 27 , which is again treated with the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine 25 to yield a fully protected form of octaamine 28 . as can be seen from fig1 to 7 , use of triazine as a scaffold can assemble oligoamines in an efficient manner . all these amino groups are orthogonally protected ( trityl vs . trifluoroacetyl ). removal of trityl group provides a site for installing a linking group which can be used for conjugation with bioactive substance . fig8 illustrates a general scheme following fig2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 for subsequent manipulation . the linking site of 30 , generated after deprotection of 29 , is coupled with a linking group to afford 31 . the active end of the linking group of 31 is connected with a bioactive substance to give a conjugate 32 . the oligoamine 33 , generated from removing the protecting groups of 32 , undergoes guanidinylation to give 34 , an oligoguanidine conjugated with bioactive substance . fig1 to 7 also show the same methodology which requires a deprotection and perguanidinylation process after conjugation with bioactive substance . fig9 illustrates a sequence where guanidine groups are built - in before the transporter composition is coupled with bioactive substance . this is very useful for those bioactive substances which are vulnerable to the conditions used for perguanidinylation . the selective protection of primary amine 35 with trifluoroacetyl group gives free secondary amine 36 which is orthogonally protected with trityl group to give intermediate 37 . the primary amine 38 re - generated by deprotection can be transformed to guanidine 40 in a protected form . removal of the trityl group gives the secondary amine 41 which reacts with the carbonate intermediate 5 to furnish the octaguanidine 42 in a protected form . although the transformation described in fig9 is useful for some bioactive substances which are vulnerable to the conditions used for perguanidinylation , one of skill in the art will readily understand that this route is rather lengthy whereas post - coupling perguanidinylation is the cost - effective way . as a matter of fact , in one embodiment of the invention , the deprotection and perguanidinylation is carried out in a single reaction vessel without intermediate purification , providing a practical process for efficient streamlined production of conjugate containing transporter composition and bioactive substance . accordingly , one embodiment of the invention is a method for the preparation of an oligoguanidine compound , comprising contacting an oligomer having chemically tethered amines , at least a portion of which are protected , with a protecting group removal agent and a guanidinylation reagent to convert each of said protected amines to a guanidinyl group , to produce an oligoguanidine compound . more specifically , the method may comprise the steps of ( a ) assembling a dendrimeric structure using triazine as a core scaffold to install a plurality of side chains each containing a chemically tethered amine , ( b ) contacting one amino group which is orthogonally protected to the amino groups at the end of each side chain with a linking group having reactive functional entities on each end . the linking group having the remaining reactive functional entity is conjugated with a bioactive substance , ( c ) contacting an oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines , wherein a portion of the tethered amines have attached protecting groups , with a protecting group removal agent to remove the protecting groups to produce an oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines ; and ( d ) contacting the resulting oligomer with a guanidinylation reagent to convert each of the chemically tethered amines to a guanidinyl group to produce an oligoguanidine compound . in some embodiments , the oligomer having chemically tethered amines will be isolated and purified using methods such as ion exchange chromatography , hplc , column chromatography and the like . this oligomer ( tethered amine ) compound can be isolated as a salt or in neutral form . however , in a preferred embodiment , the oligomer compound having chemically tethered amines is not isolated , but is carried on directly to step ( d ) in certain embodiments , steps ( c ) and ( d ) are carried out in the same reaction vessel . therefore , an oligomer compound having protecting groups on each of the amines can be treated with a protecting group removal agent and subsequently a guanidinylation reagent to provide the oligoguanidine compound in a single vessel . in one particularly preferred embodiment , an oligomer having trifluoroacetyl protecting groups on each of the ω - amines is contacted with a protecting group removal agent , preferably aqueous ammonia solution , and afterwards with a guanidinylation reagent , preferably o - methylisourea hydrochloride . in other embodiments , the oligomer having chemically tethered amines is a dendrimeric scaffold with a triazine as the center piece . in another embodiment , the branching moiety from triazine is dialcoholamine ( wherein “ dialcoholamine ” refers to those compounds having hydroxyl group at each end of the side chains and the side chains containing multiple methylene and other heteroatom such as o , s , b and the like .) in one particularly preferred embodiment , diethanolamine is used for multiplication of the side chains . the nitrogen atom from the dialcoholamine connects to the triazine core and the hydroxyl groups from the alcohols develop further for a plurality of side chains . the multiplication of side chains is preferably enabled by formation of carbonate intermediate , which is in turn preferably connected with a secondary amine of bis ( hexamethylene ) triamine wherein both primary amines are protected with preferably trifluoroacetyl groups . another embodiment of the invention is a method for the preparation of an oligoguanidine compound from a suitably protected oligoamine , comprising the steps of : ( a ) connecting two dialcoholamine to monosubstituted dichlorotriazine to produce a tetraalcohol ; ( b ) activating each of the hydroxyl group of the tetraalcohol to form carbonate intermediate ; ( c ) treating each of the carbonate groups with dialcoholamine to generate an octahydroxyl compound and thereafter activating each of the hydroxyl group of the octahydroxyl to octacarbonate ; ( d ) subjecting the carbonate compound with a secondary amine of bis ( hexamethylene ) triamine wherein both primary amines are protected with preferably trifluoroacetyl groups to give oligoamines in a protected form . when step ( c ) is done once , an oligomer is obtained which has sixteen side chains each containing a primary amine in a protected form . in one particularly preferred embodiment , step ( c ) is skipped and step ( d ) is conducted directly after step ( b ) to give an oligomer having eight side chains each containing a primary amine in a protected form . perguanidinylation has been described for the preparation of cationic oligonucleotides ( deglane , g . et al . chembiochem 7 : 684 - 692 ( 2006 )). perguanidinylation has now been found to have utility in the preparation of oligoguanidine transporter composition as described herein . for example , a suitable synthesis of the guanidine octamer was desired due to the utility of this compound as a membrane transport reagent . in view of the perguanidinylation studies noted above , octaguanidine could in principle be prepared from an octaamine through a late stage perguanidinylation reaction . the primary amino groups can be transformed to guanidines by final perguanidination , a step offering additional advantages of avoiding the use of expensive protecting groups for the guanidinium subunit if it is pre - formed otherwise . selective protection of a triamine having a secondary amine in the middle or close to the middle of the chain and two primary amines on each end of the chains can be achieved to give the free secondary amine and the protected primary amines . this strategy can make use of a triamine for connecting the secondary amine to a core scaffold and for converting two primary amines to a couple of guanidines at the final stage . in order to manipulate the chemistry in an orthogonally protected manner , base - labile trifluoroacetamide protecting group is incorporated on the primary amine for the ultimate conversion to guanidine after deprotection , and acid - labile trityl protecting group is installed on the amine for the linkage with a leash connecting with a bioactive substance . the requisite mono - tritylated piperazine used for starting the construction of a triazine core scaffold is prepared by exposing trityl chloride with excess amount of piperazine . after treatment of tritylpiperazine with cyanuric chloride , diethanolamine is used to doubling the functional site . the tetrralcohol thus formed is activated to give tetracarbonate by using bis ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) carbonate . reaction of the tetracarbonate with the secondary amine of a triamine having the primary amines protected with trifluoroacetyl group gives rise to the octaamine in a protected form . removal of the trityl group is achieved by acid treatment . the free amine thus generated is exposed to a large excess of linking reagent , suberic di ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) ester , resulting in the connection of the octaamine with the linking moiety and yielding an active ester for subsequent conjugation with a bioactive substance . after conjugation of the octaamine with a bioactive substance through a linking moiety , the final deprotection and perguanidinylation can be accomplished via a single vessel operation . since ammonia has been utilized to effect the deprotection of trifluoroacetamides , and also as one of the reagents in the guanidinylation of amines , a single vessel operation was investigated . thus , treatment of the octaamine derivative with concentrated ammonia gives a conjugate of octaamine and the bioactive substance . without purification , the mixture is treated further with o - methylisourea hydrochloride with additional 18 % ammonia solution to give octaguanidine coupled with a bioactive substance . the conversion of octaamine to octaguanidine by using this guanidinylation system is virtually quantitative and the purification can be carried out by using oasis hlb lp extraction cartridge ( waters corporation , milford , mass ., us ). significantly , eight trifluoroacetamides were removed to eight primary amines and subsequently converted to eight guanidines under mild conditions in quantitative yield . and more significantly , the ammonolytic deprotection , and subsequent perguanidinylation carried out in a single reaction vessel , without intermediate purification , enables the practical streamline production of conjugate containing bioactive substance and transporter composition . this process improvement constitutes a very valuable and cost - effective advantage over prior art production procedures . the precise conditions and reagents or agents used in the process will depend on the nature of the protecting groups to be kept or removed . protecting groups selected for the protection of the chemically tethered amine groups on the side chains are generally those groups that can be distinguished from the other protecting groups in other portions of the molecule ( e . g ., the trityl group protecting the amino group for linking the leash with a bioactive substance ). such protecting groups are often referred to as “ orthogonal ”. generally , the reagents and conditions can be employed by following the guidelines in such protecting group treatises as wuts and greene , protective groups in organic synthesis , 4 th ed ., john wiley & amp ; sons , new york n . y . ( 2007 ), and the references cited therein . as noted above , the method of the invention involves contacting an oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines , with a protecting group removal agent to remove the protecting groups . in one embodiment of the invention , trifluoroacetyl group is selected for the protecting groups on each of the chemically tethered amines for four critical reasons : ( a ) methyl or ethyl trifluoroacetate is a mild and selective reagent to protect primary amines in the presence of secondary amine , therefore , it is useful to keep the secondary amine intact while protecting the primary amine in a polyamine ( a triamine in this particular case ) so that the secondary amine can be used to connect to reactive functional groups in the scaffold ; ( b ) a different amino group is used for linking the leash for conjugation with bioactive substance . acid labile trityl group is selected for this amino group since trifluoroacetyl group is labile towards basic conditions but stable towards acidic conditions ; ( c ) trifluoroacetyl protecting groups on the amines can be cleaved by ammonolysis , a condition also used for removing protecting groups in some bioactive substances . therefore , exposure of ammonia can remove protecting groups both in the bioactive substance and in the oligoamine moieties . this strategy proves very useful in the cases where for example , coupling of the precursor transporter composition , i . e . oligoamine in a protected form , is carried out with morpholino antisense oligo while it is still on the synthesis resin and subsequent ammonolytic treatment not only removes all the protecting groups on the morpholino oligo and the oligoamine moiety , but also cleave the conjugate of precursor transporter composition and morpholino from the synthesis resin . this advantage of convenience being able to cleave the conjugate from the synthesis resin and remove the protecting groups for subsequent guanidinylation paves the way for simple operation and economic production . ( d ) ammonia is also a reagent for converting amino group to guanidine in the presence of a guanidinylation agent , o - methylisourea hydrochloride . therefore , without any purification , the ammonia used for deprotection of protecting groups in oligoamine can be carried over for the subsequent guanidinylation . by choosing the selected protecting groups and the selected protecting group removal agent , the whole production process for a conjugate containing a bioactive substance and transporter composition is significantly simplified and its cost is considerably reduced in comparison to prior art methods . as noted above , the method of the invention involves contacting the oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines , with a guanidinylation reagent to convert each of the chemically tethered amines to a guanidinyl group to produce an oligoguanidine compound . any guanidinylation reagent useful for converting an amino group to a guanidinyl group can be used in the present invention . preferably , the guanidinylation reagent is a salt of o - methylisourea . most preferably , the guanidinylation reagent is o - methylisourea hydrochloride . other suitable guanidinylation reagents are described in bernatowicz et al ., j . org . chem . 57 : 2497 - 2502 ( 1992 ). the practice of the present invention will employ , unless otherwise indicated , conventional techniques of synthetic organic chemistry , biochemistry and the like , which are within the skill of the art . such techniques are explained fully in the literature . see , for example , kirk - othmer &# 39 ; s encyclopedia of chemical technology ; and house &# 39 ; s modern synthetic reactions . the following examples are put forth so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how to make and use the compositions / compound / methods of the invention . efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers ( e . g ., amounts , temperature , etc .) but some experimental error and deviations should , of course , be allowed for . unless indicated otherwise , parts are parts by weight , temperature is degrees centigrade and pressure is at or near atmospheric . all components were obtained commercially unless otherwise indicated . piperazine ( 107 . 5 g , 1 . 25 mole ) was dissolved in dcm ( 500 ml ). trityl chloride ( 69 . 7 g , 0 . 25 mole ) was added to the mixture cooled in an ice bath . after addition , the mixture was kept at room temperature for 30 min . the mixture was washed with water ( 500 ml , three times ). and the organic layer was separated and dried over sodium sulfate . the mixture was concentrated to ca . 100 ml and added to hexane ( 1 liter ). the solid was removed by filtration . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness to give a white solid ( ca . 100 g ). bis ( hexamethylene ) triamine ( 8 . 62 g , 40 mmol ) was dissolved in acetonitrile ( 120 ml ). water ( 0 . 864 ml ) was added to the mixture . ethyl trifluoroacetate ( 16 . 7 ml , 140 mmol ) was added to the mixture cooled in an ice bath . after addition , the mixture was refluxed for 16 hours . the solvents were removed by evaporation . the residue solidified upon storing at room temperature and was used for next step without purification . suberic acid ( 8 . 71 g , 50 mmol ) and 4 - nitrophenol ( 14 . 61 g , 105 mmol ) were dissolved in dce ( 100 ml ). 1 , 3 - diisopropylcarbodiimide ( 16 . 28 ml , 104 mmol ) was added to the mixture . the mixture was kept at room temperature for 16 hours . the solid was removed by filtration . the filtrate was loaded on a silica gel column ( silica gel 140 g ), eluting with dcm . after removal of the solvent , a white solid was obtained ( 18 . 4 g , 88 %). cyanuric chloride ( 922 mg , 5 mmol ) was dissolved in a solution of thf ( 10 ml ) containing diea ( 1 . 74 ml , 10 mmol ). n - tritylpiperazine ( 1 ) ( 1 . 642 g , 5 mmol ) dissolved in thf ( 10 ml ) was added to the mixture cooled in an ice bath . the mixture was kept at 0 ° c . and 25 ° c . for 30 min , respectively . diethanolamine ( 5 ml , 52 mmol ) was added to the mixture . the mixture was heated at 70 ° c . for 16 hours . the volatile materials were removed by evaporation . the residue was dissolved in etoac ( 200 ml ) and washed with sodium bicarbonate ( 150 ml ) and water ( 200 ml × 2 ) and dried over sodium sulfate . after removal of the solvent , a white solid was obtained ( 2 . 82 g , 92 %). 2 -( 4 - tritylpiperazinyl )- 4 , 6 - bis ( diethanolamino ) triazine ( 4 ) ( 2 . 82 g , 4 . 59 mmol ) was dissolved in acetone ( 40 ml ). tea ( 1 ml ) was added to the mixture , followed by bis ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) carbonate ( 8 . 4 g , 27 . 54 mmol ). the mixture was kept at room temperature for 48 hours . the solvent was then removed . the product was obtained by column purification to give a yellowish solid . 2 -( 4 - tritylpiperazinyl )- 4 , 6 - bis [ di ( 4 - nitrophenyloxycarbonyloxyethyl ) anino ] triazine ( 5 ) ( 2 . 03 g , 1 . 6 mmol ) was dissolved in acetone ( 40 ml ). diea ( 2 . 8 ml , 16 mmol ) was added to the mixture , followed by bis ( trifluoroacetamidohexyl ) amine ( 2 ) ( 4 . 16 g , 8 mmol ). the reaction mixture was kept at room temperature for 16 hours . the volatile materials were removed by evaporation . the residue was chromatographed to give an oily foam ( 3 . 28 g , 87 %). 2 -( 4 - tritylpiperazinyl )- 4 , 6 - bis { di [ di ( trifluoroacetamidohexyl ) aminocarbonyloxyethyl ] amino } triazine ( 6 ) ( 1 . 0 g , 0 . 43 mmol ) was dissolved in methanol ( 3 . 2 ml ) and the solution was mixed with 5 % cyanoacetic acid in tfe ( 5 ml ). the mixture was kept at room temperature for 10 min . the solvents were removed by evaporation . the residue was then diluted with dcm ( 50 ml ) and washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate ( 30 ml ). the organic layer was separated and dried over sodium sulfate . after removal of the solvent , the crude product 7 was dissolved in acetone ( 10 ml ). diea ( 0 . 4 ml , 2 . 3 mmol ) was added to the mixture , followed by di ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) suberate ( 3 ) ( 732 mg , 1 . 76 mmol ). the reaction mixture was kept at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . the solvents were removed and the product was isolated from silica gel column chromatography to give an oily paste . general procedure for synthesis of a conjugate 12 containing the transporter composition and morpholino antisense oligo the precursor transporter composition 8 in dmi solution containing 5 % hobt as catalyst and adequate base such as 4 - methylmorpholine or triethylamine was incubated with morpholino at 60 ° c . for 2 hours . after removal of the solvent , a certain volume of concentrated ammonia was added and the mixture was incubated at 50 ° c . for 5 hours . same volume of 18 % ammonia was added to the mixture , followed by o - methylisourea hydrochloride . the mixture was incubated at 65 ° c . for 45 min . water was added to dilute the mixture and the product was isolated by using oasis hlb lp extraction cartridge . functional quantitative assessment of delivery of a conjugate containing transporter composition and morpholino in cultured animal cells details of the method were described ( summerton , j . e ., u . s . pat . no . 7 , 084 , 248 ). basically , the cytosolic delivery is assessed by a quantifiable signal proportional to the amount of cargo delivered into the cytosol . this technology was developed by kole and co - workers ( kang , s ., et al . biochemistry 37 : 6235 - 6239 ( 1998 )) by using the splice - correction system , coupled with a morpholino antisense oligo targeted against the splicing error site . a cell line has been stably transfected with a gene that codes for an rna transcript that includes a mutation that generates a splicing error which acts to prevent the translation of luciferase coded by that rna transcript . when a properly - targeted morpholino antisense oligo is delivered into the cytosol / nuclear compartment of such cells , the morpholino blocks the mutant site . this leads to normal translation of the luciferase , and the light emission from that luciferase is readily quantitated in a luminometer . the experiments were carried out in the presence of 10 % serum in comparison with endo porter , a peptide delivery composition ( gene tools , llc ). after incubation at 37 ° c . for 24 hours , the cells are lysed and assayed for both luciferase and total cell protein . the results were shown in fig1 . the conjugate of transporter composition of this invention and morpholino shows some delivery efficacy ( ca . 10 % compared with endo porter in a comparable concentration ). alternate parallel experiments were carried out in the presence of 100 % serum in comparison with endo porter . the results were shown in fig1 . the conjugate of transporter composition of this invention and morpholino shows greater delivery efficacy ( ca . 2 and 4 folds at 24 hours and 48 hours incubation , respectively , compared with endo porter in a comparable concentration while the higher the concentrations , the more efficient the delivery ). functional quantitative assessment of delivery of a conjugate containing transporter composition and morpholino in vivo kole and co - workers have developed a strain of transgenic mice carrying an expressed gene that codes for an rna transcript that potentially codes for a green fluorescent protein ( sazani , p ., et al . nature biotechnology 20 : 1228 - 1233 ( 2002 )). that rna transcript contains a mutation that causes a splicing error which prevents expression of the green fluorescent protein . contacting an appropriate morpholino antisense oligo with that mutant rna transcript blocks that mutant site , thereby correcting the splicing error and generating green fluorescent protein . thus , the technology of visualizing green fluorescence in a specific tissue has been used to assess cytosolic delivery into cells of that tissue in vivo . the ability of the conjugate containing the transporter composition of this invention and morpholino to achieve cytosolic delivery in vivo is assessed . the conjugate was administered intravenously at 12 . 5 mg / kg for 4 days into the mice of the transgenic strain and the results were shown in fig1 . excellent delivery are achieved in liver , small intestine , colon , muscle and diaphragm , while fairly good in spleen and stomach , even modestly good in lung , heart , skin and brain . the ast - alt data was also collected ( fig1 ), indicating that the conjugate of the transporter composition of the invention and morpholino is not toxic to the liver in mice . it is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims . all publications , patents , and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes .	0
fig1 is schematic view showing an example in which a light - wave rangefinder is utilized for measuring the liquid level in a crude oil tank making use of an optical adapter in accordance with the present invention . on the inner wall of a crude oil tank t is mounted a front objective lens system 101 , which is an objective optical means of an optical adapter 100 with an objective lens opposed to a crude oil surface s . the objective lens system 101 is connected to a light - wave rangfinder 1 installed in a management house m through a photoconduction pipe 102 which is a photoconduction means . a measuring light emitted from the light - wave rangfinder 1 is transmitted through the photoconduction pipe 102 and projected from the objective lens system 101 towards the crude oil surface s . the reflecting light from the surface s is again received by the objective lens system 101 , after which the light is transmitted to the light - wave rangefinder 1 through the photoconduction pipe 102 . a time delay , for example , a phase difference between the light reflected at the liquid surface and the aforesaid distance measuring light , is measured by the light - wave rangefinder 1 , and the distance from the objective lens system 101 and the crude oil surface s is determined precisely from said phase difference . the distance l from the bottom surface b of the tank t to the objective lens system 101 is measured beforehand , and the height h of crude oil surface can be determined with accuracy from the difference between the value of said distance l and the aforementioned measured value . fig2 is a block diagram of the above - described liquid surface height measuring system . this liquid surface height measuring system consists of the light - wave rangefinder 1 and the optical adapter 100 connected thereto . a frequency divider 10 of the light - wave rangefinder 1 divides a 15 mhz signal from an oscillator 11 to generate two signal of 75 khz and 3 khz . a synthesizer 13 generates a signal of 14 . 997 mhz which is a difference between 15 mhz from the oscillator and 3 khz from the frequency divider 10 ( 15 mhz - 3 khz ), and another signal of 72 khz which is 24 times 3 khz from the frequency divider 10 . a first switch 14 is controlled by a signal 16 from a processing control circuit 15 , so as to put out a signal of either 15 mhz or 75 khz . a light emitting element 18 comprising a light emitting diode radiates a light modulated by the output signal of the first switch 14 . the modulated light released from the light emitting element 18 is released to either distance measuring light path 23 or internal reference light path 24 by a shutter 25 by which the distance measuring light path 23 and internal reference light path 24 are switched . in the event the distance measuring light path 23 is selected , the modulated light is reflected at an inclined surface 26a of a prism 26 and thereafter shaped into a bundle of parallel light rays by means of an objective lens 27 and is incident upon an objective lens 28 of an objective lens system of an optical adapter 100 . the distance measuring light 23a projected from the objective lens 28 is reflected at a reflecting surface 29a of a prism 29 and focused at an incident end 104a of an optical fiber 104 which constitutes a photoconduction pipe 102 . a secondary light source image of the light emitting element 18 is thus formed on the end 104a of the optical fiber 104 . the light transmitted through the optical fiber 104 is projected from the other end 104b of the optical fiber 104 onto a reflecting prism 40 in the housing ( not shown ) of the objective lens system 101 . the light 23a reflected by the prism 40 , after passing through an objective lens 41 , falls on the crude oil surface s which is the target . the light reflected at the liquid surface s , after travelling past the lens 41 and the prism 40 , enters an incident end 105a of optical fiber 105 which constitutes the photoconduction pipe 102 together with the aforementioned optical fiber 104 . the reflected light is thrown out from the opposite end 105b after passing through the optical fiber 105 . since the end 105b is located at a position conjugate with a focus of the objective lens 28 , the light 23b from the optical fiber 105 is , after being reflected at a reflecting surface 29b of the prism 29 , formed into a bundle of parallel light rays by the objective lens 28 and enters the light - wave rangefinder 1 . the objective lens 27 of the light - wave rangefinder 1 causes the light 23b to fall upon a light receiving element 30 , which comprises an avalanche photodiode , past the prism 26 . when the internal reference light path is selected by the shutter 25 , the modulated light from the light emitting element 18 is reflected at an internal reflecting surface 26c of the prism 26 and is directly incident upon the light receiving element 30 . this internal reference light path is provided so as to prohibit an error in distance measuring data from being generated by changes in phase due to a temperature drift or the like of an electric circuit which constitutes the lightwave rangefinder itself . the measured value by the internal reference light path is subtracted by the measured value by the distance measuring light path to obtain accurate distance measuring data . a second switch 31 is controlled by the signal 16 from the processing control circuit 15 so as to provide an output signal of either 14 . 997 mhz or 72 khz . the output from the light receiving element 30 , past a capacitor 50 , is amplified by an amplifier 32 whose output is supplied to the mixer 33 . the mixer 33 mixes the signal from the amplifier 32 and the signal from the second switch 31 to form a beat signal , which is detected to produce an output sine wave of 3 khz . a waveform shaping unit 34 shapes the sine wave of 3 khz into a rectangular wave . a gate circuit 35 receives the 3 khz signal from the frequency divider 10 as a start signal , and the signal from the waveform shaping unit as the stop signal , and allows between the start and stop signals the 15 mhz signal from the oscillator 11 . this signal is counted by the the counter 36 to measure the phase difference . the counted value obtained by the counter 36 is the total number obtained by n times of measurement . to know the frequency of n times , the signal of 3 khz from the frequency divider 10 is supplied to the processing control circuit 15 . upon termination of counting of n times , a reset signal 37 is supplied from the processing control circuit 15 to the counter 36 so that the counter 36 is reset . the counted value of measurement of n times is multiplied by 1 / n in the processing control circuit to obtain an average value , which is converted into distance which is then displayed on a display 39 . it is noted that the distance here obtained is the sum ( v + l ) of the length l of the optical adapter and the distance v from the front end of the optical adapter to the liquid surface . since the length of the optical adapter is known , and the distance l + l to the bottom surface of the tank has been pre - measured precisely , the liquid surface height h can be obtained by for setting the output of the mixer 33 to 3 khz , the output signal of the first switch 14 and the output signal of the second swich 31 are controlled by the signal 16 from the processing control circuit 15 such that their frequencies are 15 mhz and 14 . 997 mhz respectively , or 75 khz and 72 khz respectively . the two modulation frequencies for the light emitting element 18 , 15 mhz and 75 khz , corresponding to wave lengths 20 m and 4 km respectively , are used for precise measurement and rough measurement respectively . frequencies of 15 mhz and 75 khz are reduced to 3 khz by the mixer 33 to improve the resolving power of phase measurement or to reduce the phase of 15 mhz or 75 khz to the phase of 3 khz for measurement . fig3 is a partial sectional view showing the construction of the optical adapter 100 . parts indentical to or equal to those shown in fig2 are indicated by the same reference numeral , and duplicate explanation will be omitted . an objective lens mount 200 of the light - wave rangefinder 1 is formed with an external thread portion 201 , threadedly engaged on which is an internal thread portion 204 of a mounting ring 203 fitted on an objective lens mount 202 of the objective lens system 103 of the optical adapter 100 . the objective lens system 103 is thus connected to the lightwave rangefinder 1 . a locating pin 205 is provided on the fore end of the lens mount 202 , and this pin is fitted into an engaging hole 206 formed in the lens mount 200 of the light - wave rangefinder , whereby optical axis of the objective lenses 27 and 28 are disposed in line and confronting edges 26d and 29c of the prisms 26 and 29 are disposed parallel with each other . in front of the objective lens 28 in the lens mount 202 there is provided an elongate diaphragm plate 207 laterally extending across the optical axis of the lens 28 . this plate 207 serves to prevent interference between the light toward the target and the light from the target , which interference may degrade the measurement . in the illustrated embodiment , the objective lenses 27 , 28 and 41 all have the same lens structure ; use of lenses of the same structure results in reduction in manufacturing costs and contributes to stabilization of optical characteristics . as will be understood from the above - described embodiment , only the front objective lens system 101 of the optical adapter 100 is installed internally of the crude oil tank t , and the body of the light - wave rangefinder may be installed interiorly of the management house m away from the tank . therefore , measurement can be easily accomplished , and concentrated measurement of heights of the liquid surfaces s of a number of crude oil tanks t is possible . in addition , since the light - wave rangefinder body need not be installed within the tank t , there is no danger of explosion occuring due to short - circuiting or spark of an electronic circuit housed in the body itself , which is preferable in terms of explosion prevention . since the emitting optical fiber 104 and receiving optical fiber 105 which constitute the photoconduction pipe 102 are long , if an ordinary si ( step index ) fiber is used , individual light rays may travel different distance in the optical fiber ; the difference may result in phase difference between the individual light rays , which will cause an error in distance measuring data . for solving this drawback , gi ( graded index ) fiber should be used . any light rays will travel the same distance through a gi fiber , so that such fiber will cause no phase difference . the height of the liquid level is measured based on a phase difference as a time lag between the distance - measuring light waves and reflected distance - measuring light waves . the above liquid level height - measuring apparatus according to the aforementioned first embodiment is adapted to directly measure the distance to be measured including the whole length of the photoconduction pipe . the height of the liquid level is determined by subtacting the whole length of the photoconduction pipe as a known physical amount from the measured distance . however , as the crude or the petrolum oil tanks have been large - scaled and a number of the crude oil tanks have come to be concentratively controlled , the distance from the control housing to the respective crude oil tanks increases and the whole length of the photoconduction pipe accordingly increases . thus , it is necessary to employ from several ten to one hundred and several ten meters in length of the photoconduction . however , with the increase in length of the light wave transmission piping member , expansion and contraction amounts due to temperature changes increases , so that the whole length of photoconduction pipe can no longer be regarded as the known physical amount , and errors in the measured distance take place due to the expansion and contraction of the photoconduction pipe owing to temperature changes . the errors of the measured distance due to the expansion and contraction of the photoconduction pipe owing to the temperature changes take place when a photoconductive wave pipe of a refraction and reflection optical system is employed . further , since difference in the transmission distance between the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected distance - measuring light waves both transmitted inside of the optical fiber which is curved as the photoconduction pipe is proportional to the whole length of the optical fiber , the phase difference between the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected light waves increases with the increase in length of the optical fiber due to the above proportional relation to produce errors in the measured distance . in addition , the phase difference between the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected light waves changes due to bent portions on way of the arranged optical fiber and bending thereof by wind , and errors of the measured distance induced thereby increases with increase in length of the optical fiber . the second through sixth described hereinafter , of the present invention has been made taking the above - mentioned circumstances into consideration , and is aimed at the provision of a liquid level height - measuring apparatus which can eliminate errors of measured distances due to increase in length of a light wave transmission piping member to the utmost . fig4 shows the second embodiment of this invention . the distance - measuring light wave generating means is provided with a luminescent diode 18 , which faces a reflecting face 41a of a reflection prism 41 through a shutter member 500 . the light receiving means has a light receiving diode 30 , which faces a reflecting face 41b of the reflection prism 41 . when the shutter member 500 is located at a position shown in fig4 the distance - measuring light waves optically modulated at a given modulation frequency are led to the reflection prism 41 and reflected on the reflecting face 41a thereof , and then the reflected light waves are led to the incident face 104a of the outward optical fiber 104 through the lens 43 and 44 . the distance measuring light waves are transmitted inside of the outward optical fiber 104 and ejected from the ejecting face 104b thereof . then , the light waves are led to the objective lens 41 where they are converted into a beam of parallel light rays , and the light rays are irradiated upon the crude oil surface s . upon being reflected on the crude oil surface s , the distance - measuring light waves are converted into the reflected distance - measuring light waves . the reflected distance - measuring light waves are condensed by the objective lens 41 again and reflected by the reflecting face 40b of the reflection prism 40 . the reflected distance - measuring light waves are transmitted inside of the return optical fiber 105 and ejected from the ejecting face 105b thereof , the ejected light waves being led to the light receiving element through the reflection prism 42 , the lenses 44 and 43 and the reflection prism 41 to be photoelectrically converted . the reflection prisms 42 and the lens 44 constitutes a joint optical system 10 . the light wave distance - measuring circuit 2 is adapted to generate a processing signal to an operation circuit 3 on the basis of the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected distance - measuring light waves . the operation circuit 3 is adapted to calculate a measurement distance l including the length l of the optical fiber 102 on the basis of the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected distance - measuring light waves . a reference photoconduction pipe 5 is arranged between the light wave distance - meter main body 1 and the objective optical system unit 101 . the reference photoconduction pipe 5 is disposed along the optical fiber 102 , and has substantially the same physical properties as those of the optical fiber 102 . further , the length l &# 39 ; of the reference photoconduction pipe 5 is designed to be almost the same as the length l of the optical fiber 102 . an optical fiber is used as the reference photoconduction pipe 5 , and is provided with an incident face 5a and an ejecting face 5b . the incident face 5a is opposed to the luminescent diode 18 , and the ejecting face 5b is opposed to the light receiving element 30 . when the shutter 500 is moved in the arrow direction x , the reference optical fiber 5 receives the distance - measuring light waves generated from the luminescent diode 18 as reference light waves . the reference light waves are circularly transmitted inside of the reference optical fiber 5 , ejected toward the light receiving diode 30 from ejecting face 5b thereof and received by the light receiving diode 30 . when the shutter member 500 is moved in the arrow direction y , the distance - measuring light waves ejected toward the reflection prism 41 is shut . the operation circuit 3 preliminarily measures the whole length l &# 39 ; of the reference optical fiber 5 , and the height h of the liquid level is determined by subtracting the whole length l from the measured distance tl while the whole length l &# 39 ; being regarded as the whole length l of the optical fiber 102 . a calculating formula therefore is shown in th following : wherein l is a distance from the tip end of the objective lens - optical system unit 101 to the bottom b of the crude oil tank shown in fig1 and the distance tl is the known physical amount . the height h of the liquid level is indicated as a measured datum by a display 4 . in the illustrated second embodiment , the reference photoconduction pipe 5 is formed completely independent of the outward optical fiber 104 and the return optical fiber 105 for measuring the distance . however , the present invention is not restricted thereto . for instance , as mentioned below , the outward optical fiber and / or the return optical fiber may be also used for the reference photoconduction pipe when a light branching means and a light switch are used . fig5 shows an third embodiment of this invention described such a modification in which an outward optical fiber is divided into 104a &# 39 ; and 104b &# 39 ; in the vicinity of an objective optical system unit 101 , and a half mirror 501 as a light branching means is interposed therebetween . on the other hand , a return optical fiber 105 is divided into 105a &# 39 ; and 105b &# 39 ; in the vicinity of the objective optical system unit 101 , and a half mirror 502 is interposed therebetween . a reflection light path 501a of the half mirror 501 is coincident with an incident light path 502a of the other half mirror 502 . by so doing , after light rays from the luminescent diode 18 are transmitted through the outward optical fiber 104b &# 39 ;, a part thereof is reflected by the half mirror 501 and reflected by the half mirror 502 again to provide reference light waves to be fed to the light receiving element 30 through the return optical fiber 105b &# 39 ;. a chopper 503 is so disposed as to be alternatively inserted between the half mirror 502 and the ejecting face of the return optical fiber 105a &# 39 ; and between the half mirror 501 and the half mirror 502 so that the light receiving element 30 may receive the distance - measuring light waves or the reference light waves selectively . switching of the chopper 503 is performed by a rotary solenoid 504 . by the above construction , the outward and return optical fibers 104 and 105 for measuring the distance may be also used for the reference light waves . if the liquid level to be measured is strongly flammable and therefore the above rotary solenoid 504 can not be used from the explosion - preventing standpoint of view , it may be that while the return optical fiber 105 is not divided , the reference light wave optical fiber for transmitting the light waves reflected from the half mirror 501 is provided for the return side only along the return optical fiber for measuring the distance and a light path switch means is provided for selectively introducing the light waves from the distance - measuring return photoconduction pipe and the light waves from the reference light wave return photoconduction pipe to the light receiving element 30 . in this case , the outward optical fiber 104 serves as the common outward photoconduction pipe for both the distance - measuring light waves and the reference light waves . fig6 illustrates an objective optical system unit , photoconduction piping member , and light generating and receiving sections of a fourth embodiment of this invention . the incident face 104a of the outward optical fiber 104 which functions as photoconduction piping member faces a lens 605 , and an ejecting face 104b thereof faces the reflecting face 40a of the reflection prism 40 . the incident face 105a of the return optical fiber 105 which also functions as photoconduction piping member faces reflecting face 40b of the reflection prism 40 , and its ejecting face 105b faces a lens 606 . the distance - measuring light wave generating means is provided with luminescent diodes 603a , 603b , which are adapted to generate distance - measuring light waves with different wavelengths , respectively . the luminescent diode 603a generates , for instance , near infrared rays of a middle wavelength of 820 nm . the luminescent diode 603b generates , for example , near infrared rays of a middle wave length of 860 nm . the near infrared rays generated by the luminescent diode 603a are used as the reference light waves for measuring the length of the photoconduction transmission piping member . the near infrared rays generated by the luminescent diode 603b are used as the distance - measuring light waves for measuring the height of the liquid level . the light wave distance - meter main body of this embodiment has the same construction and functions as that of the above - mentioned first embodiment , thus , the light wave distance - meter main body of this embodiment is not described to omit the duplicate explanations . the oscillation output selected in the first switch 14 shown in fig2 is inputted into a third switch 601 which has a function to make alternatively selection between a luminescent diode 603a and a luminescent diode 603b to be radiated on the basis of a control signal 600 generated in the processing control circuit 15 shown in fig2 . the reference light wave generated at the luminescent diode 603a penetrates a half mirror 604 to be led to a lens 605 by which the light wave is caused to form an image at an incident face 104a . the distance - measuring light wave generated at the luminescent diode 603b is reflected by the half mirror 604 to be led to the lens 605 . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is caused to form an image at the incident face 104a by the lens 605 . the half mirror 604 functions as a dichroic mirror to penetrate near infrared rays of a middle wavelength of 820 nm of the reference light wave but to reflect near infrared rays of a middle wavelength of 860 nm of the distance - measuring light wave . the distance - measuring and the reference light waves led to the incident face 104a of the outward optical fiber 104 are transmitted within the outward optical fiber 104 to be led to the ejecting face 104b thereof . the light waves are ejected from the ejecting face 104b , are reflected at the reflecting face 40a of the reflection prism 40 , and are led toward the objective lens 41 . the objective lens 41 is so arranged that the location of its focal point may be optically in coincidence with the ejecting face 104b and the incident face 105a . a reflection prism 610 as a light wave selecting means is positioned between the reflection prism 40 and the objective lens 41 while being spaced therefrom at specific intervals . the reflection prism 610 is provided with a dichroic mirror faces 610a and 610b . the dichroic mirror face 610a has a function to reflect the reference light wave of the middle wavelength of 820 nm but to penetrate the liquid level height - measuring distance measuring light wave with the middle wavelength 860 nm . the distance measuring light wave is penetrated through the reflection prism 610 and is then converted into a parallel light beam by the objective lens 41 . the parallel light beam is reflected at the liquid level surface s of crude oil to be converted to refelcted distance - mearsuring light wave . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is collected by the objective lens 41 again and is penetrated through the reflection prism 610 to be led to the reflecting face 40b of the reflection prism 40 . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is reflected again at the reflecting face 40b to be led to the incident face 105a of a return optical fiber 105 at which the light waves form an image . the distance - measuring light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 to be led to the ejecting face 105b thereof and then ejected toward a lens 606 . the lens 606 has a function to collect the distance - measuring light wave and cause the light wave to form an image at a light receiving face of the light receiving diode 30 constituting a part of a light receiving means . after the reference light waves is ejected from the outward optical fiber 104 , it is reflected at the dichroic faces 610a and 610b of the reflection prism 610 and is led to the incident face 105a of the return optical fiber 105 as it is without passing through the objective lens 41 . then , the reference light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 , and is caused to make an image at a light receiving face of a light receiving diode 30 by the lens 606 . the light receiving diode 30 has a function to make photoelectric conversion of both the distance - measuring light waves of the middle wavelength of 820 nm and the reference light waves of the middle wavelength of 860 nm at substantially the same sensitivity . fig7 is an optical system circuit view of an objective optical system unit 101 showing a fifth embodiment of the liquid level height - measuring apparatus according to the present invention . the light wave selecting member is constituted by dichroic mirror 611 arranged between the reflection prism 40 and the outward optical fiber 104 , a dichroic mirror 612 arranged between the reflection prism 40 and the return optical fiber 105 , and collimeter lenses 613 and 614 and reflection mirrors 615 and 616 for leading the reference light wave reflected at the dichroic mirror 611 to the dichroic mirror 612 . the dichroic mirrors 611 and 612 have a function to penetrate the distance - measuring light wave but to reflect the reference light wave . fig8 through 10 show an optical system circuit view of an objective optical system unit 101 showing a sixth embodiment of the liquid level height - measuring apparatus according to the present invention . according to this embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the central portion of an objective lens 41 is used as a round portion ( 411 ) for converting the distance - measuring light wave into a parallel light beam and leading it upon the surface s of the liquid level of the crude oil , while the peripheral portion is used as a light - collecting portion ( 412 ) for collecting the reflected distance - measuring light waves . in the illustrated embodiment , a distance - measuring light wave selecting means is constituted by an inclined mirror 620 , a lens 623 , an optical fiber 624 , a collimeter 625 , a dichroic mirror 626 , and collimeters 627 , and 628 . the dichroic mirror 626 is arranged betweeen the collimeter lenses 627 and 628 . the inclined mirror 620 has a reflecting face 621a and a dichroic opening 622 . the reference light wave ejected from an outward optical fiber 104 is reflected both by the reflecting face 621a and the dichroic opening 622 , is led to an incident face 624a of the optical fiber 624 by the lens 623 , and is ejected from an ejecting face 624b after being transmitted within the optical fiber 624 . the ejected light wave is converted into a parallel light beam by the collimeter lens 625 , which parallel light beam is reflected by the dichroic mirror 626 and is led to the return optical fiber 105 through the collimeter 628 . then , the reference light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 , and is led to the light receiving element 30 . only the distance - measuring waves which penetrate the dichroic opening 622 are led to the round portion 411 of the objective lens 41 . this reflected on the reflecting face 621a is led to the optical fiber 624 , and is ejected from the ejecting face 624b to be irradiated to the dichroic mirror 626 as a parallel light beam . since the dichroic mirror 626 functions to penetrate the distance - measuring light wave , it is not led to the return optical fiber 105 to prevent the influence thereof upon the measurement of the distance of the photoconduction piping member . the distance - measuring light wave led to the round portion 411 of the objective lens 41 is reflected on the surfaces of the liquid level of the crude oil and is led to the objective lens 41 as the reflected distance - measuring light wave , which is collected by the light collecting portion 412 of the objective lens 41 and is reflected by the reflecting face 621b . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is then converted into a parallel light beam by the collimeter 627 , which penetrates the dichroic mirror 626 and is led to the collimeter lens 628 . the collimeter lens 628 causes the parallel light beam to form an image at an incident face 105a . thereafter , the reflected distance - measuring light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 , and is received by a light receiving diode 30 . in fig1 above - mentioned embodiment , the objective optical means 101 is attached to the upper portion of the side wall of the crude oil tank t such that the optical axis of an objective lens ( not shown ) thereof may be perpendicular to the liquid level surface s . this attaching is performed in the state that no crude oil is contained in the crude oil tank t . when crude oil is stored in such a crude oil tank t , the tank is deformed and a deformation amount varies depending upon the stored amount of the crude oil . the side wall of the crude oil tank t is largely deformed sidewise in an arch fashion by the crude oil stored therein and the upper wall is relatively largely deformed toward a flattening direction . therefore , the objective optical means 101 is largely inclined in this case . as a result , even if the distance - measuring light waves are irradiated upon the liquid level surface s from the objective optical means 101 , the reflected light waves from the liquid level surface s do not return to the objective optical means 101 . thus , it becomes impossible that the reflected light waves are received by the objective lens of the objective optical means 101 to measure the height h of the above - mentioned liquid level s . this poses a problem . furthermore , in the case that the objective optical means 101 and the optical fiber 102 as the light wave transmission means are connected together and supported inside of the crude oil tank t , the centroid of the objective optical means 101 may deviate due to the weight of the optical fiber 101 itself depending upon the arranged state of the optical fiber 101 , external vibrations , etc . if the centroid deviates , the orientating direction of the objective optical means 101 is not perpendicular ( an normal state ) with respect to the liquid level surface s , so that there is a fear that the measurement of the height of the liquid level s becomes impossible . in fig1 to 13 which show a seventh embodiment of this invention , an objective optical means 101 is constituted by an objective optical unit 422 and an auxiliary optical unit 423 . the objective optical unit 422 is constituted by an upper casing 425 containing the prism 40 and an objective lens 41 &# 39 ; a , a lower casing 427 containing a relay lens 41 &# 39 ; b , a couple ring 428 integrally coupling the upper casing 425 and the lower casing 427 , etc . the auxiliary optical unit 423 is constituted by an objective lens 41c and a casing 430 containing and supporting the objective lens 41c . the auxiliary optical unit 423 is integrally connected to the objective optical unit 422 by the below - mentioned gimbal mechanism 431 as a kind of suspension support mechanisms . the focal point 432 of the relay lens 41b is coincident with that of the objective lens 41c . for this reason , when the objective optical unit 422 and the auxiliary optical unit 423 are both directed perpendicularly with respect to a liquid level surface 11 ( not shown ), as shown in fig1 , the objective lens 41c receiving the light waves from the focal point 432 is so arranged as to eject the light waves perpendicularly upon the liquid level surface s and receive the reflected perpendicular light waves from the liquid level surface s . as shown in fig1 , two conical projections 433 are formed in right and left directions within the same horizontal plane of the focal point 432 , and in the vicinity of the lower end of the objective optical unit 422 , and engage with two conical recesses 435 formed in an intermediate ring 434 , respectively . further , two conical projections 436 are formed in the intermediate ring 434 in forward and rearward directions within the same horizontal plane of the focal point 432 . the projections 436 engage with two conical recesses 437 formed near the upper edge of the auxiliary optical unit 423 , respectively . the gimbal mechanism 31 is constituted by these projections 433 , 436 , the recesses 435 , 437 , the intermediate ring 34 , etc . therefore , when the objective optical unit 422 is rotated in a rightward or leftward direction , the objective optical unit 422 and the intermediate ring 434 rotate around the engaging portions between the projections 436 and the recesses 437 as fulcrum , while the auxiliary optical unit 423 does not rotate and maintains the normal posture thereof . when the objective optical unit 422 is rotated in a forward or rearward direction , only the objective optical unit 422 rotates around the engaging portions between the projections 433 and the recesses 435 as fulcrum , while the auxiliary optical unit 423 does not rotate together with the intermediate ring 434 and the normal posture thereof is also maintained . accordingly , even when the objective optical unit 42 is rotated around the focal point 432 as a center in any direction , the auxiliary optical unit 423 does not rotate and always keeps its normal posture . the construction of this embodiment is as mentioned above . next , a function thereof will be explained below . the distance - measuring light wave generated from the light wave distance - measuring section is fed into the objective optical unit 422 through the optical fiber 104 , and is reflected by the prism 40 and forms an image at the focal point 432 after passing through the objective lens 41 &# 39 ; a and the relay lens 41 &# 39 ; b . the distance - measuring light wave passing through the focal point 432 is perpendicularly irradiated upon the liquid level surfaces ( not shown ) through the objective lens 41c in the auxiliary optical unit 423 . the light wave is perpendicularly reflected from the liquid level surface and passes through the focal point 432 after the objective lens 41c . then , the reflected light wave passes through the relay lens 41b and the objective lens 41a , is reflected on the prism 40 , and returned to the light wave distance - measuring section through the optical fiber 105 . thereby , the height of the liquid level is measured . as shown in fig1 , when the upper wall of the crude oil tank or the like ( not shown ) to which the objective optical unit 42 is attached is deformed to rotate the objective optical unit 422 by an angle θ , the rotation takes place around the focal point 432 as a center . since the auxiliary optical unit 423 is not moved by the action of the gimbal mechanism 431 , the distance - measuring light wave entering the objective optical unit 422 is perpendicularly irradiated upon the liquid level surface through the objective lens 41c after passing through the objective lens 41 &# 39 ; a , the relay lens 41 &# 39 ; b and the focal point 432 as in the state prior to the rotation of the objective optical unit 422 . the light wave is perpendicularly reflected from the liquid level surface , and passes through the focal point 432 after the objective lens 41c . thus , as in the case with the state prior to the rotation of the objective optical unit 422 , the light wave returns to the light wave distance - measuring section through the optical fiber 105 in spite of the rotation of the objective optical 422 . that is , even when the upper portion of the side wall of the crude oil tank or the like to which the objective optical unit 22 is attached is deformed to rotate the objective optical unit 22 , the height of the liquid level can be equally measured as usual . the suspension support mechanism for the auxiliary optical unit may be constituted as a mechanism for hanging the auxiliary optical unit by means of three wires instead of the gimbal mechanism . fig1 shows a eighth embodiment of the optical adapter in accordance with the present invention installed in a light - wave alidade . the alidade comprises a base bed 300 to be placed on a flat plate and a telescope section 310 rotatably mounted on a column 301 of the base bed 300 . a longitudianally extending incline surface 300a is formed on one side of the base 300 . a measure 302 of a desired scale may be mounted on the inclined surface 300a by mounting screws 303 , which is used for plotting points on a recording paper on the flat plate in accordance with the measurements . the telescope section 310 comprises an objective lens 311 , a dichroic prism 312 , a focusing lens 313 , an erecting optical device 314 , a collimating reticle plate 315 and an eye piece 316 to constitute a reticle plate 315 and an eye piece 316 to constitute a collimation telescope for collimating the alidade . a dichroic surface 312a of the dichroic prism 312 is transparent to visible light , but reflective to infrared light which is the distance measuring light . the distance measuring light 23a from the light emitting element 18 shown in fig1 is , after being thrown out of the optical fiber 104 , reflected at a reflecting surface 317a of the prism 317 and at the dichroic surface 312a , and then it is directed through the objective 311 towards a reflector ( not shown ) placed at the target point . the reflected light 23b reflected from the reflector again passes through the objective lens 311 and is reflected at the dichroic surface 312a of the dichroic prism 312 . the light 23b is then reflected at the other reflecting surface 317b of the prism 317 and then enters the optical fiber 105 . the light is , after travelling through the optical fiber 105 , received by the light receiving element 30 as shown in fig1 , and thereafter , the distance is obtained from a measuring operational section 400 similar to the aforementioned first embodiment and is displayed on a disply 39 . an input keyboard 401 is provided to input various control commands and correction data or to input measured value conversion commands . according to this embodiment , it is possible to provide a light - wave alidade having a collimating telescope which , althrough the inlet and outlet ends of a light conduction pipe 102 and a dichroic prism 312 are incorporated , is of almost the same size as a known telescope for alidade . in addition , the light - wave rangefinder 1 has the same construction as an ordinary light - wave rangefinder , and therefore , it is not necessary to make forcible design for miniaturization and to delete unavoidable function elements . besides , if the light - wave rangefinder 1 is not made of the exclusive use type as shown in fig1 but shows that the incident side of the optical adapter is constructed as shown in fig3 it can serve also as a general light - wave rangefinder . in all the above - mentioned embodiments , the photoconduction pipe 102 is constituted by two separate optical fibers , one 104 for transmission and the other 105 for reception . the provision of separate optical fibers is preferable in order to prevent interference between the distance measuring light and reflected light , but is not always essential . in addition , in an application wherein , as in the first to seventh embodiments , the front objective lens system is fixed and not often moved , this photoconduction pipe 102 need not be constituted by optical fiber but may be substituted by a well known mirror and lens system .	6
embodiments of the presently disclosed anvil delivery system will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views . in the description that follows , the term “ proximal ,” as is traditional , will refer to the end of anvil delivery system , or a portion thereof , that is closer to the operator , while the term “ distal ” will refer to the end of the anvil delivery system that is farther from the operator . with reference to fig1 , an anvil delivery system is generally shown as 10 . anvil delivery system 10 includes a flexible tube 12 , an adapter 14 , and an anvil assembly 16 . anvil assembly 16 may be a 21 mm or a 25 mm anvil assembly , sold under the trademark eea orvil ™. alternatively , other anvil assemblies may be used with the presently disclosed anvil delivery system . flexible tube 12 has an open end 12 a and a blunt end on the opposite end . adapter 14 and anvil assembly 16 are supported on open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 , as described in detail below . referring to fig2 and 3 , anvil assembly 16 includes an anvil head 30 , an anvil center rod 20 , and an anvil 60 . anvil 60 , which is supported on anvil head 30 , has a plurality of pockets 60 a for receiving and deforming surgical staples . center rod 20 is operatively connected to anvil head 30 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , center rod 20 is pivotably coupled to anvil head 30 . further , center rod 20 includes flexible legs 26 configured to capture at least a portion of adapter 14 therebetween . with continued reference to fig2 and 3 , adapter 14 includes a first end 14 a dimensioned to be received within open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 and a second end 14 b configured to be received in the center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . first end 14 a includes a series of annular rings 22 dimensioned to frictionally retain first end 14 a of adapter 14 within open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 . it is envisioned that other retaining structure can be provided to retain first end 14 b of adapter 14 to flexible tube 12 , e . g ., clamps , pins , threads , etc . second end 14 b of adapter 14 includes a longitudinal guide member 24 dimensioned to be received between flexible legs 26 of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . in addition , second end 14 b of adapter 14 is dimensioned to allow center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 to freely slide on and off second end 14 b of adapter 14 . referring to fig4 , anvil head 30 of anvil assembly 16 includes spaced apart openings 32 that are in communication with each other . adapter 14 includes a first throughbore 40 formed in a central hub portion 14 c and a second throughbore 42 formed in first end 14 a . as will be discussed below , anvil delivery system 10 includes a suture 50 to secure anvil assembly 16 to adapter 14 . referring to fig2 and 4 , suture 50 has a first end 50 a and a second end 50 b . to secure adapter 14 to anvil assembly 16 , first end 50 a of suture 50 is inserted into one opening 32 of anvil head 30 and pulled out of the other opening 32 such that the ends 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 are positioned on opposite sides of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . next , second end 14 b of adapter 14 is positioned within center rod 20 and each end 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 is inserted through an opposite end of throughbore 40 of central hub portion 14 c of adapter 14 to define a first suture loop 54 ( see fig2 ). each end 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 is pulled tight such that adapter 14 is held against center rod 20 . thereafter , each end 50 a and 50 b is inserted through an opposite end of throughbore 42 of first end 14 a of adapter 14 to define a second suture loop 56 ( see fig2 ). second suture loop 56 extends about first end 14 a of adapter 14 . the frictional contact between rings 22 of first end 14 a of adapter 14 and the inner surface of flexible tube 12 secures adapter 14 to flexible tube 12 and prevents suture 50 from loosening up . with reference to fig1 a and 1b , after operatively connecting flexible tube 12 to anvil assembly 16 via adapter 14 , a healthcare professional may decide to shorten flexible tube 12 . in some bariatric surgeries , for instance , short flexible tubes 12 are beneficial . therefore , the healthcare professional may decide to cut flexible tube 12 , thereby creating another open end 12 b on the new distal end of flexible tube 12 . because the cut end of flexible tube 12 may be abrasive and / or include jagged or irregular surfaces , a fitting 62 may be attached to open end 12 b of tube 12 to facilitate smooth atraumatic passage of tube 12 through or into a body lumen . with reference to fig5 - 9 , fitting 62 includes a body 64 having a proximal end portion 66 adapted to be supported in open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 , a distal end portion 68 , and a middle portion 70 . distal end portion 68 has bore 74 defined therethrough and a blunt tip 72 configured for insertion into a body lumen such as the esophagus . in a preferred embodiment , the tip 72 is bullet - shaped to aid insertion . bore 74 may be dimensioned to receive a suture ( not shown ) so it can be pulled through the lumen if desired . middle portion 70 is between proximal end portion 66 and distal end portion 68 . proximal end portion 66 includes a plurality of protrusions 76 adapted to frictionally retain proximal end portion 66 of fitting 62 within open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 . in operation , a surgeon employs anvil delivery system 10 to position anvil assembly 16 in the body during minimally invasive procedures . during such procedures , the surgeon initially secures adaptor 14 to open end 12 a of flexible tube , 12 and sutures anvil assembly 16 to central hub portion 14 c of adapter 14 . flexible tube 12 may then be cut at any desired length . the cut creates a distal open end 12 b from the blunt closed end in flexible tube 12 . after cutting flexible tube 12 , the surgeon secures fitting 62 in open end 12 b . specifically , proximal end portion 66 of fitting 62 is inserted into open end 12 b . the frictional contact between protrusions 76 of distal end portion 66 of fitting 62 and the inner surface of flexible tube 12 secures fitting 62 to flexible tube 12 . for transoral applications , once fitting 62 has been secured to flexible tube 12 , the surgeon inserts fitting 62 in the patent &# 39 ; s mouth and moves fitting 62 along with flexible tube 12 down through the esophagus to the surgical site , e . g ., stomach . it is also contemplated that the anvil delivery system can be used for other applications besides transoral insertion , such as transgastric and transanal approaches for colorectal , bariatric and other applications . this can be achieved due to the bullet shaped tip which can penetrate tissue , e . g . the stomach wall to deliver the anvil assembly . other penetrating tip configurations could be provided . after insertion , the surgeon should then make a small incision at the surgical site to create an inner access to the fitting 62 . after making the incision , the surgeon pulls fitting 62 through the incision , thereby pulling anvil assembly 16 through the esophagus ( or other body tissue or organ depending on the procedure ) to the surgical site . if a suture is used through bore 74 , the suture can be grasped and pulled to pull the anvil assembly . as flexible tube 12 is pulled through the incision , the distal end of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 advances through the incision . when anvil assembly 16 is properly positioned at the surgical site , the surgeon may release adapter 14 from anvil assembly 16 by cutting suture 40 and sliding center rod 20 from end 14 b of adapter 14 . next , the flexible tube 12 ( with fitting 62 ) and adapter 14 may be pulled from the body through the incision . the surgeon can now mount center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 on a surgical stapling device ( not shown ) and perform the desired surgical procedure . the components of anvil delivery system 10 may be provided in kit form . the kit may include a flexible tube 12 adapted to be secured to the anvil assembly 16 , an adapter 14 configured to secure an anvil assembly 16 to the flexible tube 12 and a fitting 62 configured to be attached to flexible tube 12 . fitting 62 , in turn , may include a body 64 having a proximal end portion 66 and a distal end portion 68 , a blunt tip 72 disposed on the distal end portion 68 , and a plurality of protrusions 76 disposed on the proximal end portion 66 . proximal end portion 66 of body 64 may be dimensioned to be supported within flexible tube 12 . the plurality of protrusions 76 may be adapted to operatively attach the body 64 of the fitting 62 to flexible tube 12 . blunt tip 72 may be configured for insertion into a body lumen . fitting 62 may include a bore 74 extending through distal end portion 68 of body 64 . the kit may further include an anvil assembly 16 . in one embodiment , the anvil assembly 16 , the flexible tube 12 , and adapter 14 are fastened together with a suture 50 , as discussed above , and the fitting 62 is provided to blunt the end of flexible tube 12 if the flexible tube 12 has to be cut and to provide an insertion tip . with reference to fig1 a and 10b , another embodiment of anvil delivery system 10 includes an alternative fitting 82 . like fitting 62 , fitting 82 is attached to open end 12 b of tube 12 to facilitate smooth atraumatic passage of tube 12 through or into a body lumen . since the structure and operation of an anvil delivery system 10 with fitting 62 is substantially identical to the structure and operation of an anvil delivery system 10 with fitting 82 , the present disclosure only discusses in detail the structural features of fitting 82 . referring to fig1 - 14 , fitting 82 includes a body 84 having a proximal end portion 86 supported in open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 , a distal end portion 88 , and a middle portion 90 . distal end portion 88 has a bore 94 defined therethrough and a blunt tip 92 configured for insertion into a body lumen such as the esophagus . body 90 of fitting 82 has a tapered surface 98 leading to blunt tip 92 . tip 92 is bullet - shaped to aid insertion . bore 94 is dimensioned to receive a suture ( not shown ). the suture is attached to tip 92 and pulled to pull tube 12 through a lumen if desired . proximal end portion 86 includes a plurality of protrusions 96 adapted to frictionally retain proximal end portion 86 of fitting 82 within open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 . protrusions 96 are disposed around an outer periphery of proximal end portion 86 . it will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein . for example , the particular configuration of fitting 62 need not be exactly as shown but rather may be configured in any manner capable of facilitating atraumatic passage of tube 12 through a body lumen . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting , but merely as exemplifications of the embodiments . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto .	0
referring to the schematic diagram of the preferred embodiment illustrated in fig6 r designates the potentiometer , having three terminals numbered one to three . terminal 2 designates a mechanically variable sliding contactor terminal , although for practical purposes , this invention applies to other types of potentiometers that may not use sliding type contactors . an external source provides the circuit with power via the terminals designated b + and gnd . additionally illustrated is an operational amplifier u1 , which , in the preferred embodiment , is selected for input and output voltages that will extend as close to or beyond , if possible , supply voltage . a variety of operational amplifiers or other voltage follower circuits might be satisfactory for this application depending upon the ultimate requirements for the unit . while a reversing of polarity would not normally be detrimental to potentiometer r , such accidental connection would likely destroy u1 . in the preferred embodiment , diode q1 provides protection against accidental reverse polarity connection . q1 , in the preferred embodiment , is selected for low forward voltage drop . capacitor c1 provides a certain degree of isolation from noise transmitted to the b + and gnd terminals . the characteristics of an ideal operational amplifier voltage follower are : infinite input impedance ; zero output impedance ; and precise equality between input and output voltages . while operational amplifiers may not exactly meet the ideal conditions , they come very close . for a typical operational amplifier , input impedance will be greater than 1 megohm , output impedance will be less than eight ohms , and output voltage will typically be within a few microvolts of input voltage . while these values are typical , one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that there are various types of amplifiers with &# 34 ; better &# 34 ; performance and that cost and design requirements also affect component selection . for example , even greater values of input impedance are obtainable with some types of op - amps , particularly cmos or jfet input types . when the electrical characteristics of the operational amplifier are combined with the potentiometer , the effect of sag and contact resistance is understandably negligible . for example , in order to effect a one percent change in the output voltage vsense via contact resistance , using the op - amp of the preferred embodiment having an input resistance of one megohm , the contact resistance must be at least 10 , 000 ohms . in order to cause sag , rload is now paralleled by an effective r of only 8 ohms . therefore , again to produce a one percent deviation in the plot , rload must be only 800 ohms . clearly , the use of a 10 , 000 ohm contact resistance and an 800 ohm load resistance in the prior art circuit of fig4 would produce an enormous deviation from linear . not including sag , the sensed output voltage for the prior art design under those conditions would be less than 10 percent of desired , or linear voltage . in the prior art , to minimize deleterious effects , r is reduced to a low resistance since this reduces the potential effect of sag . however , to lower r either the voltage v + must be reduced or the potentiometer must be made to be more robust , since with a lower resistance and same voltage , more power will be dissipated by the potentiometer . the ill economic effects of making the potentiometer more robust are obvious . however , lowering v + may not be a practical alternative . depending upon the application , the voltage source may be supplied over long interconnecting leads . these leads act like antennas and pick up large amounts of electromagnetic interference ( emi ) or radio frequency interference ( rfi ). as the supply voltage is reduced , the relative strength of the emi / rfi is increased . emi / rfi is noise in this application , and the signal to noise ratio ( s / n ) therefore worsens by lowering v +. another measure to improve the performance of the prior art device is to increase rload to a resistance value as great as may be practicable . this both reduces sag and reduces the effect of a noisy contactor . however , this is generally done at some remote location from the position sensor . as the resistance of rload is increased , again the sensitivity to emi / rfi is increased , deleteriously affecting the signal to noise ratio . the present invention overcomes this disadvantage by locating rload very near r , as fig7 to 9 illustrate . fig7 illustrates the physical interconnection of the electronic circuitry to the electrical connector in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . forming an electrical connector in a known manner from standard leadframe stock achieves the interconnection . the leadframe stock may typically have a frame 73 having therein sprocket or guide holes 77 that provide a way to feed the leadframe and to maintain positional registration during manufacturing operations . formed from the original leadframe stock material are four terminals . terminal 70 forms the electrical connection between the external source for b + and the potentiometer and also provides power to printed circuit board 78 via tabs 76 . two tabs 76 are present on each terminal ( 70 , 71 , 72 , and 75 ). these tabs are inserted into corresponding holes in printed circuit board 78 and may then be crimped . after electronic component placement , the entire assembly 79 may then be soldered by an appropriate method , such as wave or vapor phase reflow soldering . continuing with the terminal structure , terminal 71 provides electrical connection between the potentiometer contactor and u1 . terminal 72 electrically interconnects the external source for ground to both the printed circuit board 78 and the potentiometer r . terminal 75 serves to connect the output from u1 to the external sensing load . once the assembly 79 is completely assembled and electrically attached ( via soldering or other suitable method ), leadframe supports 74 may be removed . these supports , which would otherwise short - circuit the assembly , are provided strictly for mechanical strength during manufacturing processes and are removed by methods well established in the lead frame art . fig8 provides details of printed circuit board 78 , wherein the leadframe terminals have not been attached but the electronic components have been placed . from the figure , interconnection pad 80 , which serves as the connection site for terminal 71 is illustrated . interconnection pad 81 provides the connection site for terminal 70 , and similarly interconnection pads 83 and 84 provide connection sites for terminals 75 and 72 respectively . although diode q1 has three terminals visible in both fig7 and 8 , q1 is a diode and uses only two of the three terminations . after completion , assembly 79 is encapsulated in the insert molding process of housing 90 , illustrated in fig9 just as a standard set of terminals would be . should molding parameters warrant , assembly 79 may be provided with a partial or complete covercoat or encapsulant as required . the selection of an appropriate covercoat or encapsulant is recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill for one familiar with the molding art . as can be seen from the illustration in fig9 the completed position sensor is produced in a package and in every way from an exterior view resembles a position sensor without electronic circuitry . this fact is most desirable since the new device may be used as a direct replacement for the prior art device in most applications without requiring customer redesign or retooling , while still providing all the benefits aforementioned of the electronic circuit . additionally , since the circuit is within the connector portion of the position sensor housing , the circuitry may be used with a great variety of potentiometer physical designs without interfering in any way with already refined potentiometer performance . while incorporation of the electronic circuit directly into the potentiometer housing minimizes lead lengths and reduces coupling of noise into the circuit thereby enhancing resistance to emi / rfi , there may be additional cases which warrant further noise protection . this may be accomplished using one of a variety of well - known shielding techniques that affect only the exterior package of the position sensor . u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 795 , 660 , 4 , 774 , 270 , 4 , 678 , 260 and 4 , 519 , 664 , for exemplary purposes , illustrate such methods . the preferred embodiment synergistically accomplishes this because of the packaging arrangement that includes both a potentiometer and an electronic circuit , and the low output resistance of the electronic circuit which reduces the signal to noise ratio of the output signal when monitored at some external location . fig1 schematically illustrates an alternative embodiment of the circuitry which could desirably be incorporated into a potentiometer package . the circuit is similar to fig6 and like parts will not be repeated herein . particularly advantageous in this schematic is the inclusion of a low pass filter . r y and c y comprise a low pass filter , and r y might be an unnecessary component depending upon the equivalent resistance of divided resistor r . c y may be a discrete capacitor or may be comprised by capacitance from a neighboring ground or v + trace . the incorporation of a filter circuit offers several potential advantages . first , dynamic changes in contact resistance such as shown by plot b in fig5 will have reduced significance ( although the filter will not affect static changes in contact resistance ). second , output from the potentiometer used in high vibration applications such as moving machinery will not be as corrupted by the vibration . third , high frequency emi / rfi picked up within the body of the potentiometer or through the supply and ground connections will be attenuated and so will have even a more reduced affect on the circuitry . while the foregoing details what is felt to be the preferred embodiment of the invention , no material limitations to the scope of the claimed invention is intended . further , features and design alternatives that would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be incorporated herein . for example , while the preferred embodiment illustrates the use of a particular voltage follower circuit and an alternative embodiment , there are many other voltage follower , amplifier and other circuits , op - amp , transistor and otherwise , which could be adopted within the scope of the invention . for example , fig1 introduces a single low pass filter . however , the use of a compound filter or other variations of low pass filters as known in the filtering art would be within the realm of one of ordinary skill in light of the present disclosure , and so is considered to be incorporated herein . the scope of the invention is set forth and particularly described in the claims hereinbelow .	7
the gas separation membranes of this invention are fabricated from uncross - linked polymers containing meta , para - bisphenol moieties and preferably comprise polycarbonates , polythiocarbonates , polyestercarbonates , polyesters , polyetheresters , polysulfones , and polyethers based upon 3 , 4 &# 39 ;- dihydroxybisphenolic monomers , 3 , 4 &# 39 ;- dihydroxybisphenolic monomers , and 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dihydroxybisphenolic monomers . r is preferably selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , a -- no 2 radical , a -- so 3 h radical , and a halogen . more preferably , r is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . even more preferably , r is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine ; more preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , and bromine ; most preferred halogens are chlorine and bromine . l preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 15 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 15 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- s --, -- so --, -- so 2 --, or -- ss --. l more preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 15 hydrocarbyl radical , or a divalent c 1 - c 15 halohydrocarbyl radical . even more preferably , l is a divalent c 1 - c 6 hydrocarbyl radical or a divalent c 1 - c 6 halohydrocarbyl radical . preferred halohydrocarbyl radicals include -- c 7 h 5 cl -- and -- ccl 2 --. preferably , r 1 is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of -- co --, -- cs --, -- so 2 --, -- coc 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 6 z 4 c 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 10 z 6 co --, -- coc 15 z 12 co --, -- coc 6 z 3 ( co ) 2 --, and -- coc 6 z 4 --. more preferably , r 1 is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of -- co --, -- cs --, -- coc 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 6 z 4 c 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 10 z 6 co --, and -- coc 15 z 12 co --. most preferably , r 1 is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of -- co --, -- cs --, -- coc 6 z 4 co --, and -- coc 15 z 12 co --. z preferably is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a c 1 - c 8 monovalent halohydrocarbyl radical , a -- no 2 radical , a -- so 3 h radical , and a halogen . z more preferably is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a c 1 - c 8 monovalent halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . z most preferably is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . r &# 39 ; preferably is independently in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , a -- no 2 radical , a -- so 3 h radical , and a halogen . more preferably , r &# 39 ; is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine ; more preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , and bromine ; most preferred halogens are chlorine and bromine . l &# 39 ; preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 15 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 15 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- o --, -- s --, -- so --, -- so 2 --, or -- ss --. l &# 39 ; more preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- o --, -- s --, -- so --, or -- so 2 --. l &# 39 ; most preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- o --, -- s --, -- so --, or -- so 2 --. preferred halohydrocarbyl radicals are -- c 7 h 5 cl -- and -- ccl 2 --. x is preferably a positive integer between about 0 and 1 inclusive , more preferably between about 0 . 33 and 1 inclusive , even more preferably between about 0 . 67 and 1 inclusive , and most preferably about 1 . y is preferably a positive integer between about 0 and 1 inclusive , more preferably between about 0 and 0 . 75 inclusive , even more preferably between about 0 and 0 . 50 inclusive , and most preferably between about 0 and 0 . 25 inclusive . n is preferably a positive integer between about 10 and about 2 , 000 , more preferably between about 40 and about 1 , 000 . the condensation polymers useful in this invention may be prepared by the reaction of a bisphenol with phosgene , thiophosgene , sulfuric acid , or other aromatic acid such as terephthalic acid , isophthalic acid , or 3 - tert - butyl isophthalic acid , or their derivatives such as terephthaloyl chloride , isophthaloyl chloride , or hydroxy benzoic acid , or a combination thereof . the starting materials may be individual monomeric species as well as oligomeric species of the previously described compositions . the polymerization may be accomplished by the use of a homogeneous solution technique wherein the starting material and an optional monofunctional terminating species are dissolved in a suitable organic solvent , such as methylene chloride in the presence of a base , such as pyridine , and condensed with a gaseous , liquid , or solid condensing species . the reaction is preferably carried out in a dry inert atmosphere such a dry nitrogen or argon and at temperatures between about 0 ° c . and the boiling point of the solvent . upon completion of the polymerization , the reaction mixture is acidified with a dilute solution of an acid such as hydrochloric acid , washed with water to remove residual pyridinium salts , passed through an ion exchange column to remove residual entrained water , and precipitated in a non - solvent such as heptane . the precipitated polymer is recovered by filtration , optionally air dried , and subsequently dried under vacuum at elevated temperature . the polymerization may also be accomplished by the use of a heterogeneous interfacial technique wherein the starting material and an optional monofunctional terminating species are dissolved in a solution of base , such as sodium hydroxide , and an organic solvent , such as methylene chloride , which solvates the gaseous , liquid , or solid condensing species as well as the polymerized product , and is facilitated by the use of a phase transfer catalyst , such a tetrabutyl - ammonium bromide , or by the use of an amine catalyst , such as dimethylamino pyridine . the reaction is also preferably carried out in a dry inert atmosphere , such as dry nitrogen or argon , and at a temperature between about 0 ° c . and the boiling points of both the aqueous solvent and organic solvent . upon completion of the polymerization , the reaction mixture is acidified with a dilute solution of an acid , such as hydrochloric acid , the separated polymer containing organic phase is washed with water to remove residual sodium salts , passed through a coalescer or dried using a drying agent , such as magnesium sulfate , to remove residual entrained water , and precipitated in a non - solvent such as heptane . the precipitated polymer is recovered by filtration , optionally air dried , and subsequently dried under vacuum at elevated temperature . the uncross - linked polymers so formed possess a number - average molecular weight ( m n ) such that the polymers are useful for forming fibers , films , molded articles , foams , coatings , and the like . the number - average molecular weight of such polymers as measured by gel permeation chromatography based upon polystyrene standards is preferably at least about 3 , 000 , more preferably at least about 10 , 000 ; the number - average molecular weight of such polymers is preferably less than about 500 , 000 , more preferably less than about 250 , 000 . the weight - average molecular weight of such polymers as measured by gel permeation chromatography based upon polystyrene standards is preferably at least about 6 , 000 , more preferably at least about 20 , 000 ; the weight - average molecular weight of such polymers is preferably less than about 1 , 000 , 000 , more preferably less than about 500 , 000 . the intrinsic viscosity of such polymers is preferably between about 0 . 1 and about 2 . 0 deciliters per gram , more preferably between about 0 . 2 and 1 . 0 deciliters per gram , as measured in a chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent such as methylene chloride . the uncross - linked polymers of this invention are preferably soluble in common chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents such as methylene chloride , chloroform , and chlorobenzene , as well as common dipolar aprotic solvents such as n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , dimethylacetamide , dimethylformamide , dimethylsulfoxide , and sulfolane . the uncross - linked polymers useful in this invention preferably possess glass transition temperatures of at least about 50 ° c ., more preferably of at least about 70 ° c ., even more preferably of at least about 90 ° c . the polymers preferably possess a tensile strength as measured by astm d - 1708 of at least about 4 , 000 psi ( 27 , 580 kpa ), more preferably of at least about 6 , 000 psi ( 41 , 370 kpa ); the polymers also preferably possess a tensile modulus as measured by astm d - 1708 of at least about 100 kpsi ( 689 , 475 kpa ), more preferably of at least about 150 kpsi ( 1 , 034 , 215 kpa ). the polymers preferably possess an elongation at break as measured by astm d - 1708 of at least about 2 percent , more preferably of at least about 4 percent . such uncross - linked polymers are used to fabricate the semi - permeable membranes of this invention . the membranes of this invention may be formed into any useful configuration known to one skilled in the art . in particular , the membranes may be shaped in the form of flat sheets or films , hollow fibers of various cross - sectional shapes , or hollow tubes . films and hollow fibers of substantially circular cross - section are preferred membrane configurations . in addition , the membranes of this invention may possess any morphological structure known to one skilled in the art . in particular , the membrane may be a homogeneous membrane , a composite membrane , or an asymmetric membrane . asymmetric and composite membranes are preferred ; asymmetric membranes are more preferred . in the embodiment wherein the membranes possess a hollow fiber configuration , asymmetric membranes may have the discriminating region either on the outside of the hollow fiber , at the inside ( lumen ) surface of the hollow fiber , or located somewhere internal to both outside and inside hollow fiber membrane surfaces . in the embodiment wherein the discriminating region of the hollow fiber membranes is internal to both hollow fiber membrane surfaces , the inside surface and the outside surface of the hollow fiber membranes are porous , yet the membranes demonstrate gas discriminating ability , that is , the ability to separate gases . homogeneous membranes are prepared by forming a continuous thin discriminating layer which is dense and free of voids and pores . such membranes possess a discriminating region which generally has substantially the same structure and composition throughout the membrane . in one preferred embodiment , the uncross - linked polymers useful in this invention are dissolved in a solvent , thus forming a polymer / solvent solution which is cast onto a uniform surface from which the membrane may thereafter be readily separated . preferred casting solvents for the polymers useful in this invention include chlorinated solvents such as methylene chloride and chloroform , and dipolar aprotic solvents such as n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n , n - dimethylacetamide , and dimethylformamide . the polymer / solvent solution should be substantially homogeneous and possess sufficient viscosity to allow casting of the solution onto a uniform surface . preferably , the solution of polymer / solvent contains polymer in weight percents of between about 5 and about 50 , more preferably of between about 10 and about 40 , even more preferably of between about 10 and about 30 . the solution is cast onto a uniform surface possessing a low surface energy such as silicone or coated glass , or a surface to which the membrane will not adhere such as mercury , or a liquid with which the polymer is substantially immiscible , such as water . alternatively , the membrane may be cast onto a surface which may be dissolved away from the membrane following curing and drying . casting is performed by pouring the solution onto the appropriate surface and using an appropriate tool to form a film of the appropriate thickness . a continuous casting process may be achieved by casting the solution onto endless belts or rotating drums . thereafter , the cast solution is exposed to curing or drying conditions . such conditions are used to substantially remove the solvent , thereby leaving a thin discriminating layer of polymer which is homogeneous . the solution may be cured or dried either by exposure to a vacuum , exposure to elevated temperatures , by allowing the solvent to evaporate over time , or any combination thereof . generally , it is preferable to expose the cast solution to elevated temperatures which are below the glass transition temperature ( tg ) of the polymer , preferably less than about tg - 100 ° c ., more preferably less than about tg - 50 ° c ., even more preferably less than about tg - 20 ° c . composite membranes are prepared by forming a continuous thin discriminating layer of the polymer on a porous supporting layer . such membranes possess a discriminating layer which generally has a different structure and composition than the porous supporting layer . to prepare a composite membrane , a homogeneous discriminating layer can be formed and thereafter adhered to a porous supporting layer . alternatively , the porous supporting layer can be the surface upon which the discriminating layer is cast . in such an embodiment , the composite membrane is prepared by casting a solution as a coating on the porous support . penetration of the polymer from which the discriminating layer is formed into the pores of the porous supporting layer is acceptable so long as the desired thickness of the membrane is not exceeded . the porous supporting layer is characterized in that it preferably does not significantly impede the transport of gas through the membrane . in one embodiment , the porous supporting layer can be a metal or polymeric plate with a plurality of holes drilled through it . however , such a drilled plate is not advantageous because it may significantly reduce the effective area of the membrane . in a preferred embodiment , the porous supporting layer is a porous polymeric membrane . examples of such porous polymeric membranes suitable as porous supporting layers in composite membranes include commercially available porous cellulose ester and polysulfone porous membranes . other preferred porous supporting layers include porous membranes fabricated from polycarbonates , polyester - carbonates , polyimides , and polyethersulfones . where such porous supporting membranes are thin or highly deformable , a frame or screen may also be used to adequately support the membrane . in one especially preferred embodiment , the porous polymeric supporting layer is a hollow fiber of a porous polymeric membrane such as a microporous polysulfone membrane . the hollow fiber itself provides adequate support for the discriminating layer coated on the inside or the outside surface of the hollow fiber . after the solution is cast onto the porous supporting layer to form the thin discriminating layer , the membrane is then exposed to curing or drying conditions to substantially remove solvent from the discriminating layer such as described hereinbefore for the formation of homogeneous membranes . asymmetric membranes may be prepared by forming a thin discriminating layer on a porous supporting layer . such membranes possess a discriminating layer which generally has the same composition but a different structure than the porous supporting layer . to prepare an asymmetric membrane , a solution of uncross - linked polymer , solvent , and optional non - solvent is formed and cast as hereinbefore described for homogeneous membranes . preferred non - solvents for use in this invention include alcohols such as methanol , hydrocarbons such as heptane , and c 2 - c 6 glycols . the cast solution is partially cured to remove a portion of the solvent and optional non - solvent . thereafter , one or both surfaces of the partially cured membrane is contacted with a non - solvent for the polymer such as water so as to form a thin discriminating layer on one or both sides of the membrane while substantially removing the solvent and optional non - solvent from the membrane . the porous supporting layer formed provides support for the thin discriminating layer without significantly impeding the transport of gas through the membrane . the drying step is performed in a manner similar to that described hereinbefore with respect to the formation of homogeneous membranes . alternatively , an asymmetric membrane with two porous surfaces and an internal discriminating region may be formed . flat sheet , tubular , and hollow fiber membranes which are homogeneous , composite , or asymmetric may be formed by extrusion from an appropriate solution of the uncross - linked polymer in a solvent and optional non - solvent . such extrusion processes are well known to those skilled in the art and the formation of such membranes requires the adaptation of the hereinbefore described techniques . extrusion is a preferred process for the fabrication of flat sheet , tubular , or hollow fiber membranes . in the case of extrusion , the components of the extrusion mixture may be combined prior to extrusion by mixing in any convenient manner with conventional mixing equipment , as for example , in a hobart mixer . alternatively , the extrusion mixture may be homogenized by extruding the mixture through a twin screw extruder , cooling the extrudate , and grinding or pelletizing the extrudate to a particle size readily fed to a single or twin screw extruder . the components of the extrusion mixture may also be combined directly in a melt - pot or twin screw extruder and extruded into membranes in a single step . the uncross - linked polymer , solvent , and optional non - solvent mixture is heated to a temperature at which the mixture becomes a substantially homogeneous fluid . the substantially homogeneous fluid is then extruded through a sheet , hollow tube , or hollow fiber die ( spinnerette ). hollow fiber spinnerettes are typically multi - holed and thus produce a tow of multiple hollow fibers . the hollow fiber spinnerettes include a means for supplying fluid to the core of the extrudate . the core fluid is used to prevent collapse of the hollow fibers as the exit the spinnerette . the core fluid may be a gas such as nitrogen , air , carbon dioxide , or other inert gas , or a liquid which is a non - solvent for the polymer such as water . following extrusion , the membrane is treated as hereinbefore described for homogeneous , composite , or asymmetric membranes . in one preferred embodiment , the membranes are annealed before use . the membrane is preferably exposed to temperatures above about 50 ° c . and below about 300 ° c . for a period of time to partially densify the polymer . this procedure may optionally be performed under vacuum . preferably , the homogeneous membranes useful in this invention have a thickness of between about 5 microns and about 500 microns , more preferably between about 10 microns and about 150 microns . hollow fiber homogeneous membranes preferably have an outer diameter of between about 50 microns and about 800 microns , more preferably between about 100 microns and about 300 microns . preferably , the effective discriminating layer in composite or asymmetric membranes has a thickness of between about 0 . 02 microns and about 10 microns , more preferably between about 0 . 02 microns and about 2 microns . preferably , the supporting layer in composite or asymmetric membranes possesses a thickness of between about 5 microns and about 500 microns , more preferably between about 10 microns and about 150 microns . hollow fiber composite or asymmetric membranes preferably have an outer diameter in the range of from about 50 microns to about 800 microns , more preferably in the range of from about 100 microns to about 300 microns . the membranes are fabricated into flat sheet , spiral wound , tubular , or hollow fiber devices by methods known in the art . see u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 228 , 876 ; 3 , 422 , 008 ; 3 , 455 , 460 ; 3 , 475 , 331 ; 3 , 526 , 001 ; 3 , 528 , 553 ; 3 , 690 , 465 ; 3 , 702 , 658 ; 3 , 755 , 034 ; 3 , 801 , 401 ; 4 , 271 , 900 ; 3 , 872 , 014 ; 3 , 966 , 616 ; 4 , 045 , 851 ; 4 , 061 , 574 ; 4 , 080 , 296 ; 4 , 083 , 780 ; 4 , 220 , 535 ; 4 , 235 , 723 ; 4 , 265 , 763 ; 4 , 315 , 819 ; 4 , 430 , 219 ; 4 , 351 , 092 ; 4 , 367 , 139 ; 4 , 666 , 469 ; 4 , 707 , 167 ; 4 , 752 , 305 ; 4 , 758 , 341 ; 4 , 871 , 379 ; 4 , 929 , 259 ; 4 , 961 , 760 ; 5 , 013 , 331 ; and 5 , 013 , 437 ; the relevant portions of each patent relating to device fabrication incorporated herein by reference for all legal purposes which may be served thereby . the membranes are sealingly mounted in a pressure vessel in such a manner that the membrane separates the vessel into two fluid regions wherein fluid flow between the two regions is accomplished by fluid permeating through the membrane . under certain conditions , it may be highly desirable to provide support for the membrane when the membrane is employed in a separation apparatus or process . in one embodiment , the peripheral area of the membrane is affixed to a framing structure which supports the outer edge of the membrane . the membrane can be affixed to the framing structure by a clamping mechanism , adhesive , chemical bonding , or other techniques known in the art . the membrane affixed to the frame can then be sealingly engaged in the conventional manner in a vessel so that the membrane surface inside the framing support separates two otherwise non - communicating regions in the vessel . one skilled in the art will recognize that the structure which supports the membrane can be an internal part of the vessel or even the outer edge of the membrane . the membrane divides the separation chamber into two regions , a high pressure side into which the feed gas mixture is introduced and a low pressure side . one side of the membrane is contacted with a feed gas mixture under pressure , while a pressure differential is maintained across the membrane . in the embodiment wherein the membrane is in hollow fiber form , the feed gas mixture may be introduced on the outside or the inside of the hollow fiber . at least one gaseous component in the gas mixture selectively permeates through the membrane more rapidly than the other gaseous component or components in the gas mixture . gas which is enriched in the selectively permeating gaseous component or components is thus obtained on the low pressure side of the membrane which is removed from the low pressure side of the membrane as permeate . gas depleted in the selectively permeating gaseous component or components is obtained on the high pressure side of the membrane which is removed from the high pressure side of the membrane as non - permeate . gas permeability is defined as ## equ1 ## a standard permeability measurement unit is the barrer ( ba ), which is equal to ## equ2 ## the reduced gas flux is defined as ( permeability )÷( membrane thickness ). a standard reduced flux unit is ## equ3 ## alpha , the gas separation factor or gas selectivity , is defined as the ratio of the permeability or flux of the faster permeating gas to the permeability or flux of the slower permeating gas . the membranes of this invention are particularly useful for separating gas mixtures containing at least one gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , helium , oxygen , nitrogen , carbon monoxide , carbon dioxide , argon , water vapor , hydrogen sulfide , ammonia , nitrogen oxides , sulfur oxides , and light hydrocarbons . as used herein , the term light hydrocarbons refers to gaseous saturated and unsaturated c 1 - 4 hydrocarbons such as methane , ethane , ethylene , propane , propylene , butane , and butylene . preferably , the membranes useful in this invention exhibit a permselectivity of an oxygen / nitrogen gas mixture at about 30 ° c . of about 2 . 5 , more preferably about 3 . 5 , and even more preferably about 4 . 0 . preferably , the membranes have a permeability for oxygen at about 30 ° c . of 0 . 01 barrer , more preferably about 0 . 05 barrer , and even more preferably about 0 . 1 barrer . preferably , the membranes have a reduced gas flux for oxygen at about 30 ° c . of ## equ4 ## preferably , the membranes useful in this invention exhibit a permselectivity of a helium / methane gas mixture at about 30 ° c . of about 20 °, more preferably about 35 °, most preferably about 50 °. preferably , the membranes have a permeability for helium at about 30 ° c . of about 2 . 0 barrers , more preferably about 3 . 5 barrers , most preferably about 5 . 0 barrers . preferably , the membranes have a reduced gas flux for helium at about 30 ° c . of about ## equ5 ## the separation process is carried out at pressure and temperatures which do not deleteriously affect the membrane . preferably , the pressure on the high pressure side of the membrane is between about 10 psig ( 69 kpa ) and about 1 , 000 psig ( 6 , 895 kpa ), more preferably between about 50 psig ( 345 kpa ) and about 500 psig ( 3 , 447 kpa ). the temperature of the feed gas mixture is preferably between about - 50 ° c . and about 100 ° c ., more preferably between about - 20 ° c . and about 100 ° c . the temperature of the membrane is independent of the temperature of the feed and is preferably between about - 50 ° c . and 100 ° c ., more preferably between about - 20 ° c . and about 80 ° c . the membrane devices used in the process of this invention may be arranged in parallel , series , recycle , or cascade configurations . the membrane separation process of this invention may be combined with non - membrane separation processes such as cryogenic distillation and pressure or temperature swing adsorption . the following examples are included to illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or claims . about 10 . 95 grams ( 48 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were dissolved in a 500 milliliter erlenmeyer flask containing a magnetic stir bar and about 100 milliliters of methylene chloride and about 5 milliliters of methanol . aliquots of bromine solution ( 5 milliliters of br 2 diluted to 100 milliliters with methylene chloride ) were added to the solution over a period of about 20 minutes . the extent of reaction was monitored using an hp 5890 gas chromatograph equiped with a 5 foot ( 1 . 5 meter ) hp - 1 methyl silicone gum column . two product peaks were obtained . additionally , a small aliquot of product was removed from the reaction mixture , extracted with aqueous sodium sulfite , dried with magnesium sulfate , and derivatized with a small amount of acetyl chloride in the presence of pyridine . the derivatized product was analyzed using an hp 1090 liquid chromatograph equipped with a spheri - 10 rp - 18 column . once again , two product peaks were obtained ( 6 . 48 minutes ( major , derivatized dibromo species ) and 7 . 38 minutes ( minor )). the sample mixture was isolated as a gummy , tacky solid . about 10 . 95 grams ( 48 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were dissolved in a 500 milliliter erlenmeyer flask containing a magnetic stir bar and about 100 milliliters of methylene chloride and about 5 milliliters of methanol . aliquots of bromine solution ( 10 milliliters of br 2 diluted to 100 milliliters with methylene chloride ) were added to the solution over a period of several hours . the extent of reaction was monitored using an hp 5890 gas chromatograph equiped with a 5 foot ( 1 . 5 meter ) hp - 1 methyl silicone gum column . three product peaks were obtained . additionally , a small aliquot of product was removed from the reaction mixture , extracted with aqueous sodium sulfite , dried with magnesium sulfate , and derivatized with a small amount of acetyl chloride in the presence of pyridine . the derivatized product was analyzed using an hp 1090 liquid chromatograph equipped with a spheri - 10 rp - 18 column . once again , three product peaks were obtained ( 7 . 38 minutes ( minor ), 7 . 82 minutes ( minor ), and 8 . 15 minutes ( major )). the sample was isolated as a white , free flowing , powdery solid after recrystallization from methanol / water . about 10 grams ( 43 . 8 mmoles ) of white , powdery 2 , 2 , bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were weighed and transferred to a three - neck , 500 milliliter round bottom flask equipped with a stirrer , sparge tube for dry nitrogen , and a ph electrode . about 7 . 4 grams ( 92 . 5 mmoles ) of 50 percent naoh solution was diluted to a volume of 50 milliliters with water and transferred to the flask . stirring was initiated and the solid was dissolved within a few minutes . fifty milliliters of methylene chloride was added to the flask and stirring was continued . an addition funnel was fitted to the flask and 41 milliliters of phosgene / methylene chloride ( 96 . 4 mmoles of 2 . 32m solution ) was transferred to the funnel . phosgene solution was added dropwise to the stirred solution over a period of about 20 minutes while maintaining the ph of the aqueous phase at about 10 . 5 with occasional additions of 1n naoh . when the phosgene addition was complete , the aqueous phase was tested for the presence of phenates ( negative ) and the organic phase was tested for chloroformates ( positive ). eighty milligrams ( 0 . 7 mmoles ) of n , n - dimethylaminopyridine was weighed and added at once to the heterogeneous mixture . slowly , the acidity began to increase ; the ph was maintained at about 9 with the addition of 1n naoh . the reaction was judged complete when no chloroformates could be detected in the organic phase . the reaction mixture was acidified with 1n hcl , washed with water and phase separated . the organic phase was dried using magnesium sulfate and the clear water - white was precipitated in 4 volumes of heptane . the fluffy white solid was air dried , then oven dried under vacuum at 80 ° c . overnight . a small sample of dried polymer ( about 125 milligrams ) was dissolved in a 25 milliliter volumetric flask with methylene chloride . size exclusion analysis was performed using a hewlett packard 1090 liquid chromatograph equipped with a pair of dupont zorbax psm trimodal columns and a diode array detector . the eluting solvent was hplc grade tetrahydrofuran ( thf ). the calibration curve was established using narrow standard polystyrene samples monitored at 254 nm . the sample was found to have a weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) of about 75 , 000 . about 5 grams ( 13 mmoles ) of the 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 - bromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 4 &# 39 ;- bromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were weighed into a 100 milliliter screw - cap bottle and dissolved in methylene chloride ( 25 milliliters ) and 25 milliliters of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 25 mmoles ). phosgene in methylene chloride ( 2 . 32m , 10 milliliters ) was added to the mixture . the mixture was then shaken for ten minutes . additional aqueous sodium hydroxide was added to maintain the alkalinity ( ph approximately 10 ). when the aqueous phase was found to be free of phenates , a small amount of n , n - dimethylaminopyridine ( 16 milligrams , 0 . 13 mmoles ) was added to the mixture and vigorous shaking was continued . after 10 minutes , additional aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added to the mixture to maintain the alkalinity ( ph approximately 10 ). during this period , a small volume of phosgene solution ( 2 . 32m , 2 milliliters ) was also added to the mixture . vigorous shaking was once more initiated and continued until the milky emulsion thickened into a massive gumlike liquid . the contents were transferred to a waring blender , further diluted with methylene chloride and water , and stirred for several minutes . the mixture was acidified with dilute acid ( 1n hcl ). the stirring was then stopped and the mixture was allowed to separate into two liquid phases . the aqueous phase was discarded and the organic phase was washed with water . the hazy organic solution was then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and filtered through a celite bed on a fritted glass filter . the clear solution was reduced in volume and precipitated in four volumes of heptane . the white , fiberous solid was air dried and oven dried under vacuum at 80 ° c . for sixteen hours . a small sample of dried polymer ( about 125 milligrams ) was dissolved in a 25 milliliter volumetric flask with methylene chloride . the poly ( 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 - bromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 4 &# 39 ;- bromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane ) carbonate sample was analyzed and found to have a number - average molecular weight ( mn ) of about 85 , 975 and a weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) of about 439 , 539 . the process of example 4 was repeated with the exception that about 7 . 07 grams ( 13 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 , 5 - dibromo - 4 - hydroxy - 4 &# 39 ; 6 &# 39 ;- dibromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane was used in place of 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 - bromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 4 &# 39 ;- bromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane . a three neck , 250 milliliter round bottom flask , equipped with a stirrer , nitrogen sparge tube , and an addition funnel , was charged with about 5 . 00 grams ( 21 . 9 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane , 50 milliliters of methylene chloride , and 5 milliliters ( 62 mmoles ) of pyridine . the resultant clear , colorless solution was stirred under nitrogen for 10 minutes . a mixture of terephthaloyl chloride , about 1 . 776 grams ( 8 . 75 mmoles ), and isophthaloyl chloride , about 0 . 440 grams ( 2 . 17 mmoles ), was dissolved in 20 milliliters of methylene chloride and transferred to an addition funnel . an aliquot of phosgene / methylene chloride solution , about 5 . 0 milliliters ( 12 . 2 mmoles ), was also transferred to the addition funnel . the flask was immersed in a water bath and moderate stirring of the solution was continued while the acid chloride / phosgene solution was added dropwise over a period of 15 minutes . when the addition was complete , an additional 0 . 2 grams ( 1 mmole ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane was added to the stirring solution , followed by the slow addition of 2 milliliters of phosgene / methylene chloride solution . stirring was continued for another 30 minutes . the viscous solution was diluted with 50 milliliters of methylene chloride , washed with 30 milliliters of 1n , hcl , and transferred to a separatory funnel . the organic phase was washed twice again with water . the colorless , water - wet organic phase was dried with magnesium sulfate and filtered through celite to yield a clear , colorless solution . the polymer was found to have a weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) of about 102 , 000 and a number - average molecular weight ( mn ) of about 27 , 700 , based on polystyrene standards and a polydispersity of 3 . 7 . the process of example 3 was repeated with the exception that about 10 grams ( 43 . 8 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propane was used . the process of example 3 was repeated with the exception that about 23 . 8 grams ( 43 . 8 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 , 5 - dibromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propane was used . the polymers of examples 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 were used to prepare membranes therefrom . films were obtained by casting about 20 weight percent polymer solution onto glass plates , allowing the solutions to slowly devolatilize , removing the films from the glass plates , and placing the films in a heated vacuum oven to remove residual solvent . the gas permeabilities of nitrogen , oxygen , helium , methane , and carbon dioxide were measured on a dense film having a diameter of about 3 . 8 centimeters using a constant - volume , variable - pressure apparatus . the permeability coefficients were measured at about 25 ° c . using a feed pressure of about 50 psig ( 340 kpa ). performance data for the membranes are reported in table i . table i______________________________________ex - p p p alphaam - o . sub . 2 alpha he alpha he / c . sub . 2 h . sub . 4 he / ple ( barrers ) o . sub . 2 / n . sub . 2 ( barrers ) he / ch . sub . 4 ( barrers ) c . sub . 2 h . sub . 6______________________________________3 0 . 3 4 . 3 5 . 8 109 223 11604 0 . 15 9 . 1 5 . 7 630 630 & gt ; 20005 0 . 9 8 . 2 16 180 157 15006 -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 1 . 6 4 . 8 13 35 -- -- 8 1 . 2 8 . 3 16 150 86 380______________________________________	1
in the following detailed description of the present embodiments , reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof , and in which is 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 process , electrical or mechanical 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 and equivalents thereof . fig1 illustrates a portion of a projector , e . g ., for use in a front or rear projection system , according to an embodiment of the invention . the projector includes a light modulator 110 . for one embodiment , light modulator 110 is a multi - color modulator , e . g ., red , blue , and green . for another embodiment , light modulator 110 is a single color , such as red , and another modulator 120 , shown by dashed lines , is a two - color modulator , such as blue and green . modulators 110 and 120 may include pixilated mems devices , such as micro - mirrors , or interference - based modulators , lcd devices , etc . an optical system 130 is included for receiving light from a light source 135 and delivering the light to modulator 110 or modulators 110 and 120 . optical system 130 also delivers modulated light from modulator 110 or modulators 110 and 120 to an outlet 140 of the projector . optical system 130 includes a polarizer ( or polarizing beam splitter ) 150 , such as a polarizing beam spitting cube or plate . polarizer 150 is located between modulator 110 and a lens 155 . polarizer 150 is also located between a mirror 160 and lens 155 . lens 155 is located between polarizer 150 and a mirror 165 . polarizer 150 passes light having one polarization and reflects light having another polarization . for embodiments having modulators 110 and 120 , a dichroic beam splitter 170 , such as a dichroic beam spitting cube or plate , is located between polarizer 150 and modulator 120 and between modulator 110 and lens 155 . dichroic beam splitter 170 separates light according to its color , e . g ., dichroic beam splitter 170 may pass red light to modulator 110 and reflect blue and green light to modulator 120 . a quarter wavelength plate 175 is located between polarizer 150 and modulator 110 . for one embodiment , quarter wavelength plate 175 is butted against modulator 110 . for another embodiment , a face 176 of quarter wavelength plate 175 is substantially co - planer with mirror 160 . for another embodiment , a quarter wavelength plate 180 is located between modulator 120 and dichroic beam splitter 170 . for one embodiment , optical system 130 may be formed as a transparent solid , such as glass , so that the various components or optical system are integral with the solid . that is , the material of the transparent solid physically interconnects the elements . for another embodiment , the components of optical system are physically discrete , i . e ., are not physically connected . for example , gas filled spaces , e . g ., air , or evacuated spaces may separate the components of optical system 130 . fig2 a – 2d illustrate optical system 130 in operation , according to another embodiment of the invention . optical system 130 receives linearly ( or plane ) polarized light at a first polarization from light source 135 . the light enters optical system 130 along an illumination path 205 , as shown in fig2 a . for one embodiment , illumination path 205 is contained within an angle 210 with respect to an axis 215 that is substantially parallel to face 176 of quarter wavelength plate 175 ( fig2 a ). as shown in fig2 a , the incoming light rays , represented by a ray 220 1 , are reflected off polarizer 150 to lens 155 . the subscript “ 1 ” of “ 220 ” is used to denote the first polarization . ray 220 1 is refracted upon exiting lens 155 and is subsequently reflected by mirror 165 to lens 155 . ray 220 1 is refracted upon exiting lens 155 and enters quarter wavelength plate 175 . note that the polarization of ray 220 1 changes , e . g ., becomes circularly polarized , when it passes through quarter wavelength plate 175 . however , the subscript “ 1 ” will be retained for purposes of discussion . when modulator 110 is on it reflects substantially all of the light of ray 220 1 , back through quarter wavelength plate 175 . passing ray 220 1 through quarter wavelength plate 175 , reflecting it back through quarter wavelength plate 175 using modulator 110 rotates the polarization of ray 220 1 to a second linear ( or plane ) polarization upon exiting quarter wavelength plate 175 that is orthogonal to the first polarization . specifically , the circularly polarized light changes to linearly ( or plane ) polarized light at the second polarization when it passes back through quarter wavelength plate 175 . the exiting ray is referred to as ray 222 2 , where the subscript “ 2 ” denotes the second polarization , as shown in fig2 a . when modulator 110 is off , it absorbs and / or transmits most of the light of ray 220 1 and / or reflects the light of ray 220 1 away from optical system 130 . the remaining fraction is reflected from modulator 110 back into optical system 130 . this reflected light passes back through quarter wavelength plate 175 so that the polarization of ray 220 1 is rotated to the second polarization upon exiting quarter wavelength plate 175 , as just described , as the ray 222 2 . therefore , ray 222 2 contains substantially all of the light that ray 220 1 does when modulator 110 is on and a fraction of the light that ray 220 1 does when modulator 110 is off . note that for embodiments that include modulators 110 and 120 and dichroic beam splitter 170 , dichroic beam splitter 170 reflects one or more color components of ray 220 1 corresponding to modulator 120 and passes one or more color components of ray 220 1 corresponding to modulator 110 . as shown in fig2 a ray 222 2 enters lens 155 . fig2 b shows ray 222 2 passing through lens 155 and being refracted onto mirror 165 upon exiting lens 155 . mirror 165 reflects ray 222 2 back to lens 155 . ray 222 2 is refracted upon entering lens 155 and subsequently passes therethrough to polarizer 150 . polarizer 150 passes ray 222 2 therethrough and onto mirror 160 . mirror 160 reflects ray 222 2 to lens 155 . fig2 c shows ray 222 2 passing through lens 155 and being refracted onto mirror 165 upon exiting lens 155 . mirror 165 reflects ray 222 2 back to lens 155 . ray 222 2 is refracted upon entering lens 155 and subsequently passes therethrough to quarter wavelength plate 175 . ray 222 2 passes through quarter wavelength plate 175 and reflects off modulator 110 back through quarter wavelength plate 175 . as described above this rotates the polarization of ray 222 2 orthogonally back to the first polarization so that a ray 224 1 exits quarter wavelength plate 175 and enters lens 155 . note that for the reasons described above , ray 224 1 contains substantially all of the light that ray 222 2 does when modulator 110 is on and a fraction of the light that ray 222 2 does when modulator 110 is off . this means that when modulator 110 is off ray 224 1 is blacker than ray 222 2 and thus the contrast is improved compared to passing the light into modulator 110 only once while modulator 110 is in the off state . moreover , when modulator 110 is off and since ray 222 2 contains a fraction of the light of the ray 220 1 when ray 220 1 enters quarter wavelength plate 175 in fig2 a , ray 224 1 contains a fraction of a fraction , e . g ., about a square of the fraction , of the light of the ray 220 1 . fig2 d shows ray 224 1 passing through lens 155 and being refracted onto mirror 165 upon exiting lens 155 . mirror 165 reflects ray 224 1 back to lens 155 . ray 224 1 is refracted upon entering lens 155 and subsequently passes therethrough to polarizer 150 . polarizer 150 reflects ray 224 1 to a projection path 230 and to outlet 140 of the projector , as shown in fig2 d . for one embodiment , projection path 230 is contained within an angle 240 with respect to axis 215 . comparing the projection path 230 of fig2 d with the illumination path 205 of fig2 a shows that the angle 210 containing illumination path 205 and the angle 240 containing projection path 230 are on opposite sides of axis 215 . this separates illumination path 205 from projection path 230 . note that due to the polarization state of the light at polarizer 150 , polarizer 150 does not allow light to exit optical system 130 until it passes into modulator 110 twice . when modulator 110 is off , this reduces the light exiting system 130 , thereby producing blacker blacks and a higher contrast . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof .	6
in fig1 the valve is shown in an open position . valve member 4 pivots in hinge 10 . on closer examination of fig7 close up of the hinge can be seen . waterflow will enter the valve chamber from inlet intake orifice 1 through primary channel a 1 see arrows a fig1 then proceed to outlet 2 at swivel 3 that connects to the hose and filtration pump when water flow through primary channel ; see arrows a , the flow pattern acting on the valve surfaces will rotate the valve member to the closed position shown in fig2 . with valve in closed position flow is sufficiently interrupted by valve protrusion member 4 . 1 closing on flow - control - diverter plate 5 thereby creating a shockwave effect to move cleaner in a stepwise manner . since valve can not rotate any further , waterflow will now follow the secondary path , see arrows fig2 , which will move the valve to open position fig1 . this process repeats itself flow - control - diverter 5 , functions as a tuning plate to stabilize and control the valve pulse frequency i . e . oscillating speed thereby omitting need for a rigid tube section at the outlet side of the valve . generally by having the flow - control - diverter plate decrease the intake orifice 1 through the main channel the faster the pulse frequency and vice versa . the flow control diverter plate fig3 , 3 . 1 also determines the size of the intake orifice 3 a between plate 3 . 1 and valve inlet face 3 b . by increasing and decreasing the orifice size 3 a between flow control plate and valve inlet face 3 b the valve travel distance towards the open position can be determined . it speaks for itself that the valve can only rotationally oscillate to the open position till contact is made with the casing face 3 . 3 ; however the preferential orifice size is such that the valve barely touches the casing to minimize wear and noise . 3 . 4 fig3 depict the enlarged plenum zone . another feature of the flow - control - diverter plate is to function as a debris diverter by diverting debris to the primary channel . as can be seen in fig3 , 3 . 1 the flow - control - diverter plate has numerous projected members 3 . 2 aligned towards the primary channel to fulfill this function . the projected members are spaced apart with half moon gaps 3 . 5 inbetween to allow for sufficient flow to secondary channel while fulfilling their main function as debris guides . while the circular design of the embodiment shown is preferred the flow - control - diverter plate can also be flat 11 fig4 as long as it is placed so that plate inside face 16 fig4 forms an angle to valve protrusion 4 . 1 fig4 , such angle as to allow for sufficiently large plenum zone 13 fig4 to exist between said plate and valve secondary inlet face 15 fig4 as to allow debris through passage . also note position of valve protrusion 4 . 1 fig1 in relation to flow control diverter 5 fig1 when valve in open position , sufficient gap exist between the two members to allow for debris to pass it is therefore of vital importance that the flow - control - diverter plate allows for enlargement of the gap between the valve protrusion 4 . 1 fig4 and the flow control plate inside surface 16 fig4 as valve rotates to the open position . this feature will allow debris entering through inlet orifice 3 a fig3 and 3 . 5 fig3 to proceed through secondary channel to outlet unhindered . ideally valve protrusion member 4 . 1 fig2 should not make physical contact with diverter - flow control plate 5 fig2 when valve in closed position see fig2 as this will increase wear on both parts . a gap between 0 mm and 3 mm should sufficiently interrupt flow to move cleaner in stepwise manner flow - control - diverter 5 fig2 therefore performs multiple functions by determining the pulse frequency and valve travel as well as managing debris through both primary and secondary channels . generally larger debris will proceed through primary channel a 1 fig1 due to the efficiency of the debris guides while smaller debris may occasionally enter secondary channel b 1 fig2 . a water buffer step feature 6 fig6 placed on the intake side of the valve inlet face 1 b fig6 so valve closes with inlet face 1 b in close proximity generally within 0 . 1 - 2 mm to edge 6 a fig6 , momentarily compress water when valve in the closed position to create hydraulic flow cut - off , i . e . valve will return to opening stroke without physically hammering the casing side . this hydraulic cut off equates to very quiet valve oscillation , surpassing even the low noise level of diaphragm type cleaners . increasing the distance between valve top end 1 b fig6 and step 6 will subsequently increase noise level as hydraulic cut off will disappear and valve will make contact with surface 7 fig6 fig5 illustrates the preferred swivel design ; male fig5 . 1 and female fig5 . 2 parts clip together for ease of assembly , importantly all inside surface of the assembled swivel is chamfered to enlarge towards the inside of the swivel to allow for small particles such as sand to proceed through the swivel into the main outlet . as can be seen female part has protrusions fig5 . 3 where it makes contact with a flat surface 5 . 1 b on the male part 5 . 1 . once assembled any debris caught inbetween the two parts will fall out as swivel rotates . the design also has the added benefit that friction is minimized due to the decrease in surface contact between the two parts thereby creating a very smooth swivel . in fig7 preferred valve member is illustrated , by narrowing the sides of the valve behind the inlet face smaller debris will not get caught between valve sides and casing sides . valve integral protrusion 7 . 1 slides into cavity 7 . 2 and surface 7 . 3 is supported by 7 . 4 fig8 illustrates a cutaway of the preferred embodiment of the cleaner , as can be seen in the drawings the housing design is of a simple two piece clip together design to assemble in seconds , without need of screws or fasteners , the swivel 8 . 6 and shoe 8 . 2 keeps the whole unit together . 8 . 1 illustrates the flexible membrane ( disk ) 8 . 3 right housing , ( left housing not shown ) 8 . 4 flow control diverter , 8 . 5 valve , 8 . 7 flotation cavity , 8 . 8 sliding weight pin , 9 weight , 8 . 9 cavity to slide over pin 8 . 8	4
the present invention , hereinafter referred to as a battery tester device , indicated generally at 10 , for measuring the remaining battery life in a battery 12 . easily portable in a user &# 39 ; s hand or pocket , the battery tester device 10 functions simply , quickly and effectively to measure batteries 12 that the user suspects to be low on electrical power . the battery tester device 10 of the present invention includes a length of wire 14 having a first end 16 , a second end 18 , and a middle portion 20 . in a preferred embodiment , the wire 14 is constructed from a galvanized metal material and has a length of approximately three and one quarter ( 3¼ ″) inches . it should be noted , however , that it is within the scope of the present invention for the wire 14 to be constructed from any type of electrically conductive material and have a length greater than or less than three and one quarter ( 3¼ ″) inches . preferably , the first end 16 of the wire 14 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention has a first bend portion 22 bent approximately ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 . the first end 16 of the wire 14 further has a second bend portion 24 bent approximately an additional ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the first bend portion 22 in a general direction toward the second end 18 of the wire . in a preferred embodiment , the middle portion 20 , the first bend portion 22 , and the second bend portion 24 are in the same plane . it should be noted that while the first bend portion 22 and the second bend portion 24 of the first end 16 of the wire 14 are described and illustrated as being ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the middle portion 20 and each other , respectively , it is within the scope of the present invention for the first bend portion 22 and / or the second bend portion 24 of the first end 16 of the wire 14 to be bent at an angle greater than or less than ninety ( 90 °) degrees . the second end 18 of the wire 14 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention has a first bend portion 26 bent approximately ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the middle portion 20 and parallel to the first bend portion 22 of the first end 16 of the wire 14 . in addition , the second end 18 of the wire 14 has a coil bulb spring 28 formed therein for receiving a light bulb 30 , as will be described in further detail below . it should be noted that while the first bend portion 26 of the second end 18 of the wire 14 has been described and illustrated as being bent approximately ninety ( 90 °) degrees , it is within the scope of the present invention for the first bend portion 26 of the second end 18 of the wire 14 to be bent greater than or less than ninety ( 90 °) degrees . the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention has a coil wire spring 32 formed therein biasing the first end 16 and the second end 18 of the wire 14 in a general direction toward each other . the coil wire spring 32 allows the first end 16 and the second end 18 of the wire 14 to be moved away from each other to insert the battery 12 to be tested between the first end 16 of the wire 14 and the light bulb 30 , as will be described in further detail below . it should be noted that while the coil wire spring 32 has been described as being formed in the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 , it is within the scope of the present invention for the coil wire spring 32 to be a separate spring mounted within a break in the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 . as stated above , the light bulb 30 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention is releasably secured within the coil bulb spring 28 . the light bulb 30 has a bulb 34 and a bulb housing 36 . the bulb housing 36 is preferably constructed from an electrically conductive material with the bulb housing 36 electrically contacting the bulb 34 , and the bulb 34 electrically contacting the battery 12 thus allowing an electrical circuit to be completed between the second end 18 of the wire 14 , the bulb housing 36 , the bulb 34 , and the battery 12 positioned between the first end 16 of the wire 14 and the light bulb 30 thereby completing an electrical circuit . if there is any remaining life in the battery 12 being tested , the light bulb 30 will illuminated indicating the amount of life remaining . the light bulb 30 glows in accordance with how much juice or power is left in the battery 12 . the light bulb 30 is preferably colored and transparent to permit even the faintest glow of light produced by the battery 12 to shine from the light bulb 30 . the weaker the battery 12 , the dimmer the light bulb 30 shines . the stronger the battery 12 , the brighter the light bulb 30 shines . by placing the ends of a battery 12 to the galvanized wire of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention , the user sees an immediate , visual cue of the remaining battery life . unless the battery 12 is completely drained , the small light bulb 30 glows when a battery 12 is attached to the present invention . the glow intensity of the light bulb 30 corresponds directly to the amount of power remaining in the battery 12 . if the battery 12 is full or nearly full , the light bulb 30 glows brightly , indicating the battery 12 has many hours of electrical power left in it . if the battery 12 is low or very low , the light bulb 30 glows dimly and poorly , indicating the battery 12 has little to almost no electrical power left in it and needs to be replaced in the near or immediate future . the battery tester device 10 of the present invention is an excellent tool for anyone with a drawer full of used batteries 12 , appliances and children &# 39 ; s toys that run on batteries 12 , or stray batteries 12 found under tables and behind sofas . the battery tester device 10 is an excellent tool for individuals who work regularly with electronic equipment such as microphones , portable lights , and recorders . for people who rely on batteries to get their work done , a dead battery can mean that they lose everything . on the other hand , throwing out batteries 12 that are still useful can incur a substantial loss of resources and money over the long run . although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments , it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claim .	6
referring to fig1 there is illustrated a known compound vacuum pump comprising a regenerative section 1 and a molecular drag ( holweck ) section 2 . the pump includes a housing 3 made from a number of different body parts bolted or otherwise fixed together and provided with relevant seals therebetween . mounted within the housing 3 is a shaft 6 supported by an upper ( as shown ) bearing 4 and a lower ( as shown ) bearing 5 . the shaft 6 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis and is driven by an electric motor 7 surrounding the shaft 6 . securely attached to the shaft 6 for rotation therewith is a rotor 9 which overlies a body portion 16 of the housing 3 . attached to the body portion 16 by means of bolts 17 ( only one shown ) is a body portion 22 which forms part of the holweck section 2 . the body portion 22 includes a central inlet 31 for the holweck section 2 . depending from the body portion 22 and forming the stator for the holweck section are a set of three hollow annular cylinders 23 , 24 , 25 whose longitudinal axes are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 6 and the rotor 9 . a set of three further concentric hollow cylinders 26 , 27 , 28 whose longitudinal axes are also parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 6 and the rotor 9 are securely fixed at their lower ( as shown ) ends to the upper surface of the rotor 9 . each of the six cylinders 23 to 28 is mounted symmetrically about the main axis that is the longitudinal axis of the shaft 6 and , as shown , the cylinders of one set are interleaved with those of the other set thereby to form a uniform gap between each adjacent cylinder . this gap , however , reduces from the innermost adjacent cylinders 23 , 26 to the outermost adjacent cylinders 25 , 28 . situated in the gap between each adjacent cylinder is a threaded flange ( or flanges ) which define a helical structure extending substantially across the gap . this flange can be attached to either of the adjacent cylinders . fig2 shows part of the cylinder 23 with an upstanding flange 30 attached in the form of a number of individual flanges to form a helical structure . the other cylinders 24 , 25 would have substantially the same construction . as shown in fig1 the rotor 9 is in the form of a disc the lower ( as shown ) surface of which has formed thereon a plurality of raised rings 10 which , as is known in the art , form part of the regenerative section 1 the details of which form no part of this invention . in use , with the shaft 6 and rotor 9 spinning at high speed gas is drawn into the inlet 31 within the body portion 22 and into the gap between adjacent cylinders 23 , 26 . it then passes down the helix formed by the upstanding flange in the cylinder 26 and hence up the gap between the cylinders 23 , 27 and so on until it passes down the gap between cylinders 26 , 28 . it then passes through porting not shown in a manner known per se into the inlet of the regenerative section 1 and hence out to atmosphere via an outlet 38 . according to the present invention , a further turbo - molecular section 50 is added to the known compound vacuum pump illustrated in fig1 . in particular , the turbo molecular section 50 is enveloped by the holweck section 2 . referring now to fig3 where like reference numerals denote like parts , mounted on the rotor 9 for rotary movement therewith is a cylindrical rotor body 52 from which extend radially outwardly therefrom rotor vanes 54 which collectively define three spaced arrays of vanes , each array having in the region of 20 such vanes . section 50 also comprises a stator 56 which is formed with and within the body portion 22 and from which radially extend a plurality of stator vanes 58 again defining three spaced arrays of vanes each array consisting of about 20 vanes . as shown , the arrays of rotor vanes 54 interleave with the arrays of the stator vanes 58 , the vanes 54 , 58 being angled relative to each other in a manner known per se in turbo molecular vacuum pump technology . in operation , gas is drawn through the turbo - molecular section within the stator 56 in the direction shown by the arrows a towards the lower stage outlet beyond the third annular array of stator vanes and hence into the holweck section 2 . as previously explained the gas will then leave the holweck section and enter the regenerative section 1 in a manner known per se and exit the compound vacuum pump via the outlet 38 . it will be observed that in the above described embodiment the turbo - molecular section 50 is totally enveloped within the molecular drag section 2 . to achieve good inlet speed the inlet stage of the turbo - molecular pump section 50 needs maximum area so that the ( upper ) as shown vane array 54 has a larger diameter than the remaining vane arrays . this in the past has been achieved by increasing the rotor hub diameter of the subsequent stages and maintaining the outer diameter of the rotor vanes thus keeping a maximum tip speed . however , in the above described embodiment where the hub diameters are kept substantially the same and the tip diameters of the rotor vanes are reduced it has been found that performance loss is not too great . this , as a consequence , leaves space for the molecular drag stages to be mounted around the lower turbo - molecular stages without extending the pump diameter beyond that of the inlet turbo - molecular stage , that is the upper vane array of the turbo - molecular section . as shown , the stages of the holweck section can be mounted concentrically with inner stages being shorter thus allowing the turbo - molecular stages to be stepped down gradually . molecular drag stages are more restrictive to flow than turbo - molecular stages thus mounting the molecular drag stages at a larger diameter increases the tip speed and improves the flow rate . the regenerative section 1 follows the molecular drag section as is known in the art but could be replaced by some other mechanism or even a separate vacuum pump .	5
referring to fig3 a , there is shown a block diagram incorporating features of the present invention . although the present invention will be described with reference to the single embodiment shown in the drawings , it should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments as shown in fig3 . the invention is implemented as a windows nt service if a custom internet protocol stack is not available . the availability of a custom protocol stack would allow the invention to span multiple networks and would not be limited by the windows nt service environment . the invention does not identify any one computer as a client or server and the invention executes the same on all computers . thus , all computers on the network are considered peer from the perspective of the invention . referring now to fig3 there is shown an embodiment of the current invention . fig3 shows a computer network system with n computers 30 , where n is any integer number . each n computer is connected to multiple data links m , where m is any integer number and corresponds to the number of network interface cards ( nics ) per computer . fig3 a shows a dual network system where n is equal to two and m is equal to two . computer 10 and computer 20 , each with two nics 11 - 12 , 21 - 22 are exploded views of n computers and m data links shown in fig3 . nics 11 - 12 , and 21 - 22 are on dual subnets with identical subnet mask addresses forming two independent but parallel subnet data links 15 a , 15 b . the preferred embodiment also uses window &# 39 ; s nt 4 . 0 with service pack 4 or later to provide software access to the data link library utility iphlpa1 . dll . access to the software utility provides the ability to modify how the windows operating system performs routing . reference will be made to computer 10 as a sending computer and computer 20 as a receiving computer but it should be understood that all computers on the network are at the same time preferably both sending and receiving computers . sending computer 10 broadcasts a data message identifying itself , i . e ., its ip address . a separate broadcast is sent through each nic 11 - 12 , to the subnets 15 a - 15 b connected to the nics . receiving computer 20 receives the broadcasts through nics 21 , 22 . if a computer in its receive mode fails to receive a broadcast on one nic then a failure of that data link is declared and the computer will automatically modify its local routing table such that the ip addresses corresponding to the failed data link will be switched to the alternate data link or subnet 15 a or 15 b . the sending computer , in its receive mode , will have also detected that the data link has failed and will similarly modify its local routing table . the sending computer will then use the alternate data link when sending application data . the receiving computer , acting as a gateway , receives the data on the alternate data link and will automatically forward the data to its correct destination , its other nic where the data is accepted . the automatic forwarding by the receiving computer is a result of selecting ip forwarding in windows nt environment . referring now to fig2 a , one method used in each computer , is achieved by three software process threads and two nics in parallel with identical subnet mask addresses . at initialization two nic listener arrays are created as indicated by blocks 81 , 88 , one array for each nic 11 - 12 , or 21 - 22 . the length of the arrays correspond to the number of ip addresses that are possible , i . e ., one entry location or byte space per potential ip address . the listener data structure for each array is formed during initialization when the machine is queried , as indicated by block 80 , for its subnet mask address . the subnet mask address directly correlates to the number of ip addresses that are possible on each subnet . as indicated by blocks 82 and 89 , each thread then listens for a broadcast on its respective subnet . when a broadcast containing an ip address is received 83 , 90 by a nic , the thread process for that nic calculates 84 , 91 a unique index into the corresponding nic array for each ip address received . at the index location 86 , 93 the thread process sets 85 , 92 the least significant bit ( lsb ) to a logical one , thereby signifying that this ip address was received . thus , the first two threads , one for each nic , essentially “ listen ” and store a data bit for each ip address received . later , the third process thread will periodically shift the bits and act on the results . referring now to fig2 b , the first step of the third process thread is accomplished by querying 94 a the data link library utility iphlpapi . dll , also part of the windows nt environment , to determine the ip addresses of the local computer . the ip addresses returned by the library utility are then broadcasted 94 b through both nics on both subnets to other listening computers . the third process thread &# 39 ; s next step is to check the results of its own local listening threads . this is accomplished by examining 95 the three lowest order or lsbs in each byte area for each ip address in the nic arrays 96 . if a logical one is detected in at least two of the lsbs then the ip and its corresponding subnet are considered active 97 or live . the next step 111 after determining the subnet is live determines if the data routing tables have been altered due to the now live subnet being previously unavailable . if so , the data routing tables are restored 107 and the bits in the three lowest order lsbs are all shifted one bit to the left and the thread is repeated after sleeping 101 for a predetermined amount of time . if the determination 97 that all three lsbs are each a logical zero then the corresponding subnet is declared to be inactive and the data routing table is altered 99 after which the alter data routing table flag is set 109 . if the corresponding subnet is still unavailable on the subsequent cycle the set flag is detected 105 and the bits in the three lowest order lsbs are all shifted 100 one bit to the left and the thread is repeated after sleeping 101 for a predetermined amount of time . if the corresponding subnet is not determined 97 to be live or dead the remaining states are considered 97 inconclusive and constitute a wait and see state and the bits in the three lowest order lsbs are all shifted 100 one bit to the left and the thread is again repeated after sleeping 101 for a predetermined amount of time . an rtable array 87 or data routing table created at initialization contains state information for each ip address as follows : 0 = normal , 1 = ip on nic 1 has been redirected via nic 2 , and 2 = ip on nic 2 has been redirected via nic 1 . thus , for each possible ip address on the subnet , action is taken as indicated in table 1 . * table entries represent no change . the last action by the third process before it sleeps is the logical shift left of the data bits in the nic arrays for each ip address index 100 . this action provides the ip address connection a lifetime status indication . for example , the lifetime of an ip address and its corresponding connection is three times the time - out period . finally , as noted above , the third process thread sleeps for a pre - configured amount of time 101 . a small time - out period will result in transparent data link failures , but higher bandwidth requirements . if set to a larger time - out period a network failure may be less transparent while the data link is reestablished through the alternate data path . in summary , the third process thread , through a series of steps , periodically sends broadcasts out through each nic ; examines the information recorded by the two listener threads ; makes any required adjustments to the routing tables ; pauses for a configurable amount of time ; and then repeats the process . thus , it is readily appreciated that the invention provides a high reliability network infrastructure in a peer - to - peer environment . it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims .	7
the primary / preferred embodiment of this invention is a safety sign for the interior of a building . this safety sign comprises a recipient base , with the signage information / indicia being integrated within and surrounded by the recipient base ; but the signage originates from a different piece of base material , the donor element . the finished sign product is shown in fig6 ; and the different materials employed , along with the progressive method of fabrication , are shown in fig1 - 5 . [ 0014 ] fig1 shows in perspective a standard piece 2 of base . the term “ base ”, as employed hereinafter , encompasses other similar items , such as : carpet coving , cove base , stair riser , carpet cove cap , wall base , cove wall base , etc ., as are well known in the building , flooring and carpeting trades . as also well known , the base is to be secured to the bottom few inches of a wall and overlies a small edge portion of the flooring , so as to cover the gap between the wall and flooring and protect the bottom of the wall from being scuffed . the baseboard 2 also can be employed as a stair riser . baseboard often is delivered to the job site in selected lengths of two to eight feet , as well as in rolls of greater length . typical materials for bases have been rubber and plastic . astm standard f - 1861 identifies three acceptable materials , to meet safety requirements : thermoset vulcanized sbr rubber ( ts ); thermoplastic rubber ( tp ); and thermoplastic vinyl ( tv ). the baseboard 2 in fig1 preferably is of any one of the astm - accepted materials , such as extruded type ts and would have any one of many colors , such as tan 4 , ( a first color ) that would be compatible with the decor of the wall / floor / stair area in which the sign is to be installed . the color 4 is shown by upward right shading of the same type in fig1 and 6 . a very good quality of base material for the recipient element 2 would be ⅛ ″ ( 3 . 175 mm ) thick , but could be thinner , such as 0 . 080 41 ( 2 . 03 mm ). to enable the safety sign resulting from the base 2 with integral indicia signage to be able to wrap around posts , corners , etc ., it should meet the flexibility of astm f - 137 . the base material also should meet fire codes as well as be easily washable . to be easy to install with standard adhesives and for long lasting adhesion , the backside of the base 2 can be ribbed , as is well known . although the base in fig1 is shown with a standard toe 5 , it could be provided with other toes , or no toe . the running length of the finished safety sign could be any convenient length , or a little longer than the signage length , or some increment lengths such as two , four or six feet . likewise the height of the base 2 could be anything , but would be better to conform to industry standards , such as 2½ ″ ( 63 . 5 mm ), 4 ″ ( 101 . 6 mm ) and 6 ″ ( 152 . 0 mm ). the surface of the base element 2 suitably can be of a low - gloss satin finish , which would be easy to clean with soap and water as well as other typical industrial cleaners used inside buildings for flooring and baseboards . with reference to fig2 a front view of the base 2 , take as an example that the safety sign finished product ( shown only in fig6 ) is to have the signage indicia “ exit ” 6 , with an arrowhead 8 pointing to the right . accordingly , as first steps in the fabrication of the sign according to this invention , there would be : a selection of base 2 material , color 4 and content of signage indicia 6 , 8 . then , a suitable length of recipient base 2 of tan color 4 is obtained . next , as shown in fig2 the indicia 6 , 8 are to be cutout from the base 2 , preferably by cutting completely through the thickness of the base as if making a stencil . the method and equipment for such cutting can be determined by the fabricator ; however , die cut and water jet cutting are useful . for ease of viewing and understanding fig2 and not part of the fabrication , assume that the base 2 is lying on a workbench having a top surface of color 10 , such as white , in color contrast to the tan 4 of the base . also assume that the exit indicia 6 has been cut out and fully removed from the base . thus , there remains the hollow shapes 12 , stencil - like , of the letters of exit , surrounded by the tan colored 4 material of the donor base 2 . also assume that the arrowhead 8 has been cut , around the line 14 , but not yet removed . once the arrowhead 8 is removed , the recipient base 2 will be ready for final assembly into the safety sign product 16 , shown in fig6 . as will be understood , the recipient base 2 defines the background , the support and the framework for the signage . the next step of fabrication is to select one or more colors for the indicia of the sign 16 . for simplicity , let us select dark green ( slant to the upper left shadings in fig3 and 6 ) for all of the indicia 6 ′ and 8 ′, the letters of the word exit and the arrowhead , as they will appear in the sign 16 . to obtain donor material for the dark green 18 ( the second color ) indicia 6 ′, 8 ′, a piece of base material 20 of dark green 18 , as shown in fig3 is chosen . the material 20 preferably would be the same thickness and substance as the base 2 , but does not have to be a piece of toed base ; it can be flat , not coved , and narrower ( less height ) than the base 2 . however , its height has to be at least that of the tallest portion of the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′, which in the present example is the letter e . for the same reasons as discussed with respect to fig2 assume that in fig4 : the dark green piece of material 20 is lying on the white top 10 of a workbench ; the exit indicia 6 ′ has been cut out and removed , leaving the white top 10 visible below the hollow , stencil - like letter shapes 12 ′; and the arrowhead 8 ′ has been cut around the line 14 ′, but not yet removed . if the cutting process , which makes the cut line 14 and similar cut lines around the exit indicia 6 , removed essentially none of the recipient base 2 , then the indicia 6 ′ and 8 ′ cut from the donor material 20 could be the same size as the indicia 6 and 8 ; however , that is not to be expected for most cutting processes . hence , the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ from the donor material 20 will have to be slightly larger than the indicia 6 , 8 removed from the base 2 , so as to fit snugly into the hollow shapes 12 of the indicia in the recipient base 2 . such a snug fit also can be termed a snap - in fit , but need not be so tight as a force fit , requiring machine pressure insertion . in fig2 , 4 - 6 , the size differences between the indicia 6 and 6 ′, and 8 and 8 ′ and the hollow shapes 12 and 12 ′ are not easily seen , because of the scale of these figs . [ 0019 ] fig5 shows the green colored indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ lying on the workbench top 10 , after cutout and removal from the donor material 20 . although the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ now are ready to be inserted , for example manually , into the base 2 and , in the present example will be seen as dark green 18 on a tan 4 background , it could be advantageous to increase their visual recognition in the event of hazy / smoky conditions or dim lighting . the indicia surfaces could be coated / impregnated , either before or after being cut out , with phosphorescent substance ( escape routing photo - luminescent , per d . i . n . 67510 ), glitter particles , etc ., as symbolized by the references 22 , 24 in fig5 . the entire surface of the donor material 20 could thus be enhanced . another recognition enhancement would be tactile by providing the surface of the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ with a texture significantly different from the texture of the surrounding surface of the recipient base 2 . for example , a rough surface 26 , also shown in fig5 . once the signage indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ are ready , as in fig5 they are inserted snugly into their respective , recipient cutout shapes 12 in the base 2 ; and the resulting product 16 can be packed and shipped for use in a building site , to be installed as shown in fig6 against the bottom of a wall 28 and over the top edge of flooring 30 . the installing would be the same as for standard base , for example mastic troweled onto the wall 28 behind the position of the safety sign 16 , which then is placed into firm surface contact with the wall . such mastic or other installing means also would secure the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ in their positions . not shown in fig6 are pieces of baseboards which normally would be positioned to the left and right of the sign 16 , in the typical installation of the baseboard . since the steps of packing , shipping , unpacking and handling the sign product 16 might dislodge the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ from their positions in the base 2 , the backside of the base 2 could be provided with a peel off , sticky backing 32 ( shown with a phantom reference line in fig2 ) after the indicia 6 , 8 are removed . thereupon , when the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ are inserted into the base 2 , they will adhere to the sticky side of the backing 32 until it is removed , just prior to mounting the entire sign product 16 against the wall 28 . although it is believed preferable for the front surfaces of the base 2 and the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ to lie in a common plane , for ease of periodic cleaning the sign product 16 subsequent to its installation , and that is why the base 2 and the second piece of base material 20 would be of the same thickness ; there could be circumstances , for example tactile recognition , where it was desired for the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ to be inset ( thinner than ) or projecting forward from ( thicker than ) the front surface of the base stencil , support 2 , which would require that the donor base material 20 also be respectively thinner or thicker than the base 2 . although the preferred example shown in fig1 - 6 employs only two pieces of base material 2 and 20 to attain a background color ( tan 4 ) of the recipient ( first ) base element and an indicia color ( green 18 ), from the second base element , the donor , more pieces of donor base can be employed to achieve more than one color of signage . also , each component of the signage , the individual letters and the arrow of fig4 - 6 , for example , need not be cut out to be separate from each other . some or all donor portions can be linked to each other , as in a script font . likewise then , the stencil - like cutting out and removal from the first base member 2 , the recipient , of the indicia need not be one component separate from the next . the sign of this invention and the method of its fabrication will be understood to be advantageous over signs made of a similar base or baseboard material upon which the signage merely is inked or painted upon , or a signage sheet is glued on top of , or the signage is laminated upon . the term “ safety sign ” has been used hereinabove to emphasize the preferred content of the signage . however , the word “ safety ” could be replaced by the word “ information ” or be omitted . likewise , the preferred — just above the floor level — location of this sign of this invention should not be its only place of use . as mentioned hereinabove , the sign could be positioned on a stair riser . indeed , other placements of the unique sign of this invention are well within the skill of the building and interior finishing trades , to accomplish signage needs . that which is considered within the ambit of my invention is set forth in the next following claims .	6
the present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments of the invention which , however , should not be taken to limit the invention to a specific embodiment but are for explanation and understanding only . in accordance with the present invention , the first step in the utilization of intellectual capital its measurement and identification . in order to properly inventory intellectual capital , a hierarchical cataloging system provides the most portability and is preferred . in accordance with aspects of the present invention , this catalog will preferably consist of five levels in the hierarchy , although more or less levels can be used . the preferred names for these five levels are class , knowledge group , skill group , skill set , and skills . these names are not meant to be exclusive or inclusive , but to be illustrative of the hierarchical nature of the categories . in this fashion , codes may be determined for each category within each level and from which a combination of codes from the different levels will result in an individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital code . one possible breakdown of this hierarchy is shown in table 1 : for example , in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , these codes may be used to create an individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital code such as “ 01 - 09 - 55 - 021 - 233 ”. the format of this number would be standardized for use in multiple applications . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of numbering schemes can be employed , such as decimal , hexadecimal , octal , etc . the present invention also provides a way to weight the intellectual capital that is now identified by the intellectual capital code . for example , this measurement might include : “ last year used ”, as well as “ number of years used as user ”, “ number of years used as planner ”, “ number of years used as developer ”, as “ number of years used as implementer ” and “ number of years used as certified ”. thus a weighted intellectual capital code might look like : “ 01 - 09 - 55 - 021 - 233 : 2000 / 02 / u0d00 ”. this individual would be , for example , a user and developer for 2 years of it - application software - email - server - imail until the year 2000 . moreover , a total dollar value of this individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital could also be determined based upon this example intellectual capital code of 01 - 09 - 55 - 021 - 233 : 2000 / 02 / u0d00 . dollar values may be placed upon each of the measured values . for example , it may be determined that value of the skill associated with the “ last year used ” drops by $ 80 per year for each year prior to the present . and , for each year that that skill has been used the value of that skill increased by $ 120 . and , being a user of that skill adds $ 20 . and , that being a planner of that skill adds $ 60 , that being a developer of that skill adds $ 50 , that being an implementer of that skill adds $ 40 , that being certified in that skill adds $ 50 , and that the skill itself is worth $ 200 . combining these together , the value of this measured intellectual capital code is $ 510 . this creates a catalog of skills , categories and codes , and a method of measuring and applying values to an inventory of intellectual capital codes created using the skills catalog , which may be stored in a data source . the data source of the present invention may comprise any number of data sources well known to those of skill in the art , such as relational databases or linked files . moreover , the standardization of the aforementioned catalog and methods could be regulated through an independent body , to allow transportability of this catalog and methods ( or appropriate portions thereof ) to different applications where the valuation of intellectual capital is necessary . a central repository of the codes would then exist , allowing any business to be able to determine the value of the human capital in their organization , and that determination would have meaning to anyone else having knowledge of the coding system . in addition , in one preferred embodiment of the present invention , a recruiting business can also directly match the skills needed by a job opening to skills that a job seeker holds . the business will further be able to evaluate on that match utilizing the aforementioned valuation technique to significantly decrease the decision making time required by a recruiter in determining the value of a match . the process in its simplest form will involve a business posting the skills it needs for a particular job , and a job seeker posting the skills they have . both entities will also post other relevant information such as contact information , relocation , travel , training , education , etc . the user will be able to select skills using a standard drill down multi - screen elimination process , such as in a sequence of web forms as discussed in more detail below , or the user will be able to quickly search each hierarchy level name and associated keywords to get a list of appropriate skills . utilizing this list , the user may also select multiple skills . on the final skill selection screen , the user will be able to enter the measurement characteristics for each skill to create an intellectual capital inventory for an individual or an intellectual capital requirement for a position . an individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital inventory ( as embodied in his individual intellectual capital code ) may be entered using a variation of the above process , derived from the intellectual capital codes contained in the aforementioned skill catalog . in addition , the intellectual capital requirements of a job may also be entered using a variation of the above process , derived also from the codes contained in the skill catalog , creating a position requirement set . then a simple comparison or match of the intellectual capital ( skills ) inventory of various individuals and the position requirement set will reveal the number of matching skills . the matching skills may also be weighted to allow , for example , early disqualification of candidates for a specific job , and allow zeroing in on properly qualified candidates based upon the candidate &# 39 ; s skills inventory compared to the position skills requirement . the results can then be displayed by various means well known to those skilled in the art to the user , based on the weighting or other criteria . upon finding prospective job seekers , the user will be able to compare side by side the skills that match and the relationship of the measurements of each skill , e . g . greater or less than the requirements . the user will also be shown the skills that the job seeker lacks and the skills that the job seeker has that the job doesn &# 39 ; t require . the user will also be able to view other non - skill related comparisons such as relocation , travel , etc . some of the many significant uses of the present invention , which are not capable with the systems of the prior art , are , matching jobs , measuring the human capital value of a business , and evaluating training needs . it will also be appreciated to one skilled in the art that the system of the present invention could easily be utilized in a number of additional areas . the data source interface used to accomplish the above tasks may comprise any of a number of such systems that are well known to those of skill in the art . for example , if the data source is a relational database , then the data source interface may comprise the corresponding database engine used to access that database . the user interface may comprise , for example , a graphical user interface that is integrated with the database engine , or may comprise a separate application , such as an internet web browser . furthermore , the user interface and / or the data source interface may incorporate , for example , an internet web server , and possibly associated cgi (“ common gateway interface ”) applications — all of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . fig1 is a schematic demonstrating the typical components used in a preferred embodiment of the invention when used over the internet . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention , while described below in connection with its use over the internet , is certainly not limited thereto . an electronic document , such as a web page created using html , is loaded into document viewer 1 . document viewer 1 may be any software application capable of viewing electronic documents and loading additional electronic documents from within the original document , such as through the use of a hypertext link or form ( although not limited thereto ). for example , the document viewer could include a web browser , such as navigator from netscape communications or microsoft &# 39 ; s internet explorer . the electronic document may be loaded automatically when document viewer 1 is first started , or may be opened into the viewer by the user from a file stored locally or at a remote address . for example , the user may load the document by typing the document &# 39 ; s address into the web browser &# 39 ; s command line . document viewer 1 may be accessed by the user through any of a number of computer systems , such as through the use of a terminal connected to a mainframe system , from a personal computer , or over computer connected to a local computer network . document viewer 1 is connected to the internet along with personal computer 2 , through network connection 3 . this connection is typically made through local telephone lines using an analog , isdn , or dsl connection , though it can be over a direct network connection , such as an ethernet network and leased line . network connection 3 may be a computer network that routes any requests from document viewer 1 to the appropriate location on the internet . this operation is well known to those of skill in the art . network connection 3 connects document viewer 1 to web server 4 through any of a number of well - known connection schemes , such as through the use of leased lines . this combination essentially comprises user interface 8 in this particular preferred embodiment of the invention . web server 4 is typically a software application running on a remote computer that is capable of forwarding or processing requests from document viewer 1 . for example , web server 4 may include any one of a number of well - known server applications , such as the nsca web server , the apache web server , etc . web server 4 passes a document request from document viewer 1 to data source interface 5 for accessing data source 6 . data source 6 contains the complete hierarchical list of intellectual capital codes , and the information on each individual , job opening , etc . after a document , such as an html form ( or series of forms ), is loaded into document viewer 1 , the user enters in the appropriate information and activates a hypertext link or form “ submit ” button , generating a signal back to data source interface 5 . this is preferably in the form of an http request sent over the internet using tcp / ip and possibly a secure socket layer (“ ssl ”). the request may be routed through network connection 3 and through web server 4 to data source interface 5 . it will be appreciated that the details of http operation in conjunction with tcp / ip and ssl are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and will , therefore , not be elaborated on here . when the http request is received by data source interface 5 , it accesses data source 6 to retrieve the requested information based upon the signal from document viewer 1 . in one embodiment of the invention , a common gateway interface (“ cgi ”) program , well known to those of skill in the art , may be used to parse the data from document viewer 1 . this program acts as an interface between the web server 4 and / or data interface 5 and data source 6 by executing a set of instructions . the interaction of web servers and cgi programs and the sending of information between them is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . the cgi program may extract the document information from the information passed to it by the server and retrieve the appropriate information from data source 6 . this may be accomplished in a number of ways known to those of ordinary skill in the art . for example , if the cgi program is a perl script or other api , a database access module can be used to interface with the majority of commercial relational database applications . examples of such databases include oracle , sybase , sql server , and the like . it is also possible for these systems to be accessed directly by web server 4 using their own internal data engines . information is submitted to or extracted from data source 6 , depending on the signal sent by the document viewer 1 . data source interface 5 then generates a signal back to document viewer 1 through web server 4 . the system of the present invention may preferably be used by at least five types of users : a prospect , a client , a recruiter , a system manager , and the system administrator . it will be appreciated , however , that the present invention is not limited thereto and may include any users desiring to catalog , inventory , select , measure , value or match intellectual capital , or match or inquire as to an individual &# 39 ; s particular skills . a prospect , i . e . an individual desiring to enter his / her intellectual capital into the system of the present invention , and / or look for matching job openings , may enter skills into data source 6 using a series of html forms , as described above , through user interface 8 and will have the ability to retrieve from data source 6 all of the job positions that fit those skills . examples of such forms are shown in fig2 ( a )–( e ). after receiving a request from the prospect , data source interface 5 conducts a comparison of the information submitted by the prospect with the relevant information in data source 6 ( e . g . job positions ) using the hierarchical set of intellectual capital codes described above . by using the hierarchical intellectual capital codes match information , the system of the present invention provides significant benefits over the systems of the prior art , including increased efficiency and accuracy in matching a request ( e . g . for job positions ) with items stored in the knowledge base . data source interface 5 then returns a set of results to the prospect through user interface 8 . the results screen sent back by data source interface 5 will display by percentage of match the jobs that the prospect might be interested in . an example of such results screens are shown in fig3 ( a )–( c ). by clicking on one of the results contained therein , the prospect may then retrieve a detailed report from data source interface 5 of the skills required for the position , which skills match his / her profile , and which skills don &# 39 ; t . the prospect will have the option at this time to update his / her skill set , if necessary , this updated information is stored in data source 6 using the hierarchical set of intellectual capital codes discussed above . the prospect will also have the option to submit his / her interest in that position to a recruiter via email , or similar messaging systems well known to those of skill in the art . the recruiter would then receive an email message from web server 4 or data source interface 5 through email server 7 in a conventional manner with all the pertinent information needed to contact the prospect . the prospect also has the ability to edit their own intellectual capital codes in data source 6 through the use of a unique username and password . a client , e . g . an employer using a recruiter that participates in the system of the present invention and looking for job candidates , enters their position information in a similar manner and receives a similar results page from data source interface 5 . the results from data source interface 5 will display by percentage the prospects that match the job by intellectual capital codes — all personal information for the candidate stored in data source 6 may be left out . by clicking one of the results , the client can see exactly what skills the prospect has and what skills match . the client will have the ability to edit the position skills , adding or deleting skills as needed . the client will also have the option of submitting a prospect information request to the responsible recruiter — using email for example . each recruiter has control over prospects and clients they are assigned to . they can enter / update in data source 6 information about both prospects and clients , and can perform any of the tasks described above . the recruiter can also start the interview process during any phase by clicking an appropriate link provided on their html forms . this will retrieve a screen from data source 5 that will allow the recruiter to send a resume to any of the contacts listed in with a matching client &# 39 ; s information . a recruiter &# 39 ; s access may be limited to clients , prospects and interviews that are assigned to them , and , in this situation , a recruiter can only add clients , prospects , positions and the interviews that go with them . the system manager has control over all aspects of the “ web site ” ( the combination of web server 4 , data interface 5 , and data source 6 ) including adding and deleting recruiters from the system and viewing recruiter activity reports . the manager has total control over all clients and prospects , and has total editorial control over all interview entries . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the manager can only add recruiters , clients , prospects and interviews . the system administrator is responsible for the technical administration of the system and preferably has total unrestricted control over all users of web site . the client recruiter ( i . e . a recruiter working for a client ), managers , and administrators all have control of the “ interview process .” taking this ability away from prospect recruiters provides the significant advantage that it allows for a more controlled process , and provides for responsibility in the interview process . the interview process controls the flow of the interview status between the prospect and the client when the prospect is submitted for a position . using , for example , a set of dropdown boxes on an html form to select the prospect and client , the recruiter can send the prospect &# 39 ; s resume to the client through the use of the aforementioned web site . once the entry has been made , data source interface 5 creates a record in data source 6 that will track the process . the preferred default phases are : send resume , initial interview , 2nd interview , tech interview , face to face , offer , offer accepted , offer rejected , start at work , other , and delete . the particular names and order of the phases can be changed by the administrator through the set up screen , and are not limited thereto . during each phase , the client recruiter can choose to send out a preformatted email that informs each party involved of the action that took place . for example , if an initial interview was set by the client recruiter , an email can be sent automatically by the system containing all of the information needed to carry on that interview : phone numbers , times , names of everyone involved . these emails can be configured by the administrator through the setup screen or left at program defaults . they are then generated dynamically by the system and sent at the appropriate time . preferably , only the client recruiter ( and managers and administrators ) can edit an interview . this is to ensure the client recruiter is in total control of the interview process . the ownership of a client or prospect may determined during login to the system of the present invention through document viewer 1 , when a cookie file ( well known to those in the art ) is placed on personal computer 2 , or other identification methods ( also well known to those in the art ) that will identify the user to the system . ownership of clients and prospects is defined in data source 6 . managers and administrators are preferably the only users that can change ownership , as this will enforce the integrity of the information . initially , an organization using the system of the present invention will preferably determine the nature of intellectual capital that they desire based on a target market , i . e ., oracle , jd edwards , etc . each data source 6 in each such system of the present invention may be populated with skills and intellectual capital codes from the central repository 9 ( described above ) based on the appropriate intellectual capital catalog needed , and will be oriented towards the user based on the job or project in question . for example , in an embodiment of the present invention used by an organization in the information technology ( it ) sector , data source 6 would be populated only with intellectual capital code information related thereto , excluding other industries and business sectors . the administrator will populate data source 6 with the information on each recruiter associated with the organization . each recruiter using that system will then be able to input clients , prospects , and positions . both clients and prospects will be able to remotely enter their starting information on the web site without recruiter intervention , however after that preferably the recruiter will control their entries . clients will preferably have a password to allow them to submit new positions . the recruiter will be notified by email and they will make the final decision whether the job is approved or deleted . once positions and prospects are entered into the database , the recruiter will be able to match them using the intellectual capital codes . this matching can generate both the position choices for the prospect , as well as the prospect choices for the position based on the predefined intellectual capital codes built into the portion of central repository 9 included in data source 6 . this is preferably a weighted match using a weighted intellectual capital code ( as described above ). from this screen , the recruiter will be able to initiate the interview process . the recruiter upon finding a match sufficient to fulfill the skills requirements for a position , will then begin the interview process by submitting a resume to the client . the interview process will be controlled and monitored from within that portion of the web site , providing a consistent method to follow and ensure communication is maintained . the organization will have the ability to measure performance and monitor progress through a series of reports available to them from the information stored in data source 6 . although this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments , it will be appreciated that many variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention . for example , the user interface , data source interface , and data source of the present invention may comprise a single software application , and may be operated from a single computer or a network of computers via the internet or an internal intranet . moreover , for example , a network of personal computers may be used , a mainframe system , or a server and peripheral thin clients .	8
in order to be able to appreciate the filter which is the object of this invention graphically , in which we have managed to combine and couple two layers of filtering element , a description thereof will be made , referring to the attached sheets of drawings in which : fig1 shows us a perspective view with different sections that show the different parts forming the filter which is the object of this discovery , in which : number 1 shows us the exterior concentric tube , which we could say is the body of the filter , which can be manufactured of any class of material . number 1 &# 39 ; indicates the perforations in the concentric exterior tube specified by the number 1 ; such perforations may be of any diameter and be arranged in the most convenient form . number 2 indicates the first concentric retention layer , or first layer of filtering element , which in the filter which is the object of this discovery is found inside the tube specified with the number 1 . number 3 indicates the second concentric retention layer , or second layer of filtering element . as particularly seen in fig2 and fig6 the first concentric retention layer , or first layer of filtering element 2 , is radially spaced from the second concentric retention layer , or second layer of filtering element 3 , to avoid radial overlapping of the layers of filtering elements 2 and 3 . number 4 indicates the interior concentric tube which can be manufactured of any class of material and which , in the filter which is the object of this discovery , is found inside the second layer of filtering element indicated with number 3 . the interior concentric tube 4 shows perforations that may be of any diameter and be arranged in the most convenient form . number 5 indicates the concentric spring that in the filter which is the object of this discovery is found inside the concentric tube marked with number 4 in order to avoid having the pressure exerted on the filter by the element for filtration binding or crushing the interior concentric tube marked with the number 5 . number 6 indicates the upper cap of the filter which is the object of this discovery , which may be manufactured with any class of material ; this upper filter cap may be closed entirely or have a central perforation . number 7 indicates the lower cap of the filter and no . 8 the seal , gasket or packing of such filter . fig2 is a lateral , transparent section of the filter , object of this discovery , in which all the pieces mentioned in the previous figures are traced ; further , a piece appears with no . 9 which is a screw and nut assembly . no . 10 indicates a filter fastening screw which is lodged in the nut specified with no . 11 . in fig3 no . 1 shows us a filter normally used to filter lubricant in internal combustion engines which has the gasket , object of this discovery , adapted on its lower part . this gasket , as will be appreciated , has three different concentric sealing diameters , marked respectively with numbers 12 , 13 and 14 . these three concentric diameters make possible a perfect sealing function between the filter and the exit connection of the filter box , in spite of the fact that the latter has different diameters . thus , for example , if the exit connection of the filter box has a diameter greater than the interior concentric diameter of the gasket marked with number 12 and less than the interior concentric diameter of the gasket marked with number 13 , the sealing will be done by the interior concentric diameter marked with number 12 , since because it is of neoprene rubber , it will have sufficient elasticity to expand sufficiently and in this way perform its sealing function . thus , successively , we can cite many examples in which we would appreciate that depending on the diameter of the exit connection of the &# 34 ; filter box &# 34 ;, the sealing would be done by any of the concentric sealing diameters of the gasket which is the object of this discovery . supposing now , that the &# 34 ; filter box &# 34 ; did not have an exit connection or that this had a lesser diameter than the lesser concentric diameter of the neoprene rubber gasket , the sealing would be done with the base of the gasket . the lower cap has sufficient elasticity to seal the filter with the exit connection of the filter box in the case when the diameter of the exit connection is greater than any of the interior concentric diameters of the gasket . fig4 shows us a perspective view of the gasket in which is shown , in a profile projection , the sealing of this discovery which has been modified to include three different interior , concentric sealing diameters . fig5 shows us a section view along the a -- a &# 39 ; axis of the gasket where we appreciate the three interior concentric sealing diameters . in the above description , we have shown the preferred embodiments of this discovery , but it must be understood that the discovery can be put into practice by making some modifications to it . for example , the packing can consist not only of two or three or four sealings , but the number of sealings necessary can be used . likewise , the packing has been described as manufactured of neoprene rubber , but any other adequate material may be used . as regards the filtering means which forms an integral part of this invention , the filter for lubricating oil particularly for locomotives includes a pulp of fibers that contain lignin . fibers that contain lignin are derived from the thermo - mechanical formation of pulp from a source of fibers that has a lignin content of at least 10 percent , with pressure conditions of some 3 . 5 to 8 . 4 kg / cm 2 at a temperature of 149 °- 176 . 5 ° c . and a refinery energy utilization in the margin of 8 to 35 horsepower - day / air dry ton of raw material ( hpd / adt ). the resulting fibers that contain lignin are characterized by having the majority of their original content of lignin and with a smooth wall structure , substantially free of superficial fibrils that join with the fiber and substantially do not self - adhere to similar adjacent fibers in the absence of high temperatures . using a filter means comprised of a substantial portion of pulp of fibers that contain lignin , in accordance with this invention , the severe problem of swelling and obturation due to water in the lubricating oil is obvious . likewise , the use of pulp of fibers that contain lignin in accordance with this invention also results in a filter means that exhibits an improved filtering capacity and good filtration . further , one has the advantage of a cheaper filter . the pulp of fibers that contain lignin can be used in combination with other adequate pulps , for example , pulps with a high alfa - cellulose or cotton down content . it is generally preferred using the pulp of fibers that contain lignin in quantities of at least 30 percent . the pulp of fibers that contain lignin , used in the locomotive lubricating oil filter of this invention is that obtained by the processes described in the u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 455 , 195 and 4 , 455 , 237 , which are expressly incorporated here as a reference . the pulp is produced with selected , controlled thermomechanical conditions . surprisingly , we have found that the filter means that comprises a substantial portion of , for example , at least 30 percent of such pulp of fibers which contain lignin does not suffer from the problem of swelling or obturation and easily pass the water extrusion resistance test . therefore , these filter means are advantageously adequate for use in locomotive lubricating oil applications . the source of fibers that contain lignin is not specifically critical and may be taken from a wide variety of fibers that contain lignin , although , of course , some are in a given manner preferred to others . these sources include peeled wood ( both soft and hard varieties ) and other materials that contain lignin , such as bamboo , bagasse , certain grasses and straws and the like . for the purposes of this invention , the fiber - forming material must have a lignin content of at least 10 % and preferably 15 % or more ( the majority of pulp woods have a lignin content above 20 %). in the present state of development , the preferred fiber source is peeled wood , whether soft or hard woods , from the north or the south , with some preference for soft woods from the north . after removing the bark , which is not used in the process to obtain the pulp , the pieces of pulp wood are cut into shavings of a size adequate for the thermomechanical process . conveniently , a typical shaving size is in the range of 0 . 95 by 1 . 27 by 1 . 91 cm with the fibers aligned with the long axis of the shaving . of course , in any chip - forming process , the size and configuration of the chips is very much haphazard . nevertheless , the purpose is to look for a typical chip that has a minimum dimension of 0 . 95 cm and a maximum dimension of 1 . 91 cm , that can reasonably be approximated in approximate form by sifting the chips using a sifting screen of 2 . 54 cm maximum and a sifting screen of 0 . 95 cm minimum . the sifted chips , typically after cleaning via a conventional washing procedure with water , are reduced to pulp fibers following the general techniques of the u . s . pat . no . 2 , 008 , 892 of asplund , whose revelation is here included as reference . a first stage in this process is the preheating of the chips by steam , and this is advantageously carried out in a recipient like a horizontal tube digester . the digester , which is a conventional piece of equipment , can have a rotary valve or similar device ( also conventional ) in the entrance to accomodate the feeding of the wood chips while the recipient is maintained under a superatmospheric steam pressure . the wood chips , generally of the indicated size , are preheated to a temperature no less than some 149 ° c . and more conveniently to a temperature in the range of 165 ° to 176 . 5 ° c . approximately . this corresponds to a pressure margin of some 3 . 5 kg / cm 2 up to 8 . 4 kg / cm 2 , with the preferred range being some 6 . 3 to 8 . 4 kg / cm 2 . conveniently the chips are moved progressively via a partially full ( 1 / 8 to 1 / 2 ) digester while they are stirred continuously . this ensures highly efficient heat transference between the wood chips and the steam and uniform preheating . typically , a retention time of three minutes inside the horizontal tube digester is adequate and it is believed this takes the interior of the chip to within some 10 ° of the steam temperature . the preheated wood chips are ground into pulp fibers in a disc refiner while kept in a pressure steam atmosphere and a substantially dry condition . the grinding is done in a disc refiner of the general class revealed in the above - mentioned asplund patent . more specificially , a c . e . bauer no . 418 counter - rotary 91 . 44 cm disc refiner is a preferred piece of equipment for this aim . this machine uses a pair of 91 . 44 cm opposing rotary discs arranged in communication with the horizontal tube digester and to receive preheated wood chips from the digester ( preferably with the same pressure conditions ), in which case , a pressure valve device placed between the digester and the disc refiner is not required . according to known principles , when the wood chips are submitted to cutting and abrasion by the counter - rotating refining discs , they are submitted to a later heating as a result of the entrance of energy from the crusher . it is known that with certain preheating conditions of the chips and operation of the disc refiner , the lignin content of the chips becomes softened and plastified , allowing easy separation of the individuals fibers with minimum damange and destruction of the fibers . the desired degree of refining is controlled by adjusting the peripheral hollow between the disc refiner . in general , the narrower the hollow , the greater the utilization of energy required to refine the pulp and make it possible for the fibers to emerge from the hollow . typically , this energy utilization is measured in braking horsepower days per air dry ton ( hpd / adt ) of raw material . to produce pulp fibers ideally adequate for the filter means of this inventions , it has been determined that utilization of energy in the disc refiner should not be less than 8 hpd / adt and not greater than some 35 hpd / adt . in many cases , achieving the desired energy levels requires adjusting the hollow to the minimum size -- substantially with a zero clearance , although for certain woods , such as soft woods from the south , it may be convenient to slightly enlarge the hollow to restrict the energy to some 35 hpd . after refining , the fibrous pulp is unloaded from the refiner via an adequate blow valve or the like , which makes it possible for the fibrous material to be taken from a pressurized condition to another unpressurized condition . after the disc refining operation , the pulp fibers are mixed with sufficient water to derive an aqueous paste with 0 . 5 to 1 % of solids , adequate for sifting or screening the fibers . in this aspect , the fibers produced in accordance with the procedures outlined are significantly larger and more rigid than the conventional pulp fibers , and are not easily screened in conventional pulp screens without excessive rejection of good fibers and unnecessary loss of yield . because of the characteristics of the pulp fiber thus produced , it is convenient to use a rotary type screen that has circumferentially aligned splits ( rather than axially , as is more typical ). the &# 34 ; ultrascreen &# 34 ; screen sold by black - clawson is effective in the process . this screen , which has a split width of approximately 152 microns , facilitates effective screening of the pulp with a reliable rejection of chips and other foreign material , without excessive rejection of good fibers . an important economic advantage of the asplund type pulp forming procedure mentioned above is the extremely high yield of fibers . the fiber yield can be as high as 95 % of the dry wood material started with , in comparison with high execution chemical processes for pulp which give a yield as low as 35 % usable fibers . to a large extent , this results in the fact that the exit of fibers from the pulp forming process retains substantially all the lignin and semicellulose content of the original source of fibers without forming pulp . chemical processes , on the other hand , substantially remove the lignin and semicellulose material , resulting in an immediate loss of yield . further , due to the essentially fragile nature of the resulting fiber product , significant additional losses occur in the entire subsequent process . the presence of lignin and materials related with lignin in the exit of fibers is significantly advantageous in the final filter means , when fiber production has been achieved with the conditions of the above - described process . thus , with adequate pressure and temperature conditions , the lignin materials are in a plastified state during the refining operation , which not only makes it possible to produce a relatively large , undamaged fiber , but also the resulting fiber is extremely rigid and firm and has a very smooth exterior surface . this structure is exceptionally ideal for use in filter means , since it exhibits exceptionally low adhesion characteristics , and due to its structure which is similar to &# 34 ; uncooked spaghetti &# 34 ;, it results in a voluminous , extremely porous means when placed in chance form , as in moist or air placement , for example . directly related to the high voluminosity feature is the extremely high freedom in the area of 760 and greater . this is equal to or exceeds the freedom of chemical high execution pulps with better quality . for the purposes of this invention , the filter means contains a substantial portion , that is , at least 30 percent in weight , and preferably at least 40 percent in weight and especially from 40 to 75 percent in weight of a pulp of fibers that contain lignin . the remaining constitution of the filter means , if there is any , can include adequate fibers and / or pulp which do not result in a failure in the water extrusion test , that is , a ratio greater than 1 . 1 examples of such adequate pulps are pulps with high alfa - cellulose , such as the &# 34 ; hpz &# 34 ; buckeye pulp , xj pulp of merciner , placetate of merciner and esparto ( which is a bleached pulp of grass ). the remaining constitution can also include cotton down fibers if desired , so that the filter means comprises a mixture of a substantial portion of fibers that contain lignin and cotton down fibers , and is within the scope of this invention . &# 34 ; kraft &# 34 ; wood pulps may be present in the filter means in lesser amounts , that is , less than 5 to 10 percent in weight , and preferably less than 5 percent in weight . the presence of more than 10 percent in weight of kraft wood pulp results in a filter means that exhibits insufficient resistance to water extrusion to be used commercially . in the manufacture of filters for commercial use , typically although not necessarily , the pulp mixture is generally prepared as an aqueous paste , sufficiently beaten to give uniform distribution , and then placed moist over a screen for manufacturing paper . also typically , the moist belt is dried and then impregnated with an agglutinant resin . alternatively , the filter device can be produced using air placement techniques . the resin typically is cured only partially by the belt manufacturer . the final manufacturer of the filter later usually converts the belt material in an accordeon folded configuration , forming quite frequently , a cylinder of accordeon folds , which accommodates a generally radial flow of the lubricating oil that is going to be filtered . in this stage of production , the resin in the belt material can be completely cured to provide relatively permanent hardening to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s configuration . the resulting filter means , in accordance with this invention , exhibits excellent resistance to water extrusion and also provides an economic advantage of a less costly filter means in comparison with the cotton down filters now used in the industry . the cost of the pulp of fibers that contain lignin , used according to this invention , is only some $ 450us / ton , in comparison with $ 1200us / ton of the cotton fibers . in addition to the economic advantage , the use of pulp with fibers that contain lignin results in a filter device that exhibits an improved filtering capacity and good filtering efficiency . the following examples are provided as specific illustrations of this invention . however , it must be understood that the specific details indicated in the examples are merely illustrative and in no way restricting . all the parts and percentages in the examples and the rest of the specification are in weight , unless otherwise specified . ______________________________________a : 40 % pulp containing lignin40 % hpz pulp20 % espartob ( comparative ): 100 % cottonc ( comparative ): 47 % pulp of fibers containing lignin23 % westvaco bleached kraft hard wood30 % bleached kraft pulp made of sequoia chipsd : 47 % pulp of fibers containing lignin30 % placetate ( bleached alfa pulp made of softwood fibers ) 23 % espartoe : 47 % pulp of fibers containing lignin25 % placetate20 % esparto8 % bleached kraft pu . p made of sequoia chips______________________________________ a water extrusion resistance test was done on each manual sheet in order to prove the applicability of the materials as a locomotive lubricating oil filter device . the operations were done proving first the flow resistance of the manual sheets to lubricating oil at 82 ° c . in four flow rates that go from 3 . 785 to 15 . 14 liters per minute . then the lubricating oil was taken and mixed with water in a commercial waring blender mixer to form a percent of water in oil emulsion . then the flow resistance of the manual sheets to the emulsion was tested at 82 ° c . with the same four flow quantities . the flow resistance was inspected in each case , and the results were tabulated in the following table 1 . table 1 also indicates the water extrusion resistance ratio ( pressure at × gpm of emulsion / pressure at × gpm of lubricant ) as well as the cfm of frazier . table no . 1__________________________________________________________________________water flow ( extrusion ) resistance average cfm ofmanual sheet 1 gpm 2 gpm 3 gpm 4 gpm ratio frazier__________________________________________________________________________a oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 1715 kg / cm . sup . 2 0 . 402 . 5 0 . 679 1 . 015 21 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 175 0 . 420 0 . 707 1 . 064 ratio 1 . 02 1 . 04 1 . 04 1 . 05 1 . 04b oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 217 0 . 448 0 . 791 1 . 197 14 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 231 0 . 497 0 . 819 1 . 288 ratio 1 . 06 1 . 11 1 . 04 1 . 08 1 . 06c oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 196 0 . 427 0 . 742 1 . 128 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 224 0 . 518 0 . 994 1 . 4 + ratio 1 . 14 1 . 27 1 . 34 -- 1 . 25 + d oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 147 0 . 357 0 . 602 0 . 931 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 154 0 . 371 0 . 637 0 . 959 ratio 1 . 05 1 . 04 1 . 06 1 . 03 1 . 05e oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 140 0 . 350 0 . 588 0 . 917 26 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 161 0 . 378 0 . 637 1 . 001 ratio 1 . 15 1 . 08 1 . 08 1 . 09 1 . 10__________________________________________________________________________ as can be seen from the preceding table 1 , the filter means of this invention has a ratio in the water extrusion resistance test of around 1 . 1 or less . this is comparable to the water extrusion resistance of the filter means of cotton fibers ( operation b ). if in the filter means more than the right amount less of kraft wood pulp is used , however , the ratio greatly exceeds 1 . 1 ( operation c ). the manual sheets a and b were tested as to their filtering capacity in mgms / 6 . 45 cm 2 and the filtering efficiency using standard test methods in order to compare the filtering capacity and the efficiency of the locomotive lubricating oil filter device of this invention with a convention locomotive lubricating oil filter device made completely of cotton . the results are tabulated below and it is shown that while the efficiency is comparable , the filtering capacity of the filter means of this invention is greatly improved . table no . 2______________________________________manual sheet a e______________________________________capacity ( mgms 6 . 45 cm . sup . 2 ) 55 30efficiency (%) 87 91 . 8______________________________________ although the invention has been described in the preferred embodiments , it will be understood that experts in the material can perform variations and modifications on it . these variations and modifications must be considered within the scope of the following claims .	1
referring to the drawings in greater detail , and initially to fig3 and 4 in particular , a seal according to the present invention comprises a pair of body portions which in the embodiment illustrated , comprise a lower body indicated generally by reference number 10 and an upper body or cover portion indicated by reference numeral 12 . the lower body portion , in the preferred form illustrated , has a bottom wall 14 , a side wall 16 surrounding the bottom wall on all sides thereof except for an end wall which is indicated by reference numeral 18 and which forms the &# 34 ; top &# 34 ; of the seal . the top and bottom portions which together form a seal , are structured so as to provide a mating relationship of one with the other and to this end , again in the embodiment illustrated , the side wall 16 is provided with an inwardly extending shoulder 20 extending about the side wall 16 , preferably continuously . this shoulder may also extend adjacent the top or end wall 18 ( see fig . 4 ) to provide a seating surface 21 for the cover portion 12 of the seal assembly . the shoulder 20 is preferably set at a depth so that the cover portion 12 , when seated on the shoulder 20 , will be flush with the upper portion 16a of the side wall 16 when in an assembled position . the shoulder 20 may further be provided as a stepped surface by virtue of shoulder 50 provided on shoulder 20 . with such a stepped shoulder arrangement , some one attempting to insert a tool down the side of the seal would not be able to pass the tool over the shoulder 50 to gain access to the shackle legs within the body . the seal body 10 as illustrated in the drawings basically defines an enclosure for the shackle legs of the shackle and in one form , that which is illustrated in the drawings , the body is provided with one portion having a greater length than the other . thus , the body portion 10 is provided with an extension indicated by reference numeral 22 adapted to receive the longer leg of a shackle ( described hereinafter ), which is normally the shackle leg inserted into the seal by the manufacturer , the other one being left &# 34 ; free &# 34 ; to be inserted by the user of the seal . the side walls 16 , the end wall 18 , the top portion 12 form with the bottom 14 of the seal an enclosure , which contains a chamber or cavity for receiving the legs of the shackle . within the chamber , and located on either wall but as illustrated in fig3 and 4 located on the bottom wall , there is provided a shackle - leg separation means 24 which is fixedly secured to the bottom of wall 14 and which is raised thereabove . the separation means 24 also provides the function of a shackle leg engaging means and to this end , the member 24 comprises an elevated land having a first recess or shoulder 26 adapted to engage one shackle leg ; there is also provided a second recess or shoulder 28 to engage the opposed shackle leg with each shoulder 26 and 28 being spaced from the other by the body portion of the land 24 . the height of the land preferably approaches the depth of the cavity or chamber in the lower portion 10 of the seal so that it is dimensioned to prevent a shackle leg from passing over the land 24 when the cover portion 12 is in place . the cover portion 12 is preferably dimensioned to seat on the shoulder 20 and thus has a general configuration corresponding to the configuration of the lower portion 10 of the seal assembly . on the other hand , if desired , the cover portion 12 may seat on the upper edge 16a of the seal assembly by dimensioning the cover portion 12 accordingly ; in that embodiment the shoulder 20 would be eliminated and the land 24 would be raised accordingly . the end wall 18 is preferably dimensioned so as to be wider than the height of the wall 16 of the body for certain applications ; in particular , where the seal is used to secure e . g ., a cabinet or the like where there is a possibility that the seal body could pass through a slot in the cabinet , the side 18 by having a greater width will prevent that occurring without the necessity of increasing the width of the total body for that purpose . various types of shackles can be employed with the seal assembly of the present invention ; a typical shackle is shown in the drawings and has a body member 30 and a pair of opposed legs 32 and 34 , one of which may be longer as illustrated in the drawings . again , although various types of leg structures can be employed , a typical leg structure includes a pair of inwardly extending &# 34 ; hook &# 34 ; portions 36 each adapted to engage a shoulder 26 or 28 when inserted into the seal assembly . for this purpose , the end wall 18 is provided with a pair of apertures 38 each dimensioned so as to receive a leg ; the apertures 38 actually may be slightly shorter in width than the width of the legs of the shackle with the hooks 36 thereon since due to compression of the hooks 36 , an inwardly extending force can be exerted on the hooks to pass through a narrower aperture 38 . from the above , it will be seen that there is thus provided a shackle leg channel 39 extending from the apertures 38 into the body cavity , defined between the separation means 24 and the side walls 16 of the seal body . the channels 39 , basically form a receiving area for the shackle leg , as described , and in accordance with this invention , have a lower portion which is contoured as indicated by reference numeral 41 , preferably arcuately contoured . this is achieved by providing an appropriately contoured outline to the side wall 16 ; by providing at least the shackle leg receiving area for the shackle leg which is inserted by the user ( but preferably both shackle leg receiving areas ) with such a contour , any instrument or tool inserted through the narrow entrances 38 in an attempt to release the shackle leg hook portions from their engagement with the shoulders will normally be deflected by the contoured walls into the central area of the seal body , thereby reducing the potential for tampering with the seal . the seating surface 21 adjacent end wall 18 preferably extends into the aperture 38 , forming an arcuate curved surface 23 provided inside the apertures at the outer edge of each aperture . the arcuate surface 23 forms guide means which aid in insertion of the shackle legs through the apertures and into the body . the angle of curvature of the surface 23 is preferably constant or uniform throughout the surface and can range from 15 ° to 85 °, preferably 25 ° to 75 °, and more preferably 40 ° to 60 °. in use , if some one tampering with the seal broke off the shackle , by virtue of the shackle configuration as discussed hereinafter , and in conjunction with the curved surface in the aperture , the shackle would be broken off flush with the end wall 18 , with the remaining portion of the shackle leg still being within the body . the curved surface 23 also , together with the remaining portion of the leg of the shackle , &# 34 ; blocks &# 34 ; off the aperture so that the broken leg could not be reset into the aperture . a preferred feature of the present invention is also evident from fig3 and 4 of the drawings , wherein the raised land 24 is provided with outwardly tapering shoulders 25 , against which the legs 36 &# 34 ; slide &# 34 ;. in this manner , the legs 36 are inwardly compressed as the shackle legs are inserted through the apertures 38 and once passing the shoulders 36 and 28 , are permitted then to engage the shoulders . in conjunction with the above and in accordance with a feature of another embodiment of the present invention , the shackle 30 may also be provided with tapering shoulders 30a and 30b joining the leg portions 32 and 34 respectively , which are designed to prevent access to the apertures 38 by being positioned a distance from the bottom of the legs such that when the shackle is inserted into the seal ( fig4 ) the inwardly extending shoulders 30a and 30b are adjacent the upper surface of the wall 18 . the shackle shoulders 30a , 30b may also be provided with a line of weakness such as notches 30c , 30d or the like so that in the event tampering occurs , the shackle would break off along the notches . by providing notches 30c , 30d at the appropriate location , the shackle will break off flush with the end wall 18 , leaving the remaining portions of the legs within the body and basically preventing any further tampering with the device . if desired more than one notch could be provided on each shoulder . as will be seen from fig3 shoulders 30a and 30b may be provided with differing configurations . leg 34 for example has a somewhat v - shaped portion constituted in part by shoulder 30b . upon insertion into the body of the seal , portion 30e of the v - shaped configuration will abut the inside surface 39 of the aperture , thus , substantially blocking access to the entrance aperture 38 and thereby preventing an attempt to compress the hook portion 36 towards the leg 34 to remove the shackle from the seal . leg 32 , in the illustrated embodiment , is of a configuration such that shoulder 30a is closely adjacent the upper surface of wall 18 and leaves little room for trying to gain access between the wall 18 and shoulder 30a . in an alternative embodiment , the shackle could be provided with outwardly directed hook portions 36 with a suitable shoulder arrangement for engagement with the hook being provided along the inner surface of side wall 16 . a still further arrangement is wherein the raised land portion 24 is provided on the cover member 12 . the cover portion 12 may also have the structure illustrated in greater detail in fig4 as to the side mating with the body portion 10 of the seal assembly . in this particular arrangement , the cover portion 12 may be provided with a downwardly extending shoulder 40 which preferably extends about the inner circumference of the cover and which may be dimensioned to seat on the shoulder 20 of the body portion 10 . in this manner , the thickness of the cover portion can be reduced . as illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the cover 12 may also be provided with a projecting tab 42 , fixedly secured to the inner portion of the cover , and which extends beyond the upper wall or edge 44 . this tab 42 may be dimensioned so as to pass through the aperture 38 and terminate at the exterior of the end wall 18 . tab 42 is designed to prevent access to the aperture 38 once the shackle leg as been inserted in that portion of the seal ; normally , during assembly , one shackle leg 32 will be inserted into the seal , with the cover portion 12 then being seated in the body portion with the tab 42 projecting into the aperture 38 to form the arrangement shown in fig1 and 2 . tab 42 may be provided as a separate component which could be ultrasonically or otherwise sealed in place . cover portion 12 may also be provided with build - ups 100 and 102 which act to steer or guide the wire shackle towards the central land arrangement for engagement therewith . in many cases , the seals of the present invention will be formed of appropriate plastic material chosen for individual applications ; in one embodiment of the present invention , such plastic seals will be assembled using various types of adhesives or , for the embodiments particularly illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the cover and body portions of the seal assembly may be sealed ultrasonically using conventional equipment which will provide a more secure seal assembly for many applications . to this end , certain portions of the body and cover members may be provided with a small ridge of plastic material seen in fig3 and 4 and designated generally by reference numeral 50 , on those parts of the seal which are in mating contact with each other . thus , for example , on the cover assembly a bead 50 of the plastic material ( the balance of the seal likewise being made of the same or similar plastic material ) is located on the downwardly extending shoulder 40 ; on the body portion , the ridge 50 may extend about the shoulder 20 and further , there may be provided a ridge or bead of plastic material 52 on the raised land portion 24 so that when the cover and bottom members are placed in juxtaposition with each other , and then subjected to ultrasonic sealing , the ridge or beads 50 and 52 will melt and secure the touching portions together in a very strong bond . as seen from fig4 a guide 60 may be employed for guiding the leg 32 into the proper area of the body , when it is inserted . alternatively , it will be appreciated that appropriate glue , adhesive or other suitable means for securing the cover and body portions together may be employed as is conventionally available to those skilled in the art . preferably , in use , the front of the seal is constituted by the side where cover portion 12 has been secured to body 10 so that if tampering is attempted through the sealed joint , this would be readily evident on the front of the seal . in assembly , as indicated above , the cover and body members are placed in juxtaposition , normally after one leg of the shackle assembly is inserted into the seal with the hook 36 being placed onto the channel adjacent shoulder 25 ; this may also engage notch 27 . the seals are thus distributed in a manner illustrated in fig2 so that the user merely places the body 30 of the shackle about the item to be secured , and then by inwardly bending the leg 34 into the aperture 38 and downwardly forcing the same into the locking position with the shoulder 26 , a permanent connection is made . in fig3 a and 3b , there is illustrated an alternative embodiment for the body of the seal . in this embodiment , the land portion 24a of the lower body portion 10a is of the same general configuration ( except as described herein ) as that of land portion 24 of fig3 and 4 . however , in the case of fig3 a , the land portion 24a has an outer peripheral raised edge 62 defining the land portion 24a . within the raised edge 62 , the land 24 comprises a recessed cavity 64 for receiving a mating component associated with the cover portion 12a . cover portion 12a , as shown in fig3 b , comprises a mating or cooperating tab or member 66 . member 66 comprises an enlarged portion at one end forming shoulder 68 and elongated narrower portion 70 . as will be appreciated , member 66 is dimensioned so as to fit within cavity 64 of lower body portion 10a so that shoulder 68 engages the inner surface 26a and elongated portion 70 seats within its corresponding portion in cavity 64 . in this respect , the end portion 65 may be made solid to fill - up that area not otherwise occupied by the member 66 . if desired , a bead of plastic material , ( not shown ), may be provided on cooperating member 66 so that when the seal is subjected to ultrasonic sealing , the bead will melt and secure the member 66 within the cavity 64 . it will be understood that various modifications can be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention herein .	6
fig2 depicts the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 as put forth in the present invention . it essentially comprises a signal amplifier 21 , an analog - to - digital converter 22 , a computer 23 , a digital input / output device 24 , an electrocardiogram signal detector 25 , an “ execution ” button 26 , and a case 32 . the case 32 is a rectangular container whose dimensions are 14 cm × 11 cm × 4 . 5 cm , and it contains the signal amplifier 21 , the analog - to - digital converter 22 , the computer 23 and the digital input / output device 24 . the electrocardiogram signal detector 25 is composed of three detection electrodes 251 . one end of each detection electrode 251 is connected to the subject , and the other end passes through the case 32 to be connected to the signal amplifier 21 so as to capture a person electrocardiogram signals and transmit them to the signal amplifier 21 . after being amplified by the signal amplifier 21 , the electrocardiogram signals are converted into digital signals by means of the analog - to - digital converter 22 , and then are entered into the computer 23 . the computer 23 executes a program 231 to carry out a series of analyses and control - related tasks ( for further details , please refer to later description ). the digital input / output device 24 functions as the transmission interface between the computer 23 and the “ execution ” button 26 . in practice , being a user - machine interface intended for external communication , the digital input / output device 24 may be additionally connected to a “ noise ” indicator 33 , a “ no signal ” indicator 34 , a “ print ” indicator 35 , a “ recording ” indicator 36 , and a “ stand by ” indicator 37 , to indicate the status of the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 . moreover , the digital input / output device 24 may be connected to a “ cancel ” button 27 for the sake of manual interruption of the process . the above - mentioned buttons 26 and 27 as well as various indicators 33 - 37 may be installed on the same side of the case 32 to facilitate control and surveillance . cables 38 connect the signal amplifier 21 and the analog - to - digital converter 22 , the analog - to - digital converter 22 and the computer 23 , and the computer 23 and the digital input / output device 24 to transmit signals . in addition , the computer 23 may be connected to a display 29 and a printer 30 , so as to display and print the findings of the heart rate variability analysis of the electrocardiogram signals . the signal amplifier 21 may be connected to a battery 31 or an ac power source to meet its electric demand . the process of heart rate variability analysis put forth in the present invention is shown in fig3 . the following is the explanation of the analytical process , with references made to the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 depicted in fig2 . the “ stand by ” indicator 37 gets turned on as soon as the power for the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 is switched on , telling the user that the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 is standing by . all the procedures of the heart rate variability analysis are started by the “ execution ” button 26 . immediately after the user pressed the “ execution ” button 26 , the “ recording ” indicator 36 turns on , and the electrocardiogram signal detector 25 begins to capture a transient electrocardiogram signal which is then amplified by the signal amplifier 21 or additionally undergoes wave filtration performed with a band pass filter before being sent to the analog - to - digital converter 22 . after that , the user performs analog - to - digital conversion , and carries out sampling at a rate of 256 to 2048 times per second on the electrocardiogram signal by means of the analog - to - digital converter 22 , which is under the control of the program 231 . in the meantime , the program 231 may have an additional function of detecting the 50 / 60 hz components of the electrocardiogram signal . the “ noise ” indicator 33 gets turned on whenever the signal is too strong . the peak of the electrocardiogram signal corresponding to each heartbeat , i . e ., the qrs wave , is searched out ( please refer to fig4 ), and it stands for each heartbeat . the “ no signal ” indicator 34 turns on whenever no peak is identified . the program 231 measures parameters such as height and duration of the peak of each heartbeat , and calculates the mean and standard deviation of individual parameters in order to create a standard template . afterward , each of the heartbeat peaks is compared with the template . in comparison , a heartbeat peak found to fall beyond a first predetermined standard deviation of the standard template is deemed a noise and , therefore , should be deleted . in practice , the first predetermined standard deviation is mostly set to three standard deviations . the interval between the respective peaks of two successive heart - beats is measured to be the period of heartbeat at that point . the mean and standard deviation of all the heartbeat intervals are figured out , and then all the heartbeat intervals are verified . a heartbeat interval which falls beyond a second predetermined standard deviation is deemed as either a noise or an unstable signal , and thus it has to be deleted . similarly , the second predetermined standard deviation is generally set to be as large as three standard deviations . all qualified peaks are sampled at an appropriate frequency , e . g ., 7 . 11 hz , and performed interpolation to keep the time consecution , with the program 231 to detect and see whether the “ cancel ” button 27 is pressed . if it is , the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 returns to the standby status ; otherwise , the next step proceeds . moreover , the program 231 is used to judge whether the amount of data is enough . if negative , the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 continues to capture electrocardiogram signals so as to form a loop ; otherwise , the next step proceeds . fourier transform is adopted in spectrum analysis . in the first place , any linear drift of signal is eliminated to evade the interference from low - frequency band , and the hamming computation is employed to prevent the mutual leakage between individual frequency components of the spectrum . after that , 288 - second data ( 2048 points ) is taken and fast fourier transform is conducted so as to acquire heart rate power spectral density ( hpsd ), and the compensation with regard to any effects of sampling and hamming computation is performed . the powers of the lf ( 0 . 04 - 0 . 15 hz ) and hf ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 4 hz ) bands of the heart rate power spectral density are quantified by integral , and the quantitative parameters like lf / hf or tp are figured out as well , as shown in fig5 . eventually , the findings are displayed on the display 29 or printed out with the printer 30 . the “ print ” indicator 35 turns on whenever the printer 30 is printing . in addition to external installation , the display 29 and the printer 30 may also be built - in , that is , installed inside the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 . the program 231 not only measures , filters and analyzes electrocardiogram signals , but , as illustrated with the present embodiment , also has the additional function of controlling the steps of the aforesaid heart rate variability analytical method , so a user merely needs to press the “ execution ” button 26 to accomplish all the steps . unlike a conventional heart rate variability analysis that requires a user to enter a large amount of data , the present invention reduces the number of keystrokes to one during the process of heart rate variability analysis , and even the traditional keyboard can be replaced with a button , under the integrated control of the computer program . the method put forth in the present invention may not only be applied to small machines , but also provide a friendly operating interface . besides tremendously minimizing operational errors , it becomes accessible to laymen . in practice , the heart rate variability analytical apparatus put forth in the present invention is quite time - saving and easy to use , as it prints out a person heart rate variability analytical result and autonomic function data in just five minutes after a button is pressed . the above - described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative only . numerous alternative embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims .	0
the following detailed description is directed to technologies for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . through the use of the technologies and concepts presented herein , a software product key can be associated with a user id and stored on an application server . the remotely stored product key can be recovered by the application itself using credentials from the associated user without the user having to receive or enter the product key manually . also , product activation can be carried out autonomously by the application as a background process . this may occur without user intervention . while the subject matter described herein is presented in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with the execution of an operating system and application programs on a computer system , those skilled in the art will recognize that other implementations may be performed in combination with other types of program modules . generally , program modules include routines , programs , components , data structures , and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . moreover , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations , including hand - held devices , multiprocessor systems , microprocessor - based or programmable consumer electronics , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . in the following detailed description , references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof , and which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples . referring now to the drawings , in which like numerals represent like elements through the several figures , aspects of a computing system and methodology for simplifying software license management by associating a product key with a user id and storing the key to a remote application server . turning now to fig1 , details will be provided regarding techniques for simplifying the purchase , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . in particular , a user 110 can operate a user system 115 . the user system 115 can be a typical computer system , such as a desktop or a laptop . the user system 115 can also be an embedded computer system such as a handheld computer , a kiosk , a mobile terminal , a mobile telephone , a set top box , or any other type of computer system . the user system 115 can be attached to a computer network 105 . through the computer network 105 , the user 110 operating the user system 115 may access an application vendor 140 . the user 110 may request purchase of application software from the application vendor 140 . at the time of purchasing software from the application vendor 140 , a product key 155 may be associated with the software product being purchased . the application vendor 140 may associate the product key 155 with a user id 112 of the user 110 . this associated product key 155 and user id 112 may be stored on an application server 130 by the application vendor 140 . prior to storing the product key 155 on the application server 130 , a key distribution server 150 may have been accessed to supply the product key 155 to the application vendor 140 . an application client 120 may be downloaded over the network 105 to the user system 115 after the user 110 purchases the software product , or license , from the application vendor 140 . the application client 120 may be executed upon the user system 115 . upon the first execution , the user 110 may be prompted to enter their user id 112 and other credentials such as a password or information associated with the user 110 . this user information may be used by the application client 120 to retrieve the product key 155 from the application server 130 over the network 105 . automatic retrieval of the product key 155 by the application client 120 can replace the traditional manual entry of the product key 155 . at any point where the user 110 is requested to supply their credentials , such as their user id 112 , the user &# 39 ; s information can be authenticated against an authentication server 170 . such authentication can support verification that the user is who they claim to be . as part of the initial execution of the application client 120 , the software application may be activated using the activation server 160 over the network 105 . the activation procedure may be carried out by the application client 120 as a background process . this autonomous activation of the application software by the application client 120 can replace the traditional operation of manual activation that typically involved user intervention . the user system 115 , the key distribution server 150 , the application server 130 , the authentication server 170 , the activation server 160 , and servers associated with the application vendor 140 may all be computer systems . some of these computer systems may involve components in common , or may be co - located . for example , the key distribution server 150 , the application server 130 , the authentication server 170 , the activation server 160 , servers associated with the application vendor 140 , or any subset thereof may by operated by the software manufacturer . in another example , the application vendor 140 may be a third party operating with the authority of the software manufacturer , or as a retail distribution affiliate of the software manufacturer . in yet another example , the authentication server 170 may be operated by a third party security provider . turning now to fig2 , additional details will be provided regarding techniques for simplifying the purchase , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . in particular , a functional block diagram illustrates various components of a licensing management system 200 for software products according to aspects of an embodiment presented herein . a user 110 can initiate the purchase of application software from an application vendor 140 . in response to the purchase of application software , the application vendor 140 can request a product key 155 from a key distribution server 150 . in response , the key distribution server 150 can provide a product key 155 to the application vendor 140 . the application vendor 140 can associate the product key 155 with information related to the purchasing user , such as a user id 112 . the application vendor 140 can cause the associated product key 155 and user id 112 to be stored at an application server 130 . after the product key 155 has been obtained and properly stored , the application client 120 associated with the software being purchased can be downloaded from the application vendor 140 to the user system 115 . the application client 120 downloaded at the time of purchase can be a low impact software module that is a reduced version of a full application client 120 . according to one embodiment , the downloaded module may provide an icon , shortcut , or other mechanism for launching the purchased application , along with a bootstrapping mechanism for obtaining remaining modules of the full application client 120 as needed . the downloaded low impact module can also contain the functionality for obtaining the product key 155 and also for authenticating the user 110 and activating the purchased software against an activation server 160 . as such , a downloaded low impact module can support the technologies discussed herein for simplifying the purchase , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . after an application client 120 has been delivered to a user system 115 , the user 110 can execute the application client 120 . upon the first execution of the application client 120 , the user 110 may be prompted by the application client 120 to enter their user credentials . the user credentials can include a user id 112 , a user password , and other information associated with the user . in response to this request , the user 110 can provide their user credentials to the application client 120 . the application client 120 can authenticate the user credential information against an authentication server 170 . the authentication server 170 can provide an authentication token to the application client 120 . once the application client 120 has authenticated the user 110 to be who they claim to be , the application client 120 can pass the user credentials , or a related authentication token , to an application server 130 . at the same time , the application client 120 can also pass along product information associated with the application client 120 . the product information may include an identifier of the application that was purchased , the version number , language , license type , and so forth . the application server 130 can use the information provided to it by the application client 120 to locate the product key 155 that was previously stored to the application server 130 . the application server 130 can provide the product key 155 associated with the application client 120 and the user 110 to the application client 120 . thus , the application client 120 may retrieve its own product key 155 from the application server 130 . this retrieval may be based upon the user id 112 of the purchasing user . the application client 120 can submit an activation request to an activation server 160 . this activation procedure can occur as a background operation of the application client 120 . in response to receiving an activation request from the application client 120 , the activation server 160 can provide activation to the application client 120 . the activation may take the form of an activation certificate . this functionality can support autonomous activation , by the application client 120 , of the software applications associated with the application client 120 . this activation can be performed , in the background , without the traditional intervention of the user 110 . it should be appreciated that the activation exchange with the activation server 160 may also involve , or be performed by , the application server 130 . according to one embodiment , a software licensing system 200 may be used for purchasing microsoft office office automation software from microsoft , corporation . for example , microsoft office version 14 may use software license management technologies discussed herein . using these technologies can support purchase , product key 155 provisioning , and activation of microsoft office using an online application vendor 140 . a user 110 can request to purchase microsoft office from an application vendor 140 . according to one embodiment , the application vendor 140 may be digital river , incorporated . during the online purchase procedure , the user 110 may be requested to enter their user id 112 to the application vendor 140 . in this example , the user id 112 may be a windows live id ( wlid ) associated with the user 110 . identification information supplied by the user 110 , including their user id 112 , may be authenticated against an authentication server 170 . during an online software purchase operation for microsoft office , the user 110 may specify a specific flavor of microsoft office that they are interested in purchasing . one example of a specific flavor of microsoft office may be a trial version that may allow the user to try the software prior to making a purchase . in such an example , the product key 155 provided may be a time limited key supplied without payment . another example of a specific flavor may be a permanent license version of microsoft office . such a permanent license may be considered to be similar to a traditional license as supplied when purchasing the boxed cd - rom version of a software package . yet another specific flavor of microsoft office may be a temporary subscription . for example , a temporary subscription may involve a product key 155 lasting a term of one year , or some other amount of time . in all of these cases , the specific product key may be requested by the application vendor 140 , such as digital river , from a key distribution system 150 . in this example , the key distribution system may be a microsoft sellkeys server operated by microsoft corporation . once a product key 155 is issued from a key distribution server 150 , the application vendor 140 may support download of the selected flavor of the application client 120 , or microsoft office client , according to one example . during this purchase procedure , the user 110 may not have a product key 155 explicitly provided to them . instead , the application vendor 140 may pass the product key 155 acquired from the key distribution server 150 on to the application server 130 . at the application server 130 , the product key 155 may be associated with the user id 112 of the user 110 . in this example , the application server 130 may be an office live server operated by microsoft , corporation . in association with the office live server , the user id 112 may take the form of a wlid . the product key 155 may be stored on the office live server so as to allow retrieval based upon the user id 112 , or wlid , of the user 110 . the office live server may store product keys 155 for multiple software application in association with each user id 112 or wlid . once the downloaded microsoft office product has been delivered to the user system 115 , the user 110 can execute the microsoft office client as the application client 120 . during initial execution of the microsoft office client , the user 110 may be requested to enter user credentials . these user credentials can include a user id 112 , wlid , or other user related information . the microsoft office client may authenticate the user credential information against an authentication server 170 . in this example , the authentication server 170 may be a windows live server where the windows live server is capable of authenticating a wlid provided by a user 110 . in another example , the authentication server 170 can be the authentication server associated with the hotmail email system from microft corporation , or the dot - net internet services from microsoft corporation . after successfully authenticating the user 110 , the application client 120 , or in this example the microsoft office client , may pass an authentication token to an application server 130 such as the microsoft office live server . the application client 120 may also pass specific information regarding the software product being used to the office live server . this specific information can include the version of the software product , the language of the software product , such as english , japanese , french , or spanish , or so forth . in response , the application server 130 , or in one example the office live server , may supply a product key 155 to the application client 120 . as discussed , the application client 120 can perform an activation request against an activation server 160 and receive an activation certificate . this activation process can occur in the background without manual intervention of the user 110 . referring now to fig3 , additional details will be provided regarding the embodiments presented herein for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . in particular , fig3 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a process 300 for managing licenses associated with software products . it should be appreciated that the logical operations described herein are implemented ( 1 ) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and / or ( 2 ) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system . the implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system . accordingly , the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as state operations , structural devices , acts , or modules . these operations , structural devices , acts and modules may be implemented in software , in firmware , in special purpose digital logic , and any combination thereof . it should also be appreciated that more or fewer operations may be performed than shown in the figures and described herein . these operations may also be performed sequentially , in parallel , or in a different order than those described herein . the routine 300 begins at operation 310 , where a user 110 can initiate the purchase of an application software license from an application vendor 140 . at operation 320 , a product key 155 can be associated with a user id 112 of the user 110 . the associated user id 112 and product key 155 pair may then be stored to an application server 130 by the application vendor 140 . at the time of purchase of the software product license , the product key 155 can be obtained by the application vendor 140 from the key distribution server 150 . at operation 330 , the application client 120 can prompt the user 110 to enter their user credentials , such as their user id 112 . the request for user credentials can occur when the user 110 executes the application for the first time . these user credentials can include a user id 112 , a password , other user information , or any combination thereof . at operation 340 , the application client can authenticate the user id 112 obtained in operation 330 against an authentication server 170 . the authentication procedure is optional . at operation 350 , the application client 120 can retrieve its product key 155 from the application server 130 . the product key 155 can be retrieved using the authenticated user id 112 as obtained from the user 110 in operation 330 . at operation 360 , the application client 120 can activate itself autonomously to an activation server 160 as a background operation . this background operation can occur without manual intervention from the user 110 . the routine 300 can terminate after operation 360 . turning now to fig4 , an illustrative computer architecture 400 can execute software components described herein for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . the computer architecture shown in fig4 illustrates a conventional desktop , laptop , or server computer and may be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components presented herein . it should be appreciated however , that the described software components can also be executed on other example computing environments , such as mobile devices , television , set - top boxes , kiosks , vehicular information systems , mobile telephones , embedded systems , or otherwise . any one or more of the user system 115 , the key distribution server 150 , the application server 130 , the authentication server 170 , the activation server 160 , and servers associated with the application vendor 140 may be implemented as computer systems 400 according to embodiments . the computer architecture illustrated in fig4 can include a central processing unit 10 ( cpu ), a system memory 13 , including a random access memory 14 ( ram ) and a read - only memory 16 ( rom ), and a system bus 11 that can couple the system memory 13 to the cpu 10 . a basic input / output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 5 , such as during startup , can be stored in the rom 16 . the computer 400 may further include a mass storage device 15 for storing an operating system 18 , software , data , and various program modules , such as those associated with the application client 120 . the application client 120 can execute portions of software components described herein . a product key 155 associated with the application client 120 may be stored on the mass storage device 15 . the mass storage device 15 can be connected to the cpu 10 through a mass storage controller ( not illustrated ) connected to the bus 11 . the mass storage device 15 and its associated computer - readable media can provide non - volatile storage for the computer 5 . although the description of computer - readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device , such as a hard disk or cd - rom drive , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer - readable media can be any available computer storage media that can be accessed by the computer 400 . by way of example , and not limitation , computer - readable media may include volatile and non - volatile , removable and non - removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer - readable instructions , data structures , program modules or other data . for example , computer - readable media includes , but is not limited to , ram , rom , eprom , eeprom , flash memory or other solid state memory technology , cd - rom , digital versatile disks ( dvd ), hd - dvd , blu - ray , or other optical storage , magnetic cassettes , magnetic tape , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer 400 . according to various embodiments , the computer 400 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through a network such as the network 105 . the computer 400 may connect to the network 105 through a network interface unit 19 connected to the bus 11 . it should be appreciated that the network interface unit 19 may also be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems . the computer 400 may also include an input / output controller 12 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices , including a keyboard , mouse , or electronic stylus ( not illustrated ). similarly , an input / output controller 12 may provide output to a video display , a printer , or other type of output device ( also not illustrated ). as mentioned briefly above , a number of program modules and data files may be stored in the mass storage device 15 and ram 14 of the computer 400 , including an operating system 18 suitable for controlling the operation of a networked desktop , laptop , server computer , or other computing environment . the mass storage device 15 , rom 16 , and ram 14 may also store one or more program modules . in particular , the mass storage device 15 , the rom 16 , and the ram 14 may store the application client 120 for execution by the cpu 10 . the application client 120 can include software components for implementing portions of the processes discussed in detail with respect to fig1 - 3 . the mass storage device 15 , the rom 16 , and the ram 14 may also store other types of program modules . the mass storage device 15 , the rom 16 , and the ram 14 can also store a product key 155 associated with the application client 120 and other product keys associated with other applications . based on the foregoing , it should be appreciated that technologies for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products are provided herein . although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to computer structural features , methodological acts , and computer readable media , it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features , acts , or media described herein . rather , the specific features , acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims . the subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting . various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described , and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention , which is set forth in the following claims .	6
in one embodiment of the present invention , preferred crystal orientation and effective stress control are achieved simultaneously in piezoelectric aluminum nitride films deposited with ac ( for example , 40 khz ) reactive sputtering processes using a dual cathode s - gun magnetron , and also in molybdenum electrodes deposited by a dc powered version of the s - gun . in this preferred embodiment , the sputter system employed is the endeavor - at manufactured by tegal corporation equipped with the s - gun magnetrons , but the result of this invention can be applied to other deposited films and other sputter systems . in the schematic illustration provided in fig1 , a number of key attributes of the preferred embodiment are shown . the preferred embodiment consists of a process chamber 110 within which is contained a cavity 115 . two conical sputter targets , an outer sputter target 110 and an inner sputter target 120 , are mounted concentrically around a center shield 130 . center shield 130 can receive a bias , can be left floating , or can be grounded . additional shields 140 in the preferred embodiment are shown at the top and periphery of the process chamber 110 . a wafer land 150 is shown supporting substrate 155 at the top of the process chamber in this preferred embodiment in which the side of the substrate upon which the sputtered layer is deposited faces downward into the cavity 115 containing sputter targets 110 and 120 . wafer land 150 is connected to a power supply 200 to produce a bias on the wafer during deposition when required . in the preferred embodiment for reactive sputtering of aluminum nitride and other dielectric films , an ac power supply 160 with a bimodal output signal is electrically connected between the outer sputter target 110 and the inner sputter target 120 . in another preferred embodiment for the sputtering of metal films , power supply 160 is a dc power supply . additionally , the process chamber has an attached vacuum pumping system 180 that typically consists of a turbomolecular pump and a backing pump such as a diaphragm pump . a gas source 190 is connected through a gas delivery system to provide the process gases required for operation of the sputter system . typical operating pressures for the sputter system in the preferred configuration are between 0 . 001 torr and 0 . 010 torr . in operation during in this preferred embodiment , the sputtering tool is evacuated to a base pressure of less than the operating pressure , and preferably less than 1 × 10 − 7 torr using vacuum pumping system 180 . in the case in which the preferred embodiment is used to reactively sputter deposit a film , argon gas mixed with a reactive gas such as oxygen or nitrogen , is provided from gas source 190 and delivered to process chamber 110 through gas delivery system 195 . a plasma discharge is generated by applying power from power supply 160 at between 20 - 200 khz , and preferably 40 khz , between the sputter targets 110 and 120 . magnetic fields are generally present in the vicinity of sputter targets 110 and 120 to enhance ionization of the process gas . typical aluminum nitride ac reactive sputtering processes achieve deposition rates of approximately 60 nm / min at a cathode power of 5 . 5 kw . in another preferred embodiment in which a reactive sputtering process is not required as , for example , for the deposition of metal films , argon gas is provided from gas source 190 and delivered to process chamber 110 through gas delivery system 195 . a plasma discharge is generated by applying dc power from power supply 160 . magnetic fields are present in the vicinity of the sputter targets 110 and 120 to enhance ionization of the process gas . typical dc sputtering processes for molybdenum have deposition rates of 400 nm / min at a cathode power of 6 kw . in the s - gun configuration manufactured by tegal corporation , the material from the sputter targets 110 and 120 travels upward toward a substrate and lands on the side of the substrate 155 that faces downward toward the sputter targets . the substrate 155 facing the sputter targets 110 and 120 can be either the frontside or the backside of the wafer depending on which side of the wafer requires the sputter deposited film . the wafer support assembly 150 is connected to power supply 200 . in the embodiment in which the wafer assembly 150 provides for biasing of the substrate , rf power is applied to the wafer support assembly 150 from power supply 200 , typically , in the range of 0 - 100 watts , igniting a rf plasma discharge in the wafer vicinity , which generates a negative self - bias potential on the substrate 155 resulting in ion bombardment during film growth . in the preferred embodiment , aluminum nitride and molybdenum films are deposited at ambient temperature , without external heating , although the s - gun is equipped with a heater that could be utilized . for pre - deposition wafer treatment , a capacitively coupled planar rf plasma etch module is typically employed to pre - clean the wafer surface prior to deposition . in - plane residual stress ( stress parallel to the substrate surface ) in the deposited films was calculated using maps of the wafer curvature radius before and after deposition obtained by an fsm - 128 , laser beam - based thin film stress and flatness measurement system . a philips x &# 39 ; pert mrd x - ray diffractometer was employed to measure the crystallographic orientation of deposited films . a plot of the full width at half maximum ( fwhm ) values for sputter - deposited aluminum nitride films ( 002 ) and molybdenum ( 110 ) diffraction peaks were measured by completing rocking curve measurements in three points on each sample . scanning electron microscope ( sem ) and atomic force microscope ( afm ) observations were used also to explore the film morphology and grain structure . fig2 shows that the full width at half maximum value ( fwhm ) for aluminum nitride films directly correlates with the fwhm value of the molybdenum underlayer . highly oriented aluminum nitride films with fwhm & lt ; 2 ° have been obtained on molybdenum electrodes when fwhm crystallographic orientation of the underlying molybdenum is less than 3 °. fig3 shows that as rf bias on the wafer support assembly 150 is increased , stress levels in deposited molybdenum films are reduced and that the least acceptable crystal orientations are produced in the molybdenum films where the diffraction angle is & gt ; 2 degrees . it is the intent of the present invention to overcome the limitation imposed on achieving both desirable crystallographic orientation and low stress . in the present invention , a two - step molybdenum deposition process is taught that provides a method for creating superior crystal orientation in sputtered films in combination with near zero or , if required , compressive stress in deposited molybdenum films . the process flow for the bottom molybdenum electrode consists of a rf plasma etch of the wafer and a “ seed layer ” deposition to initiate oriented molybdenum grain growth at the start of the sputter deposition process . thin titanium or aluminum nitride films can be used as seed layers to initiate preferred molybdenum grain growth . deposition of the first 10 - 30 % of the total thickness of the molybdenum electrode is completed in the preferred embodiment without rf bias on substrate 155 . the remaining 70 - 90 % of the molybdenum film is deposited with bias . the molybdenum electrodes deposited by this technique exhibit strong ( 110 ) crystallographic orientation with fwhm & lt ; 2 ° and have a columnar grain structure and pebble - like surface morphology with root mean square surface roughness of approximately 0 . 5 nm as shown in fig5 a and 5 b . the formation of bottom electrodes with preferred crystallographic orientation enables the growth of highly oriented aluminum nitride films with very sharp ( 002 ) x - ray diffraction peaks ( fwhm = 1 . 3 ° and 0 . 9 ° for 1000 nm and 2000 nm thick films , respectively ). fig6 shows a cross - sectional sem image of well oriented aluminum nitride film that was deposited on a molybdenum electrode . additionally , fig7 shows x - ray rocking curves of the same aluminum nitride and molybdenum films that also demonstrate the preferred crystallographic orientations of fwhm = 1 . 3 ° for aluminum nitride and a fwhm = 2 ° for the molybdenum films that are available using the inventive process . in general , the optimization of the aluminum nitride reactive sputtering process by the s - gun is performed to optimize the crystallographic orientation of the film to produce , in the ideal case , as close to a perfect ( 002 ) crystal orientation , with optimized film thickness and uniformity prior to introducing the stress adjustment . if the preliminary optimized deposition process produces tensile stress , the s - gun , by design , creates the opportunity for reducing the stress value to zero , or converting it to compressive stress , by means of film deposition with active rf substrate bias using power supply 200 . applying relatively low rf power in the range of 0 - 60 w enables a remarkable stress tailoring in the films from tensile + 300 mpa to compressive − 500 mp as illustrated in fig8 . the two - step deposition process taught in the present invention overcomes the limitations of current sputtering tools and processes for obtaining preferred crystal orientation in molybdenum films deposited with rf bias compared to the films deposited without rf bias . the two - step deposition for controlling the preferred crystallographic orientation in deposited molybdenum films behaves similarly for aluminum nitride . that is , the two - step process eliminates the observed limitations of existing tools and processes for achieving preferred crystallographic orientation of deposited films when aluminum nitride thin films are deposited with substrate bias . in the first step of the two - step process , the deposition is performed without bias on substrate 155 during film nucleation and initial grain formation , and then in the second step of the two - step process , rf bias is applied to substrate 155 during bulk film growth to preserve the preferred crystallographic orientation and to reduce tensile stress in the deposited aluminum nitride films . in this preferred embodiment , the deposition of aluminum nitride films on underlying molybdenum films with preferred crystallographic orientation is taught . this approach , however , is not limited to the use of aluminum nitride as the dielectric or to molybdenum as the underlying metal layer upon which the crystallographically - oriented dielectric layer is deposited . the two - step approach taught in the present invention can be effective for depositing any dielectric or conductive thin films that is reactively sputtered and any metal film that is sputtered using dc power applied to the target or targets . examples of other films that can be deposited using the present invention are titanium nitride , silicon nitride , aluminum oxide , silicon oxide , chromium oxynitride , tantalum oxide , tantalum nitride , platinum , chromium , nickel , nickel vanadium , ruthenium , iridium , among many others in which the sputter deposited films require preferred crystallographic orientation and low stress levels . other embodiments of the sputtering equipment and the applicable film structures will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art . the invention is , therefore , to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims . h . windischmann , crit . rev . solid state mater . sci . 17 , 547 ( 1992 ). k . f . chiu , z . h . barber , and r . e . somekh , thin solid films , 39 - 42 , 343 ( 1999 ). g . este and w . d . westwood , j . vac . sci . technol . a5 , 1892 ( 1987 ). g . iriarte , f . engelmark , m . ottosson , and i . katardjiev , j . mater . res . 18 , 423 ( 2003 ). y . oshmyansky , j . larson , r . ruby , and s . mishin , semicond . int ., march 2003 .	2
fig1 schematically illustrates a watercraft 1 with a water - jet drive mechanism 2 . same consists substantially of an elbow 3 , in which a propeller pump 4 is supported . the propeller pump is driven by a motor 5 through drive elements which will be described below . the elbow is pivotable about a pivot axis 6 and is supported drivably therefor . the propeller shaft which carries the propeller of the propeller pump 4 is inclined to the pivot axis . the ejector passage 7 of the elbow is directed inclined downwardly . the watercraft is driven by the ejected water jet and is controlled by pivoting the elbow . however , in the absence of the invention , the water jet is not angled downwardly , but instead the direction of the jet , as indicated at 8 , lies along the hull of the ship , which results in the above - described disadvantages . with the invention , which is described in greater detail hereafter in connection with fig2 and 3 , the water jet is directed at a downward inclination , as indicated at 9 . the water - jet drive mechanism will be referred to hereinafter more briefly as the drive mechanism . fig2 illustrates a drive mechanism , in which the propeller pump 10 is arranged , in contrast to fig1 parallel to but eccentrically of the pivot axis 6 of the elbow 3 . the propeller pump is driven by the motor 5 through a drive shaft 11 , a bevel gear set 12 , a spur gear set 13 and a propeller shaft 14 , on which the propeller of the propeller pump 10 is mounted . the invention is also usable for embodiments in which the propeller shaft is supported axially with respect to the pivot axis 6 . the elbow 3 is pivotally housed within a recess defined by a housing 20 fixed within the watercraft 1 . the elbow 3 can be pivoted about the axis 6 by being driven by a second motor 15 ( here mounted on the housing 20 ) through a gear drive 16 or the like . a suitable bearing 17 and seal 18 are provided between the elbow 3 and housing 20 . the elements and principles for this are known , and thus parts 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 are only schematically illustrated . the propeller pump 10 sucks water in through a suction passage 19 and ejects it through the ejector passage 7 in a desired direction depending on the position of the elbow . in the absence of the invention , the jet flows along the surface of the hull of the ship , as shown at 8 in fig1 . to prevent this , an inlet opening 21 is provided in the housing 20 and at least one opening 22 is provided in the elbow . the openings 21 and 22 form at least one passageway through which air can pass from outside the housing 20 into the ejector passage 7 . a gap 23 between the housing and the elbow acts as an annular groove , which insures that in every position of the elbow air can pass serially through the openings 21 and 22 . the gap 23 is sealed from the outside on the one side by the water and on the other side by the seal 18 . if necessary , several inlet openings , an additional annular groove and additional seals can be provided . the described air supply takes care that the water jet does not lie against the hull of the ship , but indeed exits at a downward inclination , as at 9 in fig1 . the exemplary embodiment according to fig3 differs from the one according to fig2 in that the pump shaft 25 , on which the impeller of a centrifugal pump 24 is mounted , is supported so as to be inclined to the swivel axis 6 . the torque is transmitted through a cardan shaft 26 . in place of the cardan shaft , a suitable gear drive , for example a bevel gear set , can be provided . the fig3 embodiment differs further from that of fig2 in that the inlet opening 27 is provided higher in the housing , so that the air enters an annular chamber 28 , which is provided above the elbow 29 . from here an opening 30 extends into the ejector passage 7 . the annular chamber 28 is sealed off like in fig2 . the air supply here too causes the water jet 9 to exit inclined downwardly . it is also advantageous for several reasons , for example for the noise damping , if the inlet opening , or openings , 21 or 27 is , or are , connected to the exhaust passage of the motor 5 . &# 34 ; motor &# 34 ; in the sense of the invention is any power engine which serves the drive , for example an internal combustion engine , a gas or steam turbine or a steam engine . although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes , it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus , including the rearrangement of parts , lie within the scope of the present invention .	1
as used herein , the term &# 34 ; polyethylene &# 34 ; means essentially linear homopolymers of ethylene as well as essentially linear interpolymers of at least about 90 mole percent ethylene and up to about 10 mole percent of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerizable therewith . the monomers suitably contain from about 3 to about 18 carbon atoms and include , for example , propylene , butene - 1 , pentene - 1 , 3 - methylbutene - 1 , 4 - methylpentene - 1 , hexene - 1 , octene - 1 , dodecene - 1 , octadecene - 1 , 1 , 7 - octadiene and the like . polyethylene resins are suitably prepared under conditions characteristic of ziegler polymerization in the presence of a transition metal - containing catalyst and at least one cocatalyst or activator . an illustrative catalyst is taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 244 , 838 . the use of that catalyst is taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 246 , 383 . other catalysts and processes may be used provided the polyethylene resins produced therewith meet the criteria specified herein . polyethylene resins used herein meet two criteria . first , the resins have a density of from about 0 . 94 to about 0 . 97 grams per cubic centimeter . second , the resins have a melt viscosity of from about 2000 to about 9000 poise ( 200 to 900 pascal seconds ). the polyethylene resins are beneficially chlorinated by the suspension or slurry process disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 454 , 544 , the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto . in a typical slurry chlorination run , the polyethylene resins is first chlorinated up to a chlorine content of from about two to about ten percent while being heated from a temperature of about 90 ° to about 110 ° centigrade over a suitable time interval , e . g ., about ten minutes . the partially chlorinated resin is then further chlorinated by one of two alternative schedules . in one schedule , chlorination is continued while the slurry is heated to a line - out temperature over a short time interval , e . g ., about twenty minutes . the line - out temperature is chosen to achieve a desired amount of residual crystallinity as reflected by heat of fusion . a typical line - out temperature is in the range of from about 115 ° to about 123 ° centigrade . the term &# 34 ; line - out &# 34 ; is used herein to refer to a constant temperature of isotherm at which the slurry is maintained until chlorination is complete . in the second alternative , there is no line - out temperature . the slurry is simply heated at a constant rate , while continuing chlorination , until a final temperature and a desired chlorine content are reached . the final temperature and the line - out temperature are less than the crystalline melting point of the polyethylene starting material . as a general rule , the final temperature used in the second alternative must be higher than the line - out temperature of the first alternative in order to achieve the same level of crystallinity . the second alternative is used when a higher 100 percent modulus rating is desired . as a general rule , 100 percent modulus decreases as the amount of chlorine added at the line - out temperature increases and vise versa . the temperatures and times are readily determined without undue experimentation . it has been found that the solution process usually provides noncrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resins when the chlorine content is from about 25 to about 29 percent by weight of polymer . the fluidized bed ( bulk ) process produces chlorinated polyethylene resins which , although suitable for purposes of the present invention , tend to be less stable and have higher 100 % modulus values than resins having the same chlorine content but prepared by the suspension process . as such , the suspension chlorination process is preferred over either of the other processes . the chorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention have certain characteristic properties . the characteristic properties include chlorine content , heat of fusion , lightly formulated 100 percent modulus and formulated low temperature brittleness rating . the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention have a chemically combined chlorine content which is suitably from about 20 to about 33 , beneficially from about 23 to about 30 and desirably from about 24 to about 26 percent by weight of polymer . it has been found that a formulated low temperature brittleness rating of less than about - 25 ° centigrade , e . g ., - 3020 centigrade , cannot be attained if the chemically combined chlorine content is less than about 21 percent or greater than about 33 percent , based on chlorinated polyethylene weight . the chlorinated polyethylene resins have a heat of fusion , measured by differential scanning calorimetry , of from about 7 . 5 to about 16 , desirably from about 8 to about 14 , calories per gram . it has been found that as heat of fusion increases at a constant chlorine content , the formulated low temperature brittleness rating also degrades , e . g ., it occurs at temperatures above - 2520 centigrade . accordingly , care must be taken to avoid an excessively high heat of fusion . a heat of fusion of less than about 7 . 5 calories per gram is also to be avoided because 100 % modulus decreases as heat of fusion decreases . the chlorinated polyethylene resins have a melt viscosity of from about 5 , 000 to about 11 , 000 , desirably from about 5 , 500 to about 10 , 000 , poise . in terms of pascal seconds , the viscosity is from about 500 to about 1100 , desirably from about 550 to about 1000 . at viscosities of less than about 500 pascal seconds , the formulated low temperature brittleness rating increases above - 25 ° centigrade . at viscosities of greater than about 1100 pascal seconds , the resin becomes very difficult to process on conventional extrusion or calendering equipment used in making roofing membranes and conventional extrusion equipment used in making cable jackets . the chlorinated polyethylene resin has a lightly formulated 100 percent modulus of from about 150 to about 750 pounds per square inch ( 1 . 0 to 5 . 2 megapascals ), desirably from about 350 to about 650 pounds per square inch ( 2 . 4 to about 4 . 5 megapascals ). the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention may be used in preparing a variety of articles , e . g ., polymer - based membranes , wire and cable jackets and the like . the membranes are beneficially thermoplastic , but may be thermoset if vulcanized , e . g ., by radiation curing . the thermoplastic membrances have a membrane blocking value which is suitably less than 1 . 5 pounds per inch ( 26 . 8 kilograms per meter ) and desirably less than or equal to 1 . 0 pound per inch ( 17 . 8 kilograms per meter ). the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention may be compounded with other components such as fillers , pigments , stabilizers , process aids and the like . amounts and types of &# 34 ; other components &# 34 ; will vary depending upon factors such as effect upon composition properties and cost . fillers which may be used in conjunction with the resins of the present invention are finely - divided , inorganic materials or natural or synthetic origin in the form of regular or irregular particles , platelets or fibrous pieces . suitable materials include various types and grades of calcium carbonate ( whiting ), calcium sulfate , mica , talc , kaolin and other clay minerals , silicates , silica , barytes , magnesium oxide , magnesium carbonate , aluminum trihydrate and the like , and mixtures of such fillers . the fillers are suitably of a fineness sufficient to pass through a 100 - mesh screen sieve ( u . s . standard sieve series ). the fillers beneficially have equivalent spherical diameters less than about 15 microns . the fillers , whether used in preparing roofing membranes or wire and cable compounds , are suitably present in an amount of from about 10 to about 80 parts per hundred parts by weight of chlorinated polyethylene resin . the fillers are desirably present in an amount of from about 10 to about 50 parts per hundred parts by weight of chlorinated polyethylene resin . organic and mineral pigments which may be used in combination with the chlorinated polyethylene resin in roofing membrane compounds or wire and cable jacketing compounds include carbon black , titanium dioxide and the like as well as mixtures thereof . the pigments are suitably present in an amount of from about 2 to about 50 parts per hundred parts of chlorinated polyethylene resin . the amount of pigment is desirably from about 10 to about 40 parts per hundred parts of chlorinated polyethylene resin . stabilizers are normally used in conjunction with the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention in order to protect said resins against possible decomposition by heat of processing and the like . stabilizers conventionally used in preparation of vinyl polymer and copolymer sheet compositions are generally suitable . examples include organic complexes , oxides and / or salts of lead , tin , barium , cadmium , magnesium , sodium , etc . specific examples include dibasic lead phthalate , lead oxide , magnesium oxide , magnesium hydroxide , sodium phosphate , magnesium carbonate , barium - cadmium stearate and the like . small quantities of such stabilizers are generally effective . two to twenty parts of stabilizer per hundred parts of chlorinated polyethylene resin are generally suitable . compounds including the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention are suitably mixed by a heated two roll mill , a banbury type mixer , a compounding extruder or equivalent mixing and compounding equipment . the semicrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention , when used as part of a wire and cable jacketing compound , are suitably blended with a conventional semicrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resin such as that commercially available from the dow chemical company under the trade designation tyrin ® 2552 . satisfactory results , in terms of physical property retention with improved processability , are obtained when the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention are present in an amount of from about zero to about 50 percent by weight of all chlorinated polyethylene in the compound . the amount is beneficially from about zero to about 40 , and desirably from about five to about 30 , percent by weight of total chlorinated polyethylene content . the amount will vary with the properties of the chlorinated polyethylene resin of the present invention and the properties desired of the compound . it is , however , readily discernible without undue experimentation . commercially and practically viable wire and cable jacketing compounds have an elongation greater than about 350 percent , a 100 % modulus greater than about 1000 pounds per square inch ( psi ) ( 6 . 9 megapascals ( mpa )), an ultimate tensile strength greater than about 1300 psi ( 9 . 0 mpa ) and a low temperature brittleness rating of less than about - 25 ° centigrade . the following examples are solely for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention . all parts and percentages are on a weight basis unless otherwise stated . all water used herein is deionized unless otherwise stated . examples of the present invention are identified numerically whereas comparative examples are identified alphabetically . an aqueous slurry comprising about twenty pounds ( 9 . 07 kilograms ) of polyethylene resin , 25 milliliters of a surfactant commercially available from thomson hayward under the trade designation t - det n 9 . 5 , 100 grams of talc , commercially available from cyprus industrial minerals company under the trade designation mistron vapor ® and 189 pounds ( 85 . 73 kilograms ) of water was charged into a reactor and heated to a temperature of 100 ° centigrade . after venting the reactor to remove oxygen , the slurry was cooled to a temperature of about 95 ° centigrade before starting addition of gaseous chlorine . in stage one , chlorine was added to the reactor at a rate of 0 . 268 pounds per minute ( 0 . 12 kilograms per minute ), while the slurry was heated at a constant rate over a period of about 13 minutes to a temperature of about 110 ° centigrade . the chemically combined chlorine content at th end of the first stage was calculated to be about eight percent . in stage two , the slurry was heated at a constant rate over a period of about 23 minutes to a line - out temperature of from about 15 to about 123 ° centigrade while gaseous chlorine was added at a rate of 0 . 214 pounds per minute ( 0 . 097 kilograms per minute ). at a temperature of about 115 ° centigrade , an additional 100 grams of talc and two liters of water were added to the slurry . the chemically combined chlorine content at the end of the second stage was about 17 percent . chlorination was continued at the line - out temperature and the same flow rate of gaseous chlorine until a desired chemically combined chlorine content and heat of fusion were obtained . by way of example , a chlorine content of about 25 percent was obtained by chlorination at the line - out temperature for a period of about 23 minutes . the chlorinated resin was then cooled , washed with water and dried for further testing and compounding . table i contains a listing of the polyethylene resins chlorinated by the foregoing procedure . resin a was a powder prepared by a slurry process . it was not commercially available . resins b through e were prepared by a solution process and commercially available in pellet form from the dow chemical company under the trade designations listed in table i . accordingly , resins b through e were ground using the thermofine size reduction system ( standard se - 12 - c mill ) commercially available from wedco to a particle size of about 13 mils ( 0 . 33 millimiter ) prior to chlorination . table i______________________________________polyethylene feedstocks melt weightresin index vis - heat of averageidenti - ( g / 10 cosity fusion molecular tradefication min ) ( poise ) ( cal / g ) weight designation______________________________________a 8 . 58 3441 47 . 16 86 , 000 not applicableb 4 . 0 8535 34 . 36 86 , 000 pe / hd 04052nc 12 . 0 3875 34 . 08 62 , 000 pe / hd 12050nd 17 . 0 2893 33 . 37 54 , 000 pe / hd 17050ne 30 . 0 2031 38 . 05 57 , 000 pe / hd 30060m______________________________________ a . 100 parts of a chlorinated polyethylene resin prepared as hereinabove specified ; b . 2 . 5 parts of a barium - cadmium - zinc stabilizer commercially available from argus chemical under the trade designation mark ® 7119 ; c . 1 . 5 parts of an oxidized polyethylene wax commercially available from allied chemical corporation under the trade designation 629a wax ; e . 10 parts of talc commercially available from cyprus industrial minerals company under the trade designation mistron vapor ®; f . 0 . 7 parts pf a pentaerythritol diphosphite antioxidant commercially available from borg - warner chemical company under the trade designation ultranox ® 626 ; g . 0 . 5 parts of dilauryl thiodipropionate , a thioester antioxidant commercially available from carstab corporation under the trade designation dltdp ; h . 0 . 5 parts of an alkylated phenol antioxidant commercially available from ciba - geigy corporation under the trade designation irganox ® 1076 ; and i . 25 parts of titanium dioxide commercially available from e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; company under the trade designation tipure ® r - 960 . the physical blend was converted to a fused mixture using a two roll plastic compounding mill . the two roll mill had a set roll temperature of 320 ° fahrenheit ( 160 ° centigrade ). the fused mixture was then further processed on the same two roll mill at the same set temperature for an additional five minutes . the further processed mixture was removed from the two roll mill in the form of a smooth heat plastified sheet . the sheet had a thickness of 80 - 90 mils ( 0 . 20 - 0 . 23 centimeters ). pieces of the sheet were compression molded to form samples having a thickness of 0 . 065 inches ( 0 . 165 centimeters ). compression molding was accomplished in the following sequential manner using a hydraulic press : a . heating at a temperature of 350 ° fahrenheit ( 177 ° centigrade ) and at a force of 100 pounds per square inch ( 70 , 307 kilograms per square meter ) for a period of three minutes ; b . heating at the same temperature , but at a force of 333 pounds per square inch ( 234 , 122 kilograms per square metal ), for a period of three minutes ; c . cooling by circulating ambient water ( about 70 ° fahrenheit or about 21 ° centigrade ) through the press while maintaining the force at 333 pounds per square inch ( 234 , 122 kilograms per square meter ) for a period of three minutes . test specimens were cut from the samples so prepared for testing as hereinafter set forth . a . an amount ( see table iv ) of a chlorinated polyethylene resin having a chemically combined chlorine content of 25 percent , a nominal melt viscosity of 12 , 500 poise and a nominal heat of fusion of 11 calories per gram and being commercially available from the dow chemical company under the trade designation tyrin ® 2552 ; b . an amount ( see table iv ) of one of the chlorinated polyethylene resins ( see , table ii ) prepared as specified herein ; c . 6 parts of a lead phthalate stabilizer commercially available from associated lead company under the trade designatio dythal ® xl ; e . 2 parts of the oxidized polyethylene wax used in preparing roofing membrane test samples ; f . 0 . 5 parts of a polymerized 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethylquinoline antioxidant commercially available from r . t . vanderbilt company incorporated under the trade designation agerite ® resin d powder ; g . 20 parts of carbon black commercially available from cabot corporation under the trade designation n - 330 ; h . 25 parts of the talc used in preparing roofing membrane test samples ; i . 6 parts of a chlorinated polyethylene compound containing 85 % antimony oxide commercially available from wyrough & amp ; loser under the trade designation ha - 85 ; j . 14 . 7 parts of a chlorinated polyethylene compound containing 80 percent decabromodiphenyloxide , commercially available from wyrough & amp ; loser under the trade designatin he - 25 ; and k . 25 parts of a high density polyethylene resin ( see , resin e , table i ). an &# 34 ; upside - down &# 34 ; mixing technique was used to compound the listed components in a br - size banbury mixer . the term &# 34 ; upside - down &# 34 ; means that the resinous components ( a ) and ( b ) were added to the mixer last rather than first . the components were mixed adiabatically and converted to a fused mixture according to the following schedule : ( a ) three minutes at 77 revolutions per minute ( 8 radians per second ); ( b ) three minutes at 116 revolutions per minute ( 12 radians per second ); and ( c ) three minutes at 155 revolutions per minute ( 16 radians per second ). the fused mixture was removed from the mixer when the mixture reached a temperature of about 300 ° fahrenheit ( 149 ° centigrade ). the fused mixture was further processed for a period of three minutes using a two roll plastic compounding mill . the two roll mill had a set roll temperature of 325 ° fahrenheit ( 163 ° centigrade ). the further processed fused mixture was removed from the two roll mill in the form of a smooth heat plastified sheet . the sheet had a thickness of about 200 mils ( 5 . 1 millimeters ). a 600 gram quantity of the sheet was returned to the two roll mill and further mixed for a period of 5 minutes . the two roll mill had a set roll temperature of 325 ° fahrenheit ( 163 ° centigrade ). the further mixed sheet was removed from the two roll mill in the form of a smooth heat plastified sheet . the sheet had a thickness of about 90 mils ( 2 . 3 millimeters ). pieces of the 90 mil ( 2 . 3 millimeter ) sheet were compression molded to form samples having a thickness of about 75 mils ( 1 . 9 millimeters ). compression molding was accomplished in the following sequential manner using a hydraulic press : ( a ) heating at a temperature of 350 ° fahrenheit ( 177 ° centigrade ) and at a force of 0 pounds per square inch for a period of 3 minutes ; ( b ) heating at the same temperature but at a force of 500 pounds per square inch ( 351 , 535 kilograms per square meter ) for a period of 3 minutes ; and ( c ) cooling by circulating ambient water ( about 70 ° fahrenheit or 21 ° centigrade ) through the press while maintaining the force at 351 , 535 kilograms per square meter for a period of 3 minutes . test bar specimens were cut from the samples so prepared for testing as hereinafter set forth . two test bar specimens ( strips ) measuring two inches by six inches ( 5 . 1 centimeters by 15 . 2 centimeters ) are used for this test . the strips are laid flat on a suitable support , such as a board , in a forced air convection oven with one strip being superimposed on the other strip . at one end of the paired strips , a separator sheet , e . g ., a polyethylene film , is placed between the two strips so they are not in intimate contact for about two inches of their length . a metal block measuring two inches ( 5 . 1 centimeters ) on a side and weighing four pounds ( 1 . 8 kilograms ) is placed on top of the paired strips at the end opposite the separator sheet so that it covers an area of two inches by two inches ( 5 . 1 centimeters by 5 . 1 centimeters ). the oven has a set temperature of 200 ° fahrenheit ( 93 . 3 ° centigrade ). with the block and separator strip in place the strips are left in the oven for a period of 1 hour at the set temperature . after the one hour period , the block is removed from the strips and the strips are removed from the oven . the strips are then transferred to a cooling chamber wherein astm standard conditions are maintained . astm standard conditions are 23 °± 2 ° centigrade and 50 ± 5 % humidity . the strips are left in the cooling chamber for a period of 24 hours . after being cooled , the strips are removed from the cooling chamber . the ends of the strips separated by the separator sheet are placed in the jaws of a tensile testing machine ( 180 ° peel ) and pulled apart at a rate of five inches per minute ( two centimeters per minute ). the force in pounds required to peel the strips apart is divided by the width of the strip in inches to provide a &# 34 ; membrane blocking value &# 34 ;. b ultimate tensile strength -- astm test d - 412 - 80 , method a using two inch by one inch ( 5 . 1 by 2 . 5 centimeter ) strips . the strips were placed in an instron tensile testing apparatus with a 0 . 5 inch ( 1 . 3 centimeter ) gap and pulled apart at a crosshead speed of 20 inches ( 50 . 8 centimeters ) per minute . f . melt viscosity -- measured with a capillary rheometer having a capillary size of 0 . 05 by 2 inches ( 0 . 13 by 5 . 08 centimeters ) at a temperature of 190 ° centigrade and a shear rate of 145 reciprocal seconds . g . heat of fusion -- determined by differential scanning calorimetry over a temperature range of either 360 °- 420 ° kelvin or 320 °- 420 ° kelvin [ example 6 ( table ii ) only ] at a rate of heating of 10 ° kelvin per minute . test bar specimens prepared as hereinabove specified are tested by the following american society for testing and materials ( astm ) test methods : d . melt viscosity -- measured with a capillary rheometer having a capillary size of 0 . 05 by 2 inches ( 0 . 13 by 5 . 08 centimeters ) at a temperature of 190 ° centigrade and a shear rate of 145 reciprocal seconds . the chlorination procedure detailed herein was used , except for example 3 , to prepare a number of chlorinated polyethylene resins . in example 3 , the rate of gaseous chlorine addition was one - half the rate for the other examples and comparative examples . table ii identifies the polyethylene starting materials and lists selected physical properties of the chlorinated resins . table ii__________________________________________________________________________chlorinated polyethylene physical property data formulatedexample / low temper - lightly formulatedcompara - polyeth - heat of ature 100 % modulustive ylene percent fusion viscosity brittleness psi / mpaexample resin chlorine ( cal / g ) ( poise ) (° c .) 25 ° c . 80 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________1 a 29 . 1 9 . 0 6880 - 34 303 / 2 . 1 86 / 5 . 9a a 25 . 1 0 . 1 4276 - 36 317 / 2 . 2 30 / 2 . 1b a 26 . 5 22 . 6 6452 - 10 1221 / 8 . 4 398 / 2 . 72 a 21 . 6 12 . 2 5225 - 27 731 / 5 . 0 185 / 1 . 33 a 25 . 1 12 . 8 5878 - 30 498 / 3 . 4 167 / 1 . 14 a 25 . 0 11 . 8 5884 - 32 473 / 3 . 3 112 / 7 . 75 e 24 . 1 15 . 1 6191 - 42 731 / 5 . 0 217 / 1 . 5c b 24 . 7 6 . 8 13 , 400 - 51 468 / 3 . 2 117 / 8 . 1d a 34 . 6 7 . 2 9133 - 17 260 / 1 . 8 82 / 5 . 6e a 24 . 6 25 . 5 7398 + 1 1305 / 9 . 0 393 / 2 . 76 a 20 . 3 8 . 3 4606 - 33 738 / 5 . 1 156 / 1 . 1f b 24 . 1 9 . 3 16 , 060 - 52 512 / 3 . 5 173 / 1 . 2g a 29 . 9 18 . 2 9380 -- 984 / 6 . 8 384 / 2 . 67 c 23 . 8 9 . 4 9627 - 42 470 / 3 . 2 142 / 9 . 88 a 23 . 6 9 . 1 5249 - 37 384 / 2 . 6 88 / 6 . 19 d 23 . 8 8 . 6 7880 - 40 424 / 2 . 9 119 / 8 . 210 e 24 . 3 12 . 9 5105 - 32 596 / 4 . 1 179 / 1 . 211 a 25 . 7 11 . 2 6881 - 29 474 / 3 . 3 -- h a 24 . 9 17 . 1 5627 -- 1111 / 7 . 7 -- __________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ;--&# 34 ; means not measured . certain of the chlorinated polyethylene resins listed in table ii were fabricated into roofing membrane samples using the procedure detailed herein . results of physical property testing of the samples are presented in table iii . table iii__________________________________________________________________________physical property data for roofing formulationsresinexample / tear sheet low temperaturecomparative 100 % modulus at hardness type &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; blocking brittlenessexample 25 ° c . ( psi / mpa ) shore a ( lb / in / kg / m ) ( lb / in / kg / m ) (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________1 430 / 3 . 0 75 193 / 3447 0 . 8 / 14 . 3 - 342 912 / 6 . 3 86 286 / 5107 0 . 4 / 7 . 1 - 353 673 / 4 . 6 83 258 / 4607 1 . 4 / 25 . 0 - 304 570 / 3 . 9 85 228 / 4072 1 . 2 / 21 . 4 - 325 860 / 5 . 9 89 274 / 4893 1 . 0 / 17 . 8 - 426 883 / 6 . 1 86 301 / 5375 1 . 0 / 17 . 8 - 33a 440 / 3 . 0 77 154 / 2750 7 . 0 / 125 . 0 - 36b 1500 / 10 . 3 89 416 / 7429 0 / 0 - 10c 598 / 4 . 1 77 237 / 4232 1 . 5 / 26 . 8 - 51d 354 / 2 . 4 72 167 / 2982 1 . 5 / 26 . 8 - 17e 1488 / 10 . 2 88 385 / 6875 0 / 0 + 1f 668 / 4 . 6 88 231 / 4125 1 . 8 / 32 . 1 - 52__________________________________________________________________________ a review of the data presented in tables ii and iii amply demonstrates the suitability of the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention and distinguishes them from the resins of comparative examples a - f . the resins of comparative examples a - f are unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons . comparative examples b , d and e have low temperature brittleness ratings which are above - 2520 centigrade . comparative examples c and f have viscosities too high for fabrication into roofing membranes using conventional equipment . comparative example a is not a semicrystalline resin . comparative example a also has an excessively high blocking value . similar satisfactory results are obtained with other chlorinated polyethylene resins which are representative of the present invention . a number of wire and cable formulation blends were prepared , fabricated into test bar samples and evaluated for physical properties as specified hereinabove . results of the testing are presented in table iv . the resin identified as &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; is tyrin ® 2552 . the data presented in table iv clearly illustrate the beneficial effect of blending one of the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention with a conventional semicrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resin . the data shows improved processability , in terms of lower viscosity , without appreciable degradation of desirable physical properties . similar benefits are attained with other chlorinated polyethylene resins within the scope of the present invention . table iv______________________________________ physical property data forwire & amp ; cable blendchlorinated poly - ethylene resin a - ultimate percent 100 % mounts by resin type * tensile elon - viscosity modulust 1 2 4 ( psi / mpa ) gation ( poise ) ( psi / mpa ) ______________________________________100 0 0 0 1423 / 9 . 8 388 14 , 900 1111 / 7 . 775 25 0 0 1374 / 9 . 5 473 13 , 190 1068 / 7 . 475 0 25 0 1426 / 9 . 8 444 12 , 440 1157 / 8 . 075 0 0 25 1312 / 9 . 0 465 12 , 260 1074 / 7 . 450 0 0 50 1227 / 8 . 5 443 10 , 080 1057 / 7 . 325 0 0 75 1112 / 7 . 7 422 9 , 305 1037 / 7 . 1______________________________________ * see table ii	2
referring initially to fig1 a , a typical molecule 10 from which nmr information is to be obtained is illustrated . molecule 10 is a type ab 3 molecule in which scalar coupling exists between a single hydrogen atom 10a , having a single bond with a middle carbon atom in the ha ( a ) moiety , and the three hydrogen atoms 10b , each having a bond with an end carbon atom in the hb ( b 3 ) moiety . when this molecule is subjected to a polarizing magnetic field b 0 and a transverse rf excitation field b 1 is applied , a nmr signal is produced by this molecule which has a number of resonant peaks . since the ha ( a ) hydrogen atom 10a can have the spin of its nucleus pointing either up or down , the nuclear spins of the hb ( b 3 ) atoms 10b encounter one of two different local environments , so that the peak of their resonance is split into a doublet of spectral lines , each of a substantially similar amplitude . similarly , the three b hydrogen atoms 10b can assume spin configurations with any one of : all three spins pointing in the upward direction , one spin in the downward direction and the other two spins in the upward direction , two spins in the downward direction and one spin in the upward direction , or all three spins in the downward direction . therefore , the a hydrogen atom 10a sees four different environments and its resonance is split into a quartet of spectral lines , having relative intensities 1 : 3 : 3 : 1 . an example of the transformed nmr signal produced by the molecule 10 is shown in fig1 b . the nmr signal has been converted to the frequency domain such that its signal components are shown as peaks , or &# 34 ; spectral components &# 34 ;, at different frequencies along the horizontal frequency axis . one spectral component produced by the hydrogen nuclei in the water is shown at the frequency ω h , although it can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that there are typically many other unwanted spectral components present which are produced by uncoupled resonant spin . these other spectral components are often many orders of magnitude greater than the desired spectral components . the nmr signal components due to the a hydrogen spin resonance ha ( a ) of the illustrative molecule 10 provides the quartet of spectral components r , s , t and u at respective frequencies ω r , ω s , ω t and ω u . each of these peaks are separated by the spin - spin coupling constant j . the b hydrogen resonances hb ( b 3 ) provide the doublet spectral components v and w , at respective frequencies ω v and ω w . the separation therebetween is determined by the same spin - spin coupling constant j . the sum of the frequency offsets from the rf transmitter for the two coupled protons ( h a and h b ) defines the double quantum modulation frequency ( dqmf ). the shift correlation pulse sequence is a sequence in which a pair of rf pulses separated by an evolution period create coherence of the spin populations in the nmr spin system . these coherences evolve during the time period ( t 1 ) between rf pulses and with coupled spins this results in the phase modulation of the detected nmr signal . spin resonances which are coupled exhibit modulation frequencies which can be exploited to correlate coupled spin resonances . the present invention enables this phenomena to be used in the production of correlation maps without the need for time consuming phase cycling . fig3 is a simplified block diagram of the major components of an nmr system suitable for acquiring the data according to the present invention . the system , generally designated 400 , is made up of a general purpose minicomputer 401 which is functionally coupled to disk storage unit 403 and an interface unit 405 . an rf transmitter 402 , signal averager 404 , and gradient power supplies 406 , 408 and 410 for energizing , respectively , g x , g y and g z gradient coils 416 , 418 , and 420 , are coupled to computer 401 through interface unit 405 . rf transmitter 402 contains an rf oscillator oscillating at the desired larmor frequency . the transmitter is gated with pulse envelopes from computer 401 to generate rf pulses having the required modulation to excite resonance in the object under study . the rf pulses are amplified in rf power amplifier 412 to levels varying from 100 watts to several kilowatts and applied to transmitter coil 424 . the nmr signal is sensed by receiver coil 426 , amplified in a low noise preamplifier 422 , and applied for further amplification , detection , and filtering to receiver 414 . the signal is then digitized for averaging by signal averager 404 and for processing by computer 401 . preamplifier 422 and receiver 414 are protected from the rf pulses during transmission by active gating or by passive filtering . computer 401 provides gating and envelope modulation for nmr pulses , blanking for the preamplifier and rf power amplifier , and voltage waveforms for the gradient power supplies . it also advances the gradients and the frequency of rf pulses during scanning . the computer also performs data processing such as fourier transforms , data filtering , and storage functions . referring particularly to fig7 the transmit coil 424 and the receive coil 426 are formed on a cylindrical glass insert 30 that is supported in a holder 31 made of a nonconductive material such as the ceramic sold under the trademark &# 34 ; macor &# 34 ;. an rf shield 32 is formed by a thin 1 mil copper sheet that is bonded to the inner surface of the holder 31 . the probe is further supported by a nonconductive cover 33 . a sample volume 38 is thus provided which receives a nmr sample tube ( not shown ). magnetic field gradient coils 416 , 418 , and 420 ( fig3 ) are necessary to provide gradients g x , g y and g z , respectively . in the nmr pulse sequences described herein , the gradients should be monotonic and linear over the region of interest . and most importantly , the gradient fields produced by the coils 416 , 418 and 420 must be precise in their amplitude and duration since the accuracy of the measurements depends upon the ability of the nmr system to dephase the transverse magnetization by a selected amount and to then rephase by the same selected amount . this requires not only that the gradient coils produce the commanded magnetic fields , but that those fields are not distorted by eddy currents induced in conductive elements such as the rf coils 424 and 426 and the surrounding structures used to produce the polarizing magnetic field . accordingly , it is a teaching of the present invention that actively shielded gradient coils be employed such as those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 737 , 716 which issued on apr . 12 , 1988 , which is entitled &# 34 ; self - shielded gradient coils for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging ,&# 34 ; and which is incorporated herein by reference . shielded gradient coils 416 for producing the g x magnetic field gradient are illustrated in fig6 . these include two coil sets 416a and 416b which are connected in series to conduct the same current from the gradient amplifiers . one set of gradient coils 416a is located radially inward from the second set of gradient coils 416b and both are formed on a cylindrical insulating sleeve 37 . the current flowing through the gradient coils 416a produces the desired magnetic field gradient pattern within the region of interest 38 along the central axis 39 , and the same current flows through the gradient coils 416b to produce a magnetic field that precisely cancels the magnetic field produced outside the central region of interest 38 . thus , the gradient field does not reach the surrounding polarizing magnet structure ( not shown ) and does not induce eddy currents therein which would otherwise distort the magnetic field gradient in the region of interest 38 . the first preferred embodiment of the invention employs a cosy pulse sequence illustrated in fig4 . as with the conventional cosy sequence shown in fig2 the improved sequence employs a pair of 90 ° rf excitation pulses 50 and 51 separated by an evolution period t 1 . an nmr echo signal 52 is produced after production of the second rf excitation pulse 51 , and it is acquired and digitized over a time period t 2 . a series of such measurements are conducted with the value of t 1 incrementally stepped through a series of values . a two dimensional array of nmr data is thus acquired with the values of t 1 disposed along one dimension of the array and the values of t 2 disposed along the other dimension . when a two dimensional fourier transform is performed on this nmr data array , it is transformed to the frequency domain and used to produce a two dimensional correlation map . in contrast to the conventional cosy measurement , however , the pulse sequence of the present invention employs a pair of gradient pulses 53 and 54 to select the desired coherence . the gradient pulses 53 and 54 are disposed on each side of the second rf pulse 51 and they are precisely the same in magnitude . the first gradient pulse 53 dephases the transverse magnetization produced by the first rf pulse 50 , the second rf pulse 51 and the second gradient pulse 54 refocuses the desired , dephased transverse magnetization to produce the nmr echo signal 52 . no phase cycling is required when the gradient pulses 53 and 54 are employed to select coherence , and thus , only a single measurement is required for each value of t 1 . this is substantially quicker than the eight or more measurements required by the conventional cosy sequence . to provide meaningful results , however , it is imperative that the magnitudes of the gradient pulses 53 and 54 be precisely controlled to rephase the transverse magnetization by exactly the same selected amount that it was dephased . in the preferred embodiment this is achieved by producing two gradient pulses of identical shape and peak amplitude , but it should be apparent that the term &# 34 ; magnitude &# 34 ; as used herein refers to the total area under the applied gradient pulse waveform . thus a second gradient pulse of equal magnitude can be produced with a pulse of shorter duration , higher amplitude or with a pulse of longer duration , lower amplitude than the first gradient pulse . in the first preferred embodiment a spectrum of strychnine was obtained as a 512 by 512 array of nmr data in a 9 . 4 tesla polarizing magnetic field . the transformed array had a spectral width in both dimensions of 3500 hertz and a single measurement was conducted at each value of t 1 with a pre - delay of 1 second . to select the desired coherence , two millisecond , half - sinusoid gradient pulses 53 and 54 were applied with a maximum gradient of [. ] 8 gauss / cm . a double quantum version of the cosy measurement is illustrated by the pulse sequence of fig5 . in this second preferred embodiment of the invention three 90 ° rf excitation pulses 60 , 61 and 62 are applied to produce a single quantum evolution period t 1 and a double quantum evolution period t m . a first gradient pulse 63 is applied during the first evolution period t 1 to dephase the transverse magnetization prior to the second rf pulse 61 , and a second gradient pulse 64 is applied during the evolution period t m to dephase the new coherence states generated by the second rf pulse 61 . and finally , a third gradient pulse 65 is applied after the third rf pulse 62 to refocus the desired magnetization and produce an echo nmr signal 66 . the gradient pulses 63 - 65 are two milliseconds in duration and they produce gradients having amplitudes of . 8 gauss / cm , . 8 gauss / cm , and - 2 . 4 gauss / cm respectively . one third of the gradient pulse 65 refocuses the single quantum coherence dephased during the t 1 evolution period , and two thirds of the gradient pulse 65 serves to refocus the double quantum coherence dephased during the t m evolution period . the pulse sequence is repeated for a succession of values of t 1 to produce a two - dimensional array of nmr data in which one dimension is time t 2 and the other dimension is time t 1 . a correlation map is produced by performing a two - dimensional fourier transformation on this data array . as with the cosy sequence of fig4 the magnitudes of the gradient pulses 63 , 64 and 65 must be precisely controlled to produce meaningful data , and to accomplish this it has been found necessary to employ actively shielded gradient coils as described above . while high precision is thus required , the benefits are enormous since only a single measurement is required for each value of the evolution time t 1 rather than the eight or more measurements required by prior techniques .	6
referring to the drawings for a better understanding of the present invention , as shown in fig1 the squareangle 10 is depicted as checking the bevel of an unknown angle on the edge of a flat object a . the squareangle blade 21 is pivotably attached to the outside perfect square base 13 with lockknob 24 . the squareangle 10 contains within itself a hole 18 which is also a perfect square . triangle 16 is affixed to the base of the squareangle , and scale 15 is rigidly attached to the front of the base of the squareangle 10 . as shown in fig2 squareangle 10 is formed of a rigid material having opposite sides 11 and 13 parallel to each other and precisely perpendicular to side 12 at the base and rectangular edge 14 at the top of the device with side 12 parallel to rectangular edge 14 . a square opening 18 is formed in squareangle 10 at equal distances from the edges of the outer sides 11 , 12 , 13 , and rectangular straight edge 14 . triangle 16 , formed of rigid material , having two 45 degree angles 16a and 16b at the base and one right angle 16c . the base of triangle 16 is the same length as the base of the squareangle 10 . triangle 16 is affixed to the rear of base 12 as is shown in fig4 . slotted rectangular straight edge 14 is located directly opposite but parallel to base 12 of the squareangle . rectangular straight edge 14 is slotted as shown in fig3 with slot 17 parallel to the longer side of rectangular straight edge to accommodate blade 21 which is attached to rectangular straight edge 14 by pivot screw 23 and held firmly by lockknob 24 . rectangular straight edge 14 is formed of rigid material and is attached to the squareangle 10 with edge 14t being parallel to side 12 and tangent to the square outer edge and edge 14b being parallel to side 12 and tangent to the square inner edge . as shown in fig2 rectangular straight edge 14 also has a semi - circular grove 19 removed and which is recessed into slot 17 to allow simple upward access to blade 21 thereby allowing it to be pushed upward from the slot 17 in a circular motion around pivot screw 23 . blade 21 , having two parallel edges 21t and 21b , is slightly less in length than slotted rectangular edge 14 . blade 21 is rotatively attached to squareangle through pivot hole 24a by pivot screw 23 and held in position by lock knob 24 as shown in fig3 and 4 . blade 21 is rotatively attached to squareangle so that blade edges 21t and 21b can be rotatively positioned precisely parallel to rectangular straight edge 14 , and blade 21 can be rotated around pivot screw 23 so that blade edges 21t and 21b are positioned precisely parallel to side 11 . as shown in fig2 blade 21 comes to a point at 22c formed by the junction of blade edges 22a and 22b at the center line of blade 21 . scribe hole 22 is located on the center line of blade 21 near point 22c . blade top edge 21t is parallel along its length to blade bottom edge 21b . the pivot end of blade 21 is rounded to a perfect semi - circle with pivot hole 24a positioned in the center of the radius of the circle . blade 21 can be locked at any angle through its rotation by engaging lockknob 24 , and it can be fully retracted within slot 17 of rectangular straight edge 14 . blade 21 is constructed symmetrically and is of sufficient weight to hang vertically as a plumb when not locked in position firmly by lockknob 24 . referring to fig2 a thin scale 15 is scribed unto or is affixed to the front surface of squareangle base 12 . a legible mark 15a is scribed on scale 15 to indicate a level or plumb condition when point 22c of blade 21 is centered precisely on mark 15a . scale 15 can be used for measuring distance or scribing lines using a bottom scale for english measuring units and a top scale for metric units . the functions which can be performed by the squareangle device are illustrated in fig5 through 10 . fig5 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to mark a 45 degree angle on surface a on either the right using side 11 or the left side utilizing rectangular straight edge 14 . fig1 and 6 show positioning of squareangle 10 to record an unknown angle on the edge of object a . blade 21 is positioned with its top edge 21t parallel and abutting the unknown angle on the edge of the frame a and held in position by lockknob 24 . the 90 ° compliment of the unknown angle , which can not be determined with the use of a conventional bevel , is obtained between bottom edge 21b and rectangular straight edge 14 . fig7 depicts the positioning of squareangle 10 to check the inside squareness formed by junction of surfaces b and b - 1 . side 13 is placed parallel and abutting to one edge of surface b to be checked . the absence of a gap between the bottom edge of squareangle side 12 and the top edge of surface b - 1 indicates perfect inside squareness of surfaces b and b - 1 . fig7 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to check the outside squareness of the angle formed by the junction of two edges a and a - 1 . blade 21 is positioned with edge 21b parallel and continuous to top edge of rectangular straight edge 14 . squareangle side 11 is placed parallel and abutting to outer edge a of the surface to be checked . the absence of a gap between blade edge 21t and outer edge of surface a - 1 indicates perfect squareness of the outer angle formed by the junction of a and a - 1 . fig7 also depicts the positioning of squareangle 10 to locating the center of a dowel or circle . squareangle 10 is positioned with triangle 16 facing front . dowel c is placed inside the square opening and abutting side 11 and base side 12 ( as shown in fig7 ) or abutting side 13 and base side 12 . a line is scribed across dowel c using the adjoining edge of triangle 16 . dowel c is rotated to any extent and must remain abutting the inside sides of the squareangle ; a second line is scribed across dowel c . the intersection of the two scribed lines on dowel c is the center point . the device can also be used to locate the center of a square of octagon in a similar manner ( not shown ). fig8 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to mark a 90 degree angle on surface a with triangle 16 facing front . rectangular straight edge 14 is positioned abutting one edge of surface a with the edge abutting the flat surface of sides 11 and 13 . a 90 degree reference angle may be scribed on surface a using either the outside or inside edge of side 13 on the right or side 11 on the left of squareangle 10 . fig9 indicates the positioning of squareangle 10 for marking a line parallel to one edge of flat object b . rectangular straight edge 14 is positioned abutting the bottom edge of the flat surface to be marked . blade 21 is positioned at height where parallel line d is required and locked firmly in position by lockknob 24 . a line d parallel to the bottom edge of object b can be marked or scribed using a pencil or scribe in hole 22 and moving squareangle 10 along the surface of surface b while rectangular straight edge 14 continues to abut along the bottom edge of object b . fig9 also depicts positioning of squareangle 10 to mark off a distance using scale 15 which can be marked with both english and metric measuring units . fig1 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to check plumb with reference to surface a . outside edge 13 is positioned firmly abutting surface a . lockknob 24 is loosened to permit blade 21 to move freely . blade point 22c will be centered precisely with mark 15a if surface a is plumb with reference to squareangle 10 . fig1 also indicates positioning of squareangle 10 to check for levelness of surface b . bottom edge of base side 12 is positioned firmly abutting the top edge of surface b . lockknob 24 is loosened to permit blade 21 to move freely . blade point 22c will be centered precisely with mark 15a if surface b is level with base side 12 of squareangle 10 . because other variations , sizes , changes , and modifications may be made to the embodiments described , it is intended that all matter in the foregoing description be interpreted as illustrative and not as limitations of my invention or the scope of the appended claims .	6
hereinafter , an embodiment of an electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . an electric vacuum cleaner 10 shown in fig1 includes a vacuum cleaner body 20 . the front portion of the vacuum cleaner body 20 is provided with a hose connection port 21 . a dust collection hose 12 has one end detachably connected to the hose connection port 21 and has the other end provided with a hand operation unit 13 . an extension wand 14 is detachably connected to the hand operation unit 13 . a suction port 15 is detachably connected to the leading end portion of the extension wand 14 . the hand operation unit 13 is provided with an operation part 13 a including a plurality of operation switches s . the vacuum cleaner body 20 includes a body case 30 , a dust collection container 50 detachably mounted on the body case 30 and a cover body 40 having the back portion connected to the body case 30 by a hinge so as to be openable and closable in the up and down direction , as illustrated in fig2 . in addition , an electric fan 33 ( refer to fig3 ) is built in a back portion 30 a of the body case 30 , and a cord reel 34 is disposed below the electric fan 33 . a plate - like mounting section 35 is provided in front of the body case 30 ( on the left side in fig3 ). the dust collection container 50 is detachably mounted on the mounting section 35 . the cover body 40 and the mounting section 35 enclose the dust collection container 50 , so as to fasten the dust collection container 50 when the cover body 40 is closed . the cover body 40 is provided with a tube portion 22 as shown in fig3 . the leading end of the tube portion 22 is the hose connection port 21 and the back end of the tube portion 22 is a connection opening 23 . a front opening ( not shown ) is formed in a front wall portion 31 ( reference to fig2 ) of the back portion 30 a . the front opening communicates with a suction opening 33 a of the electric fan 33 via a communication air path ( not shown ). the communication air path opposed to the front opening is provided with a dust removing device 90 . the dust removing device 90 includes a reciprocating body ( not shown ) for reciprocating in the width direction of the body case 30 ( in the direction orthogonal to the page space of fig3 ) and a projection 91 provided in the reciprocating body . the projection 91 shallowly engages with a top portion of a pleat of an after - mentioned pleated filter body 100 , and the projection 91 moves over the top portions of the pleat by the reciprocating of the reciprocating body . the dust removing device 90 thereby removes the dust adhering to the pleated filter body 100 by vibrating the pleated filter body 100 . the reciprocating body reciprocates for a predetermined time every time the driving of the electric fan 33 is stopped . as shown in fig4 , 5 , the dust collection container 50 includes a round air path section 51 formed on the upper portion thereof , a dust collection section ( a first dust collection section ) 60 formed below the round air path section 51 , a negative pressure room 70 formed at the back of the dust collection section 60 , and a bottom pad 80 . the round air path portion 51 includes a dust separation section ( a first dust separation device ) 52 provided in the central portion thereof and a circular arc round air path 53 provided around the dust separation section 52 , as shown in fig6 . a leading end opening 54 of the leading end of the round air path 53 is connected to the connection opening 23 of the tube portion 22 of the cover body 40 as shown in fig3 . the round air path 53 communicates into the dust collection section 60 via a back end opening 55 . moreover , the round air path 53 includes an opening 57 which is formed in the bottom portion in the middle of the round air path 53 and communicates with the negative pressure room 70 . a net filter f 2 is stretched to the opening 57 . the dust separation section 52 includes a frame ( not show ) having an almost cylindrical shape and a net filter f 1 stretched to the frame . the bottom portion of the dust separation section 52 opens , such that the dust separation section 52 communicates with the negative pressure room 70 via an opening 56 . a dividing wall 61 provided in the back portion of the dust collection section 60 includes an opening 62 which communicates with the negative pressure room 70 . a lower portion wall 61 a of the dividing wall 61 includes a communication hole ( communication opening ) 63 positioned in an upper portion of a fine dust collection section 74 . more particularly , the communication hole 63 is formed below the opening 62 . a net filter ( the first dust separation device ) f 3 is stretched to the opening 62 . a frame 71 for detachably installing a pleated filter body ( a second dust separation device ) 100 is integrally formed in the back portion of the negative pressure room 70 ( on the right side in fig5 ). a back end opening 72 of the frame 71 is connected to the front opening ( not shown ) of the body case 30 shown in fig3 . a lower portion back wall 73 is formed in the lower portion of the frame 71 . the fine dust collection section ( the second dust collection section ) 74 includes a space surrounded by the lower portion back wall 73 , the lower portion wall 61 a of the dividing wall ( partition wall ) 61 of the dust collection section 60 and the bottom pad 80 . the fine dust collection section 74 communicates with the dust collection section 60 via the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 . in addition , as shown in fig7 , an introduction opening 75 is formed between a lower frame wall 71 a of the frame 71 and the lower portion wall 61 a of the dividing wall 61 as shown in fig7 . in addition , one end portion ( upper portion in fig7 ) of an opening and closing plate ( opening and closing member ) 76 for closing the introduction opening 75 is supported by the lower portion of the dividing wall 61 of the dust collection section 60 . the opening and closing plate 76 is rotatable upon one end portion of the opening and closing plate 76 . the opening and closing plate 76 closes the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 by its own weight and opens the introduction opening 75 of the fine dust collection section 74 , when the electric fan 33 is not driven . the opening plane of the communication hole 63 is configured such that the opening and closing plate 76 rotates to close the introduction opening 75 ( refer to fig9 ), if the pressure in the negative pressure room 70 becomes negative by the driving of the electric fan 33 . the bottom pad 80 is a rotatable in the clockwise direction about an axis 81 illustrated in fig3 . if a button b provided in a holding portion 58 of the dust collection container 50 is pressed , the bottom portion of the dust collection section 60 and the bottom portion of the fine dust collection section 74 are opened . accordingly , the dust accumulated in the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 can be disposed . next , the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner having the above structure will be explained . at first , as shown in fig2 , the dust collection container 50 is mounted on the mounting section 35 of the body case 30 , and the cover body 40 is closed . as shown in fig1 , one end of the dust collection hose 21 is connected to the hose connection port 21 of the cover body 40 . in this state , as illustrated in fig3 , 7 , the opening and closing plate 76 of the dust collection container 50 closes the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 by its own weight . if the switch s of the operation part 13 a is operated , the electric fan 33 is driven . by the driving of the electric fan 33 , air is sucked from the suction opening 33 a of the electric fan 33 , creating a negative pressure in the negative pressure room 70 of the dust collection container 50 . thereby , the opening and closing plate 76 rotates by this negative pressure so as to close the introduction opening 75 as shown in fig8 , 9 . if the introduction opening 75 is closed by the opening and closing plate 76 , the fine dust accumulated in the fine dust collection section 74 is prevented from rising to adhere to the pleated filter body 100 . in addition , since the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 of the dust collection container 50 is formed in the upper portion of the fine dust collection section 74 , the air flows as illustrated by the arrows in fig7 , 9 when the opening and closing plate 76 rotates to close the introduction opening 75 . accordingly , the dust accumulated in the fine dust collection section 74 is not raised by this air . as described above , the opening and closing plate 76 rotates by the driving of the electric fan 33 so as to close the introduction opening 75 ; thus , the structure of the opening and closing plate 76 is simplified . on the other hand , a negative pressure is created in the dust collection section 60 and the round air path 53 by the negative pressure of the negative pressure room 70 of the dust collection container 50 . this negative pressure acts on the tube portion 22 , the dust collection hose 12 , the extension wand 14 and the suction port 15 , so as to vacuum the dust together with air from the suction port 15 . the vacuumed dust and air are sucked into the hose connection port 21 of the cover body 40 via the extension wand 14 and the dust collection hose 12 . the dust and air sucked into the hose connection port 21 is sucked into the dust collection section 60 through the round air path 53 of the dust collection container 50 . a part of the air is separated from the dust by the round air path 53 , and the separated air is sucked to the negative pressure room 70 through the net filters f 1 , f 2 . the dust and air sucked into the dust collection section 60 are separated , and the separated air is sucked to the negative pressure room 70 through the net filter f 3 and also the dust is collected in the dust collection section 60 . the air sucked to the negative pressure room 70 is sucked to the suction opening 33 a of the electric fan 33 via the pleated filter body 100 or the like . the sucked air is discharged from a discharging port 33 b of the electric fan 33 , and is discharged outside from a discharging port ( not shown ) of the body case 30 . if the driving of electric fan 33 is stopped , the sucking of dust and air from the suction port 15 is stopped . the degree of vacuum of the negative pressure room 70 of the dust collection container 50 is thereby increased to atmospheric pressure . the opening and closing plate 76 of the dust collection container 50 rotates by its own weight , so as to close the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 as shown in fig3 , 7 , opening the introduction opening 75 of the fine dust collection section 74 . on the other hand , the reciprocating body ( not shown ) of the dust removing device 90 reciprocates for a predetermined time by stopping the driving of the electric fan 33 ; thus , the dust adhering to the pleated filter body 100 is removed . the dust removed from the pleated filter body 100 is disposed into the fine dust collection section 74 because the introduction opening 75 is opened as shown in fig7 . in order to dispose of the dust accumulated in the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 of the dust collection container 50 , the dust collection container 50 is removed from the body case 30 , and the bottom pad 80 rotates in the clockwise direction about the axis 81 to open the bottom portion of the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 . accordingly , the dust accumulated in the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 is disposed . according to one embodiment of the present invention , the introduction opening of the second dust collection section can be opened and closed by means of a simple structure ; thus , the re - adhesion of dust can be prevented . the present application is based on and claims priority from japanese application no . 2006 - 99862 filed on mar . 31 , 2006 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . although the present invention has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment , it is not limited thereto . it should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiment described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims . in addition , the number , position , shape , or the like of the components are not limited to the above embodiment , and can be changed to the number , position , shape or the like of components preferable for conducting the present invention . moreover , no element or component in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims .	0
a preferred embodiment of the invention is now described in detail . referring to the drawings , like numbers indicate like elements throughout the views . in one embodiment , the present invention may be implemented as a unix - based messaging gateway for global system for mobile communications (“ gsm ”) network operators . of course , any other suitable communication protocol may be used as well , such as code division multiple access (“ cdma ”), time division multiple access (“ tdma ”), or the like . fig1 depicts an overall functional diagram showing the main components that may be utilized in implementing the present invention . with reference to fig1 an overall configuration 100 is shown . the network operator components 110 may include a standard short message service center ( smsc ) 102 module as well as a switch 103 for communicating to and from the transmission towers 131 , and hence the mobile phones 130 . the functionality performed by the present invention may be included within the gateway 101 , which may also form part of the network operator components 110 . in one embodiment , the gateway 101 may comprise software running under the solaris unix operating system , running on a sun sparc ultra 2 machine , available from sun microsystems . the c ++ programming language ( such as in the sun neoworkshop ) may be used to implement the software to implement the gateway 101 , and the user interface may be implemented in java , the tools for which are also available from sun . of course , any other suitable machine , operating system and / or development tools may also be used . the gateway 101 may be connected to the internet 140 ( and / or other equivalent public or private data network ) via line 141 , which in one embodiment may comprise a dds leased line , a standard telephone line , or equivalent , using any type of transport protocol ( e . g ., tcp / ip , etc .). the gateway 101 may also be connected to a local area network ( lan ) 120 via an x . 25 dedicated circuit , a dial - up tcp / ip connection , or the like ( 161 ), using any type of transport and connection protocol , such as generic bulletin message protocol ( gmp ), telelocator application protocol ( tap ), smtp , etc . the gateway 101 may be connected to the lan 120 via an access server 125 , which will be described in further detail later . the gateway 101 may also be connected to a facsimile machine 150 , or equivalent communication device , via a variety of communication mechanisms 151 , such as via a standard telephone line , etc . the kernel of the gateway 101 component of fig1 comprises 3 main daemon processes , or subsystems , depicted in fig2 . in addition to the service interfaces 204 ( described further later ), the kernel processes are : 1 . manager 202 . provides database connectivity , message queue management , billing interface , and client authentication . 2 . sms 203 . manages interaction with the smsc 102 via a communications protocol ( e . g . smpp for aldiscon sms systems , over the x . 25 or tcp / ip transport protocol ). 3 . watchdog 201 . ensures that all kernel processes are functioning correctly , which involves constant monitoring of the state of the process to ensure maximum system up time . the gateway services and interface subsystems 204 comprise 5 separate and distinct processes , which are usually transient in duration and started on demand by the operating system services . the service subsystems are : 1 . smtp interface 204 a . this service provides the core client message submission services . all client and internet mail ( e . g ., from the internet 140 , lan 120 , etc .) eventually use this service to submit messages to the messaging kernel 200 . 2 . tap / pet interface 204 b . this service provides a pager protocol interface for message submission , allowing paging terminals , and switches to send to gsm mobile phones 130 . 3 . pop3 interface . although not specifically shown in fig2 pop3 is a protocol component of internet mail , and is used by clients to retrieve internet mail from a server . this service is used by the lan access server 125 for message retrieval . 4 . internet mail interface 204 c . this service allows normal internet e - mail ( from 140 ) to be forwarded to , for example , a digital mobile phone 130 , and allows for messages to be composed and sent from a mobile phone 130 to the internet . 5 . x . 25 conversion interface . in one embodiment of the present invention , there are two available transmission layers supported : x . 25 and tcp / ip . while the tcp option is primarily referred to in the present specification , it will be understood that x . 25 may be used as well . the x . 25 service provides a translation layer to allow incoming x . 25 based connections to use the tap , smtp and pop3 facilities provided by the other subsystems . monitor services 301 . this service provides a periodic signal to the watchdog process to indicate system health . the interval is programmable at initialization . billing services 302 . this service is part of the manager process 202 . after all successful messages transfers through the gateway 101 , a billing record is added to the current billing file . if no file has been created , a new billing file , with the current date and time is created and the billing record recorded . database services 303 . this service provides the interface layer for the external datastore 304 . this is accomplished using a library of embedded sql , such as those provided by rogue wave inc . all access to database objects is via the rogue wave library . oracle database 304 . an oracle workgroup database is used for all datastore , including short term queues and long term message store . access is achieved via embedded sql calls . smtp services 305 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager process 202 and the smtp server ( 204 a ). lan services 306 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager 202 and the pop3 server 204 c . the pop3 server is used by the lan access server 125 to retrieve messages from the mobile phone 130 destined for the lan clients 121 . sendmail services 307 . this service provides the interface layer between the sendmail application that is used to send internet emails from the gateway 101 , and the manager process 202 . fax services 308 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager process 202 and the fax server application . fax messages are formed as a system command to a remote computer that hosts the fax server application . soup layer 309 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager process 202 and the java based application that is used to provide screens used to configure and control the gateway application 101 . one important feature of the gateway system 101 is its ability to route messages both from the lan 120 and / or the internet 140 to the mobile phone 130 , and from the mobile phone 130 , back to the lan 120 or internet 140 again . to accomplish this , the gateway 101 uses the concept of addressing schemes . addressing schemes are used to resolve the inherent differences in the addressing between computer based mail systems , and mobile phones . on a computer mail system ( e . g ., on lan 120 ), individual users 121 are assigned an identifier ( usually their name and home domain ) which other clients 121 can use to send mail to them . mobile phones 130 however only use numbers to identify other phone users . to simplify sending messages between mail clients 121 and mobile phones 130 , the gateway 101 of the present invention can use a number of addressing schemes and methods to determine the recipient . messages sent from a computer based mail system to a mobile phone 130 require a valid msisdn ( mobile phone number ), and the unix domain name where the gateway 101 resides . for example , a valid msisdn / domain name address might be “[ error ! bookmark not defined .] 6421200300 @ sms . domain . com ”, where the number “ 6421200300 ” identifies the msisdn , and “ sms . domain . com ” identifies the unix domain name of the gateway 101 . however , according to the teachings of the present invention , messages sent from a mobile phone to a destination ( lan 120 , internet 140 , etc .) may be addressed using a number of different methods . when a message is sent from an outside e - mail source to a mobile phone 130 , the gateway 101 may create a new , temporary and unique reply msisdn number associated with the reply address , before sending the message and the reply msisdn number onto the mobile phone 130 . if the user of the mobile phone 130 replies to this message , the reply msisdn number is sent with the reply message back to the gateway 101 , which the gateway 101 can map back onto the e - mail address of the original sender — either an internet mail address or some other type of client id . thus , the user of the mobile phone 130 can reply to messages without knowing the address of the original sender — the gateway 101 performs all necessary mapping . for messages originating from the mobile phone 130 , and not using the reply function , there are two methods available for determining delivery . if the message is destined for the internet 140 , the full internet address of the recipient may be specified in the body of the message . the mobile phone 130 then transmits the message to the gateway 101 using a selected internet mail relay msisdn , which is a special number for internet mail only . the gateway 101 is configured such that any message sent to this msisdn number will be forwarded to the internet 140 , and delivered to the recipient address specified in the body of the message . messages destined for a client 121 using the server 125 have two additional addressing options available to them . these options include two addressing schemes called number map addressing and number name map addressing . for corporate lan e - mail systems , number map addressing requires a permanent msisdn number be setup for each individual client 121 configured on the system 120 . the system administrator for the system 120 assigns an additional 2 to 4 digit default id that is tagged onto the permanent msisdn when messages are sent . these number ranges are used to identify the destination client 121 to receive the message . only a portion of the overall number is used — the remainder is used by the client 121 to identify the individual user within the client mail system 120 . for example , if the gateway client id prefix is “ 642100200 ”, and the client mail user default id is “ 01 ”, then the full originating address would be “ 6410020001 ”— this address is what would be used to reply to messages , and to originate mobile phone based messages to the client mail system . for internet e - mail and number map addressing , incoming internet messages may be assigned msisdn numbers on an ad - hoc basis from a pool of available numbers . this temporary msisdn is stored with the source address of the internet mail , and is used if the message is replied to . all numbers in this temporary msisdn pool may be reused in oldest first date order . for example , suppose a message comes in from the internet to a mobile number “ 6421605600 ”. it may be addressed as “ 642160500 @ sms . bulletin . net ” from “ anyperson @ anothercompany . com ”. the gateway 101 assigns a new temporary msisdn for the life of the message ( e . g ., “ 64210010011234 ”) and saves the originating address with this temporary msisdn . when a reply from the mobile phone comes back , the destination address “ 6421001001234 ” is matched to the internet address of the original message sender . this address (“[ error ! bookmark not defined .] anyperson @ anothercompanycom ”) is then used to transmit the message reply . using the number name map addressing scheme with the server 125 only requires the gateway client id prefix to be used when transmitting the message from the mobile phone 130 . this will identify the client 121 to receive the message . using an “ aliasing facility ” in the access server 125 ( described in further detail later ), the client 121 can then use a simple address like john , or 123 in the body of the message to identity the intended recipient . for example , if the gateway client id prefix is “ 642100200 ” and the lan mail user is “ johnsmith ”, the message would be received on the mobile phone 130 as from “ johnsmith ”. messages sent to the lan 120 from the mobile phone 130 would have to be addressed as “ to johnsmith & lt ; message body & gt ;” and “+ 642100200 ” entered as the destination phone number , when requested by the phone . using the number name map scheme with the internet 140 requires the mobile phone user 130 to address the internet destined message in the body of the message to identity the intended recipient . once the message is address to the intended recipient , the message is sent to a predefined , and known msisdn . this number is referred to as a relay number . messages to this number are checked by the gateway 101 and the destination address is obtained from the body of the message . given that some mobile phones 130 cannot produce the @ character , substitutes like * and $ can be used . as an example , suppose the gateway internet mail relay number is “ 6421900900 ” and the internet mail destination is “[ error ! bookmark not defined .] johnsmith @ somecompany . com ”. the message would be received from the mobile addressed to the msisdn “ 6421900900 ”. the body of the message would contain the address “ johnsmith * somecompany . com ”. the gateway 101 may be programmed using standard object - oriented programming techniques . a description of the various gateway 101 objects , and classes used to define the objects , is provided below . the basic system classes are a set of “ utility ” classes used by many of the main server object classes . there are 2 timer classes . one is based on the timer services provided by the native operating system , which provides second based granularity . the other is a time of day trigger class , used to tie specific actions to a particular time of day . the period timer class and time of day class are defined below in tables 1 and 2 : the thread class provides an object - oriented interface to the native operating system lightweight processes , or thread interface . all classes using threads will utilize this class . the thread class is defined below in table 3 . the core system services objects are a group of persistent server processes . these processes provide the implementations for the core service objects . these objects provide the primary and essential services for the gateway server 101 . the core system service objects and their containing processes are described below . each server process has one parent object , which is created at the same time the process is created . this object is responsible for the global “ process ” initialization , termination and any specific initialization or termination on any of the other server objects . this object also checks the health of the server objects . any problems are reported to the admin server . the watchdog timer 201 functionality is depicted in fig3 in one embodiment , error conditions are reported with the return from function calls . there is not a timer implemented in the code for process health . each process maintains a text log file of all debug and diagnostic information for this server process and its &# 39 ; contained objects . the detail of information produced is controlled by an operating system environment variable . the server parent object is defined below in table 4 . the intrinsic data objects , or object datum , are a group of shared c ++ objects . they exist purely as the fundamental datum from which the core gateway 101 object services are built . the objects are often passed from object to object and service to service , and generally exist independent of the server process or object instantiation . these object datum are not necessarily fine grained , and therefore pass by reference semantics should be used when passing them from object to object . the message object datum contains the details of an individual message . this object is defined below in table 5 . the notification object datums are passed from one object to another to inform the target object of some external event ( e . g ., parameter change , subsystem outage , object termination , etc .). the notification object is defined below in table 7 . the request object is used by the various processes to obtain data from the manager process 202 . the request object is defined below in table 8 . acknowledgment object datums are sent in response to a request . the acknowledgment should contain the serial id of the sender , and be directed back to the source object . the acknowledgement object is defined below in table 9 . association object datums are used to map one data type to another , such as routing table entries and address mappings . the association object is defined below in table 10 . the core service object superclass is the base or super class for each of the core service objects . this class provides the interface used for generic object communication such as request , notification and acknowledgment passing . all objects must implement this interface . the core service object superclass is defined below in table 11 . the manager server 202 implements the object interfaces for the message , queue , billing , msisdn objects . these objects manage all interfaces to the database . all objects in this server process are multi - threaded , with one thread per object instantiation . all objects are generally one instantiation . the message store object is the most basic and fundamental object in the gateway server 101 . this object contains all the logic related to storing and retrieving messages from the data store 304 . the message store object is defined below in table 12 . the queue management object maintains the queue tables in the data store . for each new unsent message added to the message store , an entry is created in the queue data store by this object . messages are retrieved in order of the message priority and submission date . message objects are sent to the sms 203 ( fig2 - 3 ) for transmission to the smsc 102 ( fig1 ). sent messages are placed in a holding data store waiting for a positive acknowledgment . if a message submission is not acknowledged by the receiving transmitter , and the failure was not an unrecoverable error it is placed back into the queue data store . successfully sent objects are archived back to the message store object . the billing object handles all aspects of the call detail record ( cdr ). the cdr is used for the integration of call information from a switch with the billing system 302 so an operator can supply a detailed bill to end users . when a message has been successfully sent the billing object 302 will be sent the message details . a billing record is then created . the billing files created are in the same format as the aldiscon billing file format 2 . a description of this billing record may readily be found in the “ aldiscon short message peer to peer manual ”. an example of an aldiscon billing record is shown below : the billing object 302 is defined below in table 14 . the sms server object 203 implements the object interfaces for the various sms and paging protocol objects such as smpp for aldiscon smscs and sema open interface for sema smsc &# 39 ; s . in either case , the actual object interface remains the same — only the actual implementation details differs . messages are forwarded to the sms 203 for transmission via the selected transport protocol . the sms object 203 must then acknowledge all messages as having been successfully sent , failed to send , or un - sendable . the various responses will depend on the response from the smsc 102 when a submission was attempted . messages are attempted once only , as retries are handled by the queue manager object in the manager server 202 . the sms object 203 is also responsible for starting and maintaining the physical link , and any protocol management required by the various smscs 102 . the sms object 203 implements the actual native communication protocol of the host smsc 102 . the current alternatives are smpp on an aldiscon smsc or the sema open interface protocol for a sema smsc . the sms object is defined below in table 15 . [ 1101 ] read the configuration file and store the system parameters required to log into the smsc 102 . information includes ports used for transmit / receive , password , username and message type . [ 1102 ] open the transmit port for communication of messages to the smsc 102 . [ 1104 ] test for requirement for two - way communication . if two - way , open receive port , otherwise skip to next section ( 1107 ). [ 1105 ] open the receive port for communication of messages from the smsc 102 . [ 1107 ] send bind request to the smsc 102 for the transmit port . information includes usemarnme , password , message type , etc . [ 1108 ] check for successful bind . a bind acknowledgement should be received from the smsc 102 over the specified port . [ 1109 ] test for requirement for two - way communication . if two - way communication , attempt to bind using the receive port , otherwise skip to the next section ( 1112 ). [ 1110 ] send bind request to the smsc 102 for the receive port . information includes username , password , message type , etc . [ 1111 ] check for successful bind . a bind acknowledgement should be received from the smsc 102 over the specified port . [ 1112 ] exit with true , indicating successful bind of the gateway 101 into the smsc 102 . [ 1113 ] exit with false , indicating unsuccessful bind of the gateway 101 into the smsc 102 . the admin server implements the object interfaces for the task scheduling , parameters , statistics , and alarm monitoring objects . these objects monitor and check the status of the server as a whole , and provide dynamic access to the runtime parameters . the task scheduler object manages a list of tasks that need to be run periodically . the tasks may include bill file creation , statistics gathering , and health monitoring . each task is scheduled either as a period timer , or as a time of day timer . as each task timer expires , a request is sent to the destination object requesting that the task be completed . if a task fails to complete a notification is sent to the alarm object and the task is rescheduled . task timer details are retrieved from the parameter object . the task scheduler object is defined below in table 16 . the parameter object maintains the central gateway database of preferences and options . each object can request the value for a parameter or update its value . the parameter object is also responsible for loading and saving this file . each individual parameter is stored in the form of a key and value pair . string , numeric , and boolean value types may be supported . the parameter object is defined below in table 17 . the alarm object responds to alarm notifications from any other object and maintains a health check on all server objects . any object failure is logged to an alarm log file , and sent to the admin server to be displayed . alarms are considered active until either a cancel alarm notice is received from the originating object or an acknowledgment is received from a system administrator via the administration tool interface . the alarm object is defined below in table 18 . the address resolver object takes care of the details of mapping internet addresses to msisdn based addresses , as described elsewhere . this mapping is handled by association objects , and the general store object . the address resolver is passed incorrectly addressed messages from the router object . the resolver then either looks up the correct destination address for the destination type ( mobile network or internet ) or creates a new mapping for new messages . the address resolver object has an address range that is used to assign temporary msisdn - based addresses to outbound internet messages . this address acts as a source address to the mobile network , and provides a way for the router to find the correct source address if the message is replied to . source msisdn addresses , created in real time in this manner , live only as long as it takes to cycle through the complete range of available addresses . all incoming messages from the mobile network are routed through a requester object . the destination and contents of the message are inspected and compared to a list of delivery services . delivery services are keyed to a specific ‘ known ’ destination address , or to specific instructions contained in the body of the message . for messages sent to a known address , the complete message is forwarded to that service for delivery . messages containing instructions usually relate to another message , and this second message can be found based on the destination address of the mobile message using the address resolvers source address method . once this second message is retrieved , the request action can be carried out by the delivery service . delivery services consist of an optional “ known ” address and either an internal delivery mechanism , or a pointer to an external delivery agent . internal agents are defined as an internal method or set of cooperative methods used to complete the delivery function . examples of this are a mail delivery agent . external agents are usually defined as an external process or script . messages containing instructions are usually in the form of commands . these commands identify the delivery agent , and or any additional instructions to be passed to the delivery agent . these commands can be used to complete complicated instructions , or to spawn a series of commands to complete a function . an example of this is the fx command which instructs the fax external delivery agent to fax a message to the supplied fax number . additional commands and agents can be added at any time . the transient system services objects are a group of non - shared server processes . these processes provide the implementations for the transient service objects . these servers provide the external communications objects for the gateway server 101 . the smtp object 204 a ( fig2 - 3 ) implements the object interfaces for the smtp receiver object 305 . this object implements the smtp protocol for external message submission by internet mail compatible systems . in the smtp object 305 is implemented a full server side version of the smtp protocol as defined in the internet rfc 821 and succeeding standards documents . this server object is used by both the access server 125 ( fig1 ) and any internet mail clients for message submission . each individual message is validated against the msisdn database for authority to send , resource limits etc . therefore as each message is received from the smtp client , a request to the manager server 202 for the msisdn verification for that message must be received and checked before any acknowledgment can be sent back to the smtp client . the msisdn to be checked is obtained in the rcpt to : field where the destination will be in the form of “ rcpt to : someuser @ somedomain . com ”. invalid msisdn message should be rejected during the smtp transaction . accepted messages are then passed to the manager object 202 for transmission . internet mail extension headers , referred to as x headers , are used to control certain message properties . properties controlled by the x headers are priority , message lifetime or validity , and the billing method to be used . an additional ‘ service provider ’ x header is used to identify clients with special privileges or rights . the mail object implements the object interfaces for the pop3 transmitter object ( described elsewhere ). this object implements the pop3 protocol for external message reception by any internet mail compatible system . the pop3 object responds to any incoming pop3 mail requests . pop3 client authentication consists of a username , which is the msisdn , and a password . once this has been received from the client the pop3 object gets the msisdn objects from the manager server 202 to authenticate the transaction . authenticated sessions can then proceed to receive mail . any invalid user / password combinations will result in session termination . after the pop3 client as logged off the successfully sent messages are removed from the message object store . the aim object implements the object interfaces for a generic tcp / ip based protocol for advanced message submission and reception by external applications . the aim object responds to incoming tcp requests on an assigned port . using the inet service daemon , incoming calls cause the inet daemon to start this process . the object implements a generic 3 phase protocol ( bind , transaction , terminate ), that perform the same functionality as the smtp and pop3 protocols combined . each packet consists of a header and data . each connecting host must be authenticated in a similar manner to the pop3 authentication — that is msisdn / password . once authenticated , the client can proceed with message submission until either side terminates the session . the aim object will generally only terminate a session if resource limits are exceeded or if a system outage occurs . the tap object implements the object interfaces for a tap alphanumeric paging protocol for message submission . the tap object implements a full server side version of the tap protocol . this interface is for use by any client page submission software . given that most tap client software supports direct dial - up connections , supporting a tap interface would require a modem pool or terminal servers and local points of presence . the tap interface requires direct management of the client connect and login process , and it is therefore necessary to use the svr4 service access controller ( sac ) facility to manage the connection terminal equipment directly . with the tap object , each individual message is validated against the msisdn database for authority to send , resource limits etc . therefore as each message is received from the smtp client , a request to the manager server 202 for the msisdn profile object for that message must be received and checked before any acknowledgment can be sent back to the tap client . the msisdn to be check is obtained from the message destination field . invalid msisdn message should be rejected during the transaction . accepted messages are then passed to the router object for transmission . fig4 - 10 depict the processes performed by the gateway 101 in order to implement the present invention . all the steps shown in these figures reference the various servers and objects they contain using the syntax of & lt ; server process & gt ;::& lt ; object name & gt ;. additionally , the reference numerals shown below in [ brackets ] correspond to the associated reference numerals in the various figures . with reference to fig4 a process for submitting a message from a mail client 121 to the router object for transmission is shown , as described below : [ 401 ] smtp connect request from mail client 121 . inet service starts smtp :: smtp object . [ 402 ] smtp :: smtp exchanges smtp greetings with client 121 , and mail transactions begin . [ 403 ] client 121 submits a mail message to a msisdn . [ 404 ] smtp object requests the msisdn object from the manager :: msisdn object . [ 406 ] manager :: msisdn returns either a success , or an error . [ 412 - 413 ] on error , smtp :: smtp reports and error to the client . [ 407 - 411 ] smtp :: smtp sends a complete message to manager :: router for transmission . with reference to fig5 a process for routing a message to the destination object for transmission to the final target smsc 102 is shown , as described below . [ 501 - 503 , 507 - 508 ] manager :: router receives a message , and extracts the destination address . [ 504 ] manager :: router passes the message to the destination transmitter object . [ 504 ] if the transmission object was not active then manager :: router passes the object to the manager :: qmanager . with reference to fig6 the steps described below illustrate the process for maintaining the queue of messages waiting to be sent . [ 601 - 602 ] manager :: qmanager checks with manager :: message whether the message exists in the data store . [ 603 ] if not manager :: message adds it to the data store . [ 604 - 607 ] manager :: qmanager adds the message to the waiting queue , if it is not already present . if there are less than the message queue cache size , the message is added to the queue cache for the transmitter object . manager :: qmanager cycles throughout the various queue caches for each queue . [ 608 - 609 ] manager :: qmanager sends the top message to sms :: router . [ 610 ] manager :: qmanager adds the message to the sent messages cache . [ 611 ] manager :: qmanager checks the timestamps on all entries in the sent message cache . all old entries that have not been acknowledged are placed back in the message store . with reference to fig7 the steps described below illustrate the process for transmission of a message to the final destination . [ 701 ] manager :: router passes a message to the designated active ( sms ) transmitter . [ 702 ] sms : sms packetises and sends the message to the smsc 102 . [ 703 ] sms : sms adds the message to a sent messages queue . [ 704 ] sms :: sms receives an acknowledgment from the smsc 102 . [ 705 ] sms :: sms checks this acknowledgment against the list of sent messages . the matching entry is removed from the sent message cache . [ 706 ] for both positive and negative smsc acknowledgments an acknowledgment object is created and sent to the manager :: qmanager . [ 707 ] for positive acknowledgements , manager :: qmanager removes the message from the sent queue . [ 708 - 709 , 713 ] manager :: qmanager informs manager :: message that the message can now be archived . [ 710 - 711 , 713 ] for negative acknowledgments manager :: qmanager will remove the message from the sent messages cache and add it back into the queue data store . [ 712 - 713 ] if the negative acknowledgment was a permanent one manager :: qmanager removes the message from all queues . [ 712 - 713 ] manager :: qmanager then passes a request for a “ transmission failure ” message to admin :: alarm for processing . with reference to fig8 the steps described below illustrate the process for receiving a message from the smsc 102 , and performing the required action for final delivery . [ 801 ] sms :: sms receives and acknowledges a delivery request from the smsc 102 . [ 803 ] manager :: requestor examines the destination address against the list of delivery services . [ 803 ] if there is a match , manager :: requestor passes the message to the delivery agent for processing ( 806 ) [ 804 ] if there is no a match on delivery address , manager :: requestor parses the body of the message looking for any text “ keys ” that match any of the delivery agent keys . [ 805 ] if there is a match manager :: requestor passes the message to the delivery agent for processing ( 807 ). otherwise , to step 811 . [ 808 ] if there was a match on either manager :: requestor passes the message details to manager :: bill . [ 809 ] manager :: bill generates a call detail record ( cdr ), and passes the message to manager :: message . [ 806 ] if no match was found , manager :: requestor passes the message to manager :: router , where a system “ non - delivery ” message is generated . with reference to fig9 the steps described below illustrate the process for transmitting a message destined for the smsc 102 , but which for some reason fails to be transmitted successfully , and the failure is deemed permanent . [ 901 ] sms :: sms sends a ‘ transmission failed ’ message to admin :: alarm . [ 902 ] admin :: alarm logs the details of the message failure into the system log . [ 903 ] admin :: alarm constructs a new “ failed to transmit ” message to the source address of the message . [ 904 ] admin :: alarm passes the new message to manager :: router to send . with reference to fig1 , the steps described below illustrate the process involved with a client &# 39 ; s 121 connection to the gateway 101 to receive waiting messages , or replies . [ 1001 ] pop3 connect request from mail client 121 . inet service starts mail :: mail object . [ 1002 ] mail :: mail exchanges pop3 username and password with client 121 . [ 1003 - 1004 ] mail :: mail requests the msisdn object from the manager :: msisdn object . [ 1005 - 1006 ] manager :: msisdn retrieves the msisdn from the msisdn data store . manager :: msisdn returns either a msisdn object , or an error . on error mail :: mail reports and error to the client , and terminates the connection . [ 1007 - 1008 ] mail :: mail checks the password and profile for a mail service and resource limitations . if the target msisdn has a mail service and not exceeded resource limits the transaction proceeds , otherwise an error is returned to the client 121 . [ 1009 - 1010 ] smtp :: smtp sends a complete message to manager :: router for transmission . as described previously with respect to fig1 the lan access server 125 of the present invention provides for the transparent forwarding of e - mail from a client 121 on a lan 120 to a mobile phone 130 ( e . g ., a pcs mobile phone ) via the gateway 101 . additionally , as a further feature of the present invention , the lan access server 125 may also interface to , for example , an appointment and task management system ( such as microsoft scheduler +, or the like ) operating on the server 125 , lan 120 and client 121 , to provide automatic forwarding of appointment reminders , task reminders , etc ., to a mobile phone 130 . in a preferred embodiment , the software applications implemented on access server 125 in order to implement the teachings of the present invention may be complied as 32 - bit c ++ code to operate with , for example , any of the following operating systems : windows 95 , windows 98 , windows nt ( 3 . 51 and 4 . 00 workstation and server ), or equivalent . of course , any other suitable operating system may also be used . the access server 125 itself may therefore be any suitable hardware platform that supports these or any other chosen operating system . for example , in one embodiment , access server 125 may comprise a pentium pc ( ibm compatible ), with the windows nt 4 . 0 workstation operating system ( or equivalent ). the software of the present invention that controls the operation of access server 125 may be designed to be compatible with mapi ( exchange and ms mail ), vim ( lotus notes and ccmail ), mhs , or any other suitable protocol . also , the following application programming interfaces ( apis ) may be used in one embodiment : microsoft foundation classes , extended mapi , remote access server ( ras ), winsock , and remote procedure call ( rpc ). with reference to fig1 in one embodiment , the access server 125 and clients 121 operate as three general components in a client / server architecture . the basic components include the access server 125 itself , as well as a client administration tool that operates on a client 121 and a server administration tool that operates on the access server 125 . the server 125 and clients 121 may communicate with one another via rpc calls over the lan 120 , such as through the tcp / ip protocol , or any other suitable protocol . fig1 - 21 are flow diagrams depicting the various steps performed by the lan access server 125 in order to process mail between one or more clients 121 of the network 120 and one or more phones 130 , through the intervening components ( gateway 101 , smsc 102 , switch 103 , etc .). these figures are described in detail below , and again the reference numerals shown below in [ brackets ] correspond to the associated reference numerals in the figures . fig1 describes an overall process performed by lan access server 125 . [ 1201 ] initialize the system , including setup of the timer for mail system polling and gateway 101 access ( further details in fig1 ). [ 1202 ] backup user database , forward e - mails , and contact gateway 101 . this is a main “ artery ” of the system ( farther details in fig1 ). [ 1203 ] clean up and exit the system ( further details in fig1 ) fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1201 , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1303 ] on the video display of lan access server 125 , show the startup - splash screen , create main window ( but not show it ), setup the timer , initialize the send queue and the reply queue . [ 1307 ] shut off the startup - splash screen , show the main window . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1202 , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1402 ] if low , show a suitable warning and put the program in standby mode . [ 1403 ] check if it is time to back up the user database . [ 1404 ] if so , send a windows message to mail processing thread to back up the user database . [ 1405 ] check if it is time to connect to the gateway 101 . [ 1405 a ] if so , then signal gateway thread for sending mail to and polling mail from the gateway 101 . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . [ 1406 ] check if it is the time to process mail . [ 1406 a ] if so , then signal mail thread for mail processing . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1203 , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1501 ] on the video display of lan access server 125 , show the shut down splash screen . [ 1505 ] save the messages in send and reply queues to a file . [ 1506 ] shut off the shut down splash screen and the main window . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1405 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1601 ] if there are messages in the send queue or two - way mode , and ppp dialup is enabled , then do the ppp dial up . [ 1602 ] try to connect to the pop3 mailbox 204 c at the gateway 101 . [ 1603 ] retrieve all messages from the pop3 mailbox 204 c at the gateway 101 and put them into the reply queue . [ 1604 ] try to connect to the gateway 101 using smtp protocol . [ 1604 a ] retrieve each message from send queue and send it to the gateway 101 . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig2 . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1406 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1701 ] get the user database and take the first user . [ 1701 a ] process mail for this user . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1701 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1801 ] start a mapi session for the user . open a mapi session by means of the user &# 39 ; s mail profile ; open the user &# 39 ; s address book , open the user &# 39 ; s mail store and all standard mail folders , and open the “ forward ” and the “ forwarded ” folders created by the lan access server 125 for the user . [ 1802 ] call the mapi flush function to send out all messages in the “ outbox ” folder and get all incoming messages to the “ inbox ” folder . [ 1802 a ] send out replies for this user in the reply queue . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . [ 1803 ] move all messages from the user &# 39 ; s “ inbound ” directory to the “ forward ” folder . [ 1803 a ] check the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder and move messages to “ forward ” folder . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig2 . [ 1804 ] copy all messages in the user &# 39 ; s “ forward ” folder to send queue . [ 1805 ] move all messages in the “ forward ” folder to “ forwarded ” folder . [ 1806 ] check schedule + ( or equivalent calendaring and appointment software package ) for occurrences of appointment , task and event . create messages according to the information obtained and put the messages in the send queue . [ 1807 ] send synchronization messages from the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” and “ sent ” folders to the “ outbound ” directory . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1802 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1902 ] if there is not a message in the “ forwarded ” folder corresponding to this reply , or if there is then if this is a rejected message , then generate a non - delivery notice for the message and put the notice into the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder . [ 1903 ] if this is a reply to an originated message , then put the reply into the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder . [ 1904 ] otherwise , put the reply into the user &# 39 ; s “ outbox ” folder . fig2 depicts the process performed by step 1803 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 2001 ] get the first unread message from the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder . [ 2002 ] if the message &# 39 ; s delivery time is not earlier than the cutoff time , and the message has not been forwarded before and the messages passes the filter , then move the message to the “ forward ” folder . fig2 depicts the process performed by step 1604 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 2102 ] send this message to gateway 101 . [ 2104 ] if no sending error occurred but the message is rejected by the gateway 101 , then mark the status of the message as rejected and put it to the reply queue . the present invention has been described previously in a preferred embodiment . it will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be implemented in a variety of ways , while still remaining within the scope of the claims set forth below .	7
the present disclosure is here described in detail with reference to embodiments illustrated in the drawings , which form a part here . other embodiments may be used and / or other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure . the illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description are not meant to be limiting of the subject matter presented here . reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings , and specific language will be used here to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended . alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated here , and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated here , which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure , are to be considered within the scope of the invention . various embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed here collect data from different sources in order to identify independent events using systems and methods to train customized and data source - specific event templates , and event models for different input data streams originating from various data sources , which may yield possibly high accuracy event detection . ingestion modules executed by various nodes of an exemplary system may be customized for each type of data source , in an automated or manual fashion . systems and methods may provide an event - based communication system , which may enable embodiments to gather and communicate event - related information between “ ingestion modules ,” which may then perform verification and validation of events detected by ingestion modules , by comparing detections of the same events ( in parallel ) at each of the other ingestion modules . comparison of event detection results may be facilitated by embodiments implementing an event data normalization technique , which may produce a common event definition template ( i . e ., description schema ) thus providing compatible data fields for comparing an event detected from different data sources by different ingestion modules of the system . fig1 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment of data streams extraction 100 , which may include an ingestion module 102 for extracting data streams from a plurality of sources . such sources may include social media , news sources , and / or any other sources that contain information related to events . ingestion module 102 may collect , scan or receive data streams from a specific and single source such as a social media web page ( e . g ., facebook ® or twitter ®), news page , and online forums , among others . furthermore , ingestion module 102 may be fed by a variety of sources , which may include a combination of web pages , social media , short message service (“ sms ”), really simple syndication or rich site summary (“ rss ”) feeds , and similar networked electronic messaging services and protocols . such sources may be facebook ® 108 , twitter ® 110 , an rss feed from a news source 112 , and sms feeds 114 . ingestion module 102 may include one or more algorithms , one or more sets of instructions , one or more search protocols , and one or more search engines , for collecting data streams from a plurality of sources . ingestion modules 102 may have access to one or more of databases 104 containing templates , models , search paths , definitions , instructions among others . thus , ingestion module 102 may perform data pre - processing by comparing data streams with the stored templates ; this may reduce noise and redundancy of data streams . templates may define an event ( e . g ., kidnapping ) in terms of semantic roles for the entities involved ( e . g ., perpetrator , victim , date time ). such databases 104 may be able to facilitate automated learning by ingestion module 102 . thus , new information and corrections may be automatically updated in a database 104 . this automated training and correcting may be performed as a semi - supervised process , a supervised process , and / or an unsupervised process . the training process may allow human users to manually update templates , and event models , among others , as well as to check system when required . in the case of receiving data streams from a specific source , ingestion module 102 may be optimized in order to obtain data streams with high speed and quality . thus , algorithms , search engines and databases 104 may be specifically focused to the data streams produced from the specific source . templates and search engines may possess predefined specific search criteria . ingestion module 102 may take keywords and / or metadata from data streams and then may compare them against models and / or templates in databases 104 . ingestion module 102 may determine if a set of keywords and / or metadata pertains to a certain event by comparing them against all event models and / or templates in each database 104 . after comparison , ingestion module 102 may deliver data streams to data processing module 106 , which may perform data processing framework . fig2 depicts training process 200 to build a database 208 . a plurality of documents 204 may be manually tagged by a person 202 in order to identify features pertaining to specific events and assign weights to those features . in this example , the features are keywords . in some embodiments the features may be images , sounds , or other identifying characteristics for determining an event . for example , an event model 206 may be “ explosion ”; a person can manually identify in a document 204 relating to an explosion the co - occurrence of keywords such as “ bomb ” and / or “ fire ”. the user may then assign a weighted value to each keyword , depending on the repetition or the co - occurrence of these keywords with others in a plurality of documents 204 related to explosions , and associate those with an event model 206 for “ explosion ” stored in database 208 . fig3 depicts training process 300 to build a database 310 . a plurality of documents 304 may be automatically tagged by a computer software 302 , algorithm and / or set of instructions at ingestion module 102 . training process 300 may be performed in order to identify features , which in this example are keywords , pertaining to specific events and assign weighted values to those keywords . in some embodiments , a person 308 may semi - supervise training process 300 by evaluating and correcting information tagged and assigned to specific events , this may add an extra layer of data reliability . in addition to the automatic training process 300 , person 308 may , in some embodiments , be able to manually tag other keywords in order to identify keywords pertaining to specific events and assign weights to those keywords . for example , an event model 306 may be associated with the event “ explosion ”; computer software 302 can automatically identify in a document 304 relating to an explosion the co - occurrence of keywords such as “ bomb ” and / or “ fire ”. computer software 302 may then assign a weight to each word depending on the repetition or the co - occurrence of these keywords with others in a plurality of documents 304 related to explosions , and associate those with an event model 306 for explosion stored in database 310 . fig4 is a flowchart depicting ingestion module operation 400 , which may start at scan / receive data streams step 402 , when one or more ingestion modules 102 receive or scan for data streams from a plurality of sources . scanning may be performed through active reading of publication in data stream sources ; such sources may include social media web pages ( e . g ., facebook ®, twitter ®), blogs , and the like . moreover , ingestion modules 102 may receive data streams from a plurality of data stream sources . this may be allowed through subscriptions , rss delivery , sms , e - mails , and the like . ingestion modules 102 may be able to perform these two methods ( scanning and receiving ) at the same time and independently . subsequently , in a step for determining whether a data stream source corresponds to a specific ingestion module , in check 404 , data streams scanned and received may be sent to a generic ingestion module 102 which may collect data streams from a plurality of sources , or data streams scanned and received may be sent to an optimized ingestion module 102 . an optimized ingestion module 102 may be customized for specific data stream sources , such as facebook ® or twitter ®, among others . a specific data stream source may be a single source or a group of sources gathered by common topic , type of data received ( e . g ., text , images , videos ), and / or format of publication ( e . g ., limitation of characters ), this may include groups of forums or blogs about an specific topic , news pages , and the like . if data streams do not correspond to a specific ingestion module 102 , then at analyze data streams based on common criteria step 406 , ingestion module 102 may authorize scanned / received data streams to be analyzed through common criteria set for any data stream source . the common criteria analysis may be performed at “ data streams match with database ” check 408 , by a comparison between templates , models , search paths , definitions , and / or instructions , among others , which may be previously stored in a database 104 . by comparing data streams with the stored templates , models , search paths , and the like , ingestion module 102 may perform data streams pre - processing by comparing , which may reduce noise and redundancy of data streams . templates may define an event ( e . g . kidnapping ) in terms of semantic roles for the entities involved ( e . g . perpetrator , victim , date time ). templates may take keywords and / or metadata from data streams and may establish a comparison with the database 104 template . for example , if a group of keywords such as , “ building ,” “ ground moving ,” “ earthquake ,” and “ walls cracked ” are scanned / received , then ingestion module 102 may compare such terms with the templates in database 104 , templates may be indexed by event , in this case , the event may be labeled as “ earthquake ”. thus , by applying check 408 means that ingestion module 102 may avoid delivering data streams that are redundant or not related with the event or topic ( noise ) at “ do not send data streams ” step 410 , and the ingestion module operation 400 may end . if data streams match with templates in database 104 , then ingestion module 102 may send data streams 414 to data processing modules , data storages , and the like . subsequently , ingestion module operation 400 may end . if , in check 404 , data streams correspond to a specific ingestion module 102 , then at “ data streams meet specific criteria ” check 412 , ingestion module 102 optimized for a specific data / source may perform an analysis to scanned / received data streams , which may be based on specific criteria set for the data streams source , such criteria may include type of vocabulary used , data format , limitation of characters , frequency of new data streams released and the like . an optimized ingestion module 102 may perform comparison between scanned / received data streams with the templates , models , and search paths , among others , that are stored in database 104 . because there are specific criteria for the optimized ingestion module 102 , specific templates , models , and search paths , among others , may be employed in database 104 too . by comparing data streams with the stored specific templates , models , search paths , and the like , ingestion module 102 may perform data streams pre - processing by comparing , which may reduce noise and redundancy of data streams . templates may define an event ( e . g . kidnapping ) in terms of semantic roles for the entities involved ( e . g . perpetrator , victim , date time ). templates may take keywords and / or metadata from data streams and may establish a comparison with the database 104 template . for example , if a group of keywords such as , “ building ,” “ ground moving ,” “ earthquake ,” and “ walls cracked ,” are scanned / received from and a specific source , such as an rss news feed , then optimized ingestion module 102 may compare such terms with the templates in database 104 , then templates may be indexed by event , in this case , the event may be labeled as “ earthquake ”. thus , ingestion module 102 may avoid collecting data streams that are redundant or not related ( noise ) at “ do not send data streams ” step 410 , and the ingestion module operation 400 may end . if data streams match with templates in database 104 , then ingestion module 102 may send data streams 414 to data processing modules , data storages and the like . subsequently , ingestion module operation 400 may end . the foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed in the order presented . as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art the steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order . words such as “ then ,” “ next ,” etc . are not intended to limit the order of the steps ; these words are simply used to guide the reader through the description of the methods . although process flow diagrams may describe the operations as a sequential process , many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently . in addition , the order of the operations may be re - arranged . a process may correspond to a method , a function , a procedure , a subroutine , a subprogram , etc . when a process corresponds to a function , its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function . the various illustrative logical blocks , modules , circuits , and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware , computer software , or combinations of both . to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software , various illustrative components , blocks , modules , circuits , and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality . whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system . skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application , but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention . embodiments implemented in computer software may be implemented in software , firmware , middleware , microcode , hardware description languages , or any combination thereof . a code segment or machine - executable instructions may represent a procedure , a function , a subprogram , a program , a routine , a subroutine , a module , a software package , a class , or any combination of instructions , data structures , or program statements . a code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information , data , arguments , parameters , or memory contents . information , arguments , parameters , data , etc . may be passed , forwarded , or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing , message passing , token passing , network transmission , etc . the actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these systems and methods is not limiting of the invention . thus , the operation and behavior of the systems and methods were described without reference to the specific software code being understood that software and control hardware can be designed to implement the systems and methods based on the description herein . when implemented in software , the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non - transitory computer - readable or processor - readable storage medium . the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor - executable software module which may reside on a computer - readable or processor - readable storage medium . a non - transitory computer - readable or processor - readable media includes both computer storage media and tangible storage media that facilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another . a non - transitory processor - readable storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer . by way of example , and not limitation , such non - transitory processor - readable media may comprise ram , rom , eeprom , cd - rom or other optical disk storage , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other tangible storage medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer or processor . disk and disc , as used herein , include compact disc ( cd ), laser disc , optical disc , digital versatile disc ( dvd ), floppy disk , and blu - ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically , while discs reproduce data optically with lasers . combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer - readable media . additionally , the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a non - transitory processor - readable medium and / or computer - readable medium , which may be incorporated into a computer program product . the preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention . various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein . while various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed , other aspects and embodiments are contemplated . the various aspects and embodiments disclosed are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting , with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims .	6
[ 0023 ] fig1 through 5 , discussed below , and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present invention in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged wireless network . [ 0024 ] fig1 illustrates exemplary wireless network 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention . wireless network 100 comprises a plurality of cell sites 121 - 123 , each containing one of the base stations , bs 101 , bs 102 , or bs 103 . base stations 101 - 103 communicate with a plurality of mobile stations ( ms ) 111 - 114 over , for example , code division multiple access ( cdma ) channels . mobile stations 111 - 114 may be any suitable wireless devices , including conventional cellular radiotelephones , pcs handset devices , personal digital assistants , portable computers , or metering devices . the present invention is not limited to mobile devices . other types of access terminals may be used . however , for the sake of simplicity , only mobile stations are shown and discussed hereafter . dotted lines show the approximate boundaries of the cell sites 121 - 123 in which base stations 101 - 103 are located . the cell sites are shown approximately circular for the purposes of illustration and explanation only . it should be clearly understood that the cell sites may have other irregular shapes , depending on the cell configuration selected and natural and man - made obstructions . as is well known in the art , cell sites 121 - 123 are comprised of a plurality of sectors ( not shown ), each sector being illuminated by a directional antenna coupled to the base station . the embodiment of fig1 illustrates the base station in the center of the cell . alternate embodiments position the directional antennas in corners of the sectors . the system of the present invention is not limited to any one cell site configuration . in one embodiment of the present invention , bs 101 , bs 102 , and bs 103 comprise a base station controller ( esc ) and one or more base transceiver subsystem ( s ) ( bts ). base station controllers and base transceiver subsystems are well known to those skilled in the art . a base station controller is a device that manages wireless communications resources , including the base transceiver stations , for specified cells within a wireless communications network . a base transceiver subsystem comprises the rf transceivers , antennas , and other electrical equipment located in each cell site . this equipment may include air conditioning units , heating units , electrical supplies , telephone line interfaces , and rf transmitters and rf receivers . for the purpose of simplicity and clarity in explaining the operation of the present invention , the base transceiver subsystem in each of cells 121 , 122 , and 123 and the base station controller associated with each base transceiver subsystem are collectively represented by bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 , respectively . bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 transfer voice and data signals between each other and the public switched telephone network ( pstn ) ( not shown ) via communications line 131 and mobile switching center msc ) 140 . line 131 also provides the connection path to transfers control signals between msc 140 and bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 used to establish connections for voice and data circuits between msc 140 and bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 . communications line 131 may be any suitable connection means , including a t1 line , a t3 line , a fiber optic link , a network packet data backbone connection , or any other type of data connection . line 131 links each vocoder in the bsc with switch elements in msc 140 . those skilled in the art will recognize that the connections on line 131 may provide a transmission path for transmission of analog voice band signals , a digital path for transmission of voice signals in the pulse code modulated ( pcm ) format , a digital path for transmission of voice signals in an internet protocol ( ip ) format , a digital path for transmission of voice signals in an asynchronous transfer mode ( atm ) format , or other suitable connection transmission protocol . those skilled in the art will recognize that the connections on line 131 may a provide a transmission path for transmission of analog or digital control signals in a suitable signaling protocol . msc 140 is a switching device that provides services and coordination between the subscribers in a wireless network and external networks , such as the pstn or internet 190 . msc 140 is well known to those skilled in the art . in some embodiments of the present invention , communications line 131 may be several different data links where each data link couples one of bs 101 , bs 102 , or bs 103 to msc 140 . alternatively , bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 may transfer voice and data signals directly with internet 190 via network communications line 132 , thereby bypassing mobile switching center msc ) 140 . in the exemplary wireless network 100 , ms 111 is located in cell site 121 and is in communication with bs 101 . ms 113 is located in cell site 122 and is in communication with bs 102 . ms 114 is located in cell site 123 and is in communication with bs 103 . ms 112 is also located close to the edge of cell site 123 and is moving in the direction of cell site 123 , as indicated by the direction arrow proximate ms 112 . at some point , as ms 112 moves into cell site 123 and out of cell site 121 , a hand - off will occur . as is well known , the hand - off procedure transfers control of a call from a first cell site to a second cell site . as ms 112 moves from cell 121 to cell 123 , ms 112 detects the pilot signal from bs 103 and sends a pilot strength measurement message to bs 101 . when the strength of the pilot transmitted by bs 103 and received and reported by ms 112 exceeds a threshold , bs 101 initiates a soft hand - off process by signaling the target bs 103 that a handoff is required as described in tia / eia is - 95 or tia / eia is - 2000 . bs 103 and ms 112 proceed to negotiate establishment of a communications link in the cdma channel . following establishment of the communications link between bs 103 and ms 112 , ms 112 communicates with both bs 101 and bs 103 in a soft handoff mode . those acquainted with the art will recognize that soft hand - off improves the performance on both forward ( bs to ms ) channel and reverse ( ms to bs ) channel links . when the signal from bs 101 falls below a predetermined signal strength threshold , ms 112 may then drop the link with bs 101 and only receive signals from bs 103 . the call is thereby seamlessly transferred from bs 101 to bs 103 . wireless network 100 further comprises radio frequency ( rf ) coverage server 195 , which is used to detect rf holes in the rf coverage area of wireless network 100 , including cell sites 121 - 123 . according to the principles of the present invention , the wireless service provider that operates wireless network 100 distributes to some ( and perhaps all ) of its subscribers specially - equipped mobile stations ( e . g ., cell phones ). each of the specially - equipped mobile stations is equipped with a global positioning system ( gps ) device that enables the mobile station to rapidly determine its position in the event that a call is dropped or service is dropped . this gps information is the geographical position of the mobile station at the time the call was dropped or service was lost . when service is restored , the mobile station establishes a session with rf coverage server 195 and relays the gps position and / or time information to rf coverage server 195 . over time , rf coverage server 195 builds up a database of service drop / call drop position information only from those phones that actually experience a call or service drop . this information is used to establish a map of the coverage area of wireless network 100 that illustrates the location of rf coverage holes . [ 0036 ] fig2 illustrates exemplary wireless mobile station 111 in greater detail according to one embodiment of the present invention . wireless mobile station 111 comprises antenna 205 , radio frequency ( rf ) transceiver 210 , transmitter ( tx ) processing circuitry 215 , microphone 220 , receiver ( rx ) processor circuitry 225 , speaker 230 , main processor 240 , input / output ( i / o ) interface ( if ) 245 , keypad 250 , display 255 , and position locator 260 , which may be , for example , a global positioning system ( gps ) receiver . wireless mobile station 111 further comprises memory 270 , that stores basic operating system ( os ) program 271 , drop location data file 281 , encryption - decryption key ( s ) file 282 , encryption - decryption application program 283 , and ms location server access application program 284 . drop location data file 281 comprises drop type field 291 and gps position / time field 292 . wireless mobile station 111 may be a cell phone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ) device equipped with a wireless modem , a two - way pager , a personal communication system ( pcs ) device , or any other type of wireless mobile station . rf transceiver 210 receives , from antenna 205 , an incoming rf signal transmitted by a base station of a wireless communication network . rf transceiver 210 down - converts the incoming rf signal to produce an intermediate frequency ( if ) or a baseband signal . the if or baseband signal is sent to rx processing circuitry 225 that produces a processed baseband signal by filtering , decoding , and / or digitizing the baseband or if signal to produce a processed baseband signal . rx processing circuitry 225 transmits the processed baseband signal to speaker 230 ( i . e ., voice data ) or to main processor 240 for further processing ( i . e ., web browsing ). tx processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital voice data from microphone 220 or other outgoing baseband data ( i . e ., web data , e - mail , interactive video game data ) from main processor 240 . tx processing circuitry 215 encodes , multiplexes , and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to produce a processed baseband or if signal . rf transceiver 210 receives the outgoing processed baseband or if signal from tx processing circuitry 215 . rf transceiver 210 up - converts the baseband or if signal to an rf signal that is transmitted via antenna 205 . main processor 240 may be implemented as a microprocessor or microcontroller . main processor 240 executes basic os program 271 in order to control the overall operation of wireless mobile station 111 . in one such operation , main processor 240 controls the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by rf transceiver 210 , rx processing circuitry 225 , and tx processing circuitry 215 , in accordance with well known principles . main processor 240 is also capable of controlling and / or interfacing with position locator 260 in order to transfer the location of ms 111 to memory 270 . main processor 240 is capable of executing other processes and programs that are resident in memory 270 . main processor 240 can move data into or out of memory 270 , as required by an executing process . main processor 240 is also coupled to i / o interface 245 . i / o interface 245 provides the mobile station with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptop computers and handheld computers . i / o interface 245 is the communication path between these accessories and main controller 240 . main processor 240 is also coupled to keypad 250 and display unit 255 . keypad 250 is used by the end - user of the mobile station to enter data into the mobile station . display 255 , in the preferred embodiment , is a liquid crystal display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics from web sites . alternate embodiments use other types of displays . memory 270 is coupled to main processor 240 . memory 270 may be comprised of solid - state memory such as random access memory ( ram ), various types of read only memory ( rom ), or flash ram . memory 270 may also include other types of memory such as micro - hard drives or removable storage media that stores data . memory 270 stores basic operating system 271 that provides the basic operational control of mobile station 111 . drop location data file 281 indicates the location and time of mobile station 111 at the time that service and / or a call was dropped . memory 270 also stores encryption - decryption key ( s ) 282 that are used to transfer position location information in drop location data file 281 to bs 101 and rf coverage server 195 . the use of encryption - decryption keys enables the mobile station to transmit its location securely over - the - air and through public data networks . memory 270 also stores rf coverage server access application program 284 , which enables ms 111 to transfer position data to rf coverage server 195 in fig1 . rf coverage server access application program 284 may be an e - mail program , a transmission control protocol / internet protocol ( tcp / ip ) program , a user datagram protocol ( udp ) program , a short messaging service ( sms ) program , a cdma data burst program , or any combination of these programs . these various types of communication programs are for illustration purposes only . the present invention is not limited to any one type or combination of server access programs . [ 0047 ] fig3 illustrates exemplary radio frequency ( rf ) coverage server 195 in greater detail according to one embodiment of the present invention . rf coverage server 195 comprises data processor 305 and memory 310 . data processor 305 , in one embodiment , is a microprocessor or microcontroller . other embodiments use other types of controllers , such as parallel processors , for greater processing power . data processors are well known in the art and are not discussed further . memory 310 may be comprised of solid - state memory such as random access memory ( ram ), various types of read only memory ( rom ), or flash ram . memory 310 may also include other types of memory such as micro - hard drives or removable storage media that stores data . memory 310 is coupled to data processor 305 and stores basic operating system 320 , rf coverage server application program 330 , mobile station interface ( if ) application program 340 , mobile station database 350 , and rf coverage map 380 . mobile station database 350 contains n mobile station records , including exemplary mobile station records 360 , 370 and 380 , which are arbitrarily labeled ms1 record , ms2 record , and msn record , respectively . exemplary mobile station record 360 contains ms1 drop data field 361 , and encryption - decryption key ( s ) 363 . ms drop data field 361 contains the geographic location and time information for a particular mobile station ( e . g ., ms 111 ). exemplary mobile station records 370 and 380 contain similar data fields . basic operating system 320 is run by data processor 305 in order to control the overall operation of the location server . rf coverage server application program 330 is responsible for securely gathering location information from mobile stations that have dropped calls or lost service and generating therefrom rf coverage map 380 , which identifies rf coverage holes in wireless network 100 . according to one embodiment of the present invention , rf coverage map 380 may be a simple two dimensional map showing dots , squares , or other icons that represent the locations of mobile stations at the time of a service loss or call drop . the map may illustrate drop location data gathered over an entire extended time period , such as a month , a week , or a day . alternatively , rf coverage map 380 may comprise multiple two dimensional maps for certain times of day , such as a first map that shows drop location data for the time period between 12 am and 1 am on a particular day , a second map that shows drop location data for the time period between 1 am and 2 am on the same day , a third map that shows drop location data for the time period between 2 am and 3 am on the same data , and so forth . also , the maps may cover multiple days . for example , the first map may show drop location data for the time period between 12 am and 1 am for every day for an entire month . mobile station if application program 340 communicates with rf coverage server access application program 284 in ms 111 in order to receive drop location data from ms 111 . mobile station if application program 340 may comprise an e - mail program ( e . g ., eudora ), a transmission control protocol / internet protocol ( tcp / ip ) program , a user datagram protocol ( udp ) program , a short messaging service ( sms ) program , a cdma data burst program , or any combination of these programs . these various types of communication programs are for illustration purposes only . the present invention is not limited to any one type or combination of server access programs . according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention , ms 111 and bs 101 may utilize new parameters in the extended system parameters message ( base station - to - mobile station paging channel message ) and in the registration message in order to relay exact location and time information of ms 111 in the event of a call drop or a service loss . the present invention thus provides an efficient mechanism to report the call drop location and time information to rf coverage server 195 via the appropriate messaging , in the event of a call drop or service failure due to a coverage hole in wireless network 100 . this enables the network operator to pinpoint the exact location of a call drop or service failure , thereby facilitating collection of valuable data to determine rf holes in wireless network 100 . the present invention greatly reduces the required efforts of wireless service providers to improve service coverage and to reduce dropped calls . advantageously , the base station is not required to continually request location information from all mobiles , which is highly inefficient . the present invention discloses an efficient mechanism for identifying coverage holes with minimum additional impact on air - interface . 1 . two new trigger bits , report service loss and report call drop are defined in the extended system parameters message and in - traffic system parameters message , 2 . when report service loss is set to true ( e . g ., logic 1 ) for the current cell , if the mobile is idle and it loses service ( pilot channel / sync channel / paging channel / access trouble ), the mobile station stores the service loss location and time . this information should not be overwritten until it is reported to the base station . 3 . when report call drop is set to true for the current cell , if the mobile is in a call and a call drops due to rf signal failure , the mobile station stores the call failure location and time . this information should not be overwritten until it is reported to the base station . 4 . usually , a mobile station loses service or a call , the mobile station tries to re - acquire the system . in doing so , the mobile station can send a registration message with additional information : which event ( call drop / pilot signal / sync signal / paging signal / access failure ) occurred , event location , and event time . 5 . field registration type ( reg type ) in registration message is modified to include service reconnect as a new reason . every time after the mobile station acquires the system , the mobile station should complete its regular registration processing , then send another registration message with the service reconnect reason , if it has stored an unreported call drop event or service loss event . for example , the following fields may be used in the registration message : integer event type ( 0 = call drop , 1 = pilot lost , 2 = sync error , 3 = paging error , 4 = access failure , etc . ), appropriate type to specify the event time , and an appropriate type to report the gps location where the event happened . [ 0061 ] fig4 depicts message flow diagram 400 , which illustrates the operation of mobile station 111 and base station 101 during a call drop according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . initially , ms 111 has already accessed bs 101 . bs 101 transmits control message 405 with report call drop set to logic 1 ( true ). this alerts ms 111 to report call drop events . at time t1 , ms 111 establishes a call ( i . e ., call origination ) with bs 101 . at time t2 , ms 111 enters an rf coverage hole and ms 111 drops the call ( i . e ., call drop ) with bs 101 . at time t3 , ms 101 leaves the rf coverage hole and ms 111 reacquires ( reacq .) bs 101 ( or some other base station ). ms 111 then transmits special registration message 410 that reports the call drop event , location , and time . [ 0062 ] fig5 depicts message flow diagram 500 , which illustrates the operation of mobile station 111 and base station 101 during a service loss according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . initially , ms 111 has already accessed bs 101 . bs 101 transmits control message 505 with report service loss set to logic 1 ( true ). this alerts ms 111 to report service loss events . at time t1 , ms 111 enters an rf coverage hole and ms 111 loses service with bs 101 by losing one of the control channels ( e . g ., pilot , page , sync ). at time t2 , ms 101 leaves the rf coverage hole and ms 111 reacquires ( reacq .) bs 101 ( or some other base station ) ms 111 then transmits special registration message 510 that reports the service loss event , location , and time . advantageously , a service provider is not required to implement gps position locator 260 , drop location data file 281 , and rf coverage server access application program 284 in every mobile station distributed to subscribers of wireless network 100 . the present invention may adequately identify coverage holes in wireless network 100 even if only a subset of subscribers use mobile stations ( i . e ., cell phones ) that are equipped according to the principles of the present invention . the wireless service provider need only ensure that an adequate number of phones are so equipped in order to obtain a good sampling of the rf coverage holes in wireless network 100 . for example , if a wireless service provider has 200 , 000 subscribers in a certain metropolitan area ( e . g ., dallas , tex . ), the wireless service provider may distribute , for example , 1 , 000 , 5 , 000 , or 10 , 000 mobile stations that are equipped as shown in fig2 and according to the principles of the present invention . these mobile stations would then be used to identify holes in the rf coverage of wireless network 100 . moreover , out of the subset of mobile stations that are equipped according to the principles of the present invention , the wireless service provider may further reduce the number of mobile stations that are reporting rf coverage holes by selectively enabling the present invention in only some of the equipped mobile stations . as explained in fig4 and 5 , the equipped mobile stations only report a service loss event or a call drop event if the trigger bits report service loss and report call drop , respectively , are enabled . if the service provider does not set these trigger bits as described with respect to fig4 and 5 , then the mobile stations do not report service loss events or call drop events . it should also be noted that the present invention may operate in the reverse manner by disabling the trigger bits report service loss and report call drop . in other words , when a mobile station is powered on , it may be enabled , by default , to report service loss events and call drop events . the trigger bits report service loss and report call drop may then be used to disable ( i . e ., turn off ) the reporting of service loss events or call drop events . although the present invention has been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they may make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form .	7
fig2 is a block diagram of typical computer system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention . in the present embodiment , computer system 200 typically includes a monitor 210 , computer 220 , a keyboard 230 , a user input device 240 , a network interface 250 , and the like . in the present embodiment , user input device 240 is typically embodied as a computer mouse , a trackball , a track pad , a joystick , wireless remote , drawing tablet , an integrated display and tablet ( e . g . cintiq by wacom ), voice command system , eye tracking system , and the like . user input device 240 typically allows a user to select objects , icons , text and the like that appear on the monitor 210 via a command such as a click of a button or the like . embodiments of network interface 250 typically include an ethernet card , a modem ( telephone , satellite , cable , isdn ), ( asynchronous ) digital subscriber line ( dsl ) unit , and the like . network interface 250 are typically coupled to a computer network as shown . in other embodiments , network interface 250 may be physically integrated on the motherboard of computer 220 , may be a software program , such as soft dsl , or the like . computer 220 typically includes familiar computer components such as a processor 260 , and memory storage devices , such as a random access memory ( ram ) 270 , disk drives 280 , and system bus 290 interconnecting the above components . in one embodiment , computer 220 is a pc compatible computer having one or more microprocessors such as pentiumiv ™ or xeon ™ microprocessors from intel corporation . further , in the present embodiment , computer 220 typically includes a linux - based operating system . ram 270 and disk drive 280 are examples of tangible media configured to store data , audio / video files , computer programs , scene descriptor files , object models , object components , mapping of specified components to groups of components , animation variables , shader descriptors , different component hierarchies for one or more objects , output image files , texture maps , displacement maps , object creation environments , animation environments , asset management systems , databases and database management systems , and the like . other types of tangible media include floppy disks , removable hard disks , optical storage media such as cd - roms , dvds and bar codes , semiconductor memories such as flash memories , read - only - memories ( roms ), battery - backed volatile memories , networked storage devices , and the like . in the present embodiment , computer system 200 may also include software that enables communications over a network such as the http , tcp / ip , rtp / rtsp protocols , and the like . in alternative embodiments of the present invention , other communications software and transfer protocols may also be used , for example ipx , udp or the like . fig2 is representative of a computer system capable of embodying the present invention . it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many other hardware and software configurations are suitable for use with the present invention . for example , the computer may be a desktop , portable , rack - mounted or tablet configuration . further , the use of other micro processors are contemplated , such as pentium ™ or itanium ™ microprocessors ; opteron ™ or athlonxp ™ microprocessors from advanced micro devices , inc ; powerpc g4 ™, g5 ™ microprocessors from motorola , inc . ; and the like . further , other types of operating systems are contemplated , such as windows ®, windowsxp ®, windowsnt ®, or the like from microsoft corporation , solaris from sun microsystems , linux , unix , mac os from apple computer corporation , and the like . fig3 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention . specifically , fig3 illustrates an animation environment 300 , an object creation environment 310 , and a storage system 320 . in the present embodiment , object creation environment 310 is an environment that allows users ( modelers ) to specify object articulation models , including armatures and rigs . within this environment , users can create models ( manually , procedurally , etc .) of other objects ( components ), and specify how the objects articulate with respect to animation variables ( avars ). in one specific embodiment , object creation environment 310 is a pixar proprietary object creation environment known as “ geppetto .” in other embodiements , other types of object creation environments can be used . in the present embodiment , the object models that are created with object creation environment 310 may be used in animation environment 300 . typically , object models are heirarchically built , and the user ( modeler ) specifies how the components are interconnected via an object hierarchy 330 . the heirarchical nature for building - up object models is useful because different users ( modellers ) are typically assigned the tasks of creating the different models . for example , one modeller is assigned the task of creating a hand model , a different modeller is assigned the task of creating a lower arm model , and the like . accordingly , by dividing - up the responsibility for object creation , the object creation process time is greatly reduced . in the present embodiment , animation environment 300 is an environment that allows users ( animators ) to manipulate object articulation models , via setting of animation variables ( avars ). in one embodiment , animation environment 300 is a pixar proprietary animation environment known as “ menv ,” although in other embodiments , other animation environments could also be adapted . in this embodiment , animation environment 300 allows an animator to manipulate the avars provided in the object models ( generic rigs ) and to move the objects with respect to time , i . e . animate an object . additionally , in the present embodiment , animation environment 300 supports the use of an object hierarchy , that may be different from the heirarchy used by the object modelers . for example , within animation environment 300 an object hierarchy 340 may specify the direct connection between components not directly connected in object hierarchy 330 . also shown is a logical mapping 370 between specified components and groups of components . in other embodiments of the present invention , animation environment 300 and object creation environment 310 may be combined into a single integrated environment . in fig3 , storage system 320 may include any organized and repeatable way to access object articulation models . for example , in one embodiment , storage system 320 includes a simple flat - directory structure on local drive or network drive ; in other embodiments , storage system 320 may be an asset management system or a database access system tied to a database , or the like . in one embodiment , storage system 320 receives references to object models from animation environment 300 and object creation environment 310 . in return , storage system 320 provides the object model stored therein . as illustrated , object models typically specify one or more animation variables 350 . in response , via animation environment 300 , the user may specify values 360 for animation variables 350 either graphically , via keyboard , or the like . fig4 a – b illustrate a block diagram of a flow process according to an embodiment of the present invention . initially , one or more users ( e . g . object modelers ) creates a model of a three - dimensional object , step 400 in an object creation environment . the specification of the model typically includes a specification of sub - objects or components , interconnected in a first connection hierarchy . additionally , the user defines animation variables applicable to the components . next , in the present embodiment , the user ( e . g . object modeler ) also defines a second connection hierarchy for the components of the object , step 410 . in various embodiments of the present invention , a different user ( e . g . an animator , a shader ) specifies the interconnections in the second connection hierarchy . the object modeler then implements the second connection hierarchy . in various embodiments , any number of connection hierarchies may be created for different users and for different uses , for example , types of hierarchies may include a deformer hierarchy , a shading hierarchy , a geometric hierarchy , a animation hierarchy , and the like . in embodiments of the present invention , the different users may directly define the second connection hierarchy , and / or may define the hierarchy on - the - fly ( i . e . add interconnections between the components as needed ). in various embodiments , the second connection hierarchy may include the first connection hierarchy and include additional interconnections . in other embodiments , the second connection hierarchy may include only some , or even none , of the same interconnections as the first connection hierarchy . in the present embodiment , the user ( e . g . object modeler ) also defines a mapping from selected components to one or more components ( group of components ), step 420 . for example , one mapping may be between a right arm component and a group of components including : the right arm , the right shoulder , and right elbow ; another mapping may be between a head component , and a group of components including : the head component , a group of components including a neck component , a manipulation component ; yet another mapping may be between a torso component and a group of components including : the torso component , the hips component , and the chest component , and the like . in various embodiments of the present invention , different users ( e . g . an animator , a shader ) specify the mappings , and the object modeler then implements the mappings . in various embodiments , mappings between a component and one or more components may be created for different users and for different uses . in other embodiments of the present invention , the different users may directly define the mappings and / or may define the mappings on - the - fly ( i . e . define a mapping as needed ). examples of this will be given below . in the present embodiments , the model of the three - dimensional object , the first connection hierarchy and the second connection hierarchy , and at least one mapping between components and other components are then saved , step 430 . in embodiments of the present invention , it is contemplated that a first class of users ( e . g . object modelers ) define a model , implement the custom connection hierarchies , and implement the mapping between components ; and different class of users ( e . g . animators , shaders ) use the custom connection hierarchies and the mapping . in the example in fig4 a , a user ( e . g . animator ) initiates an animation environment , step 440 , and retrieves the object model , the second connection hierarchy , and the mapping , step 450 . in other embodiments , the object model , second connection hierarchy , and the mapping may be retrieved within the object creation environment , a shading environment , or the like . in the present embodiment , when the object model is retrieved into the animation environment , the object is displayed to the user on a display , step 460 . the object may be represented on the display in a number of ways including an armature mode that illustrates the underlying “ skeleton ” of the object . another way includes a wire - frame mode that illustrates the armature and surface of the object as a series of wire - frames . yet another way includes a rendered mode that simply renders the surface of the object . in the animation environment , the rendering process includes converting geometric descriptions of the physical components of the object into a two - dimensional representation on the display . in embodiments of the present invention , a user ( e . g . animator ) can easily switch between the different appearances of the object within animation environment . in embodiments of the present embodiment , when the object is displayed , the animation environment maintains a link between the two - dimensional output on the display and components in the second connection hierarchy , step 470 . more particularly , the animation environment maintains a link between two - dimensional regions on the display and components of the three - dimensional object . for example , the animation environment will know for a particular view of the object , pixel x 1 , y 1 on the display represents a surface of a rendered head , pixel x 2 , y 2 on the display represents a surface of a rendered torso , pixel x 3 , y 3 on the display represents a surface associated with an eye tracking component , and the like . in the present embodiment , a user then positions a cursor on the display , step 480 . the user may perform this action in any number of conventional ways , such as with a mouse , drawing pen , track ball , voice command or the like . in response to the cursor position on the display , and the link discussed in step 470 , the animation system identifies the linked component , step 490 . using the example above , if the cursor is on pixel x 1 , y 1 on the display , the animation environment identifies the head component ; if the cursor is on pixel x 2 , y 2 on the display , the animation environment identifies the torso component ; if the cursor is on pixel x 3 , y 3 on the display , the animation environment identifies the eye tracking component , and the like . next , the animation system determines to which group of components the identified component belongs , step 500 . more particularly , the animation system determines which group of components , defined in step 420 , above , includes the identified component . using the example above , the head component would be identified as part of the group of components including the head component , a neck component , and a manipulation component ; a torso component would be identified as part of the group of components including the torso component , the hips component , and the chest component ; and the like . in the present embodiment , two - dimensional regions on the display associated with components from the group of components may be highlighted on the display , step 510 . to the user , the effect is to highlight components that belong to the same group , as the user moves the cursor on the display . for example , as the cursor is positioned on top of a two - dimensional region associated with any of : the torso component , the hips component , or the chest component , all of the associated two - dimensional regions will be highlighted . in various embodiments , highlighting may including displaying the two - dimensional regions in a different color , outlining the two - dimensional region or regions , or other visual indication , and the like . examples of this will be illustrated below . in addition , audio cues can also be output to the user . for example , as a different group of components are highlighted , a sound may be output to the user . as another example , the sound may have a different pitch as different groups of components are highlighted . as still another example , when the cursor is positioned on top of the head component , the user may hear “ head ;” when the cursor is positioned on top of the eye tracker component , the user may hear “ eye tracker component ;” when the group of components including a torso component is highlighted , the user may hear “ torso group ;” and the like . in still other embodiments , force feedback devices may also be integrated . for example , as a new group of components is highlighted , a mouse , or the like may vibrate . many other ways to provide sensory feedback are contemplated and are included in alternative embodiments . in embodiments , if the user continues to reposition the cursor on the display , the process discussed above may be repeated , step 520 . in various embodiments , the process may result in the same group of components being highlighted , or a different group of components being highlighted . as one example , if the cursor is moved from a two - dimensional region associated with a torso component to a two - dimensional region associated with a chest component , the same group of components are highlighted . as another example , if the cursor is moved from a two - dimensional region associated with a torso component , to a two - dimensional component associated with a head component , the group of components including the torso , hips , and chest component is first highlighted , and the group of components including the head , neck , and manipulation component is then highlighted . in various embodiments , the user may make a selection of the highlighted two - dimensional regions on the display , step 520 . in some embodiments , the user may click a mouse button , tap a button a stylus , strike a key on a keyboard , make a voice command , or the like . in response to the user selection , the animation system refers to the mapping defined in step 420 to determine which specified component the group of components is mapped , step 530 . as discussed above , the mapping maps between the groups of components to a selected component . using the example described above , if the group of components including the right arm , the right shoulder , and right elbow was highlighted ( step 510 ), and selected ( step 520 ), the animation system refers to the mapping and determines that the right arm is selected . as another example , if the groups of components including the head , the neck , and a manipulation component was highlighted and selected , the head component is selected according to the mapping . examples of this will be illustrated below . in embodiments of the present invention , after the component selection above , the user may navigate to other components using a variety of techniques , step 540 . for example , the user may navigate referring to the first connection hierarchy or the second connection hierarchy . in some embodiments , the user may use techniques described in the “ pickwalking ” application , referred - to above to easily navigate the component hierarchy using an animator connection hierarchy , or the like . once the component is selected , the user manipulates one or more animation variables associated with the component , step 550 . in various embodiments , the animation variables may be manipulated through the entry of numeric values in a table , through graphical user interface , direct - manipulation techniques pioneered by pixar , or the like . in various embodiments , the animation variables may be associated with physical components , manipulation components , or the like of the three - dimensional model . in the present embodiment , in response to the changed animation variables , the geometric description of the object typically changes , and the object is re - rendered and displayed . the process above is then repeated . fig5 a – g illustrate examples according to embodiments of the present invention . in the example of fig5 a illustrates an a component hierarchy 600 provided for an animator is illustrated . as shown , a mapping 610 is also illustrated that maps particular components 620 to groups of components 630 . for example , a left lower arm component , 640 is mapped to a group 650 including a left lower arm component , a left upper arm component , and a left hand component . fig5 b illustrates a display 670 of a portion of a three - dimensional object ( person ) displayed to a user ( e . g . animator ). in the following examples , a number of cursor positions are illustrated including position 680 , 690 , and 700 . in the example in fig5 c , a cursor is positioned on position 680 on display 670 . according to an embodiment described above , the animation system first determines what component position 680 is linked to ( step 490 ). in this example , the component is the left lower arm 710 . as further described in the embodiments above , the animation determines that left lower arm 710 belongs to component group 650 , as shown in fig5 a ( step 540 ). the components belonging to component group 650 are then highlighted 720 on the display ( step 510 ). in the example in fig5 d , the cursor has been repositioned to position 690 . in this example , position 690 is linked to the left upper arm 730 , and left upper arm 730 is also mapped to component group 650 . accordingly , the components in component group 650 remain highlighted 720 on the display . in the example in fig5 e , the cursor has been repositioned to position 700 . in this example , position 700 is linked to the chest 740 , and chest 740 is mapped to a component group including a chest component , torso component , and hips component in fig5 a . in fig5 e , these components are then highlighted 745 on the display . continuing the example , in fig5 f , the user selects the group of components highlighted . in the present example , when the user makes a selection while the component group is highlighted 745 , the animation system determines that chest component is selected , per the mapping 610 . accordingly , as shown in fig5 f , the armature 750 of chest component 740 is then highlighted . in the example in fig5 g , the user makes one or more hierarchy navigation commands to select different components of the three - dimensional object . in this example , the user may hit a “ down ” arrow key on the keyboard to select torso component 760 . as shown , the armature 770 of torso component is then highlighted . subsequently , the user may modify one or more animation variables of torso component 760 . fig6 a – c illustrate examples of embodiments of the present invention . in fig6 a , a cursor 800 is positioned such that a group of components 810 is highlighted . in fig6 b , the user repositions cursor 810 to another location 820 on the display . in the present embodiment , location 820 is associated with a manipulation component . one such manipulation component is as an eye - tracking component . specifically , when the user selects the eye tracking component , animation variables specifying the location on the screen where the eyes 830 will point to can be set . as illustrated , in various embodiments , components belonging to a first group ( eye components 830 ) may be manipulated from a selection of a second component ( eye tracking component ). in various embodiments , the animation system may automatically enter different manipulation modes in response to selection of specific components . for example , as shown in fig6 b , selection of the eye - tracking component may cause the animation system to automatically enter a “ translate mode ” so that eyes 830 will “ track ” a user - defined location 840 in space . other types of manipulation modes or components are also contemplated . fig7 a – d illustrate additional examples of embodiments of the present invention . in fig7 a – d , the same view of the three - dimensional object shown in fig1 b is shown . in fig7 a , the surfaces of a three - dimensional object 900 are shown . using the process described above , the cursor 910 is positioned as shown . in response to the position of cursor 910 on the display , a group of components is highlighted 920 on the display . fig7 b illustrates an alternative embodiment of the same group of components highlighted 930 on the display . in this embodiment , as different groups of components are highlighted , they are visually brought to the “ front .” in fig7 c , the user has selected the highlighted group on components on the display . as shown , in response to the selection , in various embodiments , the “ skeleton ” of three - dimensional object is displayed , and the specified component 930 mapped to the group of components is selected . next , using hierarchy navigation techniques , the user simply selects the left upper arm component 940 . as can be seen , the embodiments illustrated above provide a simpler method for the users to select specific components of a three - dimensional object via selection of surfaces ( or patches ) of an object . many changes or modifications are readily envisioned . in light of the above disclosure , one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that more than one component may be selected when a highlighted group of components is selected . additionally , other “ non - geometric ” components may have user pickable patches displayed on the display . for example , a bend component or a squash and stretch component may also appear as pickable locations on the surface of the object , or the like . in other embodiments , gestures , keyboards commands , and the like may also be used to select objects on the display in embodiments of the present invention , techniques may be implemented in any number of object system , such as an animation environment , object creation environment , and the like . further embodiments can be envisioned to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure . in other embodiments , combinations or sub - combinations of the above disclosed invention can be advantageously made . the block diagrams of the architecture and flow charts are grouped for ease of understanding . however it should be understood that combinations of blocks , additions of new blocks , re - arrangement of blocks , and the like are contemplated in alternative embodiments of the present invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims .	6
an embodiment will now be described with respect to fig4 to 7 of the drawings . remote direct memory access instructions are disclosed that support memory correctness checking . these instructions are primarily intended to be implemented in the network interface controller ( or programmable switch or router ) of fig1 or 2 . the embodiments disclosed may also be performed in software making use of ordinary data transfer methods over a network , but this would result in the loss of many of the benefits gained with a preferred implementation . the embodiments provide functionality falling into the session and transport layers of the open systems interconnection ( osi ) model ( see table 1 below ) and may be implemented in software , but the embodiments are intended to be implemented in hardware ( the physical layer ) for high performance . for comparison , mpi is mainly applicable to the session and presentation layers . six remote direct memory access instructions to support memory correctness checking are provided in an embodiment . the instructions are intended to be used by compilers as part of memory correctness checking instrumentation , or by previously described instrumentation tools , and not used directly by a programmer using languages such c / c ++/ fortran , although some of the described functionality may indeed be made directly available to the user for finer control during memory correctness debugging . the novel instructions defined in an embodiment may be written as follows : the support instruction rdma_mc_init specifies that memory correctness ( mc ) checking is to be activated for rdma operations . in particular , this means that any region of memory specified for remote reads and writes has a corresponding region of memory maintaining the allocation and initialization status . it is an error to call any of the subsequently disclosed rdma memory correctness instructions without first calling this initialization instruction . the memory correctness memory ( equivalent to the shadow memory in valgrind or rational purify ) is not necessarily in the same place as the data being tracked . the location of shadow memory and data does not influence what is transferred . the rdma_mc_put_mode is used to specify what combinations of allocation states will result in a remote write , and rdma_mc_get_mode is used to specify what combinations of allocation states will result in a remote read . as is usual , “ put ” and “ get ” refer respectively to writing and reading of data , in each case involving a “ copy ” operation whereby the data is held in original location . ( the data may also enter temporary locations from where it is later deleted ; thus there may be copy , overwrites and deletes happening in the background which are not relevant .) fig4 provides an overview of how the instruction rdma_mc_put works in an embodiment (“ proposed process ”) as compared to the state of the art (“ old process ”). in the state of the art , a put ( respectively get ) operation in an application will result in two separate communication instructions : the transfer of the user data : step s 1 in fig4 , and the transfer of the full memory correctness information ( mc ): step s 2 . although simple conceptually , this results in a large amount of data being transferred , possibly unnecessarily and / or illegally . moreover , separate send operations also require synchronization to ensure that user data and mc accesses occur when they are mutually consistent . to ensure this at the software level may be difficult or impossible . in contrast , the embodiments provide instructions to accomplish high performance memory correctness checking , and allowing co - ordination of transferring user data and mc at the hardware level . in the embodiment , first ( step s 10 ) the network interface controller of the source processor determines which portions of the user data to send . as explained below , this step checks the mc of user data requested to be sent , against the selected mode to see if it may be sent . this step may be performed bit by bit of the user data ; alternatively any other required subdivision of the user data ( such as in byte units ) may be used . the appropriate parts of the user data are then sent to the network interface controller of the destination node ( step s 20 ). in step s 30 , it is determined how to send the memory correctness information mc . the choice here is between normal , uncompressed mc or “ compressed ” mc ( see below ). the criterion for sending compressed mc , as opposed to full ( uncompressed ) mc , is whether sending compressed mc is more efficient than sending full mc taking into account compression and transfer cost . a threshold , for example 1000 or 100000 bytes , may be employed , depending on whether the nic is more efficient at processing data ( so that compression and / or calculation of ranges is preferred ) or transferring data ( so that a direct data transfer is preferred ). if it is determined in step s 30 to send compressed mc , the compressed mc is then transmitted over the network to the network interface controller of the destination processor in step s 40 ; if not , the full mc is sent instead ( s 50 ). thus , if the user wants to check memory correctness , rdma_mc_put / rdma_mc_get are used in place of standard put / get . in the absence of the embodiments , standard put / get must be used in an ad hoc fashion to accomplish one or two features perhaps in a limited part of the code . note that the mc need not be in same remote location as user data . although fig3 shows mc being sent after the user data , this is purely for illustrative purposes . it is possible to send the mc first ; parallel transmission of both is also possible and may indeed be preferable . the determination of which parts of user data to send ( step s 10 in fig4 ) will now be explained in more detail . each subunit of the user data , down to as little as each individual bit of memory assigned to the user , will have one of two possible allocation states and one of two possible initialization states . note that this differs from rational purify where each byte will have one of two possible allocation states and one of two possible initialization states . the difference is in granularity of the correctness tracking , allowing neighboring bits in a byte to be tracked separately ( bit - granularity ) and not necessarily treated together ( byte - granularity as in rational purify ). for efficiency , the preferred implementation maintains the allocation and initialization states separately and contiguously although other arrangements are possible . thus , in the mc memory there will be distinct but contiguous memory areas for both allocation and initialization data . each bit of memory assigned to the user will therefore have one of four possible memory correctness states in a similar fashion to that illustrated in fig3 , and as shown in table 2 . a single bit of memory assigned to the user has one of four possible memory correctness states shown in the rows of the table . these states correspond to the possible combinations of allocation and initialization states , as also shown in fig3 the present embodiment allows data transfer to be handled differently for the different memory correctness states in table 2 . the instructions rdma_mc_put_mode and rdma_mc_get_mode are used to select how user data transfers are handled by selecting one of the sixteen possible modes shown in table 3 below , numbered 0 to 15 . such mode selection may be changed during execution . some of these modes will be more useful than others , but all are presented here for completeness . mode 8 is the most appropriate mode for ensuring that user data is only transferred when it is both legal and useful to do so . to maintain the same behavior as for the case when memory correctness checking is not used , both the default put and get modes will be 15 so that all user data is transferred regardless of whether the user - chosen data is allocated or initialized . a completely correct program would give the same output using mode 8 or mode 15 ( mode 15 corresponds to standard put / get ). the permissive setting will use put and get mode 14 to allow tolerance of user errors with regard to allocation and initialization of memory assigned to the user . after verifying that a program works correctly in normal mode 15 but fails for strict mode 8 , modes 9 to 14 can then be used to identify the type of incorrectness being relied on . mode 7 can be used to identify that either the whole program or a portion of the program relies on accessing memory in one of the incorrect states 0 , 1 and 2 . modes 1 to 6 can then be used to identify the type of incorrectness being relied on . the put and get modes may be set independently of each other and independently for each switch , router or nic associated with different processing elements ( able to carry out calculations and other computations ) in order to isolate different types of memory correctness errors and localize them to a particular processing element . data transfer handling of any particular bit of memory assigned to the user depends on the data transfer mode selected for the four different memory correctness states . the memory correctness states are shown in the top row . in the body of the table , the number zero indicates non - transfer of data whereas the number one indicates transfer of data . here , transfer and non - transfer refer only to memory assigned to the user . the transfer of memory correctness states is handled separately . the different user data transfer modes are numbered in the left - most column , from zero to 15 . bit - by - bit checking will be necessary to catch single - bit errors ; however , this is computationally expensive and not always needed . as already mentioned , rational purify works at the byte ( i . e . 8 - bit level ) and an embodiment may provide this less computation - intensive option too . this can be achieved either using rational purify &# 39 ; s byte level granularity , or by keeping bit - granularity but allowing switching to only checking the first bit of the byte and assuming that the other 7 bits are the same . the concept of “ state ranges ” ( see below ) can also be applied to the checking step . that is , the mc may be maintained in a compressed state right up until de - compression is decided to be absolutely necessary . it is then possible to manipulate compressed ranges of mc , which is a simpler task than manipulating uncompressed memory correctness information . the rdma memory correctness instructions rdma_mc_put and rdma_mc_get carry out remote memory accesses while maintaining the memory correctness state of memory assigned to the user . fig5 shows remote memory accesses using rdma_mc_put and rdma_mc_get with complete transfer of memory correctness state information . the data transfer illustrated in fig5 is a simplified illustration showing either complete transfer of user data or non - transfer . in general , and in accordance with the mode selected from table 3 , part of the data will be transferred and part of the data will not be transferred . in one embodiment , only the memory correctness information associated with the data actually transferred , is also transferred , in order to maintain consistency of data and mc . in this case , table 3 describes what happens both to the user data and the associated mc . in an alternative embodiment , all mc is transferred regardless of how much of the user data is actually transferred . an advantage of this approach is to allow tracking of the spread of an error which taints other calculations . the disadvantage is that the user data and mc become inconsistent at the destination . to track the spread of an error . valgrind for example will allow pointless or erroneous actions and only flag these when these influence a decision point in the program . to make allowance for some incorrectness ( memory correctness state 0 , 1 and 2 in table 2 may be considered harmless in certain circumstances ) in the program , while tracking down a more serious error . that is , non - sending of data allows faster execution if the send is pointless — for example , uninitialized data is logically interchangeable . related to the first item , to make an incorrect program fail more quickly . the program may be incorrect and rely on contents of memory in state 0 , 1 or 2 being transferred , so not sending some of this will probably result in an earlier error allowing backtracking to the incorrectness . the following discussion with respect to fig5 to 7 assumes that all mc is to be transferred . turning now to fig5 , this shows remote memory access between a local process 100 and a remote process 200 with full sending of memory correctness state information . the user data , data is shown as dark - shaded blocks and memory correctness ( mc ) state information is shown as light - shaded blocks . the proximity and positioning of the dark - shaded and light - shaded blocks are purely for illustration . the arrows show transfers of between processes 100 , 200 . the empty blocks indicate that no transfer has taken place into these regions of memory . thus , fig5 illustrates four possible ways in which data may be transferred : ( a ) rdma_mc_put with transfer . that is , the user data 110 is transferred in full to create data 210 in the remote process , which is a copy of the user data 110 . in addition ( whether before , after or simultaneously does not matter ), the associated memory correctness information mc is transferred to create a copy 220 of the mc . ( b ) rdma_mc_put without transfer . in this possibility , after comparison of the memory correctness state of the user data ( table 2 ) with the selected mode ( table 3 ), a determination is made not to transfer the user data . ( for simplicity , an “ all or nothing ” decision is assumed here although in practice , the determination is made on a subunit - by - subunit basis down to individual bits if necessary ). however , in this example , the memory correctness information 120 is still transferred in full . in this way , mc book - keeping continues to take place so that the spread of the error can be tracked . ( c ) rdma_mc_get with transfer . in this case the local process 100 sends a request to the remote process which results in transfer of the data 210 along with the associated mc 220 , creating copies of both kinds of data at the local process . ( d ) rdma_mc_get with transfer . in this mode of operation it is determined , based on memory correctness state and data transfer mode , not to transfer the user data requested by the local process . however , in this example the remote process still transmits the associated mc 220 to make a copy 120 in the memory space owned by the local process . referring back to fig4 showing the “ proposed process ” in combination with the “ old process ” known in the art , it will be apparent that possibilities ( a ) and ( c ) mentioned above will take longer than in the prior art , owing to the additional checks involved ; however , transfer types ( b ) and ( d ) ( as well as operations in fig6 and 7 discussed below ) will take less time than is needed in the prior art , owing to the reduced volume of data transferred . the embodiment allows avoidance of put / get of user data when the corresponding mc shows that put / get is both pointless and erroneous ( states 0 and 1 in table 2 ), or just erroneous ( state 2 in table 2 ). it is usual that the user data will all be of one or two of the memory correctness states shown in table 2 , so that the memory correctness state information can be sent in compressed form as “ state ranges ”, or lengths ( in byte or address terms ) of user data having the same mc state . fig6 shows placement of state ranges from a local process 100 onto a remote process 200 to achieve efficient sending of memory correctness state information ( mc ). as compressed mc , for example , two bytes are used to signify the number of state ranges sent and this will typically number in the tens . the state ranges themselves are coded in eight bytes ( more bytes may be used ) with the highest two bits reserved to denote one of the states in table 2 , the size of the range being represented by the remaining 62 - bits ( or more if a larger size was chosen ). the ranges are assumed to run one after another . thus , compressed mc state information can take the form of a sequence of state ranges , preceded by a 2 - byte value to signify the number of state ranges which follow . the exact form of representation will be hardware dependent and various possibilities will occur to the skilled person . for example , a virtual start address and a length may be used to define the start and end points of a state range . in fig6 and 7 , the user data is again shown as dark - shaded blocks and memory correctness state information is shown as light - shaded blocks . the solid arrows show transfers between processes 100 , 200 and dashed black arrows show the expansion or recreation of the complete memory correctness state information 222 from a compressed representation 221 . in a transfer ( a ), rdma_mc_put with transfer , as in fig5 ( a ) the user data 110 is transferred along with the mc , the difference being that the mc 120 is compressed prior to transmission , to form compressed memory correctness information 221 . a copy 210 of the user data is thus created at the remote process 200 , and upon receipt of the compressed mc 221 this is expanded to form a copy ( mc ( recreated )) 222 of the original mc 120 . in transfer ( b ), rdma_mc_put without transfer , as in fig5 ( b ) no user data is transferred in view of its memory correctness state and the selected data transfer mode ; on the other hand the mc is still transferred , again in compressed form , the received compressed mc 221 being decompressed to reconstruct the original as mc ( recreated ) 222 . incidentally , it may not be necessary to decompress the mc immediately at the receiving process , as it may be maintained and / or manipulated in compressed form . fig7 likewise shows remote collection of data from a remote process 200 onto the local process 100 with efficient sending of memory correctness state information ( mc ). in a process ( a ) for rdma_mc_get with transfer , the user data 210 is transferred from remote process 200 to local process 100 in similar fashion to fig5 ( c ), and the mc is also obtained ; however , it is transmitted in compressed form , the received compressed mc 111 being expanded as mc 112 . finally , fig7 ( b ) shows an rdma_mc_get without transfer of user data , analogous with fig5 ( d ) except for receiving the mc in compressed form . after the program under analysis has completed execution , such that all rdma is finished , a novel rdma_mc_end instruction may be invoked to perform necessary “ clean - up ” operations . for example , memory which has been reserved for rdma may be returned to the system so that regular operations such as copying memory to and from disk can occur ( rdma reserved memory cannot be “ paged ” to disk as reads and write occur unexpectedly ). summary information may be calculated ( e . g . total number of puts / gets requested and amount of data transferred ) and , for example , output to a display device for inspection by a human operator . as already mentioned , the embodiments are intended to be implemented in the nic of each processor or processing element which is part of a larger system . referring back to fig2 , one form of implementation of the disclosed rdma instructions supporting memory correctness checking is in the on - chip network interface controllers or switches . that is , each network interface controller or switch is adapted to recognize the novel instructions provided and act on them accordingly for rdma purposes . more particularly , a nic includes hardware means such as a control unit ( possibly , a dma controller ) which is responsive to the novel instructions described above , these instructions being received from the local node , for example via a local bus . the control unit then controls reading and / or writing over the network , for example via packet transmitting and receiving units . such a packet transmitting unit may be arranged to receive data from a local memory of the local node and configured to form the data into one or more suitably - formatted packets for transmission over the network . the packet receiving unit may be arranged to receive packets over the network and decode , divide or recombine them to a form understood by the local processor . both circuits will be coupled , through the network , to corresponding units at the destination node . in one embodiment , the instructions may direct data transfer between storages local to two processing elements . in a second embodiment , the large shared storage / cache may be divided equally between the different processing elements and the rdma instructions direct data transfer between parts of the large shared cache currently allocated to different processing elements . the embodiments could also be implemented at a higher level in the system in software form . both mpi and non - mpi methods could be applied ( e . g . pvm , shmem , armci ). however , this is less preferred for the following reasons : ( i ) a software implementation would place a burden on the cpu for “ mc ” computations . ( loss of off - loading - to - nic benefit .) ( ii ) a software implementation would require multiple logical transfers to be initiated and synchronized . ( loss of minimization of overheads benefit .) ( iii ) a software implementation would have poorer performance as compared to a hardware implementation because of the above points . the reference in ( ii ) above to “ logical ” transfers is because a logical transfer is likely to be broken up into some and perhaps many smaller transfers depending on the hardware . to summarize , an embodiment can provide a process to send memory correctness information ( to support memory correctness checking ) on systems ( e . g . a supercomputer or network - on - chip ) with distributed memory and with different parts of the system connected by a network . six remote direct memory access ( rdma ) computer instructions are disclosed which support memory correctness checking . the rdma_mc_put and rdma_mc_get instructions activate the transfer of compressed or fully expanded memory correctness information to maximize efficiency . transfer modes may be specified separately for the put and get operations and these are independent for each processing element to allow localization of memory handling errors to a particular processing element . the disclosed rdma memory correctness checking instructions enable high performance as compared to the state - of - the - art as exemplified by the valgrind tool with its mpi wrappers , ibm rational purify &# 39 ; s memory error detection functionality , insure ++ and other such tools . thus , embodiments of the present invention can provide remote direct memory access instructions supporting memory correctness checking , by transferring memory correctness information , implemented in network interface controllers or switches or routers of a conventional computer or a network - on - chip processor . the above - mentioned rdma instructions may use a compressed mode of transfer for ranges of memory correctness information . the above - mentioned rdma instructions allow configurable transfer modes separately selectable for the put / get operations and separately selectable for different processing elements . the disclosed embodiments allow memory correctness checking to be performed efficiently and in a highly configurable way in traditional and emerging languages for network - on - chip processors and massively parallel computers . the embodiments provide an automated way of debugging memory correctness that shortens time taken in debugging and shortens development time for programming on distributed memory systems .	6
fig1 a and 1b are views for illustrating a fundamental mode of the optical modulation method and an optical modulation element used therein . in the figures , a first prism 1 and a second prism 2 are spaced apart from each other with a predetermined gap by means of spacers 7 . these prisms may be in the same shape or in different shapes depending on the purpose . a layer of transparent elastic body 3 is disposed on a surface of the second prism 2 . on the peripheral part of the elastic body 3 is disposed a pressing member 4 driven by a driving means ( not shown ) and capable of pressing the elastic body 3 toward the second prism 2 . the pressing member has or defines an opening 4a , the shape of which may be circular , rectangular , polygonal other than the rectangular , etc . alternatively , the pressing member may be composed of a pair of members 9 disposed spaced apart from each other , as shown in fig3 on the elastic member 3 . the first prism 1 has a surface 1a facing the second prism 2 and forming an interface with air or the elastic layer 3 . the surface 1a may be coated , if necessary , with a film of teflon ( polytetrafluoroethylene ), etc ., in order to prevent the adhesion thereof with the elastic body 3 . instead , the surface layer of the elastic member 3 may be cured or hardened , e . g ., by incorporating therein a crosslinking agent , to such an extent that any adhesivity of the surface is removed . it is possible that the surface 1a of the first prism 1 contacting the elastic body can be curved . thus , the optical element shown in fig1 comprises a first prism 1 and a second prism 2 spaced apart from each other , an elastic body 3 disposed on a part of the surface facing the first prism 1 of the second prism 2 , and a pressing member 4 so disposed on the elastic body 3 that it is capable of pressing the elastic body 3 . in the state shown in fig1 a , the elastic body 3 is not pressed or compressed and a gap 8 is left between the elastic body 3 and the first prism 1 , so that a light beam 10 entering the first prism 1 is totally reflected by the surface or interface 1a and travels in a deflected light path to issue upwardly . the conditions for the total reflection of light are well known and need not be described in detail . briefly speaking , however , assuming that the first prism 1 has a refractive index of 1 . 5 , total reflection occurs , if the incident angle of the light beam traveling in the first prism 1 with respect to the interface 1a is 41 . 8 ° or greater . next , when the elastic body 3 is pressed or compressed by the pressing member 4 , the pressed elastic body 3 protrudes out of the opening 4a of the pressing member 4 and is pressed against the surface 1a as shown in fig1 b . when the elastic body 3 is transparent and has a refractive index substantially equal to that of the first prism 1 , the incident light beam 10 does not cause total reflection at the interface 1a but passes the interface as it is to issue as a light beam 12 . as a result , the optical path of the incident light beam 10 is switched depending on whether the elastic body is pressed or not pressed , whereby the optical element shown in fig1 functions as an optical switch . the elastic body 3 can be composed of a nontransparent , light - absorbing material . in this case , the incident light beam is totally reflected or absorbed depending on whether the elastic body is pressed or not pressed , whereby the element shown in fig1 can be used as an optical modulation element . the incident light beam is not only visible light but also may be light of any wavelength including ultraviolet light and infrared light . it is only required for the incident light that it can attain either one state of total reflection and transmission or absorption , depending on whether the elastic body 3 is pressed against the first prism 1 . in the above example , the pressing member 4 is moved to cause protrusion of the elastic member out of the opening 4a , so that the elastic member 3 is in or out of contact with the first prism . alternatively , it is possible to move the prisms 1 and 2 per se by an external force , so that the elastic body disposed between the prisms is in or out of contact with the prisms . further , it is also possible to cause voluminous expansion or shrinkage of the elastic body by applying heat or a chemical action thereto , so that the elastic body is in or out of contact with the surface 1a . the pressing member 4 may be moved , for example , as follows . accordingly , a pressing member 4 made of an iron plate can be moved by turning on or off electromagnets 30 disposed on a face 2a ( facing the prism 1 ) of the second prism 2 ( as shown in fig2 ) with the medium of the elastic layer 3 . the elastic body which can be utilized in the present invention may be any material which undergoes deformation when a force is applied thereto and returns to its original form before deformation , provided that the force applied is not too large ( within the elastic limit ), i . e ., has an elasticity . in ordinary solids , the maximum strain within the elastic limit ( limiting strain ) is about 1 %. in contrast , in a vulcanized elastic rubber , the elastic limit is very large , with its limiting strain being as large as approximately 1000 %. in the optical device according to the present invention , any material having a desired modulus of elasticity corresponding to the characteristics of the optical device to be formed may be used . however , it is generally preferred to use a material with a smaller modulus of elasticity , in order to obtain easily a large elastic deformation or in order to make the state after deformation optically more homogeneous . the modulus or elasticity ( g ) is represented by g = ρ / γ ( where ρ = stress , γ = elastic strain ). an elasticity capable of giving a large deformation with a small stress is called as high elasticity or rubber elasticity , and therefore such a kind of elastic body is preferably utilized in the present invention . such rubbery elastic bodies are generally known as &# 34 ; rubbers &# 34 ;, including natural rubber , styrenebutadiene rubber ( sbr ), isoprene rubber ( ir ), ethylenepropylene rubber ( epm , epdm ), butyl rubber ( iir ), chloroprene rubber ( cr ), acrylonitrile - butadiene rubber ( nbr ), urethane rubber ( u ), silicone rubber ( si ), fluorine rubber ( fpm ), polysulfide rubber ( t ), polyether rubber ( por , chr , chc ) and others . among them , ethylene - propylene - rubber or silicone rubber which is transparent to visible light can be effectively used . any of these rubbers is rubbery at room temperature . however , polymeric materials in general assume either a glassy , rubbery or molten state depending on the degree of the brownian movement . accordingly , polymeric materials exhibiting the rubbery state within the temperature range at which the optical device is used can be utilized as elastic bodies of the present invention . the modulus of elasticity under the rubbery state can be determined depending on the degree of crosslinking of polymeric chains constituting the elastomer . thus , vulcanization of natural rubber is nothing but a treatment which determines the modulus of elasticity . the elastic body to be used in the present invention should desirably be deformed greatly with a small stress , and for this purpose it is important to control the degree of crosslinking . however , reduction in elasticity ( tendency to exhibit greater deformation with smaller stress ) leads to , on the other hand , lowering in strength . therefore , it is necessary to choose adequately an elastic body to be used so that the strength corresponding to the purpose of the optical device to be formed can be maintained . also , modulus of elasticity is measured by various methods depending on the kind of stress under use in the optical device , for example , by measurement of tensile , flexural or compression strength . the elastic body to be used in the present invention should have a modulus of elasticity smaller than 10 11 to 10 13 dyne / cm 2 of ordinary solid materials , appropriately not more than 10 8 dyne / cm 2 , preferably not more than 10 6 dyne / cm 2 , particularly preferably not more than 5 × 10 5 dyne / cm 2 . the lower limit should preferably be as small as possible , provided that the elastomer when constituting the optical device has a shape - retaining property , as different from liquids in general . in this regard , optical devices are used at room temperature in most cases but may sometimes be used at higher or lower temperatures . thus , the above values for modulus of elasticity should be understood as those at the temperature at which the optical device is used . hardness or softness of an elastic body depends more or less on its elasticity . according to jis k 6301 , a simple method for evaluation of hardness of rubber is defined , in which a minute strain is given by a spring on a sample surface to measure its penetration . however , if the elasticity is as low as 10 6 dyne / cm 2 or lower , it cannot be measured according to the above method . in such a case , 1 / 4 inch microconsistometer is used and the measured value of penetration is used for evaluation . also , when the modulus of elasticity is small , it is difficult to determine its value according to &# 34 ; tensile - elongation &# 34 ; relationships and therefore its value is determined by compression ( 5 % deformation ). the value can be correlated to the penetration as previously mentioned . rubbery elastomers , other than the vulcanized ( crosslinked ) products well known in the art , are inclusive of ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymers and butadiene - styrene block copolymers which require no vulcanization , or alternatively , they can be obtained by appropriate gelling ( controlling the molecular chain length between the crosslinked points ) of a chain polymer . these rubbers are controlled in their elasticities by controlling their crosslinking degrees , combination of molecules in block copolymer or the state of gelling . also , instead of controlling the elastic body through the structure of the elastic body itself , its characteristics can be also changed or controlled by addition of a diluent or a filler . for example , when a silicone rubber ( ke - 104 , trade name , produced by shinetsu kagaku kogyo k . k . and a catalyst ( catalyst - 104 , trade name , produced by sinetsu kagaku kogyo k . k .) are added , hardness and tensile strength are lowered , while elongation increased contrarily , as the amounts of addition increase . such a material can have various moduli of elasticity depending on its density of crosslinking . if a particularly large deformation is desired , it is effective to use a polymer gelled with a small density of crosslinking . it is also possible to vary refractive index or dispersion by mixing various kinds of materials with the elastomer . fig4 shows another embodiment of the optical modulation element according to the invention , which has a structure comprising an array or stack of optical elements , each of which is substantially the same in function as the one explained with reference to fig1 . in fig4 the members denoted by reference numerals 1 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 are prisms ; 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 elastic bodies ; and 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 pressing members . each of the pressing members is driven by a driving means ( not shown ) independently of the other to press an elastic member , so that the elastic member is placed in contact with a surface 1a , 13a , 14a , 15a or 16a . thus , the combination including the prisms 1 and 13 corresponds to the optical element shown in fig1 . likewise , the combinations including the prisms 13 and 14 , 14 and 15 , 15 and 16 , and 16 and 2 , are respectively equivalent to the optical element shown in fig1 . an incident light beam enters the element or device shown in fig4 from the left , passes successively surfaces or interfaces 1a and 13a contacting elastic bodies 17 and 18 , and is totally reflected at an interface 14a which is spaced apart from an elastic body 19 to issue upward . thus , the element shown in fig4 wherein unit elements are arranged or stacked in the form of an array functions as an optical switching array capable of successive scanning or random scanning . the element shown in fig4 is constituted by stacking two types of prisms , one including the prisms 1 and 2 and the other including the prisms 13 - 16 . a similar function of element is also formed by arranging an optical element as shown in fig1 in the direction of the incident light 10 . fig5 shows another embodiment of the optical modulation element according to the present invention . the element or device shown in fig5 fundamentally has a structure in which a plurality of elements each equivalent to the one shown in fig1 are arranged in the form of an array or in parallel with each other with respect to incident light beams . thus , a plurality of pressing members 29 each capable of being driven independently from the others are disposed between prisms 27 and 28 for respective openings 30a - 30d and respective incident beams 10a - 10d . this embodiment is different from the second embodiment shown in fig4 in that the unit elements are arranged in an array in a direction perpendicular to that of the incident light while the array shown in fig4 is formed in the direction of the incident light . the function of each unit switching element is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment shown in fig1 . this embodiment is characteristic in that , as distinguished from the second embodiment , a plurality of incident light beams can be modulated independently and simultaneously and thus functions as a monodimensional light value . the prism 27 ( or prism 28 ) may be formed of a single body or an assembly of a plurality of prisms . instead , a plurality of optical elements each equivalent to the one shown in fig1 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the incident light 10 , so that an assembly of unit optical elements which is as a whole equivalent to the element array shown in fig5 . fig6 shows still another embodiment of the optical modulation element according to the present invention , wherein a plurality of array elements each equivalent to the one shown in fig5 are arranged or stacked with each other to form a two - dimensional light valve . in the optical element shown in fig6 each pressing member 29 ( refer to fig5 ) is driven independently of the others . the total number of the pressing members 29 is equal to the product of the number of windows through which the respective incident beams 10a - 10g enters by the number of element arrays arranged in the direction of the incident light beams , each element array being equivalent to the one shown in fig5 . prisms 27 and 28 are contiguous with each other and forming a pair are constituted by separate bodies in this embodiment but may be composed of a single body . being constituted as described above , the element or device shown in fig6 can be driven in such a manner that light beams 10a - 10g entering the element from a side face thereof can be issued from an arbitrary place of an upper surface of the element . the element thus constituted can be suitably applied to a thin display device , since the thickness in the light - issuing or viewing direction of the element can be made thin . further , a device equivalent to the one shown in fig6 may also be composed by arranging a plurality of the optical modulation elements shown in fig4 in a direction perpendicular to those of the beams 10a - 10g or by arranging two - dimensionally a plurality of the optical modulation elements as shown in fig1 . as described hereinabove , the present invention provides an optical modulation method and an optical modulation element therefor adapted for a variety of applications including a printer head and a display device . further , a wide variety of elastic materials can be utilized for the optical modulation element . further , from the viewpoint of production , it is less difficult to make the element in an elongated form , an array form or large - area form as compared with a device such as an ic ( integrated circuit ). in the above embodiment of the optical modulation method according to the present invention , total reflection of light is utilized . however , the critical angle for the total reflection is hardly influenced by the wavelengths of the light used . accordingly , the method has an advantage that the light to be used is hardly restricted with respect to its wavelengths . the present invention will be further described with reference to a working example . an optical modulation element as shown in fig1 a was produced in the following manner . an iron plate having an opening with a diameter of 10 mm was used as the pressing member 4 . the elastic body 3 was formed by a silicone rubber ( trade name : ke 104 gel , produced by shinetsu kagaku k . k .). electromagnets were disposed in the neighborhood of the pressing member 4 and actuated to move the iron plate up and down by the magnetic force thereof . as a result , the silicone rubber was pressed or compressed to protrude out of the opening . when the silicone rubber was caused to protrude out of the opening , it contacted a surface 1a of a prism disposed 1 mm spaced apart from the silicone rubber under no pressure to form a region of 5 mm in diameter where no total reflection occurred . incidentally , a perforation was provided in the side of the pressing member so that the space between the prism and the silicone was in communication with the outside and the change in pressure in the space due to movement of the iron plate was prevented .	6
the present invention for beneficiating coal involves absorbing gaseous carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide mixed with air bubbled in coal slurried with aqueous solutions of primary or secondary amines in a simple bubble column , wherein carbon dioxide absorption is accomplished by a desired chemical reaction . the coal particles are captured by the bubbles and conveyed to the top of the cell have a diminished mineral content as compared to the feed coal , while the solids which tend to accumulate in the aqueous phase have an elevated mineral content as compared to the feed coal . the process is benefited by the chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and amines . the reaction converts larger carbon dioxide bubbles associated with turbulence in situ into microbubbles wherein turbulence and liquid wakes are virtually absent . referring now more particularly to fig1 a flow diagram of a preferred continuous process of the invention will be discussed . pulverized feed coal 10 is charged into a slurry tank 12 by line 11 . an aqueous amine solution 16 is also charged into tank 12 through line 18 . the aqueous amine solution includes a make - up amine solution from line 20 and recycled amine solution from line 22 . the slurry tank 12 is preferably provided with an agitator 24 which facilitates intimate mixing of the pulverized feed coal 10 with the aqueous amine solution to produce a coal slurry . the feed coal 10 is preferably first ground to an ultrafine particle size such as , for example , smaller than about 200 mesh . as improved clean coal yields are achieved by reducing the particle size of the feed coal , the present invention can be applied to various types and grades of feed coal 10 such as , for example , bituminous , sub - bituminous , anthracite , lignite , peat , and coal fines . the coal slurry is then fed through line 30 into a flotation cell 32 including a gas distributor 34 . if desired , a denver cell or agitair machine or simple bubble column can be used as a flotation cell . carbon dioxide gas enters the flotation cell 32 through line 38 and the gas distribution portion 34 . the carbon dioxide preferably comes from three different sources ( i ) an outside source 39 such as a tank of gas , through line 40 , ( ii ) unused carbon dioxide gas recycled from the top of the flotation cell 32 , through line 44 , and ( iii ) recycled carbon dioxide from the desorption unit 80 ( described hereinbelow ) through line 48 . the carbon dioxide gas is charged through the gas distributor 34 into the bottom portion 51 of the flotation cell 32 and allowed to bubble upwardly to the top portion 52 of the flotation cell 32 . the unused carbon dioxide is recycled back to the flotation cell 32 through line 44 as was discussed hereinabove . the bubbling action carries the &# 34 ; clean coal &# 34 ; product to the top 52 of the flotation cell 32 . the clean coal product , along with the carbamate solution ( discussed hereinbelow ) produced by the amine and coal mixture , is drawn off through line 62 and delivered to a filtration unit 66 . the clean coal product is separated from the carbamate in the filtration unit 66 , with the clean coal product being sent through line 68 to storage tank 70 and the carbamate being sent through line 72 to , eventually , the desorption unit 80 . the larger coarse mineral matter particles of the coal slurry remain at the bottom 51 of the flotation cell 32 . these particles and the carbamate solution are carried off by line 86 to a filtration unit 88 wherein the carbamate is separated and then fed into the desorption unit 80 through line 89 . the coarse refuse is taken away from the filtration unit 88 by line 90 and delivered to a storage container 91 . the desorption unit 80 thus receives carbamate solution from filtration unit 66 and filtration unit 88 through lines 72 and 89 respectively . lines 72 and 89 join to form line 92 . in the desorption unit 80 , the carbamate is decomposed into carbon dioxide and the amine by steam heating means 93 . the carbon dioxide is drawn from the top of the desorption unit 80 and delivered , by pump means 94 , through line 48 back to the flotation cell 32 . the aqueous amine solution is drawn from the bottom of the desorption unit 80 and pumped by pump means 95 , through line 22 for recycling back to the slurry tank 12 . the hot aqueous amine solution withdrawn from the desorption unit 80 through line 22 is passed through a heat exchanger 96 to heat the liquor entering the desorption unit through line 92 . fig2 is a more detailed schematic illustration of the apparatus and bubble behavior in the flotation cell 32 . carbon dioxide is bubbled upwardly through the coal slurry prepared in the aqueous solution in the slurry tank 12 and transferred to the bottom of the flotation cell by line 30 . a zone 100 of large bubbles associated with high turbulence is disposed near the bottom of the cell 32 and in the immediate vicinity of the gas distributor 34 . a zone 102 of smaller bubbles of decreased turbulence is disposed above zone 102 and spaced from the distributor 34 and towards the top 104 of the cell . because of the introduction of the gas into the lower zone 100 , the bubbles in zone 100 create high turbulence which tends to shear or thin the liquid film on the coal particles . this increases the exposure of the natural surface area of the coal particle leading to better particle - bubble attachment . the zone of small bubbles 102 ( with associated low turbulence ) has bubbles which carry the coal particles to the top of the cell 32 . the small bubbles and low turbulence minimize liquid wakes which in turn , resists entrainment of undesired mineral matter up the flotation cell . the relative heights of the zones 100 and 102 will depend upon the operating conditions , i . e ., temperature , amine concentration and gas flow rates , for example . the large bubbles will generally have a diameter of about , 0 . 3 to 3 . 0 mm and preferably 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 mm . the small bubbles will generally have a diameter of about 0 . 1 to 0 . 3 mm with 0 . 1 to 0 . 2 mm being preferred . thus , the bubbles will be reduced by about 50 to 90 % as they rise from zone 100 to 102 . among the amines that are preferred are amines selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine ( mea ), diethanolamine ( dea ), and diisopropylamine ( dipa ). carbon dioxide reacts readily with the amine at near ambient conditions to form carbamate which is water soluble and is present in solution in ionic form . both carbon dioxide and the amine can be easily recovered by heating or steam stripping the aqueous solution containing the carbamate at temperatures of between 80 ° c . and 100 ° c . waste steam is generally available in most facilities . both fugitive carbon dioxide and the amines pose no environmental problem . the process , therefore , offers an inexpensive way of beneficiating ultrafine coals , as carbon dioxide is available inexpensively in large quantities or can be generated on - site in a coal preparation plant by burning coal . the extent to which carbon dioxide will dissolve in water is limited by its saturation solubility at the operating temperature and pressure . consequently , the extent to which the bubble size can be decreased is also limited . absorption of carbon dioxide in aqueous solutions of amines , however , produces a chemical reaction which converts the dissolved carbon dioxide and amine to form a carbamate which is present in solution in its ionic form . a greater amount of carbon dioxide therefore can be absorbed into the solution because the chemical reaction , in essence , destroys the carbon dioxide dissolved in the solution . as opposed to physical absorption of carbon dioxide in water , absorption of carbon dioxide in aqueous amine solutions is enhanced due to chemical reaction . the chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and amine may be given by the equations : ## str1 ## in these equations , for both mea ( primary amine ) and dea ( secondary amine ), r = c 2 h 4 oh - ; for dipa , r = c 3 h 7 - . dissolved carbon dioxide reacts with amines at temperatures as low as 6 ° c . the reaction between carbon dioxide and mea is a second order reaction -- first order in carbon dioxide and first order with respect to the amine . the reaction between carbon dioxide and dea is first order with respect to carbon dioxide , but the order with respect to the amine is either one or two depending upon the reaction conditions . consequently , absorption of carbon dioxide in amines can be manipulated and the extent of the reaction controlled by variation in both the pressure of carbon dioxide and the concentration of the amine , which in turn will allow for the control of the bubble size . an increase in the concentration of the amine , and / or partial pressure of carbon dioxide , and / or temperature increases the rate of the reaction between dissolved carbon dioxide and the amine , which in turn causes greater amounts of carbon dioxide to be absorbed into the solution from the bubbles . therefore , as the bubbles move upwards through the suspension , rather than increasing in size either due to coalescence or a decrease in the hydrostatic pressure , the bubble size would decrease or remain constant depending on how one chooses to control the reaction medium . also other conditions in the flotation cell such as temperature , initial bubble size and residence time of the bubbles can be used to control the size of the bubbles . the initial bubble size is also determined by the nature of the gas distributor in the cell . gas distributors such as porous plates , perforated plates or ejector nozzles are preferred . the residence time of the bubbles can be manipulated by changing the cell height and initial size of the bubbles . the amine concentration in the aqueous solution will generally be in the range of 0 . 015 - 5 gmole / liter , depending on the type of amine used and the conversion of carbon dioxide desired . the lower concentrations are preferred for economic reasons . the partial pressure of carbon dioxide would be in the range of about 0 . 1 - 1 atmosphere . temperature in the flotation cell would be in the range of about 5 °- 35 ° c ., though the prevailing ambient temperature is the preferred temperature . coal concentrations that would be employed would be typical of other froth flotation processes , that is , 5 - 10 weight percent of the raw coal . the decomposition of carbamate to carbon dioxide and amine , that is , the reverse reaction described in the equations hereinbefore set forth is favored at higher temperatures namely about 80 °- 100 ° c . consequently , the slurry withdrawn from the flotation cell 32 will be dewatered by filtration units 66 and 88 and the solution heated or steam stripped by stripping means 93 to recover the amine and the carbon dioxide . tests were performed on a middle kittaning coal in a batch bubble column made of glass and the clean coal fraction skimmed from the top at regular intervals was analyzed for ash content . the ash content of the feed coal was 7 . 21 %. the typical experimental conditions employed were : ______________________________________temperature , ° c . 15 - 30aqueous slurry concentration , wt % of solid 8 - 10amine concentration ( mea ), gmole / liter . 05 - 2 . 0particle size - 200 meshpressure , atm 1time , sec up to 2400ash content , wt % ( feed coal ) 7 . 21 % ______________________________________ table 1 shows the ash content of the &# 34 ; clean coal &# 34 ; product skimmed off from the top of the liquid and the feed coal and the percent ash reduction during one test . table 1______________________________________ feed slurry % ash concen - contact reduction tration time ash clean coalsample coal ( wt %) ( sec ) ( wt %) product______________________________________middle kittaning 8 . 92 0 7 . 21 600 3 . 382 53 . 09 1200 4 . 437 38 . 46 2400 5 . 756 20 . 17mea concentration1 . 802 gmole / liter______________________________________ it may be noted that although the concept has been described for the beneficiation of ultrafine coals , it could be used for upgrading other mineral ores . additionally , other amines which are more reactive than those outlined above may also be suitable for use in the process . whereas a particular embodiment of the invention has been described hereinabove , for purposes of illustration , it would be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims .	1
some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a tubular spring for receiving and for preloading a piezoelectric or magnetostrictive actuator of an actuator unit which is suitable , in particular , for actuating a fuel injector valve for internal combustion engines and in which nonuniform loads and deformations in the tubular spring , both in the longitudinal and the transverse direction thereof , are minimized . in some embodiments , the tubular spring has a number of apertures , which are normally punched out of a spring steel blank . after the spring has been rolled , the apertures extend from the outer surface of the tubular spring to the inner surface . each aperture has a cross - sectional contour line at one of the two surfaces , the outer surface or the inner surface . on one surface side in each case , the cross - sectional contour line defines a respective maximum longitudinal extent of the aperture and a respective maximum transverse extent , the transverse extent being oriented substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal extent . depending on the punching tool used and the punching method used , the cross - sectional contour lines on the outer surface and on the inner surface may not be congruent in a common plane of projection , with the result that the maximum longitudinal extent and / or the maximum transverse extent of the aperture on the outer surface differs from that on the inner surface . in some embodiments , however , the transverse extents of two apertures already differ from one another on the same of the two surfaces of the tubular spring . in this way , it is possible to structurally reinforce or weaken areas of the tubular spring in order to distribute the loads and deformations within the tubular spring more uniformly , both over the circumference and along the longitudinal axis of the tubular spring . at the same time , the web width between the individual apertures in the transverse direction can be kept constant . the maximum longitudinal extent of an aperture is usually oriented at least substantially transversely to the axis of the tubular spring . the cross - sectional contour lines of the apertures may be rounded at the respective ends in the longitudinal direction and can be described by a radius . since the apertures may be produced first of all by punching the apertures out of a spring steel blank , rounded aperture ends that can be described by a radius are particularly easy to produce since fewer dimensional errors due , for example , to punching burrs can occur in comparison with , for example , angled ends . the apertures of different transverse extents may also correspondingly have different radii at the ends thereof in the longitudinal direction . an aperture with a relatively large transverse extent accordingly has a larger radius at the longitudinal end thereof than an aperture of relatively small transverse extent . it is advantageous if two or more apertures , each of different transverse extents , are arranged within one row of apertures in order to equalize nonuniform loads in the tubular spring over the extent of the tubular spring , at least in the circumferential direction . two or more apertures , each of different transverse extents , may be arranged in a plurality of rows of apertures , allowing nonuniform transverse and longitudinal loads in the tubular spring to be distributed uniformly in the best possible way over the entire structure of the tubular spring . the at least two or more apertures may alternate along a row of apertures . since the nonuniform loads in the tubular spring , in particular , are distributed over the tubular spring , starting from the two abutting edges , it may furthermore be advantageous if those apertures which extend across the abutting edges and consequently are divided by the two abutting edges in each case in the cross - sectional extents thereof along the axis of the tubular spring . for example , successive apertures along the abutting edges can alternately have different end radii in the longitudinal direction of the tubular spring . in this way , nonuniform loading introduced into the tubular spring at the abutting edges is distributed in a particularly effective manner as uniformly as possible along the entire longitudinal direction of the tubular spring , even at the location where it arises . fig1 shows a section through a piezoelectric actuator unit 1 , which can be used , in particular , as a drive unit for actuating an injector nozzle in a fuel injector . the piezoelectric actuator unit 1 has an actuator module 2 which is constructed from several hundred piezoelectric ceramic layers in the form of a stack - type actuator . arranged between each pair of ceramic layers is an inner electrode , said electrodes being connected alternately in an electrically conductive manner to two outer electrodes extending vertically on the outer wall of the actuator module 2 . two contact pins 7 are furthermore arranged parallel to the two outer electrodes , said pins being brought into contact with the two outer electrodes by means of corresponding lines . for assembly , the actuator module 2 is inserted , with the two contact pins 7 wired up , into a plastic sleeve ( assembly sleeve ) 5 and fixed . the plastic sleeve 5 is simultaneously designed as a casting mold , in which the inserted components 2 , 7 are encapsulated with a potting compound 9 , e . g . with a potting silicone , elastomer or the like . the plastic sleeve 5 is manufactured from a plastic , e . g . from a pa plastic ( polyamide ). a top plate 3 is arranged at an upper end of the actuator module 2 , being connected nonpositively to the actuator module 2 . the top plate 3 thus delimits the actuator module 2 at the top . two insulated bushings in the top plate 3 for the two contact pins 7 are embodied in such a way that the projecting ends of the two contact pins 7 can subsequently be connected to a control voltage of a corresponding control unit in order to supply the actuator module 2 with electric power . the lower end of the actuator module 2 is delimited by a bottom plate 4 , which is likewise connected nonpositively to the actuator module 2 . a tubular spring 8 is arranged in the form of a sleeve between the top plate 3 and the bottom plate and surrounds the potted actuator module 2 . the tubular spring 8 is mounted with a preloading force which acts as a restoring force on the actuator module 2 and thus assists return of the actuator module 2 into the home position thereof when said module is not activated . the entire subassembly is encased in the manner of a sleeve by an actuator housing 6 . in this case , the upper end of the actuator housing 6 is connected securely and in a sealing manner to the top plate 3 . the lower end of the actuator housing 6 , in contrast , is arranged in such a way that it can move axially relative to the bottom plate 4 but is likewise sealed off in a fuel - tight manner . when the actuator module 2 is activated , a slight axial stroke motion thus arises between the bottom plate 4 and the underside of the actuator housing 6 , and this can be used to control a servo valve , a nozzle needle or the like . fig2 a and 2b show the construction of a known tubular spring 8 . apart from the edge regions , on which the cover plates 3 , 4 are secured , the tubular spring has uniformly distributed apertures a over its entire surface , said apertures being bone - shaped in the illustrative embodiment shown and extending through the tubular spring transversely to the axis . the apertures a ensure adequate elasticity of the tubular spring 8 receiving the preloaded piezoelectric actuator 2 , with the result that the tubular spring only slightly hinders the elongation of the actuator 2 in the longitudinal direction caused by application of a voltage to the piezoelectric actuator 2 . here , the elasticity of the tubular spring 2 can be adapted to the desired elongation of the preloaded piezoelectric actuator 2 by means of the number and length of the apertures a . the offset arrangement of the apertures a , one above the other , which is shown in fig2 a and 2b is also advantageous here . this arrangement ensures optimum elasticity of the tubular spring with , at the same time , sufficient strength to be able to apply the preload to the piezoelectric actuator 2 . in particular , the elasticity is also promoted by the bone - shaped form of the apertures a in this illustrative embodiment , in which two circular apertures are connected to one another by a slot . example size ranges for the circular apertures are given by diameters of 0 . 8 mm to 1 . 6 mm and spacings between the centers of the apertures in a range of from 1 . 5 mm to 3 . 5 mm . moreover , this shape can be formed very easily and accurately , e . g . by punching , in a spring steel sheet . the tubular spring may be manufactured from a spring steel strip with a thickness of 0 . 5 mm . in a first step , the apertures a are punched into the spring steel strip . as an alternative , there is also the possibility of forming the apertures by wire erosion , milling or boring or by an electrochemical method . after the formation of the apertures a , the spring steel strip is cut to the desired size for the tubular spring 8 , the apertures a preferably being cut through centrally during this process . the blank is then rolled , with the cut or punched edges being oriented outward . the edges are then deburred , and the tubular shape is then fixed with a longitudinal weld seam preferably produced by means of a laser . instead of fixing the tubular shape by welding , fixing can also be accomplished by means of the upper and lower cover plates 3 , 4 , with the result that the abutting edges merely rest against one another . fig2 b shows a sectional representation of the tubular spring 8 shown in fig2 a . an aperture a and the outer surface 40 and inner surface 41 of the tubular spring 8 are illustrated by way of example . fig3 shows a detail of a known tubular spring 8 in the unrolled state . an alternative embodiment of the apertures a to that in fig2 a and 2b , in which the apertures a have a rectangular basic shape which is rounded at both ends of the apertures a and , at that point , can be described by a radius r a , is shown . the outline of the apertures a is described on each of the surfaces 41 , 42 by the cross - sectional contour line cl of the apertures . consequently , the cross - sectional contour line cl merges into the radius r a at the two ends of the apertures a . the cross - sectional contour line cl defines a maximum transverse extent h a of the apertures a perpendicularly to the longitudinal orientation of the apertures a . in the circumferential direction of the tubular spring 8 , the apertures a are arranged spaced apart by webs of width a , it being possible , in particular , also for the web width a to be constant ; as an alternative , however , it can also be variable . an abutting edge 42 of the tubular spring 8 is likewise illustrated . here , the longitudinal extent of the apertures a may be cut in half , with the result that the two half apertures each form one aperture a across the abutting edge in the finished tubular spring 8 ; and are thus identical to the other apertures a , which are not arranged at the abutting edge . the illustrated embodiment of a tubular spring 8 has just one type of aperture a , each of the apertures having both the same maximum longitudinal extent 1 and a maximum transverse extent h a . in an illustration similar to fig3 , fig4 shows a first embodiment of a tubular spring 8 according to one embodiment . it illustrates apertures a of the first type with a maximum transverse extent h a in rows 10 , 12 , 14 , each distributed along the circumference of an outer or inner surface 41 , 42 of the tubular spring 8 . according to this embodiment of the tubular spring 8 , apertures b with a maximum transverse extent h b , are also arranged along the circumference of the tubular spring , in row 11 , in addition to apertures a . the apertures a and b alternate with each other around the spring , with two corresponding half apertures forming an aperture b across the abutting edges . each of the apertures b is also rounded at the longitudinal ends thereof . the rounding can be described by a radius r b , which is smaller than the corresponding radius r a of an aperture of type a . in addition , apertures of a type c are additionally arranged in the tubular spring 8 , in row 13 for example , the maximum transverse extent h e of said apertures being greater than the maximum transverse extent h a of the apertures of type a . these apertures b are also arranged along the circumference of the tubular spring 8 ( on the outer surface 41 or the inner surface 42 ), in each case alternating with apertures of type a . similarly to the arrangement in row 11 , an aperture of type c is also arranged across the abutting edge 42 in row 13 . the apertures of type c also have rounded end regions , which can be described by a radius r c , where r c & gt ; r a . apertures of all three illustrated types a , b and c are arranged in row 15 . fig5 shows an alternative embodiment of a tubular spring 8 according to one embodiment . in this embodiment , apertures of types b and c are arranged only across the abutting edge 42 . in the illustration in fig5 , this applies only to rows 11 and 13 , in which apertures b and c , respectively , are arranged across the abutting edge 42 . otherwise , the tubular spring 8 according to this embodiment has only apertures of type a on each surface side 40 , 41 . by arranging apertures of different types across the abutting edge 42 , the nonuniform loads introduced at the abutting edges are distributed over the tubular spring 8 as uniformly as possible in the longitudinal and transverse direction of the tubular spring 8 , even at the location where they arise . however , embodiments are , of course , not restricted to the two embodiments in fig4 and 5 . as an alternative , it is also possible for other arrangements of apertures with different maximum transverse extents to be implemented in a tubular spring 8 , e . g . it is also possible for more than three apertures of different types , each with a different maximum transverse extent , to be used in accordance with this invention .	7
a sequential drawer slide constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and generally designated 10 . the slide includes a drawer slide member 12 , an intermediate slide member 14 , and a cabinet slide member 16 . both the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 are slidably interfitted with the intermediate slide member 14 enabling the slide members to travel in a linear path with respect to one another . the slide 10 further includes a sequencing mechanism including a control lever 18 , a drawer notch or receiver 20 , and a cabinet receiver 22 . the control lever is carried by the intermediate slide member 14 ; while the drawer and cabinet receivers 20 and 22 are carried by the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 , respectively . as illustrated in detail in fig7 - 12 , the control lever and receivers cooperate to sequence movement of the slide members to insure that , during opening , the drawer and intermediate slide members are first withdrawn as a unit from the cabinet slide member , and then are interlocked during continued movement of the drawer slide member . with the exception of the sequencing mechanism , the slide 10 is of a type generally well known to those having ordinary skill in the art . examples of similar constructions are illustrated in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 067 , 632 to sekerich , entitled drawer slide ; 3 , 901 , 565 to hagen et al , entitled adapter and latching means for removably attaching drawers to telescoping ball bearing drawer slides ; and 3 , 778 , 120 to hagen et al entitled precision telescoping ball bearing drawer slide suspension for wood and metal furniture production . the cabinet slide member 16 is generally c - shaped in cross section and includes a forward end 24 and a rear end 26 . the curved portions 28 of the c - shape define races in which balls 30 ride . stops or tabs 32 and 34 are integrally formed with the cabinet slide member and extend from the forward and rear ends 24 and 26 , respectively . the stops cooperate with the intermediate slide member as will be described to limit the movement of the intermediate slide member 14 with respect to the cabinet slide member 16 between fully extended and fully retracted positions . the drawer slide member 12 is generally identical to the cabinet channel member 16 with the exception that the drawer member is oriented directly opposite to the cabinet member . the drawer slide member 12 is generally c - shaped in cross section and includes a forward end 36 and a rear end 38 . the curved portions 40 of the c - shape define races in which balls 30 ride to slidingly interfit the drawer and intermediate slide members . integral stops or tabs 42 and 44 extend from the forward and rear ends 36 and 38 , respectively . the stops 42 and 44 cooperate with the intermediate slide member 14 as will be described to limit movement of the drawer slide member with respect to the intermediate slide member between fully extended and fully retracted positions . the intermediate slide member 14 includes three pieces welded , riveted , or otherwise fixedly secured together . the three pieces include a drawer rail 46 , a cabinet rail 48 , and an interconnecting bracket 50 . the drawer and cabinet rails 46 and 48 are generally identical to one another and each are generally c - shaped in cross section . the cabinet rail 48 includes reverse curves 52 at the upper and lower extent of the c - shape cross section to define races in which balls 30 ride . similarly , the drawer rail 46 includes reverse curves 54 at its upper and lower extent to define races in which balls 30 ride . an integral stop 55 extends from the rear end of the cabinet rail 48 ; while an integral tab or stop 56 extends from the forward end of the drawer rail 46 . the intermediate bracket 50 is generally z - shaped in cross section and includes a drawer - rail - supporting flange 57 , a cabinet - rail - supporting flange 58 , and an interconnecting flange 60 . the flanges 57 and 58 are generally parallel to one another and offset by the width of the flange 60 . the drawer and cabinet rails 46 and 48 overlie and are welded to the supporting flanges 57 and 58 , respectively . other suitable attachment means can be utilized to rigidly intersecure these pieces . a plurality of balls ( fig1 and 4 ) ride in the raceways defined by the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 and the drawer and cabinet rails 46 and 48 . the balls 30 are retained in position by upper and lower retainers 61 and 63 as is customary in the art . linear movement of the slide members 12 , 14 , and 16 is limited via the engagement of the stops 32 , 34 , 42 , and 44 with the drawer and cabinet rail stops 55 and 56 and the ball retainers 61 and 63 as is conventional in the art . in the fully closed or retracted position ( fig3 and 7 ), the stop 55 on the cabinet rail 48 engages the stop 34 on the cabinet slide member 16 , and the stop 56 on the drawer rail 46 engages the stop 42 on the drawer slide member 12 . in the open or fully extended position ( fig1 ), the lower ball retainer 63 within the cabinet slide member engages the stop 32 on the cabinet slide member 16 and the stop 55 on the cabinet rail 48 ; and the upper ball retainer 61 within the drawer slide member 12 engages the stop 44 on the drawer slide member 12 and the stop 56 on the drawer rail 46 . consequently , the intermediate slide member 14 is movable with respect to the cabinet slide member 16 between fully extended and fully retracted positions ; and the drawer slide member 12 is movable relative the intermediate slide member 14 between fully extended and fully retracted positions . the control lever 18 is illustrated in greatest detail in fig6 . the control lever includes an upper arm 66 and a lower arm 68 interconnected at loop 70 . the control lever 18 is mounted on a pin 64 which extends through the loop 70 and is supported on arms 62a and 62b . accordingly , the control lever can be mounted in the position of the roller in a progressive drawer slide to simplify construction of the slide . preferably , the entire control lever 18 is formed of an integral piece of material such as steel or plastic . a finger 72 extends upwardly from the terminal end of the arm 66 to selectively engage the notch 20 as will be described . similarly , a curved foot 74 extends downwardly from the terminal end of the arm 68 to selectively engage the receiver 22 or forward end 24 of the cabinet slide member 16 also as will be described . as seen in fig4 and 5 , the preferred control lever 18 is generally uniform in width . preferably , the arms 66 and 68 of the control lever are not compressed between the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 to eliminate drag which would be caused by such compression . alternatively , and if a stay - closed bump 75 ( fig8 ) is provided , the arms 66 and 68 can be slightly compressed in the closed position in the slide as illustrated in fig8 to permit the foot 74 to ride over the bump . to this end , it is preferable to fabricate the control lever 18 of a resilient material such as spring steel or resilient plastic . the notch 20 is integrally formed in the drawer slide channel 12 and more particularly in the lower curved position 28 of the c - shape . alternatively , the receiver could be provided by generally any suitable method providing an engagement mechanism for the control lever 18 . the receiver 22 for the cabinet slide member 16 comprises the forward edge 24 of the member . if the control lever 18 were carried at a different position along the length of the intermediate slide member 14 the catch 22 might alternatively be a notch in the cabinet slide member similar to notch 20 in the drawer slide member . again , any suitable receiver or engagement mechanism can be provided to cooperate with the control lever 18 . the position of the receivers 20 and 22 with respect to the control lever 18 is extremely important to the proper sequential operation of the slide members as described below . as illustrated , the drawer notch 20 is approximately midway along the length of the drawer slide 12 , and the cabinet detent is immediately adjacent and identical to the forward end 24 of the cabinet slide member 16 . in the depicted embodiment , both legs 66 and 68 extend outwardly of the loop 70 . fig7 - 12 illustrate the sequential operation of the multi - part slide as sequenced by the control lever 18 and the receivers 20 and 22 . as used herein , the terms &# 34 ; forward &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; outward &# 34 ; mean movement toward the position illustrated in fig1 wherein the drawer is fully open ; and the terms &# 34 ; rearward &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; irward &# 34 ; mean movement toward the position illustrated in fig7 wherein the drawer is fully closed . fig7 and 8 illustrate the slide 10 in the fully closed position . the cabinet rail 48 abuts the stop 34 ; and the drawer rail 46 abuts the stop 42 . as illustrated in greater detail in fig8 the finger 72 of the control lever 18 interfits with the drawer notch 20 , so that the drawer slide member 12 is locked or fixed with respect to the intermediate slide member 14 . movement of the drawer slide member 12 is also prohibited in the rearward direction by the stop 42 engaging the drawer rail 46 . if a stay - closed bump 75 is provided , the control lever foot 74 abuts the bump to maintain the drawer in the closed position until an opening force is exerted on the drawer to move the foot over the bump . initial withdrawal of a drawer supported on the slide 10 causes the interlocked drawer and intermediate slide members 12 and 14 to move as a unit with respect to the cabinet slide member 16 until the position illustrated in fig9 and 10 is reached . the position illustrated in fig9 and 10 is known both as the &# 34 ; half - open &# 34 ; position and as the &# 34 ; transition point &# 34 ;. this stage of extension ( i . e . drawer opening ) is referred to as the transition point because it is the location at which movement of the intermediate slide member 14 stops and at which movement of the drawer slide member 12 begins . at the transition point , the channel ball retainer 63 ( not visible ), engages the forward stop 32 on the cabinet slide member 16 and the stop 55 on the cabinet rail 48 to prevent further movement of the intermediate slide in the forward direction . at this point , the foot 74 of the control lever 18 drops under gravity down in front of the receiver 22 or forward end 24 of the cabinet slide member 16 ( fig1 ). this slight pivotal shifting movement of the control lever 18 disengages the finger 72 from the notch 20 . after the control lever 18 has shifted at the transition point during opening , the intermediate and cabinet slide members 14 and 16 are interlocked ( i . e . intersecured ). engagement of the control lever foot 74 with the forward edge 22 of the channel slide member prevents rearward movement of the intermediate slide member 14 with respect to the cabinet slide member . as noted above , engagement of the cabinet ball retainer 63 with the forward stop 32 prevents forward movement of the intermediate slide member with respect to the cabinet slide member . as the drawer continues to be withdrawn or extended from the cabinet , the drawer slide member 12 moves relative the intermediate slide member 14 toward its fully extended position . the finger 72 does not engage the drawer slide member 12 during this continued opening movement as illustrated in fig1 . the fully open position of the slide 10 is illustrated in fig1 and 12 . the control lever foot 74 still engages the cabinet member end 22 ; and the cabinet ball retainer 63 still engages the stops 32 and 55 to interlock the intermediate and cabinet members 14 and 16 . additionally , the drawer ball retainer 61 ( not illustrated in fig1 ) engages the stops 44 and 56 to limit further forward movement of the drawer slide member 12 with respect to the intermediate slide member 14 . the closing sequence of the slide is exactly opposite that described for the opening sequence with the slide passing from the fully extended position illustrated in fig1 and 12 to the half - open position illustrated in fig9 and 10 to the fully retracted position illustrated in fig7 and 8 . on closing , the inward push on the drawer slide member 12 tends to rotate the control lever 18 by lifting , but the finger 72 strikes the bottom edge of the drawer slide member to prevent the control lever from pivoting . consequently , the cabinet and intermediate slide members remain interlocked . as the slide 10 reaches the half - open position ( fig9 and 10 ), the finger 72 meets and is lifted up into the notch 20 because the foot 74 is lifted back on top of the cabinet slide member 16 . in the preferred embodiment , there is no drag or catch at the transition point as the control lever shifts . only an unnoticeable force is required to lift the control lever 18 as one slide member is released and another is locked . in the alternative construction , the control lever is slightly compressed when the drawer and intermediate rails are interlocked . if compression is light , any increased frictional drag caused thereby is minimal or even unnoticeable . the simple sequencing mechanism , comprising the control lever 18 and the detents 20 and 22 , insures that ( 1 ) during opening , the intermediate slide member 14 is fully extended before the drawer slide member 12 begins its movement and ( 2 ) during closing , the drawer slide member 12 is fully retracted before the intermediate slide member 14 begins its movement . this sequenced motion of the drawer slide greatly enhances the slide life and / or enables lighter weight components to be utilized in its manufacture . the sequencing mechanism requires an unnoticeable change in opening or closing force to move the drawer past the transition point during closing . tests conducted to date indicate that the present slide has a functional life approximately 4 to 8 times longer than that of commercially available progressive slides with rollers . the increased life is due to ( 1 ) decreased dynamic stress loading on the outer end of the cabinet slide member and ( 2 ) the long life of the control lever sequencing mechanism , which is not subjected to the continual wear of a progressive roller . an alternative control lever 118 ( fig1 and 14 ) is fabricated of plastic . the alternative lever includes an upper arm 166 and a lower arm 168 interconnected by a body portion 170 . the lever 118 is mounted on a pin 64 which extends through the body portion 170 and is supported on arms 62a ( not visible ) and 62b . a finger 172 extends upwardly from the upper arm 166 to selectively engage the catch 120 on the drawer slide member 112 . the terminal end of the lower arm 168 is beveled at 174 to facilitate passage of the lever 118 over the stay - closed bump 175 . the function of the alternative lever 118 is generally identical to that of the lever 18 with the exception that the finger 172 selectively engages a catch 120 rather than a notch . the above description is that of a preferred embodiment of the invention . various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as set forth in the appended claims , which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents .	0
the invention is described in further detail below by way of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which : fig1 is a block diagram of a prior art dls / sls measurement system that can be used as the basis for an illustrative system according to the invention ; fig2 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a dual - mode scattering system according to the invention based on the dls / sls measurement system of fig1 ; fig3 is an illustrative raman spectrum for a 50 mg / ml solution of bsa at 61 ° c . obtained with the system of fig2 ; fig4 is an illustrative size distribution plot for the 50 mg / ml solution of bsa at 61 ° c . obtained with the system of fig2 ; fig5 is an illustrative combined plot of raman and dls size measurements for a range of different temperatures obtained with the system of fig2 ; fig6 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a dual - mode scattering system according to an alternative embodiment based on a laser diffraction measurement system ; fig7 is a graph showing plots of z - average radius and raman amide iii intensity ( 1297 cm − 1 ) as a function of ph for a sample of bsa during a titration fig8 is a plot of raman shift measurements and a correlation with dls size measurements for a bsa 10 mg / ml solution ; fig9 is a plot of raman intensity as a function of raman shift for 10 mg / ml solutions of bsa and icg ; and fig1 shows plots of raman intensity as a function of raman shift for bsa ( fig1 a ) and igg ( fig1 b ) solutions , together with correlations with dls polydispersity and size . systems according to the invention can be built from the ground up or may be based on a pre - existing off - the - shelf optical instrument . such a system can be based on an optical instrument 100 such as the zetasizer nano particle measurement system , which is outlined schematically in fig1 . the zetasizer particle measurement instrument line is available from malvern instruments ltd of malvern , uk and is described in further detail in wo 2010 / 04182 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . the particle measurement system 100 includes a coherent radiation source 101 , such as a laser . the output of this laser 101 is provided to an attenuator 102 , optionally via one or more intervening reflectors 110 a , 110 b , through a sample cell 103 , and on to a transmission monitor 104 . classical 90 ° optics 106 and / or backscatter optics 105 receive scattered radiation from a suspended particulate sample in the sample cell 103 and measure an intensity of light received from the light source 101 and elastically scattered by the sample in the sample cell 103 . the received scattered radiation for one or both of these sets of optics 105 , 106 can then be relayed via an optical fiber 107 to an avalanche photo diode ( apd ) 108 . the output of the photodiode 108 can then be correlated using a correlator 109 in the case of dls , or integrated using an integrator in the case of sls ( not shown ). referring to fig2 and 3 , one approach to modifying the system 100 of fig1 to achieve dual - mode detection in accordance with an aspect of the invention is to add a dielectric filter 211 in the backscatter path . this dielectric filter 211 relays longer wavelength light to a spectrometric detector 212 , such as a raman detector . the raman detector 212 can include one or more laser notch filters 213 , a diffraction grating 214 , and a dimensional detector 215 , such as a charge coupled device ( ccd ). although raman detection is shown in fig2 to take place in the backscatter path , it can also or alternatively take place from one or more of a number of different angles including from a pickoff point 216 in the classical 90 ° path . in a general aspect therefore , the spectrometric detector 212 may be configured to receive scattered light from the sample cell along a path orthogonal to the incident light and / or along a path reverse to the incident light for detection of backscattered light . in operation , the laser 101 in the system 200 of fig2 is used for both dls and raman measurements . during dls measurements , the attenuator 102 is turned on so that the apd 108 ( fig1 ) is not saturated . during raman measurements , the attenuator 102 is turned off to allow the high level of illumination used in raman measurements . by alternating between dls and raman measurements , the system 200 can acquire information about both elastic and inelastic scattering . these two types of detection can provide complementary information about a particular suspension . for example , dls measurements can provide information about the aggregation of particulates , while raman measurements can provide information about the cause of the aggregation or whether the structure of individual particles has changed . this can be helpful in investigating the aggregation of biopharmaceuticals , which can be a serious problem in that they can lose their efficacy and even be harmful when they aggregate . the instrument 200 can also be used to compare one particulate suspension with another . this may be useful for example when comparing one biopharmaceutical formulation from one company with a biosimilar manufactured by another company . there are a number of other ways to build a system that is configured to obtain these types of complementary information . for example , a system can be built with separate sources for the different measurements organized around separate optical paths . the system can also employ a different arrangement of optical elements and / or different selective or switching elements , such as moving mirrors or choppers , to make both types of measurements . in one embodiment , for example , the attenuator 102 can be placed in the fiber optic 107 path , allowing dls and raman measurements to be taken simultaneously . referring to fig3 to 5 , the system 200 of fig2 can be operated to provide spectral information , such as a raman spectrum 301 ( fig3 ) and physical property information , such as a size distribution 401 ( fig4 ) for the same sample at effectively the same time . these measurements can also be taken in succession under different conditions , such as sample temperature , concentration , ph or composition . fig5 illustrates plots of dls average size data 501 ( left hand scale , in nm ) and raman shift data 502 ( right hand scale , in cm − 1 ) as a function of temperature ( in ° c .) for a protein solution . as the temperature increases , the dls size data indicates an increase in particle size , indicating aggregation of the protein , while the raman shift information indicates a structure change in the protein , which in this case is interpreted as a loss of alpha helix . in a general aspect therefore , both the light intensity detector and the spectral light detector are configured to receive and measure light during a measurement period while a property of the sample in the sample cell changes . the property of the sample may be deliberately changed , such as by changing the ph or temperature of the sample , or may change as a result of an ongoing reaction while the sample is being measured . the advantage of such dual measurements is therefore clear , in that different measurements can be taken on the same sample over the same measurement period by alternating between dls and raman measurements . the measurements can be performed manually , or may alternatively be performed automatically using standard robotic loading systems , such as x - y stages or using automated pipetting systems . to derive information from the measurements , such as size distributions or chemical information , the optical instrument system according to embodiments of the invention may be implemented in connection with special - purpose software programs running on general - purpose computer platforms , in which stored program instructions are executed on a processor . the system could also be implemented in whole or in part using special - purpose hardware to achieve the same function . while the system can be broken into the series of modules and steps shown for illustration purposes , one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it is also possible to combine them and / or split them differently to achieve a different breakdown . referring to fig6 , another approach to dual - mode characterization of particulates is to perform simultaneous raman and laser diffraction measurements . the technique of laser diffraction is based around the principle that particles passing through a laser beam will scatter light at an angle that is directly related to their size . as the particle size decreases , the observed scattering angle increases logarithmically . the observed scattering intensity is also dependent on particle sizes and diminishes , to a good approximation , in relation to the particle &# 39 ; s cross - sectional area . large particles therefore scatter light at narrow angles with high intensity , whereas small particles scatter at wider angles but with low intensity . the primary measurement that is carried out within a laser diffraction system is the capture of the light scattering data from the particles under study . systems according to this aspect of the invention can be built from the ground up or they can be based on a pre - existing off - the - shelf instrument . in one embodiment , such a system can be based on the mastersizer 3000 particle size analyzer , which is available from malvern instruments ltd of malvern , uk . an exemplary system 300 , illustrated schematically in fig6 , comprises a coherent light source such as a red laser 601 with an optional attenuator 602 , for providing a source of coherent , intense light of a fixed wavelength . an optional second coherent light source such as a blue laser 621 may also be provided . the system 300 further comprises a sample presentation system such as a sample cell 603 configured to pass a material under test through the incident laser beam , preferably as a homogeneous stream of particles 604 in a known , reproducible state of dispersion . a first series of detectors , including a focal plane detector 605 a and an array of large angle detectors 605 b , are provided to measure the light pattern produced over a wide range of angles by scattering of incident light by the dispersed particles in the sample cell 603 . a second series of detectors 606 , 612 are provided to measure backscattered light from the sample cell 603 and for raman detection . a dielectric filter 611 may be placed in one of the backscattered light paths , the filter 611 configured to relay longer wavelength light to a spectrometric detector such as a raman detector 612 . the raman detector 612 can include one or more laser notch filters 613 , a diffraction grating 614 , and a dimensional detector 615 , such as a charge coupled device ( ccd ). although raman detection is shown to take place in one of the backscatter paths , it can also or alternatively take place from one or more of a number of different angles including from a pickoff point in the classical 90 ° path , as in the embodiment of fig2 described above . in operation , the laser 601 ( and / or 621 ) in the system 300 of fig6 is used for both laser diffraction and raman measurements . during laser diffraction measurements , the attenuator 602 is turned on so that the scattering detectors are not saturated . during raman measurements , the attenuator 602 is turned off to allow the high level of illumination used in raman measurements . by alternating the laser diffraction and raman measurements , the system can acquire complementary information about a particular suspension . for example , the laser diffraction measurements can provide information about physical properties of the sample , while the raman measurements can provide information about the chemical makeup of the sample . as with other embodiments , there are a number of other ways to build a system that obtains these types of complementary information . for example , a system can be built with separate sources for the different measurements organized around separate optical paths . the system can also employ a different arrangement of optical elements and / or different selective or switching elements , such as moving mirrors or choppers , to make both types of measurements . in one embodiment , for example , the attenuator 602 can be placed in such a way as to allow laser diffraction and raman measurements to be taken simultaneously . the size range accessible during the measurement is directly related to the angular range of the scattering measurement . modem laser diffraction instruments make measurements from around 0 . 02 degrees through to 135 degrees . a logarithmic detector sequence , where the detectors 605 are grouped closely together at small angles and more widely spaced at wide angles , yields the optimum sensitivity . the detector sequence can also be set up such that equal volumes of particles of different sizes produce a similar measured signal . with this approach , the size of the detectors is increased as the measured scattering angle increases . once simultaneous measurements have been performed a relationship between the measurements can be established . this can provide further insight into the sample and / or allow one measurement to derive information that another other might ordinarily be used to measure . this approach is described in more detail in connection with the following example . referring to fig7 , dual - mode raman and dls measurements were performed for a sample of bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) at different ph levels . as the ph was increased , the dls measurements 701 showed a trend indicating a change in particle size . at the same time , the raman measurements 702 also changed in a way that was correlated with changes in the dls measurements . it is believed that the changes in both the dls and raman measurements were caused by the unfolding of the protein resulting from the ph changes . this unfolding is believed to have caused an increase in the size of the molecule , and also a measurable change in the secondary structure of the protein as it unfolds . referring to fig8 to 10 , dual - mode raman and dls measurements were performed for a sample of bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) at different temperature levels . as the temperature was increased , dls measurements and raman measurements 801 ( fig8 ) were taken and recorded . these two sets of values were correlated to produce a plot ( dotted line 802 ) that indicates how well size changes correlate with changes in the raman spectrum at different wavelengths . the experiment was then repeated with immunoglobulin g ( igg ). temperature adjustments were used in this first part of the experiment , but other physical properties can be varied , such as ph . while the dls size parameter was used in this instance , other dls parameters can also be used , such as polydiversity , which provides a measurement of the distribution of sizes in a sample . as shown in fig9 , chemical structural features correspond to different parts of the raman spectrum of a compound . a large peak in a first region 901 at higher raman shifts , for example , corresponds to the backbone of both bsa and igg , while smaller peaks in a second region 902 at somewhat lower shifts correspond to aromatic side - chains . this knowledge can provide insight into the way that a physical property affects a molecule . as shown in fig1 a and 10 b , correlation plots between dls and raman measurements show stronger correlations at different wavelengths . fig1 a illustrates a plot of raman measurements 1001 a and correlations with dls polydispersity 1002 a and size 1003 a for bsa , while fig1 b illustrates raman measurements 1001 b and correlations with dls polydispersity 1002 b and size 1003 b for igg . these correlations can be matched with corresponding molecular features to determine which features are likely to have been affected by the physical changes . using this technique it can be shown , for example , that a protein denatures and / or aggregates differently in response to changes in temperature than it does in response to changes in ph . experiments for other types of changes such as temperature , salt concentration , drug or other chemical concentration , ionic strength , and / or level of denaturation , could also be performed . these types of dual - mode experiments could also be performed to determine other types of chemical and physical properties of different materials . for example , raman measurements could be used to detect crystallinity of a sample and laser diffraction used to detect size of the sample , while a condition of the sample is varied . this may allow a deeper understanding of the degree to which a sample exhibits crystalline , amorphous , and / or polymorphic properties in different conditions . with this type of understanding , it is possible to perform raman measurements to learn information about physical properties of a sample in a particular system , such as size , shape , diameter , or aspect ratio . it is also possible to learn about other properties that might otherwise be measured using dls , including physicochemical properties , such as the protein zeta potential , charge or isoelectric point . this cross - measurement principle can be used between any types of measurements in a dual - mode system according to different schedules . in a quality control situation , for example , a material under test might be fully characterized with both measurement techniques , but routine testing might then be performed with only one of them . the selected technique for routine testing might be selected for a variety of reasons , such as because it is less expensive , quicker , more scalable , or more reliable . systems according to the invention can be applicable to a wide variety of applications , including research , quality control , formulation development , stability testing , manufacturability testing , efficiency testing , release testing , and drug discovery . they are also applicable to a wide variety of materials , such as biopharmaceuticals , small - and large - molecule proteins , excipients , and pigments and other industrial powders . the present invention has been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments thereof . however , numerous modifications which are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention should also be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited only by the appended claims . in addition , the order of presentation of the claims should not necessarily be construed to limit the scope of any particular term in the claims .	6
before the subject devices , systems and methods are described , it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described , as such may , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to be limiting , since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims . the present invention will now be described in detail by way of the following description of exemplary embodiments and variations of the systems and methods of the present invention . referring now to fig1 through 7 , there is shown a promotional material display device 10 comprising a first promotional material receiving portion 12 , a second promotional material receiving portion 14 , and a direction indicator 16 . the second promotional material receiving portion 14 and direction indicator 16 are connected to the first promotional material receiving portion 12 as shown in the figures . the first promotional material receiving portion 12 is configured to receive promotional material 18 that is larger than the promotional material 20 that the second promotional material receiving portion 14 is configured to receive . in one variation , the first receiving portion 12 is configured to receive 8½ by 11 inches sized sheets of paper 18 and the second receiving portion 14 is configured to receive business cards 20 . the direction indicator 16 is any information indicator . in one variation , the direction indicator 16 is a compass 36 which extends outwardly from the first receiving portion 14 . the display 10 is preferably made of plastic ; however , the invention is not so limited and the display can be made of any kind of suitable material known to one having ordinary skill in the art . in one variation , the display is made of transparent material but this is also not required and the display may be made of any opaque , transluscent , semi - transparent , colored or any kind of material . the promotional material holder 10 is generally configured to be displayed on a substantially flat surface such as a table top and designed such that the first receiving portion 12 is angled with respect to the flat surface for ease of access to the promotional material 18 , 20 . with particular reference to fig2 and general reference to fig1 through 7 , the flyer holder 10 includes a back wall 22 , a first sidewall 24 and a second sidewall 26 . the first sidewall 24 is spaced apart from the second sidewall 26 and , in one variation , the first sidewall 24 is substantially parallel to the second sidewall 26 . the flyer display 10 further includes a first front wall 30 that is spaced apart from the back wall 22 and , in one variation , the first front wall 30 is substantially parallel to the back wall 22 . a first bottom 28 is also provided . the back wall 22 , the first and second sidewalls 24 , 26 , the first front wall 30 and the first bottom 28 are configured to define a first cavity 32 of the first promotional material receiving portion 12 . the first front wall 30 is interconnected to the back wall 22 by at least one or more of the first bottom 28 , the first sidewall 24 and the second sidewall 26 . in one variation of the invention , the first front wall 30 is interconnected to the back wall 22 by all three of the first bottom 28 , the first sidewall 24 and the second sidewall 26 . the first cavity 32 has an open top through which promotional material 18 is inserted into the cavity 32 . with particular reference to fig4 and 5 , the first bottom 28 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the back wall 22 . in general , the first bottom 28 slopes upwardly from the back wall 22 to the first front wall 30 . this slope advantageously keeps promotional material 18 propped up nicely inside the first cavity 32 . as pages of promotional material 18 are removed from the first cavity 32 , remaining pages slide down the slope of the first bottom 28 keeping the stack of promotional material neatly stacked . as seen in the figures , the first front wall 30 is shorter than the back wall 22 . the first front wall 30 typically rises a quarter to two - thirds of the way up from the first bottom 28 with respect to the back wall 22 such that the promotional material 18 in the first receiving portion 12 is not covered by the first front wall 30 . this is particularly advantageous when non - transparent material is used to construct the first front wall 30 . if transparent material is employed for the first front wall 30 , the first front wall 30 can be designed to rise higher with respect to the back wall 22 . as seen in fig2 and fig3 , the top edge of the back wall 22 includes a scalloped or relieved portion 34 to facilitate removal of promotional material from the first cavity 32 . in one variation , the direction indicator 16 provides the direction of at least one cardinal compass direction such as “ north ,” “ south ,” “ east ” and “ west ” with respect to the display device 10 . in one variation , the direction indicator 16 is a magnetic compass 36 that is inserted through an opening 38 in a flange 40 that extends outwardly from the first front wall 30 as shown in fig2 . in one variation , the compass 36 is removable and rotatable with respect to the display 10 . also , the direction indicator 16 is connected at any functional location on the display 10 . preferably , the direction indicator 16 is connected to the front wall 30 and is substantially horizontal to the flat surface on which the display 10 is placed as shown in fig4 and 5 to provide easy viewing of the direction information . furthermore , if a compass is employed as the direction indicator , it need not be a functioning magnetic compass but may be any kind of compass including a representational compass . an example of a representational compass is an element disposed within the opening 38 of the flange 40 with an arrow pointing to the direction “ north ” for example . the element being rotated by the user with in the opening 38 of the flange 40 to match a true compass direction . any representational form of compass may be employed with the invention . furthermore , the direction indicator is not limited to showing the cardinal compass directions , but any direction information can be indicated by the direction indicator . one example of a direction information is a sunny or southern exposure direction of the relevant structure that is indicated by the color yellow or graphic depiction of a sun for example . another example of a direction information is a dark side and the color blue or black or a graphic depiction of a moon to indicate a dark side on a dial or other formatted structure of the direction indicator . other examples of direction informations are the direction of the nearest city , largest city , downtown , the ocean , lake , grocery store , water feature , street , airport , sitting direction and facing direction of the home . any direction information conveyed via the direction indicator is within the scope of the present invention and , of course , any distance or other information associated with a direction information may also be included on the direction indicator . in one variation of the invention , there is no second promotional material receiving portion 14 . in another variation as shown in fig1 through 7 and with particular reference to fig2 , and 4 - 7 , the second promotional material receiving portion 14 of the display device 10 includes a third sidewall 42 and a fourth sidewall 44 . the third sidewall 42 is spaced apart from the fourth sidewall 44 and in one variation the third sidewall 42 is substantially parallel to the fourth sidewall 44 . the second promotional material receiving portion 14 further includes a second bottom 48 and a second front wall 46 that is spaced apart from the first front wall 30 . the first front wall 30 , the third and fourth sidewalls 42 , 44 , the second front wall 46 and the second bottom 48 are configured to define a second cavity 50 of the second promotional material receiving portion 14 . the second front wall 46 is interconnected to the first front wall 30 by at least one or more of the second bottom 48 , the third sidewall 42 and the fourth sidewall 44 . in one variation , the second front wall 46 is interconnected to the first front wall 30 by all of the second bottom 48 , and third and fourth sidewalls 42 , 44 . the second cavity 50 has an open top and is configured to receive promotional material 20 such as business cards . in one variation , the second bottom 48 is substantially horizontal relative to the flat surface on which the display device 10 is placed . in another variation , the second bottom 48 is substantially perpendicular with respect to the first front wall 30 and as a result angled with respect to the surface on which the device 10 is placed . also in one variation , the second front wall 46 is substantially parallel with respect to the first front wall 30 and in another variation the second front wall 46 is substantially perpendicular with respect to the horizontal surface on which the device 10 is placed . any combination of the above variations in one embodiment is within the scope of the present invention . also , the upper edge of the second front wall 46 includes a scalloped or relieved portion 52 for easy finger access to the second cavity 50 and the promotional material 20 therein . in one variation , the display device 10 includes a support 54 as visible in fig1 , 6 and 7 . the support 54 is connected to the first promotional material receiving portion 12 and is configured to support the first receiving portion 12 on a flat surface such that the first receiving portion 12 is angled with respect to the flat surface . in one variation , the support 54 includes a base wall 56 that is substantially parallel to the flat surface on which the device 10 is placed . the base wall 56 is generally connected to the first receiving portion 12 such that the base 56 forms an acute angle with the back wall 22 . the base wall 56 is configured to support the device 10 on a flat surface in a substantially upright or slightly angled orientation as shown in the figures . in one variation , the base wall 56 is integral with the first bottom 28 and in another variation it is not . of course , the display device 10 may be provided without a support and mounted on a wall . in such a variation , the support 54 would be configured for mounting the display device on a wall . the preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention . it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventors to furthering the art , and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions . moreover , all statements herein reciting principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof . additionally , it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future , i . e ., any elements developed that perform the same function , regardless of structure . the scope of the present invention , therefore , is not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein . rather , the scope and spirit of present invention is embodied by the appended claims .	6
in the drawing , fig1 shows a composite which is shown in this instance as a billet 2 having a sheath 4 surrounding a core 6 . the sheath 4 is composed of a copper alloy containing from 0 . 1 to 30 atomic percent gallium with the balance of the alloy being made up of copper . in a preferred embodiment of our invention we additionally incorporate up to 10 atomic percent aluminum into the copper alloy forming sheath 4 shown in fig1 . the core 6 in fig1 is composed of a vanadium alloy containing from 0 . 1 to 25 . 0 atomic percent aluminum . the billet 2 shown in fig1 can be prepared by conventional methods such as taking a solid rod made of a copper alloy suitable for use in our invention , as a sheath 4 boring a hole lengthwise in the center of the rod and thereafter inserting a solid rod and inserting it into the hole bored in the sheath 4 to form the core 6 of the billet 2 . thereafter , the billet 2 can be passed through a swaging die 8 as shown in fig2 with the swaged portion 12 of the billet 2 being greatly reduced in diameter to form a wire of the billet 2 . any conventional billet forming , swaging , and wire reducing processes can be used in carrying out our invention . thereafter the swaged portion 12 obtained from the billet 2 as shown in fig3 is heat - treated to make gallium diffuse selectively from sheath 4 shown in fig1 and 2 into the core metal to produce a continuous layer of v 3 ga 10 as shown in fig3 between the core 6 and the sheath 4 , the sheath 4 shown in fig3 containing a small amount of residual gallium and in a preferred embodiment aluminum when aluminum is incorporated into the copper alloy making up the sheath . it is not necessary to have an unreacted amount of vanadium as a core after the heat treatment . according to the present invention , a superconductor of v 3 ga containing 0 - 10 atomic percent aluminum is produced by making a composite comprising copper , containing 0 . 1 to 30 atomic percent gallium and 0 to 10 atomic percent aluminum and a core metal , i . e ., vanadium alloy containing 0 . 1 to 25 atomic percent aluminum and fabricating the resulting composite to a desirable configuration , for example , the composite is fabricated into wires , tapes or pipes by wire drawing , rolling or pipe drawing , respectively . the composite thus fabricated to a desirable shape is then heat - treated to make gallium diffuse selectively from the alloy composed of copper , gallium and aluminum into the core metal to produce a continuous layer of v 3 ga between the core metal and the copper containing a small amount of residual gallium at aluminum . it is not necessary to leave unreacted vanadium core after the heat treatment . copper is no diffused into v 3 ga compound so the intrinsic superconducting properties of v 3 ga are not degraded . on the basis of such fact , the method of this invention has been accomplished . as compared with the conventional methods as mentioned above the method of the present invention has the following advantages . as a result of the diffusion occuring between the core metal and the alloy composed of copper and gallium , a v 3 ga layer and a metallic layer for stabilizing superconductivity consisting mainly of copper and formed . furthermore , the copper gallium of copper - gallium - aluminum alloys used for producing v 3 ga materials in the present invention can be readily melted in air and fabricating thereof at room temperature is exceedingly easy . consequently , compared with the conventional production method , the method of the present invention simplified the process , and is valuable in the practical applications . moreover , a multi - filimentary v 3 ga superconductor suitable for ac application can be easily fabricated according to this invention . as compared with the previous solid state diffusion method as mentioned above , the method of the present invention has the following advantages . the addition of aluminum to the vanadium core , and the optional addition of aluminum to the copper - gallium alloy matrix , facilitates the formation of a v 3 ga layer at lower , i . e ., 500 ° c .- 600 ° c ., temperatures than heretobefore . this results in shorter reaction times , improved superconducting current capacities , and the possibility of incorporating pure aluminum into the composite as a stabilizer prior to reaction . according to the present invention , in the case of v 3 ga a composite is made by using an alloy consisting of copper containing from 0 . 1 to 30 , preferably 5 to 25 , atomic percent of gallium and 0 - 10 , preferably 0 - 5 atomic percent of aluminum and a core metal , that is vanadium containing from 0 . 1 to 25 , preferably 1 to 10 atomic percent of aluminum to be subsequently fabricated into wires , tapes or pipes , etc ., by means of wire drawing , rolling or pipe drawing , etc . next , the product is heat - treated at temperatures of from 500 ° c . to 750 ° c . for the period of from 1 to 800 hours to make gallium selectively diffuse from said alloy into the core metal , i . e ., vanadium alloy so as to form v 3 ga layer on the core metal . said heating temperature and period of time are determined depending upon the thickness and gallium and aluminum contents in the alloy composed of copper and gallium . in general when it is desirable to produce poducts having relatively thick sheaths surrounding the v 3 ga layer longer periods of heat treatment at relatively higher temperatures e . g ., 750 ° c . are utilized to ensure that the vanadium and gallium are capable of migrating to the interface layer formed between the sheath and core . the incorporation of aluminum into the copper alloy forming the sheath in the preferred embodiment of the process reduces both the length of time and the degree of temperature required to form the v 3 ga layer . also , due to the heat - treatment , the metallic layer consisting mainly of copper which may serve as a layer for stabilizing superconductivity is formed on the surface of v 3 ga superconductor . according to the present production method , it is possible to omit a high diffusion equipment involving large amount of construction cost requrired for continuously diffusing gallium into a vanadium substrate in the conventional v 3 ga conductor production method . therefore , the manufacturing cost is considerably reduced . according to this invention , one or more of the composites are covered with or otherwise combined with a good conductive normal metal such as copper , silver or aluminum and fabricated into a desired configuration for the purpose of improving stabilization of superconductivity . the good normal conductor coating may be produced by inserting the composite to a hole in the good normal conductor having a cross sectional shape corresponding to that of the composite , or by using a pipe - like composite and a pipe - like coating metal processed in such a manner that the outer diameter of the former is correspondent to the inner diameter of the latter and the former can be fitted into the latter . the cross sectional configuration of the superconductive matter can be prepared by an appropriate coating means in such a manner that the superconductive layer is located at a desirable position in the latter . alternately , the good normal conductor may be incorporated within its final structure by combining strands of wire of the normal conductor , copper , silver or aluminum , together with strands of the single or multifilimentary composite described above , in such proportion as required to ensure the desired degree of stability , together if necessary with further strands of wire of steel , tungsten or other such strong metal to confer the necessary mechanical strength , and twisting , braiding or cabling these various strands together into a final flexible round or flat configuration . by the present invention , a conductor including many thin v 3 ga superconductive filaments embedded in cu - ga alloy matrix can be easily fabricated . for example , a composite composed of cu - ga alloy and a number of vanadium alloy cores is fabricated into thin wire followed by heat treatment to produce a superconductor including many thin filaments of v 3 ga . up to the present , both alloy or compound superconductors have not been used for ac application such as transformers , ac motors or generators due to their ac hysteresis losses . it is theoretically calculated than an ac loss in superconductors is proportional of d 3 where d is a diameter of a superconductor . therefore , it can be expected that multi - filimentary v 3 ga superconductor produced by the present invention is not only suitable for dc application but also for ac application . in the case of ac application , on the contrary to dc application , it is desirable that the matrix around superconductive filaments has relatively high electrical resistivity for decoupling each superconductive filament electrically . in the case of the present invention , the resistivity of cu - ga or cu - ga - al alloy matrix can be increased by increasing the ga or al content . the cu - ga or cu - ga - al alloy matrix should be also effective for mechanical reinforcement of the superconductor . example . an ingot , approximately 100 grams in weight , of vanadium and ˜ 5 wt . percent aluminum , based on the weight of the ingot , was melted in an arc furnace in an argon atmosphere . the ingot homogenized at 1400 ° c . for one hour , swaged to a rod 6 . 35 mm in diameter , and annealed for a further hour at 1200 ° c . the composition of the rod was subsequently found to be 10 . 1 atomic percent aluninum . an alloy of copper with 16 . 7 atomic percent gallium was melted in a vacuum induction furnace and chill cast into a bar 15 mm in diameter by 250 mm long . the bar was swaged to 12 . 7 mm diameter , and a hole 6 . 35 mm in diameter and 100 mm long was bored down the axis of the bar from one end . the bar was annealed for 5 hours at 700 ° c . a piece 100 mm long was cut from the vanadium alloy rod . both rod and bar were carefully cleaned , and the vanadium alloy - rod inserted into the hole in the copper - alloy bar . the resulting composite was drawn through wire - drawing dies and reduced to a diameter of 0 . 635 mm , with intermediate anneals , ˜ 1 hr . at 400 ° c ., as necessary . in its sectional structure the vanadium alloy core is 0 . 318 mm diameter and the copper - alloy sheath is 0 . 159 mm thick . samples , 100 mm long , were cut from the wire , individually sealed under vacuum in quartz capsules , and were heat treated at temperatures between 525 ° c . for times up to 768 hours . a portion of each sample was examined metallographically to determine the thickness and nature of the reaction layer . electron beam microanalysis was performed on selected samples to determine the composition of the reacted layers . the results are given in table 1 . table i______________________________________ microprobe results analysis ( a / 0 ) heat treatment layer thickness v ga al______________________________________550 ° c . 384 h 2μm 74 22 4600 ° c . 192 h 2μm 72 20 . 5 7 . 5650 ° c . 192 h 4μm 75 . 5 21 . 5 3700 ° c . 96 h 8μm 75 23 2______________________________________ the presence of copper in the v 3 ga layer was not detected . the superconducting critical temperature of specimens reacted to 550 , 600 , 650 and 700 ° c . were measured inductively . the onset initial temperature is the highest temperature at which superconductivity was detected , the mid - point temperature corresponds to the temperature at which the magnitude of the inductive signal was exactly midway between its maximum and minimum values . critical currents and upper critical fields at a temperature of 4 . 2 k were measured in externally applied transverse magnetic fields on samples heat - treated at 550 ° c . and 650 ° c . the upper critical fields and critical currents in applied fields of 6 , 10 , 16 and 20 . 2 tesla are given in table ii , together with those of layer thickness and critical temperature . table ii__________________________________________________________________________summary of experimental resultsheat treatment layer thickness critical temperature h . sub . c2 ( 4 , 2k ) critical current ( 4 . 2k ). a . temperature ° c . time hrs μm onset mid - point t 6 tesla 10 tesla 16 tesla 20 . 2__________________________________________________________________________ tesla525 96 0 . 5 192 0 . 75 367 1 . 0 768 1 . 5550 96 1 15 . 2 14 . 15 21 . 5 26 . 2 14 . 2 4 . 9 0 . 65 192 1 . 5 15 . 35 14 . 3 21 . 8 28 . 6 16 . 4 5 . 7 1 . 0 384 2 15 . 35 14 . 5 22 . 0 33 . 6 18 . 4 6 . 5 3 . 2600 24 0 . 75 15 . 0 14 . 2 18 . 1 10 . 1 3 . 2 48 1 15 . 0 14 . 25 21 . 5 24 . 7 13 . 5 4 . 8 0 . 45 96 1 . 5 15 . 15 14 . 3 21 . 7 5 . 2 0 . 9 192 2 15 . 2 14 . 6 6 . 2 384 2 . 5 15 . 25 14 . 5 22 . 0 36 . 1 9 . 1 1 . 9650 8 1 14 . 8 13 . 8 20 . 8 0 . 25 24 1 . 5 15 . 0 14 . 05 21 . 3 0 . 8 48 2 15 . 0 14 . 35 21 . 5 1 . 3 96 2 . 5 15 . 0 14 . 3 192 4 15 . 05 14 . 4700 4 1 . 5 14 . 6 13 . 4 8 2 14 . 7 13 . 9 24 3 14 . 75 14 . 1 48 5 14 . 75 14 . 25 96 8 14 . 7 14 . 1750 4 3 . 75__________________________________________________________________________ it is clear from the said measurements of layer thickness , initial temperatures , critical field and critical current , and analytical results of the electron - probe microanalyser , that gallium in the copper - gallium alloy was selectively diffused into vanadium - aluminum alloy core by heat treatment at temperatures between 525 ° c . and 750 ° c ., resulting in v 3 ga layer containing some aluminum . it is also clear that this layer is capable of carrying appreciable lossless currents up to fields close to its upper critical field .	8
referring to the drawing , there is shown a microwave oven comprising a cavity 10 having a door 12 through which bodies to be heated , such as food body 14 , may be positioned in the oven . microwave energy is supplied to the cavity 10 via a waveguide structure 16 , and the particular mode patterns in the oven are varied by means of a mode stirrer structure 18 driven by a motor 20 , in accordance with well - known practice . microwave energy is generated by a magnetron 22 comprising a magnetron anode containing vanes 24 attached to a cylindrical shell 26 to form a cavity anode , in accordance with well - known practice . a microwave output structure comprises a conductor 28 connected to one of the vanes and extending into a dielectric output seal member 30 extending into waveguide 16 so that microwave energy is radiated from output probe 28 through seal 30 into the waveguide and , hence , into the oven cavity 10 . a directly heated filament 34 is positioned in the central bore of the magnetron defined by the vanes and is insulatingly sealed from the anode structure by seal 36 . a permanent magnet structure 38 produces a magnetic field across the space between pole pieces 40 and 42 and in the presence of said magnetic field and a d . c . voltage applied between filament 34 and anode vanes 24 , electrons from the cathode circle the cathode and produce oscillations of the magnetron . heater power for the filament 34 is supplied by a filament transformer 44 which is supplied with power from an interlock and control circuit 46 supplied with 60 - cycle 110 - volt power from a conventional wall plug 48 . the d . c . voltage of , for example , 4000 volts is produced between the filament 34 and the anode vanes 24 by a conventional high voltage supply 50 whose input is supplied through contacts 66 of a relay 52 controlled by a photoconductor 54 positioned outside waveguide 16 . photoconductor 54 responds to radiation , preferably in the red or infrared region of the spectrum between 0 . 1 and 1 micrometers produced by the heated filament 34 and its support or end shield structure . such radiations pass through output dielectric seal 30 and are picked up by light pipe 56 of , for example , plastic , which extends through an aperture in waveguide 16 and couples a portion of said radiation to photoconductor 54 . the voltage from the output of interlock and control circuit 46 is connected in series with the coil 58 of relay 52 , the photoconductor 54 and a variable resistor 60 . resistor 60 is adjusted to a value which allows sufficient current to flow through coil 58 to actuate relay 52 to close contacts 66 of relay 52 and thereby energize d . c . supply 50 when the temperature of filament 34 is heated to the minimum desired operating temperature of , for example , 1500 ° c . thereby emitting the necessary infrared radiation to reduce the resistance of photoconductor 54 . in operation , a food body 14 is placed in cavity 10 and door 12 is closed , mechanically closing an interlock switch or switches in interlock and control circuit 46 . a timer 62 is set to the desired time of cooking and a start button 64 in circuit 46 is pushed , producing a voltage at the output of control circuit 46 which is applied to transformer 44 to heat filament 34 . this voltage is also applied to relay coil 58 in series with resistor 60 and with photoconductor 54 which has a high resistance . after a period of a few seconds , filament 34 which may be , for example , thoriated tungsten , reaches a temperature of , for example , 1500 ° c . at which electron emission from filament 34 is sufficient to produce stable microwave operation by the magnetron 22 . this temperature , which may be selected in the range between 1200 ° c . and 1600 ° c . by adjusting resistor 60 , produces radiations over a wide spectrum having a substantial component in the red region of the spectrum and producing a sufficient reduction in the resistance of photo conductor 54 to actuate relay 52 , closing contacts 66 and connecting power to high voltage supply 50 which applies a negative voltage to filament 34 . high voltage supply 50 may comprise a conventional magnetron supply shown , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 396 , 342 issued on aug . 6 , 1968 to a . e . feinberg having a saturable transformer with leakage reactance whose secondary is connected in series with a condenser sized for optimum line voltage regulation and a rectifier to the grounded anode of magnetron 22 , the junction between condenser and rectifier being connected to filament 34 to form a modified voltage doubler . due among other things to said voltage doubler characteristic , the power supply can produce voltage peaks many thousand volts above normal when the filament is below its normal operating temperature . such voltage peaks also appear across the anode and filament of magnetron 22 . thus , it may be seen that by ensuring that magnetron 22 has its filament in electron emitting condition , the voltage output of power supply 50 will not exceed its rated value , and voltage breakdown of the magnetron and / or power supply is avoided . furthermore , generation of spurious output frequencies due , for example , to moding or other phenomenon associated with low electron emission from the filament 34 may be prevented . this completes the description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein . however , many modifications thereof will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention . for example , a wide range of photosensors can be used for the photoconductor 54 , radiations from the filament 34 could be sensed from specially designed apertures in the magnetron 22 or through apertures in the filament support . in addition , the relay 52 is illustrated by way of example only and a semiconductor switch such as a thyristor could be used , and the power supply 50 could be a super audible switching frequency power supply . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be not limited to the particular details of the embodiment described herein except as defined by the appended claims .	5
the following describes the best way of carrying out the invention . all specific materials , sizes , dimensions , suppliers and parts mentioned are provided as an example only to enable easy reproduction of the invention and are not limiting . other materials , dimensions and parts from different suppliers can be used to achieve the same effect . fig1 a illustrates , generally , a processing system utilizing the invention shown from the top , front , and one side . there are two main sections , a stationary synthesizer section 10 and a removable kit 100 . depending on the process , the synthesizer section may have various inputs and outputs , namely : fluid or gas input / output lines ; compressed air , nitrogen , or vacuum lines ; an electric power input ; and electronic control cables . the stationary synthesizer 10 may also contain , as needed : various sensors used for feedback control such as pressure or radioactivity sensors ; electric relay controlled solenoid valves used to control pneumatic devices with magnetic position sensor feedback ; manually adjustable needle valves for gas flow control ; a local vacuum pump ; and a microprocessor - based control module . the above devices are employed in the manner commonly used in similar systems and well known to any person skilled in the art . the stationary synthesizer 10 also has , mounted on a side , linear pneumatic actuator kit positioners 20 ( three are shown on one side ) connected to a kit mounting plate 22 having two side supports 24 with slots 26 aligned with a sensibly vertical plate 102 of the kit 100 . the slots 26 ( not shown to scale ) are wide enough to permit the kit 100 to slide up and down . two kit support rods 32 protrude from the synthesizer underneath the kit support the bottom of the vertical plate 102 . this version also contains a reagent heater 42 that is raised up and down by two linear pneumatic actuator heater positioners 44 ( one is shown ). when the kit has finished processing a batch , the reagent heater ( if used ) is lowered and the kit positioners 20 ( located behind the hex mounting nuts with protruding pistons shown ) can push the kit away from the synthesizer off the end of the support rods 32 into a shielded bin below ( not shown ). as generally illustrated in fig1 a and shown in detail in fig2 , there can be a variety of reagent bottles , cartridge filters , reaction vessels and collection bottles . fig1 b is a top view of the kit mounting apparatus and interfaces to the processor 10 . the front of the processor box is plate 27 . an intermediate actuator guiding plate 28 has clearance holes for the linear actuators 20 , a plurality of rotary actuators 50 and fluidic connections 70 ( discussed below ). in operation , the kit 100 would be contained within slots 26 in side supports 24 that are attached to kit mounting plate 22 . support rods 32 for the kit 100 extend out from the front plate 27 . heater 42 is not shown in this view . fig1 c illustrates how horizontal kit plate 104 is connected to sensibly vertical kit plate 102 with a plurality of rectangular cross - section snap fingers 106 . these are formed integrally with plate 104 and protrude from it into rectangular holes 108 in plate 102 . the fingers 106 have catches mounted on the end and the location of fittings and holes on the plates is such that when the plates are forced together , the fittings lock around the far side of plate 102 . fig2 illustrates a vertical cross section of the kit 100 and both a plurality of mechanical interfaces 50 and fluidic ones 70 to the processor 10 . details of these interfaces will be given below . three fixed plates are shown : the front of the processor 27 , actuator guiding plate 28 and an internal pneumatic actuator 51 mounting plate 29 . ( the kit mounting plate 22 and kit mounts 24 are omitted for clarity .) plate 104 has mounted thereon a plurality of filtration cartridges 121 . these are mounted on the plate 104 with luer - type receptacles 122 . also mounted on plate 104 are a variety of reagent vials 131 , a reactor vessel 133 , and a collection vial 134 . the number , size and type will depend on the process . the vials ( generally referred to as “ serum vials ”) are commercial glass bottles with aluminum crimp seals 135 that hold elastomer seals 136 to the mouth of the vial . the aluminum crimp seals 135 are held to the plate by protruding snap fingers 137 . when vials are filled with reagents , stainless steel needles 139 connected to tubing 140 can be inserted through the elastomer seals 136 into the vials just prior to use of the kit . in other cases , the tubing is inserted through undersized holes in the seals 136 . the luer - type connectors for the fluidic interface to the processor and cartridges have barb - type tube fittings . various lengths of the flexible polymer tubing 140 can be used to make all necessary connections . in some cases , gravity is used to control liquid position inside the vials , dictating the convenience of a using a horizontal plate , but that is not always essential . on the other extreme , a single horizontal plate could be used with a processor interface in a horizontal plane , but this would require kit release actuators on the side supports 24 or a combination of vertical and horizontal linear actuators . the combination of a vertical processor interface plate with a horizontal vial mounting plate connected at the center of the vertical plate does reduce overall dimensions of the kit . a major advance of this invention over the prior art is represented by the rotary slide valves 150 located in the vertical plate 102 . two are illustrated in the cross - section , but eight are contemplated for a typical kit . these are constructed inside a round cavity 151 in the plate having tubing pass through holes 152 . the stator 153 is comprised of an elastomer ( e . g ., viton ® or buna n ) having enough friction and having under - sized holes 154 so that tubing 140 can be directly inserted into them and will remain in place even under hydrostatic pressure . this avoids the use of fittings and their cost . the rotor 155 is preferably comprised of plastic and has a channel 156 cut into the side facing the rotor and a slot 157 to allow it to be turned by a mechanical actuator . a circular rim 158 allows the rotor to be snap fit into the plate 102 past its rim 159 so that the stator is retained during shipment . the rotary valve mechanical actuator 50 is driven by a pneumatic rotary actuator 51 with an output shaft 52 that is held in a rotating coupling 53 by a setscrew 54 . the transfer tube contains a spring 55 that pushes a screwdriver type valve engagement 56 having a pin 57 that slides in a slot 58 in the tube . the pin 57 insures that screwdriver type actuator 56 turns together with shaft 52 while being free to move back and forth and transfer the force of spring 55 to the rotor 155 which achieves a leak tight interface with stator 153 . in one version , the actuators 50 rotate through 90 ° steps . this is shown by the two positions of the rotors 156 . fluidic connection to the kit is made via commercial luer - type female receptacles 171 . the connection to the processor 10 is completed with spring - loaded couplings 70 . commercial luer type male fittings 71 are screwed into tube 72 ( threads not shown ) that is positioned by plate 28 and urged forward by spring 73 . both fittings are barb - type and connections to tubing 140 are made in a conventional manner . a laboratory prototype of both a synthesizer 10 and kits 100 were constructed . on the synthesizer 10 , six parallel pneumatic linear actuators 20 , three on each side , with a bore of 15 mm and a stroke of 75 mm were mounted on the front panel . the support rods 32 were 5 mm dia . and extended 70 mm in front of the synthesizer to prevent the kit from falling down unless the kit holder is in a fully extended position . in a retracted position , the back of the kit 100 is pulled into valve actuators 50 and luer fittings 70 with a force of over 1000 n . in extended position , the kit is allowed to drop freely into a prepared shielded receptacle placed under the synthesizer . to install the kit , an operator shifts the kit mounting plate 22 to a middle position , and slides the kit into the slots 26 from the top . after that , the shielding door is closed and pneumatic cylinders are remotely engaged to pull the kit mounting plate 22 with the kit 100 back and attach it to the synthesizer 10 so that the processing can be carried out . finally , upon completion of the processing , extending the kit mounting plate 22 forward , beyond the guiding rods 32 and allowing the kit 100 to drop into a prepared receptacle removes the kit . this last step is accomplished automatically , without operator intervention or opening the shielding door . to achieve the heating and evaporation processes necessary for radiotracer production , the synthesizer was equipped with a cylindrical aluminum block reagent heater 42 . this is heated with compact cylindrical cartridge , omega engineering co . ( hartford , conn .) model css - 10150 / 120 and pt100 - type temperature probe model px177 - 050ai . the heating block can be heated to 200 ° c . the heater positioner 44 was driven with two 6 mm bore pneumatic cylinders having an up and down travel of 50 mm . when in the upper position , the heating block is in contact with the reactor vessel 133 mounted on the kit 100 . when in the lower position , the heating block is clear of the reactor and other parts of the kit allowing automatic kit ejection . the synthesizer 10 was equipped with eight spring - loaded rotary valve actuators 50 , arranged in two rows of four , spaced 30 mm between centers vertically and horizontally . festo ag & amp ; co . ( esslingen , germany ) swivel module dsm - 6 - 90 - p rotary actuators , equipped with model sme - 10 - kl position sensors and model cpa - sc solenoid valves , were used for the rotary pneumatic actuator motor 51 . these can operate over a pressure of 3 . 5 – 8 bar and produce 0 . 15 nm torque at 6 bar . however , many laboratory compressors do not operate comfortably above 5 bar ( 75 psi ) so the limit was 0 . 13 nm the rotation coupling 53 was stainless , 51 mm long having an id of 5 mm and a slot 1 . 6 mm × 7 mm . the valve engagement rod 56 was stainless 43 mm long with an od of 4 mm . this material and dimensions are not critical . the spring 55 was about 25 mm long x 4 mm od . the dimensions and spacings were designed , so that the springs were compressed approximately 5 mm , to 20 mm , in length to provide a force of 30 n there is a tradeoff for the force on the rotor . a greater force on the rotor 155 provides a tighter seal against the stator 153 and better leak resistance . however , this also requires a larger torque to turn the rotor . the 30 n force was enough to prevent leaks up to 100 kpa ( 14 . 5 psi ) which is adequate for processing in the kit 100 . however , it was found that when a force of more than 45 n was used , the rotary actuators could not easily turn the stator ; they were sticky . ( actuators with more torque are available , but they could take up too much space .) commercial standalone rotary slide valves do not have this problem . the rotor and stator are generally made from hard materials , e . g ., ceramics that can be highly polished , or from low coefficient - of - friction materials such as teflon ®. however , these commercial rotary valves are expensive , not disposable , and require fittings to hold connecting tubing . the spring loaded coupling adapter housing 72 was made of brass and equipped with a standard luer fitting , upchurch scientific p / n p - 619 , made from polypropylene . the spring 73 was selected to provide about 34 n when compressed 6 . 6 mm or about 13 n when compressed the same 2 . 5 mm as the valve springs 55 . this provided an adequate seal for the luer - type fittings . a number of conventional components , not illustrated in drawings , were also included in the synthesizer 10 . to transfer liquids between reagent tubes and reactor and to achieve evaporation , it is necessary to apply vacuum to various parts of the kit . the synthesizer 10 was equipped with a compact two - head diaphragm type vacuum pump , model 85 . 3kti supplied by knf neuberger ( freiburg , germany ). this vacuum pump can supply vacuum down to 2 mbar and was connected with other system components by means of 3 mm od polypropylene tubing . the synthesizer 10 has minimal pathways and elements that come in contact with radioactive material , so that residual radiation inside the shielding after removal of the kit 100 is minimized to safe levels , allowing servicing and reloading the synthesizer for the next processing cycle . all plumbing connections within the synthesizer were made with 1 . 59 mm od and 3 mm od tubes made of peek ( an acronym for polyetheretherketone ) or polypropylene . fittings employed to connect tubes to valves inside the synthesizer and to the kit are flangeless ¼ in . dia .- 28 threads / in . flat bottom threaded fittings made of peek or polypropylene and equipped with tefzell ® ferrules . all tubes , fittings and ferrules can be obtained from upchurch scientific ( oak harbor , wash .). the synthesizer was also equipped with an array of sensors and actuators including temperature probe type rtd pt100 and pressure sensor type px177 - 050ai , supplied by omega engineering co . ( hartford , conn . ), at least one radioactivity sensor based on silicone diode backed scintillator , and other routine sensors and actuators necessary to monitor important process parameters and allow for operator control of the synthesis process . to control the flow of inert gases and vacuum as well as to provide an external waste collection container , a number of solenoid valves and a needle valve were installed inside the synthesizer 10 . these components do not come in contact with radioactive material and therefore do not require frequent replacement . the removable kit 100 was made from machined acetal plastic . ( commercial quantities would use an injection - molding process .) the vertical plate 102 was about 130 mm wide and 50 mm high . to make the rotary valves 150 , eight round cavities 151 were machined with an internal diameter of 10 mm spaced to interface with the rotary valve actuators 50 on the processor 10 . each valve 150 was comprised of a stationary stator 153 made of viton ® rubber having a shore a hardness of 65 – 75 . buna n or a silicone rubber can also be used , also preferably having a shore a hardness of 65 – 75 . the rotor 155 was made from polypropylene . each stator 153 is 3 . 2 mm ( 0 . 125 in .) thick and 10 mm dia . and fits tightly into a cavity 151 in the vertical plate 102 . each stator can be molded with two , three or four holes 154 to accommodate the desired number of connecting tubes . holes 154 are 1 mm diameter to provide a leak tight fit for 1 . 59 mm od tubes without use of any fittings . the pattern of the holes in stators 153 corresponds to slightly larger 1 . 6 mm dia . holes in the vertical plate 102 through which tubes are connected . each rotor 155 fits loosely into the cavity and is interfaced on the backside with a rotating actuator engagement 56 , which can rotate it back and forth 90 ° driven by the pneumatic swivel module type 51 . as noted above , the rotor is pressed into the stator by the force of spring 55 . the face of each rotor has one or more depressions ( groves ) 1 mm wide and 1 mm deep that can connect holes in the stator . when a rotor is turned , a different pair of holes will be connected thus changing the fluid flow path . by using different orientations or depressions in the rotor and different placements and numbers of holes in the stator , several different flow patterns can be achieved without the need to replace the main vertical plate 102 . using interchangeable rotor and stator combinations , one can achieve flexible plumbing patterns without the additional cost of modifying large components . the horizontal plates ( several were made ) 104 were about 130 mm wide and 75 mm long . horizontal plates 104 also had at least two female luer receptacles 122 to mount filtration cartridges and contained receptacles to hold at least four crimp top vials 131 in inverted position on the top side of the plate and at least two larger crimp top vials 131 and 134 on the bottom side . the horizontal plate is attached to the vertical plate 102 by means of at least four pins 106 equipped with locking teeth to allow snap - in assembly without the use of glue or fasteners . the horizontal plate , when attached to a vertical plate , provides structural strength and prevents the vertical plate from deforming under stress when attached to the synthesizer . six or more crimp - sealed vials , pre - filled with pre - measured amounts of reagents as necessary or empty , are attached to the top and bottom sides of the horizontal plate 104 . the entire kit can be assembled and preloaded with reagents prior to use so that automated processes can be accomplished without extensive preparation . empty vials , such as a reactor and a product collection container placed on the bottom side of the horizontal plate , are equipped with septa with 1 mm diameter holes through which the 1 . 59 mm od tubes are pre - inserted when the kit is assembled . the vials attached to the top side of the plate are pre - loaded with reagents and equipped with sealed septa so that reagents remain intact during storage and shipping . during processing , reagents are withdrawn from these vials by means of 22 gauge ( 0 . 9 mm od ) needles , which are connected to 1 . 59 mm tubes . the needles are pre - inserted into the guiding holes in the plate , but they do not penetrate the septa of the vial until the kit is ready to use . these needles are inserted immediately before automated processing begins . this allows use of highly sensitive reagents and greatly reduces the chances of operator error during preparation . the size and shape of reagent vials and reactors can be easily changed without modifying the carrying plate . the vial holders are designed to interface with standard crimp - top necks of vials . reagent vial receptacles are fitted to hold 11 mm and 15 mm crimp - top vials , while reactor and collection vial receptacles are equipped for 20 mm crimp top serum vials . a wide variety of vials , ranging in volume from 0 . 1 to 25 ml , can be used with the kit providing the flexibility needed to accommodate a multitude of different chemical processes . the entire kit , including all necessary reagents , filters , tubes and fittings , can be pre - assembled and pre - loaded with chemicals before it is delivered to an end user . this allows for much better quality control , reproducibility and reliability of synthesis by eliminating operator errors . this arrangement also allows for sterilization of the kit using gamma sterilization or an ethylene oxide method before use . removing and re - furbishing of the kit is also possible if needed . all plumbing within the kit is made by 1 . 59 mm od polypropylene tubing ; except for an evacuation tube for connecting vacuum to the reactor which can be made with 3 mm od , 1 . 59 id tubing . the tubes are connected to vials and valves by inserting them into pre - formed holes in rubber septa of the vials and stators of the valves . thus , use of threaded fittings is eliminated . barbed fittings are used where necessary to connect tubes to luer adapters needed to connect filters and cartridges . it is important to note that all tubes are free hanging , and may be re - routed in any direction to connect any port of any valve to any other valve or vial with no restrictions , unlike what is frequently the case with existing similar kits . all materials used in kit construction , polypropylene , viton ®, buna n and peek are carefully selected to provide the best chemical and radiation resistance . viton ® and buna n are , generically , cross - linked thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers . materials with low radiation resistance such as teflon ®, silicon rubber , polyurethane etc . should be carefully avoided . silicone rubber can be used , however , when it is essential to avoid possible contamination with fluorides which are contained in the other preferred elastomers . it is frequently necessary to conduct multi - stage synthesis . although each kit contains a sufficient number of reagent vials , reactors , and filter holding positions to conduct a typical one - stage process , such as fdg production , it will be necessary to use multiple modules for more complex processes , such as f - dopa production . as discussed , the kits 100 can be easily reconfigured for a many different processes . although limited to one reactor , a module of processor 10 with kit 100 is only 16 cm ( 6 in .) wide so that three or more modules can be placed in a typical shielded enclosure . each module can be equipped with a different kit especially designed for one stage of the multistage process . in this case , all reagents needed in the first stage to produce intermediate product # 1 are placed in kit # 1 and attached to synthesizer # 1 . after processing the first stage , the intermediate product is passed to kit # 2 via tubing connecting the two processors ( or directly between kits if more convenient ) where reagents needed for the second stage are installed . in this way , four and , possibly , five stage processes can be carried out in one enclosure using the same basic processors and , especially , single - use kits . the following example is provided for illustration only and is not limiting in the sense that many other radiotracers can be produced using the system . fig3 shows a schematic process 200 for fdg synthesis that can be obtained by configuring the kit 100 . input from a cyclotron is represented by 201 reagent vials 205 – 208 are represented on the top of the diagram and contain all reagents and solutions necessary for the synthesis . the top row of four rotating valves 211 – 214 are configured as two port valves , with top and bottom port unused and not connected . they are shown in open position in the diagram , however they will be normally closed at the beginning of the process and only open to add reagent when necessary . reactor vessel 233 is schematically represented in the center of the illustration . the smaller vessel 232 to the right is used to collect and homogenize the reaction mixture before filtration through the sterile filter 225 . qma cartridge 221 is connected between valves 215 and 216 , which are configured as three port switching valves , and purification cartridges 222 , 223 , and 224 are connected to valve 218 , which is configured as a four - port valve . stationary solenoid valves 243 and 244 mounted inside the synthesizer control nitrogen flow into the reactor . solenoid valve 242 , when opened , connects vacuum pump 251 to the reactor . pressure is monitored by the pressure sensor 252 . the synthesis of fdg is carried out according to method described by hammacher et al . synthesis of the fdg itself is not considered to be part of this invention and only a basic description of a process is included here . the usual synthesis of fdg is a two - step process consisting of two chemical reactions : a nucleophilic f - 18 fluorination followed by a hydrolysis step . the fluorination step incorporates an f - 18 label into an organic precursor , 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetra - o - acetyl - 2 - o - trifluoro - methanesulfonyl - βd - mannopyranose ( mannose triflate ). the substitution reaction is accomplished by combining a phase transfer catalyst , with 18f fluoride extracted from an irradiated target material . to extract 18f fluoride , the irradiated water enriched with an o - 18 isotope and containing f - 18 fluoride is directed through qma cartridge 221 and into o - 18 collection vessel 231 by way of valves 215 and 216 . f - 18 fluoride remains trapped in qma cartridge 221 and is eluted by passing a mixture of kryptofix ® 222 with potassium carbonate through the cartridge and into reaction vessel 233 by way of valves 211 , 215 and 216 . the mixture is evaporated for 8 – 10 min . in a stream of inert gas ( n 2 or he ) via flow regulating needle valve 253 by opening valves 242 , 243 and 244 and heating the reactor 233 to 80 – 100 ° c . and then dried in vacuum by closing valve 243 for 1 – 2 min . after cooling the reactor by lowering block 42 ( see fig1 a ), a solution of the mannose triflate in acetonitrile is added to this dried mixture by way of valve 212 and incubated at 85 ° c . for 3 min . the resulting solution is heated and dried in a stream of inert gas ( n 2 or he ). the hydrolysis step , as exemplified by a base - catalyzed hydrolysis of the acetyl protecting groups , generates the free hydroxyl groups of the final drug product . a predetermined amount of solution of naoh in water is added by way of valve 214 as a hydrolyzing reagent to the dry fluorinated mannose triflate and the resulting solution is heated at 75 – 90 ° c . for 3 – 5 min . in a stream of inert gas by opening valves 243 and 242 to achieve complete removal of acetyl groups . to purify the resulting mixture and leave a solution of fdg in water , it is diluted in 5 ml of water added through valve 213 and filtered through purification cartridges 222 , 223 , and 224 and particle filter 225 by way of valve 217 , homogenization vessel 232 , and valve 218 ultimately sent through output 202 to external collection vessel 234 . teflon ® and tefzel ® are registered trademarks of e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; co . for synthetic resinous fluorine - containing polymers . teflon ® is also known as polytetraflourethelne . viton ® is a registered trademark of dupont dow elastomers l . l . c . for synthetic rubber and rubber compositions , more specifically , it is a cross - linked thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer , as is buna n , whereas silicone rubber is high temperature vulcanizing polyorganosiloxane elastomer . kryptofix ® is a registered trademark of merck kgaa limited partnership for a phase transfer catalyst , namely , a polycyclic crown ether that forms a stable cryptate with potassium cations . kryptofix ® 222 is also known as cryptand 222 . all of these trademarks have designated the same goods for several decades and are readily available under the trademarks from many suppliers . irrespective of the survival of the marks , those skilled in the relevant arts will be able to obtain the material used in carrying out this invention for the indefinite future . while the best modes have been described with particular examples , the invention is only limited by the appended claims . in particular , it was convenient to construct prototypes from metal and plastic plates . however , the structures are not so limited as long as the defined functions can be carried out . for example , planar structures could be made from a lattice - work . many other equivalent structures will occur to those with ordinary skill in this art . the terms vertical , horizontal , up , and down are defined in the usual manner with respect to gravity . note that all documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety .	0
in fig1 through 3 , left and right ends of a supporting ring ( i . e ., supporting frame ) 11 correspond to a front end on the side of an object to be photographed , and a rear end on the side of a film , respectively . cylindrical supporting ring 11 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a flexible printed circuit board mounting opening ( i . e ., mounting opening ) 12 which extends in the axial direction from a flange 11f provided at the rear end of the supporting ring 11 . a flexible printed circuit board ( i . e ., an fpc board ) 21 and a flexible printed circuit board mounting plate ( i . e ., a mounting plate ) 23 are fitted in the mounting opening 12 . mounting opening 12 is provided on the front end thereof with a shoulder portion ( i . e ., stepped portion ) 13 . supporting ring 11 is provided on the inner peripheral surface thereof with a pair of engaging grooves 14 on opposite sides of the shoulder portion 13 . flange 11f of the supporting ring 11 is provided with a pair of engaging projections 15 which are circumferentially spaced from one another and located on opposite sides of the mounting opening 12 . engaging projections 15 project toward the front end of the supporting ring 11 . mounting plate 23 is preferably made of an elastic or flexible insulation material having a width slightly larger than that of the fpc board 21 . since the fpc board 21 is usually made of an insulation material , it is not always necessary to make the mounting plate 23 of an electrical insulation material . the generally l - shaped mounting plate 23 is provided on the front end thereof with a holding portion 23a which can be disposed on the shoulder portion 13 , and on the rear end thereof with a bent portion 23b which is bent substantially at a right angle . mounting plate 23 is also provided with a pair of holding projections 25 on opposite sides of the holding portion 23a , so that when the latter is disposed on the shoulder portion 13 , the holding projections 25 will engage with the engaging grooves 14 to hold the opposite edges of the shoulder portion 13 between the holding portion 23a and the holding projections 25 . bent portion 23b has an ear portion 26 which has a pair of engaging holes 26a in which the corresponding engaging projections 15 are fitted . engaging projections 15 are spaced at a predetermined distance so that the fpc board 21 can be received therebetween . fpc board 21 is connected at one end thereof , for example , to an af / ae unit 43 , discussed hereinafter , and extends backward along the inner surface of the supporting ring 11 and is bent forward again with a large curvature , as indicated at 21a . fpc board 21 is wrapped around the holding portion 23a of the mounting plate 23 , as indicated at 21b , and extends rearwardly along the outer surface of the mounting plate 23 . fpc board 21 is then bent along the bent end 23b of the mounting plate 23 and extends along a predetermined path to be connected to a controller 81 within the camera body . fig7 through 9 show an embodiment of a lens shutter type of zoom lens to which the present invention is applied . the zoom lens includes three groups of lenses ( first lens group l1 , second lens group l2 , and third lens group l3 ) which are movable relative to one another . a stationary member 5 is secured to the camera body ( not shown ) and is provided with a helicoid ring 7 . a first lens holding frame 31 , which holds the first lens group l1 , is formed integrally with a first lens barrel 32 . first lens barrel 32 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a helicoid 32a which is in mesh with a helicoid 63 formed on an inner peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 . first lens barrel 32 is also provided on the inner peripheral surface thereof with a linear movement guide key ( not shown ) which extends in the axial direction and which is slidably fitted in an axially extending key way 11a formed on the supporting ring 11 . cam ring 61 is connected to the supporting ring 11 so as to rotate without moving in the axial direction . helicoid 62 , formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 , is in mesh with a helicoid 7a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the helicoid ring 7 . a linear movement guide plate 71 is secured to the supporting ring 11 by machine screws . linear movement guide plate 71 is provided with radially extending guide key projections 73 which are slidably fitted in corresponding linear movement guide key ways 5a formed on the stationary member 5 . consequently , when the cam ring 61 rotates about the optical axis x , the axial movement thereof in the optical axial direction takes place in accordance with the lead of the helicoids 62 and 7a engaged with each other . as a result , supporting ring 11 is moved together with the cam ring 61 in the optical axis direction x along the linear movement guide key ways 5a , so that the first lens barrel 32 moves in the optical axis direction x together with the cam ring 61 . at the same time , relative movement of the first lens barrel 32 to the cam ring 61 in the optical axis direction x also occurs in accordance with the lead of the helicoids 63 and 32a . a second lens holding frame 41 , which holds the second lens group l2 , is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a helicoid 41a , which is engaged with a helicoid 43a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical af / ae unit 43 . second lens holding frame 41 has a projection 41b which projects in the radial direction and which is engaged by an af drive lever 43b projecting from the af / ae unit 43 . the latter is fitted in a cylindrical second lens moving frame 45 and moves together therewith in the optical axis direction . second lens moving frame 45 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with guide keys 45a which extend in the optical axis direction and which have guide rollers 46 ( fig7 ) mounted therein . guide keys 45a are slidably fitted in axially extending guide key ways 11b formed in the inner peripheral surface of the supporting ring 11 . accordingly , second lens moving frame 45 is moved along the guide key ways 11b . guide rollers 46 extend through the linear movement guide grooves 11c formed in the bottom of the guide key ways 11b , so that the front ends of the guide rollers 46 are fitted in a second cam groove ( not shown ) formed on the inner peripheral surface of cam ring 61 . namely , when cam ring 61 rotates , the af / ae unit 43 is moved with respect to supporting ring 11 , while being restricted by the movement of the intersection of the second cam groove and the linear movement guide grooves 11c . a third lens holding frame 51 which holds the third lens group l3 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a threaded portion 51a which is in mesh with a threaded portion 53a formed on the inner peripheral surface of a third lens moving frame 53 . third lens moving frame 53 has three guide keys 53b which are formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof and which are slidably fitted in corresponding guide key ways 11d formed on the supporting ring 11 . guide keys 53b have guide rollers 34 ( fig7 ) mounted therein , which extend through the linear movement guide grooves 11e formed in the guide key ways 11d , so that the front ends of guide rollers 34 are fitted in a third cam groove ( not shown ) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 . a coil spring 56 is provided between the second lens moving frame 45 and the third lens moving frame 53 to continuously bias them away from one another , thereby eliminating spaces between the guide rollers 46 , 34 and the associated cam grooves . as mentioned above , the fpc board 21 , connected to the af / ae unit 43 , extends backwards along the inner peripheral surface of the supporting ring 11 and is bent forward again with a large curvature at the bent portion 21a . the fpc board 21 is then bent rearwardly at 21b and extends along the upper surface of the mounting plate 23 . the fpc board 21 is then bent around the bent end 23b of the mounting plate 23 to enter the supporting ring 11 and is bent around the linear movement guide plate 71 . the fpc board 21 is secured to the opening 12 of the supporting ring 11 . after being bent around the linear movement guide plate 71 , the fpc board 21 extends through the fpc board holding groove 75 of the linear movement guide plate 71 and extends behind the cam ring 61 towards the stationary member 5 . the fpc board 21 is then bent backward at the bent portion 21c to extend forward along the inner surface of the stationary member 5 and enters the camera body through a gap defined between the stationary member 5 and the helicoid ring 7 , where it is connected to the controller 81 . the zoom lens operates as follows in accordance with the rotation of cam ring 61 . cam ring 61 is rotated by a zoom motor ( not shown ) through the gear train and the gear ( not shown ) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 to transmit the rotation of the zoom motor . consequently , cam ring 61 is moved in the optical axis direction in accordance with the lead of the helicoids 43 and 7a , while being rotated about the optical axis , as mentioned before . as a result , supporting ring 11 is moved together with cam ring 61 in the optical axis direction along the linear movement guide key ways 5a , so that second lens moving frame 45 and , accordingly , the af / ae unit 43 , are axially moved together with the cam ring 61 . during this movement , the movement of the af / ae unit 43 , relative to cam ring 61 , is caused by the restriction of the second cam groove . it should be appreciated that during the relative movement of the af / ae unit 43 , with respect to the supporting ring 11 , the fpc board 21 elastically deforms at the bent portion 21a thereof in accordance with the movement of the af / ae unit 43 . when the supporting ring 11 is moved in the optical axis direction relative to the stationary member 5 , the displacement of bent portion 21c of the fpc board 21 takes place , so that the fpc board 21 permits movement of the supporting ring 11 in the optical axis direction . the attachment of the mounting plate 23 will be discussed below with reference to fig4 through 6 . first , the fpc board 21 is bent at bent portion 21b to hold the holding portion 23a of mounting plate 23 between the bent portion and the remaining portion of the fpc board 21 . in this state , the af / ae unit 43 , etc ., are mounted to the supporting ring 11 , and the fpc board 21 and the mounting plate 23 are inserted in the supporting ring 11 . thereafter , the holding portion 23a is protruded outward through the opening 12 and pushed forward ( in the direction a ), so that the holding portion 23a is located on the shoulder portion 13 , as shown in fig4 . thereafter , when the bent portion 23b or the portion in the vicinity thereof is pressed upward in the direction b thereby causing a protrusion of the associated portion of the fpc board 21 from the opening 12 , the engaging projections 25 are engaged in the corresponding engaging grooves to prevent the holding portion 23a from being detached from the shoulder portion 13 . accordingly , the mounting plate 23 is entirely and elastically deformed or deflected upwardly . consequently , the mounting plate 23 is positioned in the opening 12 , while bringing the bent portion 23b into sliding contact with the engaging projections 15 ( see fig5 ). as soon as the engaging projections 15 are registered with the engaging holes 26a , the engaging projections 15 are fitted in the engaging holes 26a , so that the mounting plate 23 is returned to the free state ( i . e ., flat plate state ) thereof by the elastic restoring force . namely , the holding portion 23a of the mounting plate 23 and the holding projections 25 hold the shoulder portion 13 of the supporting ring 11 , and the engaging projections 15 are engaged in the engaging holes 26a . consequently , the fpc board 21 , which is bent at the holding portion 23a , and the shoulder portion 13 , can be secured to the supporting ring 11 , as shown in fig6 . as can be seen from the above discussion , according to the present invention , the intermediate portion of the fpc board 21 can be easily mounted to the supporting ring 11 by fitting the mounting plate 23 in the opening 12 . furthermore , since the mounting plate 23 is firmly held , not only by the engagement , at the front end 23a , of the holding projections 25 and the shoulder portion 13 , but also by the engagement of the engaging projections 15 and the corresponding engaging holes 26a , the fpc board will not be accidentally detached from the supporting ring 11 as a result of aging , etc . the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment discussed above . in summary , the present invention is generically addressed to a basic concept in which a stationary portion to which a flexible board or sheet is to be mounted is provided with holes , grooves , or openings , etc ., so that the flexible board or sheet can be mounted to the stationary portion , using a mounting plate which can be engaged in the holes , grooves , or openings etc . as can be understood from the foregoing , according to the present invention , the mounting operation of a flexible printed circuit board ( particularly the intermediate portion thereof ) which connects an electrical member , which moves in accordance with the zooming or focusing operation , to a controller , provided in a camera body , is simplified by mounting the circuit board to a supporting ring through a mounting member . furthermore , the flexible printed circuit board can even be effectively secured to a stationary portion in which a securing means , such as screws or adhesive etc ., is not used .	6
we have found that unexpectedly , the cultivation of a microorganism very different from that employed by endo , a microfungus of the genus aspergillus , produces new substances that are also very potent inhibitors of the biosynthesis of cholesterol in mammals . we have further found that these substances comprise principally the new compounds i and ii , of the above structures , accompanied by only traces of other compounds . these new compounds are much more potent inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis in vivo than is the compound , ml236b described by endo . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of this invention include those formed from cations such as sodium , potassium , aluminum , calcium , lithium , magnesium , zinc , ammonia , ethylenediamine , n - methylglucamine , lysine , arginine , ornithine , choline , n , n &# 39 ;- dibenzylethylenediamine , chloroprocaine , diethanolamine , procaine , n - benzylphenethylamine , 1 - p - chlorobenzyl - 2 - pyrrolidine - 1 &# 39 ;- yl - methylbenzimidazole , diethylamine , piperazine , tris ( hydroxymethyl ) aminomethane , and tetramethylammonium . the compounds of this invention are highly useful as antihypercholesteremic agents for the treatment of atherosclerosis , hyperlipemia and like diseases in humans . they may be administered orally or parenterally in the form of a capsule , a tablet , an injectable preparation or the like . it is usually desirable to use the oral route . doses may be varied , depending on the age , severity , body weight and other conditions of human patients but daily dosage for adults is within a range of from about 2 mg . to 2000 mg . ( preferably 2 to 100 mg ) which may be given in two to four divided doses . higher doses may be favorably employed as required . the compounds of this invention also have useful antifungal activities . for example , they may be used to control strains of penicillium sp ., aspergillus niger , cladosporium sp ., cochliobolus miyabeanus and helminthosporium cynodnotis . for those utilities they are admixed with suitable formulating agents , powders , emulsifying agents or solvents such as aqueous ethanol and sprayed or dusted on the plants to be protected . in another aspect of this invention , it relates to a process for producing the compounds of this invention which comprises cultivating a microorganism belonging to the genus aspergillus and then recovering said compounds of this invention from the cultured broth . based upon taxonomic studies , this aspergillus , isolated and identified as a hitherto undescribed microorganism , has been designated mf - 4833 in the culture collection of merck and co ., inc ., rahway , n . j . and a culture thereof has been placed on permanent deposit with the american type culture collection , 12301 parklawn drive , rockville , md . 20852 , and has been assigned accession number atcc 20541 . another sample , of a similar organism , designated mf - 4845 in the merck culture collection , has likewise been placed on deposit and has been given the accession number atcc 20542 . the latter organism is the one giving the better yield . although the use of these is described in connection with the process of this invention , other organisms of the genus aspergillus including mutants of the above ones are also capable of producing these novel compounds and their use is contemplated in carrying out the process of this invention . the morphological characteristics of the microorganisms mf - 4833 and mf - 4845 have been found to be those of the genus aspergillus . using the criteria specified in the standard authority &# 34 ; manual of the aspergilli &# 34 ;, charles thom and kenneth b . rasper , published by the williams and wilkins company , baltimore , md ., 1945 , and by comparison with known species , it has been determined that both strains are aspergillus terreus . the culture of these organisms to produce the novel compounds is carried out in aqueous media such as those employed for the production of other fermentation products . such media contain sources of carbon , nitrogen and inorganic salts assimilable by the microorganism . in general , carbohydrates such as sugars , for example , glucose , fructose , maltose , sucrose , xylose , mannitol and the like and starches such as grains , for example , oats , ryes , cornstarch , corn meal and the like can be used either alone or in combination as sources of assimilable carbon in the nutrient medium . the exact quantity of the carbohydrate source or sources utilized in the medium depend in part upon the other ingredients of the medium but , in general , the amount of carbohydrate usually varies between about 1 % and 6 % by weight of the medium . these carbon sources can be used individually , or several such carbon sources may be combined in the medium . in general , many proteinaceous materials may be used as nitrogen sources in the fermentation process . suitable nitrogen sources include for example , yeast hydrolysates , primary yeast , soybean meal , cottonseed flour , hydrolysates of casein , corn steep liquor , distiller &# 39 ; s solubles or tomato paste and the like . the sources of nitrogen either alone or in combination , are used in amounts ranging from about 0 . 2 % to 6 % by weight of the aqueous medium . among the nutrient inorganic salts which can be incorporated in the culture media are the customary salts capable of yielding sodium , potassium , ammonium , calcium , phosphate , sulfate , chloride , carbonate , and like ions . also included are trace metals such as cobalt , manganese , iron and magnesium . it should be noted that the media described in the examples are merely illustrative of the wide variety of media which may be employed , and are not intended to be limitative . specifically , the carbon sources used in the culture media to produce the novel compounds of this invention included dextrose , dextrin , oat flour , oatmeal , molasses , citrate , soybean , oil , glycerol , malt extract , cod liver oil , starch , ethanol , figs , sodium ascorbate and lard oil . included as nitrogen sources were peptonized milk , autolyzed yeast , yeast rna , tomato paste , casein , primary yeast , peanut meal , distillers solubles , corn steep liquor , soybean meal , corn meal , nz amine , beef extract , asparagine , cottonseed meal and ammonium sulfate . the major ionic components were caco 3 , kh 2 po 4 , mgso 4 . 7h 2 o and nacl and small amounts of cocl 2 . 6h 2 o and traces of fe , mn , mo , b and cu were also present . the fermentation is carried out at temperatures ranging from about 20 ° to 37 ° c . ; however , for optimum results it is preferable to conduct the fermentation at temperatures of from about 22 ° to 30 ° c . the ph of the nutrient media suitable for growing the aspergillus culture and producing the novel compounds can vary from about 6 . 0 to 8 . 0 . although the novel compounds are produced by both surface and submerged culture , it is preferred to carry out the fermentation in the submerged state . a small scale fermentation is conveniently carried out by inoculating a suitable nutrient medium with the aspergillus culture and , after transfer to a production medium , permitting the fermentation to proceed at a constant temperature of about 28 ° c . on a shaker for several days . the fermentation is initiated in a sterilized flask of medium via one or more stages of seed development . the nutrient medium for the seed stage may be any suitable combination of carbon and nitrogen sources . the seed flask is shaken in a constant temperature chamber at about 28 ° c . for 2 days , or until growth is satisfactory , and some of the resulting growth is used to inoculate either a second stage seed or the production medium . intermediate stage seed flasks , when used , are developed in essentially the same manner , that is , part of the contents of the flask from the last seed stage are used to inoculate the production medium . the inoculated flasks are shaken at a constant temperature for several days , and at the end of the incubation period the contents of the flasks are centrifuged or filtered . for large scale work , it is preferable to conduct the fermentation in suitable tanks provided with an agitator and a means of aerating the fermentation medium . according to this method , the nutrient medium is made up in the tank and sterilized by heating at temperatures of up to about 120 ° c . upon cooling , the sterilized medium is inoculated with a previously grown seed of the producing culture , and the fermentation is permitted to proceed for a period of time as , for example , from 3 to 5 days while agitating and / or aerating the nutrient medium and maintaining the temperature at about 28 ° c . this method of producing the novel compounds is particularly suited for the preparation of large quantities . the compounds are conveniently isolated from the fermentation broth as the lactone ( i ), or as salts of compound ii . compound i can be hydrolyzed with bases such as naoh to yield the salts such as the sodium salt of compound ii . the use of bases with other pharmaceutically acceptable cations affords salts of these cations . careful acidification of the salts affords the hydroxy acid ii . the hydroxy acid ii can be converted to compound i at acidic ph . treating compound i under acidic or basic catalysis with methanol , ethanol , propanol , or butanol or with phenyl , dimethylamino , or acetylamino alkanols yields the corresponding esters of compound ii which also form a part of this invention . compound ii can be conveniently isolated without need of chromatography , in the form of the ammonium salt . the process comprises acidifying whole broth , preferably with phosphoric acid and preferably to about ph 5 ; extracting the acidified broth with a water - immiscible , inert , organic solvent , preferably ethyl acetate ; extracting the organic solvent extract with aqueous alkali , such as 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 n sodium hydroxide ; reacidification to ph 5 with phorphoric acid ; extracting the acidified aqueous extract with a water - immiscible , inert , organic solvent preferably a mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate and preferably about a 2 : 1 ( v / v ) mixture ; drying the extract ; and bubbling in gaseous ammonia causing precipitation of the ammonium salt . this isolation is convenient and is much more adapted to commercial use than is chromatography . furthermore , salts of ii are much more active than compound i in vitro in the inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis and as antifungal agents . therefore , these salts are one of the especially preferred dosage forms . preferred salts , in addition to ammonium , include tetramethylammonium , and salts of ethylenediamine , sodium , potassium , calcium , n - methylglucamine , lysine , arginine and ornithine . the physico - chemical properties of compound i ( msd - 803 ) are summarized as follows : ______________________________________1 . melting point 170 - 171 ° 2 . molecular weight 404 ( mass spectrum ) 3 . formula c . sub . 24 h . sub . 36 o . sub . 5 ( found by mass spec - 404 . 2555 trometry calculated ) 404 . 25634 . uv spectrum ( in acetonitrile ): maxima 230 . 5 nm with e % 505 . 7 237 . 5 nm with e % 576 . 6 246 nm with e % 395 . 2______________________________________ the spectrum has been recorded in cdcl 3 solution ( 20 . 1 mg in 0 . 35 ml ). chemical shifts are given relative to internal tetramethylsilane at zero ppm ; under the experimental conditions the solvent ( cdcl 3 ) signal appears centered at 70 . 0 ppm . in agreement with mass spectral data 24 carbon atoms are observed ; their chemical shifts are : 11 . 5 , 13 . 6 , 16 . 0 , 22 . 6 , 24 . 1 , 26 . 6 , 27 . 2 , 30 . 5 , 32 . 5 , 32 . 8 , 35 . 9 , 36 . 4 , 37 . 1 , 38 . 4 , 41 . 3 , 62 . 4 , 67 . 8 , 76 . 4 , 128 . 4 , 129 . 7 , 131 . 7 , 133 . 2 , 170 . 8 and 177 . 2 ppm . the spectrum was recorded in cdcl 3 solution and chemical shifts are shown in fig1 in ppm relative to internal tetramethylsilane at zero ppm . the infra red spectrum was recorded in a kbr pellet preparation of a sample . it is shown in fig2 . the specific optical rotation [ α ] d 25 = 320 . 7 ° has been determined on a solution of 5 . 30 mg / ml ch 3 cn . this value has been obtained by measuring at the sodium - d - line wave length . on the basis of these and other data , the structure of the product is believed , with a considerable degree of certainty , to have the stereo chemical structure : ## str3 ## the corresponding hydroxy acid compound ii , has the structure : ## str4 ## the absolute configuration of the centers of assymetry in these molecules has been determined from x - ray diffraction patterns . a tube of lyophilized culture mf - 4833 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing approximately 20 ml of medium a . medium a has the following composition : ______________________________________medium a______________________________________corn steep liquor 10 gtomato paste 80 goatmeal 20 gglucose 20 gtrace element mix no . 2 20 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 8 with naohtrace element mix no . 2feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgmnso . sub . 4 . 4h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgcucl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 25 mgcacl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 100 mgh . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 56 mg ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 6 mo . sub . 7 o . sub . 24 . 4h . sub . 2 o 19 mgznso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 200 mgdistilled deionized water 1000 ml______________________________________ the inoculated flask is incubated for 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). two unbaffled 2 liter erlenmeyer flasks each containing 500 ml of medium b are then each inoculated with 10 ml per flask of the growth from the seed flask . medium b has the following composition : ______________________________________medium b______________________________________tomato paste 20 gprimary yeast 10 gcpc starch 20 gcocl . sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o 5 mgdistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 2 - 7 . 4 with naoh______________________________________ these two inoculated flasks are incubated for 96 hours at 28 °. one flask is incubated without agitation . the other flask is incubated on a 150 rpm shaker ( 2 &# 34 ; throw ). after 96 hours , the contents of each flask is set aside for isolation of the product . the whole broth is centrifuged for 20 - 30 min . solids are saved for extraction . the supernatant liquid ( ph 6 - 8 ) is charged to a 950 ml bottle and 150 ml xad - 2 resin is added . using an automatic extractor , operating on a preset schedule , the mixture is stirred for 2 hours . the spent broth is then siphoned off and discarded . the resin is washed twice with 200 ml of deionized water and the washes were discarded . there then is added a charge of 300 ml of mixed solvent : isopropanol - ethyl acetate - dichloromethane 25 - 45 - 30 . the mixture is stirred two hours . the solvent - resin slurry is filtered on a buchner or sintered glass funnel and the resin is discarded . the broth solids are stirred with 100 ml acetone for 1 / 2 hour . the mixture is then centrifuged and the supernatant liquor is decanted . the combined filtrate and decantate are concentrated to 15 ml . the filtrates were tested as inhibitors of hmg - coa reductase enzyme by the method described by beg , stonik , and brewer ( 1977 febs letters 80 123 to 129 ) using enzymes prepared as described by kleinsek , rangatham and porter ( 1977 proc . nat . acad . sci . 74 1431 to 1435 ). the positive test ( over 90 % inhibition at 20 micrograms per milliliter -- an ic 50 of 2 . 3 micrograms per milliliter indicated the presence of a very potent inhibitor of sterol synthesis acting at the hmg - coa reductase level . a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus sp . mf - 4833 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask no . 1 ) containing 40 ml of medium c . medium c has the following compositions : ______________________________________medium c______________________________________corn steep liquor 5 gtomato paste 40 goatmeal 10 gglucose 10 gtrace elementmix no . 2 10 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 8 with naoh______________________________________ this inoculated flask is incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ) for 24 hours . eight more unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flasks ( no . 2 seed flask ) each containing 40 ml of medium c are then each inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from seed flask no . 1 . these eight no . 2 seed flasks are incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). twenty , two liter unbaffled erlenmeyer flasks , containing 500 ml of medium b are then each inoculated with 14 ml per flask of the combined growth of the eight no . 2 seed flasks . these twenty flasks are incubated at 28 °, without agitation for 11 days . after 11 days incubation , the contents of these twenty flasks are pooled . 10 . 2 liters of whole broth , ph 6 . 0 was blended in a waring blender to break up the heavy mycelial pads , centrifuged and the clear supernatant decanted . after filtration the 10 liters of filtrate was extracted with 3 liters of ethyl acetate , yielding 1820 ml of clear extract . a second extraction with 3 liters of ethyl acetate yielded 3350 ml of clear extract . the broth solids were extracted by stirring one hour with 2 liters of methanol and filtering to yield 2100 ml of filtrate . aliquots of these extracts were dried and sent for assay by the procedure of example 1 ( c ), with the following results : ______________________________________extractvolume ( ml ) total solids ( mg ) total units of activity______________________________________1820 1133 1 , 496 , 6953350 787 314 , 9002100 13 . 15 1 , 144 , 067______________________________________ the total solids obtained from the first two extracts in example 2 ( b ) were combined , dissolved in methanol and filtered to remove insoluble solids . the 30 ml of filtrate was loaded onto a gel filtration column ( 2 . 5 cm × 200 cm , 980 ml ) packed with sephadex lh - 20 and the sample fractionated according to molecular size using methanol as solvent . with refractive index and u . v . recordings as guides , the best fractions were identified by bioassay . ______________________________________total solids ( mg ) total units of activity______________________________________fraction 1 - 89 106 , 271fraction 2 - 278 1 , 099 , 680fraction 3 - 779 210 , 357______________________________________ a sample from fraction 2 above was prefiltered through a 1 - gram bed of waters bondapak c18 / porasil b and eluted with five volumes of methanol . the methanol eluate was concentrated to 0 . 5 ml . this sample was chromatographed , over several runs , on a waters μc18 column ( 3 . 9 mm × 30 cm ) with methanol : 0 . 05 m ammonium phosphate , ph 2 . 9 ( 75 : 25 ), as the developing solvent . fractions were scanned on a beckman spectrophotometer , and those showing absorption maxima at 236 nm , with shoulders at 229 nm and 245 nm were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to an aqueous solution . the ph of the concentrate was adjusted to 6 . 5 with 2 m potassium hydroxide and the active components were extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was dried , concentrated to dryness , and the residue was dissolved in 0 . 3 ml methanol . the methanol solution was chromatographed as above and recycled . cuts containing earlier eluting component were combined , concentrated to an aqueous solution and extracted with chloroform . the chloroform residue was taken up in methanol and the solvent evaporated under nitrogen . 3 . 5 mg . of dried product was obtained and identified as hydroxy acid ( compound ii ). cuts containing the second component were combined and extracted with chloroform as above . 0 . 87 mg of dried product was obtained and identified as lactone , ( compound i ). best mode of fermentation of mf - 4833 to produce compounds i and ii a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus sp . mf - 4833 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). two , 250 ml unbaffled erlenmeyer flasks each containing 40 ml of medium d are then each inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from the seed flask . medium d has the following composition : ______________________________________medium d______________________________________lactose 20 gdistillers solubles 15 gautolyzed yeast 5 gdistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 0 with naoh______________________________________ these two inoculated flasks are incubated for 96 hours at 28 ° on a 150 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). after 96 hours incubation the contents of these two flasks is submitted for extraction by the procedure described in example 2 ( b ). total production in these flasks is 1450 - 2000 units / ml . a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus , mf 4845 , is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask no . 1 ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 24 - 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). a portion ( approx . 0 . 5 ml ) of this flask is then used to inoculate a slant tube containing medium e . medium e . has the following composition : ______________________________________medium e______________________________________yeast extract 4 gmalt extract 10 gdextrose 4 gagar 20 gdistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 0 with naoh______________________________________ the inoculated slant tube is incubated for 11 days at room temperature . it is then stored at - 60 ° c . for 3 - 4 months . a portion of the contents of this slant is then suspended in an unbaffled , 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( no . 2 seed flask ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). six unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flasks ( no . 3 seed flasks ) containing 40 ml of medium c are then each inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from the no . 2 seed flask . these six inoculated flasks are incubated for 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). six unbaffled two liter erlenmeyer flasks containing 500 ml of medium f are each then inoculated with the contents of no . 3 seed flask . medium f has the following composition : ______________________________________medium f______________________________________corn steep liquor 15 gcpc starch 20 gcorn meal 1 gsoybean meal 4 gglucose 5 gsoybean oil 2 . 5 g ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 so . sub . 4 4 gkh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 0 . 3 gcaco . sub . 3 6 gdistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 7 with naoh______________________________________ the inoculated flasks are incubated for 11 days without agitation at 28 ° c . after 11 days broth is delivered for extraction by the procedure of example 2 ( b ). total production in these flasks is 1231 units / ml . best mode of fermentation with mf - 4845 to produce compounds i and ii a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus , mf - 4845 , is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 30 hours at 28 ° on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). an unbaffled , 250 ml erlenmeyer flask containing 40 ml of medium g is inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from the seed flask . medium g has the following composition : ______________________________________medium g______________________________________dextrose 45 gpeptonized milk 24 gautolyzed yeast 2 . 5 gpolyglycol p2000 2 . 5 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 0 with naoh______________________________________ this inoculated flask is incubated for 120 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). after 120 hours incubation , the contents of the flask is submitted for extraction by the procedure of example 2 ( b ). total production in this flask is 21 , 500 units / ml . a . large scale fermentation with mf - 4833 to produce compounds i and ii ______________________________________corn steep liquor 5 gtomato paste 40 goat flour 10 gglucose 10 gtrace element solution 10 mldistilled water 1000 mladjusted to ph 6 . 8 with sodium hydroxide . ______________________________________ ______________________________________feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 1 gmnso . sub . 4 . 4h . sub . 2 o 1 gcucl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 25 mgcacl . sub . 2 100 mgh . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 56 mg ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 6 mo . sub . 7 o . sub . 24 . 4h . sub . 2 o 19 mgzn so . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 200 mgdistilled water 1 liter______________________________________ all media were checked for sterility before innoculation with a microorganism . to a 250 ml non - baffled erlenmeyer flask was charged 40 ml of medium and the contents of one tube of lyophillized organism mf 4833 . it was then shaken for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a rotary shaker at 220 rpm . new flasks were then charged with 40 ml of medium and 1 ml of the first flask &# 39 ; s contents and were shaken an additional 24 hours at 28 ° c . a 2 liter flask was then charged with 400 ml of medium and 10 ml of the second stage fermentation mixture and this too was shaken for 24 hours at 28 ° c . a 200 gallon stainless steel fermentation vat was then charged with 501 liters of a medium comprising : ______________________________________lactose 2 % wt / voldistiller solubles 1 . 5 % wt / volautolyzed yeast 0 . 5 % wt / volpolyglycol p2000 0 . 25 % wt / vol______________________________________ whose ph was adjusted to 7 . 0 . this was sterilized 15 minutes at 121 ° c . one liter of the third stage above was then charged and the mixture was incubated at 130 rpm at 28 ° c . for 96 hours with an air flow of 10 cfm . about 37 . 5 lbs . ( 3 / 4 bag ) of a silicaceous filter aid was added to 110 gal . whole broth from the culture of mf - 4833 described above and the mixture was filtered through an 18 - inch filter press . the clarified filtrate , ( ph 6 . 6 ) was adjusted to ph 4 . 0 by careful addition of 450 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid , and extracted by agitation with about one - third volume ( 36 gal .) of ethyl acetate . after separation , the upper solvent layer was removed , and the water phase again extracted with ethyl acetate ( 38 gal .) in a similar fashion . after separation , the two extracts were combined and back - washed by agitation with about twelve gallons of water . after separation , the ethyl acetate solution was concentrated under vacuum at a temperature below 30 ° c ., first in a stirred kettle , and finally in a rotary vacuum evaporator to a residual volume of slightly less than one gallon . approximately 1 gal . ( 3800 ml ) of ethyl acetate concentrate from the preceding extraction was further concentrated in a rotary evaporator ( ca 10 mm , 40 ° c . bath ) to a syrup and was then concentrated twice more , after addition of about one liter of methylene chloride in two portions , to free the syrup of polar solvent . the final oil of about 300 ml which contained about 250 g of solids by dry weight determination , was made up to about 750 ml with ethyl acetate methylene chloride ( 30 / 70 ; v / v ) and 200 g of silica gel was added and mixed in to form a slurry . this was layered over the top of a 14 cm by 36 cm column bed holding 2 . 5 kg of the same silica gel , in about 7 . 5 l volume , which had been packed as a slurry in the same solvent mixture . development with the same solvent was continued until 3 liters of effluent was taken off as forerun . development with ethyl acetate - methylene chloride ( 50 / 50 ; v / v ) was begun , taking 800 ml effluent fractions . twelve fractions were taken , then 100 % ethyl acetate elution was begun , and after seven more fractions , 100 % acetone elution was begun . fractions four through twenty - four were assayed for bio - activity in the hmg - coa reductase inhibition assay referred to in example 1 . substantial activity was found in fractions 7 through 11 . peak activity was found in fraction 8 . it was concentrated to an oil for further purification ; dry wt . by solids determination was 9 . 0 gm . fraction 8 from the silica gel column was triturated with 50 ml methylene chloride and filtered ; the dried filter cake weighed 4 . 9 gm . the filtrate was charged to a 2 - inch i . d . by 1 - meter long column filled with sephadex lh - 20 dextran gel ( pharmacia ) swollen and equilibrated in methylene chloride , and the column was eluted with methylene chloride at a rate of 15 ml / min . compound i was eluted between 0 . 64 and 0 . 81 column volumes . solvent was removed from this peak leaving a slightly brown residue weighing approximately 0 . 290 gm . this residue ( 213 mg ) was taken up in 1 . 5 ml of ch 2 cl 2 -- ch 3 cn ( 65 - 35 ), charged to a prepacked and equilibrated silica gel column ( em lobar size b ) and eluted with ch 2 cl 2 -- ch 3 cn ( 65 - 35 ) at 5 ml / min . evaporation of solvent from the peak eluting between 235 and 360 ml of eluant left 121 mg of crystalline product , m . p . 155 °- 160 ° c . hplc of this material on a em rp 18 reverse - phase analytical column ( e . merck hibar ii , cat . no . 906046 ) using 0 . 05 m sodium phosphate ph 3 . 0 - acetonitrile 45 - 55 as eluant at 2 ml / min . showed a characteristic uv absorbing peak at 11 min . eighty - two mg of this material was recrystallized from 0 . 6 ml of absolute ethanol , then again from 0 . 4 ml of the same solvent to afford , after drying over - night in a desiccator over p 2 o 5 , 40 mg of white feathery crystals . analytical hplc on the system described above gave a single sharp peak at 11 minutes elution time . after further recrystallizations , a melting point of 170 °- 171 ° c . was obtained . the product was identified by spectra , etc ., as compound i . this material , in the in vitro hmg - coa reductase test ( of example 1 ) gave an ic 50 of 0 . 01 micrograms per milliliter . a tube of lyophilized culture mf - 4845 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing approximately 10 ml of the medium which has the following composition : ______________________________________medium______________________________________corn steep liquor 5 gtomato paste 40 goatmeal 10 gglucose 10 gtrace element solution 10 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 8 with naohtrace element solution : feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgmnso . sub . 4 . 4h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgcucl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 25 mgcacl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 100 mgh . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 56 mg ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 6 mo . sub . 7 o . sub . 24 . 4h . sub . 2 o 19 mgznso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 200 mgdistilled deionized water 1000 mg______________________________________ the inoculated flask is incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). an unbaffled 2 liter erlenmeyer flask containing 500 ml of the medium and then inoculated with 10 ml of the first stage fermentation growth from the seed mixture . this too was shaken 24 hours at 28 ° c . a 200 gallon stainless steel fermentation vat was then charged with 485 liters of a medium comprising : ______________________________________cerelose 4 . 5 % wt / volpeptonized milk 2 . 5 % wt / volautolyzed yeast 0 . 25 % wt / volpolyglycol p2000 0 . 25 % vol / vol______________________________________ whose ph was adjusted to 7 . 0 . this was sterilized 15 minutes at 121 ° c . one liter of the second stage above was then charged and the mixture was incubated at 85 rpm for 12 hours then 130 rpm for 84 hours at 28 ° c . with an air flow of 5 cfm for 12 hours then 10 cfm for 84 hours . the broth from the fermentation as in example 7a ( 100 gal ) is acidified with h 3 po 4 to ph of 5 . ethyl acetate ( 70 gal ) is added and the mixture is stirred vigorously . it is then filtered from the mycelia residue and the cake is washed with a small amount of ethyl acetate which is combined with the main extract . the organic phase is separated and mixed with 5 gallons of 0 . 2 n sodium hydroxide solution . the mixture is stirred vigorously and then allowed to settle . the aqueous layer is separated and the ph is adjusted from 9 to 5 by addition of h 3 po 4 . it is then extracted , first with 2 gallons of hexane - ethyl acetate 2 : 1 mixture and then with one gallon of the same mixture . the separate organic extracts are combined and dried over anhydrous mgso 4 . the drying agent is then separated by filtration and the cake washed with one liter of the same hexane - ethyl acetate solution , the rinse being combined with the filtrate . this filtrate solution , after further dilution with 2 l of acetone , is stirred while ammonia gas is passed in . the gas is absorbed and a crystalline precipitate appears . when ammonia is no longer absorbed , and a darkening in color is observed in the precipitate , the introduction of ammonia is terminated and the mixture is allowed to stand several hours after which it is filtered . the crude ammonium salt filter cake is washed with acetone to a colorless wash and is then air dried ( 128 g ). the crude ammonium salt can be recrystallized by dissolving it in a mixture of chloroform , methanol and concentrated aqueous ammonium hydroxide ( 80 : 20 : 2 ) and filtering the colored insoluble material ( about 10 % of the crude ). the filtrate solution is then diluted with an equal volume of ether . the crystalline , tan colored ammonium salt is obtained by filtration . alternatively , the 128 g of crude ammonium salt are suspended in 2 liters toluene and heated to reflux under a water separator while a slow stream of nitrogen is passed through the solution . after about 21 / 2 hours no more water is separated and the effluent gas contains no more ammonia . the hot solution of the lactone is filtered from about 10 g of undissolved , dark material with the help of 13 g of activated charcoal and some super - cel . the filtrate is allowed to cool and kept at - 20 ° c . overnight . the crystalline product is filtered , washed with cold toluene and low boiling petrolether and air dried ( 76 . 6 g ). from the combined and concentrated mother liquor and washing solutions a second batch of 17 . 4 g is obtained . the product from this and a second similar batch ( total 164 . 4 g ) is recrystallized from ethanol yielding 143 . 4 g of ≧ 99 % pure compound in several batches . 71 . 5 g of recrystallized lactone is suspended in 200 ml of 1 n naoh and 200 ml ch 3 oh and stirred until all material is dissolved . the solution is filtered , the methanol evaporated under reduced pressure at 30 ° c . and 200 ml ethylacetate and 200 ml 2 m h 3 po 4 added . the aqueous phase is saturated with nacl and separated . the organic phase is dried over mgso 4 and filtered and diluted to about 1 liter with ethylacetate and some ether ( filter washes ). one liter of a mixture of chloroform , methanol and concentrated ammonium hydroxide ( 80 : 20 : 2 ), followed by 1 liter of acetone are then added with stirring . the precipitated product is filtered and washed with acetone and low boiling petrolether and air dried ( 75 . 0 g ). a second batch of 2 . 5 g is obtained from the combined mother liquor and washing solution . the final purification is achieved by dissolving 75 g of this ammonium salt in 2 liters of hot isopropanol containing 5 % concentrated aqueous ammonium hydroxide . the hot solution is rapidly filtered into a preheated flask and allowed to cool to room temperature after the excess of ammonia , which had been lost in the vacuum filtration , is replenished by some nh 3 gas . crystallization is completed by further cooling , first to 0 ° c . and overnight to - 20 ° c . the product is filtered and washed with isopropanol and acetone at - 20 ° c . and with low boiling petrolether and air dried under exclusion of moisture ( 65 . 2 g ; ≧ 99 . 5 % pure ). to a solution of 40 mg of the product of example 6 in 2 ml of ethanol is added 1 ml of aqueous naoh ( 10 - 4 moles ; 1 equivalent ). after one hour at room temperature , the mixture is taken to dryness in vacuo to yield the sodium salt of compound ii . in like manner the potassium salt is prepared using one equivalent of potassium hydroxide . a solution of 146 mg of l - lysine in 1 . 5 ml of 65 % ethanol is added to a solution of 440 mg of the ammonium salt of compound ii in 11 . 5 ml of 85 % ethanol . the solvents are distilled off in vacuo . the residue is triturated with 10 ml of warm ethanol , cooled , and filtered , and the white solid is dried to obtain 430 mg of the l - lysine salt of compound ii , m . p . 178 °- 180 ° ( d ). anal . calcd . for c 30 h 52 n 2 o 8 : c , 63 . 35 ; h , 9 . 22 , n , 4 . 93 ; found : c , 62 . 80 ; h , 9 . 13 ; n , 4 . 83 . in the manner substantially as described in example 9 , a solution of 174 mg of l - arginine base and a solution of 440 mg of the ammonium salt of compound ii are combined . the solvent is evaporated in vacuo , and the residue is triturated with warm ethanol , cooled , filtered , and dried to give the l - arginine salt of compound ii . in the manner substantially as described in example 9 , a solution of 132 mg of l - ornithine free base and a solution of 440 mg of ammonium salt of compound ii are combined . the solvent is evaporated in vacuo and the residue is triturated with warm ethanol , cooled , filtered , and dried to give the l - ornithine salt of compound ii . in the manner substantially as described in example 9 , a solution of 195 mg of n - methylglucamine in 1 . 5 ml of water and 440 mg of compound iii ammonium salt in 11 . 5 ml of 85 % ethanol are combined . the solvent is evaporated in vacuo to obtain the n - methylglucamine salt of compound ii . 18 g of compound i are dissolved in 180 ml of warm isopropanol and treated with 90 ml of 0 . 5 m aqueous naoh solution , aged one hour , diluted with 180 ml of water , evaporated in vacuo to remove the isopropanol , and cooled in an ice bath . slowly , 90 ml of 0 . 5 m hcl is added and the mixture is extracted with 2 × 150 ml of ethyl acetate which is backwashed with 100 ml of water , dried over mgso 4 . the solvent is removed in vacuo at low temperature and the residue is dissolved in 150 ml of ethanol . 3 ml of ethylenediamine is added and the solvent is evaporated in vacuo , and the residue triturated with boiling ethyl acetate , cooled , filtered , and recrystallized from 30 ml of isopropanol and dried in vacuo over p 2 o 5 to obtain 13 . 1 g of white crystals , m . p . 152 °- 153 . 5 ° c . anal . calcd . for ( c 24 h 37 o 6 ) - 2 . ( c 2 h 10 n 2 ) ++ : c , 66 . 35 ; h , 9 . 35 ; n , 3 . 09 ; found : c , 66 . 08 ; h , 9 . 49 ; n , 3 . 01 87 . 9 mg ammonium salt of compound ii are dissolved in 3 ml h 2 o with stirring and heating . 7 . 4 mg analytical grade ca ( oh ) 2 are then added and the mixture stirred and heated until no more ammonia evaporates and only a slight turbidity remains which is separated by centrifugation . the colorless , clear supernatant is lyophilized and probes of the dry material set up for crystallization from various solvents and solvent mixtures . the product crystallizes in needles when a hot concentrated solution in dry isopropanol is allowed to cool to room temperature . 34 mg compound i in 1 ml ch 2 cl 2 are treated with 0 . 04 ml 24 % tetramethylammonium hydroxide in methanol . the product is precipitated with ether in partially crystalline form , centrifuged and the precipitate first washed with ether and then recrystallized as hexagonal plates from 1 ml isopropanol by the addition of 5 ml ether and about 5 ml low boiling petrol ether . 27 mg or 65 % are obtained . ______________________________________1h nmr spectrum of compound ii tetramethylammonium salt______________________________________ ( 6 mg / 0 . 35 ml at 25 ° c . in cdcl . sub . 3 at 300 mhz ) 0 . 83 t ( 3h , j = 6 . 5 ) 0 . 84 d ( 3h , j = 7 ) 1 . 02 d ( 3h , j = 7 ) 1 . 05 d ( 3h , j = 7 ) 1 . 24 m (˜ 1h ); 1 . 30 - 1 . 80 br . m . envelope1 . 88 ddd ( 1h , j = 2 , 8 , 15 ) 1 . 98 dd ( 1h , 3 , 15 ) 2 . 16 dd ( 1h , j = 8 . 5 , 15 . 5 ) 2 . 23 m ( 1h , obscured ) 2 . 32 m ( 1h , obscured ) 2 . 37 dd ( 1h , j = 3 , 15 . 5 ) 2 . 40 m (˜ 1h , obscured ) 3 . 42 s ( 12h , men . sup .+) 3 . 79 m ( 1h , symmetrical multiplet ) 4 . 06 m ( 1h , symmetrical multiplet ) 5 . 32 dt ( 1h , j ≃ 3 ) 5 . 50 br . s ( 1h ) 5 . 79 dd ( 1h , j = 6 , 10 ) 5 . 98 d ( 1h , j = 10 ) ______________________________________ chemical shifts are in ppm downfield of internal tms coupling constants i brackets are in hz . abbreviations : s = singlet , d = doublet , t = triplet , m = multiplet in the manner substantially as described in example 13 , compound i is converted to the hydroxy acid , compound ii , extracted into ethyl acetate , dried over mgso 4 , filtered , and treated with anhydrous ammonia with stirring and cooling to precipitate the ammonium salt . 453 mg of the ethylenediamine salt of compound ii are dissolved in 6 ml of 80 % ethanol , cooled in an ice bath , treated with 1 ml of 1 m hcl , evaporated in vacuo to remove the ethanol , treated with 3 ml more water , extracted into 2 × 5 ml of ethyl acetate , and backwashed with water , keeping all solutions cold in an ice bath . the extract is dried over mgso 4 and concentrated to dryness in vacuo to obtain the hydroxy acid as a colorless oil . a 13 c - nmr spectrum in cdcl 3 ( 190 mg / ml ) exhibits chemical shifts for the first six carbons of the hydroxy acid moiety as listed in the table . upon standing , this hydroxy acid slowly reverts to the lactone . table______________________________________ . sup . 13 cnmr spectrum , ppm downfield from tetramethylsilane hydroxy acid , compound ii______________________________________ ## str5 ## c . sub . 1 c . sub . 2 , c . sub . 4 c . sub . 3 c . sub . 5 c . sub . 6 174 . 8 42 . 4 , 41 . 6 68 . 8 72 . 3 34 . 9______________________________________ the spectrum of the remainder of the molecule is only slightly changed from the cyclized structure . a suspension of 500 mg ( 1 . 24 mmol ) of compound i ( msd - 803 ) in 20 ml of ethanol is stirred at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere . a small piece of sodium ( ca . 1 mg ) is added . after 15 minutes a second small piece of sodium is added . after a total reaction time of 30 minutes the homogeneous reaction mixture is diluted with ether , washed with water and with saturated brine and dried ( mgso 4 ). evaporation of the solvent gives a waxy solid . analysis by hpcl on a whatman partasil 10 pac column ( 4 . 6 mm × 25 cm ) with 10 % isopropanol / hexane pumped at 6 ml / min indicated a mixture of ethyl ester and msd - 803 ( 77 : 23 ). this mixture is separated by medium - pressure chromatography on silica gel ( 230 - 400 mesh ) by elution with 3 % ethanol / methylene chloride . the fractions containing the ester are combined and evaporated to give 358 mg ( 66 %) of an off - white solid , m . p . 67 ° c . a portion of this material is recrystallized from hexane to give white needles : m . p . 66 . 5 °- 68 . 5 °. anal . calc . for c 26 h 42 o 6 : c , 69 . 30 ; h , 9 . 40 ; found : c , 69 . 22 ; h , 9 . 58 . in like manner , by the use of equivalent amounts of methanol , propanol , butanol , isobutanol , t - butanol , amyl alcohol , isoamyl alcohol , 2 - dimethylaminoethanol , benzyl alcohol , phenethanol , 2 - acetamidoethanol and the like , the corresponding esters are obtained . comparison of i and ml - 236b as inhibitors of sterol synthesis in cell culture employing the procedure of example 1c , purified samples of compound i and ml - 236b were shown to have ic 50 of 2 . 2 and 5 . 6 nm respectively as inhibitors of hmg - coa reductase .	2
there are a considerable number of liquid precursors which can be utilized in accordance with the modular apparatus of the present invention . however , the apparatus of this invention is particularly useful in connection with precursors which are based upon solid materials dissolved in various solvents , such as precursors with low volatility , high sublimation temperatures , and / or high solids contents and viscosities . thus , a particular preferred embodiment of the present invention for use in connection with cvd reactors employs appropriate precursors to produce what are generally referred to as bst films for deposition on various substrates . such bst ( barium strontium titanates ) films are thus produced from just one class of liquid precursors for use in connection with a liquid vaporizer apparatus or method of the present invention for producing a vapor for subsequent deposition such as on semiconductor wafers or the like . the present invention , however , is not limited to such bst films , but can also find significant utility in deposing a variety of other compounds for semiconductor use and the like , including , for example , the known group iii - v compound semiconductors . the use of the term &# 34 ; liquid precursor &# 34 ; in accordance with the present invention thus requires a particular precursor determined by the nature of the film , whether it be a bst film or some other film , which is eventually to be produced in the modular cvd reactor . furthermore , at ambient conditions , some of these precursors can be in a liquid form or in a powder form , in which case the powdered material would be dissolved in an appropriate solvent . various solvents can be used even in connection with the normally liquid precursors , in order to dilute the specific precursor to a desired concentration therewith . this can , in fact , be a significant method of controlling deposition of the ultimate film in the modular cvd reactor . in any event , in connection with the preferred bst films produced in accordance with the present invention , examples of precursors for the barium component can include various barium oxide compounds , for example , such as ba ( c 11 h 19 o 2 ) 2 , which is a powder at room temperature ; ba ( ch 3 ) 5 c 5 ! 2 , which is also a powder at room temperature ; ba ( c 10 h 10 f 7 o 2 ) 2 , which is also a powder at room temperature ; while the strontium component can be provided by the following oxides : sr ( c 11 h 19 o 2 ) 2 , a powder at room temperature ; sr ( c 10 f 7 h 10 o 2 ) 2 , also a powder at room temperature ; sr ( c 5 f 6 ho 2 ) 2 , also a powder at room temperature ; and sr ( o 2 c 11 h 26 n 5 ) 2 , a powder at room temperature . finally , the titanium component can be provided by various titanium oxides , including ti ( c 11 h 19 o 2 ) 3 , which is also a powder at room temperature , or compounds of the formula ti ( or ) 4 in which r is an alkyl group , such as ethyl , propyl , butyl or octyl , and the like . each of these compounds is a powder or liquid at room temperature . in addition , the present invention can also be utilized to produce other known films for semiconductor deposition , including from group iii - v and group ii - iv compound semiconductors . in this regard , conventional precursors can be utilized , such as trimethyl gallium or triethyl gallium , as well as arsines and nitrides to produce gallium arsinide and gallium nitride films , and / or metal alkyls can be utilized with the hydride or nitride of the group v constituent in which the alkyl is tmg , teg , or the like , and the hydride can be arsine , phosphene , or stilbene . in addition , the alkyl compound of the group iii metal compound can also include trialkyl aluminum , indium , or the like . depending upon the specific film which is to be deposited , the liquid precursor compound , whether the precursor is normally a powder or a liquid , can also be included in a solvent which is specifically selected based upon the particular precursor being utilized . thus , in connection with bst films as discussed above , a number of possible solvents exist , including , for example , tetrahydrafuran ( thf ), isopropanol , tetraglyme , xylene , toluene , butyl acetate , and the like . it is possible for one of ordinary skill in this art to select a particular solvent for the particular liquid precursor being utilized in the apparatus or method of the present invention . the atomizing means used for converting the liquid precursor into an atomized mist is preferably an ultrasonic spray , preferably having a frequency of from 50 to 120 khz . the basic objective here is to produce a fine mist of the liquid precursor so that highly uniform droplets are provided . this uniformity of both size and concentration is essential in producing the highly improved results achievable with the present invention . in a preferred embodiment of this invention , the atomizing means is a removable atomizing module which can be readily inserted into the housing of the apparatus of the present invention and removed therefrom . in this manner , the removable atomizing module can not only be replaced when it does not operate properly , needs to be refitted , or the like , but can also be replaced by an atomizing module which differs from the module which it is replacing , such as by operating at a different frequency when an ultrasonic spray is being produced therein . thus , where , for example , a specific precursor solution which is of particularly low volatility or is to be utilized at a high flow rate is utilized , it may be necessary to employ a higher frequency ultrasonic atomizer . the particular ultrasonic device so selected will thus depend upon the frequency required in order to obtain the required uniform droplet spray at the particular conditions involved in each case . once the atomized mist of the liquid precursor has been prepared according to the apparatus of the present invention , vapor is produced by contact with a heated contact surface . the heated contact surface itself can take a variety of forms , but it must provide sufficient surface area to accommodate the atomized mist , while at the same time permitting the vapor produced therefrom to pass outwardly to the vapor outlet in the vaporizer apparatus hereof , to be used , for example , in a cvd reactor . the heated contact surface is thus interposed between the atomizing means , or ultrasonic device , and the vapor outlet from the reactor . in this manner , all or substantially all of the atomized mist is forced to contact the heated contact surface at a predetermined temperature such that the vapor is produced by such direct contact , and not by being heated with high temperature gas or the like . therefore , it is preferred to use a porous contact surface or one which has a high surface area and includes openings or passages to permit the vapor produced after such contact to exit therefrom . it is essential that these porous contact surfaces be made of material having a high thermal conductivity , in order to provide for uniform temperature distribution . it is also important that these materials have a high specific heat , in order to provide for high thermal inertia and for low transient temperature variations . it is also important in the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention that the porous contact surface be a removable heatable contact surface which can be removably inserted into the housing at the proper location downstream of the removable atomizing module . in this manner , once again , not only can the used porous contact surfaces be replaced , but various series of such contact surfaces , both in construction and number can be utilized . a preferred form of the heated contact surface of the present invention takes the form of one or more shaped media members or disks . such a unit or disk can thus be produced by a porous or sintered body such as a metal body such as aluminum , nickel , or a ceramic body , such as silicon carbide ( sic ). one preferred embodiment thus employs a high - porosity metal , such as a material sold under the designation celmet by sumitomo electric usa , inc . this material is a nickel or nickel chromium alloy material which has a high porosity , generally over about 90 %, and a high specific surface area , as well as a high permeability without undue clogging . the material itself can be produced in sheets of various forms and sizes , and is relatively light in weight . the specific surface area of this material can vary over wide ranges , generally from about 500 m 2 / m 3 up to 7500 m 2 / m 3 and higher . in a preferred embodiment , a number of disks or other shaped members of this type can be aligned perpendicularly to the flow of the atomized mist to further increase the surface area in contact with the atomized particles . as an alternative , however , it is possible to use other forms of heated contact surfaces , such as , for example , a number of grill - like or mesh surfaces stacked and relatively rotatable with respect to each other to again provide not only high surface area but high permeability for the flowing vapor as it is produced therefrom . in addition , depending upon the particular liquid precursor being utilized , the selection of the material from which the contact surface is produced can be varied to accommodate the particular substance used in the liquid precursor . the material must , however , be chemically inert to the particular liquid precursors used therewith . again , in each of these cases , however , in the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention , whatever type of contact media is employed must be removable from the system , and must also therefore be removably insertable into the system in any of the forms discussed above . more particularly , it is most desirable that each of these removable heatable contact surfaces be associated with a removable heating module which preferably surrounds the contact surface itself for individually heating these units in connection with this invention . for a more detailed appreciation of the invention , attention is first invited to fig1 which shows an overall schematic of a chemical vapor deposition system , including the basic external liquid delivery system with which the present invention can be utilized . fig1 thus illustrates a chemical vapor deposition system which includes a liquid precursor tank 20 , preferably made of stainless steel . the liquid precursor is delivered from the precursor tank 20 to the vaporizer 40 by use of a feed pump 25 . the feed pump 25 draws the liquid precursor from the precursor tank 20 through a feed tube 22 in a controllable fashion , and delivers the precursor to the vaporizer 40 . in view of the nature of this invention , however , it might not always be necessary to utilize such a feed pump . that is , since an ultrasonic nozzle is preferably employed herein for producing a spray or cloud of the liquid precursor , it is unnecessary to provide a high pressure stream of the liquid precursor thereto . therefore , in some cases , it might be possible to merely employ a valve - type system to merely control the supply of liquid precursor to the ultrasonic nozzle . fig1 also represents a carrier gas supply tank 30 connected to the vaporizer 40 by a feed tube 42 . typical inert carrier gases for use in the present invention include nitrogen , hydrogen , argon and helium . the vaporizer exit is connected to the chemical vapor deposition reaction chamber 50 by a feed tube 44 which carries the vaporized precursor vapor to the reaction chamber 50 . fig2 illustrates a schematic representation of the vaporizer apparatus 40 . an ultrasonic nozzle 24 is mounted at one end of the vaporizer apparatus 40 . the ultrasonic nozzle 24 receives liquid precursor from feed tube 22 mounted in an atomizer housing 12 . a cooling jacket 26 surrounds the vaporizer apparatus segment where the ultrasonic nozzle 24 is housed . thus , a coolant , preferably a cooling liquid , is fed into the cooling jacket 26 for temperature control of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . a curtain gas inlet port 28 is positioned adjacent the cooling jacket 26 and oriented perpendicularly to the ultrasonic nozzle 24 whereby the inlet port 28 inner orifice faces the base of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . this creates a curtain of gas 25 , such as nitrogen or argon , descending along the walls of the vaporizer 40 as shown by the arrows in fig2 . a thermocouple 32 is mounted immediately adjacent to the cooling jacket 26 and is oriented perpendicularly to the ultrasonic nozzle 24 whereby the thermocouple 32 terminus faces the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; s effluent end . the thermocouple 32 can thus be used to control the application of coolant into the cooling jacket 26 , so as to control the temperature of the atomized mist generated by the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . an expansion chamber 34 extends from the ultrasonic nozzle 24 to the front face of the heated contact surface 48 , in this case in the form of a series of three porous disks 52 , 54 and 56 , respectively . the particular heated contact surfaces 48 used in the embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention shown in fig2 comprise porous metallic disks , preferably made of the celmet material discussed above . in this embodiment , it is preferred that the disks have a decreasing porosity as one travels away from the injector , or nozzle 24 . thus , in a preferred embodiment porous disk 52 has a porosity of 10 ppm ( pore per inch ), porous disk 54 has a porosity of 50 ppm , and porous disk 56 has a porosity of 100 ppm . the porous contact disks 52 , 54 and 56 are contained within a vaporizing portion of the vaporizer 40 , which includes heating element 62 which extends from one end of the contact surface 48 which faces the ultrasonic nozzle 24 , through the opposite end of the porous contact disks 52 , 54 and 56 , and which terminates at a reaction chamber interface 64 . in addition , a thermocouple 68 is shown which is positioned within the housing in close proximity to the heating element 62 . the carrier gas heating chamber or jacket 72 surrounds the heating element 62 and channels through into an intermediate point within the heated contact surface 48 . in this manner , the carrier gas from feed tube 42 ( see fig1 ) is introduced through entry port 64 , circulates through the jacket 72 , in which the carrier gas will be heated by its proximity to heating element 62 , and then passes into the heated contact surface 48 where it can admix with the vaporized precursor material being generated therein . the flow of carrier gas thus proceeds to a flow ring 76 ( see fig3 a and 3b ) which is positioned between individual ones of the porous contact disks . a vacuum insulator jacket 82 encompasses the entire vaporizing portion of the vaporizer 40 in order to insulate the apparatus from ambient conditions . fig3 a and 3b illustrate two different embodiments of the heated contact surface 48 . fig3 a illustrates the use of a heated contact surface employing three porous contact disks 84 , 86 , and 88 , aligned in series where the flow ring 76 is positioned between porous disks 86 and 88 . in fig3 b , the three porous contact disks utilized are designated by reference numerals 92 , 94 and 96 , and flow ring 76 is positioned between porous disks 92 and 94 . note that in either orientation , as in fig3 a or 3b , the set of porous disks is always disposed within the portion of the vaporizer 40 which includes vaporization as depicted in fig2 where the disks are facing the orifice of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . in operation , liquid precursor is fed through feed tube 22 and is atomized by the operation of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . once atomized in a fine liquid mist , the precursor is surrounded by curtain gas emitted through the curtain gas inlet 28 . the curtain 25 of gas keeps the atomized mist from contacting the walls of the vaporizer 40 and escorts the atomized precursor mist to the heated contact surface 48 through the expansion chamber 34 . the walls of the vaporizer 40 are cooled by virtue of the cooling jacket 26 to prevent premature vaporization of the atomized liquid precursor mist generated by the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . this feature of the invention thus allows vaporization to take place in a specified segment of the vaporizer and provides for independent flow rate and stoichiometry adjustment due to the controlled vaporization . once the atomized liquid precursor mist arrives at the face of the first heated contact disk 52 , it vaporizes upon contact therewith , and passes through the contact disk 52 . the temperature of the heated contact surface 48 may be controlled using the heating element 62 voltage control . when the precursor vapor is between the contact disks 52 , 54 and 56 , it is mixed with carrier gas introduced through the flow ring 76 . it is thus noted that the carrier gas travels through a preheater chamber 72 so the vaporized precursor does not experience a temperature change when it makes contact with the carrier gas . thus , there is no threat of condensation present within the heated contact surface 48 . the vapor mixture continues through the contact disks and out into the reactor 50 past interface 64 . by choosing contact disks with differing porosities , the proper pressure drop can be established between the ultrasonic nozzle and the vaporizer exit . the porosity of each contact disk is determined from a relationship between the surface area within the disk and the in - line pressure drop through the disk . the sum of the drop in pressure equals the drop required between the ultrasonic nozzle and the rest of the path distance which the precursor must travel . when the sums are equal , the nozzle is effectively isolated from the pressure at the exit of the vaporizer . the total surface area of the disk is generally chosen as a multiple of the area covered by a 1μ thick layer of liquid after 1 minute of flow ( area = mult ×( ml / min )/ 1μ ). through the selection of disk porosity and thickness the proper set of contact disks for any application may be determined . in addition to choosing the proper contact surface , the pressure drop may be controlled and adjusted with even more precision by placing the flow ring 76 between either contact disks 52 and 54 , or between 54 and 56 . by choosing the proper media and flow ring configuration , the pressure drop can be modified so as to establish the appropriate exit pressure . once the precursor vapor mixture exits the vaporizer apparatus 40 , the vapor will travel to the reaction chamber 50 where the precursor will deposit onto the desired target substrate . reference is now made to fig4 - 12 herein , which relate to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . in particular , the embodiment shown in these drawings demonstrates a modular liquid vaporizing apparatus which incorporates all of the principles of the apparatus discussed above and shown in fig1 - 3 , but in which the atomizer and the heatable contact surface are both removable modular units which can be readily inserted and removed from the apparatus and / or replaced by one or more such units , particularly in the case of with the heatable contact surface modular units . again , in a most preferred embodiment , each one or plurality of heatable contact surfaces is associated with a removable heating module . in this embodiment , a modular ultrasonic nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; as shown in fig4 is mounted at the upstream end of the vaporizer apparatus 40 &# 39 ;. the construction of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; which is mounted within the nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; ( in this case , a high frequency ultrasonic nozzle ) can be more specifically seen in the cross - sectional view shown in fig5 b hereof . thus , the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; again receives liquid precursor from a feed tube 22 &# 39 ; mounted at the upstream end of the vaporizer apparatus itself . the specific high frequency ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; shown is fig5 b includes cooling jacket 26 &# 39 ; which surrounds the portion of the vaporizer apparatus housing the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ;. thus , a cooling liquid , such as water , is fed into the cooling jacket 26 &# 39 ; through cooling liquid inlet 29 &# 39 ; and cooling liquid outlet 30 &# 39 ; ( see fig7 ) for temperature control of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ;. in this respect , the nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; and the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; correspond to the nozzle mounting segment 25 and the ultrasonic nozzle 24 as shown in fig2 . however , a different nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 34 ; and a medium frequency ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ;, as shown in fig5 a , can be substituted for nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; and the high frequency ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; shown in fig5 b . ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ; in fig5 a thus includes stepped cooling jacket 26 &# 34 ; which surrounds the elongated portion of the vaporizer apparatus housing ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ;. thus , in this case cooling liquid , such as water , is fed into the cooling inlet 49 &# 34 ; through the cooling jacket 26 &# 34 ; and out of cooling outlet 30 &# 34 ; ( see fig6 ). a curtain gas inlet corresponding to curtain gas inlet 28 shown in fig2 is also part of the atomizing module , and in this regard is positioned adjacent to cooling jacket 26 &# 39 ; and oriented perpendicularly to the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; or 24 &# 34 ;, so as to face the base of the ultrasonic nozzle . in this manner , a curtain of gas such as that shown in fig2 by reference numerals 27 &# 39 ; and 27 &# 34 ; descends along the walls of the nozzle mounting segments 25 &# 39 ; and 25 &# 34 ;, respectively , as shown therein . an expansion chamber 34 &# 39 ; extends from the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; to the front face of the heated contact surface as discussed below . similarly , an expansion chamber 34 &# 34 ; extends from the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ; to the front face of the heated contact surface discussed below . in both of the cases shown in fig5 a and 5b it can thus be seen that the nozzle mounting segments 25 &# 39 ; and 25 &# 34 ;, as well as the associated ultrasonic nozzles 24 &# 39 ; and 24 &# 34 ; mounted therein , comprise separate modular , readily removable units within the overall vaporizer systems thereof . both of the nozzle mounting segments 25 &# 39 ; and 25 &# 34 ; are thus readily mounted and dismounted from the overall apparatus by means of bolts applied through bolt apertures 37 &# 39 ; and 37 &# 34 ; shown in fig5 a and 5b . one such bolt 38 &# 39 ; is shown in fig4 . furthermore , in order to mount the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; onto the nozzle segment 25 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig4 it is merely necessary to bolt the peripheral flange 33 &# 39 ; ( see fig5 b ) on the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; to the corresponding flange 37 &# 39 ; on the nozzle segment 25 &# 39 ;, using bolts 39 &# 39 ; as shown in fig4 . in this manner , removal and replacement of the ultrasonic nozzle itself is readily facilitated . the heated contact surfaces in the case of the embodiment shown in fig4 et seq . include porous disks 52 &# 39 ;, 54 &# 39 ; and 56 &# 39 ;, which are not only removable , but are also each contained within an evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;. evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; is the modular heating module associated with the removable contact surfaces . thus , evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;, which is also shown in fig8 - 11 , surrounds the porous disks 52 &# 39 ;, 54 &# 39 ; and 56 &# 39 ; shown therein . evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; itself includes an outer tapered wall 60 &# 39 ; and an inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig1 and 11 . the modular evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; shown in fig4 and 8 , for example , is similar to the evaporator unit 58 shown in fig2 . however , in at least a general sense , it is inverted ; i . e ., the heating elements 62 &# 39 ; ( not shown ) enter the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; from the bottom , into heating element slots 63 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig1 , as compared to the arrangement in fig2 where the heating elements 62 are inserted into the evaporator unit 58 from above . in addition , the carrier gas entry port 64 &# 39 ; is now located at the bottom of evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig4 while entry port 64 in evaporator unit 58 is at the upper end thereof , as shown in fig2 . in addition , the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; does not include a vacuum insulator jacket 82 as used in the apparatus shown in fig2 . finally , a somewhat elongated space element 76 &# 39 ; is utilized below the porous disks in fig4 primarily to fill in the larger space therein . the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; shown in fig4 however , is a modular , easily removable unit . once again , it is mounted to adjacent units solely by means of bolts , which are thus readily removable in order to separate these units from one another . additionally , a thermocouple 68 &# 39 ; is shown in fig4 being positioned within the housing in close proximity to the heating elements . once again , this corresponds to the thermocouple 68 shown in fig2 . in the case of the embodiment shown in fig4 the carrier gas is introduced through entrance port 64 &# 39 ; for circulation through the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; in the manner discussed below in order for the carrier gas to be heated because of its proximity to the heating elements contained in heating element slot 63 &# 39 ;, so that it can then pass into the heated contact surfaces for admixture with the vaporized precursor material being generated therein . the carrier gas can then proceed to flow between the individual porous contact disks discussed above by flowing through spacer 76 &# 39 ; therebetween . more particularly , referring to fig8 after entry through the entrance port 64 &# 39 ;, the carrier gas passes upwardly through the various levels within the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; created by inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ; and , in particular , the series of flanges 65 &# 39 ; extending therefrom ( see fig1 and 11 ). referring specifically to fig8 the flow of carrier gas through the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; can be more readily seen . thus , after entering the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; through entrance port 64 &# 39 ;, the carrier gas enters each level within the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; between flanges 65 &# 39 ;, thus comprising levels 65a through 65e as shown in fig8 . upon entering the first level 65a , the gases surround the entire structure and , again as discussed above , the carrier gas is continuously heated by proximity to the heating elements contained in heating element slots 63 &# 39 ; as shown in fig1 . the carrier gas can move upwardly to the next level through an aperture 65a &# 39 ; in the first flange 65 &# 39 ; between levels 65a and 65b . the gas will then redistribute as shown by the arrows in fig8 to fill the entire level 65b , and will then proceed upwardly to the next level 65c through an opening which cannot be seen in fig8 ; i . e ., it is on the opposite side of the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;. similarly , the gas then proceeds upwardly from level 65c to level 65d through aperture 65c &# 39 ;, and then upwardly to level 65e through an aperture on the opposite side of the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;. all of the carrier gas can then enter the interior of the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; for mixture with the vaporized precursor material being generated therein through aperture port 65e &# 39 ; in level 65e . referring to fig1 , which is a sectional view through the interior of the inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ;, a sectional view which is different from that of fig1 , showing the thermocouple slot 68 &# 39 ; for the thermocouple , similar to the thermocouple 68 shown in fig2 . again , however , the thermocouple in this case extends from the bottom of the inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ;. the lower portion of fig4 provides for completion of the mounting of the overall evaporative system , as well as means for connecting the unit both to exhaust and to the cvd chamber and / or additional modular units . thus , the splitter 84 &# 39 ; includes an upper flange 85 &# 39 ; and a lower flange 86 &# 39 ;, as well as an intermediary body 90 &# 39 ; therebetween . the upper flange 85 &# 39 ; is thus bolted to the bottom of the evaporator unit 58 and to corresponding bolt apertures 91 &# 39 ; by means of bolts 92 &# 39 ;, preferably six such bolts disposed therearound . the intermediate portion 90 &# 39 ; of the splitter 84 &# 39 ; includes reactor connector 96 &# 39 ;, for attachment by means of an additional flange or other conduits to the cvd reactor itself , and exhaust conduit 98 &# 39 ;. the lower flange 86 &# 39 ; can thus be closed off by an end flange 99 &# 39 ;, again being bolted in the same manner discussed above , or can be connected to additional units as required . in addition , the entire splitter arrangement 84 &# 39 ; can be removed , and the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; connected to , for example , a second evaporator unit or a number of additional evaporator units by merely bolting such units thereto in the same manner that evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; is bolted to the bottom of vaporizer unit 40 &# 39 ; as discussed above . thus , referring , for example , to fig1 , various modular designs can be provided by using either the high frequency or medium frequency ultrasonic nozzles 25 &# 39 ; or 25 &# 34 ;, and a variety of evaporator units 58 &# 39 ;; i . e ., either one or more of same . furthermore , a separate evaporator unit 58 downstream thereof can be affixed to the flow flange 100 &# 39 ; entering the cvd reactor itself , for merely reheating the combination of precursor and heated carrier gas after it has passed through a conduit 102 &# 39 ;, in order to prevent any condensation thereof . each of these units can again be readily mounted and / or dismounted because of their modular design , and by utilizing flanges and bolt arrangements as discussed in detail above . furthermore , each of these evaporator units 58 &# 39 ; includes the combination of porous disks therein as also discussed above . because this invention provides for independent controllability of temperature , pressure , and precursor stoichiometry it may be employed for many cvd applications requiring the use of solid or low volatility precursors . as such , this invention is not limited to microelectronic applications . superconductors , nitride and oxide depositions are all possible by virtue of this invention . while the above preferred embodiments of the present invention are completely described , various modifications , alternatives and equivalents may be used . therefore , the above descriptions should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the metes and bounds of the appended claims .	2
fig1 shows a system 1 for navigating a land vehicle ( not shown in more detail ), for example a car or a truck . the system 1 has a processing device 2 . the processing device 2 has an input 3 which can be used to supply pulses from a tachometer 4 . the tachometer 4 is connected ( not shown in more detail ) to a wheel which , as stipulated , is in permanent contact with the ground . while the vehicle is moving , the wheel is turned and outputs a predetermined number of pulses per revolution , in the present case four pulses . the processing device 2 also has an antenna 5 which it is able to use to receive signals from satellites 6 . as is known from the global positioning system , or gps , the position of the processing device 2 can then be determined relatively accurately if the distance from three satellites 6 can be measured , for example using the delay time of signals between the satellites 6 and the antenna 5 . however , the position which can be ascertained by this means is subject to an inaccuracy in the order of magnitude of 50 to 100 m . the processing device 2 also has ( not shown in more detail ) a device 7 for determining a direction of movement . in many cases , this is in the form of a gyroscope . however , as it is not of any great significance for the present invention , it is not described in any more detail . for the sake of completeness , it should be mentioned that the processing device 2 also has a holding channel 8 for a data medium 9 , for example a cd - rom . by way of example , the data medium 9 may store a map in the form of a database . the processing device 2 has an output 10 connected to three gag modules ( not shown in more detail ) performing various tasks , namely position determination in module 11 , route planning in module 12 , and navigation in module 13 , i . e ., instructions for guiding the vehicle driver . for the position ascertained in the module 11 , the distance covered by the vehicle is significant , amongst other things . this is because the current position can be ascertained by compiling the direction and the distance covered in this direction on the basis of vectors , starting from a starting position . to ascertain the distance covered , the tachometer 4 is used . the procedure is described with the aid of fig2 . the tachometer 4 has a sensor wheel 14 having four pulse transmitters 15 . the sensor wheel 14 rotates in sync with a wheel which is in permanent contact with the ground . the pulse transmitters pass a pickup 16 . it is also possible to obtain the information in a different way , for example using a pulse transmitter on an anti - lock brake system or using an electronic tachometer . in the present illustrative embodiment , therefore , four pulses are produced per revolution of said wheel . in most cases , however , many more pulses are produced per revolution , for example 20 . these pulses ni are counted in a counter 17 . this ascertains the pulses per unit time . this is illustrated by the expression ni / t . at the same time , signals are received from the satellites 6 via the antenna 5 . a speed determination device 18 uses the doppler effect to ascertain the speed vgps , i . e ., the speed at which the vehicle is moving relative to the ground . the speed determination device 18 ascertains the speed vgps at a frequency of 1 hz and also stipulates the starting and ending instant ti , j for the counter 17 . the ending instant tj of one counting interval is at the same time the starting instant ti for the next interval . since the circumference of the wheel is in any case known in principle and can be used to calculate the distance covered between two pulses , the variable ni / t ascertained in the counter 17 can be used to calculate a first speed value . this speed value may still contain errors , however , because the circumference of the wheel can change in operation , for example on account of the centrifugal force at relatively high speeds , on account of temperature influences , or on account of vehicle loads . to compensate for these errors , a correction device 19 divides the second speed value , namely the speed vgps , by the first value ni / t . this gives an output variable dppi , where the abbreviation dpp stands for distance per pulse and i indicates the number of the counting interval . for the sake of form , it should be noted here that division by time in the counter 17 is not essentially necessary , because the information about the period of time is also forwarded to the correction device 19 by the speed determination device 18 , as illustrated by dashed lines . arranged in series with the correction device 19 is a filter 20 which forms a filtered value { overscore ( dppi )} new on the basis of the following formula dppi _ new = i i + 1  dppi _ alt + 1 i + 1  dppi where i forms a running counter from 0 to n max and remains constant once n max has been reached . by way of example , n max = 128 can be set for n max . the filtered value { overscore ( dppi )} new is regarded as calibrated and can be used accordingly i ≧ 15 . otherwise , a calibrated value from another class is used where possible , and otherwise { overscore ( dppi )} new . the product of the pulses ni and the corrected distance per pulse { overscore ( dppi )} can then be used to calculate the distance d covered . it is also possible to implement a number of additional conditions . for example , the acceleration agps can be ascertained by means of the satellite 6 . if this acceleration is greater than 1 m / s 2 , for example , then calibration of the dppi values is interrupted . after a certain acceleration , the speed within an interval can no longer be ascertained with the required degree of accuracy . the speed ascertained by means of the satellite 6 should also be higher than 5 m / s . in addition , the individual speeds can be classified in a plurality of classes , for example the first class from 0 to 70 km / h , the second class from 70 to 130 km / h and the third class from 130 km / h up to the top speed of the vehicle concerned . alternatively , the first class can also be made to extend over the entire speed range of the vehicle . the second and third classes are then subranges of this . in this case , two calibration values are also ascertained at speeds after the second class , so that the required number of calibration operations is reached more quickly in the first class . the higher the speed , the more accurate the measurement , both in the case of the doppler effect and when ascertaining the values ni ( digitization errors ). by way of example , it is possible to provide that , as soon as a valid calibration value is available in the second class , this dppi value is also used for relatively low speeds . however , while no calibrated value has been obtained for the second class , the speed values for the first class are used .	6
there is shown in fig1 a portion of a mat for stabilizing particulate materials , which mat includes a plurality of tubular members which , in the illustrated embodiment , take the form of cylindrical rings designated by reference numerals 10 - 25 disposed in a uniform rectangular array defined by a plurality of perpendicular rows and columns . for example , as shown in fig1 tubular members 10 , 11 , 12 , and 13 define the upper - most row , while tubular members 10 , 14 , 18 , and 22 define the left - most column . it should be noted that the use of tubular members of other than cylindrical shape may be employed within the scope of the present invention . for example , tubular members having oval , hexagonal , rectangular , square , triangular , octagonal , and other cross - sectional shapes may be utilized . further , the tubular members may be disposed in non - rectangular arrays , for example in circular patterns , or randomly distributed . in order to allow a plurality of the mats to be secured together to form a large mat , first and second cooperating fasteners are formed on the side edges of the mat . although the cooperating members may take the form as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 250 , 340 , in the illustrated embodiment , the first fastener members may take the form of a plurality of sockets , designated by reference numerals 28 , spread along two opposing sides of a quadrilateral mat . the second fastener members in the illustrated embodiment take the form of a pair of upstanding prongs , designated by reference numerals 30 , spaced along the other two sides of the mat , such that the prongs 30 are located opposite the sockets 28 . two of the mats may be secured in an adjacent relation by inserting the prongs 30 spaced along one side edge of one mat through the sockets 28 spaced along a side edge of another mat . as shown in fig2 a , each socket may include a centrally positioned , substantially square aperture 32 therethrough , which is adapted to receive the pair of prongs 30 as shown in fig2 d , each one of the prongs 30 extends generally upright from a base 34 , and includes , a trunk section 36 and a distal flange section 38 having a clasping lip 40 . as best shown in fig2 b , the distance between the outermost sections of the trunks 36 of the prongs 30 is only slightly less than width of the square shaped aperture 32 in the socket 28 . when the prongs 30 are pressed centrally against the socket 28 , the distal ends of the flange sections 38 will extend slightly into the aperture 32 of the socket 28 and will abut opposing walls of the socket 28 that define the aperture 32 . by further forcing the prongs 30 toward the socket 28 , the flange sections 38 of the prongs 30 will resiliently deflect toward each other so that the prongs 30 may be further inserted into the aperture 32 of the socket 28 . since the width of the socket 28 is approximately equal to the height of the trunk 36 of each of the prongs 30 , when the prongs 30 are sufficiently inserted through the aperture 32 of the socket 28 , the flange portions 38 of the prongs 30 will spring away from each other , back to their original upstanding position , such that the lip 40 of each of the flange sections 34 overlaps a surface of the socket 28 adjacent to the aperture 32 . as shown in fig2 c the opposing edges of the aperture 32 along one surface of the socket 28 are indented to form a pair of opposing indentations 42 , 44 , which are designed to accommodate the lip 40 of a corresponding flange section 38 of each of the prongs 30 . in such a condition , the prongs are maintained in a cooperative fastening relationship with the socket 28 . the prongs 30 may be disengaged from the associated socket 28 by manually compressing the flange portions 38 toward each other and then withdrawing the prongs 30 from the aperture 32 and the socket 28 . the tubular members 10 - 25 are preferably integrally molded with a planar grid formed by a plurality of intersecting perpendicular struts . for example , the tubular member 10 is disposed centrally with respect to an intersection 50 of perpendicular struts 52 and 54 . it is contemplated that the struts may be disposed in other than a perpendicular rectangular grid pattern , for example , concentric ring struts with intersecting radially extending struts may be employed . additionally , the struts may be arranged such that the grid openings are circular , oval , triangular , hexagonal , octagonal , etc . within the spirit and scope of the present invention . in order to add strength and rigidity to the grid and tubular members , a plurality of longitudinal ribs ( not shown ) may extend along internal cylindrical side walls of the tubular members such that each of the ribs intersects one of the struts . in the illustrated embodiment , each cylindrical tubular member would possess four such longitudinal ribs disposed at 90 ° angular intervals . the mat shown in fig1 is preferably integrally molded from a semi - rigid thermal plastic material , preferably high density polyethylene , in an injection molding process . polypropylene , thermoplastics , or plastic resins may also be suitable materials . the material selected should provide sufficient rigidity to resist undesired deformation and lateral shifting , but also be sufficiently flexible to allow the mat to be rolled for shipment and also to accommodate uneven terrain and base materials . it will be seen that the columns and rows of tubular members are spaced so that a series of parallel , linear passages or pathways are formed between the columns ( i . e ., the pathways indicated by the arrows 60 , 62 , and 64 in fig1 ) and also between the rows ( i . e ., as indicated by the arrows 70 , 72 , and 74 in fig1 ) of tubular members . although the embodiment as shown in fig1 depicts a series of parallel , linear passageways that are orthogonal to each other , it should be appreciated that in a different array of tubular members , the pathways may be non - linear and may be non - orthogonal . fig3 depicts a fragmented , cross - sectional view of the mat as shown in fig1 taken in a direction generally along the line of arrow 70 and depicting a portion of tubular member 10 and of tubular member 14 and interconnecting struts 52 , 54 . in addition , fig3 generally illustrates a length of pipe 76 extending along the pathway 70 . the pipe 76 may be fashioned of metal , plastic , or elastomer material and may be substantially rigid or deformable , for example . the pipe 76 generally possesses a cylindrical cross - sectional configuration , with the outer diameter of the pipe 76 being slightly less than the shortest distance between the tubular member 10 and the tubular member 14 . also preferably , when the pipe 76 rests upon the struts 52 , 54 , the upper peripheral edge of the pipe 76 is disposed slightly below the topmost edge of the tubular members 10 , 14 . in such a preferred relationship , when the mat is covered with material such as soil or asphalt , and traffic upon the material tends to wear away the upper most layer of material , it will be appreciated that the upper edges of the tubular members 10 , 14 , and not the pipe , will bear the weight of any traffic , thus protecting the pipe 76 from damage . as shown in fig1 a series of stiffening ribs 78 may extend between tubular members in a row of tubular members . such ribs 78 may also , alternatively , extend between tubular members in a column of tubular members . the stiffening ribs 78 generally extend along a line interconnecting the centers of the tubular members . fig4 shows a fragmented , cross - sectional view of the mat , generally taken in the direction of the arrow 60 , showing the tubular member 10 and the tubular member 11 as well as a stiffening rib 78 extending therebetween . preferably the stiffening rib 78 is integrally molded with the other portions of the mat . the stiffening rib 78 as shown in fig4 includes an upper , generally linear surface or edge 80 spaced a short distance 82 below the upper edges of the tubular members 10 , 11 . the upper edge 80 also includes a recess or depression that is located mid - way along the upper edge 80 and that is shaped as an arcuate portion of a circle . it should be appreciated that the arcuate portion of the circle may range from a few degrees to 360 °, and may be in the range of 45 to 120 °, and may be in the range of 160 to 270 °. as shown in fig4 , the arcuate recess is about 250 °. the arcuate configuration is adapted to receive a pipe ( not shown ) having a cylindrical configuration in which the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the pipe is slightly less than the radius of the arcuate configuration of the rib 78 . thus , the rib 78 is designed to maintain and hold a pipe . when the pipe is placed within the arcuate recess of the rib 78 , then the upper peripheral edge of the pipe will be spaced a short distance 84 below the upper edges of the tubular members 10 , 11 . again , such positioning helps to protect the pipe from damage due to traffic . the invention contemplates that non - cylindrical pipes may be employed and that the recess in the upper edge 80 may possess a configuration that conforms with the configuration of a portion of the pipe periphery . although it is contemplated that the mat may be slightly flexible so that the rib 78 also flexes to receive the pipe , the invention also contemplates that the upper edge 80 of the rib 78 shown in fig4 forms a pair of opposing corners or ears 86 that may be resiliently flexed relative to the remaining portion of the rib 78 so that the pipe may be inserted into the arcuate recess in a slightly “ snap fit ” retention due to the ears 86 assuming their normal position after deflection . it should also be appreciated that the pipe 76 as shown in fig3 may be made sufficiently small in diameter so that when the pipe 76 rests upon the struts 52 , 54 , the pipe 76 will be located below the pipe ( not shown ) that occupies the arcuate recess in the rib 78 as shown in fig4 . thus , the pipes may also form an orthogonal grid in the directions of the pathways 60 , 62 , 64 and 70 , 72 , 74 , as shown in fig1 . it should be further appreciated , however , that only pipes disposed along the vertical passageway 60 , 62 , 64 might be employed , or that pipes disposed in alternating passageways or at regularly spaced passageways may be employed . fig5 shows a variation of a mat , tubular members , and rib 78 shown in fig4 . the variation is especially adapted to facilitate the movement of a particulate or viscous material , such as soil or asphalt , throughout all interstitial regions of the mat . as shown in fig5 the tubular members 10 ′, 11 ′ include arched apertures 90 extending upwardly from the bottom edge of each tubular member 10 ′, 11 ′. also , the rib 78 ′ includes an upper surface or edge 80 ′ that is beveled downwardly from the upper edge of each adjacent tubular member 10 ′, 11 ′. such configuration provides more strength to the rib 78 than is created by the linear upper edge 80 of the rib 78 as shown in fig4 . the lower edge of the rib 78 ′ as shown in fig5 includes a lower edge comprising a central horizontal surface 94 connected through beveled surfaces 92 to a corresponding lower edge of each tubular member 10 ′, 11 ′. the lower edge of the rib 78 ′ thus creates a lower aperture beneath the rib 78 ′. it will be appreciated that when particulate or viscous material covers or is spread over the mat , the mat construction of fig5 permits the material to more readily migrate through and to completely fill the interstitial regions of the mat , whereby there are no voids , and whereby weight from traffic applied to an upper surface of the material will be firmly supported . otherwise , a material with voids might result in depression , cracks , and other deformities of the upper surface of the material . there is shown in fig6 a schematic illustration of a pipe 76 maintained within a pathway of the mat . the dashed line 100 above the pipe 76 represents the plane formed by the upper edges of the various tubular members of the mat . the dashed line 102 above the pipe 76 represents the upper surface of the material in which the mat and pipe 76 are disposed . segments of the pipe 76 may be joined together by a cylindrical collar 104 , which is threadably secured , adhesively secured , or otherwise secured to adjacent ends of the segments of the pipe 76 . a valve stem 106 or a nozzle may extend generally perpendicularly from the pipe 76 / collar 104 in a generally vertical or upward direction so that the upper edge of the valve stem 106 is approximately coextensive with the upper surface 102 of the material . the valve stem 106 is preferably ring - shaped , and may be formed of plastic , metal , or an elastomer . preferably a hard - wear elastomer is utilized . preferably there is a substantially open area or void in the material substantially immediately above the valve stem 106 or nozzle . the valve is preferably a one - way valve which permits liquid within the pipe 76 to escape through the valve stem 106 when liquid pressure within the pipe 76 reaches a predetermined magnitude or level . the valve may simply permit liquid from the pipe 76 to ooze through the valve and onto the upper surface of the material 102 , or more preferably , may spray the liquid above and onto the upper surface 102 of the material . when the instant invention is employed in the environments of sod or concrete or asphalt pavings for a driveway , then the valve may be a “ pop up ” valve such as valves conventionally used for sprinkler systems for lawns . when the invention is employed with asphalt or concrete airport runways or asphalt or concrete roads , then the valve is preferably not a “ pop up ” type valve , since when the valve is exposed above the upper surface 102 of the material , the wheels of frequent vehicular traffic might damage the valve . it should be appreciated that instead of a valve being located at the location where liquid from the pipe 76 is to be discharged upwardly and onto the upper surface 102 of the material , a main valve may be used to permit or prevent liquid from entering the pipe system . when such a main valve allows liquid to enter the pipe system , then the liquid may automatically pass through the pipe 76 , through a passive port or nozzle , and upwardly onto the upper surface 102 of the material . the present invention may be used to deliver water , or a combination of water and fertilizer to sod . it may also employed to deliver a deicing fluid , such as ethyl glycol , onto a pavement such as a sidewalk , a driveway , an airport runway , or a road . it should be further appreciated that in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , liquid within the pipe need not escape outside the pipe and that the pipe may be used to deliver a relatively hot liquid or fluid ( such as steam ) to a material surrounding the mat and pipe 76 . for example , if the mat and pipe system of the present invention is disposed in sod beneath a football or soccer field , then a hot gas or liquid may be passed through the pipe system so as to heat the sod and keep the field from freezing or thaw a frozen field . in such an embodiment , it is preferred that the temperature of the fluid be hotter than the freezing point of water , and even more preferably , be at least about 60 ° f . in such a system , the fluid may be recirculated and passed through a heater to elevate the temperature of the fluid . although particular embodiments of the particular invention are described and illustrations herein , it should be recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and that such modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention . consequently , my invention as claimed below may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above .	4
the axial piston machine illustrated in fig1 to 4 is of swash plate construction having adjustable displacement volume and one flow direction and includes in known manner as main components a hollow cylindrical housing 1 having one end ( the upper end in fig1 ) open at the end face , a connection block 2 attached to the housing 1 and closing the open end of the housing , a stroke disc or swash plate 3 , a control body 4 , a drive shaft 5 , a cylinder drum 6 and a cooling circuit 7 . 1 ; 7 . 2 ; 7 . 3 and 7 . 4 provided , respectfully , one each , in the associated embodiment of respectively fig1 to 4 of the drawings . the swash plate 3 is formed as so - called tilting rocker having a half - cylindrical cross - section ( c . f . fig5 ) and bears with two bearing surfaces , extending parallel to the tilt direction and with mutual spacing , under hydrostatic balancing , on two correspondingly formed bearing shells 8 which are attached to the inner surface of the housing end wall 9 opposite to the connection block 2 . the hydrostatic balancing is effected in known manner via pressure pockets 10 which are formed in the bearing shells 8 and are supplied with pressure medium via connections 11 . a setting device 13 accommodated in a bulge in the cylindrical housing wall 12 engages the swash plate 3 by means of an arm 14 extending in the direction of the connection block 2 and serves for tilting the swash plate around a tilt axis perpendicular to the tilt direction . the control body 4 is attached on the inner surface of the connection block towards the housing inner chamber and is provided with two through - going openings 15 in the form of kidney - shaped control slots which are connected via a pressure channel 16d and suction channel 16s in the connection block 2 to a pressure and suction line ( not shown ). the pressure channel 16d has a smaller cross - section than the suction channel 16s . the spherically formed control surface of the control body 4 , towards the housing inner chamber , serves as bearing surface for the cylinder drum 6 . the drive shaft 5 penetrates through a through - bore in the housing end wall 9 into the housing 1 and is rotatably mounted by means of a bearing 17 in this through - bore and by means of a further bearing 18 in a narrow bore section of a blind bore 19 in the connection block 2 , which blind bore is widened towards its end , and in a region of a central through - bore 20 in the control body 4 bounding on this narrow bore section . the drive shaft 5 penetrates , in the interior of the housing 1 , further a central through - bore 21 in the swash plate 3 , the diameter of which is dimensioned correspondingly to the largest tilt movement of the swash plate 3 , and a central through - bore , having two bore sections , in the cylinder drum 6 . one of these bore sections is formed in a sleeve - like extension 23 formed on the cylinder drum 6 and extending beyond the end face 22 of the cylinder drum towards the swash plate 3 , via which extension the cylinder drum 6 is connected for rotation with the drive shaft 5 by means of a splined connection 24 . the remaining bore section is formed with a conical development ; it tapers starting from its cross - section of largest diameter near to the first bore section down to its cross - section of smallest diameter near to the end or bearing surface of the cylinder drum 6 abutting on the control body 4 . the annular chamber defined by the drive shaft 5 and this conical bore section is indicated with the reference sign 25 . the cylinder drum 6 has generally axially running , stepped cylinder bores 26 which are arranged evenly on a pitch circle coaxial with the drive shaft axis , and which open at the cylinder drum end face 22 directly and at the cylinder drum bearing surface towards the control body 4 via opening channels 27 on the same pitch circle as the control slots . respective bushes 28 are placed in the cylinder bore sections of larger diameter which open directly at the cylinder drum end face 22 . the cylinder bores 26 together with the bushes 28 are here referred to as cylinders . within these cylinders 26 , 28 , displaceably arranged pistons 29 are provided at their ends towards the swash plates 3 with ball heads , which are mounted in slippers 31 and via these are mounted hydrostatically on an annular slide disc 32 attached to the swash plate 5 . each slipper 31 is provided at its slide surface towards the slide disc 32 with a respective pressure pocket ( not shown ) which is connected with a stepped axial through - channel 34 in the piston 29 via a through - bore 33 in the slipper 31 and in this way is connected with the working chamber of the cylinder bounded by the piston 29 in the cylinder bore 26 . in each axial through - channel 34 in the region of the associated ball head 30 , there is formed a choke . a holding - down device 36 , arranged axially displaceably on the drive shaft 5 by means of the splined connection 24 and acted upon by means of a spring 35 in the direction of the swash plate 3 , holds the slippers 31 in abutment on the slide disc 32 . the space within the housing interior which is not taken up by the components 3 to 6 etc . therein accommodated serves as leakage chamber 37 which receives the leakage fluid emerging in operation of the axial piston machine through all gaps , such as for example between the cylinders 26 , 28 and the pistons 29 , the control body 4 and the cylinder drum 6 , the swash plate 3 and the slide disk 32 , and the bearing shells 8 etc . the functioning of the above - described axial piston machine is generally known and in the following description , relating to use as a pump , is restricted to that which is significant . the axial piston machine is provided for operation with oil as fluid . via the drive shaft 5 , the cylinder drum 6 together with the pistons 29 , is set into rotation . when , through actuation of the setting device 13 , the swash plate 3 is tilted into a tilted position ( c . f . fig5 ) with respect to the cylinder drum 6 , all pistons 29 carry through stroke movements ; with rotation of the cylinder drum 6 through 360 ° c . each piston 29 runs through a suction and a compression stroke whereby corresponding flows of oil are generated , the supply and discharge of which are effected via the opening channels 27 , the control slits 15 and the pressure and suction channels 16d , 16s . thereby , during the compression stroke of each piston 29 , pressure oil runs from the cylinder 26 , 28 concerned via the axial through - channel 34 and through - bore 33 in the associated slipper 31 into the pressure pocket thereof and builds up a pressure field between the slide disc 32 and the respective slipper 31 , which serves as hydrostatic bearing for the latter . further , pressure oil is delivered into the pressure pockets 10 in the bearing shells 8 , for hydrostatic support of the swash plate 3 , via the connections 11 . during the compression stroke , a normal force f n is exercised by the swash plate 3 on each slipper 31 , which force , with negligible friction , acts vertically on the swash plate 3 . in the ball piston 30 , this normal force is resolved into a piston force f k and a radial or transverse force f q . the transverse force f q acts in the ball head 30 on the piston 29 as upon a bar mounted in the cylinder drum 6 , which brings about the axial reaction forces f r , with corresponding spacing of their actions and oppositely directed , indicated in fig5 . thereby , the piston 29 comes into metallic contact with the bush 28 , whereby very high surface compressions can appear , which are the cause of corresponding high frictional forces and therewith heating at the contact point . with conventional axial piston machines , without the cooling circuit 7 . 1 to 7 . 4 in accordance with the invention , this can -- particularly during the start - up phase , in which there is not yet present sufficient piston lubrication by means of the pressure oil in the cylinders 26 , 28 -- lead to seizing of the pistons 29 and therewith to corresponding damage thereof and of the cylinders 26 , 28 . the cooling circuit 7 . 1 to 7 . 4 illustrated with regard to each respectively associated embodiment shown in fig1 through 4 of the invention is connected to the leakage chamber 37 and includes the conical annular chamber 25 ( so - called leakage fluid receiving chamber ), the through - bore 20 in the control body 4 , the blind bore 19 ( so - called further leakage fluid receiving chamber ), a connection line 38 connecting the latter with the leakage chamber 37 , which connection line opens into a circular groove 39 in the inner surface of the connection block 2 , along with the cooling regions associated around the cylinders 26 , 28 , which are connected via supply channels 40 to the conical annular chamber 25 and which open out via discharge channels 41 at the cylindrical boundary surface 42 of the cylinder drum 6 into the leakage chamber 37 . all supply channels 40 open from the conical annular chamber 25 at its cross - section of largest diameter and proceed , as with all discharge channels 41 , in substance radially through the cylinder drum 6 . in the configuration according to fig1 there is associated with each cylinder 26 , 28 a cooling region in the form of an annular chamber 43 which is formed as a circumferential groove in the wall of the cylinder bore section of greater diameter and is covered by the bush 28 . the annular chamber 43 extends from the vicinity of the opening region of the cylinder bore 26 over about two thirds of the length of the same in the direction of the opening channels 27 and thus represents an upper cooling region associated with the upper dead centre position of the piston 29 . a supply channel 40 and a discharge channel 41 open approximately in the middle into the annular chamber 43 and run coaxially with one another . the centrifugal forces which arise in operation of the axial piston machine upon rotation of the drive shaft 5 and the cylinder drum 6 place the leakage oil located in the annular chamber 25 under a slight over - pressure which brings about a leakage oil flow via the supply channels 40 , the annular chambers 43 and the discharge channels 41 to the leakage chamber 37 and from this via the connection line 38 , the blind bore 19 and the through - bore 20 back into the annular chamber 25 . thereby , the energy of motion of the flowing leakage oil is converted into pressure in the annular chamber 25 which widens in the direction of flow and thereby manifests a diffusor effect , which increases the speed of flow in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 . the generated heat in particular upon tilting out of the axial piston pump to greatest displacement volume ( corresponding to the largest tilted position of the swash plate 3 ) due to the correspondingly high reaction forces f r , is to a significant proportion transported away into the leakage chamber 37 by means of the leakage oil flowing into the annular chambers 43 around the bushes 28 . since the pressure difference of at maximum almost 400 bar between the pressure oil delivered by the axial position machine , standing under high pressure , and the leakage oil in the leakage chamber 37 corresponds to a temperature difference of about 7 ° c . per 100 bar , the critical points of the metallic contact between the pistons 29 and the bushes 28 are effectively cooled and thus the seizing of the piston 29 prevented . with continuing operation of the axial piston machine , the leakage oil in the leakage chamber 37 , which becomes warmer , is cooled by flowing through the blind bore 19 in the connection block 2 since this connection block is exposed to the room temperature and is thus cooler than the leakage oil in the leakage chamber 37 . through corresponding configuration of the connection block 2 and of the blind bore 19 , and if appropriate through additional cooling of the same by means of a separate cooling medium , the leakage oil in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 can be held at correspondingly lower temperatures . the cooling circuit 7 . 1 serves exclusively as a cooling circuit , because there is no connection with the cylinders 26 , 28 ( due to the closed annular chambers 43 ). since the above - described axial piston machine is provided for operation with oil , the cooling circuit 7 . 1 can additionally assume a lubrication function if , for example , the annular chambers 43 are connected with the cylinders 26 , 28 by way of corresponding bores through the bushes 28 . the axial piston machine equipped with the cooling circuit 7 . 1 is , for reason of the arrangement of the annular chambers 43 in the opening region for the cylinders 26 , 28 configured for medium power . the cooling circuit 7 . 2 according to fig2 differs from that of fig1 with otherwise similar construction and cooling function , in that its cooling regions have the form of annular grooves 44 which are formed in the bushes 28 and are open towards the interior of the cylinders 26 , 28 . the axial piston machine equipped with the cooling circuit 7 . 2 is , due to the lesser axial width of the annular grooves 44 in comparison to the annular chambers 43 , configured for lesser power than the axial piston machine of fig1 and assumes at the same time an additional lubrication of the pistons 29 . the cooling circuit 7 . 3 according to fig3 differs from that of fig2 with otherwise similar construction and function , in that a distributor groove 45 is connected to each annular groove 44 , which distributor groove is formed in the bush 28 encircling it in a spiral manner and opening out at the end face 22 of the cylinder drum 6 . the effective range of the cylinder grooves 44 with regard to cooling and lubrication is extended up to the opening of the cylinders 26 , 28 by means of the leakage oil flowing out of those grooves via the distributor grooves 45 into the leakage chamber 37 . the cooling circuit 7 . 4 in accordance with fig4 includes for each cylinder 26 , 28 the upper annular chamber 43 illustrated in fig1 however with a lesser axial width , and a further , lower annular chamber 46 of the same dimensions which is formed in the lower end region of the bush 28 , i . e . in the region of the cylinder 26 , 28 above the piston floor 47 when the piston 29 is in the lower dead centre position . at the upper annular chamber 43 there is connected a supply channel 40 and at the lower annular chamber 46 there is connected a discharge channel 41 . for maintaining the leakage oil flow there is provided a distributor channel 48 which connects the two annular chambers 43 , 46 with one another . the cooling circuit 7 . 4 according to fig4 like that according to fig1 does not stand in connection with the cylinders 26 , 28 and thus has solely the function of cooling . since this cooling takes place at the two critical positions of metallic contact between piston 29 and running sleeve 28 , and in the region located therebetween , the cooling circuit 7 . 4 is provided for axial piston machines of very high power . this cooling circuit can find employment for axial piston machines of the highest power when the annular chambers 43 , 46 and if appropriate the distributor channels 48 stand in connection with the cylinders 26 , 28 via corresponding bores through the bushes 28 . the same effect is attained when the annular chambers 43 , 46 , the distributor channels 48 and the above - mentioned bores are replaced by annular grooves and distributor grooves in accordance with fig3 . fig6 shows the cooling circuit 7 . 1 already illustrated in fig1 . however , the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig6 differs from that according to fig1 in that between the suction channel 16s and the blind bore 19 there is provided a through - bore 51 which connects the suction channel 16s of the axial piston machine with the cooling circuit 7 . 1 . an anti - pulsation choke 50 is arranged in the bore 51 . via the anti - pulsation choke 50 the fluid of the suction channel 16s , which is subjected to a pre - compression , flows into the cooling circuit 7 . 1 , whereby leakage losses are compensated . through the fluid flowing across the choke 50 there is achieved a certain forced flow in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 , whereby the cooling characteristics of the cooling circuit are improved . further , through the supply flow of the fluid from the suction channel 16s , which is at a lower temperature , an effective cooling of the fluid circulated in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 is attained . as a further advantage there is provided , through the employment of the anti - pulsation choke 50 , a reduction of pressure pulsation in the suction channel 16s , which leads to a significant reduction of operation noise . the supply from the suction channel 16s may be arranged at various positions of the axial piston machine and can open into various regions of the cooling circuit . the arrangement of the throttle 50 in the connection block 2 , where the throttle can be integrated in simple manner between the blind bore 19 and the suction channel 16s , is however particularly advantageous . of course , the anti - pulsation choke 50 illustrated in fig6 can also be put to employment with the exemplary embodiments described above with reference to fig2 to 4 , without further ado . the above - mentioned configurations of the cooling regions are exemplary and may be altered to adapt to the operating requirements in each case . thus , it is for example possible , in the cooling circuit according to fig4 to connect the two annular chambers or annular grooves each to a respective supply channel and a discharge channel and to omit the distributor channels or the distributor grooves . the invention can also be realized in bent - axis machines , since also here there can appear radial forces skewing the pistons in the cylinders ; this because of an oblique positioning of the piston or piston rods as a consequence of deviations between the pitch circles of the ball seats in the drive disc , appearing as an ellipse , and the pitch circle of the cylinders .	5
fig2 shows an instrument 10 according to certain aspects of the invention operable with an image - guided surgical navigation system . as described above , an image - guided surgical navigation system can be any of a variety of systems that capture anatomical characteristics and / or other references connected to the body and / or other surgical devices and / or other structures associated with a reference . such a system then tracks parts of the body and the surgical devices relative to one another . generally , reference to a system as “ image - guided ” means that the system produces images by which surgical navigation information is conveyed to the user . for example , a computer display showing virtual representations of an instrument and its relationship with a bone is considered one example of an image - guided system . as shown in fig2 , the position and orientation of instrument 10 are being recorded by placing finger 14 on a portion of a bone reference 15 . as shown , the bone reference 15 is connected to an upper proportion 16 of a femur . the instrument 10 may be used to align fractured segments of a bone such as the upper portion 16 of a femur and a lower portion 20 of the femur shown in fig3 . as illustrated in fig2 , instrument 10 includes an elongated body 11 and a reference 12 that is coupled to the elongated body 11 . fig4 shows elongated body 11 in one embodiment of the invention . as shown , the elongated body 11 is tubular or in similar terminology , cannulated . in other embodiments , the elongated body 11 may be solid . fig2 and 12 illustrate an elongated body 11 greater than half the greatest length of the fractured bone 25 . in other embodiments such as shown in fig1 , the elongated body 11 may be less than or equal to half the greatest length of the fractured femoral bone 26 . the condition of being less than or equal to half the greatest length is not limited to association with the femur , but can be with regard to any bone . the elongated body 11 may be curved as shown in fig1 or substantially straight as shown in fig1 and 16 . the elongated body 11 shown in fig2 and 4 has substantially the same curvature as an implant 21 ( for example , the implant shown in fig3 ). implant 21 may be used to fix bone segments such as upper portion 16 and lower portion 20 in place . the intramedullary reduction device may be bent to follow the shape of whatever implant is used for fixation : im nails , im rods , im hip screws , etc . this has the benefit of positioning the segments in the same position as the subsequent fixation device . however , less exact bends in the elongated body 11 may also be beneficial . the reference 12 enables the instrument 10 to be located by an image - guided surgical navigation system . as illustrated in fig2 , reference 12 is coupled to the elongated body 11 in a predefined physical relationship . fig4 – 11 show one embodiment of a structure for coupling the reference 12 to the elongated body 11 . as illustrated , a bracket 30 is rigidly affixed near a proximal end 17 of the elongated body 11 . as best seen in fig6 – 8 , a dovetail mount 31 is located at one end of the bracket 30 . the dovetail mount 31 is designed to be received by a reference 12 that has a mating dovetail opening ( not shown ). bracket 30 is shown as adapted to slide over proximal end 17 of elongated body 11 . although not shown , it is understood that the bracket may alternatively be a clamp that opens and closes to secure elongated body 11 or any other attachment device or structure suitable for attaching components to each other . those skilled in the art will understand that any member that can rigidly attach reference 12 to instrument 10 is considered a “ bracket ” within the scope of this invention . another embodiment of this invention provides a reference 12 having an integral attachment structure ( not shown ). attachment structure may be a bracket integrally formed with reference 12 or any other connection element that will achieve securement of reference 12 to instrument 10 . fig1 and 15 show articulating brackets 32 releasably movably coupled with elongated body 11 . with such a feature , the instrument 10 can be effectively used on either side of the patient by moving the articulating bracket 32 among two or more predetermined positions . in some embodiments , the instrument 10 is releasably movable between positions located at ninety degree intervals around the elongated body . in other words , viewing elongated body from one end , instrument 10 may be positioned at a first ninety degree position , a second ninety degree position , a third ninety degree position , or a fourth ninety degree position . it is advantageous in some embodiments of the invention to limit the number of positions to which the articulating bracket 32 , and thereby the reference 12 , may be positioned . this is because a predefined physical relationship must be maintained between the elongated body 11 and the reference 12 . by limiting the number of positions , the number of predefined relationships may be more easily defined and tracked . fig5 illustrates an embodiment of the bracket 30 a that is asymmetrically coupled to the elongated body 11 . consequently , if a reference 12 were coupled to the bracket 30 a , the reference 12 would also be asymmetrically fixed relative to the elongated body 11 . such an arrangement may be beneficial to more effective use on a particular side of a patient and is sometimes preferred . in other instances , a reference may be symmetrically coupled to the elongated body 11 . preferences are typically dictated by the ability of the image - guided surgical navigation system to effectively detect a reference in a particular application . in some embodiments , the system &# 39 ; s detector is a line - of - site device . the reference 12 may also include energy - reflecting surfaces 13 that are detectable by a sensor . fig2 shows four such energy - reflecting surfaces 13 mounted on the reference 12 . as illustrated , the energy - reflecting surfaces 13 reflect energy in at least the visible and infrared ranges . however , as discussed in the background section above , various types of energy detectors may be employed . energy - reflecting surface 13 is considered a passive device because it does not internally generate or convert energy to emit . fig1 illustrates an active energy emitting component 23 that is incorporated into an active reference 22 . note that the active reference 22 includes a wire 24 through which electricity is supplied to the active energy emitting components 23 . as shown , there are four active energy emitting components 23 . as with the passive device , the active energy emitting components 23 may be operable with various types of energy detectors . in some embodiments of the invention , the instrument 10 may include a handle 40 ( shown in fig1 , 13 , 21 ) connected at proximal end 17 . such a handle 40 would be useful in manipulating the instrument 10 during a surgical procedure . the handle 30 may or may not be removable from instrument 10 . if handle 40 is not removable , bracket 30 may be a clamp or other device or structure suitable for attaching components to each other . some embodiments of the invention also include a finger 14 , shown for example in fig4 . fig1 shows a variety of finger shapes that may also be advantageous in various embodiments of the invention , although different finger shapes may be preferred for various procedures . note that each of these shapes may be placed on the end of a solid or cannulated elongated body and may themselves be solid or cannulated . the invention may also be embodied in a system for enabling reduction of a fractured bone . the system is operable to virtually represent at least one fractured segment of the bone and virtually represent an instrument for aligning the at least one fractured segment . the system includes a first reference coupled to the at least one fractured segment , and a second reference coupled to the instrument . the first reference may be coupled to a bone segment through which the instrument is inserted . in this case , position and orientation of another segment of the bone would have to be determined as well , which could be accomplished in any technically effective way . alternatively , the first segment could be coupled to a segment of bone toward which the instrument was being directed . in any case , the system also includes a detector operable to collect position and orientation information regarding the at least one fractured segment and the instrument . as discussed in the background section above , the detector could be an infrared camera , visual camera , or any of a variety of sensors capable of detecting any kind of reference or characteristic . the system also includes a data processing device operable to store position and orientation information about one or more fractured segments and the instrument . the data processing device calculates virtual positions of the at least one fractured segment and the instrument based upon inputs from the detector . such calculations could involve matrix transformations , table look - up functionality , or any other operation effective in calculating the respective virtual positions . an indicator device for notifying a user of the relative positions of the at least on fractured segment and the instrument is also provided . such an indicator could be a visual cue on a computer screen such as color changes or alignment of articulating lines , sounds , flashes of light , or any device for showing a changeable condition , or some combination of any of these . another embodiment of the invention is a method of aligning segments of a fractured bone . as shown in fig3 , one method includes attaching a first reference , such as a distal reference 18 , to a first segment of a fractured bone , such as a lower portion 20 . the position and orientation of distal reference 18 may then be recorded relative to a first datum . as used herein , the term “ recording ” includes without limitation capturing or storing in computer memory or on a tangible medium such as film . any such acquisition of information associated with position or orientation , regardless of how transiently maintained in a system , medium , or component is within the definition of recording as used herein . in some embodiments of the invention , recording may include the use of an infrared camera that registers the positions of energy - reflecting surfaces 13 . alternatively , a reference may not be coupled with a segment of bone , but may be attached to a probe . such a probe may be recorded at a predetermined anatomical position and orientation . therefore , by knowing the position of the reference attached to the probe , and the probe &# 39 ; s position and orientation on the anatomy , the position of the anatomy can be calculated . in either case , a position and orientation of the first segment of the bone relative to a second datum is recorded . such a recording may be accomplished by capturing fluoroscopic images of the first segment . as discussed in the background section , the imaging may be through processes other than fluoroscopic imaging , such as ct , mri , or other effective technologies . the first datum may be the same as the second datum , or information relating the first datum and the second datum may be stored such that transforms relating their relative positions may be calculated . as a result , the first segment will be located relative to the first reference . the term “ datum ” as used herein is generally a coordinate system to which three - dimensional association can be made . as such , a number of datums can be defined and then associated to one another by use of three - dimensional transforms , matrix calculations , or the like . such calculations are well - suited to implementation on computing devices . similarly , objects being tracked can be positioned and oriented relative to a single datum . in any case , to effectively track objects &# 39 ; positions and orientations , association among the objects must be established and maintained . a strength of the current system is that sensor or camera positions and orientations and patient and instrument positions and orientations may change relative to one another , but through the tracking that embodiments of the invention provide , accurate location and bone segment alignment can be accomplished . as shown in fig2 , a second reference , such as bone reference 15 , may be attached to a second segment , such as upper portion 16 . as with the first segment and reference , the positions and orientations of the second reference and the second segment are recorded relative to respective third and fourth datums , and the second segment is located relative to the second reference . a third reference is attached to an instrument 10 , such as a reducer . as described above , the reducer is operable to align segments of a fractured bone through the medullary canal of the segments . the term “ reducer ” as used herein may refer more generally to any instrument used to assist with the alignment of bones . as with the first and second references , a position and orientation of the third reference relative to a fifth datum is recorded . in the case of a reducer or other instrument , locating the reducer relative to the third reference is simplified because there is a predetermined relationship between the reducer and the third reference . as discussed in association with the bracket 30 , a single or at least finite number of predetermined relationships between portions of the instrument and the associated reference may be defined . given a predetermined setting of the instrument relative to the reference , tracking of the reference is effective to track the instrument . recording of the third reference position and orientation may be accomplished inter - operatively or prior to the beginning of an operation . once all of the references , segments , and instrument ( or instruments ) have been located , they may all be continuously or intermittently tracked without the use of fluoroscopy for as long as desired . as used herein , “ continuously ” shall mean at a rate that appears substantially continuous to a user , but could include tracking accomplished at a standard electronic sampling rate such as a rate greater than one sample per second . typically , this tracking is accomplished by use of a computer system that is interfaced with an infrared camera or other device , the computer also calculating transforms regarding each datum and its relationship to each other datum . insertion of the instrument 10 may be accomplished prior to , during , or after the process of recording and locating described above . with each of the first segment , the second segment , and the reducer being tracked , the reducer can be aligned with a representation of the second segment . for instance , a surgeon could hold and manipulate a first segment of fractured bone with an inserted reducer while observing a representation of the second segment on a computer screen . the image on the computer screen may also include representations of other bone segments or instruments , such as the reducer . when an indication is received that alignment has been achieved , the surgeon inserts the reducer into the medullary canal of the second segment . the upper portion 16 of a femur shown in fig2 and the lower portion 20 of a femur shown in fig3 are merely examples of the first and second segments . as previously discussed , the fractured bone need not be a femur . additionally , the first and second segments may be either the lower or upper portions of bone , depending upon surgeon preference . in many orthopedic procedures , entry can be made from two or more possible approaches . in some embodiments of the invention , a representation of alignment may include only a representation that the first segment and the second segment , each of which is being tracked , are aligned . in other embodiments , the key to a representation of alignment may be the reducer that is being tracked . in some embodiments of the invention , only two of a first segment , a second segment , and an instrument may need to be recorded , located , and tracked . for example , if two segments are being tracked , alignment of those segments could be indicated to the user . given the fact that the user knows that the reducer is located in the medullary canal of one of the segments , the user would know that the reducer could be pushed into the medullary canal of the other segment . similarly , if only the reducer and the segment into which the reducer is to be inserted second are being tracked , the locations of only that second segment and the reducer could be represented to the user . in this embodiment , the reducer is located in the medullary canal of the other segment . therefore , by aligning the reducer with the segment into which the reducer is to be inserted second , the user has adequate information to accurately complete the procedure . in other embodiments and for some procedures , an at least partially flexible reducer 50 , as shown in fig2 , may be beneficial . for instance , a surgeon may desire to use a flexible reducer if the bone fracture to be aligned or reduced is so misaligned that a rigid reducer is not workable or would be particularly difficult to use . for example , two bone segments of a fracture may be so offset from one another that a rigid reducer would not appropriately engage the second segment . in these instances , the at least partially flexible reducer 50 of the present invention could be used . ( for the purposes of this document , “ at least partially flexible ” and “ flexible ” mean capable of being even slightly flexed or bent , turned , bowed , or twisted , without breaking ; or pliable ; or yielding to pressure , whether strong pressure or slight pressure .) the flexible reducer 50 is at least partially flexible to allow the surgeon to more easily manipulate the flexible reducer 50 in order to properly guide it into the second segment . it should be understood that there may be other instances in which a flexible reduced 50 may be preferred . flexible reducer 50 according to the particular embodiment shown in fig2 features an at least partially flexible elongated portion or shaft 52 . the at least partial flexibility may be provided by a shaft that is hollow , cannulated , or solid . the shaft may have a spiral or helical configuration , a laser cut shaft , a shaft of a material that becomes flexible when subjected to heat ( for example , nitinol ), a shaft of a thin material that permits flexibility , a shaft with a plurality of flexible elements joined by a connection , a shaft having a series of inter - engaged links , a shaft with a plurality of slots ( provided in any configuration ) cut at an angle relative to the shaft , a plastic tube ( or any other material that provides at least partial elasticity ), or any other design that provides a reducer of a flexible nature . examples of flexible shafts are provided in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 053 , 922 , which is incorporated herein by this reference . once flexible reducer 50 has been positioned with respect to both bone segments , the surgeon may wish to impart at least partial rigidity to the flexible reducer 50 in order to more properly align the bone segments . in this instance , flexible reducer 50 can be provided with a separate rigid member ( not shown ), a feature or features on the flexible reducer 50 itself that imparts rigidity to the flexible reducer ( also not shown ), or any structure or mechanism that imparts at least partial rigidity to reducer 50 . for example , the flexible reducer 50 may be provided with a rigid member with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the flexible reducer 50 , such that inserting the rigid member through the flexible reducer adds rigidity at the desired point in the procedure . alternatively , the flexible reducer 50 itself can be provided with a cable or wire disposed through the flexible reducer 50 such that when the cable or wire is pulled taut , the flexible shaft 52 is forced to undertake at least partial rigidity . flexible reducer 50 may alternatively be provided with a trigger , such that once the trigger is activated , the flexible portions become rigid . the flexible portions may be made rigid by a magnetic force , by a mechanical force , or any other mechanism that imparts at least partial rigidity to the flexible reducer 50 at a specified time during the surgery . it should be understood that any feature that provides an at least partially flexible reducer 50 with at least partial rigidity is considered a feature that imparts at least partial rigidity to the reducer within the scope of this invention . one challenge presented with the use of a flexible reducer 50 is the fact that , by its very nature , it is flexible , and thus , does not retain a rigid position from tip 54 to end 56 in relation to reference 12 . this presents a challenge to the use of the image - guided systems and methods described herein , because the flexible elongated portion 52 will not necessarily remain in a fixed position with respect to the reference 12 ( or any other reference point being used , such as a bone segment , another instrument , a surgical table , etc .) in order to provide the surgeon with accurate cues about its physical position . thus , there is also a need to provide a way to determine the position of the flexible elongated portion 52 when it is flexed in a particular direction . flexible reducer 50 is consequently provided with one or more location elements 75 . one or more location elements 75 assist the determination of at least portions of the physical relationship of the flexible elongated portion 52 with respect to reference 12 . a location element 75 may be provided at or near the tip 54 of flexible elongated portion 52 , at or near the middle of flexible elongated portion 52 , at multiple positions along the flexible elongated portion 52 , or any combination of these positions . the location elements may be spaced as close together or as far apart as necessary . the more location elements 75 provided , the more trackability is provided to flexible elongated portion 52 . location element 75 may be any component or device that permits the physical position of flexible elongated portion 52 to be sensed , detected , imaged , or mapped with respect to reference 12 . for example , location elements 75 may be sensed actively or passively by one or more of the following methods : infrared , visual , reflective , sound , ultrasound , radio waves , mechanical waves , magnetic , electromagnetic , electrical , x - ray , gps systems or chips , transponder , transducer , or any other desired technique . this list is not intended to be inclusive , and any way in which the location of flexible elongated portion 52 can be relayed to a component that can track , sense , image , or map flexible elongated portion 52 for the surgeon to view is considered within the scope of this invention . it should be understood , however , that the flexible elongated portion 52 will be positioned within patient tissue in use , so the location method chosen should be able to sense location element 75 through various tissues , such as bone , muscle , blood , and skin . location elements 75 are preferably configured to sense , track , image , and map the physical position of reducer 50 in any plane , location , and / or orientation . in other words , in addition to sensing and tracking the medial - to - lateral movement of flexible reducer 50 , location elements 75 are also preferably adapted to sense and track anterior - to - posterior movement . location elements may be provided in any configuration or any shape . it is possible for location elements 75 to sense 2 - dimensional movement for a rough view of the reducer &# 39 ; s location and orientation . in other aspects of the invention , the location elements 75 sense 3 - dimensional movement and provide a finer ability to sense and track the location and orientation of reducer 50 . location elements 75 may be provided in any shape or configuration , such as the square - like elements 75 shown in fig2 , oval or round - like elements , cross - shaped elements , band - shaped elements , indented elements , bead - shaped elements , and so forth . location elements may be located along only one side of flexible elongated portion 52 , wrapped around elongated portion 52 , positioned in specific increments from one another , or scattered in various , unequal positions about elongated portion 52 . as previously mentioned , embodiments according to various aspects of this invention may include only a single location element 75 . a single location element 75 may be used to track and sense the location and orientation of elongated portion 52 with respect to reference 12 . to the extent that any other reference point is being used , such as another instrument , a bone segment , or another reference point , it is preferred that two or more location elements 75 be provided . location elements 75 may operate in conjunction with systems which are preferably connected to other systems according to various aspects of the invention which sense and track references 12 , body portions , instruments , components of other devices , and so forth . embodiments of the invention are directed toward enabling reduction of a fractured bone by virtually representing at least one fractured segment of the bone and virtually representing an instrument for aligning two or more segments of bone . as described above , positions and orientations of a segment of bone and an instrument may be recorded and tracked in three - dimensional space with the use of cameras or sensors , imaging devices , and a digital computer . then , through the use of a sound , visualization , or other stimulation , an indication that alignment has been achieved is provided to a user . alternatively or in addition , indications regarding the progress of alignment may be provided to the user . “ tracking ” as defined for use in this embodiment can include both detecting distinguishing characteristics , such as references or instrument configurations , and processing information regarding changes in position and orientation . therefore , embodiments of the invention provide for the location and tracking of bone segments and instruments such that the instruments may be aligned to assist with fixation or therapy . this is accomplished with reduced numbers of x - ray , fluoroscopic , and other such energy - intense imaging devices . there is no requirement for pre - operative imaging or any surgical procedures prior to the primary procedure . with various embodiments of the invention , continuous or nearly continuous monitoring of bone segment and instrument positions is accomplished . therefore , rapid alignment of bone segments and instruments is facilitated using images of at least one of the bone segments in combination with images of one or more implements , instruments , trials , guide wires , nails , reducers , other surgically related items , or other bone segments which are properly positioned and oriented in the images .	0
in fig1 through 4 a structural component designed for use as a door is generally identified by 10 . the structural component 10 is intended for use in an armored land vehicle , for example a military armored personnel carrier , an armored infantry fighting vehicle , an armored reconnaissance vehicle , or a combat tank . by way of introduction it is to be noted that fig1 through 4 do not show the per se known construction of suitable additional armor platings . such an additional armor plating (“ add - on ”) is , however , always mounted at the enemy side on the structural component 10 in the operationally readiness condition of the vehicle , for most effectors or projectiles are nowadays capable of penetrating common basic protection , including for example the structural component 10 . therefore generally modules which are adapted to the respective mission of an additional armor plating are mechanically removably fixed in the form of so - called “ add - on protection ” to a structural component 10 according to the invention in order to increase the protection level and in particular to minimize the risk of penetration of different effectors . such additional armor platings which are not shown in greater detail produce the main contribution to the desired multi - hit capacity , for resistance against “ improvised explosive devices ” ( ieds ) and so - called “ explosive formed projectile ieds ” ( efp - ieds ) which are increasingly occurring . a decisive basic protection function at least in relation to shock waves and fragmentation splinters is however also achieved by the structure ( described hereinafter ) of a structural component 10 as shown in fig1 through 4 . governed by the use involved , the structural component 10 is first of a contour with a flat structure , that is suitable for the intended use , here as a door . the structural component 10 shown in fig1 through 4 is of a two - part construction with an upper portion 12 and a lower portion 14 which are angled from each other by a flexing region 16 , with a suitable angle for example of about 10 - 30 o . the angling configuration by virtue of the flexing region 16 reduces the probability of a highly detrimental perpendicular strike of effectors as at least a partial region of the structural component 10 , for example the upper portion 12 , can be disposed inclined relative to the vertical after being fitted to the vehicle . an opening 17 can be provided , for example for an armored glass window , in the upper portion 12 . for fixing the structural component 10 to a frame of the vehicle , there are provided bores 18 distributed over the periphery , through the structural component 10 . the opening 17 is equally bordered by regularly distributed bores 19 for fixing of the armored glass panel . as can best be seen from fig3 - 4 , the structural component 10 is of a comparatively simple layer structure 20 . the layer structure 20 is only made from two substantial constituent parts , namely a core composite 22 and a fragmentation protection layer 24 at the rear or friend side . the fragmentation protection layer 24 is made for example from a continuous plate - like layer of monolithic high - strength pe of per se known kind , for example dyneema ® from koninklijke dsm n . v ., heerlen , netherlands . other materials suitable as the fragmentation protection can also be used , for example kevlar ® ( from dupont , wilmington , usa ). the fragmentation protection layer 24 is materially bonded as shown in fig1 - 4 by adhesive to the inwardly disposed cover layer 26 of the core composite 24 , but it could also be fixed in another fashion , for example by riveting . the core composite 22 which is essential to the invention in turn substantially only comprises three layers , namely the honeycomb core 25 which extensive in terms of surface area and cover layers 26 on both sides thereof . in this case the honeycomb core 25 is of a known structure with hollow cells in hexagonal cross - sectional form or honeycomb form . the honeycomb core 25 is produced in per se known manner for example using an expansion process . the cell walls in the honeycomb core 25 are directed in the core composite 22 perpendicularly to its areal direction of extension , that is to say horizontally in fig4 . suitable processes for the production of composite panels or the core composite 22 are known to the man skilled in the art . both the honeycomb core 25 and also the cover layers 26 are preferably each made from fcp , wherein different material combinations are considered . highly modular fiber materials like for example glass fiber honeycomb , kevlar ®, nomex ® or other aramide fibers , carbon fibers , or also metal or mineral fibers which impregnated with suitable synthetic resin are hardened to give a highly modular fcp can be recommended for production of the honeycomb core 25 . unimpregnated honeycomb cores 25 of metal film , in particular aluminum film , are also basically suitable . the thickness or wall thickness d 1 of the honeycomb core 25 depends in particular on the weight of the add - on protection to be fitted , wherein d 1 should be in the region of between 0 . 5 cm and 5 cm . single - layer or multi - layer composite materials or also monolithic layers can be used in the core composite 22 as cover layers 26 of the honeycomb core 25 . in particular lightweight materials like grp , crp , aluminum film or also monolithic aramides or other polymers like high - strength pe are considered . the thickness or wall thickness of the cover layers 26 , denoted by d 3 in fig3 , can typically be between 0 . 3 mm and 10 mm depending on the respectively required weight of the basic protection structure , and do not have to be identical on both sides . besides the load - carrying capacity of the core composite 24 , further basic protection functionalities , for example including in relation to fragmentation splinters , can also be adjusted by way of the material and thickness of the cover layers 26 . the cover layers 26 are materially bonded to the honeycomb core 25 by adhesive . the adhesive adopted is an adhesive join which is suitable in accordance with the material pairings of cover layers 26 and honeycomb core 25 . in the case of cover layers 26 and honeycomb core 25 of grp a good adhesive bond can be effected by hardening a thin intermediate layer ( not shown ) of a suitable thermoplastic material . finally , in regard to production of the core composite 22 , it is also to be noted that the angle between the lower portion 12 and the upper portion 14 , that is to say the curvature in the flexing region 16 , is preferably already implemented by plastic deformation and without cutting machining prior to hardening of the fcp cover layers 26 and the adhesive join thereof to the honeycomb core 25 . accordingly in the flexing region 16 in the preferred configuration the honeycomb core 25 is seamlessly continuous or is formed in one piece without a join , in particular without an assembly of two separate honeycomb portions . in fig3 reference d 2 also denotes the wall thickness of the fragmentation protection layer 24 . that wall thickness d 2 in contrast depends substantially purely on the function of the fragmentation protection layer 24 and should preferably be in the region of between 1 cm and 5 cm . tests ( see below ) have shown that in particular high - strength polyethylene ( pe ) is capable of coherently defending against an efd - ied , type 5 ( internal designation of the german federal armed forces ), that is to say with buckling but without cracking or tearing of the fragmentation protection layer 24 . the necessary thickness of a fragmentation protection layer 24 can however vary according to the respective application . a plurality of fixing elements 30 are provided in the structural component 10 on the enemy side for removably fixing an additional armor plating linked to use involved . as shown in fig1 , in the case of symmetrical components , the fixing elements 30 are desirably distributed approximately equally and symmetrically over the area . that achieves a more uniform load distribution , both in regard to weight of the additional armor plating and also and in particular in regard to strike impact forces . to simplify the view , fig1 does not show any fixing elements in the upper portion 14 , but they can also be provided there . preferably , one fixing element 30 is provided approximately per 0 . 2 m 2 - 0 . 5 m 2 . the structure and function of the fixing elements 30 can be seen in greater detail from fig4 . each fixing element is in the form of a flange bush 30 , for example of suitable steel or light metal . the fixing elements 30 can alternatively be made from high - strength plastic . in the illustrated example the flange bush 30 has a female thread 32 into which a suitable pin ( not shown ) is screwed , as a further part of the fixing elements . an additional armor plating is in turn releasably fixed to that pin , wherein the pin is used as a spacer for producing an air gap between the structural component 10 and the additional armor plating . an air gap is typically used , inter alia as that renders certain effectors substantially ineffective against the armor . it will be noted however that the additional armor plating can also be removably screwed on by means of the flange bushes 30 in such a way as to bear directly against the structural component 10 . to increase the load - bearing capability the flange bushes 30 have at their end a flange 34 which is integrally formed thereon . the flange 34 bears in a disc shape against the surface at the enemy side , of the outer cover layer 26 . the flange socket 30 is additionally supported by the flange 34 to achieve improved force transmission to the core composite 22 which is optimized in respect of pressure loading . as can further be seen from fig4 , a respective locally delimited fixing region 40 is also provided for the transmission of force from the fixing element 30 into the core composite 22 . to produce the fixing regions 40 a filling material 42 is already introduced into the cells of the honeycomb core 25 prior to production of the core composite 22 . the filling material 42 is introduced in such a way that all cells within the respectively desired surface regions are completely filled up . a hardenable thermoset is particularly preferably used as the filling material 42 . it is however also possible to use metal , plastic or fiber composite filling materials or other filling material 42 which is usually employed for so - called “ potting .” it is only after the filling material 42 is introduced that the cover layers 26 are applied so that the cover layers , like also the honeycomb core , are bondingly connected to the filling material 42 . that provides overall for a high resistance force against pressure and tension in each fixing region 40 , such force still exceeding that of the rest of the surface of the core composite 22 . to minimize weight the smallest possible amount of filling material 42 overall should be used . the hardened filling material 42 is then bored to produce a blind hole which projects to just before the inner cover layer 26 , that is to say at the friend side . then , as shown in fig4 , a respective flange bush 30 is anchored in each fixing region 40 as a fixing element , in the blind hole of the finished core composite 22 . anchoring is effected by suitable adhesive involving bonding between the materials , depending on the pairs of materials respectively used for the filling material 42 and the flange bush 30 , in the blind hole of the core composite 22 . flange bushes 30 can however also be anchored in bores passing through the core composite 22 . the fragmentation protection layer 24 is at any event not adversely affected by the flange bush 30 or its bore . that provides that the fixing element in the form of the flange bush 30 is also secured in relation to tensile force generated by the weight of the additional armor plating . finally , key data relating to specific prototypes and test results achieved therewith are set forth below : in a blast impact test initially without additional armor plating dynamic buckling was measured with tnt with steel collars in direct comparison with armor steel of an 8 mm wall thickness . the maximum value ( peak ) of the dynamic buckling was surprisingly only ⅔ in the result , that is to say 66 % of the dynamic buckling of the comparative test sample of armor steel . in a further test , to simulate an additional armor plating ( add - on ) a ceramic plate of about 5 cm wall thickness and while retaining about a 10 cm air gap was fixed to the fixing elements 30 of a structural element 10 as shown in fig1 through 4 , with the dimensioning of example 1 . that structure was bombarded from a distance of 5 m with an efp - ied ( internal german federal armed forces designation : efp - ied , type 5 , coherent ). protection from ballistic action was admittedly achieved primarily by the additional armor plating , but that was pierced by the efp - ied projectile . the projectile was contained with buckling but without cracking or tearing in the integrated fragmentation protection layer 24 ( spall liner ) of the layer structure 20 . this prototype of example 2 , which in spite of the same total thickness d 4 is still lighter , was subjected to a stricter blast impact test with spherical tnt charge in the miedas test installation ( meppen improvised explosive device assessment structure ). to simulate a less impact - resistant additional armor plating an armor steel plate which was only 3 mm in thickness was screwed without an air gap directly on to the structural component 10 , with the dimensions of example 2 . in spite of the wall thickness of the cover layers 26 , that is reduced by more than an order of magnitude , and the markedly increased explosive force , buckling without cracking could also be achieved in that test . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof . it is understood , therefore , that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed , but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	5
describing now the drawings , in all of the herein illustrated embodiments and variants the clamping or chucking apparatus of the invention is assigned the task of providing a rigid or fixed but easily and rapidly releasable connection between a shaper cutter 10 , which serves for generating shaping externally teethed gears in the illustrated examples , and a ram spindle 12 of a generating gear shaping machine . the ram spindle 12 is guided to be axially displaceable in a shaping or ram head 14 of the gear shaping machine by means of two guide bushings or sleeves 16 and 18 which are mounted in the shaping or ram head 14 . for the axial to - and - fro displacement movements and the rotation of the ram spindle 12 there are provided conventional drive means which are therefore not particularly illustrated in detail in the drawings . at a shaper cutter holder 20 there is formed a centering body or element 22 which engages into a corresponding bore section 12 &# 39 ; in the lower portion or end region of the ram spindle 12 which is drilled or otherwise machined to be hollow throughout its entire length . thus , the centering body 22 centers the cutter holder 20 in a most accurate manner with respect to the ram spindle 12 . with the embodiment according to fig1 the centering body 22 and the related bore section 12 &# 39 ; of the ram spindle 12 have a substantially conical shape . inserted into the cutter holder 20 and arranged substantially axially parallel thereto is a fitting bolt 24 which engages into a radial slot or keyway 26 provided at the lower end face 12 &# 34 ; of the ram spindle 12 , so that the cutter holder 20 is arrested in its position . thus , a precise positional correlation between the cutter 10 and the workpiece or blank can be achieved . on its side facing away from the ram spindle 12 the cutter holder 20 is provided with a contact surface 28 normal to the lengthwise axis of the ram spindle 12 and a centering projection 30 for the shaper cutter 10 , as can be best seen by referring to the lower portion of the drawings of fig1 . the cutter holder 20 further comprises another axially parallel fitting bolt 32 which engages into a radial slot or keyway 34 of the shaper cutter 10 , so that such shaper cutter 10 is located in a predetermined position with respect to the centering body 22 . from the centering projection 30 there protrudes axially downwards a clamping mandrel or plug 36 which piercingly extends through the shaper cutter 10 and carries a chucking or clamping plate 38 which maintains the shaper cutter 10 clamped between itself and the contact surface 28 of the cutter holder 20 . with the embodiment according to fig1 the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 and the cutter holder 20 are constructed as one piece in conventional manner and are threadably connected or screwed to the chucking or clamping plate 38 , which is therefore formed in this case substantially like a nut member in the embodiment under discussion . guided in the hollow ram spindle 12 is a piston or piston member 40 which is connected to the cutter holder 20 by means of a rapidly releasable coupling or coupling means 42 which is formed as a substantially bayonet - like closure or fastening device for transmitting axial tension or tractive forces . according to the arrangement of fig1 the coupling 42 is formed by a bayonet pin 44 or equivelent structure which is arranged at the upper end of the cutter holder 20 and a complementary recess or opening 46 formed at the piston 40 . in an angular position which is turned by 90 ° with respect to the position shown in fig1 the bayonet pin 44 can be inserted into the recess 46 when the piston 40 has reached its lower terminal or end position . by subsequently turning through 90 ° the cutter holder 20 reaches the position indicated in fig1 and there is established a tension - proof connection between the piston 40 and the cutter holder 20 and the head 24 &# 39 ; of the fitting bolt 24 of the cutter holder 20 engages into the related slot or keyway 26 of the ram spindle 12 . by means of a pin or bolt 48 or the like which is arranged in an axially parallel orientation within the ram spindle 12 , the piston 40 is kept from rotating in relation to the ram spindle 12 . with its upper end face 40 &# 39 ; the piston 40 delimits a cylinder chamber 50 within the ram spindle 12 . this piston or piston member 40 is provided with a piston rod 52 which extends upwards through an insert member or insert 54 which is threaded into the ram spindle 12 . the insert 54 is provided with axially extending substantially parallel channels 56 , so that the cylinder or compartment chamber 50 flow communicates with a space or chamber 50 &# 39 ; located above the insert 54 . threaded or otherwise appropriately affixed to the upper end of the piston rod 52 are nuts or nut members 58 which maintain clamped between themselves and the insert 54 a spring arrangement 60 having a considerable prebiasing or prestressing for instance 600 kp . in all exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings , the spring arrangement 60 is composed , for instance , of a number of plate springs 62 and two intermediate disks 64 . the space or chamber 50 &# 39 ; which flow communicates with the cylinder chamber 50 and contains the spring arrangement 60 is connected to a pressure medium connection or stud 70 of a standard source of pressurised medium by means of radial channels or bores 66 provided in the ram spindle 12 and an annulus or annular space 68 located in the upper guide bushing or sleeve 16 . the pressure medium connection 70 , as stated , can be connected to a herein not particularly illustrated but conventional pressure medium source . as long as no pressure is present in the cylinder chamber 50 , the entire prebiasing or prestressing force of the spring arrangement 60 is transmitted via the piston rod 52 and the coupling 42 to the cutter holder 20 in the form of a force which is directed axially upwards . thus , the cutter holder 20 and together therewith the shaper cutter 10 are clamped to the ram spindle 12 . however , if the cylinder chamber or compartment 50 is placed under a pressure which emanates from the above - mentioned pressure medium source and causes a downwardly directed force to impinge upon the piston 40 and which force is greater than the prebiasing force of the spring arrangement 60 , then the piston 40 and together therewith the coupling 42 move downwards . thus , the cutter holder 20 together with the shaper cutter 10 can easily be turned or rotated through 90 ° and removed from the ram spindle 12 . the embodiment illustrated in fig2 and 3 differs from that of fig1 primarily in that here the cutter holder 20 is provided with a substantially cylindrical centering body 22 and is screwed or threadably connected to the lower end of the ram spindle 12 by means of screws or threaded bolts 72 or the like , of which only one has been shown in the drawings . another important difference in relation to fig1 exists in the fact that here the clamping mandrel or plug 36 is constructed as a separate component or element . this clamping mandrel or plug 36 is guided to be axially displaceable in the cutter holder 20 , extends therethrough in an upward direction and with its upper end is threaded or screwed into the piston 40 . with this embodiment , the rapidly releasable coupling 42 is formed by a bayonet pin 44 provided at the lower end of the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 and a complementary recess 46 or the like provided in the chucking or clamping plate 38 . thus , the coupling 42 connects the piston 40 via the clamping plate 38 and the shaper cutter 10 with the cutter holder 20 , rather than directly connecting such piston 40 with the cutter holder 20 . all components or elements which are arranged above the piston 40 are arranged and constructed in the same manner as previously illustrated and described in connection with fig1 and are therefore only partially illustrated in fig2 . with the embodiment according to fig2 and 3 the force which is exerted by the spring arrangement 60 upon the piston rod 52 in axial upward direction , is transmitted from the piston 40 to the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 , from that location via the coupling 42 and the clamping plate 38 to the shaper cutter 10 and from there finally to the cutter holder 20 . for exchanging the shaper cutter 10 , as likewise was described with reference to fig1 the cylinder chamber 50 is placed under pressure by the pressure medium source , so that the piston 40 overcomes the clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 and downwardly displaces the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 . a minimal displacement is sufficient for neutralizing or eliminating the effect of the clamping force which acts upon the coupling 42 . thereafter , the clamping plate 38 can be effortlessly turned through 90 ° with respect to the position indicated in fig2 and downwardly removed away from the clamping mandrel or plug 36 . at the same time or thereafter the shaper cutter 10 can be downwardly detached from the centering body 22 . such detachment is facilitated in that the massive centering projection 30 shown in fig1 has been here replaced by a ball - bearing or ball guide 30 &# 39 ; which centers the shaper cutter 10 with respect to the cutter holder 20 . the embodiment according to fig4 differs from the embodiment shown in fig2 and 3 in that here the coupling 42 between the lower end of the clamping mandrel or plug 36 -- also may be referred to as a spindle -- and the clamping plate 38 is formed by a threaded connection , generally indicated by reference character 110 . although this threaded connection 110 does not need to be constructed in a different way than with comparable or similar clamping or chucking apparatuses of the prior art , it nonetheless forms a rapidly and easily releasable coupling , because in this case the threaded connection 110 can be relieved from any axial chucking or clamping force , since the cylinder chamber or compartment 50 is placed under pressure in the afore - described manner . the embodiment according to fig4 further differs from the embodiment shown in fig2 and 3 in that in this case the cutter holder 20 is not directly bolted or threadably connected to the ram spindle 12 , but rather by means of a bushing - shaped or sleeve - like intermediate element 76 . extending through this intermediate element 76 is a traction or tension rod 78 which at its upper end is permanently screwed into the piston 40 . at the neighborhood of its lower end the intermediate element 76 is provided with a substantially ring - shaped or annular piston surface 80 which faces away from the clamping mandrel or spindle 36 , i . e . is here directed upwards with respect to the showing of fig4 . the piston face or surface 80 , or rather more exactly stated a substantially ring - shaped or annular seal 82 which is arranged forwardly thereof , bounds a space or chamber 84 within the intermediate element 76 . by means of channels 86 provided in the intermediate element 76 and the cutter holder 20 this space or chamber 84 flow communicates with a space or chamber 88 arranged within the cutter holder 20 . the upper end of the space or chamber 88 is bounded by a substantially ring - shaped or annular piston surface or face 90 and a forwardly arranged seal 92 respectively , which faces the shaper cutter 10 , i . e . is here directed downwards with respect to the showing of fig4 . the piston surface or face 90 is formed at the clamping mandrel 36 and is larger in size by a multiple than the size of the piston surface 80 . the lower end of the space or chamber 88 is closed by a further seal 94 which is supported by the cutter holder 20 . the chambers 84 and 88 and the channels 86 are entirely filled with an incompressible pressure medium , e . g . &# 34 ; mipolam &# 34 ;, and form a self - contained system which constitutes a hydraulic pressure intensifier or pressure step - up system . if the cylinder chamber 50 is pressureless and the clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 therefore is a tension or tractive force which is directed upwards and transmitted from the piston rod 52 to the traction rod 78 , the piston surface 80 of the traction rod 78 exerts a pressure upon the liquid medium in the chamber 84 . this pressure propagates to the chamber 88 and acts upon the larger piston surface or face 90 . as a result , the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 is pushed upwards by a force which is a multiple of the clamping force exerted by the spring arrangement 60 . such increased force is transmitted via the coupling 42 to the clamping plate 38 , so that the same clamps the shaper cutter 10 to the cutter holder 20 by means of a force which is correspondingly intensified with respect to the embodiment according to fig2 and 3 . the embodiment according to fig5 differs from the heretofore described embodiments in the first instance in that there are here omitted the insert 54 located above the piston 40 and the nuts 58 which are arranged at the upper end of the piston rod 52 . the upper end of the piston rod 52 is guided to be axially displaceable in a bushing or sleeve 96 which is arranged internally of the ram spindle 12 and supported at its upper end at this ram spindle 12 . the spring arrangement 60 is clamped between the bushing or sleeve 96 and the piston 40 , upon which it exerts a clamping force which is directed axially downwards . when the apparatus is in operation , this clamping force is transmitted to an axially arranged pressure rod or bar 98 . according to the showing of fig5 the lower end of the pressure rod 98 is guided to be axially displaceable in the clamping mandrel 36 and its upper end is likewise guided for axial movement in the substantially bushing - shaped intermediate element 76 . the clamping mandrel or spindle 36 , in turn , is guided to be axially displaceable in the intermediate element 76 . this intermediate element 76 is prevented from performing axial displacements with respect to the ram spindle 12 in that it is screwed to the cutter holder 20 . an involuntary release of this threaded connection is prevented by means of a radially arranged stud screw 100 or equivalent structure . by means of a fitting spring 102 the clamping mandrel 36 is prevented from rotating with respect to the intermediate element 76 , and thus , with respect to the ram spindle 12 . axially clamped between the clamping mandrel 36 and the intermediate element 76 is a pressure spring 104 which has the tendency to downwardly displace the clamping mandrel 36 . according to the embodiment of fig5 the chucking or clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 which is directed axially downwards is transmitted from the piston 40 to the pressure rod or bar 98 . the lower end face of the pressure rod or bar 98 acts as the smaller piston face or surface 80 and via a forwardly located seal 82 pressurizes a medium or liquid contained in chamber 84 , as previously described with reference to the embodiment according to fig4 . in the same manner as with the embodiment of fig4 here also the pressure propagates through channels 86 to the space or chamber 88 and acts upon a larger piston surface or face 90 which faces the shaper cutter 10 , and thus , is directed downwards according to the showing of fig5 . thus a correspondingly intensified chucking or clamping force is transmitted via the coupling 42 to the clamping plate 38 , and from there via the shaper cutter 10 finally to the cutter holder 20 . by means of this force the shaper cutter 10 is positively clamped at the cutter holder 20 and connected to the ram spindle 12 . just as in the embodiment according to fig2 to 4 , the threaded screws or bolts 72 in the embodiment according to fig5 are only of importance in the event that the cylinder chamber or compartment 50 is pressurized and as a result thereof the clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 at the clamping mandrel or spindle 36 is therefore not effective . while there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims . accordingly ,	1
by properly proportioning the synthetic high polymers , and / or an emulsion from the group of the silicon organic compounds with respect to the aqueous silica sol , and also by a variation of the refractory material used as a filler , the back - up dip can be adapted to the respective conditions or requirements . in this connection , one proposal of the invention suggests for the binder to contain 2 to 20 % by volume , in particular 14 to 18 % by volume , of synthetic high polymers . another proposal suggests that the binder contains 2 to 20 % volume , in particular 3 to 7 % by volume , of a synthetic high polymer to which are added 0 . 2 to 20 % by weight , referred to the weight of the synthetic polymer , of an emulsion from the group of the silicon - organic compounds . it has also been found to be very convenient to use an emulsion of the group of the silicon - organic compounds with droplet sizes & lt ; 200 nm . in addition , the aqueous colloidal silica sol can contain 0 to 20 % by weight of the total water content of the binder , in particular 0 . 005 to 15 % by weight of an emulsion of the group from the silicon - organic compounds . it is also possible to add a surfactant or surface tension - reducing agent to the binder , in particular in a quantity of 0 . 08 % by volume , referred to the volume of the dip - coat mass . the surfactant assists the uniform distribution of colloidal silica sol , high polymer and / or an emulsion from the group of silicon - organic compounds , and improves the wettability of the dip - coat mass without affecting the silica sol , the high polymers and / or the emulsion from the group of the silicon - organic compounds . to prevent segregation of the colloidal silica sol and the high polymers in the case of the long storage times it may be of an advantage to prepare the dispersion of aqueous silica sol and synthetic high polymers and to process it into the dip - coat mass only shortly before it is used . a high polymer which possesses the desired properties has the following characteristic data : ______________________________________solids 50 +/- 1 % by weightviscosity at 20 ° c . 800 to 1500 mpa · s ( d = 57 . sup .- 1 ) ph - value 7 . 0 to 8 . 5density approx . 1 . 02 g / ccmfilm condition viscoplastic , waterproof , alkaliproof or alkali - resistant______________________________________ an emulsion of the above mentioned silicon - organic compounds which possesses the desired properties has the following characteristic data : ______________________________________quantity of solids 52 to 57 % by weightviscosity 25 mpa · sdensity approx . 1 g / ccmsolvent waterph - value 7 to 9______________________________________ in the following , the invention is described on the basis of application examples : ______________________________________binder approx . 30 % of colloidal silica sol or other aqueous colloidal silica solsdeluting agent : deionised water , if requiredhigh polymer as film form - e . g . aqueous high - polymer dis - ing agent : persion with hydrophobic making character and / or hydrophobic character and / or emulsion from the group of silicon - organic compoundsfiller : filler is the ceramic refractory material which is mixed into the colloidal silica - sol binder with the addition of high polymers and / or an emulsion from the group of silicon - organic compounds , in order prepare the dip . it consists of approx . 45 % by weight of fused silica - 12 mesh to & lt ; 350 mesh , approx . 45 % by weight and approx . 10 % by weight of zircon silica 350 meshstuccoing material for the zircon - silica sand1st and 2nd layer : stuccoing material for the aluminum silica3rd layer : 3rd layer = 1st back - up layerstuccoing material for the mixture of 50 % mullite and4th and all following layers : 50 % aluminum silicate grain size 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 mm______________________________________ in a mixing vessel of 600 mm diameter and 650 mm height the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 41 . 5 % by weight = 94 kg2 . filler 58 . 5 % by weight = 132 kg3 . total quantity 141 1 = 226 kg back - up dip4 . the 94 kg of binder , corre - sponding to 82 1 , consist of : 56 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 13 1 of deionished water 13 1 of high polymer5 . the 132 kg of filler consists of : 59 . 5 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 350 mesh 59 . 5 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 13 kg of zircon powder 350 mesh______________________________________ the resulting zahncup no . 2 viscosity of the back - up dip was 22 sec . by increasing the filler quantity to 63 % by weight the zahncup no . 2 viscosity was increased to 37 sec . and was thus within the range of the rated viscosity of 33 to 41 sec . wax clusters from production and 2 clusters of bending specimens were provided , as usual , with the 1st and 2nd dip coat and then immersed into the back - up of the above described composition as follows : 1 . immersion of the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by hand with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up dip - coat applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by hand with 50 % aluminum silicate and 50 % mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . this means that the shells were completed in a 2 - shift operation . the relative humidity was 50 ± 5 % and the ambient temperature 23 °± 1 ° c . drying was performed partially with fan assistance . the resulting multiple - core castings were of very good quality . the following average bending strength values were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramicflat specimens σ bb : ______________________________________green 349 n / cm . sup . 2fired 309 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 400 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ in a production mixing vessel the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 37 % by weight = 423 kg2 . filler 63 % by weight = 720 kg3 . total quantity of the 630 1 = 1143 kg back - up4 . the 423 kg of binder , corre - sponding to 367 1 , consist of 251 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 58 1 of deionished water 58 1 of high polymer5 . the 720 kg of filler consist of : 327 . 5 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 350 mesh 327 . 5 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 65 kg of fused silica 350 mesh______________________________________ the ph - valve of the finished back - up ranged between 9 and 10 units . the actual viscosity was within the range of the rated viscosity , i . e . between 33 and 21 sc . according to zahncup 2 . the theoretical quantity of solids of colloidal sio 2 in the binder was calculated to be 21 . 5 %. the theoretical quantity of solids of high polymers in the binder was calculated to be approx . 7 %. the total quantity of solids of colloidal sio 2 and high polymer in the binder was approx . 28 . 5 %. after the application of the 1st and 2nd dip the following dipping cycle was adhered to by means of a robot : 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with 50 % of aluminum silicate and 50 % of mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . the respective shells were produced in a 2 - shift operation . a total of 1 . 334 clusters were produced . the following average bending strength values ( σ bb ). were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens σ bb______________________________________green 450 to 660 n / cm . sub . 2fired 480 to 660 n / cm . sub . 2fired 590 to 870 n / cm . sub . 2______________________________________ in a production mixing vessel the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 36 % by weight = 434 . 8 kg2 . filler 64 % by weight = 737 . 7 kg3 . total quantity of the 636 . 7 1 = 1172 . 5 kg back - up dip4 . the 360 . 2 1 of binder consist of : 247 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 57 . 2 1 of deionished water 56 1 of high polymer5 . the 737 . 7 kg of filler consist of : 335 . 3 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 120 mesh 335 . 3 kg of mullite powder 130 mesh 67 . 1 kg of zircon silicate 350 mesh______________________________________ the ph - value of the finished back - up dip ranged between 9 and 10 units . the actual viscosity was within the range of the rated viscosity which , for reasons of production , had been changed in the meantime , i . e . between 28 and 36 sec . according to zahncup 2 . the total quantity of solids of colloidal sio and high polymer in the binder was approx . 28 . 25 %. relative air humidity inside the dipping room 50 ± 5 %. temperature inside the dipping room 23 °± 1 ° c . drying time between individual back - up layers = 2 . 5 to 3 hours . after the application of the 1st and 2nd dip the following dipping cycle was adhered by means of a robot : 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with 50 % of aluminum silicate and 50 % of mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . the respective shells were produced in a 2 - shift operation . a total of 333 clusters were produced . the following average binding strength values ( σ bb ) were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens σ bb : ______________________________________green 417 n / cm . sup . 2fired 582 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 696 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ in a production vessel of 600 mm diameter and 630 mm height the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 36 % by weight = 73 . 7 kg2 . filler 64 % by weight = 130 . 9 kg3 . total quantity of the 113 1 = 204 . 6 kg back - up dip4 . the 73 . 7 kg , corre - sponding to 61 . 6 1 , consist of : 58 . 7 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 2 . 9 1 of high polymer with addition agent5 . the 130 . 9 kg of filler consists of : 59 . 5 kg of fused silica powder - 120 mesh 59 . 5 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 11 . 9 kg of zircon silicate 350 mesh______________________________________ the resulting zahncup no . 2 viscosity was 43 sec . by reducing the filler quantity to approx . 61 % by weight the zahncup no . 2 viscosity was reduced to 36 sec . and was thus within the range of the rated viscosity of 28 to 36 sec . wax clusters from production and 2 clusters of bending specimens were provided , as usual , with the 1st and 2nd dip coat and then immersed into the back - up dip of the above described composition as follows : 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing with 50 % aluminum silicate grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm , by hand . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by hand with 50 % aluminum silicate and 50 % mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 and 4 . this means that the shells were completed in a 2 - shift operation . the relative humidity was 50 ± 5 % and the ambient temperature 23 °± 1 ° c . the resulting multiple - core castings were of very good quality . the following average bending strength values were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens σ bb : ______________________________________green 366 to 394 n / cm . sup . 2fired 558 to 684 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 725 to 807 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ in a production mixing vessel the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 37 % by weight = 426 kg2 . filler 63 % by weight = 726 kg3 . total weight of the 637 = 1152 kg back - up dip4 . the 426 kg of binder , corre - sponding to 360 1 , consist of : 331 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 29 1 of an emulsion of a silica - organic compound5 . the 726 kg of filler consist of : 330 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 120 mesh 330 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 66 kg of zircon powder 350 mesh______________________________________ the ph - value of the finished back - up dip ranged between 9 and 10 units . the actual viscosity was within the range of the rated viscosity , i . e . between 24 and 28 sec . according to zahncup 2 . the relative air humidity inside the dipping room was 50 ± 5 %. temperature inside the dipping room : 23 °± 1 ° c . drying time between individual back - up layers : 2 . 5 to 3 hours . after the application of the 1st and 2nd dip - coat the following dipping cycle was adhered to by means of a robot . 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with 50 % aluminum silicate and 50 % mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . above . the following average bending strength values ( σ bb ) were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens : σ bb : ______________________________________green 400 to 600 n / cm . sup . 2fired 470 to 690 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 620 to 750 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .	2
fig1 shows a mark recognition means 12 for recognizing a defect information mark m attached to a vehicle body b which is an inspected object , also shown is a water jet robot 14 which is a non - contact processing means for removing a defect portion r1 ( fig2 ) from the body b with no contact in accordance with the defect information mark m recognized by the mark recognition means 12 . as shown in fig2 the defect information mark m includes a removal area mark m1 specifying the defect portion r1 and a surrounding removal area r2 ( including the defect portion r1 . also shown is a removal speed mark m2 for specifying a removal speed for a water jet w ( fig1 ), in other words , a scan speed of a nozzle 14n . a jet type mark m3 for specifying the strength , the shape , or the like of the water jet w is also provided . the removal area mark m1 is torus shaped having an inside diameter d1 and an outside diameter d2 and includes the removal area r2 . thus , a size of the removal area mark m1 is changed depending on a size of the removal area r2 and is always greater than that of the removal area r2 . therefore , the removal area mark m1 is easily recognized in the image processing . the removal speed mark m2 is circular and the number thereof exhibits a removal speed . the jet type mark m3 is rectangular and the number thereof exhibits , for example , spray strength . the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are disposed adjacent to the removal area mark m1 . preferably , shapes of the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are simple in order to facilitate easy recognition , and have distinct features to avoid confusing them . the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 can be omitted . in this case , standard removal speed and jet types are preset . if the numbers of the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are set between 0 and 3 respectively , sixteen ( 4 × 4 ) combinations thereof can be set as the removal conditions . the number of removal speed marks m2 and jet type marks m3 represent information , for example , the information shown in fig3 . in this embodiment , the mark is stamped and recognized in such a way shown in fig3 . referring to fig4 a removal area mark m11 encloses a remove area r12 &# 39 ; including a defect portion r11 , with an elongated loop . thus , a shape of the removal area mark m11 is not limited to be torus shaped . any shape may be allowed as long as the removal area mark m11 encloses the remove area r12 and is a closed loop . in the embodiment shown in fig4 the removal area mark m11 is inscribed with a felt pen . the defect information mark m may also be painted with an aqueous paint including a fluorescent substance . the fluorescent substance emits lights upon receiving a uv ray . referring back to fig1 the mark recognition means 12 is composed of , for example , an uv lamp 121 for embossing the defect information mark m , a ccd camera 122 for inputting an image including the defect information mark m , a robot 123 mounted to the ccd camera 122 , a recognition controller 124 for controlling the ccd camera 122 and the robot 123 , and an image processor 125 for extracting the defect information mark m based on the image obtained through the ccd camera 122 to specify a position of the defect information mark m . the recognition controller 124 and the image processor 125 are composed of , for example , a microcomputer and are operated by a control program and an image processing program , respectively . the water jet robot 14 is composed of , for example , an water jet processing machine 141 , a robot 142 mounted to the water jet processing machine 141 and a removal controller 143 for controlling the water jet processing machine 141 and the robot 142 . the water jet processing machine 141 refers to a machine tool for processing by spraying water from the nozzle 14n with high pressure . the remove controller 143 is composed of , for example , a microcomputer and is operated by a control program . the defect information mark m may be attached to the body b by a visually inspecting operator or system . a conveyor then carries the body b in front of the mark recognition means 12 . the uv lamp 121 radiates uv rays onto the whole body b . the defect information mark m receives the uv rays and emits light . the status is then recorded by the ccd camera 122 . the robot 123 moves the ccd camera 122 in three - dimensions . the ccd camera 122 then outputs image signals of the whole body b to the recognition controller 124 . the image processor 125 inputs the image signals and position information of the ccd camera 122 from the recognition controller 124 , extracts the defect information mark m from the image signals , calculates a position coordinate of the removal area r2 from the removal area mark m1 and decodes the removal speed and the jet types from the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 . the removal area mark m1 should be large enough to be recognized easily . once the removal area mark m1 is recognized , the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 therearound can also be easily recognized . because the defect information mark m is light - emitting , the defect information mark m can be extracted depending on a degree of the light intensity output to the removal . accordingly , the defect information mark m is extremely easily recognized . in this way , the information obtained in the image processor 125 is output to the removal controller 143 . then , the body b is carried in front of the water jet robot 14 . the removal controller 143 controls the robot 142 and the water jet processing machine 141 based on the information input from the image processor 125 . in other words , the nozzle 14n of the water jet processing machine 141 is moved at a designated scan speed within the removal area r2 via the robot 142 to spray the water jet w within the removal area r2 according to the specified jet type . a diameter of the water jet w can be easily reduced by the nozzle . therefore , micro remove area r2 can also be removed . the water jet processing machine 141 does not directly contact the removal area r2 unlike a sanding machine . consequently , a base coat of the removal area r2 is unlikely to be damaged . referring to fig5 to remove coating defects from a four - wheeled vehicle body , a plurality of cameras is used . in the embodiment shown in fig5 two ccd cameras 16 are focused on an engine hood , four ccd cameras 17 on a roof and two ccd cameras 18 on a trunk lid . respective photograph areas are shown by chain double - dashed lines . when the mark is recognized within the camera range , the body surface having the mark is recorded by a mark pick - up camera 20 . accordingly , the mark can be photographed with a sufficient magnification for image processing , even if the mark m is attached where both camera ranges 16 are overlapped as shown in fig5 or if the mark is small . output from the respective cameras are input to the image processor 125 . depending on the recognition result from the image processor 125 , the robot 142 is driven . in addition , if the mark pick - up camera 20 photographs , records , or takes an image of the mark , posture information of the mark pick - up camera is stored . in other words , if the robot 142 supporting the mark pick - up camera 20 has , for example , five axes , angle information for each of the five axes is stored . the angle information is used for controlling the robot 142 supporting the water jet . when the mark pick - up camera is positioned on the mark , zooming is then performed . the mark pick - up camera photographs around and at a constant distance from the closed loop to verify whether or not the remove speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are attached . referring to fig6 a , in the closed loop image recognition , if scanning begins at an upper left pixel , a pixel being at ( x1 , y1 ) is first found . once the pixel is found , it tracks , for example , in a clockwise direction 23 , how far an outside perimeter from the pixel continues . after tracking around the perimeter , it reaches the initial pixel at ( x1 , y1 ). if it does not reach the initial pixel , the outside perimeter is not a closed loop . after tracing the outside perimeter , its pixel column and an approximate function thereof are stored . scanning continues in scanning direction ( value y ) of the initial pixel at ( x1 , y1 ) to a downward direction to find an end pixel at ( x2 , y2 ). then , it tracks , for example , counterclockwise 24 to extract an inside perimeter . pixel column and an approximate function of the inside perimeter are also stored . if the tracking directions of the outside and the inside perimeters are different in capturing the closed loop , the closed loop can be clearly defined and handled in the processing thereafter . needless to say , various methods for extracting the closed loop by the image processing are known and widely used by those skilled in the art . therefore , suitable methods are applicable to the present invention . one embodiment of recognition processing of the painted mark having a peculiar shape will be described referring to fig6 b and 6c . to avoid influence of size or noise , a distance from a center to a perimeter , for example , is utilized . in a circle m2 of fig6 b , a distance 25 from a center 27 to an upper end and a distance 26 from the center to a left end are approximately the same . on the other hand , in a rectangle m3 of fig6 c , a distance 28 and a distance 29 have an entirely different ratio . utilizing this fact , individual shapes can be recognized quickly and certainly . of course , any other methods known by those skilled in the art , for example , overlapping with a predetermined shape , may be used for extracting the shape . as shown in fig7 the water jet processing machine 141 is held by the robot 142 that is disposed straddling the vehicle body . the robot is controlled by the removal controller 143 . the water jet processing machine 141 is first positioned approximately the marked area , and a jet angle thereof is then determined based on the result of the image processing . for removing micro defects , it is desirable that the water jet scans only inside the closed loop . according to this embodiment , a detailed shape of the vehicle body is relevant because of the non - contact system of the present invention . in other words , the removal is not specified with three - dimensional points , but with a certain plane and its two - dimensional coordinates . even in the two - dimensional coordinates , the water jet sprays , or the laser radiates straight , thereby accurately removing only the micro defects . thus , no three - dimensional positioning is needed using the non - contact system . consequently , no body shape of the vehicle is required to be input in advance . according to this embodiment , if the body shape of the vehicle is changed , the defects can be removed without alteration . preferably , the mark pick - up camera 123 stores the posture information of the recorded closed loop . the water jet robot is driven so as to be in the same posture as the posture information . the water jet processing machine 141 is directed to the same posture and direction as the mark pick - up camera 123 , and its jet angle is then controlled in accordance with the recognition result of the image processing . in other words , the angle of the water jet is determined in view of a zoom ratio of the mark pick - up camera and the position of the closed loop . while the described embodiments represent the preferred form of the present invention , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto . for example , the inspected object is not limited to a vehicle body and may be a chassis or the like instead . the ccd camera as the mark recognition means may be incorporated into the water jet processing machine itself . moreover , the present invention is applicable , for example , to defects caused by contamination , foreign materials or the like as well as coating defects .	1
the present invention , a 37 mm screw apart shell , is an improvement on existing 37 mm launcher shells . the same improvement also applies to 40 mm launcher shells . the present invention is comprised of two items : a circular threaded base and a 37 mm tube that is threaded on one end to accept the threaded base . the threaded base is comprised of three components : the opening to house an ignition source such as a blank or a primer , a bowl to house propellant such as black powder or a black powder equivalent , and a threaded portion to mate with the tube . the ignition source for a 37 mm shell is typically a 209 shotgun primer . the 209 shotgun primer is commercially available and is an industry standard primer used in many applications . the threaded base of the present invention has a circular opening in the center of the bottom face of the base . the circular opening is of such a diameter that a 209 shotgun primer can be inserted and press - fit into the opening remaining in place after insertion . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , a blank cartridge may be substituted for a 209 shotgun primer ( diameter of bottom face opening would be such that the blank cartridge would fit and remain in place after insertion ). the opening in the bottom face of the base terminates at the propellant bowl . the propellant bowl is a revolved “ u ”- shaped depression in the threaded base . the walls of the chamber are smooth and without striations . at the center of the bottom of the bowl is the opening where an ignition source would be housed . the bowl is of such size that it will hold 50 grains of black powder ( fffg grade ). if desired , a cover disk can be inserted atop the black powder inside the bowl to provide a greater propulsive force . the threaded portion of the base is on the outside edge of the propellant bowl chamber . the threads are on the exterior face ( male portion ) designed such that engagement with the tube threads ( female portion ) will result in a uniform outer diameter extending the full length of the tube and base , up to the base flange . the threads are machined as a part of the base unit . the 37 mm launcher screw apart shell base threads into the shell tube . the tube may be of varied length , depending on the desired shell application . the walls of the tube are of a constant thickness and are of a smooth , non - bored consistency , with the exception of the threading on the lower portion of the tube . the interior face of the bottom of the tube is threaded to mate with the exterior face of the shell base in such a manner that when assembled , the interior of the tube has a smooth and clean finish , not interfering with the launching of the payload . when assembling the present invention , the ensuing methods should be followed . the two - piece assembly should be unscrewed in such a manner that the user is left with a base separately detached from the tube . the base and tube should be inspected for damage prior to use . if damage is noted , shell should not be used . once inspected , a new 209 shotgun primer should be inserted into the base and pressure applied until primer is lodged inside base . once the primer is secure , black powder or black powder equivalent ( i . e ., pyrodex ) is measured and poured into propellant bowl . if desired , propellant bowl should be sealed with a base disk , which is lodged into inside edge of propellant bowl . tube is screwed onto base tightly . once shell is formed in its entirety , the payload tube and payload can be inserted into the shell and prepared for launch . upon firing , shell is removed from launcher and the two portions of shell should be unscrewed . pressure should be applied to previously fired 209 shotgun primer from the inside of the propellant bowl until primer becomes dislodged from base . both portions of shell should be inspected for damage . if no damage is noted base should be thoroughly cleaned before continuing . once clean , procedure for assembly is repeated as detailed above . the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses 6061 - t6 aluminum for all portions of the shell . however , alternative embodiments could be formed from a variety of materials ( including , but , not limited to , other metals , metal alloys , composites , or plastic ). the tube is manufactured from either thick - wall tubing or solid cylindrical stock . the base is formed out of solid cylindrical stock . both pieces are individually shaped and formed on a lathe , and assembled upon completion of forming . as many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing form the scope thereof , 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 limited sense . it is also to be understood that the language used in the claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention , which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween .	5
the hydroisomerizations carried out in accordance with the invention involve the use of catalysts contaning ( a ) a palladium component , ( b ) a cerium component , and ( c ) an alumina support . other conventional ingredients can also be present . the palladium component of the inventive catalyst can be in the form of finely divided palladium metal or compouns of palladium which are reducible by hydrogen to palladium metal . the palladium component is preferably used in the form of palladium metal deposited on a suitable support or in the form of hydrogen - reducible compounds of palladium on a suitable support . compounds of palladium which are reducible by hydrogen to palladium metal include the oxides , halides , nitrates , sulfates , oxalates , acetates , carbamates , propionates , tartrates , hydroxides , and the like , and mixtures thereof . exemplary compounds include palladium oxide , palladium chloride , palladium nitrate , palladium acetate , palladium carbonate , palladium hydroxide , palladium oxalate , and the like . the cerium component of the catalyst can be finely divided elemental cerium , or compouns of cerium reducible to finely divided cerium by hydrogen . preferably , the cerium component will comprise cerium or a cerium compound reducible by hydrogen to cerium metal when deposited on a suitable support . the compounds of cerium which are reducible by hydrogen to elemental cerium include oxides , halides , nitrates , hydroxides , acetates , oxalates , carbonates , propionates , tartrates , and the like , and mixtures thereof . specific examples of useful cerium compounds include cerium ( iii ) oxide , cerium ( iv ) oxide , cerium triacetate , cerium trichloride , cerium trihydroxide , cerium nitrate , and the like . the weight ratio of palladium to cerium in the mixed catalyst of the invention will generally lie within the range of about 0 . 1 : 1 to about 10 : 1 , preferably within the range of about 0 . 3 : 1 to about 3 : 1 . generally , the alumina component employed will be a high surface area alumina . gamma -, eta -, and beta - aluminas are operable . &# 34 ; high surface area &# 34 ; generally means a surface area of about 25 - 700 m 2 / g , with surface areas of 100 - 300 m 2 / g preferred . alumina - containing materials , such as combinations containing alumina and other refractory oxides or other conventional carrier components , can be used . while combinations containing at least one of silica , magnesia , thoria , zirconia , and the like , are operable , it is generally preferred to use a high surface area alumina alone . the amount of alumina or alumina - containing material employed in the catalyst of the invention may vary . generally , those amounts which assure a high rate of hydroisomerization activity will be employed . typical catalysts used in accordance herewith will contain about 0 . 1 to about 10 . 0 , and preferably about 0 . 25 to about 5 . 0 , weight percent of palladium and cerium combinations , with the balance being alumina or alumina - containing material . other modifiers may be present either as catalyst components or as additives to the feedstream . when present , they will be used in quantities consistent with their functions . the catalysts used herein are generally prepared by contacting the palladium and cerium components , either at the same time or in any suitable order , with a support component . a typical catalyst preparation can be described as follows : the mixture of palladium and cerium can be prepared in any convenient manner . for example , a mixture of palladium or a reducible compound of palladium and cerium or a reducible cerium compound can be codeposited from a solution onto a support . the palladium or reducible compound of palladium and cerium or reducible compound of cerium can also be deposited on the support separately or in any order . suitable solvents include those in which the palladium or reducible compound of palladium and cerium or reducible compound of cerium are soluble such as alcohols , nitriles , organic and inorganic acids , water , and the like , and mixtures thereof . exemplary solvents include acetonitrile , acetic acid , aqueous hydrochloric acid , methanol , ethanol , and water . typically , the minimum volume of solvent necessary to suspend or dissolve the palladium or reducible compound of palladium and the cerium or reducible compound of cerium is employed . the support is soaked in the palladium / cerium containing solution for sufficient time to allow adsorption of the metal components dissolved therein . typically , 15 minutes to 2 hours are suitable . excess solvent is then removed , for example , by drying the wet catalyst on the rotary evaporator . the dired catalyst is calcined in air at temperatures of 300 °- 700 ° c . for about 1 / 2 hour to about 4 hours , and then reduced under hydrogen atmosphere at temperatures of 300 °- 700 ° c . for about 1 / 2 hour to about 4 hours . the organic feeds to be hydroisomerized , i . e ., converted to internal olefins , in accordance with the invention include unsaturated compounds of the general formula wherein r &# 39 ; is methyl or hydrogen , with hydrogen preferred , and r &# 34 ; is an organic moiety containing from 2 to 30 carbon atoms . useful compounds include terminally unsaturated olefins containing from about 4 to about 33 carbon atoms , with those containing 4 to 10 carbon atoms preferred . typical 1 - olefins to be employed as an organic feed include : 1 - butene , 1 - pentene , 4 - methyl - 1 - pentene , 1 - hexene , 3 - ethyl - 1 - hexene , 5 - ethyl - 1 - octene , 1 - decene , and the like , and mixtures thereof . preferred are straight chain 1 - olefins with 5 - 10 carbons . especially preferred is 1 - pentene . generally , a conversion of terminal olefins to internal olefins in accordance with the invention will take place in the liquid or gas phase , depending upon the character of the feed and the type of apparatus employed . a typical conversion reaction will involve the gas phase conversion of 1 - olefins to 2 - olefins in a tubular reactor . suitable reaction devices include a stirred tank reactor or the like . conversion temperatures will usually lie between about 80 ° and about 250 ° c ., with about 130 - 170 ° c . preferred . at these temperatures , the production of a 50 : 50 cis / trans isomer mixture is optimized . hydrogen is required in the practice of the invention . the order of addition is unimportant , i . e ., the hydrogen can be introduced prior to , concurrent with , or subsequent to the time that hydrocarbon is brought in contact with the catalyst . for example , the hydrogen and hydrocarbon stream may be admixed prior to contacting the catalyst . the hydrocarbon , the hydrogen , or both , can be added undiluted , or diluted with a suitable inert medium such as inert gases and saturated hydrocarbons . exemplary inert gases include nitrogen , argon , carbon dioxide , and the like . exemplary saturated hydrocarbons include methane , ethane , propane , butane , isobutane , pentane and the like , and mixtures thereof . the hydrogen is added at the rate of about 10 to about 1000 lhsv , with about 100 lhsv preferred . the invention can be carried out under varying pressure conditions . pressures employed are generally about 100 mm hg to about 120 psig , preferably from about 1 atm . to about 70 psig most preferably about 30 psig . space velocities of about 0 . 2 to about 10 , preferably about 0 . 5 to 5 lhsv are operable . suitable techniques for recovery of the internal olefins produced in accordance with the invention include distillation , selective adsorption , and the like . other conventional recovery techniques , as well as other processes , not associated with the handling and storage of internal olefins may be used in conjunction with the process of the invention . control catalysts a - e were obtained from commercial sources , as indicated in table i . invention catalyst f was prepared as follows . a solution containing 0 . 5 g pd ( oac ) 2 and 0 . 6 g ce ( oac ) 3 in about 50 ml of glacial acetic acid was added to a beaker containing 50 g of t1370 ( alumina support from catalysts and chemicals , inc ., louisville , ky ). the mixture was allowed to stand for 30 - 60 minutes , the solvent was removed on the rotary evaporator . dried catalyst was calcined in air at 350 ° c . for about 3 hours , followed by hydrogen reduction at 350 ° c . for about 3 hours . table i______________________________________catal - metal supplieryst support loading ( catalyst number ) ______________________________________a al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 5 % pd engelhard industries (# 25359 ) b al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 5 % pd catalysts and chemicals , inc . (# t - 1370 pd ) c al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 pd harshaw chemical co . (# pd - 0803 ) d al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 3 % pt calsicat div ., mallinchrodt , inc . (# 05b - 027d ) e catapol sb 0 . 5 % pd catalysts and chemicals , inc . (# l - 119 ) f al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 5 % pd + invention catalyst 0 . 5 % ce______________________________________ control catalysts a - e were subjected to a variety of hydroisomerization conditions , as summarized in table ii . variable 1 - pentene feed rate , reaction pressures , hydrogen / diluent ratios and reaction temperatures were studied . table ii__________________________________________________________________________ gas flow 1 - pentene feed ml / min reaction conditions 1 - pentene 2 - pentenerun # catalyst rate , ml / hr h . sub . 2 n . sub . 2 temp ., ° c . press ., psig conversion , % selectivity , __________________________________________________________________________ % 1 a 36 20 60 25 30 53 . 8 8 . 52 36 40 60 25 30 43 . 6 41 . 53 36 60 60 25 30 50 . 5 41 . 84 b 36 20 60 90 30 62 . 8 86 . 35 36 20 60 110 30 69 . 4 82 . 46 36 40 60 110 30 79 . 3 79 . 47 36 60 60 110 30 84 . 7 75 . 98 36 60 60 130 30 92 . 8 71 . 39 36 40 60 130 30 89 . 6 82 . 610 36 40 60 150 30 91 . 4 83 . 211 36 20 60 150 30 81 . 1 85 . 912 36 0 60 150 30 39 . 1 06 . 913 36 0 60 170 30 44 . 5 96 . 914 36 20 60 170 30 85 . 7 89 . 115 36 0 60 200 30 55 . 5 97 . 816 36 20 60 200 30 80 . 6 79 . 717 36 40 60 200 30 84 . 8 73 . 918 c 72 20 60 130 70 23 . 3 61 . 419 d 72 20 60 130 70 23 . 3 55 . 420 e 72 20 60 130 70 49 . 4 91 . 521 72 20 60 150 70 52 . 8 81 . 1__________________________________________________________________________ this example demonstrates that palladium on alumina catalyst promotes the isomerization of 1 - pentene to 2 - pentene . note , however , that high conversions (& gt ; 80 %) are typically accompanied by low selectivity to the desired 2 - pentene . high selectivities (& gt ; 90 %) to the desired product , 2 - pentene , are only obtained where low conversions (& gt ; 60 %) per pass are observed . invention catalyst f was subjected to a variety of hydroisomerization conditions , as summarized in table iii . variable 1 - pentene feed rate , reaction pressures , hydrogen / diluent ratios and reaction temperatures were studied . table iii__________________________________________________________________________1 - pentene feed ml / min reaction conditions 1 - pentene 2 - pentenerun # rate , ml / hr h . sub . 2 n . sub . 2 temp ., ° c . press ., psig conversion , % selectivity , % __________________________________________________________________________1 36 20 60 170 30 94 . 0 88 . 92 36 20 60 200 30 96 . 5 65 . 83 36 20 120 170 30 89 . 8 86 . 34 72 20 60 170 30 94 . 8 73 . 95 72 40 60 170 30 92 . 2 78 . 66 72 40 120 170 30 87 . 5 91 . 97 72 40 120 130 30 91 . 6 90 . 58 72 40 120 120 30 90 . 3 90 . 89 72 40 120 110 30 89 . 0 90 . 710 72 40 120 130 30 91 . 6 90 . 511 72 40 120 130 50 95 . 6 84 . 612 72 40 120 130 10 86 . 5 95 . 813 72 40 120 130 0 77 . 4 97 . 814 72 40 120 110 70 91 . 5 83 . 715 72 40 120 150 70 95 . 9 84 . 816 72 40 120 130 50 95 . 2 88 . 817 72 40 120 130 70 96 . 1 85 . 118 72 60 120 130 70 96 . 9 76 . 819 72 20 120 130 90 96 . 6 91 . 220 72 40 120 130 90 97 . 3 79 . 221 72 40 180 130 90 97 . 3 75 . 622 72 20 180 130 90 97 . 1 84 . 6__________________________________________________________________________ this example demonstrates the effectiveness of the inventive hydroisomerization process for the conversion of 1 - pentene to 2 - pentene . excellent conversions (& gt ; 80 %) and selectivities (& gt ; 80 %) are obtained in most cases under a variety of reaction conditions . under optimum conditions , as illustrated by runs 7 , 8 , 10 , and 19 , 1 - pentene conversions in excess of 90 % with greater than 90 % selectivity to the desired product , 2 - pentene , are achieved . reasonable variations , such as those which would occur to one of ordinary skill in the art , may be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention .	2
present computer systems can be distributed in various forms . fig1 a shows a logical relationship in which processor 10 sits at the top and collects information from processors 12 , 14 , and 16 . processor 14 collects information from processors 18 , 20 and 22 . in the hierarchical logical configuration , updates flow up the hierarchy to processor 10 . these updates then eventually flow back down the hierarchy so that lower level processors may receive changes made by those processors at equal and higher levels . processors 12 , 14 , and 16 collect updates from processor 10 . processors 18 , 20 , and 22 collect updates from processor 14 . fig1 b schematically illustrates what is known as a star configuration in which processor 30 is the central node and is connected to processors 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 and 42 . fig1 c illustrates a peer network configuration in which each processor 50 , 52 , 54 and 56 has a connection to every other processor within the network . network configurations are well - known in the computer industry and further discussion of network structures are beyond the scope of this description and unnecessary for an understanding of the present invention . regardless of the type of network , it is often necessary for all of the processors or nodes to contain identical information in their databases . in the preferred embodiment , the database to be considered is a phone directory / address book for a corporation . it is understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is extendable to all types of databases . since the invention for synchronizing the databases to be described herein is the same for all network structures , the detailed description will be limited to the hierarchical structure as further shown in fig2 . in this example , node 22 has recently been updated with changes to its phone directory / address book . it is referred to as the collectee node . node 14 is known as the collector node because it collects data from the collectee node 22 . in turn node 14 is in the collectee node for collector node 10 . the shadowing process is always initiated by the collector node . this ensures that no undesired data is sent to a node . the collector node can be any node within the network . a node doesn &# 39 ; t need to be only a collector , it can also be a collectee in another shadowing process , so the place the node has within the network does not matter . the network configurations shown represent logical data flows only . a line connecting two nodes only means that a data collection takes place between those two systems . physically , there may be several other nodes in between the collector and collectee . as long as the collector and collectee can talk to each other , it doesn &# 39 ; t matter what the physical configuration of the network is . referring to fig3 the control table ( shadow -- tbl ) 60 for the database to be shadowed in the collector node is illustrated . shadow -- tbl 60 contains several data entries as follows : also shown in fig3 is the shadow control table 62 ( collectee -- tbl ) which is contained in the collectee node . this table contains the following data : tlc = time last called . ( a time stamp of the last time a successful conversation was completed normally with tp2 ). dtc = delta time between collections ( amount of time between collection calls to this node .) tls = time last serviced . ( a time stamp of the last time a successful conversation was completed with tp1 . updated by tp2 ). referring now to fig4 the method of the invention is as follows . the steps in the left side of the figure take place in the collector node and are implemented by tp1 . the steps in the right side of the figure take place in the collectee node and are implemented by tp2 . of course , since a particular node can be both a collector and collectee at different times , each node contains both tp1 and tp2 . in block 100 , the collector node checks the current time . block 102 checks the tlc in the collectee -- tbl 62 ( fig3 ). if the time since the last update exceeds the specified delta times ( dtc ) between conversational exchanges of the 2 nodes , then tp1 will initiate a conversation with tp2 in the collectee node ( blocks 104 , 106 ). if not , then block 100 will continue , at regular intervals , to check the time until the delta time has been exceeded . in the tp2 program in the collectee node , initialization of the program is done in block 200 . block 202 prepares a structured query language data query to find data that has been changed in the phone / address book database . the changed data is obtained ( block 204 ) and sent to the collector node ( block 206 ). when updating is complete , block 210 updates the tls in the collectee -- tbl . tp1 then receives the updated data , applies the updates to its phone directory / address book database ( shadow -- tbl ) ( block 108 ), and updates tlc in its collectee -- tbl . fig5 and 6 contain pseudocode listings for the collector and collectee programs , also known as tp1 and tp2 respectively . while these examples employ the lu6 . 2 communications protocol , it is readily apparent that any suitable peer - to - peer communications protocol can be used . while the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes to the described method can easily be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the computer network can be of any configuration and the database of any type . accordingly , the invention shall be limited only as specified in the following claims .	8
an object or module is a section of computer readable code embodied in a computer . the detailed description that follows may be presented in terms of program procedures executed on a computer or network of computers . these procedural descriptions are representations used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art . these procedures herein described are generally a self - consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result . these steps require physical manipulations of physical quantities such as electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , compared , or otherwise manipulated readable medium that is designed to perform a specific task or tasks . actual computer or executable code or computer readable code may not be contained within one file or one storage medium but may span several computers or storage mediums . the term “ host ” and “ server ” may be hardware , software , or combination of hardware and software that provides the functionality described herein . the present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations of methods , apparatus (“ systems ”) and computer program products according to the invention . it will be understood that each block of a flowchart illustration can be implemented by a set of computer readable instructions or code . these computer readable instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine such that the instructions will execute on a computer or other data processing apparatus to create a means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . these computer readable instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in a computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer executed process such that the instructions are executed on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . accordingly , elements of the flowchart support combinations of means for performing the special functions , combination of steps for performing the specified functions and program instruction means for performing the specified functions . it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations can be implemented by special purpose hardware based computer systems that perform the specified functions , or steps , or combinations of special purpose hardware or computer instructions . the present invention is now described more fully herein with reference to the drawings in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown . this invention may , however , be embodied any many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . referring to fig1 , a computer 10 having a computer readable medium 12 contains computer readable instructions . a display 14 is in communication with computer 10 for displaying images to a user . referring to display 14 a , a sensor 16 is able to determine an individual &# 39 ; s pupil in order to determine the direction of the individual &# 39 ; s gaze . therefore , an eye tracking sensor or sensor 16 will allow computer readable instructions to determine which area of the display the user is gazing . further , sensor 16 will also be able to determine fixation and saccade . fixation is the amount of time that an individual gazes at a specific location . saccade is the amount of time that transpires when a user looks from one location to another on the display . in one embodiment , the user has eight images which are displayed on display 14 . the set of images 18 can be numbered one through eight for identification purposes . the test subject can then be asked a question such as “ which of these do you find most sexually attractive ?”, and can use the mouse or other input device to indicate which of the images is selected . during the time in which the user is viewing the set of images , sensor 16 is determining fixation and saccade of the test subject for each of the images . this information is transmitted to computer 10 and stored in computer readable medium 12 . with fixation and saccade known for a particular image , a gaze time can be calculated for each of the displayed images . saccades are quick , simultaneous movements of both eyes in the same direction . using the fixation on an image and the saccade across displayed images , a gaze time for each of the displayed images can be determined . knowing the total display time of a display set having displayed images , a percentage of total gaze score for each image displayed can be determined . while there are multiple methods for calculating the gaze percentage of a test subject for displayed images , one example is if it is determined that the display set is displayed for 18 seconds and one image holds the gaze of the test subject for 4 seconds , the image is calculated to have held the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze for approximately 22 % of the time ( 4 / 18 ). in this example , the gaze percentage would be 22 %. in another example , the number of fixations to a specific image can be included in the calculation . if the test subject returns his gaze to a particular image 10 times , then the number of fixations score would be 10 and this value can be used in combination with the gaze percentage score to provide more reliable data about the test subjects gaze returning to a particular image . in one embodiment , sensor 16 is located on a desk below display 14 . sensor 16 then determines gaze of the user and saccade of the user and will transmit this information at computer 10 . in one embodiment , the eye - tracking sensors are the tm3 offered by eye tech digital systems . in one embodiment , the sensor can be worn by the test subject . referring now to fig2 , a set of images is shown generally as 22 . in one embodiment , sixteen sets are used . four different models of each gender ( male and female ) are used in a set . further , the attire is held consistent across a display set and ranges from fully clothed to wearing swimsuits or undergarments . each set also contains four age groups which can be described as adult , teenage , prepubertal , and preschool . generally , prepubertal is the age range between eight to thirteen , while preschool is under eight years old . each set can also be of a different ethnic origin and the ethnic origins can be held constant across a particular display set . ethnic origins can include caucasian , african - american , hispanic , or other ethnic origins . therefore , each set would contain four males and four females , two adults , two teenagers , two prepubertal and two preschool individuals and have ethnicity and attire consistent . in one embodiment , two ethnicities are used and two attires are used which result in sixteen sets of eight or 128 images . advantages that are offered by this invention are that images are presented in groups rather than one at a time and the test subject &# 39 ; s fixation duration , number of fixations to each image and saccades between each image can be measured . it does not rely on simply measuring how long , or fixation , a test subject has with a single image . although fixation can be measured for an image of the group , the invention also allows the measurement of saccade between the images . for example , results from the sensor 16 are shown generally as 24 of fig2 . it can be shown the test subject initially gazes upon image 7 having an initial point 26 . the amount of time the individual gazes at image 7 is recorded in the computer readable medium . the test subject then moves the gaze to point 28 which allows the invention to measure both the amount of time it took for the test subject to move to point 28 as well as how long the test subject gazed at point 28 . the test subject then moves to point 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 , and 38 , respectively , with the amount of time measured when the gaze shifts as well as the fixation on the particular images . as can be seen , this test subject had a fixed gaze , mostly at image 2 . if image 2 represents an adult female and the test subject is male , the results would be typical for a heterosexual male &# 39 ; s sexual attention . however , if image 2 was a preschool male , it would indicate there may be an atypical sexual attention propensity to boys in this test subject . test results shown as 40 show that the saccade of the test subject follows a greater path , but again shows that the test subject gazed upon image 6 more than the remainder of the images . further , it can be shown that the saccade of the test subject caused a viewing path to travel through image 3 , but the test subject did not fix his gaze on image 3 for any appreciable period of time . based upon the fixation durations , number of fixations and saccade durations measured by the invention and relationship of these measures with the particular type of image displayed , an indication can be given toward the sexual attention of the test subject . in addition to the fixation duration determined by sensor 16 , the invention is also able to determine the number of times the test subject visually fixates on a particular image . further , since multiple sets of images are provided , the time the test subject views each model or type of model can be determined . the sets of images also allow for the progression of the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze so that the sequence of images can be determined as viewed by the test subject . this can be helpful in showing if a test subject re - fixates on an image previously viewed since sets of images are displayed . it should also be noted that in one embodiment and according to research and literature on sexual interests , ethnicity is consistent across each set since there is some indication that adult males tend to have sexual interests and attention in persons of their same ethnicity by making the test having the ability to be tailored toward the ethnicity of the test subject . further advantages provided by this invention are that measurements are done in near real - time and therefore can calculate unconscious , reflexive eye movements beyond a test subject &# 39 ; s awareness . this can provide for more accurate and valid indications of sexual interest since fixation and saccade as well as image progression and other recorded information are much more difficult to consciously control . this invention also has the ability to generate group information allowing normalized test ranges which can help establishing base lines for using this invention . further , the test results of this invention can be immediately knowable to the clinician or individual administering the tests without the need to transmit the measurements to any third party and await an interpretation or diagnosis . further , the results can be independently verified by other clinicians or researchers since the scoring of the invention can be repeated . this invention can assist in psychological testing to aid in the evaluation , diagnosis , and treatment of pedophilia in both adult and adolescent males and although much rarer , in adult and adolescent females . this invention may also help to empirically validate the diagnosis of a person &# 39 ; s particular pedophilia as well as a test subject &# 39 ; s type of pedophilia . this invention can also be used for adolescents and can be helpful in the early diagnosis of pedophilia allowing a clinician much longer time for treatment which may reduce the likelihood of adult sexual recidivism , particularly against children . this invention also has applications as a screening tool to determine the pedophilic interests of job applicants . clearly , there are some jobs such as daycare , child protective services , juvenile justice , handicap services , education field , and other industries in which knowing whether an individual has unacceptable pedophilic interests would be of great value . in use of the invention , the sensor is calibrated at 42 . the images are then randomized into sixteen subsets with ethnicity and attire remaining constant and having four male , four female , in two of each age group , in each of the sixteen subsets at 44 . if the last subset is displayed at 46 , the information recorded from the test subject viewing the images is made at 48 . if the last subset of images is not displayed , the current subset is displayed at 50 . the eye movement information including fixation and saccade is measured at 52 . if the set has been displayed for eighteen seconds at 54 , at a two - second interval , then the invention moves to the next subset at 56 . the process returns to 46 to determine if that was the last subset displayed . if the subset has not been displayed for eighteen seconds , it remains viewable by the test subject and eye movement information continues to be recorded at 52 . referring to fig4 , an example of test results is given . there are several scales which can be used . “ nr ” represents no response ; “ cn ” represents congruence ; “ offd ” represents off duration ; “ a +” represents adult female +; “ c −” represents child −; “ scd ” represents saccade duration . there are also a number of clinical scales which can measure the subject &# 39 ; s eye movement and can include fixation duration ( fxd ) or number of fixations ( nfx ) to each of the various model types and images viewed . the invention can also provide composite clinical scales that focus on same sex children of certain age groups ( cmt ) ( cft ) as well as boys and girls in a single age group ( pm + pf ) and non - adolescent boys and girls ( ct ). the test subjects can be compared to normals of the same ethnicity so as to remove any data distortion between ethnicities . these scores can then be reported which would represent the test subject &# 39 ; s results per the scale compared to the average test score of a normal group . this will allow the evaluator or clinician to quickly interpret the text subject &# 39 ; s sexual interest and can be used to formulate categories of sexual interest in children as being very high , high , within normal limits , low , or very low . this allows for quick and easy determinations of the results . referring to fig5 , an example of cumulation of results is shown . as can be shown , for a normal male , over sixty percent of the gaze was spent on adult females from results taken from this invention . however , for sexually violent predators ( svp ), almost forty percent of the gaze percentage was spent on prepubertal females . this invention can also use a tobii e - 17 eye tracking device in order to determine the gaze and saccade of a test subject . this invention can record initial fixation which is the first duration and location of the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze . the initial fixation to one of the images of the set of images is the first fixation , then saccade to another image of the set for the second fixation which is the amount of time the test subject gazes at the second image , then a saccade back to the first image , or another image , which would be third fixation , and so on . the frequency , consistency , fixation , duration , and pattern of re - fixation of the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze provides information to indicate the individual &# 39 ; s sexual attention preferences for males and / or females of varying ages . this invention can also be used to assist and aid in the evaluation , diagnosis , and treatment of paraphilias ( especially pedophiles ) of certain sexual dysfunctions , gender identification disorders , and related sexual disorders such as ego - dystonic gender orientation . this invention may also be helpful to determine whether the sexual attention of an individual is changing . since this is an objective way of measuring the psychological treatment of a test subject &# 39 ; s pedophilia , it can be measured to determine if there are improvements based upon treatment or other factors . this invention can enhance psychiatrists , psychologists , and other health care providers to diagnose and perform forensic analysis concerning test subjects who have been charged or convicted of sexually violent predator acts and / or have become subject to post - incarceration involuntary treatment in the various states . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms , such description is for illustrative purposes only , and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims .	0
fig1 a and 1b illustrate a pair of mufflers 10 and 12 having essentially identical muffler bodies 14 and 16 , respectively , and respective pairs of muffler nipples 18a / 18b and 20a / 20b in accordance with the present invention . muffler 10 , provided with muffler nipples 18a and 18b is adapted to replace an original equipment muffler having a nipple - to - nipple distance l 1 and nipple diameters d 1 and d 3 , while muffler 12 , provided with nipples 20a and 20b which are shorter and of greater diameter than nipples 18a and 18b , is adapted to replace an original equipment muffler having a nipple - to - nipple distance of approximately l 2 and nipple diameters d 2 and d 4 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that if the nipple pairs 18a / 18b and 20a / 20b could be secured to the muffler bodies 14 or 16 at the time of installation , great savings in inventory requirements and cost can be achieved . since muffler bodies 14 and 16 can be used interchangeably with different sets of muffler nipples many different types of replacement mufflers can be produced from the same muffler body , and may thus be used to replace a wide range of original equipment mufflers . more specifically , the muffler installer who would otherwise stock either exact duplicates of the original equipment mufflers , which would require an inventory of 600 to 800 different types of mufflers , or the universal mufflers which require the special nipple swaging and trimming operations , would be able to stock a relatively small number of different types of muffler bodies and a full line of threaded muffler nipples which would allow the muffler bodies to be &# 34 ; customized &# 34 ; to replace virtually any original equipment muffler by providing the appropriate nipple - to - nipple distance and nipple diameters . stated differently , by stocking 60 to 80 different types of basic muffler bodies , a full line of 600 to 800 different types of replacement mufflers could be produced , assuming that each of the 60 to 80 body styles could be fit with approximately 10 different sets of muffler nipples . due to the size and expense of producing an individual muffler body , compared to the size and expense of producing muffler nipples , it will be appreciated that a muffler installer could greatly increase his operating efficiency by stocking relatively few different types of muffler bodies and a larger number of customized muffler nipple sets . since the nipple portions of the muffler are smaller and more cheaply and readily produced , a large number of the different types of nipples may be easily stored and readily manufactured upon demand . the manner in which the muffler nipples are secured to the muffler body will be briefly discussed with reference to fig2 . the muffler 10 can be produced by securing muffler nipple 18a to muffler body 14 at muffler bushing 22 which in turn is secured to muffler head 24 at the end of the muffler body 14 by means of bead 48 . the muffler can be completed by attaching muffler nipple 18b to the other muffler head ( not shown ) at the other side of the muffler body 14 . in accordance with a fundamental principle of the present invention , the muffler 12 , rather than muffler 10 , can alternatively be produced by using the same muffler body ( in this case designated as muffler body 16 ) by securing to the bushing 22 muffler nipple 20a having a different nipple length and nipple diameter d 2 , and by accordingly securing the right hand nipple 20b to the other side of the muffler body . the muffler nipple 18a ( or 20a ) in accordance with the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to fig3 . illustrated therein is a nipple portion 26 having an outer nipple radius r n , and a threaded portion 28 joined to the nipple portion at shank portion 30 . a pair of holes 31a and 31b , notches ( not shown ), or any other expedient , may optionally be provided on diametrically opposed sides of nipple portion 26 to facilitate the tightening of the nipple as will be described below . each of the nipple , shank and threaded portions 26 , 30 and 28 , respectively , are generally cylindrical in shape and co - axially disposed about an axis of rotation 32 . threaded portion 28 is provided with a continuous helical thread 34 which is disposed at a helix angle ψ 1 relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 . the side walls of the thread 34 are each disposed at thread angle α 1 relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 , thus providing a double thread angle between the thread walls of 2α 1 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment , the continuous helical thread 34 makes approximately two revolutions of the threaded portion 28 . the thread 34 is provided with a pitch p and outer major thread radius r 2 measured from the axis of rotation 32 to the peak of the thread . the base portion 36 of threaded portion 28 is provided with an outer minor thread radius r 1 relative to the axis of rotation 32 . the shank portion 30 is defined by an annular section of a cone having an inclined angle θ relative to the axis of rotation 32 . nipple portion 26 intersects shank portion 30 at an interface formed by an annular radius 38 formed at the intersection , as better illustrated in fig5 . it will be appreciated that nipple 20a is essentially identical to nipple 18a except for nipple portion 26 which will have the length and diameter as generally illustrated in fig1 b or 2 . the details of bushing 22 will now be discussed with reference to fig4 . the bushing is comprised of connector portion 40 and threaded portion 42 connected to the connector portion 40 . connector portion 40 and threaded portion 42 are both generally cylindrical and co - axially disposed about the axis of rotation 32 &# 39 ; corresponding to the axis of rotation 32 of the threaded nipple when the nipple is disposed within the bushing 22 . bushing 22 is disposed almost exclusively within the interior of the muffler body 14 and is connected at the end of connector portion 40 to an aperture 44 provided in the muffler head 24 . the bead 48 is produced by the connection between the bushing and the muffler head . the connection between the muffler bushing 22 and the muffler head 24 is better illustrated in fig5 . included on threaded portion 42 is a continuous helical thread 34 &# 39 ; adapted to mate with nipple thread 34 . thread 34 &# 39 ; is disposed about the base 46 of the threaded portion 42 at a helix angle ψ 2 relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 &# 39 ;. the side walls of the thread 34 &# 39 ; are each disposed at a thread angle α 2 relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 &# 39 ; to thus produce a double thread angle 2α 2 between the side walls of the thread . although not shown , the major and minor thread radii are defined for the bushing thread in a manner similar to that for the nipple thread . in operation the muffler nipple 18a is adapted to be threadedly engaged by the muffler bushing 22 as generally illustrated in fig5 . if desired , the pair of through holes 31a and 31b , or other means , could be provided in the nipple through which a screwdriver or other similar tool could be inserted to facilitate the tightening of the nipple into the bushing . as shown in fig5 the connector portion of bushing 22 is connected to head 24 at the aperture 44 ( fig4 ). the juncture between the bushing , 22 and the head 24 forms the annular bead 48 against which the shank portion 30 abuts when the nipple is secured to the bushing . the mating relationship between the thread 34 on the muffler nipple and the thread 34 &# 39 ; on the bushing is clearly illustrated in the figure . use of the threaded nipple and bushing to produce a replacement muffler in accordance with the present invention strictly requires that the nipple will not become unthreaded or otherwise loosen within the bushing . such parameters as helix angles ψ 1 , ψ 2 , thread angles α 1 , α 2 , the shank angle θ , nipple radii r 1 and r 2 , as well as the relative thicknesses of the nipple and bushing materials , may be selected to insure that such unthreading or loosening will not occur . it has been found that the average muffler is subjected to a wideband force spectrum from approximately 15 to 60 hz of approximately 40 to 60 ft . lbf . total cyclic torque . working with 40 to 60 ft . lbf . as the typical maximum cyclic torque range , a tightening torque requirement can be developed . since the loosening torque of a threaded fastener is less than the tightening torque , the difference or ratio must be determined in order to specify the tightening torque . it is known that the loosening , or removal torque t r is related to the axial force or preload p produced by the shank bearing upon the annular bead 48 , by the equation : ## equ1 ## the preload p is related to the tightening torque t tight by ## equ2 ## thus relating the loosening torque t r to the tightening torque t tight by ## equ3 ## with reference to fig6 a pair of plots are shown illustrating the relationship between tightening and loosening torque for two different sets of parameters . it can be seen that by decreasing the thread angle ψ from 12 ° to 5 °, the loosening - to - tightening torque ratio may be increased from approximately 60 % to approximately 72 %. therefore , the helix angles ψ 1 and ψ 2 for the nipple thread 34 and the bushing thread 34 &# 39 ; are preferably chosen to be approximately 5 ° for the nipple thread 34 and approximately 51 / 2 ° for the bushing . the 1 / 2 ° difference between the nipple and bushing threads produces a tight interference fit between the threads . thus , a loosening torque t r of approximately 40 ft . lbf . can be achieved by providing a tightening torque of about 55 ft . lbf . additionally , the radius 38 provided between the nipple and shank portions acts to prevent a portion of the torques imparted to the nipple from propagating to the shank , resulting in even higher effective loosening - to - tightening torque ratios . for some applications , however , it is envisioned that radius be omitted as long as a suitable loosening - to - tightening torque ratio is developed by the threads alone . even further increases in the loosening - to - tightening torque ratio may be achieved by making the outer major thread diameter of the nipple slightly greater ( i . e . on the order of 0 . 001 &# 34 ;) than the inner major thread diameter of the bushing , or by using a suitable temperature stable adhesive between the nipple and bushing threads during assembly . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , the use of these techniques will depend upon a determination of the desired loosening - to - tightening torque ratios , the available tightening torques and the expected loosening torques . fig7 is a graph which illustrates the axial force or preload p as a function of helix angle ψ for three tightening torques t . since a high preload p produces a high removal torque t r ( equation 1 ), and since the preload p is inversely proportional to the helix angle ψ , the choice of a 5 ° helix angle produces a desirably high axial preload p . based on a tightening torque of at least approximately 55 ft . lbf ., which in turn is based on the expected loosening torques and the relationship between tightening and loosening torque as shown in fig6 it is apparent that an axial preload p of at least 500 lbf . will be experienced . similar results obtain from the graph illustrated in fig8 which compares the axial preload p to the one - half thread angle , α , where for a thread angle α of 45 °, the minimum expected preload would be on the order of 500 lbf . using a tightening torque of about 55 ft . lbf . although equations 1 - 3 are given for a single thread angle α , it has been found that when fabricating the nipple and bushing in accordance with the present invention it is desirable to increase the thread angle α 2 for the bushing approximately 10 ° relative to the thread angle for the nipple . thus , in accordance with the example illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the thread angle α 1 for the nipple thread 34 is approximately 45 °, while the thread angle α 2 for the bushing thread 34 &# 39 ; is approximately 55 °. since at least approximately 55 ft . lbf . in tightening torque will be employed thus producing at least 500 lbf . in axial preload p , it is necessary to provide continuous threads 34 and 34 &# 39 ; which make approximately two full revolutions of the nipple and bushing , respectively . the continuous threads provide a uniform thread stress distribution and an essentially gas tight connection while reducing the chances of failure by creep . the continuous threads also provide lower temperature gradients between the nipple and bushing thereby reducing the possibility of loosening due to differential thermal expansion between the nipple and the bushing . further , the continuous threads ensure bushing to nipple thread engagement , allow wide thread tolerances , and allow for a significant amount of nipple over - tightening . in order to prevent excessive strain on the nipple because of high preloads on the order to 500 to 700 lbf ., the nipple material is preferably set to a minimum of approximately 0 . 06 inches in thickness . since it is desirable that the bushing threads 34 &# 39 ; slightly deform or yield to the pressure exerted on them by the nipple threads 34 to ensure uniform thread stresses , a thickness for the bushing slightly less than the thickness of the nipple material is desired . in the above example , a 0 . 042 inch thick material is preferably employed for the bushing . both the nipple and bushing may be made of commonly used material such as 1010 c . r . s . alternatively , the bushing thread geometry , rather than material thickness , may be altered to insure that bushing threads 34 &# 39 ; will yield under the force exerted by the nipple threads . fig9 illustrates the axial preload p as a function of shank angle θ for three different tightening torques t . although a shank angle of 90 ° is theoretically desirable , a more practical shank angle has been found to be approximately 30 °. the 30 ° shank angle θ allows the desired preloads to be easily achieved . finally , fig1 illustrates preload p as a function of nipple diameter for three tightening torques t and for two different sets of parameters α , μ c , μ and θ . with the tube diameter of approximately 2 inches it can be seen that the desired preload can also easily be achieved . the correct positioning and proper torque can , if desired , be accomplished by aligning properly located scribe marks ( not shown ) on the nipple and bushing as the nipple is torqued on . in accordance with the example illustrated in fig3 and 5 , the helix angles ψ 1 and ψ 2 were selected to be approximately 5 ° and 51 / 2 °, respectively , and the thread angles α 1 and α 2 were selected to be approximately 45 ° and 55 °, respectively . the thread pitch p was selected to be approximately 0 . 55 inches . the radius of the base r 1 was selected to be approximately 0 . 950 inches , while the radius r 2 of the thread 34 was selected to be approximately 1 . 021 inches . the thicknesses of the nipple and bushing materials were selected to be approximately 0 . 060 inches and 0 . 042 inches , respectively , thus insuring a certain degree of deformation of the bushing threads with a sufficient tightening torque . finally , the shank angle θ of 30 ° was also selected . the nipple and bushing produced in accordance with the above example have provided a torque of at least 150 ft . lbf . and can probably achieve a much higher torque , although this would not be necessary . at the 150 ft . lbf . torque , the nipple would not come loose from the bushing with a conventional torque wrench without heating and then applying a loosening torque of 120 ft . lbf ., representing an 80 % loosening - to - tightening torque ratio , even higher than that expected from fig6 . the reason for the high loosening torque was not precisely determined , but it is suspected that the bushing yielded , the inner diameter of the bushing becoming smaller thus creating a high frictional force on the nipple . it has also been found that if the bushing is not tightly connected to the head 24 , the bushing may tend to rotate with the nipple upon tightening . if such is the case , it may be necessary to spot weld the bushing to the head or some internal part of the muffler , or to otherwise insure a highly secure and tight connection between the bushing and the head . thus , the present invention provides a technique for threadedly securing a muffler nipple to a bushing connected to a muffler body . when used in this manner , the present invention allows a wide variety of replacement mufflers to be made from a relatively smaller number of muffler bodies , thus increasing the operating efficiency and reducing the inventory requirements of replacement muffler shops . however , the present invention readily lends itself to use in retail auto parts stores where the selected muffler body and nipples could be sold to the user in &# 34 ; do it yourself &# 34 ; kit form . further , the present invention may be employed in warehouses or distribution centers which would store large numbers of muffler bodies and nipples . based on specific orders , the requested mufflers could be assembled at the distribution centers and delivered in final form to the users . although the preferred embodiments and examples of the invention has been described with reference to the foregoing specification and drawings , the scope of the invention shall now be defined with reference to the following claims .	5
all cited patents and literature are incorporated by reference in their entirety . although nasal administration to mammals ( especially humans ) of certain therapeutic agents is known , it is not to be presumed that all therapeutic agents can be effectively administered by this route . to the contrary , many therapeutic agents cannot be nasally administered . at present , the molecules which have proved suitable for this route of administration are still very few and consist essentially of only small peptide or hormone molecules ( such as calcitonin , cerulean , β - endorphin , glucagon , horseradish peroxidase , b - interferon , oxytocin and insulin ) in special formulations . the ability of drug molecules to be absorbed by the nasal mucous membranes is utterly unpredictable , as is the ability of intranasal formulations to avoid irritation of the mucous nasal membranes . in fact , mucous membrane irritation caused by the drug and / or excipient is the most common reason for which intranasal administration has not gained wider acceptance . the new compositions according to the invention include the active ingredient in quantities ranging from 0 . 5 to 40 mg per dose , preferably 5 to 30 mg per dose , diluted in excipients such as humectants , isotoning agents , antioxidants , buffers and preservatives . a calcium chelating agent is also preferably included . the intranasal formulations of the invention contain ketorolac ® concentrations ranging from 5 to 20 %, preferably about 15 % weight / volume . of course , the selection of the particular excipients depends on the desired formulation dosage form , i . e . on whether a solution to be used in drops or as a spray ( aerosol ) is desired or a suspension , ointment or gel to be applied in the nasal cavity are desired . in any case , the invention make it possible to have single - dose dosage forms , which ensure application of an optimum quantity of drug . administration of the present intranasal formulations provides very good absolute bioavailability of ketorolac , as demonstrated in tests involving rabbits . the predictive value of the rabbit model with respect to bioavailability of nasally administered ketorolac ® in humans is art - recognized ( mroszczak , e . j . et al ., drug metab . dispos ., 15 : 618 - 626 , 1987 , especially tables 1 and 3 ). according to the results of the rabbit tests set forth below it is extrapolated that in humans intranasal administration of a composition according to the invention in amounts ranging between 0 . 5 mg / kg / day and 4 mg / kg / day will generate plasma levels of ketorolac ® within the range of 0 . 3 - 5 mg / liter of plasma . suitable vehicles for the formulations according to the invention include aqueous solutions containing an appropriate isotoning agent selected among those commonly used in pharmaceutics . substances used for this purpose are , for instance , sodium chloride and glucose . the quantity of isotoning agent should impart to the vehicle ( taking into account the osmotic effect of the active ingredient ), an osmotic pressure similar to that of biological fluids , i . e . generally from about 150 to about 850 milliosmoles ( mosm ) preferably from about 270 to about 330 mosm . however , it is known that nasal mucous membranes are also capable of tolerating slightly hypertonic solutions . should a suspension or gel be desired instead of a solution , appropriate oily or gel vehicles may be used or one or more polymeric materials may be included , which desirably should be capable of conferring bioadhesive characteristics to the vehicle . several polymers are used in pharmaceutics for the preparation of a gel ; the following can be mentioned as nonlimiting examples : hydroxypropyl cellulose ( klucel ®), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose ( methocel ®), hydroxyethyl cellulose ( natrosol ®), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose ( blanose ®), acrylic polymers ( carbopol ®, polycarbophil ®), gum xanthan , gum tragacanth , alginates and agar - agar . some of them , such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and acrylic polymers , have marked bioadhesive properties and are preferred if bioadhesiveness is desired . other formulations suitable for intranasal administration of ketorolac ® can be obtained by adding to the aqueous vehicle polymers capable of changing the rheologic behavior of the composition in relation to the temperature . these polymers make it possible to obtain low viscosity solutions at room temperature , which can be applied for instance by nasal spray and which increase in viscosity at body temperature , yielding a viscous fluid which ensures a better and longer contact with the nasal mucous membrane . polymers of this class include without limitation polyoxyethylene - polyoxypropylene block copolymers ( poloxamer ®). in addition to aqueous , oil or gel vehicles , other vehicles which may be used in the compositions according to the invention comprise solvent systems containing ethyl alcohol , isopropyl alcohol , propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol , mixtures thereof or mixtures of one or more of the foregoing with water . in any case , a pharmaceutically acceptable buffer should be present in order to create optimum ph conditions for both product stability and tolerance ( ph range about 4 to about 8 ; preferably about 5 . 5 to 7 . 5 ). suitable buffers include without limitation tris ( tromethamine ) buffer , phosphate buffer , etc . other excipients include chemical enhancers such as absorption promoters . these include chelating agents , fatty acids , bile acid salts and other surfactants , fusidic acid , lysophosphatides , cyclic peptide antibiotics , preservatives , carboxylic acids ( ascorbic acid , amino acids ), glycyrrhetinic acid , o - acylcarnitine . preferred promoters are diisopropyladipate , poe ( 9 ) lauryl alcohol , sodium glycocholate and lysophosphatidyl - choline which proved to be particularly active . finally , the new compositions according to the invention preferably contain preservatives which ensure the microbiological stability of the active ingredient . suitable preservatives include without limitation , methyl paraoxybenzoate , propyl paraoxybenzoate , sodium benzoate , benzyl alcohol , benzalkonium chloride and chlorobutanol . the liquid ketorolac ® formulations , preferably in the form of solutions , may be administered in the form of drops or spray , using atomizers equipped with a mechanical valve and possibly including a propellant of a type commercially available , such as butane , n 2 , ar , co 2 , nitrous oxide , propane , dimethyl ether , chlorofluorocarbons ( e . g . freon ) etc . vehicles suitable for spray administration are water , alcohol , glycol and propylene glycol , used alone or in a mixture of two or more . generally , illustrative formulations will contain the following ingredients and amounts ( weight / volume ): it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill that ingredients such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and carbopol exist in many types differing in viscosity . their amounts are to be adjusted accordingly . different adjustments to each formulation may also be necessary including omission of some optional ingredients and addition of others . it is thus not possible to give an all - encompassing amount range for each ingredient , but the optimization of each preparation according to the invention is within the skill of the art . another , although not preferred , alternative for the intranasal administration of the ketorolac ®- based compositions comprises a suspension of finely micronized active ingredient ( generally from 1 to 200 micrometers , preferably from 5 to 100 micrometers ) in a propellant or in an oily vehicle or in another vehicle in which the drug is not soluble . the vehicle is mixed or emulsified with the propellant . vehicles suitable for this alternative are , for instance , vegetable and mineral oils and triglyceride mixtures . appropriate surfactants , suspending agents and diluents suitable for use in pharmaceutics are added to these vehicles . surfactants include without limitation sorbitan sesquioleate , sorbitan monooleate , sorbitan trioleate ( amount : between about 0 . 25 and about 1 %); suspending agents include without limitation isopropylmyristate ( amount : between about 0 . 5 and about 1 %) and colloidal silica ( amount : between about 0 . 1 and about 0 . 5 %); and diluents include without limitation zinc stearate ( about 0 . 6 to about 1 %). the following examples of formulations for the intranasal administration of ketorolac ® serve to illustrate the invention without limiting its scope . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g edta disodium ( chelating agent ) 0 . 01 1 g nipagin ( preservative ) 0 . 1 10 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . the isotonicity of this composition was 190 mosm but can be adjusted e . g . to 270 mosm by the addition of 0 . 3 % nacl or . 2 . 03 % of glucose . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g poe ( 9 ) lauryl alcohol ( enhancer / promoter ) 5 500 g nipagin 0 . 1 10 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g sodium carboxymethyl cellulose 1 100 g tromethamine , q . s . to ph = 6 nipagin 0 . 1 10 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . dissolve ketorolac ® and continue stirring to complete dissolution of the drug . adjust the ph to the required value by suitably adding tromethamine dissolved in water . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g nipagin 0 . 1 10 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g carbopol 940 0 . 1 10 g tromethamine , q . s . to ph = 7 - 7 . 4 glycerol 2 200 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 4 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . complete the dissolution of the active ingredient and adjust the ph to a value of 7 . 1 - 7 . 4 by adding a 5 % tromethamine solution . in a separate vessel equipped with mixer , introduce the quantity of glycerol called for in the formulation . introduce carbopol and mix until a homogeneous dispersion in the glycerol is obtained . add 4 liters of purified water with vigorous stirring and continue stirring the solution to complete hydration of the polymer . if necessary , adjust the ph to the required value with the tromethamine solution . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g lutrol f127 17 1 . 7 kg edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 1 10 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 4 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . cool the solution to 4 c and then , maintaining it between 4 and 6 c throughout the operation , gradually add lutrol f127 with stirring . the procedure of example 3 was used to make the above formulation except that no buffer was added . the procedure of example 5 was used to make the above formulation . the procedure of example 1 was used except that sodium glycocholate was dissolved with the nipagin and disodium edta at 80 ° c . in water . the isotonicity of this composition was 190 mosm ; it can be adjusted e . g . to 330 mosm by the addition of 0 . 44 % nacl or 3 . 05 % glucose . the procedure of example 5 was used except that sodium glycocholate was dissolved along with nipagin and disodium edta at 80 ° c . we studied the stability of the preparations described in the examples 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 and 9 . the storing conditions were 4 ° c ., 22 ° c ., 45 ° c . and 55 ° c . we analyzed the preparations at the beginning of the storing period and after 1 , 2 , 3 and 6 months . we used uv and hplc analysis . content of active compound ( uv and hplc ) content of keto and hydroxy degradation products ( uv and hplc ) appearance and color ( visual examination ) ph ( digital ph meter ) we tested in vitro the thermosetting properties of some preparations ( examples 1 , 2 , 7 , 9 ). we sprayed a standardized amount of every preparation to a 37 ° c . constant - temperature , vertical glass surface and we measured the time that the drops of preparation spent to cover 10 cm . the speed of solution in moving on the constant - temperature surface is an indicator of the thermosetting properties of the dosage form . examples 7 and 9 gave the best results in terms of thermosetting properties . we studied the nasal absorption and the local tolerance of four preparations ( examples 1 , 6 , 8 , 9 ) in white new zealand rabbits ( three rabbits for each experimental group plus three controls ). each rabbit received a active preparation in one nostril and its placebo in the other . each animal received 2 mg / kg of ketorolac ® tromethamine ( ktm ), twice a day for seven days and once on the eighth day . the control rabbits were treated , after seven days of nasal administration of physiologic solution , with 2 mg / kg of ktm by intravenous route once . after the last treatment plasma samples were collected at several times and ktm plasma levels were investigated by hplc . after the last blood sample was drawn all the animals were killed by excision of femoral arteries , after having been completely anaesthetized . nasal turbinates , larynx and pharynx were removed and subjected to histological examinations . pharmacokinetic parameters are reported in tables 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 and in fig1 . the local ( nasal mucous ) tolerance data showed good tolerance of the ketorolac - containing intranasal preparations with the formulation of example 1 being the best tolerated followed by that of example 6 , example 9 and example 8 in that order . the foregoing results indicate that intranasal formulations of ketorolac ® according to the invention compare favorably with intravenous formulations in terms of absorption ( formulation b from example 8 being the best absorbed ), time to maximum plasma concentration , and maximum plasma concentration and exhibit good absolute bioavailability ( especially formulation b ). composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 15 1500 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 2 20 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 15 1500 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 2 20 g glycocholic acid 0 . 3 30 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 15 1500 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 2 20 g glycocholic acid 0 . 3 30 g lutrol f 127 15 1500 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 8 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . stir the solution to 4 ° c . and then , maintaining it between 4 ° and 6 ° c . throughout the operation , gradually add lutrol f127 with stirring . gum tragacanth : colony ip . & amp ; exp . co ., new york , n . y ., usa	8
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments thereof , and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations , modifications , and further applications of the principles of the invention being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . referring to fig1 there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention , indicated generally at 10 . the dual zone solar sensor 10 comprises several components that are illustrated in detail in fig2 and 3 . the dual zone sensor 10 as fully assembled in fig1 shows a cap 70 and a housing 40 . turning now to consider fig2 a circuit board 20 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated therein . the circuit board 20 comprises at least one photodetector 21 , 22 ( see fig4 ) disposed on each side of the circuit board 20 . the circuit board 20 also comprises at least one aperture for each photodetector through which a terminal may pass and be connected to the circuit board 20 . in a most preferred embodiment illustrated in fig2 and 4 , there are two apertures 23 defined through the circuit board 20 that are connected by circuits to the photodetector 21 . this most preferred embodiment also comprises apertures 24 defined through the circuit board 20 and connected by circuitry to the photodetector 22 on an opposite side of the circuit board 20 from the side containing the photodetector 21 . the apertures 23 are adapted to receive long terminals 25 and the same are illustrated in their attached position on the circuit board 20 . similarly , apertures 24 are adapted to receive short terminals 26 and the same are illustrated in their attached configuration . although the apertures 23 are illustrated with the long terminals 25 and the apertures 24 are illustrated with the short terminals 26 , those of ordinary skill will recognize that the positions of the apertures 23 , 24 are unimportant , so long as at least one terminal of a desired length may be mounted to the circuit board 20 and connected by circuitry to at least one photodetector . therefore , all variations in the placement and size of the apertures 23 , 24 and the terminals 25 , 26 that are capable of transferring an electronic signal from a photodetector to a remote electronic processor are contemplated by and intended to come within the scope of the present invention . it is also to be understood that , in other embodiments of the invention , the photodetectors 21 , 22 could have other configurations besides those in fig2 such as circular configurations , or any shape . with reference to fig3 and 4 , the components comprising the most preferred embodiment of the present invention are illustrated therein . the dual zone sensor 10 comprises the cap 70 , an optic separator 60 , a diffuser 50 , a diffuser retainer 30 adapted to retain the diffuser 50 in position over the circuit board 20 , and the housing 40 . the housing 40 is adapted to slidably mate with the diffuser retainer 30 to thereby maintain the optic separator 60 , the diffuser 50 , the circuit board 20 , and the diffuser retainer 30 in place and protect the circuit board 20 from damage . the cap 70 is adapted to overlie the optic separator 60 , the diffuser 50 , the diffuser retainer 30 , and the circuit board 20 when these components are assembled in order to protect these components from damage . the diffuser retainer 30 comprises an upper surface 31 , a lower surface 32 having a short side 33 and a long side 34 , and a vertical channel 35 disposed within an interior circumference of the diffuser retainer 30 . the channel 35 is preferably provided with a channel width x that corresponds closely to a width x &# 39 ; of the circuit board 20 . as demonstrated in the exploded view of fig4 the channel 35 is adapted to slidably receive the circuit board 20 and maintain it in a substantially vertical orientation with regard to the housing 40 and the diffuser 50 . the short side 33 and the long side 34 of the diffuser retainer 30 are adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the diffuser retainer 30 and the terminals 25 , 26 of the circuit board 20 . more precisely , the short side 33 is adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the diffuser retainer 30 and the long terminals 25 of the circuit board 20 , while the long side 34 is adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the diffuser retainer 30 and the short terminals 26 , when the circuit board 20 engages the channel 35 . in this way , the most preferred embodiment of the present invention prevents upward movement of the terminals 25 , 26 , and the fatigue associated therewith , during installation of the dual zone sensor 10 in its end - use location . this stepped configuration of the most preferred embodiment of the diffuser retainer 30 therefore helps prevent damage to the terminals 25 , 26 and makes the dual zone sensor 10 easier to manufacture . as shown in fig3 the most preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates use of the housing 40 , which is adapted to slidably receive and mate with the diffuser retainer 30 and the circuit board 20 . the external stepped configuration of the lower surface 32 of the diffuser retainer 30 is mirrored in certain interior surfaces of the housing 40 . for example , a first mating surface 41 defined within the housing 40 is adapted to receive and mate with the long side 34 of the diffuser retainer 30 . similarly , a second mating surface 42 is defined within the interior surface of the housing 40 that is adapted to receive and mate with the short side 33 of the diffuser retainer 30 . apertures 43 are defined through the first mating surface 41 and the second mating surface 42 . these apertures are adapted to slidably receive the terminals 25 , 26 of the circuit board 20 and are sized to minimize lateral movement of the terminals 25 , 26 throughout the life of the dual zone sensor 10 . as shown more clearly in fig5 the apertures 43 of the housing 40 extend from the first and second mating surfaces 41 , 42 to a plug cavity 44 defined within an underside of the housing 40 . when the circuit board 20 and diffuser retainer 30 are installed within and mated with the housing 40 , the terminals 25 , 26 protrude into the plug cavity 44 to create a male - type plug configuration that may be mated with any suitable female - type receptacle ( not shown ). those of ordinary skill will recognize that the most preferred embodiment of the housing 40 is provided with a clip 45 that is adapted to receive and releasably engage a suitable wiring harness ( not shown ). it will be understood that this clip 45 may take any of a number of configurations adapted to retain wiring , and such configurations are intended and contemplated to come within the scope of the present invention . the present invention also contemplates the use of no clip when space demands dictate that the relevant wiring be located away from the dual zone sensor 10 . referring again to the exploded view of fig3 the calibratable diffuser feature of the present invention will now be described . the diffuser 50 comprises a base 51 having an upper surface 53 and a lower surface 54 and at least one diffuser lens 52 formed integral with the upper surface 53 . while the most preferred embodiment of the present invention displays two diffuser lenses 52 placed in a parallel configuration and having a space between them sufficient to accommodate the width x &# 39 ; of the circuit board 20 , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that there exist many configurations for the diffuser lenses 52 that would accomplish the objective of providing a calibratable angular response to a photodetector , such as , for example , a single diffuser lens , with or without a base , that would overlie each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 and be movable relative thereto . as well , the shape of the diffuser 50 may be designed so that its angular response matches that desired for a given application . these configurations are therefore contemplated by and intended to come within the scope of the present invention . the lower surface 54 of the diffuser 50 is substantially planar in order to allow for lateral sliding movement of the diffuser 50 on the substantially planar upper surface 31 of the diffuser retainer 30 . this lateral sliding movement allows the dual zone solar sensor 10 to be calibrated by moving the diffuser 50 on the upper surface 31 of the diffuser retainer 30 until the precise desired angular response is obtained from the photodetectors 21 , 22 . the optic separator 60 defines apertures 61 therethrough through which the diffuser lenses 52 of the diffuser 50 protrude when the diffuser 50 and the optic separator 60 are assembled . the optic separator 60 is adapted to overlie the diffuser 50 , and the apertures 61 are adapted to receive the diffuser lenses 52 therewithin . the optic separator 60 is also provided with clips 62 with which corresponding detentes 71 in the interior of the cap 70 can releasably engage to thereby lock the cap in position over the entire assembly of the diffuser retainer 30 , the circuit board 20 , the diffuser 50 , and the optic separator 60 . as with the other components of the present invention , those of ordinary skill will recognize that the optic separator 60 may assume a number of configurations that would be effective to create a bounded field of view for each photodetector 21 , 22 and thereby enhance the ability of the photodetectors 21 , 22 to obtain high responses to light close to the horizon . those various configurations are therefore intended and contemplated to come within the scope of the present invention . once all the components except the cap 70 have been assembled as described above , the angular response of each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 is measured and , if any deviations from the precise desired angular response are present , the diffuser 50 and the overlying optic separator 60 are laterally adjusted to calibrate the device and thereby obtain the precise desired angular responses from each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 . the diffuser 50 and the optic separator 60 are then attached to the upper surface 31 of the diffuser retainer 30 by any means known in the art , including , by way of example and not of limitation , by ultrasonic welding or the like . after the diffuser 50 and optic separator 60 are so attached , the cap 70 may be installed over the optic separator 60 and the clips 62 engaged with the detentes 71 of the cap to thereby lock the cap in place and form the dual zone sensor 10 as shown in fig1 . the cap 70 is preferably not a light modulator and is present mainly to protect the sensitive components contained thereunder . those of ordinary skill in the art , however , will recognize that , although the cap 70 is not a light modulator in the most preferred embodiment of the present invention , there exist uses to which the present invention may be put for which a light - modulating cap would be desirable . a light - modulating cap is therefore contemplated and intended to come within the scope of the present invention . in operation , the dual zone sensor 10 is installed , for example in the interior of a motor vehicle , in a location where it is capable of receiving incident solar radiation . the optic separator 60 ensures that the photodetector 21 will receive incident solar radiation from a direction opposite that of the incident radiation received by the photodetector 22 and that both photodetectors 21 , 22 will have strong responses to incidental radiation close to the horizon . each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 is provided with a respective output terminal 25 , 26 for providing an output electrical signal that is responsive to an input light from the source of incident radiation . in this manner , the output electrical signals , in combination , are responsive to the position of the source of light . because each photodetector 21 , 22 is mounted on an opposite side of the circuit board 20 , each detector 21 , 22 therefore has a mutually exclusive hemispherical view . the maximum response of a given detector occurs when the light source is perpendicular to the detector , and when one detector &# 39 ; s response is at its maximum , the other detector will have a very low response . the only light reaching the other detector in this situation would presumably be from stray light leakage or reflections . the device therefore provides information about the intensity of the light source and basic information about the relative position of the light source with respect to the photodetector 21 , 22 . the most preferred embodiment of the present invention is designed for use in an automobile in order to obtain information about light source intensity and relative position of the light source in order to adjust the vehicle &# 39 ; s air conditioning system . it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art , however , that while the dual zone solar sensor 10 is suitable for use as an air conditioning control element or the like , it may find application in numerous other areas . because the dual zone sensor of the present invention is small , easy to manufacture , and has very few parts , this sensor may be used in any application that requires use of a rugged sensor to determine the position and intensity of a source of radiation . the foregoing arrangement provides several advantages over prior art solar sensors . first , because the photodetectors 21 , 22 are mounted on opposite sides of the circuit board 20 and their respective fields of view are bounded by the optic separator 60 , the dual zone solar sensor 10 of the present invention does not need to calculate the position of the sun using complex , delicate , and bulky circuitry and other electronic signal processing components . second , as another result of the photodetectors &# 39 ; 21 , 22 orientation , the present invention does not require use of an external light modulator to limit the detectors &# 39 ; field of view . rather , the detectors of the present invention are mounted to the circuit board 20 so that their respective fields of view are determined by their orientation on the circuit board 20 . a further advantage of the dual zone solar sensor 10 of fig1 results from the fact that the diffuser 50 is movable with respect to the diffuser retainer 30 and is therefore calibratable with respect to the photodetectors 21 , 22 . once calibrated , the device of the present invention may be permanently mounted in place , thereby eliminating the need for any correction factor processing circuitry and eliminating the problems associated with such circuitry . it will be appreciated from the above description that the dual zone solar sensor device of the present invention offers significant advantages over prior art devices . no prior art device offers the desirable combination of features including a vertically mounted circuit board having at least one photodetector mounted on either side ; a component configuration that minimizes lateral and vertical movement , and thus fatigue , on the terminals attached to the circuit board ; and a manufacturer - calibratable diffuser , all of which features allow the dual zone solar sensor of the present invention to be simple , compact , and rugged . all of these features are conveniently provided for in the present invention . while the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described , and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected .	6
hereinafter will be described preferred embodiments of a magnetic separation apparatus and a magnetic separation method , and a wastewater treatment apparatus and a wastewater treatment method according to the present invention with reference to accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing a structure of a wastewater treatment apparatus 12 to which a magnetic separation apparatus 10 of an embodiment is applied . this wastewater treatment apparatus 12 is configured such that a raw water tank 14 , a rapid stirring tank 16 , a slow stirring tank 18 , and a magnetic separation apparatus 10 are arranged from upstream to downstream of a wastewater treatment system in that order . water to be treated , i . e ., wastewater ( wastewater containing suspended solids , oil , and heavy metals ) is first supplied from the raw water tank 14 to the rapid stirring tank 16 by a raw water pump 20 . next , an inorganic flocculant , for example , pac ( polyaluminum chloride ), ferric sulfate , ferric chloride , aluminum sulfate , etc ., is added into the rapid stirring tank 16 from an inorganic flocculant tank 22 by an inorganic flocculant injection pump ( not shown ), and then stirring is performed rapidly . here , while collision frequency of suspended substances and oil particles rises due to rapid stirring , a large number of small lumps called microflocs are formed by an effect of the flocculant . subsequently , magnetic powder , such as magnetite , is added into the wastewater from a magnetic powder tank 24 by a magnetic powder injection pump ( not shown ) inside the rapid stirring tank 16 or just when the wastewater is discharged from the rapid stirring tank 16 . the wastewater containing the magnetic powder and the microflocs is then flowed into the slow stirring tank 18 after discharged from the rapid stirring tank 16 . here , a high molecular polymer ( polymeric flocculant ) is injected into the slow stirring tank 18 from a high molecular polymer tank 26 by a pump ( not shown ), and the wastewater having the polymer injected therein is stirred in the slow stirring tank 18 at a low speed to thereby grow magnetic flocs . the high molecular polymer in this case is preferable to be anionic one , for example , polyacrylamide is suitable therefor . in a case of using polyacrylamide , it can be considered that polyacrylamide is stored as powder , and that a fixed quantity thereof is injected into the high molecular polymer tank 26 with a feeder to then be stirred . in addition , although an example of using an inorganic flocculant and an anionic high molecular polymer is illustrated above , the following effects can be similarly obtained even when using only a cationic high molecular polymer without using an inorganic flocculant . the water containing the magnetic flocs formed as described above is supplied from the slow stirring tank 18 to the magnetic separation apparatus 10 , where it is separated into the magnetic flocs and treated water . the above is a flow of wastewater treatment with the wastewater treatment apparatus 12 . the magnetic separation apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment will be shown in fig2 to 6 . namely , fig2 is a plan view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 , fig3 is an elevational view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 shown in fig2 , fig4 is a right side view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 shown in fig3 , fig5 is a sectional view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 taken along an a - a line shown in fig2 , and fig6 is a sectional view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 taken along a b - b line shown in fig2 . the magnetic separation apparatus 10 is a disk - shaped magnetic separation apparatus . namely , in a separation tank 30 of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 , at a predetermined interval arranged are two disk - shaped disks 32 and 34 having magnetic force inside which permanent magnets are provided . a shaft 36 is fixed to centers of these disks 32 and 34 , it is rotated by a motor ( not shown ), and thereby the disks 32 and 34 are rotated in a counterclockwise direction shown in fig5 . in addition , height positions of the disks 32 and 34 have been set so that lower halves thereof may be under wastewater when it flows into the separation tank 30 . it is to be noted that electromagnets may be provided at the disks 32 and 34 instead of permanent magnets . in addition , the number of disks is not limited to two , but three or more may be provided . the separation tank 30 is a tank whose cross section is formed as a substantially semicircular shape . a supply portion 38 of wastewater is provided on one wall surface 30 a of both upper wall surfaces of the separation tank 30 , the wall surface 30 a being located upstream in a rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 . in addition , an outlet portion 40 of treated water is provided on the other wall surface 30 b of the both upper wall surfaces of the separation tank 30 , the wall surface 30 b being located downstream in the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 . the supply portion 38 of the wastewater is a liquid pipeline formed as pipe - shaped , and has been fixed to an opening portion of the one wall surface 30 a . in addition , similarly , the outlet portion 40 is also a liquid pipeline formed as pipe - shaped , and has been fixed to an opening portion of the other wall surface 30 b . further , the supply portion 38 and the outlet portion 40 are arranged in a same horizontal surface . still further , a supply amount of the wastewater in the supply portion 38 and a discharge amount of the treated water in the outlet portion 40 have been balanced with each other so that a surface level at which substantially lower halves of the disks 32 and 34 are under the water may be maintained in the separation tank 30 as shown in fig5 . consequently , wastewater supplied from the supply portion 38 to the separation tank 30 , i . e ., wastewater containing flocculation - treated magnetic flocs flows along one path toward the outlet portion 40 without branching , as well as flowing in a same direction as the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 in the path . since the surface level of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 is then maintained to be the level at which the substantially lower halves of the disks 32 and 34 are under the wastewater as described above , there does not exist a portion where a flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 and the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 become opposite to each other . it is to be noted that the supply portion 38 has been provided on the one wall surface 30 a of the separation tank 30 , and the outlet portion 40 has been provided on the other wall surfaces 30 b due to a shape of the separation tank 30 , but not limited to this . namely , if the cross section of the separation tank 30 is semicircular , the supply portion 38 may be provided at one end of both top ends of the separation tank , the end being located upstream in the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 , and the outlet portion 40 may be provided at the other end of the both top ends , the end being located downstream in the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 . in addition , if the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 and the flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 become the same as each other , installation positions of the supply portion 38 and the outlet portion 40 are not limited to the above - described ones . for example , the supply portion 38 and the outlet portion 40 may be provided by displacing them in a height direction from positions on the same horizontal surface . meanwhile , as for the wastewater supplied to the separation tank 30 , magnetic flocs in the wastewater adhere to the rotating disks 32 and 34 with magnetic force . the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 are scraped by a scraper 42 arranged between the disks 32 and 34 at a position of having come up from a water surface at a time of rotation of the disks 32 and 34 . subsequently , the scraped magnetic flocs are scraped by a spiral - shaped sludge scraper 44 provided along the scraper 42 as shown in fig2 , and then discharged to an outside of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 . the above are functions of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 . hence , according to the magnetic separation apparatus 10 configured as described above , a force that detaches the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 is substantially reduced since the flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 and the rotational direction of the rotatory disks 32 and 34 are the same as each other , thus substantially improving an efficiency of collecting the magnetic flocs using the disks 32 and 34 . since the above - described effect makes a conventionally required filter unnecessary , an installation space of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 can be saved . in addition , since the filter is unnecessary also in the wastewater treatment apparatus 12 in which this magnetic separation apparatus 10 has been installed , the installation space of the wastewater treatment apparatus 12 can be saved . particularly , the present invention is suitable for wastewater treatment equipment that is installed in structures on the ocean , such as offshore platforms , whose installation space is limited . results of a wastewater treatment experiment will be shown in fig7 . relative velocities represented with a horizontal axis of fig7 are ratios of circumferential velocities ( maximum circumferential velocities ) of the disks 32 and 34 to an average flow velocity of wastewater in the separation tank 30 . a relative velocity 100 % shows that the average flow velocity of the wastewater and the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 are the same as each other , relative velocities larger than 100 % the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 is larger than the average flow velocity of the wastewater , and relative velocities smaller than 100 % the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 is smaller than the average flow velocity of the wastewater . a vertical axis of fig7 shows removal rates of suspended solids in the wastewater . run1 of a sample 1 showed that the smaller the relative velocities , the better the removal rates of the suspended solids . run2 of a sample 2 showed a best removal rate of the suspended solids when the relative velocity was 100 %, and showed slightly lower removal rates of the suspended solids when the relative velocity was larger than 100 % or when smaller than that . run3 of a sample 3 showed a best removal rate of the suspended solids when the relative velocity was approximately 80 %. from the results described above , it is preferable that the relative velocity is not more than 100 %. such experimental results have been obtained due to the following reasons . namely , a force that magnetic flocs having adhered to surfaces of the disks 32 and 34 experience under the water depends on the flow velocity of the wastewater and the rotational velocities of the disks 32 and 34 . on that occasion , a force that the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 experience when pulled up from the water becomes the smallest when the relative velocity is not more than 100 %. in other words , since the force that the flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 experience when pulled up from the water becomes larger when the relative velocity becomes larger than 100 %, a ratio that the flocs are detached from the surfaces of the disks 32 and 34 increases , thus resulting in a lower removal rate of the suspended solids . in addition , since the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 are affected largely by the gravity when coming up from and leaving a surface of the wastewater by the rotations of the disks 32 and 34 , they tend to leave the disks 32 and 34 . consequently , when the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 are set to be not more than the flow velocity of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 , to the magnetic flocs added is a force that pushes the magnetic flocs upwardly along with the disks 32 and 34 with flow momentum of the wastewater when the magnetic flocs tend to leave the water . as a result of this , since detachment of the magnetic flocs from the disks 32 and 34 can be suppressed , an efficiency of collecting the magnetic flocs is further improved . specifically , if a diameter of the two disks 32 and 34 shown in fig2 to 6 is set to be 900 millimeters , an interval between the disks 32 and 34 is 50 millimeters , and there is a discoid with a diameter of 300 millimeters between the disks that presses down the disks but that does not work as a water flow path , an average flow velocity of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 is 0 . 135 m / s when an amount of water to be treated is 7 . 3 m 3 / h . hence , it is preferable that the maximum circumferential velocity of the disks 32 and 34 is set to be 0 . 068 to 0 . 135 m / s ( the relative velocity is not more than 50 to 100 %). a magnetic separation apparatus 50 of a second embodiment will be shown in fig8 and 9 . it is to be noted that fig8 is a plan view of the magnetic separation apparatus 50 , and that fig9 is an elevational view thereof . the magnetic separation apparatus 50 shown in these drawings has a drum 52 instead of the disks 32 and 34 shown in fig2 to 6 . magnet pieces are densely attached to a surface of the drum 52 . this drum 52 is arranged so that a lower half thereof may be under the water in a separation tank 54 whose cross section is semicircular . in addition , a shaft 56 is fixed to side surfaces of the drum 52 , and this shaft 56 is connected to a motor ( not shown ). the drum 52 is rotationally driven in a counterclockwise direction at a predetermined velocity by driving this motor as shown in fig9 . a supply portion 58 of the wastewater is provided at one end of both top ends of the separation tank 54 , the end being located upstream in a rotational direction of the drum 52 , and an outlet portion 60 is provided at the other end of the both top ends , the end being located downstream in the rotational direction of the drum 52 . it is to be noted that if the rotational direction of the drum 52 and a flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 54 become the same as each other , installation positions of the supply portion 58 and the outlet portion 60 are not limited to the above - described ones . magnetic flocs that adhere to a surface of the drum 52 with magnetic force are scraped by a scraper 62 at positions above the water , and then collected to a lower portion along the scraper 62 . for example , if a diameter of the drum is set to be 600 millimeters , a length thereof is 600 millimeters , a height of a water flow path is 25 millimeters , and an amount of water to be treated is 7 . 3 m 3 / h , an average flow velocity of the wastewater in the separation tank is 0 . 135 m / s , so that it is preferable that a circumferential velocity of the drum is set to be 0 . 068 to 0 . 135 m / s ( the relative velocity is approximately 50 % to not more than 100 %). although the scraper 42 and the sludge scraper 44 are respectively required between the disks in the disk - shaped magnetic separation apparatus 10 shown in fig2 to 6 , according to the drum - shaped magnetic separation apparatus 50 shown in fig8 and 9 , a structure of the apparatus can be simplified since sludge can be collected only with the scraper 62 .	1
because the illustrated embodiments of the present invention may for the most part , be implemented using electronic components and circuits known to those skilled in the art , details will not be explained in any greater extent than that considered necessary as illustrated above , for the understanding and appreciation of the underlying concepts of the present invention and in order not to obfuscate or distract from the teachings of the present invention . referring now to fig1 , a first example of apparatus 100 for monitoring battery current is provided with two inputs 101 , 102 which may be connected across a shunt resistor 103 . the shunt resistor 103 may have a value of , typically , around 100 micro ohms and may be connected so that it senses current flowing from the negative terminal 104 of a battery to a ground reference ( such as the chassis of a vehicle in which the battery is placed ). this current is monitored by the apparatus 100 by measuring the voltage drop across the shunt resistor 103 , that is , between the two inputs 101 , 102 . a positive voltage drop may mean that a positive current is flowing and a negative voltage drop may mean that negative current is flowing . the inputs 101 , 102 of the apparatus 100 may be connected to an input mixer 105 which may receive an input from a chopper module 106 . the chopper module 106 may supply on line 107 , a reference clock signal for the purpose of modulating the signals appearing on the inputs 101 , 102 . in this way , the dc signal to be measured is modulated at a known chopping frequency in order to distinguish between the desired signal and any dc offsets which may be added by subsequent stages of the measuring circuit . if offset and signal are not at the same frequencies , then the offset can be removed by adequate filtering , for example in an average - by - two process . the modulated signals appearing at the output of the input mixer 105 may be fed to a low pass filter 108 whose purpose is to eliminate any high - frequency noise which would be detrimental to the performance of subsequent functions . filtered output signals from the low pass filter 108 may be fed to a programmable gain amplifier ( pga ) 109 whose purpose is to amplify the relatively small signals which may typically range from a few microvolts to several hundred millivolts . a gain control signal on line 110 may be provided to the pga 109 . the gain of the pga 109 may be controlled digitally by a gain control module 111 to be described below . amplified signals appearing at the output of the pga 109 may be fed to an extended counting analog to digital converter ( adc ) 112 . this analog to digital converter 112 operates in accordance with an extended counting technique such as that described in c . janson , “ a high - resolution , compact and low - power adc suitable for array implementation in standard cmos ,” ieee trans . circuits syst . i , vol . 42 , pp . 904 - 912 , november 1995 . briefly , for one analogue to digital conversion , the converter passes through two modes . in the first mode , the converter operates as a resettable first order delta sigma modulator to convert the most significant bits ( the counting conversion mode ). in a second mode , the least significant bits are converted by an algorithmic analog to digital conversion technique (“ extended conversion ”). in contrast , delta signal analog to digital converters require digital decimation filters which can take up additional silicon area . high resolution may be obtained but at the expense of oversampling which leads to increased power consumption . the extended counting technique is a compromise between the known sigma delta modulation with its high accuracy but low speed and the known algorithmic analog to digital conversion technique with its higher speed but low accuracy . the main advantages of the extending counting adc are its speed and low latency . the extended counting adc 112 converts an input analog signal into a digital one and outputs the digitised signal on line 113 . at this point , the signal on line 113 may include dc offsets introduced by the pga 109 and adc 112 . the digitised output from the adc 112 may be fed from the adc 112 into an output mixer 114 . in one example , the most significant bit ( msb ) is output from the adc 112 and fed into the gain control module 111 . in the gain control module 111 , in a first operation , the modulus ( or absolute value ) of the msb is determined ( as the output from the adc 112 could be positive or negative ). in a second operation in the gain control module 111 , the determined absolute value is compared with predefined maximum and minimum threshold values . depending on this comparison , the gain control module 111 may increase the gain of the pga 109 if the determined absolute value is below the minimum threshold value or decrease the gain if the determined absolute value is above the maximum threshold value . if the determined absolute value is within a minimum - maximum window then the gain may be held constant . by this means , the amplification provided by the pga 109 may be set to match the dynamic range of the adc 112 . in the output mixer 114 , the digitised signal which is output by the adc 112 is mixed with the clock signal from the chopper circuit 106 received on line 115 . the mixer 114 demodulates the signal originally modulated by the input mixer 105 and modulates any dc offset which has been introduced by the pga 109 and adc 112 . the output of the output mixer 114 may be sent to a multiplier 116 . the multiplier 116 may also receive an input from the gain control circuit 111 on line 117 . in the multiplier 116 , a gain compensation signal may be applied in order to compensate for the irregularities in the gain of the analog functions , for example , the pga 109 and / or the adc 112 . this gain compensation may be determined at final test . the signal appearing at the output of the output mixer 116 may then be fed to an averager module 118 . the averager module 118 may also receive a clock signal on line 119 from the chopper module 106 . in the averaging module 118 , an average of two successive samples is taken . the desired output signal from the multiplier 116 is now at dc but includes an unwanted dc offset introduced by the pga 109 and adc 112 which has been modulated at the chopper module clock frequency by the output mixer 114 . the average - by - two filtering process carried out in the averager module 118 has an infinite rejection at the chopper module clock frequency . so the desired dc signal is kept , while the unwanted offset is removed . hence , this averaging process cancels any offsets in the pga 109 and the adc 112 . a signal appearing at the output of the averaging module 118 comprises a compensated digital value indicating battery current . the signal may comprise , typically , 16 - bit data . the output of the averager 116 may be linked to a digital bus ( not shown ) so that a user may read the content of this digital value via some appropriate communication means . in one example , a first switch 120 may be provided to allow zeroing of the input of the pga 109 in a conventional manner . in another example , a second switch 121 may be provided for zeroing the input of the adc 112 in a conventional manner . in a further example , a diagnostic module 122 may be provided for generating a diagnostic voltage for verifying the operation of the apparatus 100 . this may be connected to the inputs of the lowpass filter 108 prior to connecting the apparatus to a battery which is to be monitored . referring now to fig2 , a second example of apparatus 200 for monitoring battery current is provided with two inputs 201 , 202 which may be connected across a shunt resistor 203 in a similar fashion to the first example of fig1 . the shunt resistor 203 may have a value of , typically , around 100 micro ohms and in the same fashion as the first example , may be connected so that it senses current flowing from the negative terminal 204 of a battery to a ground reference ( such as the chassis of a vehicle in which the battery is placed ). this current is monitored by the apparatus 200 by measuring the voltage drop across the shunt resistor 203 , that is , between the two inputs 201 , 202 . a positive voltage drop may mean that a positive current is flowing and a negative voltage drop may mean that a negative current is flowing . the inputs 201 , 202 of the apparatus 200 may be connected to a lowpass filter 205 . the lowpass filter 205 eliminates any high - frequency noise on the inputs 201 202 , which would be detrimental to the performance of subsequent functions . the outputs of the lowpass filter 205 may be operably coupled to a mixer 206 which may receive an input from a chopper module 207 . the chopper module 207 may supply on line 208 a reference clock signal for the purpose of modulating the filtered signals from the lowpass filter 205 . in this example , the modulated signals appearing at the output of the mixer 206 are fed to a programmable gain amplifier pga 209 which amplifies the modulated signals . a gain control signal on line 210 may be provided to the pga 209 . the gain of the pga 209 may be controlled digitally by a gain control module 211 to be described below . amplified signals appearing at the output of the pga 209 may be fed to an extended counting analog to digital converter ( adc ) 212 . in a similar fashion as described with reference to fig1 , the adc 212 performs an analog to digital conversion of input signals by operating as a resettable first - order delta sigma modulator in a first mode , to convert the most significant bits , and by using an algorithmic analog to digital conversion technique , and a second mode to convert the least significant bits . the output from the adc 212 may be fed to a multiplier 213 where it is multiplied with a gain control signal on line 214 provided by the gain control circuit 211 . the gain control signal on line 214 serves the purpose in the multiplier of compensating for irregularities in the gain of the analog functions , for example the pga 209 and / or the adc 212 . the compensated , digitised output signal from the multiplier 213 may then be fed to a demodulator and averager module 215 . the demodulator and averager module 215 may also receive a clock signal from the chopper module 207 . after demodulation in the demodulator and averager module 215 , the desired output signal from the multiplier 213 is now at dc but includes an unwanted , modulated dc offset introduced by the pga 209 and adc 212 . a subsequent averaging process takes an average of two successive samples . this average - by - two filtering process carried out in the demodulator and averager module 215 has an infinite rejection at the chopper module clock frequency . so the desired dc signal is kept , while the unwanted offset is removed . hence , this chopping and averaging process cancels any offsets in the pga 209 and the adc 212 . a signal appearing on line 216 at the output of the demodulation and averaging module 215 comprises a compensated digital value indicating battery current . this may comprise , typically , 16 - bit data . the output line 216 may be linked to a digital bus ( not shown ) so that a user may read the content of this digital value by way of some appropriate communication means . the digitised output on line 216 may also be fed to the gain control module 211 in order to control the gain applied to the pga 209 and to provide the gain compensation signal applied to the multiplier 213 on line 214 . in this way , gain , adjustment may be done using fully compensated data . the most significant bit ( msb ) of the output value on line 216 is fed into the gain control module 211 . in the gain control module 211 , in a first operation , the modulus ( or absolute value ) of the msb is determined ( as the output from the adc 212 could be positive or negative ). in a second operation in the gain control module 211 , the determined absolute value is compared with predefined maximum and minimum threshold values . depending on this comparison , the gain control module 211 may increase the gain of the pga 209 if the determined absolute value is below the minimum threshold value or decrease the gain if the determined absolute value is above the maximum threshold value . if the determined absolute value is within a minimum - maximum window then the gain may be held constant . by this means , the amplification provided by the pga 209 may be set to match the dynamic range of the adc 212 . optionally a first switch 217 may be provided for zeroing the input to the pga 209 in a conventional manner . optionally , a second switch 218 may be provided for zeroing the inputs to the adc 212 in a conventional manner . the apparatus 200 for measuring battery current may be attached to a battery 219 of a vehicle 220 . an example of a method for monitoring electrical current will now be described with reference to fig3 which is a simplified flowchart 300 illustrating an exemplary method of monitoring electrical current . at 301 , a shunt resistor is connected in the current supply line , and at 302 , input signal lines are connected across the shunt resistor . an input signal which is received on the input signal lines is chopped at 303 to produce a modulated analog signal . at 304 , the modulated analog signal is amplified in a variable gain amplifier to produce an amplified analog signal . at 305 , the amplified analog signal is converted to digitised samples using an extended counting analog to digital converter . at 306 , the gain of the variable gain amplifier is set in response to a value of the digitised samples so that the gain of the variable gain amplifier is matched to the dynamic range of the extended counting analog to digital converter . at 307 , the digitised samples which are produced by the extended counting analog to digital converter are demodulated . at 308 , unwanted offsets are filtered out by taking an average of successive digitised samples in order to compensate for any offsets introduced by the amplification and analog to digital conversion processes . the resulting averaged , digitised samples represent a current flowing through the shunt resistor and may be fed to a communications bus . the invention may also be implemented in a computer program for running on a computer system , at least including code portions for performing steps of a method according to the invention when run on a programmable apparatus , such as a computer system or enabling a programmable apparatus to perform functions of a device or system according to the invention . as an example , a tangible computer program product may be provided having executable code stored therein to perform a method for monitoring electrical current in a supply line , the method comprising ; connecting a shunt resistor in said supply line , connecting input signal lines across the shunt resistor , receiving an input signal on said input signal lines , chopping the input signal to produce a modulated analog signal , amplifying the modulated analog signal in a variable gain amplifier to produce an amplified analog signal , converting the amplified analog signal to digitised samples using an extended counting analog to digital converter , controlling the gain of the variable gain amplifier in response to a value of the digitised samples so that a gain of the variable gain amplifier is matched to a dynamic range of the extended counting analogue to digital converter , demodulating the digitised samples , and filtering the demodulated digitised samples to remove any unwanted dc offset . a computer program is a list of instructions such as a particular application program and / or an operating system . the computer program may for instance include one or more of : a subroutine , a function , a procedure , an object method , an object implementation , an executable application , an applet , a servlet , a source code , an object code , a shared library / dynamic load library and / or other sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system . the computer program may be stored internally on computer readable storage medium or transmitted to the computer system via a computer readable transmission medium . all or some of the computer program may be provided on computer readable media permanently , removably or remotely coupled to an information processing system . the computer readable media may include , for example and without limitation , any number of the following : magnetic storage media including disk and tape storage media ; optical storage media such as compact disk media ( e . g ., cd - rom , cd - r , etc .) and digital video disk storage media ; nonvolatile memory storage media including semiconductor - based memory units such as flash memory , eeprom , eprom , rom ; ferromagnetic digital memories ; mram ; volatile storage media including registers , buffers or caches , main memory , ram , etc . ; and data transmission media including computer networks , point - to - point telecommunication equipment , and carrier wave transmission media , just to name a few . a computer process typically includes an executing ( running ) program or portion of a program , current program values and state information , and the resources used by the operating system to manage the execution of the process . an operating system ( os ) is the software that manages the sharing of the resources of a computer and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources . an operating system processes system data and user input , and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system . the computer system may for instance include at least one processing unit , associated memory and a number of input / output ( i / o ) devices . when executing the computer program , the computer system processes information according to the computer program and produces resultant output information via i / o devices . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific examples of embodiments of the invention . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . for example , in an alternative embodiment the input gain is split between a pga and the input stage of the adc . this can give more flexibility for lowering the requirements on the pga , and also achieve higher gains . while an average - by - two process has been described in the exemplary embodiments , it will be understood that any process which filters out the unwanted offsets ( which are at a different frequency to the desired signal ) may be employed . the connections as discussed herein may be any type of connection suitable to transfer signals from or to the respective nodes , units or devices , for example via intermediate devices . accordingly , unless implied or stated otherwise , the connections may for example be direct connections or indirect connections . the connections may be illustrated or described in reference to being a single connection , a plurality of connections , unidirectional connections , or bidirectional connections . however , different embodiments may vary the implementation of the connections . for example , separate unidirectional connections may be used rather than bidirectional connections and vice versa . also , plurality of connections may be replaced with a single connections that transfers multiple signals serially or in a time multiplexed manner . likewise , single connections carrying multiple signals may be separated out into various different connections carrying subsets of these signals . therefore , many options exist for transferring signals . those skilled in the art will recognize that the boundaries between functional modules are merely illustrative and that alternative embodiments may merge functional modules or circuit elements or impose an alternate decomposition of functionality upon various functional modules or circuit elements . thus , it is to be understood that the architectures depicted herein are merely exemplary , and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality . any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “ associated ” such that the desired functionality is achieved . hence , any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “ associated with ” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved , irrespective of architectures or intermedial components . likewise , any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “ operably connected ,” or “ operably coupled ,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality . furthermore , those skilled in the art will recognize that boundaries between the above described operations merely illustrative . the multiple operations may be combined into a single operation , a single operation may be distributed in additional operations and operations may be executed at least partially overlapping in time . moreover , alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation , and the order of operations may be altered in various other embodiments . also for example , in one embodiment , the illustrated examples may be implemented as circuitry located on a single integrated circuit or within a same device . for example , the apparatus of the examples of either of fig1 and fig2 may be implemented within one device . further , the entire functionality of the various functional modules shown in fig1 and 2 may be implemented in an integrated circuit . such an integrated circuit may be a package containing one or more dies in a single package with electronic components provided on the dies that form the modules and which are connectable to other components outside the package through suitable connections such as pins of the package and bondwires between the pins and the dies . alternatively , the examples may be implemented as any number of separate integrated circuits or separate devices interconnected with each other in a suitable manner . also for example , the examples , or portions thereof , may implemented as soft or code representations of physical circuitry or of logical representations convertible into physical circuitry , such as in a hardware description language of any appropriate type . also , the invention is not limited to physical devices or units implemented in non - programmable hardware but can also be applied in programmable devices or units able to perform the desired device functions by operating in accordance with suitable program code , such as mainframes , minicomputers , servers , workstations , personal computers , notepads , personal digital assistants , electronic games , automotive and other embedded systems , cell phones and various other wireless devices , commonly denoted in this application as ‘ computer systems ’. however , other modifications , variations and alternatives are also possible . the specifications and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense . in the claims , any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim . the word ‘ comprising ’ does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps then those listed in a claim . furthermore , the terms “ a ” or “ an ,” as used herein , are defined as one or more than one . also , the use of introductory phrases such as “ at least one ” and “ one or more ” in the claims should not be construed to imply that the introduction of another claim element by the indefinite articles “ a ” or “ an ” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element , even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “ one or more ” or “ at least one ” and indefinite articles such as “ a ” or “ an .” the same holds true for the use of definite articles . unless stated otherwise , terms such as “ first ” and “ second ” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe . thus , these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements . the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage .	7
as used herein the term “ anti - neoplastic ” means inhibiting or preventing the development , maturation or proliferation of malignant cells . the term “ therapeutically effective ” means an amount of drug , or combination or composition , which is effective for producing a desired therapeutic effect upon administration to a patient , for example , to stem the growth , or result in the shrinkage , of a cancerous tumor . “ q3w ” means every 3 weeks . “ therapeutic index ” is a well - recognized term of art and is an important parameter in the selection of anticancer agents for clinical trial . therapeutic index takes into consideration the efficacy , pharmacokinetics , metabolism and bioavailability of anticancer agents . see , e . g ., j . natl . cancer inst . 81 ( 13 ): 988 - 94 ( jul . 5 , 1989 ). the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ,” such as pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , excipient , etc ., means pharmacologically acceptable and substantially non - toxic to the subject to which the particular compound is administered . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable salt ” refers to conventional acid - addition salts or base - addition salts that retain the biological effectiveness and properties of the compounds of the present invention and are formed from suitable non - toxic organic or inorganic acids or organic or inorganic bases . sample acid - addition salts include those derived from inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , hydroiodic acid , sulfuric acid , sulfamic acid , phosphoric acid and nitric acid , and those derived from organic acids such as p - toluenesulfonic acid , salicylic acid , methanesulfonic acid , oxalic acid , succinic acid , citric acid , malic acid , lactic acid , fumaric acid , and the like . sample base - addition salts include those derived from ammonium , potassium , sodium , and quaternary ammonium hydroxides , such as for example , tetramethylammonium hydroxide . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ester ” of a compound means a conventionally esterified compound having a carboxyl group , which esters retain the biological effectiveness and properties of the compound . chemical modification of a pharmaceutical compound ( i . e ., drug ) into a salt is a technique well known to pharmaceutical chemists to obtain improved physical and chemical stability , hydroscopicity , and solubility of compounds . see , e . g ., h . ansel et . al ., pharmaceutical dosage forms and drug delivery systems ( 6 th ed . 1995 ) at pp . 196 and 1456 - 1457 . the term “ tumor control ” means that the size of the tumor has either decreased , or has not increased by the defined and generally accepted criteria : e . g ., the sum of the longest dimensions of the measurable tumor lesions has not increased by 20 % or more as compared with the baseline , or with the shortest dimension of that lesion achieved post - treatment ( recist = response evaluation criteria in solid tumors , rules 1 . 1 published january 2009 ), or for specific tumor lesions such as those related to lymphoma and / or intracranial metastases of solid tumors , the sum of the products of the perpendicular diameters of measurable lesions has not increased by 25 % or more from the baseline or from the last measurement . ( see , e . g ., world health organization (“ who ”) handbook for reporting results of cancer treatment , geneva ( 1979 ). in certain instances , the criteria for the volumetric ( three - dimensional = 3d ) tumor measurements might be applied ( e . g ., for the brain metastatic lesions ). “ tumor volume ( in cubic millimeter )” for purposes of measuring tumor size is calculated using the ellipsoid formula : where “ d ” represents the large diameter of the tumor , and “ d ” represents the small diameter . the term “ autoinduction ” shall mean a promotion of the compound &# 39 ; s own metabolism by compound a inducing the activity of the relevant cyp450 metabolizing enzyme ( s ). in the first two embodiments of the invention , the 3 - 4 schedule ( 3 days - on ; 4 days - off ; for 2 weeks , q3w ) ( a ) and the 7 - 14 schedule ( 7 days - on ; 14 days - off ; q3w ) ( b ) both contain rest weeks in the 3 - week cycle . this will enable the collection of pd data using these two schedules . these two schedules ( a and b ) include 6 and 7 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle , respectively . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the 1 - 1 schedule ( 1 day - on ; i day - off q3w ) ( schedule c ) provides a simple schedule and is relevant considering that the mean terminal half - life defined thus far in an ongoing first phase i trial of compound a is reported to be 42 . 2 hours ( range between 10 to 93 hours ). this schedule ( c ) includes 11 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . in another embodiment of the invention the 1 - 6 schedule ( 1 day - on ; 6 days - off ; q3w ) ( schedule d ) will assess the relevance of a weekly administration of compound a . because it does not include any consecutive dosings , this simple regimen should minimize the risk of auto - induction . moreover , it should allow assessment of maximal concentration ( cmax ) effect on toxicity and efficacy . it incorporates 3 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . in another embodiment of the invention the 1 - 2 - 1 - 3 schedule ( 1 day - on ; 2 days - off ; then 1 day - on ; 3 days - off ; q3w ) ( schedule e ) represents an intermediate intermittent regimen between the 1 - 6 schedule and the 1 - 1 schedule . it integrates compound a administration twice a week to limit the risk of autoinduction while increasing systemic exposure with respect to the 1 - 6 schedule . it includes 6 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . in another embodiment of the invention the 5 - 2 schedule ( 5 days - on ; 2 days - off ; q3w ) ( schedule f ) represents the most dose intense schedule to be tested in this study . in this schedule ( f ), patients are to be dosed for 5 consecutive days with 2 days off each week , without any rest weeks . it comes close to a continuous administration schedule which was investigated with success in a preclinical model ( teachey , seif et al . 2008 ). moreover , it will allow assessment of safety of a regimen that could be used concommitently with radiation treatment . it includes 15 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . although the different schedule schedules ( a to f ) include an increasing numbers of dosing days ( from 3 to 15 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle ), the initial drug doses will be adapted so that the dose intensity of compound a given in a 3 - week cycle does not exceed the one offered by the 3 - 4 schedule at the highest safe dose tested so far ( 270 mg / day * 6 dosing days every 3 weeks in 3 - 4 schedule ). if deemed safe , then dose escalation to dose intensities at and above that given in the 3 - 4 schedule at 270 mg / day will be performed . for safety reasons , the first cohorts of patients enrolled in schedules c , d , e and f will be treated with lower doses ( dose level 1 : 14 % to 37 % of dose intensity of 3 - 4 schedule at 270 mg ). then in the subsequent cohorts , the dose will be escalated by 50 %- 100 %. the objective of experiment 1 in the table of example 1 was to compare six new dosing schedules of compound a with different clinical schedules at different dose levels and determine treatment safety , efficacy , pk and pd parameters . patients enrolled in the above studies have a variety of tumors including solid tumors such as , non - small cell lung cancer , various subtypes of breast cancer , colorectal cancer , prostate cancer , pancreatic cancer , melanoma , various sarcomas and primary brain tumors . also patients with blood cancer such as leukemia are included	0
antibodies recognizing preselected regions of a protein can be generated by immunization with appropriate synthetic peptides . the application of such antibodies , having predetermined specificity , in biology and medicine is becoming increasingly attractive ( r . a . lerner , &# 34 ; tapping the immunological repertorie to produce antibodies of predetermined specificity &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 299 , 592 - 596 , 1982 ). synthetic peptide analogues also offer the opportunty to serve as reagents for discerning antibodies of predetermined specificity among the repertoire of antibodies produced by immunization with complex proteins , viruses and their subunits . this may be especially advantageous in the search for antibodies specifically recognizing biologically important epitopes . domains encoded by the pre - s region of the hbv env gene play a significant role in the life cycle of hbv ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , ( 1985 ). therefore , it has become important to detect antibodies recognizing these domains in sera of humans who had been infected with hbv or who were immunized with hepatitis b vaccines . earlier studies ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , 1985 ) established that anti - hbv sera recognize at high dilutions a synthetic peptide pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) corresponding to the 26 n - terminal amino acids ( encoded by the pre - s gene ) of the hbv middle protein . therefore , it is believed that this peptide could represent the basis for the design of an assay more sensitive than the tests used heretofore . applicants herein indeed developed such an assay using a pre - s peptide - beta - lactamase conjugate , e . g ., a pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) beta - lactamase conjugate . this particular conjugate lead to an assay 50 to 100 times more sensitive than the preceding tests . without wishing to be bound by any particular theory of operability , it is believed that the enhanced sensitivity afforded by the conjugates of this invention are the result of a glutaraldehyde induced polymerization between the peptide and beta - lactamase which leads to products preferentially recognized by antibodies elicited by hbv ( hbsag ) containing pre - s sequences . applicants have developed an assay for antibodies specifically recognizing the hbv large protein . this assay is based on the synthetic peptide pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) linked to beta - lactamase ( a pre - s ( 12 - 32 )- beta - lactamase conjugate ). since the content of the hbv large protein in hbsag is usually much lower than the content of the middle protein ( heermann et al ., 1984 , supra ; a . r . neurath , nathan strick , p . taylor and s . b . h . kent , 1985 , supra ), the dilution endpoints of sera from vaccinated persons were by two orders of magnitude lower in this assay as compared to endpoints in elisa utilizing pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta lactamase . ( see fig1 and fig2 ). this assay is ( 1 ) useful for studying the antibody repertoire in sera of persons who have been infected with hbv or who were vaccinated against hepatitis b virus , and ( 2 ) potentially important for immunogencity studies on hepatitis b vaccines . the use of synthetic peptide - beta - lactamase conjugates in combination with magnetic protein a offers a good opportunity for the development of screening assays for detection of anti - viral antibodies in general . the availability of protein a expressed in e . coli ( repligen , cambridge , ma ) makes such assays economically feasible . such assays should permit the detection of antibodies specifically reacting with defined functional domains of a virus if sequences corresponding to these domains are determined . the physical structure and proposed genetic organization of the hbv genome are described by p . tiollais , p . charnay and g . n . vyas , science , 213 , 1981 at pp . 408 - 409 . there are two dna strands , namely the long ( l ) strand and the short ( s ) strand . the l strand transcipt has four open reading frame regions which are termed ( s + pre - s ), c , p and x . the open reading frame region ( s + pre - s ) corresponds to the envelope ( env ) gene of hbv dna and codes for a family of proteins found in the hbv envelope and in virus related particles . a schematic representation of the potential translation products of the env gene ( s ) of hbv dna is as follows : ## str4 ## the numbers in the above schematic refers to amino acids ( aa ). a translation initiation site at met 1 exists for the adw 2 and adr subtypes only . the first amino acid for the other subtypes correspond to position pre - s 12 . hereinafter , amino acid sequences corresponding to the pre - s region ( env 1 to 174 ) are designated with the prefix &# 34 ; pre - s &# 34 ; and amino acid sequences corresponding to the s region ( env 175 to 400 ) are designated by the prefix &# 34 ; s &# 34 ;. in the env gene product representation , the s region spans amino acids 175 to 400 as compared to amino acids 1 to 226 in the &# 34 ; s region only &# 34 ; representation . in the above schematic , the pre - s region is defined by amino acid sequence positions pre - s 1 to amino acid sequence position pre - s 174 . the s region is defined by sequence positions s 1 ( amino acid 175 of the open reading frame and adjacent to pre - s 174 ) to sequence position s 226 ( amino acid 400 of the open reading frame ). the s - gene product ( s - protein ) consists of this 226 amino acid sequence . non - limiting pre - s peptides for linking to beta - lactamase according to the present invention include the following : ( 1 ) pre - s ( 12 - 32 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mgtnlsvpnplgffpdhqldp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 2 ) pre - s ( 120 - 145 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mqwnstafhqtlqdprvrglylpagg for subtype adw 2 ; ( 3 ) pre - s ( 32 - 53 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) pafgansnnpdwdfnpvkddwp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 4 ) pre - s ( 117 - 134 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) pqamqwnstafhqtlqdp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 5 ) pre - s ( 94 - 117 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) pastnrqsgrqptpispplrdshp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 6 ) pre - s ( 153 - 171 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) papniashissisartgdp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 7 ) pre - s ( 1 - 21 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mggwsskprkgmgtnlsvpnp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 8 ) pre - s ( 57 - 73 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) qvgvgafgprltpphgg for subtype adw 2 ; a . for adw 2 , wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mggwsskprkg b . for adr , wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mggwsskprqg . particularly preferred sequences for binding to beta - lactamase are pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) and pre - s ( 120 - 145 ). the tests design described herein may contribute to the solution of recent problems associated with the diagnosis and prevention of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( aids ). the specificity of antibody detection can be assured by using for elisa appropriate synthetic peptides conjugated with beta - lactamase in analogy with methods for detection of anti - pre - s - specific antibodies described above . these synthetic peptide correspond to n - terminal and c - terminal portions of the processed and cleaved env proteins of htlv iii / lav , for example : __________________________________________________________________________nh . sub . 2 -- te k l w v t v y y g v p v w k e a t t tl f c -- cooh ( n - terminal ) ; nh . sub . 2 -- cr a i r h i p r r i r r q g l e r i l l -- cooh ( c - terminal ) nh . sub . 2 -- ra v g i g a l f l g f l g a a g ; s t m g a r s m -- cooh ( n - terminal ) ; andnh . sub . 2 -- pg g g d m r d n w r s e l y k y k v vk i e p l g v a p t k a k -- cooh ( c - terminal ) . __________________________________________________________________________ the present invention can be employed as a diagnostic tool to determine the presence of specific antibodies to specific antigens by employing peptides which mimic the natural antigens . these peptides can be conjugated with beta - lactamase . thus , for example , the following peptide which mimic the antigenic determinant of natural hepatitis b s - protein could be used in conjunction with the detection of antibodies to the s - protein . __________________________________________________________________________135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145pro ser cys cys cys thr lys pro thr or ser asp gly146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155asn cys thr cys ile pro ile pro ser ser__________________________________________________________________________ other peptides mimicking the antigenic determinant of hbsag ( s region ) include the following : ## str5 ## g . r . dreesman , y . sanchex , i . ionescu - matiu , j . t . sparrow , h . r . six , d . l . peterson , f . b . hollinger and j . l . melnick , &# 34 ; antibody to hepatitis b surface antigen after a single inoculation of uncoupled synthetic hbsag peptides &# 34 ;, nature , 295 , 158 - 160 , 1982 ; and ( 2 ) the following peptides : __________________________________________________________________________position sequence__________________________________________________________________________48 - 81 cys -- leu -- gly -- gln -- asn -- ser -- gln -- ser -- pro -- thr -- ser -- asn -- his -- ser -- pro -- thr -- ser -- cys -- pro -- pro -- thr -- cys -- pro -- gly -- tyr -- arg -- trp -- met -- cys -- leu -- arg -- arg -- phe -- ile 2 - 16 glu -- asn -- ile -- thr -- ser -- gly -- phe -- leu -- gly -- pro -- leu -- leu -- val -- leu -- gln -- cys22 - 35 leu -- thr -- arg -- ile -- leu -- thr -- ile -- pro -- gln -- ser -- leu -- asp -- ser -- trp -- cys38 - 52 ser -- leu -- asn -- phe -- leu -- gly -- gly -- thr -- thr -- val -- cys -- leu -- gly -- gln -- asn47 - 52 val -- cys -- leu -- gly -- gln -- asn 95 - 109 leu -- val -- leu -- leu -- asp -- tyr -- gln -- gly -- met -- leu -- pro -- val -- cys -- pro -- leu104 - 109 leu -- pro -- val -- cys -- pro -- leu__________________________________________________________________________ r . a . lerner , n . green , h . alexander , f . - t . liu , j . g . sutcliffe and t . m . shinnick , &# 34 ; chemically synthesized peptides predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the hepatitis b virus genome elicit antibodies reactive with the native envelope protein of dane particles &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 78 , 6 , 3403 - 3407 , 1981 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of coliphage ms - 2 antigen is as follows : ______________________________________89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97glu leu thr ile pro ile phe ala thr99 99 100 101 102 103 104 105asn ser asp cys glu leu ile val106 107 108lys ala met , ______________________________________ r . arnon , m . sela , m . parant and l . chedid , &# 34 ; antiviral response elicited by a completely synthetic antigen with built - in adjuvanticity &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci usa , 77 , 11 , 6769 - 6772 , 1980 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of human leukocyte interferon antigen is as follows : ## str6 ## h . arnheiter , r . m . thomas , t . leist , m . fountlakis , and b . gutte , &# 34 ; physicochemical and antigenic properties of synthetic fragments of human leukocyte interferon &# 34 ;, nature , 294 , 19 , 1981 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of human fibroblast interferon is as follows : f . shimizu , y . ohmoto and k . imagawa , &# 34 ; production of anti - ifn - beta sera with chemically synthetic ifn - beta fragment ( 1 - 13 )&# 34 ;, biochem and biophys . res . comm ., 103 , 1149 - 1156 , 1981 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of retrovirus r antigen is as follows : j . g . sutcliffe , t . m . shinnick , n . green , f . - t . liu , h . l . niman and r . a . lerner , &# 34 ; chemical synthesis of a polypeptide predicted from nucleotide sequence allows detection of a new retroviral gene product &# 34 ;, nature , 287 , 1980 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of avian sarcoma virus antigen is as follows : t . w . wong and alan r . goldberg , &# 34 ; synthetic peptide fragment of src gene product inhibits the src protein kinase and cross reacts immunologically with avian onc kinases and cellular phosphoproteins &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . usa , 78 , 12 , 7412 - 7416 , 1981 . peptides containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of foot - and - mouth disease virus antigen are as follows : ## str7 ## j . l . bittle , r . a . houghten , h . alexander , t . m . shinnick , j . g . sutcliffe , r . a . lerner , d . j . rowlands and f . brown , &# 34 ; protection against foot - and - mouth disease by immunization with a chemically synthesized peptide predicted from the viral nucleotide sequence &# 34 ;, nature , 298 , 30 - 33 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of hemagglutinin x - 31 ( h3n2 ) influenza virus antigen is as follows : ## str8 ## d . c . jackson , j . m . murray , d . o . white , c . n . fagan and g . w . tregear , &# 34 ; antigenic activity of a synthetic peptide comprising the ` loop ` region of influenza virus hemagglutinin &# 34 ;, virology , 120 , 273 - 276 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of hemagglutinin of type a h3n2 influenza virus antigen was synthesized by g . m . muller , m . shapira and r . arnon , &# 34 ; anti - influenza response achieved by immunization with a synthetic conjugate &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 79 , 569 - 573 , 1982 . the peptide corresponds to the sequence serine - 91 to leucine - 108 of the amino acid chain of the virus . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of polyoma virus medium size tumor antigen is lys - arg - ser - ars - his - phe , g . walter , m . a . hutchinson , t . hunter and w . eckhart , &# 34 ; purification of polyoma virus medium - size tumor antigen by immunoaffinity chromatography &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci usa , 79 , 4025 - 4029 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of poliovirus replicase antigen is as follows : ## str9 ## m . h . baron and d . baltimore , &# 34 ; antibodies against a synthetic peptide of the poliovirus replicase protein : reaction with native , virus - encoded proteins and inhibition of virus - specific polymerase activities in vitro &# 34 ;. jour . virology , 43 , 3969 - 3978 , 1982 . peptides containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen are as follows : g . walter , k . h . scheidtmann , a . carbone , a . p . laudano and r . f . doolittle , &# 34 ; antibodies specific for the carboxy - and amino - terminal regions of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci usa , 77 , 9 , 5179 - 5200 , 1980 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of influenza virus strain 3qb antigen is ile l val l asx 2 thrl ser 2 glx 2 pro 1 gly 3 ala 1 leu 1 lys 1 , a . aitken and c . hannoun , &# 34 ; purification of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase from influenza virus strain 3qb and isolation of a peptide from an antigenic region of hemagluttinin &# 34 ;, eur . j . biochem , 107 , 51 - 56 , 1980 . peptides containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of diptheria antigen are given as follows : f . audibert , m . jolivet , l . chedid , r . arnon and m . sela , &# 34 ; successful immunization with a totally synthetic diphtheria vaccine &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 79 , 5042 - 5046 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of streptococcus pyogenes m antigen is as follows : ## str12 ## e . h . beachy , j . m . seyer , d . b . dale , w . a . simpson and a . h . kang , &# 34 ; type - specific protective immunity evoked by synthetic peptide of streptococcus pyogenes m protein &# 34 ;, nature , 292 , 457 - 459 , 1981 . indeed , any amino acid sequence which includes at least the antigenic determinant for a specific antigen can be employed in the present invention . a sequence of amino acids for the human histocompatibility antigen hla - b7 which determine the antigenic determinant is postulated as pro arg glu glu pro arg corresponding to amino acids 43 - 48 of the protein . a sequence of amino acids for the influenza hemagglutinin antigen ( x31 strain ) which determine the antigenic determinant postulated as val glu arg ser lys ala corresponding to amino acids 105 - 110 of the protein . two sequences of amino acids postulated for the influenza hemagglutinin antigen ( japanese strain ) which determine the h - epitopes are glu lys glu asn pro arg corresponding to amino acids 97 - 102 and lys glu asn pro arg asp corresponding to amino acids 97 - 102 . a sequence of amino acids for the influenza hemagglutinin antigen ( victoria a strain ) which determine the antigenic determinant is postulated as asn asp asn ser asp lys corresponding to amino acids 188 - 193 . two sequences of amino acids postulated for the fowl plague virus hemagglutinin antigen which determine the antigenic determinants are as follows : glu arg arg glu gly asn corresponding to amino acids 97 - 102 and arg glu gly asn asp , corresponding to amino acids 98 - 103 . a sequence of amino acids for the human chlorionic gonadotropin b subunit antigen which determine the antigenic determinate is postulated as arg arg ser thr thr asp corresponding to amino acids 94 - 99 . a sequence of amino acids for the human beta - 2 microglobulin antigen which determines the antigenic determinant is postulated as pro thr glu lys asp glu corresponding to amino acids 73 - 78 . a sequence of amino acids for the human myelin basic protein antigen which determines the antigenic determinant is postulated as gly arg asp ser arg ser corresponding to amino acids 159 - 164 . a sequence of amino acids for the cholera toxin b - chain antigen which determines the antigenic determinant is postulated as glu ala lys val glu lys corresponding to amino acids 79 - 84 . a sequence of amino acids for the e . coli heat labile toxin which determine the antigenic determinant is postulated as glu arg met lys asp thr corresponding to amino acids 66 - 71 . a sequence of amino acids for the e . coli heat stabile toxin provides two identical antigenic determinants whose amino acid sequences are postulated as asp ser ser lys glu lys and ser glu lys lys ser glu , which correspond to amino acids 26 - 31 and 46 - 41 , respectively . the streptococcial m protein ( strain 24 ) has two identical antigenic determinants whose amino acid sequences are postulated as arg lys ala asp leu glu and lys ala asp leu glu lys , corresponding to amino acids 58 - 63 and 59 - 64 , respectively . the trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoprotein 117 has an antigen determinant whose amino acid sequence is postulated as lys ala lys glu lys gly corresponding to amino acids 50 - 55 . in the formation of a peptide derived from natural sources , a protein containing the required amino acid sequence is subjected to selective proteolysis such as by splitting the protein with chemical reagents or using enzymes . synthetic formation of the peptide requires chemically synthesizing the required chain of amino acids . chemical synthesis of peptides is described in the following publications : s . b . h . kent , biomedical polymers , eds . goldberg , e . p . and nakajima , a . ( academic press , new york ), 213 - 242 ,( 1980 ); a . r . mitchell , s . b . h . kent , m . engelhard , and r . b . merrifield , j . org . chem ., 43 , 2845 - 2852 , ( 1978 ); j . p . tam , t . - w . wong , m . riemen , f . - s . tjoeng , and r . b . merrifield , tet . letters , 4033 - 4036 , ( 1979 ); s . mojsov , a . r . mitchell , and r . b . merrifield , j . org . chem ., 45 , 555 - 560 , ( 1980 ); j . p . tam , r . d . dimarchi and r . b . merrifield , tet . letters , 2851 - 2854 , ( 1981 ); and s . b . h . kent , m . riemen , m . le doux and r . b . merrifield , proceedings of the iv international symposium on methods of protein sequence analysis , ( brookhaven press , brookhaven , n . y . ), in press , 1981 . chemical synthesis : in the so - called &# 34 ; merrifield solid phase procedure &# 34 ; the appropriate sequence of l - amino acids is built up from the carboxyl terminal amino acid to the amino terminal amino acid . starting with the appropriate carboxyl terminal amino acid attached to a polystyrene ( or other appropriate ) resin via chemical linkage to a chloromethyl group , benzhydrylamine group , or other reactive group of the resin , amino acids are added one by one using the following procedure . the peptide - resin is : ( b ) neutralized by mixing for 10 minutes at room temperature with 5 % ( v / v ) diisopropylethylamine ( or other hindered base ) in methylene chloride ; ( d ) an amount of amino acid equal to six times the molar amount of the growing peptide chain is activated by combining it with one - half as many moles of a carbodiimide ( e . g ., dicyclohexylcarbodiimide , or diisopropylcarbodiimide ) for ten minutes at 0 ° c ., to form the symmetric anhydride of the amino acid . the amino acid used should be provided originally as the n - alpha - tert . butyloxycarbonyl derivative , with side chains protected with benzyl esters ( e . g . aspartic or glutamic acids ), benzyl ethers ( e . g ., serine , threonine , cysteine or tyrosine ), benzyloxycarbonyl groups ( e . g ., lysine ) or other protecting groups commonly used in peptide synthesis ; ( e ) the activated amino acid is reacted with the peptide - resin for two hours at of the new amino acid to the end of the growing peptide chain ; ( g ) the n - alpha -( tert . butyloxycarbonyl ) group is removed from the most recently added amino acid by reacting with 30 to 65 %, preferably 50 % ( v / v ) trifluoroacetic acid in methylene chloride for 10 to 30 minutes at room temperature ; ( i ) steps ( a ) through ( h ) are repeated until the required peptide sequence has been constructed . the peptide is then removed from the resin and simultaneously the side - chain protecting groups are removed by reaction with anhydrous hydrofluoric acid containing 10 % v / v of anisole or other suitable ( aromatic ) scavenger . subsequently , the peptide can be purified by gel filtration , ion exchange , high pressure liquid chromatography , or other suitable means . in some cases , chemical synthesis can be carried out without the solid phase resin , in which case the synthetic reactions are performed entirely in solution . the reactions are similar and well known in the art , and the final product is essentially identical . isolation from natural sources : if sufficient quantities of the whole protein antigen are available , a limited portion of the molecule , bearing the desired sequence of amino acids may be excised by any of the following procedures : ( a ) digestion of the protein by proteolytic enzymes , especially those enzymes whose substrate specificity results in cleavage of the protein at sites immediately adjacent to the desired sequence of amino acids ; ( b ) cleavage of the protein by chemical means . particular bonds between amino acids can be cleaved by reaction with specific reagents . examples include : bonds involving methionine are cleaved by cyanogen bromide ; asparaginyl - glycine bonds are cleaved by hydroxylamine ; it should also be possible to clone a small portion of the dna , either from natural sources or prepared by synthetic procedures , or by methods involving a combination thereof , that codes for the desired sequence of amino acids , resulting in the production of the peptide by bacteria , or other cells . the present invention can be employed as a diagnostic tool to determine the presence of specific antibodies to specific antigens by employing peptides which mimic the natural antigens . the peptides utilized in the present invention have no more than 60 amino acids in the peptide chain . in a preferred embodiment , the number of amino acids in the peptide chain may range from between about 6 and about 30 amino acids . the present invention concerns processes for detecting a given antibody in a sample . one such process involves the following : ( 1 ) contacting the sample ( serum ) with protein a ( e . g ., staphylocci bearing protein a or magnetic protein a ), protein a in the above method can be replaced by a second antibody , e . g ., anti - human igg , anti - human igm , anti - human ige or antibodies to immunoglobulins of any animal species . the incubation steps utilized in carrying out the above procedures can be effected in a known manner , such as by incubating at temperatures of between about 20 ° c . and about 50 ° c . for between about 1 hour and about 48 hours . washings as described above are typically effected using an aqueous solution such as one buffered at a ph of 6 - 8 , preferably at a ph of about 7 , employing an isotonic saline solution . the coupling of the beta - lactamase enzyme and a peptide can be brought about in a known way , for example , by glutaraldehyde - induced polymerization . sera generally preselected on the basis of a high level of antibodies to the hbv s - protein ( anti - hbs ) were obtained from individuals immunized with one of the following hepatitis b vaccines : merck , sharp & amp ; dohme heptavax - b ( msd ) ( m . r . hilleman , e . b . buynak , w . j . mcaleer , a . a . mclean , p . j . provost and a . a . tytell , &# 34 ; hepatitis a and hepatitis b vaccines &# 34 ;, viral hepatitis , pp . 395 - 398 , edited by w . szmuness , h . j . alter and j . e . maynard , philadelphia , franklin institute press , 1982 ); pasteur hevac - b ( pasteur ) ( p . r . guesry , p . adamowicz , p . jungers , a . - m . courouce , a . laplanche , b . lacour , e . benhamou , f . degos and j . crosnier , &# 34 ; vaccination against hepatitis b in high - risk hemodialysis units : a double - blind study &# 34 ;, viral hepatitis , pp . 493 - 507 , edited by w . szmuness , h . j . alter and j . e . maynard . philadelphia , franklin institute press , 1982 ); and the central laboratory of the netherlands red cross blood transfusion service hb - vaccine ( clb ) ( e . e . reerink - brongers , h . w . reesink , h . g . j . brummelhuis , b . j . t . schut , p . j . dees , p . n . lelie , a . k . raap , l . a . wilson - desturler , w . g . vanaken , h . balner , p . m . c . a . van eerd , t . c . van schie , l . w . stitz , b . van steenis and t . m . feltkamp - vroom , &# 34 ; preparation and evaluation of heat - inactivated hbsag as a vaccine against hepatitis b &# 34 ;, viral hepatitis , pp . 437 - 450 , edited by w . szmuness , h . j . alter and j . e . maynard , philadelphia , franklin institute press , 1982 ). additional sera were used in the course of the development of the elisa test : rabbit antisera to hbv from which antibodies to the s - protein had been removed ( neurath et al ., 1976 , supra ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , 1985 ; rabbit atisera to the synthetic peptides pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) and pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 , 1984 ; neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ) and pooled serum from individuals vaccinated with an experimental vaccine ( mcauliffe et al ., 1982 , supra ). the latter serum pool contained sera of individuals positive for antibodies with anti - pre - s specificity as determined by double antibody radioimmunoassays ( ria ) ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ). for comparison , sera from individuals who were infected with hbv or acquired anti - hbs as a result of hbv infection were also tested for anti - pre - s specific antibodies . human sera were tested for anti - hbs by ria ( ausab test ; abbott laboratories , chicago ), and the results were expressed in international milliunits ( miu )/ ml calculated from a calibration curve relating cpm to serial dilutions of an international anti - hbs standard . procedures for the conjugation of antibodies with beta - lactamase ( r . h . yolken , s . - b . wee and m . van regenmortel , &# 34 ; the use of beta - lactamase in enzyme immunoassays for detection of microbial antigens &# 34 ;, journal of immunological methods , 73 , 109 - 123 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , n . strick , p . sproul , l . baker , p . rubenstein , c . e . stevens , p . taylor , r . c . gallo , j . w . m . gold , y . s . lee and t . nilsen , &# 34 ; radioimmunoassay and enzyme - linked immunoassay of antibodies to the core protein ( p24 ) of human t - lymphotropic virus ( htlv - iii )&# 34 ;, journal of virological methods , 11 , 75 - 86 , 1984 ) were followed . one mg of either synthetic peptide pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) or pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , 1985 , supra ) in 250 μl of 0 . 1m phosphate ph 6 . 8 were each mixed with 2 mg of beta - lactamase ( type i , sigma , st . louis , mo ) ( 250 μl , 8 mg / ml predialyzed against the same buffer ). fifty μl of 0 . 2 % glutaraldehyde were added to the mixture in 5 μl aliquots . after incubation for 2 hours at room temperature , the conjugate was dialyzed at 4 ° c . against phosphate - buffered saline , ph 7 . 4 , changed 3 times . ethanolamine ( 0 . 05m ) was added to the conjugate after the first dialysis buffer change . ten μl aliquots of serum samples were mixed with 400 μl of 0 . 14m nacl , 0 . 01m tris , 0 . 02 % nan 3 , ph 7 . 2 ( ts ) containing 10 mg / ml of bovine serum albumin ( tsb ). to determine the dilution endpoints of various sera , serial dilutions ( 400 μl ) were made in tsb containing 0 . 5 % ( v / v ) normal rabbit serum . twenty μl of magnetic protein a ( biomag m4600 , advanced magnetics , nnc ., cambridge , ma ) were added to the diluted specimens . after 30 minutes at room temperature , the magnetic protein a with immunoglobulins adsorbed from the serum specimens was separated in a magnetic field using the m4700 magnetic separator ( advanced magnetics ). excess fluids were aspirated from the magnetic particles which were subsequently washed twice with tsb . the synthetic peptide - beta - lactamase conjugate ( 400 μl ; diluted 2 . 5 × 10 4 - fold in tsb ) was added to the magnetic particles and the mixtures were incubated 30 minutes each at 37 ° c . and 20 ° c . the particles were separated in a magnetic field and washed twice with ts and once with the substrate solution ( 1 mg / ml of soluble starch , 15 μg / ml of penicillin g , 30 μg / ml of i 2 and 0 . 8 mg / ml ki in 0 . 14m nacl , 0 . 05m phosphate ph 7 . 2 ). finally , 400 μl of the substrate solution were added and 90 minutes later , the optical density ( od at 570 nm ) of the samples was read using the mr600 microplate reader ( dynatech laboratories , alexandria , va ) after transfer into wells of 96 - well plates . the specimens were considered positive for antibodies if the corresponding od was less than 1 / 2 of the od corresponding to normal serum controls . the performance of the tests was monitored daily by including positive controls [ 1 / 5 , 000 and 1 / 1 , 000 diluted rabbit antisera to the peptides pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) and pre - s ( 12 - 32 )], respectively [ anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) and anti - pre - s ( 12 - 32 )]. double antibody ria test and elisa tests using either synthetic peptide - beta - galactosidase ( beta - gal ) conjugates ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent and n . strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent and n . strick , &# 34 ; monoclonal antibodies to hepatitis surface antigen ( hbsag ) with anti - a specificity recognize a synthetic peptide analogue ( s - 135 - 155 ) with unmodified lysine &# 34 ;, journal of virological methods , 9 , 341 - 346 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , 1985 ), has been used to detect antibodies recognizing synthetic peptide analogues of the hbv env proteins . using the ria test , anti - pre - s specific antibodies were detected in sera of 7 out of 12 persons immunized with an experimental hepatitis b vaccine ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ; mcauliffe et al ., 1982 , supra ). these antibodies were not detected in recipients of the msd vaccine lacking pre - s sequences due to the conditions used for vaccine manufacture ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ). when the ria test was applied to sera from recipients of two other vaccines ( pasteur and clb ), known to contain small amounts of pre - s sequences at least in some lots of vaccine , only marginally positive results were obtained ( ria ratio units between 2 . 1 and 3 . 0 ) with a portion of vaccine recipients . negative results were obtained with elisa assays based on beta - gal conjugates or the corresponding fusion protein . applicants continued their efforts to demonstrate with confidence the presence of anti - pre - s specific antibodies in vaccinated individuals by attempting to develop more sensitive assays . first an assay was developed differing from the test finally adopted ( see above ) in two aspects : ( 1 ) staphylococci bearing protein a were used instead of magnetic protein a , and all separations were done by centrifugation rather than by a magnetic field ; and ( 2 ) diluted serum samples were first incubated with the synthetic peptide - beta - lacatamase conjugates and the immune complexes were subsequently adsorbed on the staphylococcal particles . excellent results were obtained with this test applied to anti - hbv , to anti - peptide sera and to a group of sera from recipients of the pasteur vaccines . however , screening of normal human and chimpanzee sera surprisingly revealed that a high proportion of sera gave false positive results . this unexpected problem was avoided by adsorbing first the immunglobulins from serum specimens to protein a and subsequently adding the peptide - beta - lactamase conjugate to the washed protein - a - immunoglobulin complexes . replacement of staphylococci by magnetic protein a further simplified the performance of the assays . the dilution endpoints of anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) anti - hbv and pooled sera from hepatitis b vaccine recipients in this assay were approximately 1 / 3 × 10 6 , 1 / 3 × 10 5 and approximately 1 / 2 . 5 × 10 4 , respectively , using pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase ( see fig1 ). with pre - s ( 12 - 32 )- beta - lactamase , the respective endpoints were approximately 1 / 1 . 25 × 10 4 , approximately 1 / 300 and 1 / 130 ( see fig2 ). the comparatively lower endpoints for antibodies recognizing pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) in anti - hbv and the human serum pool probably reflects the lower content of the large hbv env protein in hbsag ( hbv ) in comparison with the content of middle protein ( heermann et al ., 1984 , supra , neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens 1985 , supra ). the assays were sequence - specific , i . e ., anti - pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) did not react with pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase and anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) did not react with pre - s ( 12 - 32 )- beta - lactamase . the assay utilizing pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase , because of its higher sensitivity for detection of anti - pre - s specific antibodies , was selected for screening of sera from humans who had been infected with hbv or were immunized with distinct hepatitis b vaccines . comparative tests with serial dilutions of pooled sera from recipients of a hepatitis b vaccine ( mcauliffe et al ., 1982 , supra ) revealed that elisa tests with pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase are approximately 50 to 100 times more sensitive than double antibody ria tests or elisa assays with pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - gal . sera previously screened by the two latter methods , and found to be negative , were actually positive for anti - pre - s - specific antibodies . the pasteur vaccine ( except group 2 , table 1 ) elicited anti - pre - s antibodies in both staff members and patients of hemodialysis units more efficiently than the clb vaccine , although the latter induced higher levels of anti - s - protein (= anti - hbs ) in patients ( compare groups 3 and 4 with groups 5 to 7 ). the antibody responses to either vaccine were higher in personnel than in patients of hemodialysis units . these conclusions were confirmed by determining the anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) dilution endpoints ( for comparison , see fig1 ) of anti - pre - s - positive sera from groups 3 , 4 , and 5 , respectively . the corresponding values were approximately 1 / 5 , 000 , 1 / 200 and 1 / 50 . within a single group ( compare 4a and 4b ) the prevalence of anti - pre - s positive samples was correlated to the level of anti - hbs . in accordance with data reported earlier , the msd vaccine did not elicit anti - pre - s antibodies . a portion ( 65 %) of homosexual men who acquired anti - hbs as a result of hbv infection had detectable anti - pre - s in their serum . all individuals tested ( group 11 ) who had transient hepatitis b became anti - pre - s - positive in the course of disease in accordance with published data ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ). interestingly , six of these preselected hemodialysis patients had been vaccinated with the msd vaccine ( all but one patient developed anti - hbs ) but were not protected against hepatitis b . ( c . e . stevens , h . j . alter , p . e . taylor , e . a . zang , e . j . harley and w . szmuness , &# 34 ; hepatitis b vaccine in patients receiving hemodialysis immunogenicity and efficiency &# 34 ;, new england journal of medicine , 311 , 496 - 501 , 1984 ). table 1__________________________________________________________________________results of screening selected from persons who had been infected with hbvor were vaccinatedwith distinct hepatitis b vaccines for anti - pre - s - specific antibodies level of anti - number of anti - pre - s ( anti - s - protein antibodies ) source of vaccine * positive sera per miu / mlcharacterization and lot number total number of geometricalof population ( if available ) sera tested range mean__________________________________________________________________________1 . healthy indi - pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 4 ) 10 / 10 2 , 500 - 10 , 500 4 , 460 viduals after 02 receiving 3 doses of vaccine2 . healthy indi - pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 4 ) 0 / 12 600 - 12 , 000 7 , 170 viduals after 1005 receiving 3 doses of vaccine3 . hemodialysis pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 15 / 15 53 , 000 - 533 , 000 152 , 000 personnel 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine4 . hemodialysis pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 14 / 20 49 - 15 , 520 646 personnel 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine 4a . subdivision pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 12 / 12 364 - 15 , 250 2 , 150 of group 4 4b . subdivision pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 2 / 8 49 - 291 55 of group 45 . hemodialysis clb . sup . ( b ) ( 3 ) 11 / 15 50 , 000 - 690 , 000 133 , 800 pesonnel 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine6 . hemodialysis clb . sup . ( c ) ( 3 ) 2 / 20 3 , 200 - 88 , 700 9 , 030 patients 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine7 . hemodialysis clb . sup . ( b ) ( 3 ) 0 / 20 10 , 400 - 119 , 600 40 , 710 patients 1 month after 5th dose of vaccine8 . healthy clb . sup . ( b ) ( 5 ) 10 / 25 610 - 7 , 800 1 , 990 individuals after receiving 3 doeses of vaccine . sup . ( d ) 9 . hemodialysis msd . sup . ( f ) ( 1 ) 0 / 10 -- . sup . 13 , 000 . sup . ( e ) personnel 1 to 5 months after 3rd dose of vaccine10 . homosexual men -- ( 1 ) 13 / 20 280 - 1 , 020 595 who acquired anti - hbs after hbv infection hemodialysis -- ( 1 ) . sup . 10 / 10 . sup . ( g ) -- -- patients in the course of transient hepatitis b__________________________________________________________________________ * indicates manufacturer of vaccine and , in parenthesis , laboratory from which the sera were obtained , indicated by numbers identical to those given on the title page for the authors &# 39 ; affiliations . sup . ( a ) vaccine dose = 5 ug . sup . ( b ) vaccine dose = 3 ug . sup . ( c ) vaccine dose = 27 ug . sup . ( d ) different bathces of vaccine were used . sup . ( e ) the pool of 10 sera was assayed by the ausab test . . sup . ( f ) vaccine dose = 20 ug . sup . ( g ) six of these patients had received the msd vaccine but were not protected . it will be appreciated that the instant specification and claims are set forth by way of illustration and not limitation , and that various modifications and changes may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	8
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details . in other instances , well - known circuits have been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail . for the most part , details concerning timing considerations and the like have been omitted in as much as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art . refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by the same reference numeral through the several views . fig1 illustrates the major functional blocks of a computing device ( in this case a pda ) wherein a motion sensor 108 is incorporated . motion sensor 108 may comprise a simple set of electrical contacts that “ make contact ” whenever the computing device is moved in any direction . other , more sophisticated implementations of motion sensor 108 may use proximity devices which provide an output signal in the presence of a user . in fig1 , a central processing unit ( cpu ) 101 is connected over a system bus 110 to a number of subsystems , among them are memory 102 , i / o 103 , interrupt controller 104 and a real - time and date clock ( real - time clock ) 112 . memory 102 includes the non - volatile memory that functions to hold both programs that are executed by the computing device and data ( such as date - book entries ) entered by the user . the i / o subsystem 103 provides a means for connecting various input and output components such as a display screen 105 , touch pad or keyboard 106 , application specific pushbuttons 107 and a motion or proximity sensor 108 . in normal use , the cpu 101 receives input from the user via the touch pad or keyboard 106 regarding the dates and times of the events for which the user wishes a reminder . the information regarding these events is stored in memory 102 . a stored event program in memory 102 sorts through the list of events and queues the event for the first compare . the event program compares the current date and time from real - time clock 112 to the times of queued event times . when the time of the first queued event arrives , the cpu may display messages on display screen 105 , activate audio circuits and / or vibration components ( not shown ). if the first queued event is sufficiently far in the future , it may warrant the program controlling the computing device to reduce power consumption . in preparation , the cpu 101 programs a register in the real - time clock 112 to send an interrupt signal 111 to interrupt controller 104 when the time of the future event arrives . the cpu may then reduce power consumption using a number of techniques , such as reducing clock speed or executing a halt instruction to normally operating system programs . when the time of the first queued event arrives , the real - time clock 112 sends the interrupt signal 111 to the interrupt controller 104 which causes the cpu 101 to resume normal execution . however , embodiments of the present invention sample the motion or proximity sensor 108 to determine if the user is present before notifying the user by visual , audible or tactile means . if the user does not respond , then the cpu 101 may determine that the device should go into low power again . this time , the cpu 101 programs registers in the i / o interface 103 to send an i / o interrupt 109 to interrupt controller 104 whenever the motion sensor 108 detects movement of the device . if the user is not present , the cpu 101 may program the real - time clock 112 with a new interrupt time for the near future and the computing device may re - enter the low - power state . alternatively , the computing device may invoke the visual , audible or tactile notification procedures for only the first occurrence of an interrupt for a given event . cpu 101 may then set a flag in memory that prevents future interrupts for the same event from invoking the notification procedures . once cpu 101 re - enters the low - power state , the computing device may be awakened either by the presence of the user , as indicated by motion sensor 108 , or by a real - time clock interrupt 111 . if the computing device is awakened by the real - time clock interrupt 111 , it first determines if the user is present before invoking notification procedures . in either of the cases , if the user is present , the computing device presents the first missed event and then may present subsequent queued events in order of their occurrences . the same action is taken if motion sensor 108 senses actual motion of the computing device or motion indicating a user is in proximity of the computing device and no response to a reminder was obtained from the user . alternatively , when a proximity sensor is used , the cpu 101 may program the real - time clock to repetitively interrupt at programmed short time intervals ( e . g ., every five minutes ) and the computing device will re - enter the low - power consumption state . when the short interval has passed , the cpu 101 may be returned to the normal operational power mode when it samples the output of the proximity sensor 108 through the i / o subsystem 103 to determine if the computing device appears to be in the presence of the user . if it is determined that the user is not present , another short interval wait is programmed into the real - time clock and the computing devices return to the low - power consumption state without having activated high - power consuming devices . on the other hand , if the proximity sensor indicates that the user is present , the computing device attempts to remind the user of the events as is currently done . if the user is present but does not respond , the computing device may go back to the low - power state . electrical devices capable of sensing motion , acceleration or proximity are well known within the industry . in its simplest form , a motion sensor 108 may be a mercury switch ( wherein a pool of liquid mercury shorts across two electrical contacts when the switches moved to a certain angle , likewise , any making or breaking of contacts would be indicative of a motion ). because of health hazards associated with liquid mercury , this type of device is rarely used . however , other types of sensors exist that provide an electrical output based upon the inertial effects , sensing a change in ir light reaching the computing device , changes in capacitance around a computing device and so on . fig2 is a flow chart of method steps according to embodiments of the present invention . in step 201 , the cpu 101 of a computing device 100 receives user updated event times and dates for which a user desires notification and queues the earliest future event for setting an interrupt from real - time clock 112 . in step 202 , a test is done to determine if the motion sensor 108 indicates that the user is present . if the result of the test in step 202 is yes , then normal operation is continued in step 203 where a test is done to determine if there has been a predetermined period of user inactivity . if the result of the test in step 203 is no , then a return is taken to step 201 waiting for motion sensor 108 to indicate that the user is not present . if the result of the test in step 202 is no , then in step 204 the earliest queued event time and date are programmed to generate a real - time clock 112 interrupt . in step 205 , the computing device 100 goes into or stays in the low - power mode . in step 206 , a test is done to determine if a queued event time has arrived . if the result of the test in step 206 is no , then in step 207 a test is done to determine if a motion sensor based interrupt has been received . this would indicate that the user has returned prior to the particular queued event time . if the result of the test in step 207 is no , then a branch is taken back to step 205 . if the result of the test in step 207 is yes , then a branch is taken to step 211 where the user may be notified of any missed events . if the result of the test in step 206 is yes , then in step 208 a test done to determine if motion sensor 108 indicates that the user is present . if the result of the test in step 208 is no , then in step 209 the real - time clock 112 is programmed to interrupt at the next pending event time or at a next reminder time . a return is then taken to step 205 where the computing device 100 either enters or stays in the low - power state . if the result of the test in step 208 is yes , then in step 210 the user notification procedures are activated for the current arrived event time . the user is also notified of any missed event ( s ) in step 211 . in step 212 , a test is done to determine if the user acknowledged the event notifications . if the result of the test in step 212 is no , then step 209 is executed . if the result of the test in step 212 is yes , then in step 213 the pending event list is updated by removing the acknowledged events from the event list and a return is taken back to step 201 . although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	8
the current market for intellectual property (“ ip ”) and sophistication of current exchanges provide an opportunity to develop efficiencies in the ip marketplace and maximize ip valuation through an ip trading exchange . an ip trading exchange may be used for licensing or selling all types of ip , including patents , copyrights , trademarks , trade dress , and trade secrets . moreover , in one embodiment of the present invention , the ip may include issued patents , registered copyrights , registered trademarks , or any other granted or registered ip . in another embodiment of the present invention , the ip may include pending patent applications , pending trademark applications , or any other pending ip application or registration . an ip trading exchange offers a forum in which ip owners , licensees , or financial investors or speculators may buy or sell ip rights through licenses and / or related futures contracts . for example , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , an ip trading exchange may be used to buy or sell ip rights through licenses , which may then be used to practice the invention or legitimize current operations that may be infringing . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , an ip trading exchange may be used to buy or sell speculative ip rights through futures contracts , the goal of which is to earn appreciation by re - selling for a higher price at some time in the future . following are descriptions of key elements of a computerized ip trading exchange in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . a computerized ip trading exchange may have some or all of these elements , as well as any additional elements necessary for the setup , execution , and daily operation of a computerized ip trading exchange . intellectual property . intellectual property (“ ip ”) includes patents , copyrights , trademarks , trade dress , trade secrets , and any other intangible ideas or expressions . ip is a form of legal entitlement , which allows its owner or holder to control the use , manufacture , or sale of the ip . for example , a patent allows the owner or holder to exclude others from practicing an invention . manufacturers and other potential holders gain the right to practice an excluded invention by licensing or purchasing the rights from a patent owner . in an ip trading exchange , certain ip is accepted for listing on the exchange , as described below . ip owner . the ip owner ( licensor ) provides licensing and sub - licensing rights to licensees in exchange for royalties or other compensation as stipulated by the license agreement . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , an ip owner licenses the ip to an investment bank in exchange for a cash payment . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , an ip owner performs the listing and underwriting of ip license contracts itself and without the assistance of an ip investment bank . the ip owner may include multiple individuals and / or entities . for instance , the ip owner may include all of the owners of various intellectual property rights relating to a specific product or industry . ip investment bank . in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention , investment banks receive the ip rights from the ip owner and package them for listing or inclusion on the ip trading exchange . specifically , an investment bank rates , insures , and values the ip , as described below . additionally , the investment bank may perform other functions such as underwriting the licensing transaction , or the ip investment bank may work with a separate underwriter or an underwriting syndicate to carry out the underwriting processes . further , the investment bank may certify that ip license contracts comply with the regulations of trading and the requirements of listing on the ip trading exchange . the investment bank may then list the ip on the ip trading exchange and sub - license the ip to perspective buyers . in another embodiment of the present invention , the ip investment bank may have the right to enforce the ip should an infringer not purchase a license from the ip trading exchange . the ip owner may choose to join the ip investment bank in any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . underwriter . the ip investment bank and / or ip trading exchange may retain a separate underwriter or an underwriting syndicate to carry out the due diligence and underwriting processes . alternatively , the underwriting process may be carried out by one or more of the ip owner , ip investment bank , and / or ip trading exchange . the underwriter reviews information relating to the intellectual property submitted by the ip owner and evaluates the deal , performs due diligence , and may recruit a syndicate . the underwriter may negotiate an underwriting agreement with the ip investment bank and / or ip trading exchange , and based on the agreement , the underwriter may purchase a certain volume of the intellectual property licensing contracts as part of the initial sale or offering . computerized ip trading exchange . the computerized ip trading exchange monitors disclosures and may guarantee and / or clear transactions similar to today &# 39 ; s commodities and futures exchanges , in addition to other functions performed by today &# 39 ; s exchanges . the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce regulations relating to trading , including regulations created by the exchange as well as governmental regulations . further , the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce requirements for listing ip license contracts on the exchange . after the initial offering , ip pricing is achieved by continuous or day - to - day trading , as described below . the ip trading exchange keeps track of pricing information and provides pricing information on a realtime basis . pricing information may be provided in any print ( e . g ., newspaper , facsimile ) or electronic ( e . g ., ticker , rss feed , webstream , e - mail , internet webpage ) medium . additionally , the ip trading exchange may provide pricing information in the form of industrial averages or indices , which may be based on average pricing information for license contracts relating to various technologies , industries , and / or companies . the ip trading exchange is computerized and ip owners , ip investment banks , ip investors , and licensees can access the ip trading exchange through the internet by accessing a website of the ip trading exchange , through other computerized systems or networks such as nasdaq and / or the nasdaq portal , and / or through other online connections or portals . the ip trading exchange may have an independent computerized platform with its own servers and databases . in another embodiment , the ip trading exchange is hosted on third - party networks or computerized systems . as one example , the ip trading exchange may be implemented on a hosted network with information stored on one or more databases that may be part of the hosted network or may be accessible to but separate from the hosted network . the ip trading exchange maintains electronic information relating to the unitized license contracts that are listed on the exchange . the ip trading exchange also maintains electronic information relating to the ip owners , ip investment banks , ip investors , and licensees . the information is stored in one or more databases maintained by or at the direction of the ip trading exchange . ip investors . ip investors ( which may include speculators , market makers , and arbitrageurs ) add liquidity to the market . ip investors purchase ip licensing and / or futures contracts with the goal of re - selling the contracts at higher prices sometime in the future . in some embodiments of the present invention , the ip investors may act on behalf of licensors or licensees . licensees . licensees are the ultimate buyers of the ip rights and consumers of the ip trading exchange . licensees purchase ip licensing in order to practice the invention . in some cases , licensees purchase ip licensing in order to legitimize current operations that may be infringing . in some embodiments of the present invention , the licensee also may serve as the ip investor . for purposes of illustration only , an ip trading exchange may be thought of as a hybrid of today &# 39 ; s stock and commodities exchanges . for example , the initial offering of rights to a particular ip may be modeled after a stock initial public offering (“ ipo ”) on a traditional stock exchange . in the first step of an ip initial offering , the ip owner identifies ip that it desires to license . alternatively , the ip trading exchange and / or an ip investment bank may approach the ip owner to solicit interest in listing the intellectual property rights on the exchange . the ip owner may execute a mutual non - disclosure agreement ( mnda ) with the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank prior to making a submission . an mnda allows the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank to share confidential information relating to the intellectual property with one or more underwriters that assist with the listing and underwriting process . the ip owner then submits a schedule of intellectual property to be listed on the ip trading exchange . the ip owner also may submit one or more of the following : a checklist covering key representations and terms from any seller agreement or unitized license contract ( including , for instance , field of use , geographical restrictions , whether research was federally funded , among others ); any due diligence checklist , including validity opinions and / or analyses such as prior art searches , infringement analyses such as claim charts , encumbrances , and prior licensing experience ; descriptions of the technology to the licensed , including expected commercial embodiments in which the technology could be used , and market analyses ; any financial information relating to anticipated deals and / or licensing revenues ; and any plans for future production of the licensed technology . the ip owner then solicits bids from the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment banks to perform the listing and underwriting process . alternatively , the ip owner may perform the listing and underwriting process itself if the ip owner utilizes an ip investment bank , then ip investment banks bid on the listing and underwriting process , and the ip owner selects one of the investment banks , typically the lowest bidder , to carry the process forward . investment banks typically work out a fee structure for the listing and underwriting process , which may be fixed fees , success or percentage fees based on the success of the ip initial offering , or a combination of both fixed and success fees . next , ip trading exchange and / or the selected ip investment bank may begin the due diligence phase of the listing process . as described below , the due diligence phase includes : packaging the ip for listing ; performing legal analysis of the strength and ownership of the ip , including validity and noninfringement analyses ; performing market analysis of the products and / or parties which may infringe the ip and require or benefit from licensees to the ip , including a determination of the likely market size and market segments ; performing valuation analyses , including a determination of the likely range of royalties ; and marketing the ip . the due diligence phase may be conducted by the ip owner and / or the ip investment bank . alternatively , the due diligence phase may be contracted out to lawyers , economists , marketing firms , or other specialists and third parties . by packaging the ip , the ip owner ( or , for example , marketing firms ) determine which of the relevant ip should be included in the listing . for instance , an ip owner may only have one patent , and only that patent would be listed . but in instances where the ip owner has numerous ip or multiple related ip , determining which ip should be included in a single listing may require careful consideration . for example , ip may be grouped by product or product group , such as all of the patents and trademarks related to a particular car or line of cars . as another example , ip may be grouped by patent families , such as a parent patent and all patents relating or based on the parent . the legal analysis of the ip is to determine the strength , or at least an opinion of the strength , of the ip . for instance , with patents , the prior art may be assessed and opinions may be made concerning any possible invalidity issues based on the prior art . additionally , claim charts may be made and the claims may be construed to determine the patent &# 39 ; s scope of coverage . it also may be important to ensure that certain formalities have been followed , such as proper recordation of any assignments , perfection of claims of priority , and / or payment of any annuities or maintenance fees . with , for example , trade secrets , the extent to which the trade secrets have been kept confidential may be assessed , including whether non - disclosure agreements have been used and the extent to which the trade secret has been disclosed , taught , or demonstrated . as another example , with trademarks , a trademark search and / or consumer surveys may be conducted to determine the brand recognition or strength of the mark . also , it may be important to determine whether formalities have been followed , such as timely filing of statements of use and / or payment of any annuities or maintenance fees . valuation of the ip may involve the consideration of numerous factors , such as the strength of the ip , the ability to use or the availability of substitute or competing technologies , the market need for the technology , and / or the market size and number of parties that may be benefit from or require licensing . also , valuation may depend on the quantity of ip packaged together in the listing . valuation may require the consideration of economists and lawyers . additionally , third party ratings or assessments of ip may be helpful in determining the value of the ip . upon completion of the due diligence phase , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank determines whether or not the ip should be listed on the ip trading exchange based on the due diligence review . this determination is based on particular underwriting criteria and may further include the determination of an underwriter . as with all risks , some underwriters and investment banks are more conservative than others and may have different standards in evaluating the above factors of the due diligence review . should the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank accept the ip for listing on the ip trading exchange , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank assigns a listing price and provides an estimate of the cash from listing the ip to the ip owner . at this point , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank may use an underwriter to accept and underwrite the listing and the license contracts . for instance , the underwriter , as lead with an underwriting syndicate or acting alone , may decide to purchase a certain amount of license contracts at a predetermined price as part of an initial sale of the intellectual property rights . the underwriter may execute an mnda with the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank and , in exchange , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank provides the information submitted by the ip owner and any internal analyses or evaluations . the underwriter may perform its own due diligence in analyzing the deal or it may recruit a syndicate . the underwriter also may execute an underwriting agreement with the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank . if the listing price is satisfactory , the ip owner may grant the ip investment bank an exclusive license for the intellectual property with the right to sub - license on a limited ( e . g ., quantity ) non - exclusive basis . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , the ip owner may retain a non - exclusive right to practice the ip at no cost or at a reduced cost . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , the ip investment bank may obtain an exclusive license in order to have the ability to enforce the ip against infringers . the ip owner may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . the ip trading exchange may issue an offering memorandum pursuant to and consistent with rule 144a of the securities act of 1933 addressing one or more of the following : a schedule of the intellectual property rights to be listed and the products with which the intellectual property rights may be used pursuant to the license contract ; a description of the technology or intellectual property rights to be listed ; a description of the market for the listed technology or intellectual property rights ; a comparison with other known competing technologies ; any pre - existing encumbrances ; ip owners &# 39 ; projections on production , if applicable ; if an industry - accepted standard exists , any comparison and / or likelihood of adoption as a standard ; any validity analyses , risk factors , and any fees ; and ip trading exchange rules and disclosures , including underwriting disclosures , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to enforce and settlement policies , buyer obligations to report licensing usage , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to audit , and any restrictions or policies with respect to resale , sublicensing , and enforcement . upon receiving the exclusive license , the ip investment bank may prepare an ip prospectus and / or other marketing materials to attract potential licensees , investors , and / or speculators . these materials likely include information obtained from the due diligence review . for instance , the materials may include : a listing of the ip included in the non - exclusive license ; legal analysis of the strength of the ip ; the terms of the non - exclusive license contract including the number of units that can be produced and the duration of the contract ; the nature of the enforcement actions that may be taken against infringers ; portions of the valuation analysis ; when and under what terms additional licenses may be made available ( e . g ., if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses will be made available ). next , the ip owner and / or ip investment bank prepares for the initial offering of the ip rights . as with stock ipos , the ip owner and / or ip investment bank seeks to list certain ip license contracts on the ip trading exchange . the initial offering may be based on a certain quantity of ip license contracts , a certain duration for the ip license contracts , or a combination of both quantity and duration . the ip trading exchange may schedule the date on which the license contracts will first trade and the initial offering price . on the date of the initial trade , the ip trading exchange and / or a clearinghouse , such as the nasdaq portal or the depository trust clearing corporation (“ dtcc ”), will have the number of electronic certificates authorized for the first issue on hand . the ip trading exchange and / or the clearinghouse will disseminate live or realtime license contract trading information , such as the bid or offer and details relating to the last trade . the underwriter will sell through its volume commitment first , and then the ip trading exchange pays a flat fee for each license contract that issues . then , the ip trading exchange allows the ip license contracts to be listed on the exchange . the ip license contracts may be listed by members or member firms of the exchange , which may include ip investment banks or other investors . alternatively , the ip license contracts may be listed by the ip owner . the ip trading exchange carries out duties which may be similar to current stock exchanges . for example , the ip trading exchange monitors disclosures , guarantees transactions , and clears transactions . the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce any trading regulations , including regulations enacted by the exchange and / or any governmental regulations . alternatively , this function in whole or in part also may be carried out by ip investment banks . additionally , the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce any requirements of listing on the exchange . alternatively , monitoring and / or enforcing of any listing requirements may be carried out , in whole or in part , by if investment banks . listing requirements , which may be created by the exchange , may include considerations such as whether the intellectual property rights have been litigated and , if so , the extent to which they have been litigated ; whether competent prior art searches have been conducted ; and / or whether any opinions of counsel have been made . based on listing requirements such as the above , the ip license contracts may be listed separately on the exchange under different types or classes . for example , ip license contracts relating to intellectual property that has been litigated may be classified separately from those contracts relating to intellectual property that has not been litigated . ip contracts which relate to intellectual property that has been litigated may be further classified depending on the extent of litigation . for example , ip contracts relating to intellectual property that has been litigated in district courts and found valid and enforceable may be placed in one class , while ip contracts relating to intellectual property that has been litigated in the federal circuit or the supreme court may be placed in different classes . additionally , ip license contracts relating to intellectual property where opinions of counsel have been made may be placed in a class separate from those ip license contracts relating to intellectual property where opinions of counsel have not been made . one or more of the above requirements and / or considerations may be used in listing the ip license contracts on the exchange . investors , licensees , and licensors may purchase the ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange . investors purchase ip license contracts with the goal of seeking appreciation or re - selling at a higher price at some time in the future . in this sense , the ip license contracts are similar to a futures contract . licensees , on the other hand , purchase the contracts in order to practice the ip or legitimize infringing uses of the ip . in this sense , licensees take delivery of the actual license . unused ip license contracts may be re - listed at a later time on the ip trading exchange upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange in order to resume operations . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , the listing ip investment bank may initiate patent infringement actions and other enforcement proceedings against infringers who refuse to purchase licenses through the ip trading exchange . the ip owner may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess proceeds from infringement actions may be used by the investment bank to purchase ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange , thereby increasing the price of the contracts and raising the value of the ip . for purposes of illustration only , an ip trading exchange may be thought of as a hybrid of today &# 39 ; s stock and commodities exchanges . for example , day - to - day transactions of rights to a certain listed ip may be modeled after a traditional commodities exchange where contracts are traded on a daily basis . as part of the first step of a typical day - to - day transaction of ip rights , the owner or seller of at least one ip license contract lists the contract and an asking or specified price on the ip trading exchange . in situations where multiple contracts are owned , the ip license holder may list multiple if not all of the license contracts on the exchange . the ip license holder may perform the listing itself or it may retain an exchange member to perform the listing . the ip license holder may be an investor or speculator who is re - selling the license contract for a higher price . alternatively , the ip license holder may be a licensee who no longer needs the license , as described below , or is selling excess license contracts . the ip trading exchange and / or third - party networks such as nasdaq portal host the secondary market , which may be brokered or non - brokered . through the ip trading exchange , buyers determine whether or not demand is sufficient to buy the license contract for the ip license holder &# 39 ; s specified price as listed on the exchange . if buyers are unwilling to pay the specified price , then the seller retains the license contract until such time when the price becomes more attractive in the market . alternatively , the seller may lower the asking price to attract a buyer , which may be necessary to sell the license contract if expiration is imminent . if buyers are willing to pay the specified price , then the sale moves forward towards closing . typically , an exchange member purchases the license contract on behalf of the buyer at the specified price , and the ip trading exchange clears the transaction . in most any situation , the ip trading exchange monitors any disclosures and guarantees and clears the transaction . with investors , the buyer may hold the license contract until such time that the price becomes attractive for the buyer to sell the contract . if expiration is imminent , the buyer may be forced to sell the license contract , perhaps even at a discounted price . in the situation of a licensee or licensor , the buyer may hold the contract beyond expiry and take delivery of the actual license . for instance , a licensee may require the actual license in order to practice the ip or legitimize current operations that may be infringing . typically , the actual license is delivered by the specialist holding the license . where delivery of the actual license has occurred , the holder of the license may only re - list the license upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange in order to resume operations . the ip trading exchange retains the right to audit any ip owner at its discretion using an internal or third - party auditing team . for instance , one auditing scenario may require that all buyers that hold license contracts as of the end of a particular quarter must report their license contract usage to the ip trading exchange within a specified amount of time following the quarter - end . the ip trading exchange then reports to the market , through its website or other reporting mediums , the individual usage numbers per buyer ( e . g ., buyer a holds 1 , 200 , 000 license contracts and has consumed 800 , 000 as of the most recent quarter - end ) and may report the identities of the specific buyers . the ip trading exchange may choose to report usage information only if a buyer is holding more than a specified percentage of the original issue amount of the license contracts . the ip trading exchange also may report other details relating to the status of listed license contracts , such as any supplemental information or material disclosures regarding the technology or intellectual property rights . for instance , the ip trading exchange may announce the filing of a suit against an alleged infringer upon filing of the complaint , as well as the number of license contracts the defendant is alleged to need to remove liability for alleged past infringement . while contracts are listed on the ip trading exchange , the ip investment bank that initially listed the transaction or its agents may encourage potential licensees to purchase licenses from the exchange . conducting a licensing and / or marketing campaign often fosters interest in the licenses , which may generate activity in the market and ultimately raise the exchange prices and ip value . depending on trading activity , it may be necessary to release additional license contracts . for instance , if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses may be warranted . the initial offering stipulates the conditions under which additional licenses may be released . as with the initial offering , the release of additional licenses may be based on a certain quantity of ip license contracts , a certain duration for the ip license contracts , or a combination of both quantity and duration . for example , the initial offering may stipulate that a release often new licenses is warranted when trading of the existing licenses exceeds $ 1 , 000 , 000 for more than a thirty - day trading period . the second offering of new licenses may stipulate the conditions under which yet another release of new licenses may be warranted . additional licenses are released in a manner similar to the initial release described above . the new licenses are then bought and sold as described above with respect to day - to - day transactions . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , the ip trading exchange , ip investment bank , or their agents may take legal action to require a potential licensee to purchase a license , such as where potential licensee may be infringing the ip and refuses to purchase a license . the ip trading exchange may employ an enforcement committee for investigating allegedly infringing entities and conducting pre - litigation assessments and investigations . the ip owner may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess funds generated from any resolution of legal action may be used to purchase licenses from the ip trading exchange , which mitigates the high cost of litigation and , at the same time , increases the price of the contracts and value of the ip . the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the figures in which the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . the subject matter of this disclosure may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , fig1 shows the steps of an initial offering of licenses on an ip trading exchange according to one embodiment of the present invention . initially , the ip owner 10 identifies ip that it desires to license . the ip may include patents , copyrights , trademarks , trade dress , and trade secrets . moreover , the ip may include issued patents , registered copyrights , registered trademarks , or any other granted or registered ip . additionally , the ip may include pending patent applications , pending trademark applications , or any other pending ip application or registration . the ip owner 10 then solicits bids from ip investment banks 12 to perform the listing and underwriting process . the ip investment banks 12 then bid on the listing and underwriting process , and the ip owner 10 selects one of the banks , typically the lowest bidder , to carry the process forward . investment banks 12 typically work out a fee structure for the listing and underwriting process , which may be fixed fees , success or percentage fees based on the success of the ip initial offering , or a combination of both fixed and success fees . the selected ip investment bank 12 begins the due diligence phase of the listing process . the due diligence phase may include : packaging the ip for listing ; performing legal analysis of the strength and ownership of the ip ; performing market analysis of the products and / or parties which may infringe the ip and require or benefit from licensees to the ip ; performing valuation analyses ; and marketing the ip . the due diligence phase may be conducted by the ip owner 10 or contracted out to lawyers , economists , marketing firms , or other specialists and third parties . upon completion of the due diligence phase , the ip investment bank 12 determines whether or not the ip should be listed on the ip trading exchange 14 based on the due diligence review . this determination is based on the ip investment bank &# 39 ; s own underwriting criteria . as with all risks , some banks are more conservative than others and may have different standards in evaluating the above factors of the due diligence review . should the ip investment bank 12 accept the ip for listing on the ip trading exchange 14 , the ip investment bank 12 assigns a listing price and provides an estimate of the cash from listing the ip to the ip owner 10 . if the listing price is satisfactory , the ip owner 10 may grant the ip investment bank 12 an exclusive license for the intellectual property with the right to sub - license on a limited ( e . g ., quantity ) non - exclusive basis . additionally , the ip owner 10 may retain a non - exclusive right to practice the ip at no cost or at a reduced cost . further , the ip investment bank 12 may obtain an exclusive license in order to have the ability to enforce the ip against infringers . upon receiving the exclusive license , the ip investment bank 12 may prepare an ip prospectus and / or other marketing materials to attract potential licensees , investors , and / or speculators . these materials likely include information obtained from the due diligence review . for instance , the materials may include : a listing of the ip included in the non - exclusive license ; legal analysis of the strength of the ip ; the terms of the non - exclusive license contract including the number of units that can be produced and the duration of the contract ; the nature of the enforcement actions that may be taken against infringers ; portions of the valuation analysis ; when and under what terms additional licenses may be made available ( e . g ., if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses will be made available ). next , the ip owner 10 and / or the investment bank 12 prepares for the initial offering of the ip rights . as with stock ipos , the investment bank 12 seeks to list certain ip license contracts on the ip trading exchange 14 . the listing of ip license contracts may be based on quantity , duration , or a combination of both . then , the ip trading exchange 14 allows member firms to list the ip license contracts on the exchange . the ip trading exchange 14 carries out duties similar to current stock exchanges . for example , the ip trading exchange 14 monitors disclosures , guarantees transactions , and clears transactions . speculators and investors 16 and / or licensees 18 may purchase the ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange 14 . speculators and investors 16 purchase ip license contracts with the goal of seeking appreciation or re - selling at a higher price at some time in the future . in this sense , the ip license contracts are similar to a futures contract . licensees 18 , on the other hand , purchase the contracts in order to practice the ip or legitimize infringing uses of the ip . in this sense , licensees 18 take delivery of the actual license . unused ip license contracts may be re - listed at a later time on the ip trading exchange 14 upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee 18 has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee 18 will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange 14 in order to resume operations . the listing ip investment bank 12 may initiate patent infringement actions and other enforcement proceedings against infringers who refuse to purchase licenses through the ip trading exchange 14 . the ip owner 10 may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess proceeds from infringement actions may be used by the investment bank 12 to purchase ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange 14 , thereby increasing the price of the contracts and raising the value of the ip . fig2 shows typical day - to - day transactions on an ip trading exchange according to one embodiment of the present invention . as part of the first step of a typical day - to - day transaction of ip rights , the ip contract owner 20 of at least one ip license contract lists the contract and an asking or specified price on the ip trading exchange 14 . in situations where multiple contracts are owned , the ip contract owner 20 may list multiple if not all of the license contracts on the exchange . the ip contract owner 20 may perform the listing itself or it may retain an exchange member 22 to perform the listing . the ip contract owner 20 may be an investor or speculator who is re - selling the license contract for a higher price . alternatively , the ip contract owner 20 may be a licensee who no longer needs the license , as described below , or is selling excess license contracts . through the ip trading exchange 14 , buyers determine whether or not demand is sufficient to buy the license contract for the ip contract owner &# 39 ; s specified price as listed on the exchange . if buyers are unwilling to pay the specified price , then the ip contract owner 20 retains the license contract until such time when the price becomes more attractive in the market . alternatively , the ip contract owner 20 may lower the asking price to attract a buyer , which may be necessary to sell the license contract if expiration is imminent . if a buyer 24 is willing to pay the specified price , then the sale moves forward towards closing . typically , an exchange member 22 purchases the license contract on behalf of the buyer 24 at the specified price , and the ip trading exchange 14 clears the transaction . in most any situation , the ip trading exchange 14 monitors any disclosures and guarantees and clears the transaction . when the buyer 24 is an investor or speculator , the buyer 24 may hold the license contract until such time that the price becomes attractive for the buyer 24 to sell the contract . if expiration is imminent , the buyer 24 may be forced to sell the license contract , perhaps even at a discounted price . when the buyer 24 is a licensee , the buyer 24 may hold the contract beyond expiry and take delivery of the actual license . for instance , a licensee may require the actual license in order to practice the ip or legitimize current operations that may be infringing . typically , the actual license is delivered by the specialist holding the license . where delivery of the actual license has occurred , the holder of the license may only re - list the license upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange 14 in order to resume operations . while contracts are listed on the ip trading exchange 14 , the ip investment bank that initially listed the transaction or its agents may encourage potential licensees to purchase licenses from the exchange . conducting a licensing and / or marketing campaign often fosters interest in the licenses , which may generate activity in the market and ultimately raise the exchange prices and ip value . depending on trading activity , it may be necessary to release additional license contracts . for instance , if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses may be warranted . the initial offering stipulates the conditions under which additional licenses may be released . for example , the initial offering may stipulate that a release often new licenses is warranted when trading of the existing licenses exceeds $ 1 , 000 , 000 for more than a thirty - day trading period . the second offering of new licenses may stipulate the conditions under which yet another release of new licenses may be warranted . additional licenses are released in a manner similar to the initial release described above . the new licenses are then bought and sold as described above with respect to day - to - day transactions . additionally , the investment bank or its agents may take legal action to require a potential licensee to purchase a license , such as where potential licensee may be infringing the ip and refuses to purchase a license . the ip owner may join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess funds generated from any resolution of legal action may be used to purchase licenses from the ip trading exchange , which mitigates the high cost of litigation and , at the same time , increases the price of the contracts and value of the ip . fig3 shows certain steps during the lifecycle of another embodiment of an unitized license contract of the present invention . as shown in fig3 , a potential ip owner 110 may execute a mutual non - disclosure agreement ( mnda ) with the ip trading exchange 114 prior to making a submission . an mnda allows the ip trading exchange 114 to share confidential information relating to the intellectual property with one or more underwriters 140 that assist with the listing and underwriting process . the ip owner 110 then submits a schedule of intellectual property to be listed on the ip trading exchange 114 . the ip owner 110 also may submit one or more of the following : a checklist covering key representations and terms from any seller agreement or unitized license contract ( including , for instance , field of use , geographical restrictions , whether research was federally funded , among others ); any due diligence checklist , including validity opinions and / or analyses such as prior art searches , infringement analyses such as claim charts , encumbrances , and prior licensing experience ; descriptions of the technology to the licensed , including expected commercial embodiments in which the technology could be used , and market analyses ; any financial information relating to anticipated deals and / or licensing revenues ; and any plans for future production of the licensed technology . the ip trading exchange 114 evaluates the intellectual property submission of the ip owner 110 and determines whether to move forward with the due diligence and underwriting processes . if the ip trading exchange 114 decides to move forward , then the ip owner 110 enters into a license contract 142 with the ip trading exchange 114 and / or members of the ip trading exchange 114 . at this point , information relating to the intellectual property and the ip owner 110 is stored in an electronic data warehouse or database 144 that is maintained by or for the ip trading exchange 114 . the ip trading exchange 114 may issue an offering memorandum 146 pursuant to and consistent with rule 144a of the securities act of 1933 addressing one or more of the following : a schedule of the intellectual property rights to be listed and the products with which the intellectual property rights may be used pursuant to the license contract 142 ; a description of the technology or intellectual property rights to be listed ; a description of the market for the listed technology or intellectual property rights ; a comparison with other known competing technologies ; any pre - existing encumbrances ; projections by ip owner 110 on production , if applicable ; if an industry - accepted standard exists , any comparison and / or likelihood of adoption as a standard ; any validity analyses , risk factors , and any fees ; and ip trading exchange rules and disclosures , including underwriting disclosures , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to enforce and settlement policies , buyer obligations to report licensing usage , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to audit , and any restrictions or policies with respect to resale , sublicensing , and enforcement . the ip trading exchange 114 may distribute the offering memorandum 146 to one or more underwriters 140 , working alone or as part of a syndicate . the underwriter 140 carries out the due diligence and underwriting processes . based on the evaluations of the intellectual property by the underwriter 140 , the underwriter may chose to accept the license contracts and begin soliciting interest of potential buyers 124 . the underwriter 140 may solicit commitments from one or more buyers 124 , which will assist the underwriter in firming up the pricing of the initial sale of the intellectual property license contracts . the underwriter 140 may further commit with potential buyers 124 on certain terms on volume and discounts relating to the initial sale . information relating to these initial deals and buyer commitments may be stored in an electronic deal information database 148 , which is maintained by or for the underwriter 140 and / or the ip trading exchange 114 . upon completion of the underwriting process , the underwriter 140 and ip trading exchange 114 firm up the deal and prepare for the initial sale . the ip trading exchange 114 may schedule a date on which the license contracts 142 will first trade and the initial price . on the date of the initial sale , the ip trading exchange 114 and / or a clearinghouse , such as the nasdaq portal or depository trust clearing corporation (“ dtcc ”), will have the number of electronic certificates authorized for the first issue on hand . the ip trading exchange 114 and / or the clearinghouse will disseminate live or realtime license contract trading information , such as the bid or offer and details relating to the last trade . the underwriter 140 will sell through its volume commitment first , and then the ip trading exchange 114 pays a flat fee for each license contract 142 that issues . the initial sale may be structured to comply with either rule 144a (“ 144a ”) or regulation d (“ reg . d ”) of the securities act of 1933 . the underwriter 140 may set up a separate limited liability company 150 or other corporate vehicle to issue the initial sale of license contracts , and the license contracts may be issued under either 144a or reg . d . for instance , the limited liability company 150 may issue a first set or subscription of initial license contracts under 144a that may be offered for sale through the nasdaq portal , the dtcc , or other clearinghouse . at the same time , the limited liability company 150 may issue a second set or subscription of initial license contracts under reg . d that may be offered for sale through an in - house trading platform , such as a trading platform operated by the ip trading exchange 114 . two alternative secondary markets may exist for trading the license contracts , one under 144a and the other under reg . d . after the secondary market develops , in which license contracts 142 are regularly traded with buyers 124 , the ip trading exchange 114 may engage in oversight , auditing , reporting , and / or enforcement functions . the ip trading exchange 114 may engage in oversight functions to be sure that license contracts are properly traded pursuant to 144a , reg . d ., or other federal securities regulations and rules . the ip trading exchange 114 also may engage in auditing functions to be sure that buyers 124 are accurately representing their licensing usage and are no exceeding the scope or quantity of the license contract . the ip trading exchange 114 also may engage in reporting functions to provide the market with realtime market prices and related data , or to announce the filing of enforcement proceedings or litigation relating to the license contracts . the ip trading exchange 114 also may undertake enforcement functions and carry out enforcement proceedings , including infringement litigation , when recalcitrant buyers refuse to purchase licenses or a sufficient number of licenses . many changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon studying this description . all such changes and modifications which are within the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the claims .	6
referring now to the drawings , the present invention is shown particularly in fig1 operatively associated with a horizontal feed table 2 located directly before a circular saw 1 , and depicted in top view . the feed table 2 is formed by a plurality of freely rotatable rollers ( not shown ). on the side opposite the saw 1 , or its cutting plane 3 , a feed unit 4 is arranged having a path of movement indicated by the arrow 5 . this feed unit operates to move workpieces 7 which lie on the feed table 2 toward the saw 1 or toward its cutting plane 3 . an alignment guide 6 against which the planar workpieces 7 are pressed extends perpendicularly to the cutting plane of the circular saw 1 . the workpieces 7 placed on the feed table are pressed against the guides 6 before the feed unit 4 and the saw 1 are placed in operation . the saw 1 may be constructed in such a way that , when it is put in operation , it will move along the cutting plane 3 above the feed table , the saw then being lowered below the plane of the feed table at the end of the cutting stroke in order to again return to its original position below the plane of the table . such saws are commonly known in the art . the alignment means 8 may serve for alignment of the workpieces which may be in strip planar form . here , the alignment means 8 are provided in two rows wherein the alignment means of one row are supported on a common slide . the slides 9 may be moved to and from the alignment guide 6 in the direction of the arrows 11 . the alignment means 8 , shown in solid line are in the active position , i . e ., they are located to extend above the plane of the feed table and consequently are adapted to come into contact with the edges of the workpieces 7 . as indicated in fig1 the portions of the alignment means 8 which are located below the workpieces 7 are shown in dotted lines and the portions which extend from beyond the edge 10 of the workpieces 7 are shown in solid lines . the alignment means which are located within the circumference to the workpieces 7 and therefore below the workpieces 7 are pressed downwardly by the weight of these workpieces and are consequently brought to an inactive position . fig2 illustrates in top view a feed table 2 &# 39 ; which may also be constructed from a plurality of freely rotatable rollers or balls . alignment guides 6 &# 39 ; are here arranged at two adjoining edges . here again a feed unit 4 &# 39 ; is arranged to be slidable in the direction of the arrow 5 &# 39 ; by means of which the aligned plates or stacks of plates can be pushed to an additional processing station . for each stop guide 6 &# 39 ; several rows of alignment means 8 &# 39 ; are provided which are arranged in rows in a manner already described always on a slide 9 &# 39 ; movable in the direction of the arrow 11 &# 39 ;. fig2 shows different sizes of plates and it is evident from this figure as well as from fig1 that the alignment means 8 , 8 &# 39 ; will automatically adjust to the respective size of the workpiece so that for the respective alignment only short paths of movement need be covered by the slide 9 , 9 &# 39 ; whose maximum length corresponds to the space between the alignment means in one row . these spaces between the alignment means in one row may be equal or they may also vary . fig3 shows in greater detail the structural configuration of the basic element of the invention comprising the alignment means 8 . as indicated in fig3 an alignment device 20 is shown which includes a lever arm 21 which is pivotally mounted at one end thereof about a swivel axis 22 . the alignment device 20 is shown in the active position in fig3 with the lever arm 21 in a raised condition above the plane of the feed table 2 . the lever arm 21 is pivotally mounted upon a base member which comprises a bearing bracket 23 attached upon a slide 24 which is laterally movable in a guide 26 by means of an adjusting element 25 . in the active position , the lever 21 is held against the force of its weight by a small pneumatic piston - cylinder unit 27 which acts as a biasing means to bias the lever 21 in the raised position shown in fig3 . at the second or upper end of the lever 21 there is provided a small , freely rotatable roller or cylinder 28 arranged to turn about a horizontal axis of rotation which lies perpendicularly to the direction of adjustment ( arrow 29 ) of the alignment means . a stack of plates comprised of several plates is identified by the reference numeral 30 . the supporting power or holding power of the biasing means of the piston - cylinder unit 27 is so designed as to be small enough that the weight of a workpiece which comes in contact partially or completely on the stop , especially the roller 28 , presses the alignment means downwardly and thus transfers it into an inactive position whereupon the lever 21 is pivoted to a lower position beneath a workpiece or plate 30 . in the embodiment shown in fig4 the supporting power or holding power for the alignment means is achieved by means of a small pneumatic piston - cylinder unit . instead of such a piston - cylinder unit , other power elements , for example springs or the like are conceivable . several alignment means of the type shown in fig3 which form a row on a common slide are arranged in such a way that their swivel axes 22 lie parallel with respect to each other . also , as seen from fig4 the swivel axes 22 may lie in a common horizontal plane . referring now in greater detail to fig4 rollers 31 forming the feed table are arranged with the alignment guide 6 in cooperative arrangement with several of the alignment means of the present invention which are assembled in a row on a slide 24 in a manner which will be evident from fig3 . some of the alignment means are in the active position . that is , the two alignment means shown at the right which are not located below a workpiece 30 are brought to their raised positions by the biasing means 27 . these alignment means lie above the circumference of the stack of workpieces 30 . the other alignment means which lie below the stack of workpieces 30 are pressed downwardly by the weight of the workpieces . so that the pressed down alignment means located at the underside of the bottom workpiece do not damage the surface of the workpiece during actuation of the adjusting element 25 , the freely rotatable rollers or cylinders 28 are provided at the upper side of the alignment means . these rollers can freely roll off at their contact surface without damaging the surface during an adjustment movement in the direction of the arrow 11 . as a result of the present invention , an automatic adjustment to the respective size of the workpiece is possible while completely protecting the surfaces of the workpiece wherein the alignment means must only cover short adjusting distances ( arrows 11 , 11 &# 39 ;) during the alignment process so that the work may be performed at high cycle times . the adjustment path of the alignment means , necessary for alignment , is at the maximum equal to the distance between two successive alignment means in one row . while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .	8
referring now to the drawings in detail , wherein the same reference numbers indicate the same parts and details in each of the several figures , as follows : in fig1 , a frontal view of a preferred embodiment of the invention ( in this instance a faux monarch butterfly that functions as a bowtie ) the reference numeral 10 indicates the generally hard inflexible sheetlike material that comprises the opened wings and central body area of a butterfly ; wherein material 10 &# 39 ; s front surface 10 - s shows the coloration of a recognizable species of butterfly , and material 10 &# 39 ; s outline 10 - o indicates the shape of the opened wings of said species of butterfly . due to patent formalities this figure &# 39 ; s preferred embodiment &# 39 ; s ( i . e . monarch butterfly &# 39 ; s ) actual colors of black , orange , yellow , and white appear in the fig1 as several shades of black , gray , and white . in this figure the butterfly &# 39 ; s two wings 10 l and 10 r are symmetrically arranged on each side of the butterfly &# 39 ; s body 12 , wherein body 12 is a narrow thin material ( a small piece of leather about 1 / 25 inch thick is a suitable but not the only choice ) whose intent is to realistically portray and add depth to the central thoracic region of the represented butterfly . body 12 may be glued , stapled , or attached by other suitable means to the central frontal area of material 10 . in fig2 , a top or plan view of the same embodiment of fig1 , material 10 , the generally hard inflexible sheetlike material that comprises the opened wings and central thoracic area of a faux butterfly , appears as a thin line and as such indicates this material &# 39 ; s sheetlike construction . the butterfly &# 39 ; s body 12 appears as a slightly thicker material which is attached to the vertically central area of material 10 . this view also indicates the location of the front surface 10 - s on which appears the coloration of a recognizable species of butterfly , and this view also shows how the two halves of the faux butterfly &# 39 ; s wings 10 l and 10 r are bent slightly forward to simulate the natural pose of a real butterfly &# 39 ; s wings when open . in fig3 , a rear perspective view and exploded assembly taken from above and to one side of the same embodiment of fig1 and 2 , material 10 is the generally hard inflexible sheetlike material that comprises the opened wings and central body area of a species of butterfly , outline 10 - o indicates the shape of the butterfly &# 39 ; s opened wings , 10 l indicates the butterfly &# 39 ; s left wing and 10 r indicates its right wing . this view also shows the butterfly &# 39 ; s body 12 s in solid form before it is attached to the central frontal area of material 10 and the location of body 12 d in dotted lines after it is attached to the central frontal area of material 10 . although the means of mounting the disclosed bowtie invention on a wearer is not part of said invention , since a bowtie must include such a means of mounting on its wearer in order to be useful , in order to indicate the practicality of said invention the following describes two of several simple means of mounting said invention on a wearer . ( 1 ) drill two tiny holes in the thoracic region of material 10 and staple body 12 through the holes in material 10 to a beltlike strap situated behind material 10 wherein said beltlike strap would buckle around the neck of the wearer ; or ( 2 ) solder or braze a clip or other connecting means to the central back region of material 10 wherein said clip would hold said invention to the collar of the wearer . although the disclosed invention has been described and shown herein in terms of certain exemplary embodiments , it should be understood that various modifications and alterations could likely be made to the invention by any person skilled in the art or science to which the invention pertains without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims :	0
referring to fig1 ˜ 5 , a multi - in - one card connector 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown comprised of a base frame 11 , multiple terminal sets 21 , two vertically movable limiter blocks 31 , two elastic members 41 , and a top cover 51 . the base frame 11 is an electrically insulative member having a bottom panel 12 , two upright sidewalls 14 perpendicularly upwardly extending from the bottom panel 12 at two opposite lateral sides , two vertical sliding grooves 16 respectively formed on the upright sidewalls 14 near the front side , and a front insertion opening 18 defined by the bottom panel 12 and the upright sidewalls 14 through which a memory card is insertable into the multi - in - one card connector 10 . the upright sidewalls 14 each have a front shoulder 15 suspending above the front insertion opening 18 . the front shoulder 15 has a through hole 151 in communication with the associating vertical sliding groove 16 . the bottom panel 12 has two locating grooves 161 bilaterally disposed on the top surface adjacent to the vertical sliding grooves 16 , and an upright pin 162 in each locating groove 161 . the number of the multiple terminal sets 21 according to the present preferred embodiment is 3 . these three terminal sets 21 are respectively installed in the bottom panel 12 at different locations for the contact of a respective memory card ( for example , a ms ( memory stick ) memory card , sd ( secure digital ) memory card , or xd ( extreme digital ) memory card ). the two limiter blocks 31 are respectively mounted in and movable along the vertical sliding grooves 16 . further , the limiter blocks 31 have a respective stepped inner lateral side facing each other to fit the side edge configurations of different memory cards . the two limiter blocks 31 each have a top stop flange 32 and a bottom stop flange 34 respectively extending from the top and bottom sides in same direction . at least one of the top stop flange 32 and the bottom stop flange 34 is suspending in the front insertion opening 18 . the top flange 32 of each limiter block 31 is inserted through the through hole 151 of the associating front shoulder 15 and constrained by the associating through hole 151 . the bottom flange 34 faces one locating groove 161 of the bottom panel 12 . when the limiter blocks 31 are lowered , the bottom flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are respectively forced into the locating grooves 161 of the bottom panel 12 . the bottom flange 34 of each limiter block 31 has a sloping surface 35 disposed at the front side and facing upwards . each limiter block 31 further has an accommodation groove 36 at the outer lateral side opposite to the stepped inner lateral side . the two elastic members 41 according to the present preferred embodiment are compression springs respectively accommodated in the accommodation grooves 36 of the limiter blocks 31 and respectively sleeved onto the upright pins 162 in the locating grooves 161 of the bottom panel 12 and respectively stopped between the bottom panel 12 and the limiter blocks 31 . the top cover 51 is covered on the base frame 11 over the shoulders 15 . subject to the spring force of the elastic members 41 , the limiter blocks 31 are stopped at the bottom side of the top cover 51 . referring to fig5 , before insertion of a card , the spring force of the two elastic members 51 supports the limiter blocks 31 in the upper limit position . at this time , the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are suspending in the front insertion opening 18 and the top stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are in the associating through holes 151 in flush with the associating shoulders 15 . referring to fig6 and fig7 , when inserting a ms card 91 into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the two opposite stepped side edges 911 of the ms card 91 do not touch the sloping surfaces 35 of the bottom flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 ( see fig2 ), and therefore the ms card 91 can be smoothly inserted through the front insertion opening 18 into contact with the corresponding terminal set 21 . at this time , the ms card 91 occupies the major part of the cross section of the front insertion opening 18 , and therefore there is no room for the insertion of any other memory card . referring to fig8 and 9 , when inserting a xd memory card 92 into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the front edge of the xd memory card 92 will touch the sloping surfaces 35 of the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 ( see fig2 ) and will further force the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 downward to the associating locating grooves 161 . when the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are downward to the associating locating grooves 161 , the top stop flanges 32 are also lowered into the front insertion opening 18 to prohibit insertion of any other memory card . fig1 illustrates the positioning status of the limiter blocks 31 after the xd memory card 92 has been set into position . when inserting any other memory card , for example , mmc ( multimediacard ) memory card 91 ′ into the space above the xd ( extreme digital ) memory card 92 at this time , the front edge of the mmc memory card 91 ′ will be stopped by the top stop flanges 32 , and therefore the insertion of the mmc memory card 91 ′ is prohibited . further , because a ms ( memory stick ) memory card ( not shown ) is thicker than a sd card 91 , when a ms memory card is inserted into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , it occupies the whole space of the front insertion opening 18 , prohibiting insertion of any other memory card . the insertion status of a ms memory card is similar to the insertion status of a sd card 91 , no further description in this regard is necessary . as stated above , the multi - in - one card connector 10 does not allow insertion of any other memory card after the insertion of a sd memory card 91 . when a xd memory card 92 is inserted into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the top stop flanges 32 are lowered with the limiter blocks 31 into the front insertion opening 18 to prohibit insertion of any other memory card ( sd memory card 91 or mmc memory card 91 ′). the invention effectively reduces the vertical height and allows insertion of one single memory card only . when inserting a sd memory card 91 into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the limiter blocks 31 are immovable . the limiter blocks 31 will be moved only when a xd memory card 92 is inserted into the multi - in - one card connector 10 . therefore , designing the space for allowing movement of the limiter blocks 31 needs only to consider the moving range of one kind of memory card . further , the limiter blocks 31 needs to be lowered through a small distance to prohibit insertion of a sd memory card 91 or mmc memory card 91 ′ after the insertion of a xd memory card 92 . although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration , various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims .	7
the methodology of the present invention can be used or incorporated in a transmission system as disclosed in copending application , ser . no . 187 , 772 , filed apr . 29 , 1988 , now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 875 , 391 , and entitled &# 34 ; an electronically - controlled , adaptive automatic control system &# 34 ; by inventors leising et al , which is hereby incorporated by reference . referring to the figure , an in - gear tolerance ( igt ) methodology according to the present invention is shown . the methodology enters through bubble 10 and advances to diamond 12 . in diamond 12 , the methodology determines whether the transmission ( not shown ) is in first ( 1st ), second ( 2nd ), third ( 3rd ) or fourth ( 4th ). if the transmission is not in - gear , the methodology retains the last or previous value of igt if a shift is in progress and advances to bubble 14 . in bubble 14 , the methodology returns or exits . if the transmission is in first , second , third or fourth gear , the methodology advances to diamond 16 and determines whether the transmission is on the first pass or loop of the methodology in the current in - gear condition . if so , the methodology advances to diamond 18 and determines whether the last or previous in - gear condition of the transmission equals reverse ( r ) or neutral ( n ). if not , a shift between 1st , 2nd , 3rd or 4th gears has just been completed and the methodology advances to block 20 and sets the igt variable equal to the following equation : in other words , the igt is set equal to the previous learned value of igt plus a first predetermined value such as two ( 2 ) times or multiplied by the quotient of the current gear ratio ( rj ) divided by the gear ratio ( ri ) of the previous in - gear condition . in other words , a shift has just completed resulting in a gear ratio change from ri to rj . the previous value of igt is thus adjusted based on this rate change to provide a more accurate initial value of igt for the new in - gear condition . in diamond 18 , if the last in - gear value does equal reverse or neutral , the methodology advances to block 22 and sets the value of igt equal to a predetermined value such as twenty ( 20 ). the methodology then advances from blocks 20 and 22 to block 24 and sets the values of maximum slip ( max slip ) variable and igt timer equal to a second and third predetermined value , respectively , such as zero . the methodology then advances to block 26 to be described . additionally , if the transmission is not in - gear on the first loop in diamond 16 , the methodology advances to block 26 . it should be appreciated that if the methodology is in the first pass or loop , the methodology advances through diamond 18 and blocks 20 through 24 to initialize variables such as igt . in block 26 , the methodology calculates the value of indicated slip ( slip ) each loop of the methodology according to the following equation : where n t equals the turbine speed and n o equals the output speed . in other words , the slip is calculated by multiplying the output speed n o by the in - gear ratio , which value is subtracted from the turbine speed n t . the methodology then advances to diamond 28 and determines whether the value of slip is greater than the value of the max slip . if so , the methodology advances t block 30 and sets or retains the value of the max slip equal to the value of the slip calculated in block 26 . the methodology then advances to diamond 32 . if the value of slip is not greater than the value of max slip , the methodology advances to diamond 32 . in diamond 32 , the methodology determines whether the value of slip calculated in clock 26 is greater than the current value of igt . if so , the methodology advances to block 34 and sets or retains the value of slip for the current value of igt . the methodology then advances to diamond 36 . if the value of slip is not greater than igt in diamond 32 , the methodology advances to diamond 36 . in diamond 36 , the methodology determines whether the value of the igt timer is greater than a predetermined time value such as two hundred milliseconds ( 200 ms ). if so , the methodology advances to block 38 and sets igt equal to the following equation : in other words , igt is calculated by a fourth predetermined value such as three ( 3 ) multiplied by the old or previous value of igt , which value is added to max slip and that product is divided by a fifth predetermined value such as four ( 4 ). the methodology then advances to block 40 and sets the value of the max slip and igt timer equal to a sixth and seventh predetermined value , respectively , such as zero . the methodology then advances to block 42 . if the igt timer is not greater than the predetermined time value in diamond 36 , the methodology advances to block 42 . it should be appreciated that if the igt timer is greater than the predetermined value , the methodology slowly reduces igt by a weighted average . in block 42 , the methodology limits igt equal or greater to a eighth predetermined value such as three ( 3 ) and equal or less than a ninth predetermined value such as thirty ( 30 ). the methodology then advances to bubble 14 and returns . the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner . it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation . obviously , many modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . therefore , within the scope of the appended claims , the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described .	5
the enzyme system used in the invention consists of a suitable oxidase together with o 2 or a suitable peroxidase together with h 2 o 2 . suitable enzymes are those which oxidize and polymerize aromatic compounds such as phenols and lignin . examples of suitable enzymes are catechol oxidase ( ec 1 . 10 . 3 . 1 ), laccase ( ec 1 . 10 . 3 . 2 ) and peroxidase ( ec 1 . 11 . 1 . 7 ). some preferred enzymes are peroxidase derived from a strain of coprinus , e . g . c . cinerius or c . macrorhizus , peroxidase from bacillus , e . g . b . pumilus and laccase from trametes , e . g . t . versicolor ( previously called polyporus ). it may be preferable to use two different phenol oxidizing enzymes together . the amount of peroxidase should generally be in the range 10 - 10 , 000 podu per g of dry substance ( podu unit of peroxidase activity defined below ). the amount of laccase should generally be in the range 10 - 10 , 000 units per g of dry substance ( unit of laccase activity defined below ). molecular oxygen from the atmosphere will usually be present in sufficient quantity . a suitable amount of h 2 o 2 will usually be in the range 0 . 01 - 10 mm , particularly 1 - 10 mm . the enzyme treatment can be done at conventional consistency , e . g . 0 . 5 - 10 % dry substance , at temperatures of 20 - 90 ° c . peroxidase activity is determined from the oxidation of 2 , 2 ′- azinobis ( 3 - ethylbenzothiazoline - 6 - sulfonate ) ( abts ) by hydrogen peroxide . the greenish - blue colour produced is photometered at 418 nm . the analytical conditions are 0 . 88 mm hydrogen peroxide , 1 . 67 mm abts , 0 . 1 m phosphate buffer , ph 7 . 0 , 30 ° c ., 3 minutes reaction . 1 peroxidase unit ( podu ) is the amount of enzyme that catalyses the conversion of 1 μmol hydrogen peroxide per minute at these conditions . laccase activity was determined by a similar method without addition of hydrogen peroxide . 1 unit of laccase activity was defined as the amount of enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of 1 μmol abts per minute . 6 . 96 g of a ground wood pulp ( gwp ) was dissolved in 72 ml 0 . 1 m buffer ( britton - robinson buffer consisting of boric acid , phosphoric acid , and acetic acid ) at ph 5 . 5 , corresponding to a dry solid content of 1 . 8 g ( 2 . 5 %). a laccase from polyporus pinsitus was added to a concentration of 528 laccase units / g dry pulp . the mixture was shaken in a water bath at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . subsequently a paper sheet was made from the pulp in a laboratory hand sheet former . the sheet was subsequently pressed and dried in a rapid sheet dryer . the tear index of the paper sheet was determined , and for comparison a similar experiment was done without any enzyme added . the results were as follows : 249 g of a ground wood pulp having a dry solid content of 15 %, was dissolved 2500 ml 0 . 1 m buffer similar to the one described in example 1 at ph 5 . 5 , corresponding to a dry solid content of 1 . 5 %. the mixture was defibrated in a lab - pulper for 5 minutes and thereafter divided into 3 different parts . to one part laccase from polyporus pinsitus was added in the same concentration as in example 1 , to another part inactivated laccase was added , and to the last part water was added . the mixtures were treated for 24 hours at 50 ° c . subsequently paper sheets were made as in example 1 , and the tear index and the tensile index were determined . the results were as follows :	3
referring now to fig1 there is shown an isometric view of a rotor hub according to the invention . the hub barrel 2 is formed in a barrel shape and is attached to the rotor shaft as described below . in the hub of this illustration , there is shown a hub for a five bladed rotor . the blade arms 4 are composed of a cone shapes outer member 16 having blade attachment members 6 at the end of each outer member . referring now to fig2 a partial isometric view of the hub illustrates the hub support bearings of the rotor of the invention . the hub is supported on a pair of spherical elastomeric bearings well known in the art . the upper bearing is shown at 8 and the lower bearing at 10 . this bearing assembly is retained in the hub assembly by the cover plate 12 shown in fig4 . this spherical elastomeric bearing allows the hub to teeter in all directions about the rotor axis . this pair of bearings serves the functions of the individual rotor flap and lag bearings of a conventional helicopter articulated rotor head and allows the rotor hub to tilt in all directions . fig4 also illustrates the construction details of the individual blade arms 4 . these blade arms are composed of a hollow outer member 16 which is attached to the ditch arm 14 by means of bolts 19 or similar fasteners . inside the outer member 16 there is provided an inner member 18 . this inner member , in conjunction with the outer member 16 and pitch housing 15 provide the mounting surfaces for elastomeric blade pitch bearings 20 and 22 . these bearings support the outer member 16 for rotation about the blade pitch axis . this blade support assembly will be described in more detail in connection with the detailed descriptions of fig4 and 5 below . as can be seen in this figure , the blade pitch arm attachment point 24 is positioned inside the hub barrel 2 . it is this feature , described in more detail below , that allows the incorporation of 4 , 5 , or more blades in the tilt rotor hub of the invention . referring now to fig3 there is shown a sectional view of the hub taken along line 3 -- 3 of fig1 . in this fig3 the location and functions of the elastomeric blade pitch bearings is illustrated more clearly . as can be seen , the inner cone 18 is attached to the hub barrel 2 by conventional fasteners such as bolts or it may be fabricated as an integral part of the hub barrel . this inner cone , illustrated in more detail in the exploded view of fig4 is provided with three attachment legs 28 , evenly spaced about the periphery of the inner end of the cone . between these legs 28 are spaces 30 which allow the pitch arm attachment points 24 of the pitch arm 14 to be placed inside the hub barrel . the arcuate openings 30 allow the pitch arm to rotate about the blade pitch axis to provide blade pitch motions . this inner cone includes bearing mounting surface 32 which , in conjunction with surface 34 of the pitch arm 14 , provides the mounting points for inner elastomeric pitch bearing 22 . the outer end of the cone 18 has a central opening in which is inserted pin member 36 . collar 42 is attached to the pin 36 by nut 44 . this collar includes bearing mounting surface 40 which , in conjunction with surface 62 on the outer cone 16t provides the mounting means for the outer elastomeric pitch bearing 20 . a flanged thrust washer 63 is provided to react inboard axial forces and to serve as a reaction surface for preloading the two conical bearings 20 and 22 . these bearings provide the freedom of rotational movement required for blade pitch inputs and also react the blade centrifugal forces and blade moments as a couple . fig5 illustrates , in an isometric view , the outer cone and pitch arm assembly described above . referring now to fig6 a and 6b , there is illustrated an alternate embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the inner cone has been replaced by an alternate inner member 65 . this member is attached to the hub barrel in the same manner as described above . however , instead of being an inner cone shaped member , this inner member 65 provides two flexure webs 67 at each side of the inner member 65 . these flexures provide for differences in the blade coning angles when in the fixed wing cruise mode and the hover or helicopter mode . absent these flexures , the coning angles are adjusted by allowing the rotor blades to be in constant bending during these modes . provision of these flexures 67 reduces this constant blade bending thus enhancing blade life . referring now to fig7 and 8 there is illustrated the functional advantages provided by the unique structure of the hub of this invention . fig7 is a plan view of a rotor hub according to the invention . as can be seen , the pitch arms 14 are contained within the hub barrel 2 of the rotor head . only two of the pitch arms 14 are shown . however , it can be seen that these pitch arms can be located in a circular fashion about the interior opening in the hub barrel and are free to move about their respective blade pitch axes without interfering with each other or other parts of the hub assembly . as was discussed above in the description of the background of this invention , it is desirable to provide automatic blade pitch inputs when the rotor assembly is subjected to inputs from wind gusts or to sudden large inputs from the pilot of the aircraft . this function is provided by offsetting the pitch arm attachment point from the flap axis of the blade by an angle conventionally designated as delta 3 . this correction is different for conventional rotary wing helicopters than it is for rotary wing aircraft which are convertible to a fixed wing configuration in flight . in a conventional helicopter , when a blade tip is raised suddenly about its flap axis , the appropriate correction is to reduce the angle of blade pitch ( flap up - pitch down ). for convenience , this will be referred to as positive delta 3 . however , in a tilt rotor aircraft , the opposite correction is required when the aircraft is in the process of converting to fixed wing mode and while in a steady state fixed wing configuration . in the case of a tilt rotor , when a blade tip is raised about its flap axis , the correct response is to increase the angel of blade pitch ( flap up - pitch up ). for convenience this condition will be referred to as negative delta 3 . in fig7 this negative delta 3 is illustrated . the flap axis for the blade fully shown at the extreme left side of the figure is shown as line c -- c of fig7 . as was discussed earlier , the flap axis for the blades of this rotor is provided by the universal rotor support bearing . if the delta 3 correction was zero , the pitch arm attachment point 24 would lie on the flap axis c -- c . as illustrated , in this invention the pitch arm attachment point 24 has been offset from the flap axis by the angle designated delta 3 . thus , when the rotor head teeters about axis c -- c because of a wind gust or sudden pilot input , the blade assembly 4 is rotated about its pitch axis d -- d causing a change in the blade pitch angle . referring now to fig8 there is shown a conventional rotor hub applicable to a tilt rotor aircraft . here there are provided three rotor blades shown at 48 , 48 &# 39 ; and 48 &# 34 ;. each of the blades is required to rotate about its respective blade pitch axis . one of these axes is illustrated for blade 48 as line b -- b . in this conventional design , the pitch arms 52 are located outside of the rotor hub 51 . as can be seen , the pitch arm 52 of blade 48 has little clearance with the adjacent blade 48 &# 39 ;. if it were desired to add additional blades to this hub , there would be insufficient clearance between blade assemblies . thus it can be seen that there is provided by this invention a head for a rotary wing aircraft suitable for a tilt rotor machine which allow the use of a large number of rotor blades while at the same time providing all of the flight control functions required .	1
[ 0054 ] fig1 is an illustrative diagram showing in partial cutaway a cap device comprising a fuel cap 10 ( cap ) pertaining to a first embodiment of the invention . in fig1 the fuel cap 10 is attached to a filler neck fn having a filler opening fnb ( tank opening ) for supplying fuel to a fuel tank , not shown . the cap 10 comprises a casing body 20 ( closer ) made of polyacetal or other synthetic resin material , an inner cover 30 closing the upper opening of the casing body 20 , forming a valve chamber 24 ; a regulator valve 35 housed within the valve chamber 24 ; a cover 40 made of nylon or other synthetic resin and mounted on the upper portion of the casing body 20 ; a handle 45 mounted on the upper face of the cover 40 ; a clutch mechanism 60 and the torque transmission mechanism 80 ( interconnecting mechanism ); a tether mechanism 100 ; and a gasket gs installed on the outside rim of the upper portion of the casing body 20 to provide a seal between the casing body 20 and the filler neck fn . in the fuel cap 10 shown in fig2 grasping the handle 45 and raising it upward while rotating allows the fuel cap 10 to be attached to or detached from the filler neck fn to close or open the filler opening fnb . external pressure in the opening direction applied to the cover 40 and the handle 45 in the upper portion of the fuel cap 10 will simply cause it to turn freely , so that the fuel cap 10 does not come away from the filler neck fn . the various parts of the fuel cap 10 pertaining to the present embodiment are described in detail hereinbelow . in fig1 the casing body 20 comprises a substantially round outer tube 21 and a valve chamber molding 22 integrally provided to the interior of the outer tube 21 . the valve chamber molding 22 houses a positive pressure valve and negative pressure valve that function as a regulator valve 35 . the inner cover 30 is welded by an ultrasonic welding technique onto the upper portion of the valve chamber molding 22 to form the valve chamber 24 . the gasket gs is installed to the outside of the bottom edge of a flange 21 b in the upper portion of the casing body 20 . the gasket gs is interposed between a seal retaining portion 21 a of the flange 21 b and the filler opening fnb of the filler neck fn so as to be forced against the seating face of the filler neck fn when the fuel cap 10 is tightened in the filler opening fnb , providing a sealing action . [ 0061 ] fig3 is an illustrative diagram showing the relationship of the casing interlocking portion 20 a of the casing body 20 to the filler neck fn . the casing interlocking portion 20 a is formed on the bottom outside wall of the outer tube 21 . a opening interlocking portion fnc is formed on the inside wall of the filler neck fn . in a portion of the inside wall of the opening interlocking portion fnc is formed a neck insertion notch fnd into which the casing interlocking portion 20 a is insertable in the axial direction . with the casing interlocking portion 20 a aligned with the neck insertion notch fnd and the fuel cap 10 inserted into filler opening fnb of the filler neck fn , turning the fuel cap 10 by a predetermined angle ( about 90 °) causes the casing interlocking portion 20 a to be engaged by the opening insertion notch fnc to attach the fuel cap 10 to the filler neck fn . as shown in fig1 the inner cover 30 has a flange 32 formed on the outside wall of the inner cover 30 , the bottom edge of the flange 32 being ultrasonically welded to the top of the valve chamber molding 22 . the cover 40 comprises an upper wall 41 and a side wall 43 formed at the outside rim of the upper wall 41 , integrally molded in a cup configuration . support projections 43 a extend from the lower interior of the side wall 43 . the support projections 43 a are arranged at six equidistant locations along the inside rim of the side wall 43 . the support projections 43 a mate with the outside rim of the torque member 90 of the torque transmission mechanism 80 to rotatably attach the cover 40 to the casing body 20 via the torque member 90 . the cover 40 attachment structure is described in detail later . [ 0066 ] fig4 is a plan view showing the cover 40 . the cover 40 is made of polyamide ( pa ), polyethylene ( pp ), acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene ( abs ) or polycarbonate ( pc ). the cover 40 is made of conductive resin material so as to constitute part of a ground path , indicated by the double - dotted lines in fig2 . the conductive resin material may be imparted with electrical conductivity by adding a metal filler ( e . g . stainless steel , nickel , chromium , zinc , copper , aluminum , gold , silver , magnesium or titanium filler or some combination thereof ) etc . metal filler content is from 1 to 30 wt %. the reason is that amounts of less than 1 wt % do not give electrical conductivity , whereas in excess of 30 wt % the resin becomes highly viscous in injection molding process of the cover 40 , possibly resulting in injection molding defects due to metal filler clogging or pooling . an indicia portion dp is formed on the surface of the upper wall 43 of the cover 40 . the indicia portion dp comprises of indicia such as text describing function , warning , description line , record or bar code , marked by laser irradiation . 0 . 01 to 3 wt % of carbon is added for the purpose of laser irradiation . marking by laser irradiation is not possible with carbon content below 0 . 01 wt %, whereas in excess of 3 wt % the energy of the laser is absorbed by the cover 40 as a whole , so that localized coloration in the indicia portion dp is not possible . [ 0069 ] fig5 is a perspective view showing parts on top of the fuel cap disassembled . the handle 45 comprises a rectangular handle body 46 with chamfered corners . the handle body 46 is of semicircular configuration having an actuating recess 46 a produced by recessing its outside edge at the center . the actuating recess 46 a serves as a recessed location for inserting a finger to provide ease of operation when the handle 45 has been lowered into the retracted position ( see fig1 ). the handle 45 is rotatably mounted on the upper wall 41 of the cover 40 by means of an axial support mechanism 50 . the axial support mechanism 50 comprises axial support portions 51 , 51 projecting from the upper wall 41 of the cover 40 , and axially supported portions 55 , 56 formed on the handle 45 and rotatably supported by the axial support portions 51 , 52 . [ 0073 ] fig6 is a front view showing the handle 45 detached from the cover 40 . the axial support portions 51 , 52 are members for rotatably supporting the handle 45 and are provided in a pair in the center of the cover 40 . the axial support portion 51 comprises a leg portion 51 a and an axle portion 51 b projecting from the side of the leg portion 51 a , and the handle 45 is rotatable about the axle portion 51 b while supported thereby . the axial support portion 52 comprises a leg portion 52 a and an axle portion 52 b projecting from the top of the leg portion 52 a . an axle hole 52 f is formed in the side of the axle portion 52 b . the axially supported portions 55 , 56 are formed extending from the bottom to the center of the handle 45 and are provided so that the handle 45 may be supported via the axial support portions 51 , 52 provided on the cover 40 . the axially supported portion 55 comprises an opening 55 a open at the bottom and at one side of the handle 45 , and an axle hole 55 b of round cross section communicating with the opening 55 a in the axial direction . the opening 55 a and the axle hole 55 b are configured to axially support the axle portion 51 b of the axial support portion 51 . the axially supported portion 56 comprises an opening 56 a , and has a pin mounting hole 56 g connecting with the opening 56 a . fig7 is a front view showing an enlargement of the area around the axially supported portion 56 of fig6 and fig8 is a diagram viewed in the direction of arrow 8 in fig7 . the pin mounting hole 56 g communicating with the opening 56 a is formed on the side of the opening 56 a . pin mounting hole 56 g passes through the side of the handle 45 . a pin 56 h fits into the pin mounting hole 56 g . the distal end of the pin 56 h has a support insert 56 i for insertion into an axle hole 52 f . [ 0078 ] fig9 is an illustrative diagram illustrating the procedure for assembling the handle 45 to the cover 40 . to assemble the handle 45 to the cover 40 by means of the axial support mechanism 50 , the axial support portion 51 is mated with the axially supported portion 55 , and then the axial support portion 51 is inserted into the opening 56 a of the axially supported portion 56 , the inserting the pin 56 h into the pin mounting hole 56 g ; finally , the support insert 56 i is mated with the axle hole 52 . in this way the handle 45 may be rotatably mounted on the cover 40 via the axial support mechanism 50 . [ 0080 ] fig1 is a sectional view taken along line 10 - 10 in fig7 and fig1 is a sectional view showing the handle 45 prior to being assembled . the handle 45 is urged towards the retracted position by means of the urging mechanism 57 . the urging mechanism 57 comprises a cam 58 projecting from the side of the axial support portion 52 , and a cam support portion 59 provided to the handle 45 . in fig1 , a cam face 58 a of the cam 58 is defined by center axis o 1 , an arcuate face 58 b of substantially semicircular configuration of radius r 1 , a center o 2 offset from center axis o 1 , and a curving convex face 58 c of radius r 2 . the cam support portion 59 is bifurcated so that the cam face 58 a is held between a resilient cam support piece 59 a and a cam support rib 59 b . the resilient cam support piece 59 a is configured as a cantilever piece that resiliently flexes while following the cam face 58 a as the handle 45 rotates . on the inside of the resilient cam support piece 59 a is formed a cam guide face 59 c conforming in shape to the arcuate face 58 b . the cam support rib 59 b is integrally formed with the handle body 46 and is arranged substantially parallel to the resilient cam support piece 59 a . [ 0081 ] fig1 illustrates the procedure for rotating the handle 45 . the handle 45 is supported such that it can rotate within a 90 ° range by means of the axial support mechanism 50 , that is , upraised from the retracted position pressed against the upper wall 41 of the cover 40 as shown in fig1 ( a ) to the position shown in fig1 ( b ), and finally to the upraised handling position shown in fig1 ( c ). when the handle 45 is not in the retracted position it is urged towards the retracted position ( in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig1 ( b )) by means of the urging mechanism 57 . that is , when the handle 45 is positioned at an angle between the retracted position and the handling position , the resilient cam support piece 59 a pushes under spring force against the arcuate face 58 b of the cam 58 , whereby the resilient cam support piece 59 a exerts pushing force towards center o 2 . since this pushing force is eccentric with respect to center axis o 1 ( which is the center of rotation of the handle 45 ), counterclockwise moment m 1 is created . this moment m 1 translates to force rotating the handle 45 about center axis o 1 . the handle 45 is thereby urged in the counterclockwise direction towards the retracted position from any position between the handling position and retracted position . [ 0083 ] fig1 is a perspective view showing the fuel cap 10 disassembled , fig1 is an illustrative diagram illustrating the clutch mechanism 60 in non - interconnected mode , and fig1 is an illustrative diagram illustrating the clutch mechanism 60 in interconnected mode . the clutch mechanism 60 is a mechanism for transmission / non - transmission to the torque transmission mechanism 80 of rotational torque applied to the handle 45 , and comprises a clutch member 70 , a clutch spring 92 and the clutch arm 93 formed on the torque portion 90 , and a cam face 62 formed on the lower face at both sides of the handle 45 . in fig1 , the clutch member 70 is integrally molded by injection molding and comprises a clutch body 71 . the clutch body 71 comprises an upper wall 72 of circular disk shape and a side wall extending downwardly from the outside edge of 72 so that the space surrounded by the upper wall 72 and the side wall 73 forms a storage recess 71 a ( see fig1 ). the upper wall 72 has an annular projection 72 a projecting therefrom . as shown in fig1 this annular projection 72 a prevents the two from becoming wedged together so as to facilitate vertical motion of the clutch member 70 . the upper wall 72 shown in fig1 has buttons 74 , 74 projecting therefrom at locations 180 ° apart with respect to the center of the clutch member 70 . the buttons 74 , 74 are retractably positioned in throughholes 41 a formed in the cover 40 . three the clutch springs 92 are positioned at 120 ° intervals about the circumference on the upper face of the torque member 90 . the clutch springs 92 impart spring force in the vertical direction relative to the clutch member 70 . each the clutch springs 92 comprises an arm 92 a coplanar with the upper face of the torque member 90 and extending in the circumferential direction , and a pushing projection 92 b projecting up from the upper face of the torque member 90 at the distal end of the arm 92 a . the clutch springs 92 are of cantilever design , with one end thereof inclinable within a notch 92 c in the upper face of the torque member 90 , thereby urging the clutch member 70 upwardly . [ 0089 ] fig1 is an illustrative diagram illustrating the relationship of the handle 45 to the button 74 of the clutch member 70 . the upper face of the button 74 is a sloped the pushing face 74 a . a cam face 62 for pushing against the pushing face 74 a is formed on the lower face of the handle 45 at both sides . the cam face 62 is designed so that with the handle 45 in the handling position , the button 74 of the clutch member 70 is pushed downwardly , and so that in the retracted position the button 74 s not pushed downwardly . with this arrangement for the clutch urging mechanism 61 , rotating the handle 45 from the retracted position shown in fig1 to the handling position shown in fig1 causes the cam face to push against the pushing faces 74 a of buttons 74 , 74 , so that the clutch member 70 is pushed downwardly in opposition to the urging force of the clutch springs 92 and moves to the lower position , whereas in the retracted position , force ceases to be applied to buttons 74 , 74 so that the clutch member 70 is returned to its original position by the clutch springs 92 . [ 0092 ] fig1 is a sectional view taken in the vicinity line 17 - 17 in fig1 , and fig1 illustrates operation of the first clutch unit 63 . the first clutch unit 63 is a mechanism for transmitting rotational torque applied to the handle 45 in the closing direction , regardless of whether the handle is in the handling position or retracted position . the first clutch teeth 75 are formed all the way around the inside rim of the side wall 73 of the clutch member 70 . the first clutch teeth 75 comprise a right - angled the interlocking face 75 a extending in the radial direction and a sloping face 75 b inclined a predetermined angle with respect to the interlocking face 75 a ; the teeth are substantially right triangular in shape when viewed in cross section . on the outside rim of the torque member 90 there are provided clutch arms 93 for interlocking with interlocking faces 75 a . the clutch arms 93 are positioned at 120 ° intervals about the circumference on the upper outside rim of the torque member 90 . each the clutch arm 93 comprises an arm 93 a extending along the circumferential direction , and a interlocking end 93 b provided at the distal end of the arm 93 a . the interlocking end 93 b is formed by a surface in the radial direction so as to interlock with a interlocking face 75 a . the interlocking face 75 a is thicker than the interlocking end 93 b so as to normally maintain the interlocked state regardless of whether positioned above ( fig1 ( a )) or below ( fig1 ( b )) the torque member 90 of the clutch member 70 . as shown in fig8 ( a ) and ( b ), when the clutch member 70 is rotated in the clockwise direction , the interlocking end 93 b interlocks with the interlocking face 75 a , creating a torque transmission state in which the torque member 90 rotates in unison therewith in the clockwise direction . this torque transmission state is maintained regardless of whether the handle 45 is in the handling position of fig1 ( a ) or the handling position of fig1 ( b ), since in either state the interlocking face 75 a of the clutch member 70 is in abutment with the interlocking end 93 b . on the other hand when the clutch member 70 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction as illustrated in fig1 ( c ), there results a non - interconnected mode in which the sloping face 75 b of the first clutch teeth 75 follows along the outside face of the arm 93 a so that the torque member 90 does not rotate . in this way the first clutch teeth 75 and clutch arms 93 constitute a one - way clutch mechanism which normally interlocks in the clockwise direction ( closing direction ) to transmit rotational torque , and which does not transmit rotational torque in the counterclockwise direction ( opening direction ). [ 0098 ] fig1 is an illustrative diagram illustrating the second clutch unit 65 . the second clutch unit 65 is a mechanism for transmitting rotational torque applied in the opening direction to the handle 45 , only when the handle is in the handling position . the second clutch teeth 76 are formed all the way around the bottom outside rim of the upper wall 72 of the clutch member 70 . each the second clutch teeth 76 comprises a substantially vertical the interlocking face 76 a and a sloping face 76 b inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the interlocking face 76 a , to produce a substantially right triangular cross section . on the upper face of the torque member 90 are formed second clutch interlocking portions 94 for interlocking with the second clutch teeth 76 . the second clutch interlocking portions 94 are positioned at 120 ° intervals about the circumference in the upper portion of the torque member 90 . each the second clutch interlocking portion 94 comprises a vertical interlocking face 94 a interlocking with a interlocking face 76 a , and a sloping face 94 b abutting a sloping face 76 b . [ 0101 ] fig2 illustrates operation of the second clutch unit 65 . as shown in fig2 ( a ), when the clutch member 70 is positioned upwardly by the spring force of the clutch spring 92 of the clutch mechanism 60 , the interlocking faces 76 a of the clutch member 70 are not interlocked with the interlocking faces 94 a of clutch interlocking portions 94 . therefore the torque member 90 does not rotate even if the clutch member 70 is rotated . as shown in fig2 ( b ), when the clutch member 70 is positioned downwardly in opposition to the spring force of the clutch spring 92 of the clutch mechanism 60 , the interlocking faces 76 a of the clutch member 70 interlock with the interlocking faces 94 a of clutch interlocking portions 94 . turning the clutch member 70 is the counterclockwise direction ( opening direction ) causes the torque member 90 to rotate in unison therewith in the same direction . in this way , the second clutch teeth 76 and second clutch interlocking portions 94 constitute a one - way clutch mechanism that transmits rotational torque only when the torque member 90 is in the down position , while not transmitting rotational torque in the clockwise direction . [ 0104 ] fig2 is a perspective view showing the torque member 90 . the torque member 90 comprises a two - stage disk of resin having a projecting portion and interlocking portion in its center . that is , the torque member 90 comprises a torque plate body 91 . the torque plate body 91 comprises an upper disk 91 a , an annular portion 91 b situated at the outside bottom of the upper disk 91 a , and connector portions 91 c connected at three locations to the annular portion 91 b . the upper disk 91 a comprises a clutch spring 92 which carries the clutch mechanism 60 described earlier , and is provided on its outside edge with clutch arms 93 . as shown in fig2 , the interlocking claws 97 are formed on the inside rim of the annular portion 91 b of the torque member 90 . the interlocking claws 97 are configured as tongue pieces extending towards the center of the torque member 90 and are resiliently deformable in the axial direction . fig2 is a sectional view of the area around the top of the casing body 20 . an interlocking recess 21 c is formed around the upper outside rim of the outer tube 21 of the casing body 20 . the interlocking claws 97 are forced into the interlocking recess 21 c to rotatably mount the torque member 90 on the upper outside rim of the casing body 20 . an interlocking recess 91 d is formed around the outside rim of the annular portion 91 b , allowing the cover 40 of the torque member 90 to be rotatably supported within the interlocking recess 91 d by detaining therein the support projection 43 a on the inside wall of the side wall 43 of the cover 40 ( see fig1 ). the torque transmission mechanism 80 shown in fig1 is a mechanism that enables confirmation that the fuel cap 10 has been attached to the filler neck fn at a predetermined level of rotational torque , by providing the user with a tactile warning if excessive rotational torque above a predetermined level is applied to the handle 45 during the operation of closing the filler opening fnb with the fuel cap 10 . [ 0110 ] fig2 is a perspective view showing the torque transmission mechanism 80 , and fig2 is a plan view showing the torque transmission mechanism 80 . the upper inside rim of the outer tube 21 has formed thereon a body interlocking portion 25 constituting part of the torque transmission mechanism 80 , described later . the body interlocking portion 25 extends around the entire inside circumference of the outer tube 21 and has a peak configuration composed of a first interlocking face 25 a slanted substantially in the circumferential direction and a second interlocking face extending substantially in the radial direction . an inner annular portion 91 e of hollow cylindrical configuration is formed in the bottom of the upper disk 91 a of the torque member 90 , and three the resilient torque pieces 95 are formed at 120 ° intervals about the circumference on the outside edge of the inner annular portion 91 e . as shown in fig2 , the resilient torque pieces 95 take the form of arched cantilever pieces having their support points at the supporting terminal portions 95 a , and having the torque piece interlocking portions 96 projecting from their outside edges , with the spaces 95 c to the inside of the torque piece interlocking portions 96 . each the torque piece interlocking portion 96 has a first interlocking face 96 a formed on a first face thereof and a second interlocking face 96 b formed on a second face . first interlocking face 96 a is configured so as to come into abutment at a vertical face thereof with a first interlocking face 25 a of the body interlocking portion 25 with clockwise rotation of the torque member 90 ; when pushed in the radial direction from the center by a body interlocking portion 25 the torque piece interlocking portions 96 undergoes resilient deformation so as to the constrict space 95 c , as shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 ( a ), the frangible grooves 98 a constituting part of the frangible portions 98 are formed along the outside edge of the upper disk 91 a of the torque member 90 , between it and the connector portion 91 c . the frangible grooves 98 a are located at three areas in the circumferential direction , these the frangible grooves 98 a being provided along the circumference of a circle connecting the cutout portions between connector portions 91 c in the circumferential direction . referring now to fig2 ( b ), if the cover 40 or the handle 45 should be subjected to a strong external force such as that produced in an automobile collision , the frangible portions 98 supporting the cover 40 will separate at the outside edges thereof or the interlocking claws 97 will detach from the interlocking recess 21 c beginning at the frangible portions 98 . at this time the seal retaining portion 21 a of the casing body 20 supporting the gasket gs is not damaged so that the seal is not lost . an additional reason for providing the torque member 90 with the frangible portions 98 is that by forming the frangible portions 98 in the upper portion of the casing body 20 there are no limitations as to the shape of the seal retaining portion 21 a , making it a simple matter to optimize breaking load for external forces in various directions . [ 0116 ] fig2 is a sectional view of the area around the tether mechanism 100 , fig3 is a plan view of the tether mechanism 100 , and fig3 is a perspective view illustrating the tether mechanism 100 . the tether mechanism 100 is designed to prevent the fuel cap 10 from falling off or becoming lost during fueling , and comprises a tether rotation support 101 , a connector member 110 , and a support end 120 . as shown in fig2 , the tether rotation support 101 is rotatably supported on one end of a support wall 99 of the torque member 90 . specifically , the tether rotation support 101 has an annular configuration extending all the way around the support wall 99 and has an open square cross section defined by an outer the annular outer wall 102 , the floor 103 and annular the inner wall 104 , with an annular recess 101 a therebetween . the outer the annular outer wall 102 is taller than annular the inner wall 104 . the interlocking projections 102 a project from the inside face of the annular outer wall 102 . as shown in fig3 , the interlocking projections 102 a are situated at six locations equal distances apart along the circumference , and when the interlocking claws 99 a of the support wall 99 are snapped into the annular recess 101 a these interlock with the interlocking projections 102 a as shown in fig2 so that the tether rotation support 101 is rotatably supported on the torque member 90 . the tether mechanism 100 is integrally molded by injection molding of thermoplastic elastomer ( tpee ) or thermoplastic resin ( e . g . pp ). as shown in fig3 a first end of the connector member 110 is connected to the tether rotation support 101 , inclined with respect thereto by a predetermined angle α ( 5 °- 180 °). the connector member 110 comprises a connector member body 112 and a flex portion 114 . the flex portion 114 is located in proximity to a first connecting end 110 a at one end of the connector member 110 . flex portion 114 is composed of inverted “ u ” shapes connected together in a substantially “ s ” configuration and is coplanar with the tether rotation support 101 so that when subjected to force in the direction indicated by arrow d 1 in fig3 the connector member body 112 will bend along the outside perimeter of the cover 40 . in fig3 a support end 120 is formed at a second connecting end 110 b at the other end of the connector member 110 . the support end 120 is of tabular configuration fanning out towards the distal end and is formed by twisting at a right angle , i . e . 90 °, with respect to the connector member 110 . a detent projection 122 projects from the support end 120 . as shown in fig3 , the detent projection 122 is rotatably supported on a support portion formed on the back face of the fuel cover fl . when fuel cover fl is opened away from the filler neck fn the fuel cap 10 is suspended via the connector member 110 fixed to the support end 120 . when at this point the fuel cap 10 is released the cover 40 of the fuel cap 10 drops toward the exterior panel of the vehicle , suspended away from the vehicle panel due to the 90 ° bend with respect to the connector member 110 , enabling the fueling operation . that is , the fuel cap is located away from the vehicle panel during fueling and therefore does not interfere with the fuel nozzle and preventing fuel on the casing body 20 from dripping onto the vehicle panel . with the fuel cap 10 removed , the fuel cap 10 is then replaced in the filler opening fnb of the filler neck fn and the handle 45 turned in the closing direction shown in fig3 ; as the tether rotation support 101 is rotatable with respect to the torque member 90 ( fig2 ), and as the connector member 110 is not subjected to any appreciable force from the fuel cover fl or the fuel cap 10 so as to remain slack on a substantially straight line , the opening / closing operation of the fuel cap 10 is not impaired . at this time the connector member 110 flexes at the flex portion 114 so that the connector member body 112 flexes along the outside perimeter of the cover 40 . when fuel cover fl ( fig3 ) is subsequently shut the connector member body 112 is pushed longitudinally from the position illustrated in fig3 in association with the motion of fuel cover fl . longitudinal force on the connector member body 112 is converted to force tending to rotate the tether rotation support 101 in the counterclockwise direction so that the tether rotation support 101 rotates smoothly causing the connector member body 112 to coil around the cover 40 as illustrated in fig3 . since the connector member body 112 coils around the cover 40 in this way it can be accommodated within the space behind the fuel cover fl and does not hinder opening and closing of the fuel cover fl . as shown in fig2 , the tether rotation support 101 of the tether mechanism 100 is supported by a torque member 90 of polyacetal having a smooth surface , enabling it to rotate smoothly about the outside rim of the torque member 90 so that the opening / closing operation of the fuel cap 10 is not impaired . the torque member 90 is moreover fabricated of highly swelling - resistant polyacetal and therefore experiences negligible change in shape that would increase outside diameter , so that the ability of the tether rotation support 101 to rotate is not diminished . further , as the tether rotation support 101 is formed of pliable thermoplastic elastomer ( tpee ) or thermoplastic resin ( pp ) bending thereof at the flex portion 114 can be assured . to assemble the fuel cap 10 , first , the handle 45 is attached to the cover 40 as shown in fig9 . the regulator valve 35 is also installed in the valve chamber 24 of the casing body 20 as shown in fig1 and the flange 32 of the inner cover 30 is ultrasonically welded onto the upper portion of the valve chamber molding 22 . next , as shown in fig2 , the interlocking claws 97 of the torque member 90 are forced into the interlocking recess 21 c of the casing body 20 to attach the torque member 90 to the casing body 20 . the button 74 of the clutch member 70 is aligned with the through - hole 41 a in the cover 40 , attaching the clutch member 70 to the cover 40 and then interlocking the support projection 43 a of the cover 40 with the interlocking recess 91 d to attach the cover 40 onto the torque member 90 . then as shown in fig2 the tether rotation support 101 of the tether mechanism 100 is forced over the interlocking claws 99 a of the support wall 99 to attach the tether mechanism 100 to the torque member 90 . this completes assembly of the fuel cap 10 . following is a description of the opening and closing operation when attaching or replacing the fuel cap 10 in the filler opening fnb of the filler neck fn . with the fuel cap 10 detached from filler opening fnb , the handle 45 is pulled upright with the fingers as shown in fig1 , whereupon the handle 45 rotates about axial support portions 51 , 52 shown in fig1 , in opposition to the spring force of the urging mechanism 57 ( see fig1 ) and the clutch spring 92 ( see fig2 ). rotation of the handle 45 causes the cam face 62 to push against the pushing face 74 a of the button 74 of the clutch member 70 . the clutch member 70 then moves downwardly in opposition to the urging force of the clutch spring 92 of the torque member 90 as shown in fig1 . next , as shown in fig3 the casing interlocking portion 20 a of the casing body 20 is aligned with the neck insertion notch fnd of the filler neck fn and inserted therein in the axial direction . clockwise force is then applied to the handle 45 and is transmitted to the clutch member 70 via the cover 40 , the cover 40 the through - hole 41 a and the button 74 of the clutch member 70 , causing the clutch member 70 to rotate . since the interlocking faces 75 a of the first clutch teeth 75 normally interlock with the interlocking ends 93 b of clutch arms 93 of the torque member 90 as shown in fig1 ( a ), the torque member 90 rotates in tandem with rotation of the clutch member 70 . it should be noted that even if the user does not move the handle 45 to the handling position , i . e ., even with the handle in the retracted position , the interlocking ends 93 b are interlocked with the interlocking faces 75 a as shown in fig1 ( b ) so that rotational torque is transmitted from the clutch member 70 to the torque member 90 . as the torque member 90 rotates , the first interlocking faces 96 a of the torque piece interlocking portions 96 of the torque member 90 press against first interlocking faces 25 a of body interlocking portions 25 at the interlock locations illustrated in fig2 . this causes the handle 45 , the cover 40 , the clutch member 70 , the torque member 90 and the casing body 20 to rotate in unison in the direction of closing the filler opening fnb , with the casing interlocking portions 20 a ( see fig3 ) interlocking with opening interlocking portion fnc with increasing force . when reaction force created by this interlocking force exceeds a predetermined level of rotational torque , the torque piece interlocking portions 96 in the state shown in fig2 now ride over the body interlocking portions 25 . at this point the first interlocking faces 96 a of the torque piece interlocking portions 96 are forced in the radial direction by the reaction force from the first interlocking faces 25 a , causing the resilient torque pieces 95 to resiliently deform so as to constrict the width of the spaces 95 c , so that the torque piece interlocking portions 96 ride up over body interlocking portions 25 . this provides to the user with a tactile warning of over - tightening . in this state the fuel cap 10 is attached to the filler opening fnb at a predetermined level of tightening torque . when the handle 45 is subsequently released it is subjected to spring force created by the resilient cam support piece 59 a pinching the cam face 58 ( see fig3 ) and to the spring force of the clutch spring 92 transmitted to handle via the button 74 , and rotates about axial support portions 51 , 52 to return to the retracted position . in the state shown in fig1 the handle 45 , the cover 40 , and the clutch member 70 are not constrained in the opening direction ( counterclockwise direction ) by the torque member 90 and the casing body 20 , and thus rotate freely . thus , if the cover 40 and / or the handle 45 should be subjected to external force as in a collision , they will simply turn freely without rotational torque being transmitted to casing member 20 through the torque transmission mechanism 80 , so that there is no loss of seal . the procedure for opening the fuel cap 10 is initiated by pulling up the handle 45 as shown in fig1 . this causes the cam face 62 in the lower center of the handle 45 to push against the pushing face 74 a of the button 74 of the clutch member 70 , so that the clutch member 70 moves downwardly . in this state , turning the handle 45 counterclockwise causes the interlocking faces 76 a of the second clutch teeth 76 to interlock with the interlocking faces 94 a of second clutch interlocking portions 94 as shown in fig2 ( b ), so that the torque member 90 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in tandem with rotation of the clutch member 70 in the same direction . in this state , the second interlocking faces 96 b of the torque piece interlocking portions 96 interlock with the second interlocking faces 25 b of body interlocking portions 25 as shown in fig2 . the second interlocking faces 96 b and the second interlocking faces 25 b come into abutment substantially in the radial direction and do not produce center - directed force tending to cause the resilient torque pieces 95 to constrict the spaces 95 c , so that the torque piece interlocking portions 96 do not ride over body interlocking portions 25 , but instead transmit rotational torque applied to the handle 45 to the casing body 20 . as a result the handle 45 , the cover 40 , the clutch member 70 , the torque member 90 and the casing body 20 rotate in unison in the clockwise direction . the casing interlocking portion 20 a then comes away from the opening interlocking portion fnc of the filler neck fn so that the casing body 20 is released from the constraining force of the filler neck fn . the fuel cap 10 can now be removed from the filler neck fn by pulling out in the axial direction . [ 0139 ] fig3 illustrates the return operation of the handle 45 by the clutch spring 92 , and fig3 illustrates the return operation of operation of the handle 45 by the urging mechanism 57 . when opening or closing the handle 45 , the handle 45 is rotated from the retracted position to the handling position ; this is done in opposition to rotational torque returning the handle 45 to the retracted position , due to spring force of the clutch spring 92 and the urging mechanism 57 . rotational torque is normally energized in the return direction is for the following reasons . ( 1 ) as the vehicle is driven the handle 45 is kept flat on the cover so as to not project significantly thereabove , making it more difficult for the handle 45 to be subjected to external force . ( 2 ) chattering of the handle 45 is reduced so that strange noises are not produced during driving . the reason for using two resin springs as the urging mechanism 57 and the clutch spring 92 to produce rotational torque in the return direction is as follows . [ 0143 ] fig3 is a graph illustrating the relationship of angle of rotation to rotational torque applied to the handle . in fig3 , rotational torque produced by the urging mechanism 57 is graphed by a broken line , rotational torque produced by the clutch spring 92 by a dotted and dashed line , and total rotational torque applied to the handle 45 by a solid line . as will be apparent from fig3 , the urging mechanism 57 is set to high rotational torque at small angles of less than 45 °, while the clutch spring 92 is set to high rotational torque at large angles of from 45 ° to 90 °. rotational torque levels are set in this way for the following reason . the spring force produced by the urging mechanism 57 depends on the shape of the cam face 58 a of the cam 58 , making it difficult to produce a shape for a cam that can generate a high level of rotational torque over a wide control range . for the clutch spring 92 to generate rotational torque over a wide control range it would be necessary for the torque member 90 to move with a large stroke . further , where only a single resin spring is used to generate rotational torque over a wide control range it will be necessary for the resin spring to flex appreciably , which over a period of several years may lead to failure . by using instead two resin springs , it is possible to achieve rotational torque for stable return over a wide range of 0 - 90 °. in addition to the working effects described above , the fuel cap 10 affords the following working effects . ( 5 )- 1 in the process of closing the fuel cap 10 , tactile warning is provided when the torque piece interlocking portions 96 of the torque member 90 ride up over body interlocking portions 25 of the casing body 20 as shown in fig2 and 26 , so that the user may determine that the fuel cap 10 has been tightened to a predetermined level of torque , thereby allowing the cap to be attached to a predetermined level of torque regardless of any resilience on the part of the gasket gs etc . ( 5 )- 2 with the fuel cap 10 closing the filler opening fnb as shown in fig1 the clutch member 70 does not move in tandem with the casing body 20 in the opening direction , due to the clutch mechanism 60 , and thus even if the handle 45 should be subjected to force in the opening direction due to some unforeseen external force , it will simply turn freely with respect to the casing body 20 . therefore the casing body 20 will not be subjected to external force applied to the handle 45 and will remain seated in the filler opening fnb . the fuel cap 10 can therefore maintain a seal without becoming loosened by unforeseen external force . ( 5 )- 3 with the fuel cap 10 attached to filler opening fnb as shown in fig1 the handle 45 is placed in the retracted position by spring force and returns to this position from the upraised handling position during the opening / closing operation , and is therefore not susceptible to external force such as that occurring in a vehicle collision or the like , so that it is not subjected to force tending to loosen the fuel cap 10 . additionally , even where the handle 45 is of appreciable size , since it is positioned laying flat on the upper wall 41 of the cover 40 in the closed position , a minimal amount of space around the filler opening is required to accommodate it . ( 5 )- 4 as shown in fig2 , the body interlocking portions 25 of the torque transmission mechanism 80 are formed at equal distances all the way around the inner cover 30 , whereby rotational torque may be transmitted immediately to the casing body 20 without changing the position of the handle 45 , and whereby uniform rotational torque may be transmitted regardless of the position of the torque piece interlocking portions 96 . ( 5 )- 5 with the fuel cap 10 in the closed state , the handle 45 turns freely in the opening direction whereby the user may turn the handle 45 to the desired position , improving ease of opening / closing . ( 5 )- 6 as shown in fig1 with the fuel cap 10 in the closed state the handle 45 can be visually confirmed to be lowered into the retracted position , and it will be readily understood that opening / closing can be accomplished by upraising it , thereby providing superior operation to the button operation arrangement described in the prior art . ( 5 )- 7 as shown in fig1 , the first clutch unit 63 transmits rotational torque even when the handle 45 is not in the handling position , so that even if the user neglects to move the handle 45 to the handling position it is still possible to close the tank opening with the casing body 20 . the first clutch unit 63 ( fig1 ) and the second clutch unit 65 ( fig2 ) turn freely in the opening direction when the handle 45 is in the retracted position , so that the casing body 20 will not be rotated by external force and will not lose seal . the foregoing detailed description of the invention has been provided for the purpose of explaining the principles of the invention and its practical application , thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . the foregoing detailed description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed . modifications and equivalents will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art and are encompassed within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	8
the present invention is a variation of a suspension bridge , which is herein termed a modified suspension bridge ( msb ). fig1 shows that the ( msb ) comprises abutments ( ab ), right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) supports , a lower support ( lss ), support cables ( sc ), a tension cable ( tc ), cable directing means ( p ) and a turnbuckle ( tb ). note that said right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) cantered supports are shown extending from said abutments ( ab ) at angles offset from vertical and have said suspension cables ( sc ) fixed to the tops ( t ) thereof , the distal ends of said suspension cables ( sc ) being fixed centrally on the lower support ( lss ). while not limiting , the angle ( θ ) is typically selected to be between 45 and 60 degrees . additional optional suspension cables ( osc ) can also be present as well as an optional handrail ( ohr ). note that the lower support ( lss ) has a cable directing means ( eg . pulley ), ( p ) on each end , which are freely rotating . also note that said tension cable ( tc ) is fixedly attached to the tops of the right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) cantered supports , and that said tension cable ( tc ) passes over said cable directing means ( p ) and passes under said lower support ( lss ). the turnbuckle ( tb ) is included to allow creating tension in said tension cable . note that applying tension in the tension cable via said turnbuckle ( tb ) causes compression is said lower support ( lss ). ( note , the pulleys ( p ) or functional equivalents can be smaller than shown in fig1 so that the tension cable ( tc ) flushly contacts the bottom of the lower support ( lss )). in fact said tension cable ( tc ) can be affixed to the lower support ( lss ) at various lengths therealong to enhance support of the lower support ( lss )). the lower support ( lss ) can be made of many sections which attach to one - another , as can the right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) cantered supports . sectional construction makes assembly more easily handled at remote sites . it is also noted that the lengths of the right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) support below the lower support ( lss ) can be reduced to place the lower support ( lss ) more even with the abutments ( ab ), so as to reduce the need to build ramps to the upper surface of the lower support ( lss ) to allow access thereto in use . that is the lower support ( lss ) can be positioned more like those shown in fig2 and 3 . fig4 shows two half - bridge systems , ( both identified as ( rs ) for consistency with fig1 ), aligned one in front of the other as viewed in side elevation , but offset from one another as viewed in frontal elevation , ( eg . as viewed entry / exit to the bridge at the right side in fig1 ). said half - bridge systems ( rs ) are secured in relative position with respect to one another , via interconnection means and the elongated lower support ( lss ). also shown are the presence of cable directing means ( p ) on each side . other elements in fig1 are not shown in fig4 as fig4 is included only to show how two bridge sections , ( indicatd as ( rs )), orient with respect to one another . to contrast the presently disclosed invention , fig2 and 3 are presented to demonstrate conventional suspension and cable - stayed bridges . fig2 shows a prior art conventional suspension bridge with weights ( w ) present to counter balance the forces supported by suspension cables ( sc ), which project only centrally to the lower support ( lss ). a prior art cable - stayed bridge is generally demonstrated in fig3 . note that the right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) supports are positioned more centrally than is the case in the fig2 suspension bridge , and that suspension cables ( sc ) extend to both the right and left therefrom . the lateral lengths of lower support ( lss ) serve the function of the weights ( w ) in fig2 . note also that the fig3 stayed - cable bridge - right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) supports are placed closer to a spanned creek than are the analogically equivalent right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) supports in fig2 . the invention disclosed in fig1 it should be appreciated provides maximum span distance between right ( rs ) and left ( ls ) supports , it being greater than that provided by the conventional suspension and cable - stayed bridges shown in fig2 and 3 . simultaneously the requirement of counter - weights is eliminated . it is noted that the compressed lower support ( lss ), serves a greater role in providing structural integrity in the disclosed invention than is the case in most bridges . it should be clear that a major difference of the present invention modified suspension bridge ( msb ), compared to more conventional suspension and cable - stayed bridges , is that the tension cable ( tc ) is continuous and that no counter weights ( w ) are required . the lower support ( lss ) is from going down by the suspension cables ( sc ), and its own weight prevents it from . rising . further , affixing said the tension cable ( tc ) to the lower support ( lss ) at locations along the length thereof can stabilize the bridge even further by coupling the compression and tension bearing elements . it is noted that the lower support ( lss ) serves the purpose of what is commonly termed the deck in bridges . having hereby disclosed the subject matter of the present invention , it should be obvious that many modifications , substitutions , and variations of the present invention are possible in view of the teachings . it is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described , and should be limited in its breadth and scope only by the claims .	4
the present invention provides improved methods and apparatus for exploring reachable states of a graph that avoid the above described problems associated with conventional techniques . in one exemplary implementation , the disclosed path - exploration techniques can be embodied using a conventional dfs algorithm with a feasibility check , such as those described in d . dams and k . namjoshi , “ orion : high precision methods for static error analysis of c and c ++ programs ,” referenced above , as modified herein to provide the features and functions of the present invention . states are stored in a cache of visited states when they are first visited by the dfs algorithm . when an error state is encountered and the path to the error state cannot be shown to be feasible , all states on the path are deleted from the cache of visited states . otherwise , they are left in the cache of visited states . it is noted that feasibility is an exemplary property of a path , and the present invention can be extended to other path properties as well , as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art . in addition , while the present invention is illustrated in the context of a control flow graph representing a software program with designated error states , the present invention can be applied to any state machine , and any type of designated states therein , such as networks or communicating elements of a concurrent system , as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill . as previously indicated , a common state exploration algorithm such as dfs can be used to find whether an error state is reachable from some initial state . fig1 illustrates an exemplary graph 100 on which the present invention can operate . as shown in fig1 , the graph 100 is comprised of states s 1 , s 2 , s 3 , s 4 , s 5 and transitions a , b , c , d , e . the state s 1 is the unique initial state ( indicated by an arrow without label ), and s 5 is an error state ( indicated by the circle around it ). the dfs starts with only state s 1 on its stack . assume that the dfs first selects successor state s 2 for exploration . the dfs will then first reach error state s 5 along the path s 1 , s 2 , s 4 , s 5 . assuming this is an infeasible path , the algorithm backtracks to state s 1 , where it then selects s 3 for exploration . from s 3 , state s 4 is reached , which has already been visited , so the dfs backtracks there . the path to s 5 via state s 3 , which may be feasible , is not found using conventional dfs techniques . as indicated above , the dfs explores all states , but not necessarily all paths through a graph . as shown in fig1 , as the dfs processes the graph 100 , one or more data structures stored in memory 180 are maintained , in a known manner . in particular , the dfs typically maintains a stack 150 and a cache 110 of visited states . generally , the stack 150 contains a representation of the current path being processed , from the entry state to a current state . as the dfs visits the reachable states in the graph 100 , the data structures 110 , 150 are maintained in a conventional manner . the data structures 110 , 150 shown in fig1 are populated with data for a time after the state s 5 has been processed and it is determined that there are no states below s 5 to be processed ( no successor states to state s 5 ). it is noted that data elements are only taken from the top of the stack 150 , and the elements in the stack 150 are ordered . the path evaluation routine will eventually backtrack to state s 1 and then resume forward with state s 3 along a new path . fig2 illustrates pseudo - code for an exemplary path - exploration algorithm 200 based on state space caching . the path - exploration algorithm 200 does not employ a visited state cache 110 ( at the cost of revisiting previously visited states ) or a feasibility analysis . generally , the path - exploration algorithm 200 alters the dfs search so as to backtrack only when a state is encountered that is already on the stack . in other words , the path - exploration algorithm 200 does not remember any state that was visited , by not maintaining the visited state cache 110 at all . as shown in fig2 , the path - exploration algorithm 200 collects all paths starting from an initial state s in the set exploredpaths . it is noted that the path - exploration algorithm 200 only backtracks when the encountered state is already on the stack . the function nsuccs returns the number of successors of a given state ( assumed to be ordered ). when nsuccs ( s ) equals k for some state s , then its successors are succ 0 ( s ) through succ k − 1 ( s ). according to one aspect of the invention , a path - exploration algorithm 300 is provided that employs a visited state cache 110 , as well as a feasibility analysis . fig3 illustrates pseudo - code for an exemplary path - exploration algorithm 300 according to one embodiment of the invention . generally , if an error is detected by the path - exploration algorithm 300 , it is determined whether the path to the error state is a feasible path . in addition , upon a determination that a path to an error state is an infeasible path , the path - exploration algorithm 300 removes all states from the visited state cache 110 ( i . e ., the set black , in the algorithm of fig3 ) that are part of the infeasible path . in this manner , the path - exploration algorithm 300 will not remember that a state removed from the visited state cache 110 was previously visited . on the first visit , when it is determined that a path to an error state is an infeasible path , the detected error will not be reported as a result of the infeasibility . on a subsequent visit to a previously visited state , the alternate path may be a feasible path and thus the error may be reportable . as discussed hereinafter , the path - exploration algorithm 300 can be viewed as a variation of a conventional dfs algorithm , in which the stack states are removed from the cache of visited states 110 whenever a path to an error state cannot be shown to be feasible ( line 15 ). as shown in fig3 , the set black is the visited state cache 110 . the stack 150 is initialized at line 2 to an empty sequence . the sets black and output are initialized at lines 1 and 3 , respectively . at line 8 , if the state s belongs to the set 110 of visited states , or is in the stack 150 , then the search backtracks ( backtracking criterion ). otherwise , the state s is added to the cache 110 of visited states at line 10 and pushed onto the top of the stack 150 at line 11 . if the state s is determined to have an error at line 13 , where e is the set of error states , a test is performed at line 14 to determine if the path defined by the stack 150 is feasible , and if so , the error is reported . if , however , it is determined at line 15 that the path defined by the stack 150 is not feasible , then the states associated with the path defined by the stack 150 are deleted from the set 110 of visited states ( black ) at line 15 , in accordance with the present invention . the path - exploration algorithm 300 iterates during lines 19 - 23 over the successor states of state s . in general , the present invention can be considered to provide a policy for maintaining the set 110 of visited states , with the goal of identifying feasible paths leading to error states , or , as noted before , any other property of paths instead of feasibility , and any other property of states instead of being an error state . in general , the algorithms presented in fig2 and 3 will only find non - looping paths having an error . when considering paths with loops , the algorithm may not terminate . this may be avoided by replacing line 8 in fig3 with the following : fig4 is a block diagram of a path evaluation system 400 that can implement the processes of the present invention . as shown in fig4 , memory 430 configures the processor 420 to implement the path evaluation methods , steps , and functions disclosed herein ( collectively , shown as 480 in fig4 ). the memory 430 could be distributed or local and the processor 420 could be distributed or singular . the memory 430 could be implemented as an electrical , magnetic or optical memory , or any combination of these or other types of storage devices . it should be noted that each distributed processor that makes up processor 420 generally contains its own addressable memory space . it should also be noted that some or all of computer system 400 can be incorporated into an application - specific or general - use integrated circuit . as is known in the art , the methods and apparatus discussed herein may be distributed as an article of manufacture that itself comprises a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon . the computer readable program code means is operable , in conjunction with a computer system , to carry out all or some of the steps to perform the methods or create the apparatuses discussed herein . the computer readable medium may be a recordable medium ( e . g ., floppy disks , hard drives , compact disks , or memory cards ) or may be a transmission medium ( e . g ., a network comprising fiber - optics , the world - wide web , cables , or a wireless channel using time - division multiple access , code - division multiple access , or other radio - frequency channel ). any medium known or developed that can store information suitable for use with a computer system may be used . the computer - readable code means is any mechanism for allowing a computer to read instructions and data , such as magnetic variations on a magnetic media or height variations on the surface of a compact disk . the computer systems and servers described herein each contain a memory that will configure associated processors to implement the methods , steps , and functions disclosed herein . the memories could be distributed or local and the processors could be distributed or singular . the memories could be implemented as an electrical , magnetic or optical memory , or any combination of these or other types of storage devices . moreover , the term “ memory ” should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in the addressable space accessed by an associated processor . with this definition , information on a network is still within a memory because the associated processor can retrieve the information from the network . it is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown and described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .	6
identically labeled elements appearing in different ones of the figures refer to the same elements but may not be referenced in the description for all figures . the exemplification set out herein illustrates at least one embodiment , in at least one form , and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any manner . fig1 is a cross sectional view of a shaft bearing assembly 1 , comprising shaft 10 , housing 20 , and bearing sleeve assembly 30 . the term axial refers to forces or directions along a longitudinal axis a of the assembly , and the terms radial refers to forces or directions orthogonal to longitudinal axis a . housing 20 can be any housing known in the art , but , for illustrative purposes is shown as an externally supported , separatable collar - type housing , comprising collar segment 21 , fixing means 23 , such as bolts , and bushing shoulder ring 22 . bearing sleeve assembly 30 comprises rolling element bearing 32 , outer sleeve 34 , inner sleeve 36 , optional snap ring 40 and optional preload spring 38 . in the example embodiment shown , shaft 10 is rotating and housing 20 is fixed , although other arrangements are contemplated by the present invention and will be understood by those skilled in the art . in the example embodiment , bearing sleeve assembly 30 can be pre - assembled separately from shaft bearing assembly 1 , as a sub - assembly , and assembled onto shaft assembly 1 in a single operation . alternatively , inner sleeve 36 can be pressed or otherwise fixedly mounted onto an outer radial surface of shaft 10 , rolling element bearing 32 then fixedly mounted or pressed onto an outer radial surface of inner sleeve 36 , then outer sleeve 34 pressed or otherwise mounted on an outer radial surface of bearing 32 inner sleeve 36 may be axially extended to provide more contact area between sleeve 36 and shaft 10 . in the embodiment shown , rolling element bearing 32 is an angular contact ball bearing , having a high contact angle , for example 40 degrees , though any rolling element bearing is contemplated by the present invention . rolling element bearings are known in the art , and comprise inner and outer rings , with a plurality of rolling elements arranged between raceways on the outer radial surface of the inner ring and the inner radial surface of the outer ring , respectively . in an arrangement wherein axial loading is a greater factor than radial loading , optional preload spring 38 can be placed between outer ring 100 , inner ring 101 and outer sleeve 34 , and can be used in order to axially pre - load bearing 32 , displacing ball 50 to or near its maximum contact angle , such that it is better situated to support thrust or axial loads . in an arrangement wherein radial loading is a greater factor than axial loading , preload spring 38 can be removed from the assembly . similarly , snap ring 40 may be used to axially fix bearing 32 within bearing sleeve assembly 30 . snap ring 40 is placed within groove 42 of outer sleeve 34 . in the embodiment shown , sleeves 34 and 36 are l - shaped , and mirror each other , such that a disc - shaped radial extension 52 of inner sleeve 36 extends radially outwardly from longitudinal cylindrical bearing support section 53 , and is axially opposite to disc shaped radial extension 55 of outer sleeve 34 which extends radially inwardly from longitudinal cylindrical bearing support segment 56 . in this manner , bearing 32 is confined in both axial directions . once bearing sleeve assembly 30 is mounted on shaft 10 , housing 20 is mounted on a radially outer surface of outer sleeve 34 . in the embodiment shown , housing 20 has two separable halves or collars , that can be assembled over sleeve assembly 30 , and supported in position using an external structure , such as a shaft parallel to shaft 10 ( not shown ). in order to remove and replace bearing 32 , housing 20 is removed from the assembly . snap ring 40 and outer sleeve 34 are then removed . bearing 32 is removed from sleeve 36 using any suitable press or other operation inner sleeve 36 can remain on shaft 10 , and a new bearing 32 pressed onto inner sleeve 36 , re - assembling sleeve assembly 30 , as described above . in this manner , no direct additional operations are performed on shaft 10 . in the foregoing description , example embodiments are described . the specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto , without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention . in addition , it should be understood that the figures illustrated in the attachments , which highlight the functionality and advantages of the example embodiments , are presented for example purposes only . the architecture or construction of example embodiments described herein is sufficiently flexible and configurable , such that it may be utilized ( and navigated ) in ways other than that shown in the accompanying figures . although example embodiments have been described herein , many additional modifications and variations would be apparent to those skilled in the art . it is therefore to be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . thus , the present example embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive .	5
the isophoronediisocyanate used in the method of the invention may be prepared by a wide variety of processes , for example by phosgenation or by a phosgene - free method such as urethane splitting . the oligomerization catalysts used in the method of the invention are saline compounds containing 10 to 97 . 1 wt . % of 1 , 2 , 3 - and / or 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate structures ( calculated as c2n3 ; molecular weight 66 ) in the anion . they are compounds containing triazolate structures of formula ( i ) and / or ( ii ) r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 independently represent hydrogen , fluorine , chlorine , bromine , a nitro group , a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic or cycloaliphatic radical , a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic or araliphatic radical which contains up to 20 carbon atoms and optionally up to 3 heteroatoms selected from oxygen , sulphur and nitrogen , wherein the substituents optionally are halogen atoms or nitro groups , r 3 and r 4 in formula ( ii ), combined and together with the carbon atoms of the 1 , 2 , 3 - triazolate five - membered compound and optionally a further nitrogen atom or an oxygen atom , can form anellated rings with 3 to 6 carbon atoms . preferred oligomerization catalysts are those which contain in the anion triazolate structures of general formula ( i ), where r 1 and independently represent hydrogen , fluorine , chlorine , bromine , a nitro group , a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic or cycloaliphatic radical , a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic or araliphatic radical which contains up to 12 carbon atoms and optionally up to 3 heteroatoms selected from oxygen , sulphur and nitrogen , wherein the substituents optionally are halogen atoms or nitro groups . similarly preferred oligomerization catalysts are those containing in the anion triazolate structures of general formula ( ii ), where r 3 and r 4 independently represent hydrogen , fluorine , chlorine or bromine or a nitro group , a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic or cycloaliphatic radical , an optionally substituted aromatic or araliphatic radical which contains up to 12 carbon atoms and optionally up to 3 heteroatoms selected from oxygen , sulphur and nitrogen and which may optionally be substituted by halogen atoms or nitro groups and , combined and together with the carbon atoms of the 1 , 2 , 3 - triazolate five - membered compound and optionally a further nitrogen atom or an oxygen atom , can form anellated rings with 3 to 6 carbon atoms . salts of 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole , 1 , 2 , 3 - triazole and / or 1 , 2 , 3 - benzotriazole are particularly preferred oligomerization catalysts for the method of the invention . the catalysts used according to the invention may contain a wide variety of cations as counterions to the catalytically active triazolate anions . examples include alkali metal cations such as li + , na + and k + , alkaline earth cations such as mg 2 + and ca 2 + and ammonium or phosphonium cations of general formula ( iii ) r 5 , r 6 , r 7 and r 8 independently represent a hydrogen atom , a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic or cycloaliphatic radical , a optionally substituted aromatic or araliphatic radical which contains up to 24 carbon atoms and optionally up to 3 heteroatoms from the oxygen , sulphur and nitrogen range and which may optionally be substituted by halogen atoms or hydroxy groups , and where r 8 may also stand for a radical of formula ( iv ) x represents a double - bonding , optionally substituted aliphatic , cycloaliphatic , araliphatic or aromatic radical with up to 12 carbon atoms . preferred cations are alkaline ions or monovalent ammonium or phosphonium cations of general formula ( iii ), where r 5 , r 6 , r 7 and r 8 independently represent a saturated aliphatic or cycloaliphatic radical or a optionally substituted aromatic or araliphatic radical with up to 18 carbon atoms . some of the saline compounds used as oligomerization catalysts in the method of the invention are commercially obtainable for example in the form of their sodium salts ; others are easily accessible by normal laboratory methods as demonstrated by the examples . in the method of the invention these catalysts are employed in quantities of 0 . 01 to 3 wt . %, preferably 0 . 1 to 1 wt . % based on the ipdi used . they may be added to the reaction mixture without solvents ; however the catalysts are preferably used dissolved in a suitable organic solvent . the degree of dilution of the catalyst solutions may be chosen freely within a very wide range . solutions from a concentration of 0 . 01 wt . % are catalytically effective . suitable catalyst solvents include those which are inert relative to isocyanate groups , such as hexane , toluene , xylene , benzol chloride , acetic acid ethyl ester , acetic acid butyl ester , diethylene glycol dimethylether , dipropyleneglycol dimethylether , ethyleneglycol monomethyl or ethyl etheracetate , diethyleneglycolethyl and butyletheracetate , propyleneglycol monomethyl etheracetate , 1 - methoxypropyl - 2 - acetate , 3 - methoxy - n - butylacetate , propyleneglycol diacetate , acetone , methylethylketone , methylisobutylketone , cyclohexanone , lactones such as β - propiolactone , γ - butyrolactone , ε - caprolactone and ε - methylcaprolactone , but also solvents such as n - methylpyrrolidone and n - methylcaprolactam , 1 , 2 - propylene carbonate , methylene chloride , dimethyl sulphoxide , triethyl phosphate or any mixtures of such solvents . however the catalyst solvents used in the method of the invention preferably carry groups reactive with isocyanates and are included in the reaction product . some examples of such solvents are mono or multivalent simple alcohols such as methanol , ethanol , n - propanol , isopropanol , n - butanol , n - hexanol , 2 - ethyl - 1 - hexanol , ethylene glycol , propylene glycol , the isomeric butane diols , 2 - ethyl - 1 , 3 - hexanediol or glycerin ; ether alcohols such as 1 - methoxy - 2 - propanol , 3 - ethyl - 3 - hydroxymethyl oxetane , tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol , ethylene glycol monomethylether , ethylene glycol monoethylether , ethylene glycol monobutylether , diethylene glycol monomethylether , diethylene glycol monoethylether , ethylene glycol monobutylether , diethylene glycol , dipropylene glycol or liquid , higher molecular weight polyethylene glycols , polypropylene glycols , mixed polyethylene / polypropylene glycols and monoalkyl ethers thereof ; ester alcohols such as ethylene glycol monoacetate , propylene glycol monolaurate , glycerinmono and diacetate , glycerinmonobutyrate or 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethyl - 1 , 3 - pentanediol - monoisobutyrate ; unsaturated alcohols such as allyl alcohol , 1 , 1 - dimethyl allyl alcohol or oleic alcohol ; araliphatic alcohols such as benzyl alcohol ; n - monosubstituted amides such as n - methyl formamide n - methylacetamide , cyanacetamide or 2 - pyrrolidinone or any mixtures of such solvents . if appropriate the oligomerization reaction in the method of the invention is terminated by means of suitable catalyst poisons at the desired stage of the reaction , for example when 10 to 60 % of the isocyanate groups originally in the starting mixture have reacted . such catalyst poisons include inorganic acids such as hydrochloric , phosphorous or phosphoric acid , acid chlorides such as acetyl chloride , benzoyl chloride or isophthaloyl dichloride , sulphonic acids and sulphonic acid esters , such as methane sulphonic acid , p - toluene sulphonic acid , trifluoromethane sulphonic acid , perfluorobutane sulphonic acid , p - toluene sulphonic acid methylester and ethylester , mono and dialkylphosphates such as monotridecylphosphate , dibutylphosphate and dioctylphosphate , but also silylized acids such as methane sulphonic acid trimethylsilylester , trifluoromethane sulphonic acid trimethylsilylester , phosphoric acid tris -( trimethylsilylester ) and phosphoric acid diethylester trimethylsilylester . the quantity of catalyst poison required to stop the reaction depends on the quantity of catalyst employed ; an equivalent quantity of stopper is generally used , relative to the oligomerization catalyst initially introduced . however if allowance is made for any catalyst losses occurring during the reaction even 20 to 80 equivalent % of catalyst poison , relative to the quantity of catalyst initially introduced , may be enough to stop the reaction . although not generally necessary , additives normally used in polyurethane chemistry may optionally be employed as stabilizers in the method of the invention . some examples of the additives in question include phenolic antioxidants such as 2 , 6 - di - tert .- butyl - 4 - methylphenol , 2 , 4 , 6 - tri - tert .- butylphenol and 3 , 5 - di - tert .- butyl - 4 - hydroxyanisol , or phosphite stabilizers trisubstituted with alkyl and / or aryl radicals , such as triphenyl phosphite , tris ( nonyl - phenyl ) phosphite , diphenylisooctylphosphite , diphenylisodecylphosphite , diisodecylphenylphosphite , diisooctyl - octylphenylphosphite , phenyineopentyl glycol phosphite , 2 , 4 , 6 - tri - tert .- butylphenyl -( 2 - butyl - 2 - ethyl - 1 , 3 - propane diol ) phosphite , triisodecyl phosphite , trilauryl phosphite , tris ( tridecyl ) phosphite , diisodecyl - pentaerythritol diphosphite , distearyl - pentaerythritol diphosphite , bis ( 2 , 4 - di - tert .- butyl - phenyl )- pentaerythritol diphosphite and tetraphenyl - dipropylene glycol diphosphite or any mixtures of such additives . these additives are , if appropriate , added to the reaction mixture in quantities of up to 5 wt . %, preferably up to 3 %, relative to the quantity of ipdi employed . in a special embodiment of the method of the invention additives of this type which are liquid at room temperature , preferably said liquid phosphite stabilizers , preferably act as solvents for the catalysts used . the method of the invention is preferably carried out without solvents , apart from any catalyst solvents used . however it may , if desired , be carried out in the presence of further quantities of solvents which are inert relative to isocyanate groups . some examples of suitable solvents include the non - reactive solvents already described above as possible catalyst solvents , or mixtures thereof which may , if appropriate , be used in quantities of up to 80 wt . % relative to the total quantity of ipdi and added solvent . to carry out the method of the invention ipdi is put in first , optionally in inert gas such as nitrogen , optionally in the presence of a suitable solvent and optionally of a stabilizer of the said type at a temperature of 0 to 100 ° c ., preferably 20 to 60 ° c . an oligomerization catalyst or a solution of an oligomerization catalyst of the above - mentioned type is added in the above - mentioned quantity , and the temperature is adjusted to 20 to 100 ° c . or preferably 25 to 80 ° c . optionally by taking a suitable step ( heating or cooling ). the reaction may optionally be terminated on reaching a defined degree of oligomerization of 10 to 60 wt . %, preferably 10 to 40 %, by adding a catalyst poison of the type mentioned as examples and , if appropriate , by subsequently briefly heating the reaction mixture for example to a temperature above 80 ° c . the “ degree of oligomerization ” refers to the percentage of the isocyanate groups present in the original mixture that is consumed during the reaction according to the invention ( particularly by dimerization , also with trimerization and , if the for example alcoholic catalyst solvents described are used , by reaction with isocyanate groups for example with urethanization ). said degree of oligomerization is generally reached after a reaction time of 30 minutes to 8 hours , preferably 1 to 6 hours . the volatile components of the reaction mixture ( excess monomeric ipdi and any non - reactive solvents and stabilizers used ) are then removed , preferably by thin - layer distillation under a high vacuum and under the gentlest possible conditions , for example at a temperature of 120 to 200 ° c ., preferably 140 to 180 ° c . in a further embodiment of the method of the invention said volatile components are separated from the oligomerization product for example by extraction with appropriate solvents which are inert relative to isocyanate groups , for example aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons such as pentane , hexane , heptane , cyclopentane or cyclohexane . in accordance with the invention light - colored or almost colorless , highly viscous ipdi polyisocyanates having uretdione groups are obtained , their content of isocyanate groups being 16 . 0 to 19 . 0 wt . %, preferably 16 . 7 to 17 . 9 % dependent on the degree of oligomerization , the ipdi polyisocyanates containing less than 5 wt . %, preferably less than 2 % and particularly preferably less than 1 % of monomeric ipdi starting material . the molar proportion of isocyanurate structures in the products of the method according to the invention to the sum of uretdione and isocyanurate groups is preferably a maximum of 10 mol %, more preferably a maximum of 8 mol % and most preferably a maximum of 5 mol %. the distilled materials obtained , which in addition to the non - reacted monomeric ipdi contain any solvents and stabilizers used and optionally active catalyst if catalyst poison is not employed , may be utilized for repeat oligomerization without any problems . in the method of the invention , after partial catalytic oligomerization and termination of the reaction at the intended degree of oligomerization by adding a catalyst poison , separation of the surplus , non - reacted ipdi can optionally be dispensed with . in that case the products obtained from the process are light - colored solutions of ipdi polyisocyanate in up to 70 wt . % monomeric ipdi . the method of the invention makes it possible to prepare ipdi uretdiones which differ from those obtainable by known methods in having hitherto unattained low color numbers , in a simple manner using very low concentrations of toxicologically harmless catalysts and within very short reaction times . ipdi uretdiones prepared according to the invention or solutions thereof in monomeric ipdi are particularly valuable starting materials for the preparation of polyurethane plastics by the polyaddition process and preferably for producing single or two - component polyurethane paints , by virtue of their properties . in a form blocked by known blocking agents from polyurethane chemistry they may also be used for single - component stoving enamels . some examples of suitable blocking agents include oximes known from polyurethane chemistry as blocking agents for isocyanate groups , such as acetone oxime , butanone oxime and cyclohexanone oxime , lactams such as ε - caprolactam , c — h - azide compounds such as malonic acid diethylester and acetic ester , n - heterocycles such as 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole , dimethyl - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole , 3 , 5 - dimethylpyrazol and imidazole and any mixtures of those blocking agents . the ipdi - uretdiones obtainable by the method of the invention are particularly suitable starting components for the preparation of uretdione cross - linking agents for coating powders . 200 ml of dry methanol and 48 ml of a 30 % solution of sodium methanolate in methanol , corresponding to 0 . 25 mol sodium methanolate , were put first into a three - necked flask agitator with a mechanical stirrer , internal thermometer and reflux cooler , with dry nitrogen . 17 . 4 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole was added in portions at room temperature . when the addition of the 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole had been completed the reaction mixture was agitated for 4 hours at reflux temperature . the solvent was then distilled off at reduced pressure and the oily residue left was mixed with 200 ml of methylene chloride at room temperature . the mixture was agitated for 15 minutes at room temperature and the product precipitated as a solid was filtered off . 22 . 5 g sodium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate ( yield 98 %) was obtained in the form of a colorless powder . the product was 1 h - nmr spectroscopically pure and free of any 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole included . 17 . 4 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 1 , 2 , 3 - triazole was reacted in 200 ml methanol with an equivalent quantity of sodium methanolate solution in methanol by the method described for catalyst 1 . the reaction mixture was processed as described and 22 . 4 g sodium - 1 , 2 , 3 - triazolate was obtained ( yield 98 %) in the form of a virtually colorless powder . the product was pure according to the 1 h - nmr spectrum and free of starting material ( educt ). 29 . 8 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzotriazole was reacted in 200 ml methanol with an equivalent quantity of sodium methanolate solution in methanol by the method described for catalyst 1 . the reaction mixture was processed as described and 34 . 2 g sodium benzotriazoleate was obtained ( yield 97 %) in the form of a virtually colorless powder . the product was pure according to the 1 h - nmr spectrum and free of starting material . 18 . 0 g of a 30 % solution of sodium methanolate in methanol , corresponding to 0 . 1 mol sodium methanolate , was put first into a three - necked flask agitator with a mechanical stirrer , internal thermometer and reflux cooler , at room temperature with dry nitrogen . a solution of 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole in 20 ml methanol was added drop by drop within 20 minutes , then the reaction mixture was agitated for an hour , after which 41 . 3 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of a 71 . 4 % solution of tetrabutylphosphonium chloride in isopropanol ( cyphos 443p , produced by cytec ) was added within 20 minutes . as soon as the addition of the phosphonium salt was started precipitation of sodium chloride commenced . the reaction mixture was agitated for a further hour at room temperature , filtered and finally reduced in a rotary evaporator at a bath temperature of 40 ° c . and a pressure of approx . 1 mbar to a volume of approx . 50 ml . the residue was filtered again , giving 42 . 5 g of a clear , almost colorless solution of tetrabutylphosphonium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate in a mixture of methanol and isopropanol . the content of active catalyst , obtained by acidimetric titration with 0 . 1 n hcl against phenolphthalein , was 73 % and the ratio of methanol to isopropanol determined by gas chromatography ( gc ) was 25 . 4 : 74 . 6 % ( area %). using the method described for catalyst 4 , 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of 1 , 2 , 3 - triazole was reacted , via the intermediate stage of the sodium salt , with an equivalent quantity of the solution of tetrabutylphosphonium chloride in isopropanol described in example 4 . after reduction in a rotary evaporator and filtration 48 . 1 g of a clear , almost colorless solution of tetrabutylphosphonium - 1 , 2 , 3 - triazolate in a methanol / isopropanol mixture was obtained . the content of active catalyst , obtained by acidimetric titration with 0 . 1 n hcl , was 66 . 3 % and the ratio of methanol to isopropanol determined by gc was 35 . 2 : 64 . 8 % ( area %). using the method described for catalyst 4 , 11 . 9 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of benzotriazole was reacted , via the intermediate stage of the sodium salt , with an equivalent quantity of the solution of tetrabutylphosphonium chloride in isopropanol described in example 4 . after reduction in a rotary evaporator and filtration 52 . 1 g of a clear , slightly yellow solution of tetrabutylphosphonium - benzotriazolate in a methanol / isopropanol mixture was obtained . the content of active catalyst , obtained by acidimetric titration with 0 . 1 n hcl , was 69 . 7 % and the ratio of methanol to isopropanol determined by gc was 31 . 6 : 64 . 8 % ( area %). using the method described for catalyst 4 , 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole dissolved in 20 g methanol was reacted first with 18 . 0 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of a 30 % methanol solution of sodium methanolate then with 90 . 8 g of a 25 % solution of benzyltriethylammonium chloride in 2 - ethylhexanol , corresponding to 0 . 1 mol benzyltriethylammonium chloride . after reduction in a rotary evaporator and filtration 94 . 1 g of a clear , slightly yellow solution of benzyltriethylammonium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate in a methanol / 2 - ethylhexanol mixture was obtained . the content of active catalyst , obtained by acidimetric titration with 0 . 1 n hcl , was 26 . 5 % and the ratio of methanol to 2 - ethylhexanol determined by gc was 5 , 0 : 95 . 0 % ( area %). using the method described for catalyst 4 , 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of 1 , 2 , 4 - triazole dissolved in 20 g methanol was reacted first with 18 . 0 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of a 30 % methanol solution of sodium methanolate then with 80 . 6 g of a 50 % solution of methyltrioctylammonium chloride ( aliquat 336 ) in methanol , corresponding to 0 . 1 mol methyltrioctylammonium chloride . after filtration , removal of the solvent in a rotary evaporator and further filtration , 40 . 3 g of methyltrioctylammonium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate was obtained as a clear , light yellow liquid . the content of active catalyst , obtained by acidimetric titration with 0 . 1 n hcl , was 92 . 3 %. 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were mixed with a solution of 2 g ( 0 . 022 mol ) sodium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate ( catalyst 1 ) in 25 ml dimethylsulphoxide ( dmso ) at 40 ° c . under dry nitrogen and with agitation , whereupon the temperature of the reaction mixture rose to 43 ° c . owing to the reaction heat produced . after a reaction time of 45 minutes , during which the exothermic effect died down , the nco content of the reaction mixture had dropped to a value of 29 . 4 %, corresponding to a 20 . 1 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 4 . 6 g ( 0 . 022 mol ) of dibutylphosphate . the turbidity created was filtered off and the clear , colorless reaction mixture was freed from its volatile constituents ( excess diisocyanate and catalyst solvent ) by means of a thin - film evaporator at a temperature of 160 ° c . and a pressure of 0 . 3 mbar . a colorless uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a content of free nco groups of 17 . 6 %, a monomeric ipdi content of 0 . 3 %, a viscosity ( to din 53 018 ) of over 200 000 mpas ( 23 ° c .) and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 8 . the molar ratio of uretdione to isocyanurate groups , obtained by 13 c - nmr spectroscopy , was 96 . 2 : 3 . 8 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were mixed with a solution of 1 . 2 g ( 0 . 013 mol ) of sodium - 1 , 2 , 3 - triazolate ( catalyst 2 ) in 15 ml dimethylsulphoxide ( dmso ) at 40 ° c . under dry nitrogen and with agitation ; the reaction mixture was slightly heated to approx . 42 ° c . after a reaction time of 2 hours the nco content of the reaction mixture had dropped to a value of 29 . 4 %, corresponding to a 20 . 1 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 4 . 6 g ( 0 . 022 mol ) of dibutylphosphate . the turbidity created was filtered off and the clear , colorless reaction mixture was freed from volatile constituents ( excess diisocyanate and catalyst solvent ) as described in example 1 . a highly viscous , colorless uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 16 . 9 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 3 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 8 . 13 c - nmr spectroscopy shows the product to be free of isocyanurate groups . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were mixed with a solution of 1 . 3 g ( 0 . 009 mol ) sodium - benzotriazolate ( catalyst 3 ) in 13 ml dimethylsulphoxide ( dmso ) at 40 ° c . under dry nitrogen and with agitation ; the reaction mixture was heated slightly by 2 to 3 ° c . the exothermic effect dies down after about 30 minutes and , after a reaction time of 2 hours the nco content of the mixture had dropped to a value of 29 . 3 %, corresponding to a 21 . 3 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 1 . 9 g ( 0 . 009 mol ) of dibutylphosphate . the turbidity created was filtered off and the clear , colorless reaction mixture was freed from its volatile constituents ( excess diisocyanate and catalyst solvent ) as described in example 1 . a highly viscous , light yellow uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 16 . 9 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 5 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 9 . the molar ratio of uretdione to isocyanurate structures , obtained by 13 c - nmr spectroscopy , was 94 . 1 : 5 . 9 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were degassed under vacuum ( 2 mbar ) for 1 hour , then ventilated with dry nitrogen and heated to 40 ° c . 2 . 3 g ( 5 . 1 mmol ) of catalyst 4 ( tetrabutylphosphonium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate in methanol / isopropanol ) was stirred in , and the reaction mixture was heated to 43 ° c . by the reaction heat produced . 35 minutes later , when the exothermic effect had died down , further catalysis was carried out with an additional 2 . 3 g ( 5 . 1 mmol ) of catalyst solution . after a total reaction time of 1 hour 10 minutes the nco content of the reaction mixture was 32 . 3 %, corresponding to a 14 . 2 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 2 . 15 g ( 10 . 2 mmol ) of dibutylphosphate and the resultant clear , slightly yellow mixture was freed from excess diisocyanate by thin - layer distillation as described in example 1 . a highly viscous , light yellow uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 17 . 3 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 5 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 9 . the molar ratio of uretdione to isocyanurate structures , obtained by 13 c - nmr spectroscopy , was 96 . 1 : 3 . 9 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were degassed under vacuum as described in example 4 , ventilated with dry nitrogen and heated to 40 ° c . 2 . 3 g ( 4 . 7 mmol ) of catalyst 5 ( tetrabutylphosphonium - 1 , 2 , 3 - triazolate in methanol / isopropanol ) was stirred in , and the reaction mixture was heated slightly to 42 ° c . by the reaction heat produced . 2 hours later , when the exothermic effect had died down , further catalysis was carried out with an additional 2 . 3 g ( 4 . 7 mmol ) of catalyst solution and again 55 minutes later with 1 . 15 g ( 2 . 3 mmol ) of catalyst solution . after a total reaction time of 5 hours 15 minutes the nco content of the reaction mixture was 29 . 8 %, corresponding to a 20 . 7 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 2 . 45 g ( 11 . 7 mmol ) of dibutylphosphate and the resultant clear , slightly yellow mixture was freed from excess diisocyanate by thin - layer distillation as described in example 1 . a highly viscous , light yellow uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 17 . 3 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 5 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 8 . the molar ratio of uretdione to isocyanurate structures , obtained by 13 c - nmr spectroscopy , was 94 . 9 : 5 . 1 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were degassed under vacuum as described in example 4 , ventilated with dry nitrogen and heated to 40 ° c . 2 . 7 g ( 5 . 0 mmol ) of catalyst 6 ( tetrabutylphosphonium - benzotriazolate in methanol / isopropanol ) was stirred in , and the reaction mixture was slightly heated to about 42 ° c . by the reaction heat produced . after a reaction time of 40 minutes , during which the exothermic effect dies down , the nco content of the reaction mixture was 31 . 5 %, corresponding to a 16 . 4 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 1 . 05 g ( 5 . 0 mmol ) of dibutylphosphate and the resultant clear , light yellow mixture was freed from excess diisocyanate by thin - layer distillation as described in example 1 . a highly viscous , yellow uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 17 . 0 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 3 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 11 . the molar ratio of uretdione to isocyanurate structures , obtained by 13 c - nmr spectroscopy , was 92 . 8 : 7 . 2 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were degassed under vacuum as described in example 4 , ventilated with dry nitrogen and heated to 40 ° c . 2 . 5 g ( 2 . 5 mmol ) of catalyst 7 ( benzyltriethylammonium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate in methanol / 2 - ethylhexanol ) was stirred in , and the reaction mixture was heated to about 44 ° c . by the reaction heat produced . when the exothermic effect had died down further catalysis was carried out three times at 45 - minute intervals with an additional 2 . 5 g ( 2 . 5 mmol ) of catalyst solution . after a total reaction time of 3 hours 10 minutes the nco content of the reaction mixture was 29 . 6 %, corresponding to a 20 . 9 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 2 . 10 g ( 10 . 0 mmol ) of dibutylphosphate and the resultant clear , yellow mixture was freed from excess diisocyanate by thin - layer distillation as described in example 1 . a highly viscous , light yellow uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 17 . 0 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 4 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 10 . the molar ratio of uretdione to isocyanurate structures , obtained by 13 c - nmr spectroscopy , was 96 . 3 : 3 . 7 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were degassed under vacuum as described in example 4 , ventilated with dry nitrogen and heated to 40 ° c . 0 . 8 g ( 1 . 8 mmol ) of catalyst 8 ( methyltrioctylammonium - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazolate ) was stirred in , and the reaction mixture was heated to about 42 ° c . by the reaction heat produced . after a reaction time of 45 minutes , during which the exothermic effect dies down , the nco content of the reaction mixture was 29 . 7 %, corresponding to a 21 . 4 % degree of oligomerization . the catalyst was deactivated by adding 0 . 38 g ( 1 . 8 mmol ) of dibutylphosphate and the resultant clear , colorless mixture was freed from excess diisocyanate by thin - layer distillation as described in example 1 . a highly viscous , almost colorless uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 16 . 9 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 4 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 8 . the molar ratio of uretdione to isocyanurate structures , obtained by 13 c - nmr spectroscopy , was 98 . 8 : 1 . 2 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were mixed with 20 g ( 2 %) of 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ) as catalyst at room temperature , under dry nitrogen and with agitation . after 20 hours the light yellow reaction mixture , which had a 28 . 7 % nco content corresponding to a 22 . 6 % degree of oligomerization , was freed from volatile constituents by means of a thin - film evaporator at a temperature of 160 ° c . and a pressure of 0 . 3 mbar , without previous addition of a catalyst poison . a highly viscous , light yellow uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 17 . 8 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 3 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 65 . the 13 c - nmr spectrum shows the product to be free of isocyanurate structures . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were successively mixed with 10 g ( 1 %) of triisodecylphosphite as stabilizer and 10 g ( 1 %) of 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ) as catalyst at room temperature , under dry nitrogen and with agitation . after 20 hours the light yellow reaction mixture , which had a 30 . 4 % nco content corresponding to an 18 . 0 % degree of oligomerization , was freed from volatile constituents by means of a thin - film evaporator at a temperature of 160 ° c . and a pressure of 0 . 3 mbar , without previous addition of a catalyst poison . a highly viscous , yellow uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 17 . 5 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 4 % content of monomeric ipdi and a color number ( apha ), determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 23 . 1000 g ( 4 . 50 mol ) of isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ) were mixed with 20 g ( 1 %) of triphenylphosphite as stabilizer and 20 g ( 1 %) of 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ) as catalyst at room temperature , under dry nitrogen and with agitation . after 20 hours the light yellow reaction mixture , which had a 28 . 8 % nco content corresponding to a 20 . 8 % degree of oligomerization , was freed from volatile constituents by means of a thin - film evaporator at a temperature of 160 ° c . and a pressure of 0 . 3 mbar , without previous addition of a catalyst poison . a highly viscous , yellowish - brown uretdione polyisocyanate was obtained , with a 17 . 2 % content of free nco groups , a 0 . 4 % content of monomeric ipdi and a hazen color number , determined on a 10 % solution in methylene chloride , of 47 . the comparative examples show that the dimerization process according to the invention requires considerably smaller quantities of catalyst than known state of the art processes yet gives a product with a far lower color number . preparation of a uretdione coating powder hardener ( use according to ep - a 639 598 ) 350 . 0 g ( 1 . 47 gram equivalent ) of the ipdi uretdione polyisocyanate from example 1 , which had a 19 . 2 % content of uretdione groups after hot titration , was put in first under dry nitrogen and heated to 80 ° c . a mixture of 176 . 0 g ( 0 . 88 gram equivalent ) of a commercial ε - caprolactone polyesterdiol started on 1 . 4 butanediol , with an oh number of 280 mg koh / g ( capa 203 , produced by solvay ), 19 . 8 g ( 0 . 44 gram equivalent ) of 1 , 4 - butanediol and 19 . 5 g ( 0 . 15 gram equivalent ) of 2 - ethyl - 1 - hexanol was added within 30 minutes and agitated at a maximum reaction temperature of 100 ° c . until the nco content of the mixture had dropped to a value of 0 . 8 % after about 4 hours . the melt was poured onto a metal sheet to cool it and a polyaddition compound , containing uretdione groups and appropriate for cross - linking coating powders , was obtained in the form of a solid , colorless resin . the product had the following properties : 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
embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to screen printers or stencil printers used to produce printed circuit boards . as understood by those skilled in the art , embodiments of the present invention can be used with electronic substrates other than circuit boards , such as electronic components , and with machines other than screen printers such as pick and place machines or dispensing machines . referring to fig1 , a printer 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention that applies solder paste or other materials to substrates , such as circuit boards , is shown . the printer is an improvement over the screen printers described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 324 , 973 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . as shown in fig1 , the printer 100 includes a frame 102 , a controller 104 , a stencil 106 , solder paste cartridges 110 , a dispensing head / squeegee 108 , a board support mechanism 122 , a tractor feed mechanism 114 and a circuit board 116 . the circuit board enters the printer 100 on the tractor feed mechanism 114 . the stencil 106 is attached fixedly to the frame 102 in a position above the position in which the circuit board 116 will enter the printer on the tractor feed mechanism 114 . the dispenser head / squeegee 108 is in proximity to the solder paste cartridges 110 and is attached to the printer 100 in a position above the solder stencil 106 . the solder stencil 106 has apertures through which solder is deposited on the surface of a circuit board . the controller 104 is internal to the mechanisms of the printer 100 . the controller is configured to receive signals from operations in the printer , such as alignment of the board , movement of the stencil , and deposit of the solder paste , and control the printer accordingly . circuit boards 116 fed into the printer 100 typically have a pattern of pads or other , usually conductive surface areas onto which solder paste will be deposited . when directed by the controller of the printer , the tractor feed mechanism 114 supplies boards to a location over the board support mechanism and under the stencil 106 . once arriving at the position under the stencil 106 , the circuit board 116 is in place for a manufacturing operation . to successfully deposit solder paste on the circuit board 116 , the circuit board 116 and the stencil 106 are aligned , via the controller . alignment is accomplished by moving the stencil or circuit board based on readings from the vision inspection system , discussed below . when the solder stencil 106 and the circuit board 116 are aligned correctly , the stencil is lowered toward the board 116 for application of the solder paste through the apertures , or the circuit board can be raised toward the stencil by the support mechanism 122 . the pattern of the apertures on the stencil corresponds to the pattern of conductive surfaces or pads already on the circuit board 116 . the dispenser head / squeegee 108 , positioned above the stencil 106 , can vary the amount of solder paste delivered on the stencil 106 and applied by the squeegee . the squeegee 108 wipes across the stencil , thereby pushing solder paste into the stencil apertures and onto the board 116 . solder paste remains on the circuit board 116 in the preset pattern when the support mechanism supporting the board moves downward away from the position of the stencil , or the stencil moves upward away from the board , under control of the controller . the surface tension between the circuit board 116 and the solder paste causes most of the solder paste to remain on the circuit board when the circuit board 116 and the stencil 106 are separated . a vision inspection system then moves into position over the circuit board 116 to inspect the solder paste deposits to determine whether the solder paste has been accurately placed on the circuit board . inspection aids in ensuring that the proper amount of material has been deposited and that the material has been deposited at the proper locations on the circuit board . the vision inspection system can use fiducials , chips , board apertures , chip edges , or other recognizable patterns on the circuit board to determine proper alignment . after inspection of the circuit board , the controller controls movement of the circuit board 116 to the next location using the tractor feed mechanism , where electrical components will be placed on the circuit board 116 . in addition to vision inspection of the circuit board upon completion of the deposition of solder paste onto the circuit board , in one embodiment of the invention , the stencil is cleaned using a wiper to remove excess solder paste from the surface of the stencil prior to beginning a print cycle on a next circuit board . generally , in known printers , the wiper used to clean the stencil moves over the surface of the stencil after printing has occurred . removal of excess solder paste can occur after each print cycle , or after a number of print cycles when it has been determined that a substantial amount of solder paste is on the surface of the stencil and should be removed . additionally , before the circuit board can move to a next print operation in the printer or otherwise , the circuit board is inspected to determine the accuracy with which solder paste has been deposited on the surface of the circuit board . to accomplish improvements and efficiency in the print cycle , the board inspection process and the stencil cleaning process occur substantially in parallel . during the inspection of at least one of the printed boards , the stencil is moved to a position where a stencil wipe process occurs . referring to fig2 a - 2 g , like numbers referring to like elements , in each of the fig2 a - 2 g , as each represents a printer in a different phase of printing . in fig2 a - 2 g , the printer of fig1 is shown in a series of top perspectives . in fig2 a - 2 g , the wiper remains fixed in position while the stencil is in motion . in fig2 a - 2 g , the printer 100 includes the stencil 106 , the squeegee 108 , the circuit board 116 , a vision probe 130 , a vision gantry 132 , and a fixed wiper 134 . the vision probe 130 is coupled to the vision gantry 132 , which is coupled to the frame of the printer 100 . the vision probe 130 is located between the stencil 106 and the circuit board 116 . the vision probe 130 moves into position over the circuit board 116 via a vision gantry system . the squeegee 108 is coupled to the frame in a position above the stencil 106 . in fig2 a , the circuit board 116 is loaded into the printer 100 . in fig2 b , the circuit board 116 and the stencil 106 are aligned . alignment of the stencil 106 and the circuit board 116 is accomplished by using the vision probe 130 . the vision probe can be , for example , the vision probe discussed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 060 , 063 , entitled , “ viewing and illuminating video probe with viewing means for simultaneously viewing object and device images along viewing axis and translating them along optical axis ,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is herein incorporated by reference . also incorporated by reference in its entirety is u . s . pat . no . re 35 , 615 entitled , “ video probe aligning of object to be acted upon ,” which further discusses aspects of the vision probe of the present invention . once aligned , the vision probe 130 is moved from its position to a resting position via the vision gantry 132 , and the circuit board 116 and the stencil 106 come into contact , or substantially close proximity for printing , as shown in fig2 c . printing of solder paste occurs as the squeegee 108 translates over the surface of the stencil 106 and deposits solder paste through the apertures of the stencil 106 , onto the circuit board 116 . the squeegee 108 can make a full forward sweep and come to a resting position in preparation for a next circuit board 116 . alternatively , the squeegee 108 can deposit solder paste on the circuit board and return to its starting position . with solder paste deposited on the surface of the circuit board 116 , the circuit board 116 separates from the stencil 106 by dropping away from the surface of the stencil , shown in fig2 d . alternatively , the stencil can be moved upward away from the surface of the circuit board 116 . having completed printing , the stencil translates , for example toward the back of the printer 100 , to be cleaned . while in most known systems the stencil is fixed in position , in the present printer 100 , the stencil can move in a forward and backward motion . the stencil is cleaned by moving from front to back over the surface of the wiper 134 , as the wiper contacts the surface of the stencil and removes excess solder paste . the stencil moves to the back and over the surface of the wiper by moving backward in the printer 100 , i . e ., in the negative y axis direction , and the stencil moves back into position by moving forward in the positive y axis direction . this motion is the translation of the stencil , although it is possible that translation of the stencil in the printer 100 may occur in the x axis direction alternatively or additionally . the wiper 134 may be fixed in position to a side of the track 136 , which is the track along which the circuit board is transported . the wiper 134 generally contacts the bottom or undersurface of the stencil where deposits of material may become built up . preferably , the wiper 134 is positioned toward the rear of the printer 100 so as not to interfere with the operation of the stencil and vision system . the stencil 106 is positioned at a level above the wiper 134 . as the stencil translates rearward , the wiper 134 cleans the surface of the stencil by contacting the stencil while the stencil travels over the wiper and removes the residual solder paste . referring to fig3 , a side view of the process described in fig2 a - 2 g is shown . from this view , it is more clearly shown that the stencil 106 moves in a forward and backward direction indicated by arrow 190 . as the stencil 106 moves from the first position over the circuit board 116 , it contacts the fixed wiper 134 , leaving a substantial space over the position of the circuit board 116 . thus , the stencil can move in a first direction that is substantially perpendicular to the position of the circuit board , and in a second planar position substantially parallel to the position of the circuit board . with continued reference to fig3 , and referring again to fig2 d , during the time in which the stencil is cleaned by the wiper 134 , or substantially simultaneously , the vision probe 130 moves into a position over the surface of the circuit board 116 to perform an inspection task . the vision probe moves in a forward and back motion as indicated by arrow 192 . the vision probe 130 is restricted in its movements to a position over the circuit board while the stencil is being cleaned , since the stencil is moved toward the rear of the printer 100 , allowing a substantial space over the circuit board for the vision probe 130 to inspect . thus , wiping of the stencil and inspection of the circuit board may be accomplished in parallel . however , it may not be necessary to clean the stencil after each print cycle , so inspection can occur independently of the cleaning of the stencil . referring to fig2 e , upon completion of inspection , the circuit board 116 exits the printer 100 . the circuit board 116 can exit the printer while the stencil continues to be cleaned . the printing of a first circuit board 116 is thereby completed , and the circuit board can continue to a next manufacturing cycle . the printer 100 is prepared to accept a new circuit board 116 via tracks 136 , as is shown in fig2 f , and a next print cycle can begin . while the next circuit board 116 moves into position in the printer , the stencil wipe process is completed and the stencil 106 moves towards the front of the printer 100 to begin the printing cycle for the new circuit board , as is shown in fig2 g . the process of printing a circuit board including stencil wipe and circuit board inspection as depicted in fig2 a - 2 g can be repeated any number of times to correspond to the number of boards in need of the printing of solder paste . the process may be required at the completion of the printing of a single circuit board 116 , or it may be completed after a predetermined number of circuit boards 116 are printed , as inspection and cleaning may not be necessary after each print cycle . due to the relative positioning of the stencil and the vision probe , and the ability of the stencil to translate toward the back of the printer , substantially simultaneous operations can occur , thereby reducing the cycle time necessary to complete the printing operation . in addition to improving the cycle time , quality is not compromised , as the circuit boards continue to be inspected . for example , in some printing cycles , a typical inspection task may take from 20 to 60 seconds to accomplish . wiping of the stencil may occur over a duration of 40 to 60 seconds , depending on the type of wipe process in use . therefore , with the inspection and the stencil wipe working in parallel , both processes may be completed in one minute or less , saving on the order of ½ to 1 minute in cycle time . these cycle periods are exemplary only and may vary depending on the print cycle characteristics for each machine or product . embodiments of the invention describe a fixed wiper positioned below the stencil that cleans the bottom surface of a stencil when the stencil is translated over the wiper blade . in other embodiments of the invention , a wiper is fixed above the surface of the stencil to likewise clean the top surface of the stencil . in still further embodiments of the present invention , the stencil translates to a position over the wiper , and the wiper translates orthogonal to the motion of the stencil when the stencil has moved to be positioned over the wiper . in still further embodiments of the invention , more than one wiper is fixed in a position below the stencil for cleaning . other positions of the wiper in relation to the stencil are envisioned . in embodiments of the invention , the vision inspection probe moves on a gantry system to inspect the board after deposition has occurred . in other embodiments of the invention , after inspection of the first board , a second board loaded into position for printing can be properly aligned using the vision system , while the stencil continues to be cleaned . having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment of the invention , various alterations , modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art . such alterations , modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended as limiting . the invention &# 39 ; s limit is defined only in the following claims and the equivalents thereto .	7
referring to fig1 and 2 , a buffing apparatus 2 a base 3 supports a tire chuck 4 on which an inflated tire t is rotatably supported about an axis x . a variable speed motor 5 drives the tire t at a speed of between 6 and 30 revolutions per minute . the base 3 supports two buffing devices for cutting portions of the sidewall surfaces of tire t , namely a finish buffing wheel 6 and a rough buffing wheel 6 1 ( fig2 ). both buffing wheels 6 and 6 1 are supported in exactly the same manner and the machine parts employed for controlling the buffing wheels 6 and 6 1 are exactly the same . therefore , only the parts associated with the finish buffing wheel 6 will be described , with the understanding that such descriptions also apply to the corresponding parts associated with the rough buffing wheel 6 1 . in fig1 a pair of guide rods 8 are mounted between end support blocks 10 of the base 3 . a frame 12 slides on the guide rods 8 , being connected to the guide rods through bushings 14 . a threaded shaft 16 is rotatably mounted on the support blocks 10 and threadably engages a threaded collar 18 mounted on the frame 12 . the threaded shaft 16 is driven by a main gear 20 connected through a gear reducer 22 to a motor 24 . the motor 24 thus drives the threaded shaft 16 to move the frame 12 back and forth on the guide rods 8 . the motor 24 , gear reducer 22 and main gear 20 also drive the threaded shaft 16 1 associated with the rough buffing wheel 6 1 and are the only parts that are not duplicated and are used in the operation of both buffing wheels 6 and 6 1 . referring to fig2 and 3 , frame 12 includes a platform 26 and a standing support 28 on which two vertical guide ways 30 are mounted . a carriage 32 is slidably mounted on the guide ways 30 , through bushings 34 . a platform 36 on the carriage 32 supports a motor 38 and also a bearing housing 40 which rotatably supports a threaded shaft 41 . the threaded shaft 41 turns in a threaded ball nut 42 mounted on the platform 26 of frame 12 . a pulley wheel 43 is mounted on the threaded shaft 41 and is connected by a toothed belt 44 to a pulley wheel 45 connected to the motor 38 . thus , the motor 38 rotates the threaded shaft 41 to slide the carriage 32 along the guide ways 30 of the frame 12 . the motor 38 is either a stepper motor or a servo - motor which reacts to commands from a computer control 46 ( shown diagrammatically in fig3 ) to turn the threaded shaft 41 in discreet increments as it moves the carriage 32 along guide ways 30 . a pneumatically operated disc brake 47 is mounted at the top end of the threaded shaft 41 . the brake 47 includes an upper rotating disc 47a keyed to the shaft 41 and a lower stationary disc 47b that moves into engagement with the top disc 47a when the motor 38 is not operating , in order to keep the threaded shaft 41 from rotating . the disc brake 47 is supported on a platform 47c mounted on the platform 36 of carriage 32 . also , as shown in fig1 and 3 , two limit switches 48 are mounted on the standing support 28 , which engage an arm 49 extending from the side of the carriage 32 . the limit switches 48 turn off the motor 38 , which also thereby engages the brake 47 , whenever the carriage 32 reaches its upper or lower limit of travel . as shown in fig2 the platform 36 of the carriage 32 also supports the buffing wheel 6 , connected to a shaft 51 , rotatably mounted in a tubular bearing housing 52 and a drive motor 53 . a pulley wheel 54 mounted on the shaft of drive motor 53 is connected by a belt 55 to a pulley wheel 56 on the opposite end of shaft 51 from the buffing wheel 6 . the pulley wheels 54 and 56 and connecting belt 55 are covered by a housing 57 . a shroud 58 ( fig2 and 3 ) is mounted on the ends of housing 52 and motor 53 . the shroud 58 surrounds the buffing wheel 6 , leaving only the lower grinding surface of the wheel 6 exposed at the opening 60 in the shroud 58 . the shroud 58 is connected at its upper end to a discharge tube ( not shown ), designed to convey away particles of rubber removed from the tire t by the wheel 6 . preferably , there is a baffle 62 ( fig3 ) in the shroud 58 to aid in directing the rubber particles toward the upper end of the shroud . a sensor device 64 , best seen in fig4 and 5 , is mounted on the forward end of the shroud 58 . the sensor device 64 includes a lever 66 that rotates about a pin 67 mounted on the shroud 58 . the lever 66 extends along the side of the shroud 58 and the buffing wheel 6 and terminates at a lower end where a small wheel 68 is mounted . as shown in fig5 the wheel 68 is designed to contact a portion of the tire t at a location that is spaced radially from the white sidewall portion of the tire that is contacted by the buffing wheel 50 . the lever 66 is spring loaded by means of a spring 69 surrounding the pin 67 so that the wheel 68 is naturally forced down onto the surface of the tire t . at its upper end , the lever 66 is connected to a transducer 70 mounted on a bracket 72 connected to the front end of the shroud 58 . the transducer 70 may be either a linear variable differential transformer or a transducer that produces digital pulses , the number of pulses being proportioned to the displacement of the upper end of the lever 66 . as the lever 66 rotates in response to the movement of the wheel 68 on a portion of a rotating tire t , the transducer 70 records the circumferential variations in the portion of the tire t contacted by the wheel 68 . the transducer 70 is connected by wires 74 ( fig3 ) to the computer control 46 , and the circumferential variations in the surface of tire t are fed through wires 74 to the computer control 46 . in the operation of the apparatus 2 , a tire t is mounted on a chuck 4 and rotated by the motor 5 at a speed of between 6 and 30 revolutions per minute . the speed of the tire rotation will depend on the finishing requirements of the final buffing , and it may be desirable to slow the tire down during the final steps of buffing . the rough buffing wheel 6 1 and the finish buffing wheel 6 are moved to the proper radial distance from the axis x of the tire t by operating the motor 24 to move the frames 12 and 12 1 inwardly or outwardly with respect to the axis x . of course , the radial positioning of the wheels 6 and 6 1 depends on the position the letters or stripes on the tire from which material is to be removed . with the drive motors 53 and 53 1 rotating buffing wheels 6 and 6 1 at approximately 8 , 000 revolutions per minute , the computer control 46 activates each of the motors 38 and 381 independently to move the buffing wheels , 6 and 6 1 into their respective buffing positions . these positions will be determined by the initial level of the portion of the tire sidewall to be ground , in relation to the level of the adjacent portion of the tire sidewall on which the wheels 68 and 68 1 on levers 66 and 66 1 are designed to ride . when the wheel 68 strikes the sidewall of the tire t , the transducer 70 will send a signal to the computer control 46 indicating the vertical spacing between the wheel 68 and the buffing wheel 6 . likewise , the wheel 68 1 will signal the computer control 46 to indicate the spacing between the vertical wheel 72 1 and the buffing wheel 6 1 . the computer control 46 will then compare these spacings with the desired levels at which the buffing wheels 6 and 6 1 are to begin buffing . these desired buffing levels are pre - programmed into the computer control 46 . the computer control 46 will send an appropriate command to the motors 38 and 38 1 to move the buffing wheel 6 and 6 1 into their buffing positions . as the tire t rotates , the wheels 68 and 68 1 will move with any variations in the portion of the sidewall surface adjacent to the portions to be buffed . those movements will be sensed by the transducers 70 and 70 1 and communicated back to the computer control 46 , which will operate the motors 38 and 38 1 to adjust the carriages 32 and 32 1 so that both carriages at all times hold the buffing wheels 6 and 6 1 at their desired buffing distances above or below the adjacent surface of the tire sidewall on which the wheels 68 and 68 1 are riding . the rough buffing wheel 6 1 preferably rotates in the same direction as the finish grinding wheel 6 , so that material is removed from the tire in opposite directions as the tire rotates . material is removed from the tire sidewall in small amounts by controlling the desired buffing levels that are pre - programmed into the computer control 46 . as the computer control 46 changes the desired cutting levels the buffing wheels 6 and 6 1 are moved further into the portion of tire sidewall being buffed . however , during any given rotation of the tire , the distance between the cutting level and the level of the adjacent surface portion of the tire sidewall remains constant for each buffing wheel , because of the control obtained by the sensor devices 64 and 64 1 . normally , the computer control 46 will be programmed to cause the finish buffing wheel 6 1 to advance at greater cutting depths into the tire surface than the rough buffing wheel 6 . because the buffing wheels are cutting the tire surface in opposite directions , the finish buffing wheel 6 will remove any burrs or flanges left on the rears of the tire elements being buffed by the rough buffing wheel 6 1 . the computer control 46 may be programmed to execute any desired sequence of rough buffing and finish buffing steps on the sidewall portion of the tire to be ground . the advantage of the present invention is that no matter what those steps are , during each revolution of the tire both the rough buffing wheel 6 1 and the finish buffing wheel 6 will cut the portion of the sidewall to be finished at its own respective desired height above or below the adjacent surface of the sidewall and that height will remain constant , even though the adjacent sidewall surface varies circumferentially in relation to the plane in which the tire t is rotating . while one embodiment of the present invention has been thus shown and described , it will be apparent that changes may be made in the details of the method and apparatus presented , without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims .	1
an essential idea of the invention is as follows . a print task distributed from a host is stored to a preset storage address in the form of a job file . a periodical query on the preset storage address is performed . a target job file is determined when one or plural job files are stored at the storage address . a query on a status of a printer is performed prior to distribution of the target job file . the status of the printer in the process of printing the target job file is detected . error indication information is fed back or an error process is performed if a problem occurs . the invention will be further detailed below with reference to the drawings and the embodiments to make those skilled in the art better understand the solutions of the invention . reference is made to fig1 , which is a flow chart illustrating a print control method according to a first embodiment of the invention . step 101 : a port of a print system is monitored , and a print task is stored to a preset storage address in the form of a job file upon occurrence of the print task at the port of the print system . a periodical query on the preset storage address is performed . the storage address is a storage space on a hard disk of a host , which can be represented in the form of a directory , e . g ., host / printer / print file , indicating that the storage address is a folder “ print file ” in a folder “ printer ” on the host . step 102 : a periodical query on the storage address is performed , and a target job file is determined when one or plural job files are stored at the storage address . the job file or one of the job files at the storage address is determined as the target job file . step s 103 : the target job file is distributed when a printer is in an idle status as a result of a query ; or error status indication information is fed back when the printer is in a failure status . periodical detection of the status of the printer is performed ( for example , periodical retrieval on status data of the printer is performed , and the status of the printer is determined from the status data ). if the printer is in a failure status , error status indication information indicating to a user is fed back to notify immediately the user about the failing printer and prevent a loss of the job file . thus , the user can repair duly the printer in response to the error status indication information . when the printer is in an idle status , the target job file is distributed to the printer . in the embodiment of the invention , the query on the status of the printer is performed prior to the distribution of the job file to the printer , and the indication information is fed back when the printer fails . with this embodiment , the user can know duly and hence deal with the status of the printer to thereby prevent a loss or missing of the job file . it shall be noted that the query on whether one or plural job files are present is performed in the step s 102 by determining whether one or plural files with a preset extension ( that is , the one or plural job files are one or plural files with the preset extension ) are stored at the preset storage address . when one job file is stored at the preset storage address as a result of the query , the job file is determined directly as the target job file . when plural job files are stored at the preset storage address as a result of the query , the respective job files are compared in terms of their storage time , and a job file with the earliest storage time among the plural job files is determined as the target job file . it shall further be noted that the foregoing query on the status of the printer can be a periodical query or a query performed after the target job file is determined . referring to fig2 , storing the job file at the preset storage address in the foregoing embodiment can be performed in the following steps . step s 201 : the print task distributed from the print system is received . step s 202 : the print task is converted into a job file with the preset extension . step s 203 : it is determined whether a job file with the same name as the print task is stored at the preset storage address ; if a job file with the same name as the print task is stored at the preset storage address , the flow goes to the step s 204 ; otherwise , the flow goes to the step s 205 . step s 204 : a number added to the name of the job file is incremented sequentially by one , the job file is stored to the preset storage address , and the flow goes to the step s 206 . step s 205 : the job file is stored to the preset storage address . step s 206 : it is determined whether storage of the present job file has been completed ; if storage of the present job file has been completed , the flow goes to the step s 207 ; otherwise , the flow goes to the step s 201 . step s 207 : flag data indicating completion of storage is added in the job file . those ordinarily skilled in the art can appreciate that the foregoing flow can be performed by a program instructing relevant hardware , which can be stored in a computer readable storage medium . for example , the foregoing flow can be arranged in the form of a program as a supplement to an existing driver for improvement . fig3 illustrates a flow chart of a print control method according to a second embodiment of the invention . after the step s 101 , a process of controlling a job file to be printed particularly includes the following steps . step s 301 : a query on whether one or plural job files are present at the preset storage address is performed ; if one or plural job files are present at the preset storage address , the flow goes to the step s 302 ; otherwise , the flow returns to the step s 301 . step s 302 : the name of a job file with the earliest storage time among the one or plural job files is retrieved . if there are plural job files , these plural job files are compared in terms of their storage time , and the name of one of the job files with the earliest storage time is retrieved ; and if there is only one job file , the name of the job file is retrieved directly . step s 303 : integrality of the job file is determined . if the job file is complete , the flow goes to the step s 304 ; otherwise , the flow goes to the step s 305 . after the name of the job file is retrieved , the job file is opened to read data . if the job file contains a preset end flag , the job file is determined to be complete and thus as a target job file ; otherwise , the job file is determined to be incomplete . step s 304 : the target job file is divided into pages , and the flow goes to the step s 306 . start instruction data , end instruction data , and print data of each page of the target job file are retrieved , respectively , and each page is buffered sequentially in a preset buffer area . step s 305 : the target job file is modified as a file with a preset extension , and the flow goes to the step s 301 . step s 306 : a periodical query on a status of the printer is performed . if the printer is in a failure status , the flow goes to the step s 307 ; otherwise , the flow goes to the step s 308 . step s 307 : error status indication information is fed back . the error status indication information indicates a failure of the printer , e . g ., top cover open , no paper , etc . step s 308 : the page data of the target job file in the buffer area is transmitted to the printer . in the embodiment of the invention , integrality of the job file is determined prior to the distribution of the job file to the printer . when the job file is incomplete , it will not be printed , and the next job file will be performed . moreover , the status of the printer is detected to thereby prevent uncompleted printing of the job file on one hand and prevent an incomplete job file from causing abnormal printing of a subsequent job file on the other hand . fig4 illustrates a flow chart of a third embodiment according to the invention . the present embodiment improves the foregoing second embodiment with addition of the following steps thereto after the step s 308 , in order to prevent uncompleted printing of a page due to a failure of the printer in the process of printing the job file . step s 309 : the status of a print process is detected . it is determined whether printing of a page is valid ; and if printing of a page is valid , the flow goes to the step s 310 ; otherwise , the flow goes to the s 311 . determination of whether printing of a page is valid is determination of whether the page has been printed completely . after the job file is distributed from the host , the status of the print process is detected . a normal process of printing completely a page means that the status of the printer changes from an idle status to an ongoing print status to a normal print end status , and a process of printing incompletely a page means that the status changes from an idle status to a printer error status or from an idle status to an ongoing print status to an unfinished print status . therefore , whether the page has been printed completely ( that is , whether printing of the page is valid ) can be determined from the status of the printer in the print process . step s 310 : it is determined whether the page data is page data of the last page ; and if the page data is page data of the last page , the flow goes to the step s 301 ; otherwise , the flow goes to the step s 308 . a corresponding process is performed as preconfigured to , for example , continue with printing , reprint or delete the present job file . particularly , continuing with printing refers to continuing with printing the next page without processing the present page data , reprinting refers to retransmitting of the page data to the printer , and deleting the present job file refers to deleting the present job file in order to continue with processing the next job file . reprinting can alternatively refer to transmitting the print data of the page to another printer for printing as well as adding reprint information indication to the beginning of the page data . the other printer is generally a backup printer . in the embodiment of the invention , both the status of the printer and the status of the print process are detected after the distribution of the job file to the printer . the error status indication information is fed back or the error process is performed when the printer fails or printing of any page is invalid , thereby preventing a missing or loss of the job file due to the failure of the printer in the print process . reference is made to fig5 , which is a flow chart illustrating a print control method according to a fourth embodiment of the invention . the flow can further go to the step s 312 when the page data is page data of the last page based upon the foregoing embodiment in order to prevent abnormal repeated printing . step s 312 : the target job file is deleted , and the flow goes to the step s 301 . those ordinarily skilled in the art can appreciate that all or a part of the steps in the method according to the foregoing embodiments can be performed by a program instructing relevant hardware , which can be stored in a computer readable storage medium . for example , the method flows of the foregoing embodiments can be a background control program which controls the job file to be printed after the job file is distributed from the host . corresponding to the print control method disclosed as above , the invention further discloses a print control device . reference is made to fig6 , which is a structural schematic diagram illustrating a print control device according to a first embodiment of the invention . the print control device includes a first processing unit 101 and a second processing unit 102 . an operation principle and an operation process of the print control device are as follows . the first processing unit 101 is adapted to monitor a port of a print system , to perform a periodical query on whether a print task occurs at the port of the print system , and to store a print task occurring at the port of the print system to a preset storage address in the form of a job file . the second processing unit 102 is adapted to perform a periodical query on whether one or plural job files are present at the storage address , to determine as a target job file a job file which is the only one present at the storage address or one of the plural job files present at the storage address as a result of the query ; and to perform a query on the status of a printer 200 , and to transmit the target job file when the printer 200 is in an idle status or feed back error status indication information when the printer 200 is in a failure status ( e . g ., top cover open , no paper , etc ., of the printer ). the second processing unit 102 performs the query on whether one or plural job files are present at the storage address by determining whether one or plural files with a preset extension ( that is , the one or plural job files are one or plural files with the preset extension ) are stored at the preset storage address . the query on the status of the printer performed by the second processing unit 102 can be a periodical query or a query performed after the target job file is determined . when plural job files are stored at the preset storage address , the second processing unit 102 retrieves attributes of the respective job files , compares them in terms of their storage time and determines one of the job files with earliest storage time as the target job file . it shall be noted that the target job file is a complete job file , that is , the target job file contains a preset end flag indicating that the file is complete . in the embodiment of the invention , the second processing unit 102 performs the query on the status of the printer 200 and feeds back the indication information when the printer 200 fails . with this embodiment , a user can know duly and hence deal with the status of the printer 200 , thereby preventing a loss or missing of the job file . fig7 illustrates a structural schematic diagram of a print control device according to a second embodiment of the invention . based upon the foregoing embodiment , the invention can further includes a third processing unit 103 adapted to divide the target job file transmitted from the second processing unit 102 into pages by retrieving start instruction data , end instruction data , and print data of each page , respectively , of the target job file , to buffer each page sequentially in a preset buffer area , and to transmit each page sequentially to the printer . fig8 illustrates a structural schematic diagram of a print control device according to a third embodiment of the invention . in order to prevent uncompleted printing of page due to a failure of the printer in the process of printing the job file , the invention further includes a fourth processing unit 104 based upon the foregoing embodiment , which is adapted to detect the status of the printer in the process of printing the target job file and to perform an error process when failing in printing . determination by the fourth processing unit 104 of the status of the printer in the process of printing the target job file is determination of whether the page has been printed completely , that is , whether printing of the page is valid ( periodical detection of the status of the print process ). a normal process of printing completely a page means that the status of the printer changes from an idle status to an ongoing print status to a normal print end status , and a process of printing incompletely a page means that the status changes from an idle status to a printer error status or from an idle status to an ongoing print status to an unfinished print status . therefore , whether the page has been printed completely ( that is , whether printing of the page is valid ) can be determined by the status of the printer in the print process . the error process refers to a corresponding process performed as preconfigured to , for example , continue with printing , reprint or delete the present job file . particularly , continuing with printing refers to continuing with printing the next page without processing the present page data , reprinting refers to retransmitting a print request to the third processing unit 103 which in turn retransmits the page data to the printer , and deleting the present job file refers to deleting the present job file in order to continue with processing the next job file . reprinting can alternatively refer to transmitting the print data of the page to another printer for printing as well as adding reprint information indication to the beginning of the page data , or refer to transmitting a retransmission request for the third processing unit 103 to transmit the present page data to another printer for printing as well as adding reprint information indication to the beginning of the page data . the other printer is generally a backup printer . fig9 illustrates a structural schematic diagram of a print control device according to a fourth embodiment of the invention . the invention further includes a first setting unit 105 and a second setting unit 106 based upon the foregoing embodiment . the first setting unit 105 is adapted to modify the name of the job file ( for example , increment a number added to the name of the job file by one sequentially ) when the first processing unit 101 determines that another file with the same name of the job file is present at the preset storage address . the second setting unit 106 is adapted to add , in the job file , flag data indicating completion of storage to indicate that the file is a complete job file upon completion of storing the file . the first setting unit 105 can be arranged in the first processing unit 101 . fig1 illustrates a structural schematic diagram of a print control device according to a fifth embodiment of the invention . the invention can further include a process determination unit 107 and a deletion unit 108 based upon the foregoing embodiment . the process determination unit 107 is adapted to perform periodical retrieval on a detection result of the fourth processing unit 104 , to determine whether printing of the target job file has been completed from whether the present page contains flag data indicating that the job is complete , and to feed back indication information indicating completion of printing upon determining completion of printing the target job file . the deletion unit 108 is adapted to retrieve the indication information and to delete the target job file from the storage address to thereby avoid abnormal repeated printing . it shall be noted that the print control device according to the invention can be arranged in a computer and the storage address can be a storage space in a hard disk of the computer . the foregoing disclosure is merely illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the invention , but the invention will not be limited thereto , and any variations without any inventive effort that can occur to those skilled in the art and modifications and adaptations that can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle of the invention shall fall into the scope of the invention .	6
throughout the following detailed description similar reference characters refers to similar elements in all figures of the drawings . fig1 is a highly stylized pictorial representation of a calibration system generally indicated by the reference character 10 in accordance with the present invention useful for implementing a method also in accordance with the present invention for continuously calibrating the flow meter in each mass flow controller in a printing apparatus p for dispensing a liquid composition on a backplane . the system and the method both utilize a highly accurate positive displacement calibration tool generally indicated by the reference character 12 in accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention . a detailed view of the calibration tool 12 is shown in fig2 . as mentioned earlier , in a standard configuration the printing apparatus p with which the invention is utilized includes a dispensing bar that carries a plurality of sets of dispensing nozzles . elements of the printing apparatus p common to the prior art are indicated herein by alphabetic reference characters . fig1 diagrammatically illustrates a dispensing bar b that carries n sets of dispensing nozzles , respectively indicated by the reference characters d 1 , . . . d n . typically , a bar may carry five or more nozzle sets . each nozzle set d includes a separate nozzle that discharges one of a plurality of different colored liquid compositions . typically , each nozzle set d may contain a nozzle z r , z g , and z b respectively dispensing a red , a green and a blue liquid composition . the printing apparatus p is useful in the fabrication of various organic electronic devices , and is believed to be especially useful to fabricate screens for variously sized display devices , including high density display devices . the nozzle in each nozzle set for a given color are supplied as a group from a communal pressurized supply reservoir for the particular colored liquid composition . fig1 graphically illustrates a diagram of the plumbing between a communal dispensing vessel r holding the liquid supply and the nozzles in one given nozzle group ( e . g ., the group of nozzles z r for the red color liquid ). the plumbing arrangement for each nozzle in the other nozzle groups would be identical . the communal supply vessel r is connected over a supply line s to a manifold m . the line s may typically include standard appurtenances such as valves v , filter ( s ) f and / or connector ( s ) c , as suggested . a given outlet port 1 , 2 , . . . n from the manifold m is connected to a respective nozzle in each nozzle set through a dedicated line l 1 , . . . l n . a portion of the line l adjacent to the nozzle is flexible , as suggested in the drawing . each line l includes a mass flow controller mfc that measures the mass flow rate of the liquid to the nozzle . each mass flow controller mfc itself includes a flow meter fm and a control valve cv . it is the flow meter fm in each line l that requires calibration to insure that the proper amount of liquid is dispensed through the nozzle and deposited on a backplane . a pressure transducer t may be provided adjacent to the fitting connecting the rigid and the flexible portions of each line l . flow from the manifold m into each supply line l is controlled by a supply valve v s while an isolation valve v i serves to separate the mass flow controller mfc from the nozzle . in accordance with the present invention the calibration system 10 includes the positive displacement calibration tool 12 . a representative embodiment of a calibration tool 12 for a printing apparatus having five nozzle groups ( n = 5 ) is shown in fig2 . the calibration tool 12 includes a frame 20 that carries a unitary chamber block 22 . the block is fabricated from a material , such as stainless steel ( e . g ., 304 stainless steel ) that is compatible with the liquid composition . a plurality of cylinders , or fluid chambers , 24 1 . . . 24 5 and respective coaxial counterbored guide channels 26 1 . . . 26 5 are bored into the block 22 . the axis of each chamber 24 is aligned within predetermined precise tolerance ( on the order of +/− 0 . 0001 inches ) with the axis of each of the other chambers . a respective fitting 30 1 . . . 30 5 is coupled to the outlet of each chamber 24 1 . . . 24 5 . in accordance with the present invention each chamber is connected in series to a flow meter in a respective mass flow controller through a respective flow line 16 and a junction 18 ( fig1 ). a piston in the form of an elongated displacer rod 34 1 . . . 34 n ( fig2 ) projects rearwardly from within a respective chamber and is guided in a respective guide channel 26 1 . . . 26 5 formed in the block 22 . each displacer rod 34 is a hardened and ground linear bearing shaft . sealed integrity between the rod and its associated chamber 22 is maintained by a seal 36 . preferably , each displacer rod is within a predetermined close tolerance ( on the order of +/− 0 . 0001 inches ) of the dimension of each of the other displacer rods . of course , it is understood that any suitable piston configuration may be used . the free end of each of the rods 34 1 . . . 34 5 is rigidly connected to a mounting yoke 38 . the yoke 38 is itself connected to the carriage of an actuator 40 . preferable for use as the actuator 40 is the linear encoder with tachometer feedback available from newport corporation as the motorized linear translation stage vp25xa ( 0 . 05 micrometer positioning accuracy with 25 . 4 mm stroke length ). referring again to fig1 the output from the linear encoder is connected over a signal line 42 to a control network 46 . in addition , an output signal from the flow meter fm in each of the meters mass flow controllers mfc 1 . . . mfc n is carried to the control network 46 over a respective signal line 48 1 . . . 48 n . a control output from the network 46 is applied to the flow meter fm in each flow controller over a respective control line 50 1 . . . 50 n . the system and method in accordance with the present invention are operative to calibrate the flow meter fm in each of the mass flow controllers mfc 1 . . . mfc n to correct for the inherent measurement inaccuracies in those instruments . with each supply valve v s open and each isolation valve v i in each supply line s 1 . . . s n closed the yoke 38 and the rods 34 attached thereto are withdrawn ( in the retraction direction of the arrow 52 , fig2 ) from their associated chambers 24 by the actuator 40 . this action permits liquid from the supply vessel r to flow via the manifold m and the open supply valve v s into a chamber in the calibration tool 12 . the states of the supply valves v s isolation valves v i are reversed so that the tool 12 is connected in open fluid communication with the each flow controller and its associated nozzle while being simultaneously isolated from the liquid supply r . the actuator 40 then displaces the yoke 38 to advance each of the rods 34 in unison in the dispensing direction of the arrow 54 ( fig2 ). the forward face of each rod 34 as it advances through its associated chamber acts as a movable abutment that forces a predetermined precise volume of liquid at a precise flow rate through the line 16 , through the meter and to the nozzle . the signal from the linear encoder is applied over the line 42 to the control network . the high machined accuracy of the rod and chamber , coupled with the precise information regarding the displacement of the rods enables the control network to generate a direct measurement of the volumetric flow rate of the liquid dispensed by the pump . ( it should be noted that the fact that the dimension of a given displacer rod may lie outside of the defined tolerance range need not be overly detrimental to the operation of the system . any difference in flow caused by an out - sized displacer rod would repeatably appear from calibration to calibration , and the discrepancy accounted for by the controller 46 .) the control network 46 is operative to compare the volumetric flow rate precisely dispensed from the pump ( the signal on the line 42 ) to a volumetric flow rate measured by a particular meter fm ( the signal on that meter &# 39 ; s output line 48 ) and to provide a correction signal ( on a given line 50 ) that modifies the calibration parameters of that particular meter fm in accordance with the flow rate dispensed from the pump . the functionality of the control network 46 may be implemented using the overall controller for the printer p , or by using a dedicated processor ( e . g ., a personal computer such as a dell ® inspiron ® computer ) operating in accordance with an appropriate program ). the apparatus and method of the present invention is believed superior to the calibration techniques employed by the prior art in a variety of particulars . the calibration system utilizes a positive displacement pump that directly measures the liquid being provided to each flow meter . the calibration of all of the flow meters is accomplished while the positive displacement pump is connected to each flow meter , ( thus , the pump is not operated off - line of the meter being calibrated , as is the case in the “ bucket and stopwatch ” approach in the art ). moreover , since all of the meters are calibrated simultaneously , overall time required for calibration of all of the meters is minimized . those skilled in the art , having the benefit of the teachings of the present invention , may impart modifications thereto . such modifications are to be construed as lying within the scope of the present invention , as defined by the appended claims .	6
the example of embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings refers to the application of the lifting device according to this invention on a public transport vehicle , for example a bus . it must be emphasised that the following description , expressly referred to said example of embodiment , is essentially identically applicable in the case of the application of the lifting device according to this invention to other types of vehicles , and also to fixed installations . in the drawings , f refers to the floor of a bus accessible from the outside across a door d and a set of steps of which the intermediate step , located on a lower level with respect to the floor f , is indicated with s . this step s presents a hollow shape and is normally closed ( fig1 and 2 ) by the front extremity of a lifting device according to this invention , generally indicated with numeral 1 , permanently applied and folded away inside the cavity of the step s . with more detailed reference to fig2 the lifting device 1 essentially comprises a stationary supporting frame 2 and a mobile platform , as explained below , with respect to the supporting frame 2 . the supporting frame 2 is generally u - shaped with a rear side 4 and to lateral sides 5 reciprocally connected by two transversal profiles 6 , which define two essentially c - shaped longitudinal sliding guides 7 . as better appears in fig4 and 8 , a first electrical geared motor 8 , operating a worm screw system 9 , extending along one of the lateral sides 5 and which function will be explained in the following description , is fastened to the rear side 4 of the supporting frame 2 . the mobile platform 3 includes two longitudinal sides 10 , consisting of contoured profiles shown in detail in fig9 interconnected by a horizontal base 11 over which a structural plate 12 can be arranged , for example consisting of an embossed aluminium panel . the shape of the sides 10 is complementary to that of the guides 7 in which they slide . an enlargement 13 is arranged on a side 10 near the front side of the platform 2 . this front side consists of a board 14 , which is articulated to the lower parts of the sides 10 of the platform 3 so to rock between an erected position , shown in fig1 - 4 and 7 , 8 , and a folded position , shown in fig5 and 6 , in which it extends essentially along the extension of the base 11 , acting as a front board 14 . a second electrical geared motor 15 , housed inside the enlargement 13 , in the way shown in fig9 and a worm screw system 16 are provided to turn the front board 14 between the erected position and the folded position . the lateral sides of the platform 3 are connected by means of an articulated parallelogram linkage system formed by two pairs of articulated longitudinal arms 17 and a mobile unit , generally indicated with numeral 18 , which also slides with the platform 3 along the sides 5 of the supporting frame 2 . this mobile unit 18 essentially comprises a crossbar 19 , operatively connected to the worm screw system 9 , operated by the motor 8 , which is connected to a third electrical geared motor 20 arranged essentially in central position . this geared motor operates two screw jacks 21 , arranged to multiply the torque of the motor 20 , meshing with the respective worm screws 22 , connected to a pair of respective connecting rods , or rocker arms , 23 fitted on the extremity of a transversal torsion bar 24 . said transversal torsion bar 24 synchronises the movement of the two connecting rods 23 for controlling the two articulated parallelogram arms 17 so to obtain the downwards rotation to the position illustrated in fig5 and 6 and the upwards rotation to the position illustrated in fig7 and 8 from the horizontal configuration shown in fig1 to 4 . a lowered position of the platform 3 corresponds to the downwards rotation related to the supporting frame 2 , while the upwards rotation corresponds to a raised condition of said platform 3 . the rear side of the platform 3 consists of a board 25 mobile between a closed position , shown in fig2 - 6 , in which it extends transversally with respect to the fig7 and 8 . this rear board 25 is actually formed by two pairs of articulated elements 26 , 27 , the first of which pivots on the rear extremities of the lateral sides 10 and the second of which pivots on an extension 28 of the base 11 of the platform 3 . this extension 28 slides telescopically with respect to the base 11 between a retracted position , shown in fig2 to 6 , and an extracted position , shown in fig7 and 8 , in which it acts as a rear slide for the platform 3 , according to the method illustrated below . the movement of the sliding extension 28 between the retracted and extended positions is also controlled by an electrical geared motor , not illustrated in the drawings , similar to the geared motor 15 described above related to the worm screw system . it must be emphasised that both the base 11 and the extension 28 may be made of multiple elements forming the respective extensible and retractable telescopic structures instead of each being made of a single element . an arrangement of this sort ( schematically illustrated in fig1 according to the base 11 of the platform 3 ) considerably reduces the volume of the lifting device 1 . the electrical actuators described above are connected to a control unit , not illustrated in the drawings because known by experts of the sector , for controlling the operation according to a sequential phased cycle . for controlling this cycle , the lifting device 1 according to the invention is conveniently equipped with a remote control unit , for example of the type indicated by numeral 29 in the drawings . this unit may consist of an equivalent remote control device , also of the type employing a magnetic card ( as schematically shown in fig1 ), radio - frequency or infrared remote control , or similar . the control logic of the lifting device 1 according to this invention can acknowledge the presence of the disabled person aboard . the system arranges and operates the devices normally provided aboard vehicles for safely fastening the wheelchair , which may also fold away to avoid hindrance and obstacles to passengers when no disabled person is aboard . normally , i . e . when its use is not required , the lifting device 1 is completely folded away inside the step s . when a disabled person in a wheelchair requires use , by means of the remote control 29 or similar control device , firstly the geared motor 8 is activated which , via the worm screw unit 9 , makes unit 18 — and , consequently , the platform 3 — slide with respect to the supporting frame 2 from the retracted position of fig1 and 2 to the extracted position of fig3 and 4 . in this way , the platform 3 is folds out from inside the frame 2 and , consequently , from the step s , with the arms 17 of the articulated parallelogram systems horizontal , the front board 14 erect and the rear board 25 closed . from this position , the operation of the geared motor 20 causes the downwards rotation of the arms 17 in the articulated parallelogram system , by means of the connecting rods 23 and the torsion bar 24 , to rest the platform 2 on the ground , indicated with reference g , i . e . on the disabled person &# 39 ; s level . having reached this position ( fig5 and 6 ), the geared motor 15 controls , via the worm screw system 16 , the rotation of the front board 14 from the raised position to the lowered position shown in fig5 and 6 , so to form a slide or ramp allowing comfortable access of the wheelchair on the platform 3 . consequently , the front board 14 is returned to the lifted position , and the geared motor 20 is operated again to the control the upwards rotation of the arms 17 of the articulated parallelogram system , so to arrange the platform 3 in the raised position shown in fig7 and 8 . in this position , the platform 3 is arranged essentially on the level of the floor f of the bus , or on a slightly higher level . to allow the passage of the wheelchair from the platform 3 to the floor f , the extension 28 is moved from the retracted position to the extracted position , illustrated in fig7 and 8 , in which it acts as a rear slide connecting the platform 3 and the floor f . by effect of this movement , the articulated elements 26 , 27 of the rear board 25 are distended , arranging essentially longitudinally , as also shown in fig7 and 8 , so to allow the passage of the wheelchair , doubling as lateral guiding boards . finally , the platform 3 is returned , after the extension 28 returns to the starting position , to the retracted condition inside the supporting frame 2 and , consequently , the step s . obviously , the disabled person will be lowered to the ground level by reversing the sequence of operation described above . it appears obvious that the lifting device according to this invention is extremely practical , functional and relatively simple from the construction point of view , considering that no hydraulic actuators and respective service devices are implemented . naturally , numerous changes can be implemented to the construction and forms of embodiment of the invention herein envisaged , all comprised within the context of the concept characterising this invention , as defined by the following claims . as mentioned above , the lifting device according to this invention can be applied in an equally advantageous way to any type of public transport vehicle , in addition to fixed installations , such as museums , public buildings , etc .	0
reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . [ 0036 ] fig3 illustrates a cross - sectional view of a liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention , fig4 illustrates a system for sealing liquid crystal injection inlets of liquid crystal display panels according to the present invention , and fig5 illustrates a tray filled with a sealing material according to the present invention . first of all , a method of fabricating a liquid crystal panel according to the present invention before the sealing process is explained by referring to fig3 as follows . first of all , scan lines ( not shown in the drawing ) for transferring a scan signal and signal lines 17 for transferring a video signal are formed on a first transparent substrate 11 to cross with each other so as to define a plurality of pixel areas , and a thin film transistor is formed on each intersection between the scan and signal lines . the thin film transistor includes a gate electrode 14 extending from the scan line , a gate insulating layer 15 formed on the entire surface of the substrate including the gate electrode 14 , a semiconductor layer 16 formed on the gate insulating layer 15 , a source electrode 17 a extending from the signal line 17 , and a drain electrode 17 b confronting the source electrode 17 a . the thin film transistor plays a role in transferring the video signal to each of the pixel areas selectively in accordance with the scan signal . subsequently , a passivation layer 18 , i . e ., an organic or inorganic insulator , is formed on the entire surface of the substrate including the thin film transistor . a pixel electrode 19 is then formed of an ito based material on the passivation layer so as to be electrically connected to the corresponding thin film transistor . the gate insulating layer 15 and passivation layer 18 can be formed of an inorganic material such sin x , sio x , or the like or an organic material such as bcb ( benzocyclobutene ), acryl based material , or the like . moreover , a black matrix 31 is formed on areas where the scan / signal lines and thin film transistor are formed so as to prevent light leakage . a color filter layer 32 colored by r ( red ), g ( green ), and b ( blue ), respectively , is formed between the black matrix using one of such methods as dye application , electrodeposition , pigment dispersion , print , etc . a common electrode 33 made of an ito based material is then formed on the entire surface of the substrate including the color filter layer 32 . an overcoating layer ( not shown in the drawing ) may further be formed between the color filter layer 32 and common electrode 33 so as to protect the color filter layer 32 as well as planarize the substrate . also , an alignment layer can be formed on at least one of the two substrates for initial alignment of liquid crystals . the alignment layer may be formed by carrying out a rubbing process on a polyamide or polyimide based compound , pva ( polyvinyl alcohol ), polyamic acid , or the like . instead , the alignment layer can be formed by carrying out a photo alignment process on a photo - reactive material such as pvcn ( polyvinylcinnamate ), pscn ( polysiloxanecinnamate ), and celcn ( cellulosecinnamate ) based compounds . thereafter , a sealant 41 is formed outside an active area of one of the two substrates 11 and 12 . in this case , the sealant is mainly a thermo - hardening sealant , and a liquid crystal injection inlet is formed by not forming the sealant 41 in a predetermined area . there are a number of methods , e . g ., a screen printing method , a dispensing method , and the like , for forming the sealant . the screen printing method may cause damage on the alignment layer and the like formed on the substrate since the screen physically contacts the substrate . also , the screen printing method is uneconomical since sealant loss of a large - size substrate increases . therefore , the dispensing method is preferable . subsequently , a spacer 40 is scattered uniformly on one of the substrates 11 and 12 . the first and second substrates 11 and 12 are attached to confront each other and the sealant 41 is then hardened by heating the attached substrates in a pressurized state to make the attached substrates completely adhere to each other . finally , liquid crystals 50 are injected between the first and second substrates 11 and 12 through the liquid crystal injection inlet , thereby completing the liquid crystal display panel . the liquid crystal injection process is explained in detail as follows . first of all , the bonded substrates are placed in a vacuum chamber so as to maintain a vacuum state inside the space between the substrates . the composite is then dipped into a liquid crystal tray . once the vacuum state is established and maintained inside the space between the substrates , liquid crystals are drawn into the space between the substrates by capillary action . when the space between the substrates becomes filled with the liquid crystals to some degree , nitrogen gas ( n 2 ) is injected slowly into the vacuum chamber . a pressure difference between the space of the substrates and surroundings is then generated so that the liquid crystals fill the vacant space between the substrates . thus , the liquid crystal layer is formed between the two substrates . finally , the liquid crystal injection inlet of the liquid crystal display panel , in which the liquid crystal layer is formed , is sealed . the process of sealing the liquid crystal injection inlets according to the present invention is carried out simultaneously by the dip system , which is explained by referring to fig4 and fig5 as follows . referring to fig4 a tray 100 is filled with sealing material 101 from top to bottom . a plurality of liquid crystal display panels 99 are positioned vertically so that liquid crystal injection inlets 102 contact the sealing material 101 . the sealing material 101 thus sticks to each of the liquid crystal injection inlets 102 . the tray 100 , as shown in fig5 has the same shape as the liquid crystal container used for the liquid crystal injection . in this case , an interval between the first and second substrates is narrow , e . g ., 4 ˜ 5 μm and the inner pressure inside the liquid crystal display panel is great . therefore , the liquid crystals are prevented from flowing out through the liquid crystal injection inlet , even when the liquid crystal display panel is positioned vertically . contrary to the method of sealing each liquid crystal display panel , one - by - one , using the syringe type sealing apparatus according to the related art , the process according to the present invention simultaneously seals a plurality of the liquid crystal injection inlets of the liquid crystal display panels as a group , thereby substantially reducing the sealing time . finally , a plurality of the above - sealed liquid crystal display panels are loaded inito a cassette , and then the sealing material is hardened . thus , the liquid crystal display panel is sealed completely thereby preventing the liquid crystals from flowing to the outside . thermo - hardening resins , uv - ray - hardening resins , or the like can be used as the sealing material in the present invention . an epoxy based uv - ray hardening resin is particularly advantageous . after a cleaning process is carried out using ultrasonic waves so as to remove particles and the like adhering to an outer surface of the lc - injected liquid crystal display panel , the exterior of the liquid crystal display panel is inspected and failure / pass of the liquid crystal display panel is determined by applying an electrical signal thereto to complete the fabrication of the liquid crystal display panel . the method of fabricating the liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention has the following advantages or benefits . first of all , it is possible to simultaneously seal a plurality of liquid crystal injection inlets of liquid crystal display panels as a group when the present invention is used for a manual sealing by a worker . therefore , the present invention achieves a substantial reduction of the sealing time . the present invention eliminates failure caused by the intake of excessive sealing material due to the delayed sealing time , thereby providing an excellent sealing state of the liquid crystal display panel . moreover , since the present invention simultaneously seals a plurality of the liquid crystal injection inlets of the liquid crystal display panels , the sealing states of the respective liquid crystal display panels is uniform . also , the sealing process time is reduced which improves productivity . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art than 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 .	6
the present invention is implemented as a plurality of energy storage circuits connected in series , see fig1 . three series circuits are shown for illustrative purposes in fig1 although in practice more or less may be so connected . in fig1 the first circuit comprises storage inductor 11a , storage capacitor 13a , magnetic switch 15a and parallel rails 17a and 19a for propelling projectile 21 . as the projectile 21 leaves the parallel rails 17a and 19a it enters and is driven in like manner through parallel rails 17b and 19b by storage inductor 11b , capacitor 13b and magnetic switch 15b . finally , projectile 21 enters parallel rails 17c and 19c and is driven to its final velocity by storage inductor 11c , storage capacitor 13c and magnetic switch 15c . the operation of energy storage and projectile driving will be best understood by detailing the implementation of a single circuit of the present invention with a storage inductor 11 , a storage capacitor 13 , a saturable magnetic switch 15 , and a railgun with parallel rails 17 and 19 for accelerating a projectile 21 , see fig2 . the energy for projectile acceleration is stored in a resonant tank circuit comprising the storage inductor 11 , the storage capacitor 13 and the saturable magnetic switch 15 in its saturated state . the current i m in the storage inductor 11 is at a peak value twice in each cycle and available as a constant current inductive source . the resonant tank storage circuit makes repetitive operation possible when the resonant frequency is chosen equal to half of the desired projectile 21 repetition rate and projectiles are loaded every half cycle or at multiples of half cycles . while the present invention is applicable to many repetitive , high - power systems , only the railgun embodiment will be detailed below for illustrative purposes . at a specific point in the resonant cycle , just past peak current , the projectile 21 is inserted between the rails 17 and 19 and the current entering the storage capacitor 13 is transferred to the rails 17 and 19 by using the magnetic switch 15 . as the capacitor 13 attempts to discharge through the initially low - impedance railgun load , the magnetic switch 15 current goes through zero causing the magnetic switch 15 to unsaturate or &# 34 ; open &# 34 ;. with the magnetic switch 15 in its unsaturated state and the projectile 21 inserted between rails 17 and 19 , the current path is switched from the storage inductor 11 , magnetic switch 15 and storage capacitor 13 path shown in fig2 to the storage inductor 11 , rails 17 and 19 and projectile 21 path shown in fig3 . the current variation through the storage inductor 11 and the voltage variation across the storage capacitor 13 during operation is shown in fig4 and 5 respectively . at peak inductor 11 current prior to projectile 21 insertion , the magnetic switch 15 is saturated and the storage capacitor 13 voltage is zero and charging to a positive value . in order to transfer current from the capacitor - switch circuit branch , the storage capacitor 11 is allowed to charge until its voltage is slightly larger than the maximum voltage expected to be seen across rails 17 and 19 during acceleration . the projectile 21 is then injected into the rails 17 and 19 completing the rail - projectile branch of the circuit , see fig3 . the low rail - projectile impedance and the voltage on the storage capacitor 13 cause the storage capacitor 13 current to drop to zero , unsaturating the magnetic switch 15 and increasing the current in the rails 17 and 19 to the storage inductor 11 value . in the unsaturated state , the magnetic switch 15 impedance is much larger than the impedance of the rails 17 and 19 so that most of the storage inductor 11 current flows into the rail - projectile branch and the capacitor - inductor branch is essentially disconnected from the circuit . negligible energy has been lost in the switching process , the magnetic switch 15 is not subject to erosion , and the projectile 21 is accelerated by a substantially constant current source . projectile acceleration is terminated when the projectile 21 leaves the ends of the rails 17 and 19 . the volt - second capacity of the magnetic switch 15 is designed to be equal to the integral of the difference between the capacitor 13 voltage and the increasing railgun voltage over the acceleration time . at the end of projectile 21 acceleration , the magnetic switch 15 is nearly saturated in the forward direction . as the projectile 21 leaves the rails 17 and 19 , the impedance of the rail - projectile branch increases rapidly due to the increasing inductance of the expanding arc behind the projectile 21 . when the increasing railgun voltage exceeds the residual capacitor 11 voltage , the polarity of the voltage across the magnetic switch 15 reverses the magnetic switch 15 saturates in the initial direction . with the magnetic switch 15 impedance low , the storage inductor 11 current again flows into the storage capacitor 13 , restoring resonant circuit operation . as the current is transferred to the low impedance capacitor - magnetic switch branch , the rail arc extinguishes . the inductive energy stored between the rails 17 and 19 at the end of projectile 21 acceleration can be recovered with resonant recovery circuits such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 572 , 964 , issued feb . 25 , 1986 , and application ser . no . 655 , 593 . at conventional railgun specifications , the storage capacitor 13 would have to withstand voltages of about 20 kv and have a capacitance of about 0 . 2 f if only one energy storage circuit were used instead of the multiple circuits of the present invention . the storage capacitor 13 would have to store about 40 mj at a maximum current of 2 ma and series inductance of 0 . 1 μh . in order to store the large amount of energy , a mechanical capacitor such as a homopolar generator is desired . however , the capacitance requirement is much lower than possible with conventional homopolars while the voltage requirements are much larger than present day homopolars . the conflict in requirements and available homopolar specifications can be resolved with a low leakage inductance , high current , voltage step up transformer which is used to match the homopolar capacitance and voltage to the railgun system by stepping up the voltage and decreasing the effective capacitance . in addition , multiple primary windings on the transformer can each be driven by a separate homopolar generator so that smaller homopolars and rotational energy sources may be combined . further details on an electromechanical capacitor for energy transfer is given by t . carroll , p . chowduri , and j . marshall in la - ur 83 - 1598 , los alamos national laboratory . information contained therein was presented at the 4th ieee pulsed power conference , june 6 - 8 , 1983 in albuquerque , n . m . and published in ieee pub . no . 83ch1908 - 3 , pp . 435 - 438 . an alternative method for providing the storage capacitance required is to use a double layer electrochemical capacitor . capacitors of this type are presently being used for backup power in computers . the energy density of presently available double layer capacitors is approximately 1 - 2 j per cm 3 . in order to store 40 mj , a volume of about 40 - 20 cubic meters is required which corresponds to a cubic structure of about 3 - 4 meters on a side . the voltage level of each double layer cell is only about one volt with a present thickness of 3 mm / volt . the cell thickness can be reduced to less than 0 . 3 mm / volt because the active region is a membrane with a thickness of less than 0 . 025 mm . thus the stack height required to obtain the required 20 kv is about 6 meters . the voltage gradient is only 30 v / cm and the dimensions are realistic in terms of the proposed application . although the double layer capacitor is practical now for many applications , efforts are continuing to make it a preferred energy storage device in even more critical applications . for example , efforts are being directed to increase the energy density of double layer capacitors to the 10 - 20 j / cm 3 level so that this system can be a factor of ten smaller . additional efforts are being conducted to increase the voltage level of the individual electrochemical cell from 1 volt to several volts so that the required stack height can be reduced to one or two meters . thus double layer capacitors can be used for the subject application today using present technology with significant improvements expected in the future . the energy for acceleration of each projectile is transferred to the circuit as shaft torque through the rotating capacitor with a prime power source . approximately three times the projectile energy is supplied to the system plus the resistive losses between projectiles . thus , the repetitive resonant railgun power supply of the present invention can operate continuously , supplied only by source or multiple sources of torque . the present invention using multiple energy storage systems operating in series , see fig1 reduce the constraints placed on each energy storage component thereby easing fabrication and implementation of same . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto .	5
exemplary embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a schematic diagram of a sheet folding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention . the sheet folding device receives a recording medium ( hereinafter , “ sheet ”) on which an image is formed from an image forming apparatus ( not shown ), and then performs a predetermined folding operation on the sheet . afterward , if post - processing , such as punching or stapling , is to be performed on the sheet by a post - processing device ( not shown ), the sheet folding device discharges the sheet toward the post - processing device . if the post - processing is not to be performed on the sheet , the sheet folding device causes the sheet to be stacked in a stacker 400 arranged in the sheet folding device . the sheet folding device includes a first conveying path 101 , a second conveying path 102 , a third conveying path 103 , a fourth conveying path 104 , a fifth conveying path 105 , a sixth conveying path 106 , and a seventh conveying path 107 through which a sheet is conveyed . each of the conveying paths 101 to 107 is formed by guide plates that are arranged on opposite sides of a sheet in its thickness direction with a predetermined space between the guide plates . the guide plates are arranged to guide a sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths 101 to 107 . the conveying paths 101 to 107 are directly connected , or are connected through a pair of folding rollers . a first stopper 501 , a second stopper 502 , and a third stopper 503 are arranged in the third conveying path 103 , the fourth conveying path 104 , and the fifth conveying path 105 , respectively . when a sheet is conveyed to each of the conveying paths 103 to 105 , the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with each of the stoppers 501 to 503 whereby each of the stoppers 501 to 503 stops the sheet . fig2 a to 2f are schematic diagrams for explaining sheet folding modes ( a single fold mode , a z fold mode , an outside triple fold mode , an inside triple fold mode , a simple quadruple fold mode , and a gate fold mode ) according to the first embodiment . with the above configuration , the sheet folding device performs a folding operation in each of the sheet folding modes . fig3 a to 3e are schematic diagrams of the sheet folding device for explaining a folding operation in the single fold mode . fig4 a to 4e are schematic diagrams of the sheet folding device for explaining a folding operation in the z fold mode . fig5 a to 5e are schematic diagrams of the sheet folding device for explaining a folding operation in the outside triple fold mode . fig6 a to 6e are schematic diagrams of the sheet folding device for explaining a folding operation in the inside triple fold mode . fig7 a to 7e are schematic diagrams of the sheet folding device for explaining a folding operation in the simple quadruple fold mode . fig8 a to 8e are schematic diagrams of the sheet folding device for explaining a folding operation in the gate fold mode . when the sheet folding device receives a sheet from the image forming apparatus , the sheet is guided to the first conveying path 101 by a first switching claw 301 ( fig3 a ). the sheet is then guided to the third conveying path 103 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the first stopper 501 that is movable depending on a fold position of the sheet ( fig3 b ). when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the first stopper 501 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is then conveyed through a nip ( a first nip ) formed between a first folding roller 201 and a second folding roller 202 whereby a first folding operation is performed on the sheet . thus , the single fold operation is completed ( fig3 c ). after the single fold operation is completed , the sheet is conveyed through a nip ( a second nip ) formed between the second folding roller 202 and a third folding roller 203 , and a nip ( a third nip ) formed between the third folding roller 203 and a fourth folding roller 204 without entering the fourth conveying path 104 ( fig3 d ). the folding operation is not performed on the sheet at the second nip and the third nip . the sheet is then guided to the seventh conveying path 107 by a third switching claw 303 , and is stacked in the stacker 400 ( fig3 e ). if the post - processing is to be performed on the sheet after the folding operation is performed , the sheet is conveyed through the second nip and the third nip without entering the fourth conveying path 104 , and is guided to the sixth conveying path 106 by the third switching claw 303 , so that the sheet is conveyed toward the post - processing device . alternatively , the sheet can be conveyed toward the post - processing device through the fourth conveying path 104 after the first folding operation is performed by the first folding roller 201 and the second folding roller 202 ( in such a case , the second stopper 502 is removed from the fourth conveying path 104 ). when the sheet folding device receives a sheet from the image forming apparatus , the sheet is guided to the second conveying path 102 by the first switching claw 301 and a second switching claw 302 ( fig4 a ). the sheet is conveyed through the first nip , and is then guided to the fourth conveying path 104 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the second stopper 502 that is movable depending on a fold position of the sheet ( fig4 b ). when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the second stopper 502 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is conveyed through the second nip whereby a first folding operation is performed on the sheet ( fig4 c ). then , the sheet is guided to the fifth conveying path 105 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the third stopper 503 that is movable depending on a fold position of the sheet . when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the third stopper 503 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is conveyed through the third nip whereby a second folding operation is performed on the sheet ( fig4 d ). thus , the z fold operation is completed . after the z fold operation is completed , the sheet is guided to the seventh conveying path 107 by the third switching claw 303 , and is stacked in the stacker 400 . alternatively , if the post - processing ( punching , stapling , shifting , or mixed size stacking ) is to be performed on the sheet after the folding operation is performed , the sheet is guided to the sixth conveying path 106 by the third switching claw 303 , and is conveyed toward the post - processing device ( fig4 e ). when the sheet folding device receives a sheet from the image forming apparatus , the sheet is guided to the first conveying path 101 by the first switching claw 301 ( fig5 a ). the sheet is then guided to the third conveying path 103 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the first stopper 501 ( fig5 b ). when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the first stopper 501 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is then conveyed through the first nip whereby a first folding operation is performed on the sheet ( fig5 c ). then , the sheet is guided to the fourth conveying path 104 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the second stopper 502 . when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the second stopper 502 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is then conveyed through the second nip whereby a second folding operation is performed on the sheet ( fig5 d ). thus , the outside triple fold operation is completed . after the outside triple fold operation ( an inside triple fold operation or a simple quadruple fold operation ) is completed , the sheet is conveyed through the third nip without entering the fifth conveying path 105 ( fig5 e ). then , the sheet is guided to the seventh conveying path 107 by the third switching claw 303 , and is stacked in the stacker 400 . alternatively , if the post - processing is to be performed on the sheet after the folding operation is performed , the sheet is conveyed through the third nip , and is guided to the sixth conveying path 106 by the third switching claw 303 , so that the sheet is conveyed toward the post - processing device . the inside triple fold operation and the simple quadruple fold operation are performed in almost the same manner as the outside triple fold operation , and therefore detailed explanation on the inside triple fold operation and the simple quadruple fold operation is omitted . each of the processes shown in fig6 a to 6e and fig7 a to 7e corresponds to that shown in fig5 a to 5e . in the inside triple fold operation and the simple quadruple fold operation , the sheet is conveyed through the same conveying paths as in the outside triple fold operation , and the folding operation is performed at the same nip as in the outside triple fold operation . the difference between the outside triple fold operation , the inside triple fold operation , and the simple quadruple fold operation is a fold position of the sheet in the first folding operation . the fold position can be adjusted by changing the position of the first stopper 501 . a fold position of the sheet in the second folding operation is determined depending on the fold position in the first folding operation , and the second folding operation is performed on a corresponding fold position of the sheet . when the sheet folding device receives a sheet from the image forming apparatus , the sheet is guided to the first conveying path 101 by the first switching claw 301 ( fig8 a ). the sheet is then guided to the third conveying path 103 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the first stopper 501 ( fig8 b ). when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the first stopper 501 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is then conveyed through the first nip whereby a first folding operation is performed on the sheet ( fig8 c ). then , the sheet is guided to the fourth conveying path 104 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the second stopper 502 . when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the second stopper 502 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is then conveyed through the second nip whereby a second folding operation is performed on the sheet ( fig8 d ). then , the sheet is guided to the fifth conveying path 105 , so that the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the third stopper 503 . when the leading end of the sheet is brought into contact with the third stopper 503 , a portion of the sheet is bent . the bending portion is then conveyed through the third nip whereby a third folding operation is performed on the sheet . thus , the gate fold operation is completed ( fig8 e ). after the gate fold operation is completed , the same operation as in the z fold operation is performed . specifically , the sheet is guided to the seventh conveying path 107 by the third switching claw 303 , and is stacked in the stacker 400 . alternatively , if the post - processing is to be performed on the sheet , the sheet is guided to the sixth conveying path 106 by the third switching claw 303 , and is conveyed toward the post - processing device ( fig8 f ). a first idler roller 603 , a second idler roller 604 , a third idler roller 605 , a fourth idler roller 606 , and a fifth idler roller 607 are arranged in the third conveying path 103 , the fourth conveying path 104 , the fifth conveying path 105 , the sixth conveying path 106 , and the seventh conveying path 107 , respectively . the idler rollers 603 to 607 serve as adjusting members that adjust a space between the guide plates . the adjusting member is not limited to the idler roller , but can be a mylar . fig9 is an enlarged view of a relevant part of the sheet folding device for explaining arrangement of the idler rollers 603 to 607 . the third conveying path 103 is adjusted to have a space d 3 by the first idler roller 603 , the fourth conveying path 104 is adjusted to have a space d 4 by the second idler roller 604 , the fifth conveying path 105 is adjusted to have a space d 5 by the third idler roller 605 , the sixth conveying path 106 is adjusted to have a space d 6 by the fourth idler roller 606 , and the seventh conveying path 107 is adjusted to have a space d 7 by the fifth idler roller 607 . table 1 indicates that the thickness of a sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 is different depending on the sheet folding mode . the thickness of a sheet conveyed through the conveying path arranged downstream of the folding rollers is equal to or larger than that of the sheet conveyed through the conveying path arranged upstream of the folding rollers . if the space between the guide plates is the same in all of the conveying paths 103 to 107 , in some conveying paths , the sheet can be conveyed between the guide plates in an unstable manner because of the large space , and in other conveying paths , the sheet can be jammed between the guide plates because of the small space . thus , it is difficult to convey the sheet in a smooth manner . to solve the above problem , the idler rollers are arranged in the conveying paths upstream and downstream of the folding rollers to adjust the space between the guide plates . with this configuration , it is possible to convey the sheet in a stable manner . the idler rollers are arranged such that the space between the guide plates downstream of the folding rollers is equal to or larger than that between the guide plates upstream of the folding rollers . thus , it is possible to convey a folded sheet in a stable manner . the space defined by each of the idler rollers 603 to 607 is determined based on the thickness of a sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 . in this manner , it is possible to provide an appropriate space in each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 with respect to the thickness of the conveyed sheet . specifically , the idler rollers 603 to 607 are arranged such that the spaces defined by the idler rollers 603 to 607 are set as follows : thus , the space defined by each of the idler rollers 603 to 607 corresponds to a maximum thickness of a sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 , so that it is possible to prevent the possibility that the sheet hits the idler rollers 603 to 607 and gets jammed between the guide plates , and to convey the sheet in a smooth manner in all of the sheet folding modes . however , the thickness of a sheet conveyed through each of conveying paths is different depending on the sheet folding mode . specifically , in the z fold operation , the thickness of the sheet conveyed through the fourth conveying path 104 is sheet thickness × 1 ( because it is an unfolded sheet ), and if the space d 4 is set to sheet thickness × 2 , the space d 4 is larger than the thickness of the sheet . therefore , it is difficult to convey the sheet in a stable manner . to solve such a problem , the idler rollers are movable in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the sheet . with this configuration , it is possible to provide an appropriate space in each of the conveying paths depending on the thickness of a conveyed sheet . the sheet having sheet thickness × 1 or sheet thickness × 2 is conveyed through the fourth conveying path 104 depending on the sheet folding mode . on the other hand , the sheet having sheet thickness × 2 , sheet thickness × 3 or sheet thickness × 4 is conveyed through the seventh conveying path 107 depending on the sheet folding mode . if a moving distance of each of the idler rollers is the same , the space can be too small in some conveying paths , and can be too large in other conveying paths with respect to the thickness of the sheet . therefore , the moving distance of each of the idler rollers 603 to 607 is individually set , so that it is possible to provide an appropriate space in each of the conveying paths . however , in some conveying paths , the sheet having the same thickness is conveyed in all of the sheet folding modes . if a mechanism for moving the idler roller is arranged in all of the conveying paths , the mechanisms become complicated , and the costs are increased . therefore , the idler roller is not movable in the conveying path through which the sheet having the same thickness is conveyed in all of the sheet folding modes , and the idler roller is movable in the conveying path through which the sheet having a different thickness is conveyed depending on the sheet folding mode . specifically , the idler rollers 603 and 605 are not movable . in this manner , it is possible to omit an unnecessary mechanism , and to reduce the costs . furthermore , because the thickness of the sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths is different depending on the sheet folding mode , the idler rollers are individually moved in the conveying paths , and the moving distance of each of the idler rollers is determined based on the sheet folding mode . in this manner , an appropriate space can be provided in each of the conveying paths depending on the sheet folding mode , and the sheet can be conveyed in a stable manner in all of the sheet folding modes . fig1 is an enlarged view of a relevant part of the sheet folding device for explaining an operation of adjusting the space between the guide plates by moving the second idler roller 604 . when the z fold operation is performed on the sheet , the second idler roller 604 is moved in a direction close to the guide plate that is opposed to the second idler roller 604 , thereby defining the space d 4 . when the single fold operation is performed on the sheet , the second - idler roller 604 is moved in a direction away from the guide plate that is opposed to the second idler roller 604 , thereby forming the space d 4 ′. specifically , the space in each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 is defined as follows : fig1 and 12 are flowcharts for explaining an operation of adjusting the space in each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 by changing positions of the idler rollers 603 to 607 . after a power source ( not shown ) is turned on , initialization is performed ( step s 1 ). the idler rollers 603 to 607 are set to default positions ( step s 2 ), and then enter a standby state . specifically , the default positions of the idler rollers 603 to 607 are defined such that the space d 3 = sheet thickness × 1 , the space d 4 = sheet thickness × 1 , the space d 5 = sheet thickness × 1 , the space d 6 = sheet thickness × 2 , and the space d 7 = sheet thickness × 2 . after a function of setting the sheet folding mode is activated , a set sheet folding mode and positions of the idler rollers 603 to 607 corresponding to the set sheet folding mode are determined . when the idler rollers 603 to 607 are set to these positions , the folding operation is started . for example , if the outside triple fold mode is set ( no at step s 11 , no at step s 13 , and yes at step s 15 ), the idler rollers 603 to 607 are set to the corresponding positions for the outside triple fold mode ( step s 16 ). specifically , the idler rollers 603 to 607 are set to the positions such that the space d 3 = sheet thickness × 1 , the space d 4 = sheet thickness × 2 , the space d 5 = sheet thickness × 1 , the space d 6 = sheet thickness × 2 , and the space d 7 = sheet thickness × 3 . the positions of the idler rollers 603 to 607 as shown in fig1 are determined based on the thickness of a sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 as shown in table 1 and the space in each of the conveying paths 103 to 107 as described above . with the configuration and the operation described above , it is possible to convey the folded sheet in a stable manner . fig1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus 90 according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the image forming apparatus 90 includes a sheet folding device 70 having the configuration according to the first embodiment and a post - processing device 80 . the image forming apparatus 90 is a copy machine that forms a toner image by an image forming process using an electrophotographic system . the image forming apparatus 90 can be a printer , a facsimile , or a multifunction product ( mfp ) having functions of a copy machine , a printer , and a facsimile . the image forming apparatus 90 can be an inkjet printer . the image forming apparatus 90 includes an automatic document feeder ( adf ) 1 , a feed tray 2 , feeding rollers 3 , a feeding belt 4 , ejecting rollers 5 , an exposure glass 6 , an original - set detecting unit 7 , a first tray 8 , a second tray 9 , a third tray 10 , a first feeding unit 11 , a second feeding unit 12 , a third feeding unit 13 , a longitudinal conveying unit 14 , a photosensitive element 15 , a conveying belt 16 , a fixing unit 17 , a discharging unit 18 , a developing unit 27 , a scanning unit 50 including an exposure lamp 51 , a first mirror 52 , a lens 53 , a coupled charge device ( ccd ) image sensor 54 , a second mirror 55 , and a third mirror 56 , a writing unit 57 including a laser output unit 58 , an imaging lens 59 , and a mirror 60 , the sheet folding device 70 , and the post - processing device 80 . a pile of originals are placed on the feed tray 2 such that the side of the original on which an image is formed faces upward . when a start key of an operation unit ( not shown ) is pressed , the uppermost original is fed from the pile by the feeding rollers 3 and the feeding belt 4 to a predetermined position on the exposure glass 6 . when the original is fed to the predetermined position on the exposure glass 6 , the image on the original is scanned by the scanning unit 50 . after the scanning is completed , the original is ejected to the outside by the feeding belt 4 and the ejecting rollers 5 . when the original - set detecting unit 7 detects that the next original is placed on the feed tray 2 , the next original is fed to a predetermined position on the exposure glass 6 in the same manner as described above . the feeding rollers 3 , the feeding belt 4 , and the ejecting rollers 5 are driven by a conveying motor ( not shown ). sheets stacked on the first tray 8 , the second tray 9 , and the third tray 10 are fed by the first feeding unit 11 , the second feeding unit 12 , and the third feeding unit 13 , respectively , and are conveyed by the longitudinal conveying unit 14 to a position at which the sheet is in contact with the photosensitive element 15 . the photosensitive element 15 is irradiated with a laser beam emitted from the writing unit 57 based on image data obtained by the scanning unit 50 whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive element 15 . the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive element 15 is developed by the developing unit 27 , so that a toner image is formed on the photosensitive element 15 . after the sheet is conveyed to the conveying belt 16 by the longitudinal conveying unit 14 , the sheet is conveyed by the conveying belt 16 that is moved at the same speed as that at which the photosensitive element 15 is rotated , so that the toner image on the photosensitive element 15 is transferred onto the sheet . the sheet having the toner image transferred thereon is then conveyed to the fixing unit 17 where the toner image is fixed to the sheet with heat . the photosensitive element 15 , the conveying belt 16 , the fixing unit 17 , the discharging unit 18 , and the developing unit 27 are driven by a main motor ( not shown ). each of the feeding units 11 to 13 is driven by a driving force transmitted from the main motor via a feeding clutch ( not shown ). the longitudinal conveying unit 14 is driven by a driving force transmitted from the main motor via an intermediate clutch ( not shown ). the discharging unit 18 discharges the sheet having the image formed thereon to the sheet folding device 70 . the sheet folding device 70 performs the folding operation as described in the first embodiment . after the sheet folding device 70 completes the folding operation , the sheet folding device 70 discharges the sheet to the post - processing device 80 . the post - processing device 80 performs post - processing operation , such as sorting of sheets for each original or each copy of originals that is sorted by an image memory , punching , or stapling . the above embodiments are described as preferred embodiments of the present invention . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments , but modifications can be made as appropriate within a scope of technical ideas of the present invention . according to the embodiments , an adjusting member is arranged between guide plates of each of conveying paths arranged upstream and downstream of folding rollers to adjust a space between the guide plates , so that it is possible to convey a sheet in a stable manner . furthermore , according to the embodiments , the space between the guide plates arranged downstream of the folding rollers is equal to or larger than the space between the guide plates arranged upstream of the folding rollers , so that it is possible to convey a folded sheet in a stable manner . moreover , according to the embodiments , the space is determined depending on the thickness of a sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths , so that it is possible to provide an appropriate space in each of the conveying paths with respect to the thickness of the sheet . furthermore , according to the embodiments , the space corresponds to a maximum thickness of a sheet conveyed through each of the conveying paths , so that it is possible to convey the sheet in a smooth manner without being hit by the adjusting member . moreover , according to the embodiments , the adjusting member is movable in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of a sheet by a driving source , so that the adjusting member can be moved in accordance with change of the thickness of the sheet depending on the sheet folding mode , and an appropriate space can be provided in the conveying path . furthermore , according to the embodiments , a moving distance of the adjusting member in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is individually set for each of the conveying paths , so that an appropriate space can be provided in each of the conveying paths . moreover , according to the embodiments , the adjusting member only in the conveying path through which a sheet having a different thickness is conveyed is movable in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction , so that it is possible to omit an unnecessary mechanism for moving the adjusting member , and to reduce the costs . furthermore , according to the embodiments , a moving distance of the adjusting member in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is determined depending on the sheet folding mode , so that an appropriate space can be provided in each of the conveying paths depending on each of the sheet folding modes , and to convey the sheet in a stable manner in all of the sheet folding modes . moreover , according to the embodiments , an idler roller or a mylar can be used as the adjusting member , so that it is possible to convey a sheet without causing damage on the sheet . according to an aspect of the present invention , it is possible to provide a sheet folding device and an image forming apparatus in which a sheet can be conveyed through each of the conveying paths in a stable manner . although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments for a complete and clear disclosure , the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth .	6
describing now the drawings , it is to be understood that only enough of the construction of the apparatus has been shown as needed for those skilled in the art to readily understand the underlying principles and concepts of the present development , while simplifying the showing of the drawings . turning attention now specifically to fig1 there has been schematically and diagramatically illustrated therein a so - called track or travel path system comprising a number of conveyors f or equivalent structure which receive the material to be conveyed . the conveyors f are self - driven conveyor units movable along a trackless runway or path of travel 2 along a pilot track 3 . therefore , in the context of this disclosure the terms &# 34 ; track &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; track system &# 34 ; are used broadly and are not to be construed in a limiting sense as relating to only track - bound systems as such , rather generally encompass trackless or non - rail - bound systems . the track or travel network is subdivided in conventional manner to form track or travel path sections 8 which may comprise straight travel sections 4 and / or curved travel sections 5 and which may be singly or multiply branched , as generally indicated by reference characters 6 and 7 in fig1 . track or travel path sections 8 may form a functional or spatial unit and with each track or travel section 8 there may be operatively associated a control location or position 15 . as will be explained shortly , at each control location 15 there is provided a receiver of a stationary transmitting and receiving station which provides for signal transmission between the conveyors f and a central system control a . in particular , at each control location 15 there is placed a transponder t which are combined in groups , and each group of transponders t is connected to a common group control unit g . each such travel path section 8 is freely selectable to operate in one of a number of different operational modes constituting a standard mode and an inspection mode for diagnosis and error detection . the intelligence for the operation of the conveyor installation is distributed to the central system control a , the group control units g and , to a lesser extent , the transponders t . furthermore , the central system control or control means a is in signal communication with all conveyors f which are movable between the different control locations or positions 15 via the group control units g and the transponders t . the communicating connections or links are identically designed for all of the conveyors f . the specific design of such a communicating connection or link will be explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the conveyor f1 on the basis of the system configuration illustrated in fig1 . transmitters 10 and 13 and receivers 11 and 12 , respectively , are arranged at the conveyor f 1 and at the transponder t 1 , respectively . the detailed structure thereof is shown in fig3 . as shown , the conveyor f 1 is located within the operative range of the transponder t 1 . consequently , transmission paths or links 27 , 28 exist between the associated transmitters 10 and 13 and the receivers 11 and 12 , respectively . the transponder t 1 and the conveyor f 1 are thus wirelessly and bidirectionally interconnected . this is indicated in detail in fig2 a and 2b . as further shown in fig1 two - wire lines or conductors 22 and 25 are provided between the transponder t1 and the group control unit g1 and between the latter and the central system control a in order to transmit , for example , control commands forming signal telegrams from the central system control a to the group control unit g1 and further to the related transponder t 1 . the control commands are furthermore transmitted to the conveyor f 1 via the transmission path or link 28 ( see fig2 a ). in an analogous manner reporting back telegrams reach the central system control a when sent by the conveyor f 1 . the transmitter 10 at the conveyor f 1 is therefore operatively connected to the receiver 12 at the transponder t 1 via the transmission path or link 27 . the output 34 of the transponder t 1 is connected to the related group control unit g1 via a two - wire line or conductor 23 which communicates with the central system control a via a further two - wire line or conductor 24 . a control line or conductor 29 leads from the group control unit g1 to the transponder t 1 and serves to select the operational mode of the transponder t 1 as well as the power supply to the transponder t 1 during bidirectional signal transmission . the circuit connections and function thereof will be explained in greater detail with reference to fig2 a , 2b and 3 of the drawings . fig2 a shows a transponder , such as the transponder t 1 when switched to function as a responder or answering device . the transmitter 10 at the conveyor f 1 contains a transmitting antenna 10 . 1 which is in communication with the receiving antenna 12 . 1 at the transponder t 1 via the inductive transmission path or link 27 . a carrier wave is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 10 . 1 to the receiving antenna 12 . 1 and may be either unmodulated or modulated . in both cases the carrier wave also transmits electrical energy for the power supply of the transponder t 1 in addition to signals . the transponder t 1 is provided with a transmitter 13 comprising an infrared diode 13 . 1 . in corresponding manner the conveyor f 1 is provided with a receiver 11 comprising a photosensitive diode 11 . 1 . the transmitter 13 and the receiver 11 are in communication via an optical transmission path or link 28 for signal transmission in the reverse direction relative to the transmission path or link 27 . the transponder t 1 further comprises a code generator 16 which contains constant data like , for example , the site or location code , identifying codes for identifying individual conveyors f and the like . an input 16 . 1 of the code generator 16 is connected to the receiver 12 and an output 16 . 2 of the code generator 16 is connected to the transmitter 13 via a multiplexer 30 . the circular arrow 36 illustrates the signal path corresponding to pure transponder operation of the transponder t , and which signal path is formed by an interrogation signal transmitted via the inductive transmission path or link 27 and by the response or answerback signal transmitted by the optical transmission path or link 28 . an output amplifier 18 is provided and serves to control the two - wire line or conductor 23 interconnecting the output 34 of the transponder t and an input 37 of the group control unit g . the control line designated by reference character 29 is connected to a control input 30 . 1 at the multiplexer 30 . as long as there is not carried any voltage by the control line 29 the multiplexer 30 assumes a first position in which the output 16 . 2 of the code generator 16 is connected to the transmitter 13 via the contacts 1 - 2 in the multiplexer 30 . the group control unit g1 and the central system control a are bidirectionally interconnected via the two two - wire lines 24 and 25 . as shown in fig2 a , the transponder t 1 due to the switching state of the multiplexer 30 , is switched into a first operational state in which the transponder t 1 acts as a responder or answering device , in which the transponder t 1 is interrogated by interrogation signals transmitted from the conveyor f 1 through the transmission path or link 27 and responds thereto by transmitting response signals to the conveyor f 1 via the transmission path or link 28 . fig2 b shows the transponder t 1 of fig2 a in a second operational state . in this second operational state the channel through which signals are transferred from the conveyor f 1 to the central system control a is of the same design as in fig2 a . contrary thereto , however , the control line 29 now carries voltage and consequently the multiplexer 30 is switched into a different state in which a connection is established between the contacts 1 and 3 thereof . consequently , the interconnection between the output 16 . 2 of the code generator 16 and the transmitter 13 is broken and instead an input 35 of the transponder t is now connected to the transmitter 13 through the contact 1 - 3 of the multiplexer 30 . there thus exists an additional transmission channel between the group control unit g and the conveyor f 1 which includes the multiplexer 30 , the transmitter 13 and the optical transmission path or link 28 . fig3 shows a detailed block circuit diagram of any one of the transponders t . in the actual case , the transponder t is accommodated in a housing 20 having , for instance , the dimensions 100 × 200 × 20 millimeters and thus can be easily installed without problems in the travel path or track 2 . the receiving antenna 12 . 1 of the receiver 12 extends within the confines of the housing 20 and receives signals as well as electrical energy via the inductive transmission path or link 27 . the receiver 12 has an energy output 12 . 2 to which there is connected an energy supply circuit 40 comprising a rectifier 40 . 1 , a threshold switch 40 . 2 and an output 40 . 3 to supply the individual circuit components with voltage or power . series connected thereto is , firstly , the code generator 16 . this code generator 16 substantially comprises a shift register 16 . 3 designed as a parallel - to - series converter . the shift register 16 . 3 is externally programmable by means of programming inputs 16 . 4 and receives clock pulses via a control line 16 . 5 . a coder 41 operating for instance according to the manchester code is provided and possesses a clock pulse generator 41 . 1 . an output 41 . 2 of the code generator 41 is connected to the contact 2 of the multiplexer 30 , the contact 1 thereof is connected to a current amplifier 31 which supplies current to an input 13 . 3 of the transmitter 13 . in the transmitter 13 there are present the infrared diode 13 . 1 as well as further connections 13 . 2 for connection to further infrared diodes . a fsk - demodulator 17 ( frequency - shift keying demodulator ) is connected on the input side thereof to a data output 12 . 3 of the receiver 12 and on the output side thereof to input 18 . 1 of output amplifier 18 . the output amplifier 18 comprises a further strobe input 18 . 2 which is connected to the output 40 . 3 of the energy supply 40 . an output 18 . 3 of the output amplifier 18 leads to the output 34 of the transponder t , and thus , to the two - wire line 23 connecting the transponder t and the group control unit g . there thus exist two transmission channels from the conveyor f to the group control unit g between the receiving antenna 12 . 1 and the output 34 of the transponder t . a first transmission channel extends via the energy supply 40 and the strobe input 18 . 2 of the output amplifier 18 and serves , for example , for transmitting a presence indication signal which signifies the presence of a conveyor f within the operable range of the transponder t . a second transmission channel is formed by the fsk - demodulator 17 and the input 18 . 1 of the output amplifier 18 and serves for data transfer . in reverse direction there exists a third transmission channel between the input 35 of the transponder t and the infrared diode 13 . 1 which extends from the group control unit g to the conveyor f . this third transmission channel is also designed for data transfer and contains an input amplifier 19 , the multiplexer 30 in a switching position in which there is a connection between the contacts 1 and 3 thereof , as well as the current amplifier 31 . conjointly with the aforementioned second transmission channel for data transfer via the fsk - demodulator 17 there thus results a bidirectional data communication between the conveyor f and the group control unit g in which the data channels are isolated from each other with respect to direction . a further threshold switch 45 is provided between the control line 29 and the multiplexer 30 . this threshold switch 45 is connected to the control input 30 . 1 of the multiplexer 30 and to a supply line 46 for current supply to the transponder t . the not here shown further elements provided at the conveyors f and in the group control units g are structured in such a manner as to be able to cooperate with the transponder t . to these elements there belong , at the conveyor f , the transmitter 10 for generating the electromagnetic field forming the inductive transmission path or link 27 . the transmitting antenna 10 . 1 connected to the transmitter 10 , a standard current source therefore , a fixed or fsk - modulatable oscillator 10 . 2 and a modulator 10 . 3 for possibly modulating the oscillator 10 . 2 in the fsk - mode , see fig2 a . there also belong to the elements on the conveyor f the photosensitive diode 11 . 1 , a controlled pre - amplifier 11 . 2 therefore , a decoder 11 . 3 for the manchester code and a bit - pulse regenerator 11 . 4 for clocking a data receiver 11 . 5 . to the further elements in the group control unit g there belong a line drive and a line receiver which are matched to the transponder t , a further coder for the manchester code , data transmitters and data receivers as well as a switchable source for positive supply voltage for connection to the control line 29 . in the following description the mode of operation of the inventive apparatus will be explained with reference to fig1 a , 2b and 3 and the explanation is based on functions which are typical for the operation of a conveyor installation or system . in the absence of a voltage at the control line 29 for selecting the mode of operation of the transponder t , the multiplexer 30 and thus the transponder t is in a first operational state , and the contacts 1 and 2 in the multiplexer 30 are interconnected . the code generator 16 is accordingly connected to the input 13 . 3 of the transmitter 13 via the contacts 1 and 2 of the multiplexer 30 . in this operational state the transponder t functions as a responder or answering device with simultaneous signal transmission from the conveyor f to the group control unit g which is located at the region of the transponder t . the unmodulated or modulated carrier wave which has a frequency in the kilohertz range , for this purpose induces sufficient voltage in the receiving antenna 12 . 1 to power the code generator 16 designed in accordance with cmos - technology , the coder 41 for the manchester code , the current amplifier 31 as well as the output amplifier 18 . by means of the energy supply circuit 40 there is ensured that the current supply is only released when the current consumption can be safely met . in the code generator 16 containing the shift register 16 . 1 designed as a parallel - to - series converter , a stored eight - bit - word is converted in conventional manner into a serial asynchronous bit current or stream comprising a starting bit , a data byte , a parity bit and a stop bit . the parity bit serves in the usual way to ensure error detection . the manchester coder 41 decreases the current consumption of the code generator 16 by about 50 %, and furthermore enables a simple clock pulse regeneration in the receiver 11 located at the conveyor f . the thus prepared information or data is amplified by the current amplifier 31 . subsequently , the information or data is converted into infrared radiation pulses by the infrared diode 13 . 1 of the transmitter 13 and then transmitted in bits to the photosensitive diode 11 . 1 of the receiver 11 at the conveyor f via the optical transmission path or link 28 . in the code generator 16 constant data is stored for the control of the conveyor f . in the first place constituting part of the constant data is the site or location code which informs the conveyor f about its location within the layout . the conveyor f is thus able to appropriately change the state of its automatic mechanism . thus , the transponder t functions as a responder or answering device which is electromagnetically activated and which optically transmits the code . the interrogation signal and the response or answerback signal are transmitted by electromagnetic induction and in the form of an infrared pulse telegram . since the data stored in the code generator 16 primarily is the location code , in this operational state the transponder t fulfils as a first function that of a location code transmitter . in addition to the aforementioned mode of operation , however , there is also the possibility of simultaneously transmitting with the generation of the site or location code , during a second function of the transponder t , signals which originate from a conveyor f to a group control unit g . in the embodiment of the apparatus which is used with the conveyor installation as previously described with reference to fig1 such signals are mainly signals indicating the presence of the conveyor f and general data . the transmission of the presence indication is based on the recognition that only a transmitting antenna 10 . 1 at a conveyor f induces an electric voltage in the receiving antenna 12 . 1 at the transponder t . since the transmitter 10 at the conveyor f is continuously operated , and thus , continuously emits the carrier frequency as long as the conveyor installation or system 1 is in operation , the energy supply circuit 40 always is supplied with voltage when a conveyor f is present within the operable range of a transponder t . the supply voltage at the output 40 . 3 of the energy supply circuit 40 thus not only energizes the code generator 16 but also provides an indicating signal representative of the presence of a conveyor f . however , the presence indicating signal will only then be further transmitted as a presence indication to the group control unit g if the carrier wave emitted by the conveyor f is unmodulated . it is particularly in this case that no data is present at the data input 18 . 1 of the output amplifier 18 in the transponder t , so that the voltage applied to the strobe input 18 . 2 passes to the output 34 of the transponder t . this voltage is transmitted as a presence indication to the group control unit g via the two - wire line 23 . in this way an unmodulated carrier wave received from the conveyor f activates the code generator 16 and simultaneously transmits a presence indication to the group control unit g . thus , the transponder t simultaneously functions as a location code transmitter and as a presence detector . during this operation of the transponder t the electrical energy required to power the transponder t , the interrogation signal and the presence indication signal are simultaneously transmitted in the form of an unmodulated carrier wave from the conveyor f to the transponder t via the inductive transmission path or link 27 . for transmission of data from the conveyor f to the group control unit g the transmitter 10 at the conveyor f transmits a modulated carrier wave which is emitted by its transmitting antenna 10 . 1 and received by the receiving antenna 12 . 1 of the receiver 12 at the transponder t . contrary to the unmodulated carrier wave , now the modulated carrier wave appears at the data output 12 . 3 of the receiver 12 and thus is applied to the input side of the demodulator 17 . in the demodulation 17 the data is demodulated and applied from the output side thereof to the data input 18 . 1 of the output amplifier 18 of the transponder t . in the output amplifier 18 data signals are now transmitted to the group control unit g instead of the presence indication signal . thus , the code generator 16 is energized and at the same time data is transferred to the group control unit g when a modulated carrier wave is received by the receiving antenna 12 . 1 of the receiver 12 in the transponder t . in this case the transponder t simultaneously functions as a location code transmitter and as a unidirectional data transmitter . during this operation the electrical energy for powering the transponder t , the interrogation signal and the data are conjointly transferred in the form of a modulated carrier wave from the conveyor f to the transponder t via the inductive transmission path or link 27 . when the control line 29 carries voltage , the multiplexer 30 is switched so that now the contacts 1 and 3 are interconnected and the prior connection of the contacts 1 and 2 is interrupted . this provides for a selection of a second mode of operation of the transponder t which thus assumes a second operational state . in this second operational state the code generator 16 is isolated from the transmitter 13 due to the switching of the multiplexer to the described one - three contact connection . now the transponder t can no longer function as a responder or answering device . however , the input 35 of the transponder t is now connected to the transmitter 13 via the contacts 1 and 3 of the multiplexer 30 . data now received from the group control unit g at the input 35 is amplified by the input amplifier 19 and by the current amplifier 31 with respect to voltage and current , respectively . by means of the series connected infrared diode 13 . 1 of the transmitter 13 this data is transformed into infrared radiation pulses for optical transmission to the conveyor f via the transmission path or link 28 . thus , there is present a unidirectional data channel from the group control unit g to the conveyor f via the two - wire line or conductor 22 , the transponder t and the optical transmission path or link 28 . independently thereof there is present in the reverse direction the aforementioned data channel from the conveyor f to the group control unit g via the inductive transmission path or link 27 , the demodulator 17 and the two - wire line or conductor 23 . since both channels can be activated either singly or in combination , each channel is advantageously provided with its own current supply . in particular , the first channel embodying the electromagnetic transmission path or link 27 is powered in known manner by the electromagnetic induction in the receiving antenna 12 . 1 of the receiver 12 and the second channel is powered via the line 46 by the control voltage applied to the multiplexer 30 . in this second operational state , therefore , the inventive apparatus contains a bidirectional data channel with isolated transmission directions at each transponder t provided in the conveyor installation 1 . the data channel connects the conveyors f and the associated group control units g . diversity means can be provided for protecting signal transmission between the central system control a and individual ones of the conveyors f against malfunction and falsification . while there are shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto , but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims . accordingly ,	6
fig4 illustrates an amplifier equipped with an anti - pop circuit which can be implemented with simple switches . amplifier 400 is similar to amplifier 200 . amplifier 400 comprises amplifier stage 110 and output stage 420 . like output stage 220 of amplifier 200 , output stage 420 comprises core output stage 160 and a compensation network comprising capacitor 202 and resistor 204 . the described components function essentially the same as that described for amplifier 200 . however , output stage 420 further comprises switch 402 . when closed switch 402 , it drags the output voltage v out to v ss which is shown as ground in fig4 . it should be noted that often v ss is fixed to ground . however , for the purposes of this disclosure ground and v ss are used interchangeably and should be construed to be the low power rail and not necessarily a zero voltage . switch 402 is controlled by a control signal . therefore the switch initially is closed when the control signal is low but the switch is opened when the control signal is high . the control signal should be activated prior to power supply v dd ramping up to avoid an output pop . as v dd increases switch 402 is eventually closed , but during the initial ramp up period , switch 402 may remain open thus permitting some pop to be manifested at the output . in order to maintain generality , v dd is often referred to as the high power voltage or high power rail and v ss is often referred to as the low power voltage , low power rail or ground . it should be noted that notationally , the switches described in each of these diagrams is con rolled by an individual input ( not to be confused with a control signal given to the amplifier ( ctrl ) as described above ). for the sake of notation , these switches are open when the input is low and closed when the input is high . for that reason switch 402 is shown to be controlled by the logical complement of ctrl that is ctrl . however , only switch 402 is not enough for the pop control because , even though output v out , is grounded during the power up ( or power down ) periods , the voltage built up at node a can still tend to drive the v out up through the compensation network , so even though ideally , switch 402 pulls the output voltage to ground , the voltage a node a can still cause a pop at the output , albeit a suppressed pop . fig5 illustrates an amplifier equipped with an improved anti - pop circuit . amplifier 500 is similar to amplifier 200 . amplifier 500 comprises amplifier stage 110 and output stage 520 . like output stage 220 of amplifier 200 , output stage 520 comprises core output stage 160 and a compensation network comprising capacitor 202 and resistor 204 . the described components function essentially the same as that described for amplifier 200 . however , output stage 520 further comprises switch 502 and switch 504 . switch 502 is closed when the control signal is high and switch 504 is opened when the control signal is high . when the control signal is high , the circuit behaves essentially the same as amplifier 200 . compensation capacitor 202 and compensation resistor 204 feed back v out to node a to provide stability to amplifier 500 . however , when the control signal is low such as prior to power up , node a is shunted through capacitor 202 to v ss . furthermore , with switch 502 open , the path from node a to v out through the compensation network is broken . as a result , node a does not influence v out until the circuit is powered up , thus , mitigating any pop at the output . ideally , the control signal is low during any power transition , i . e ., power up or power down . it is also important to note that switch 504 also prevents capacitor 202 from floating . if capacitor 202 was allowed to remain floating , the absolute voltage of each electrode of the capacitor will change due to the changes in the amplifier stage , even though the charge in the capacitor and therefore the voltage across the electrodes of the capacitor will remain unchanged . at the same time . v out should stay at v ss . thus , when switch 502 is closed , the voltage difference between node b of and v out will cause a pop at v out . alternatively , fig6 illustrates an amplifier equipped with an anti - pop circuit . instead of modifying the compensation network as in the manner shown for amplifier 500 . output stage 620 of amplifier 600 comprises switch 602 which when opened breaks the compensation network between resistor 204 and the output of the amplifier rather than between resistor 204 and capacitor 202 as in amplifier 500 . when the control signal is high , amplifier 600 operates normally like that of amplifier 200 . when the control signal is low , switch 604 shunts capacitor 202 to ground through resistor 204 and switch 602 disconnects node a from v out . it should be noted principles of modifying a compensation network to disconnect node a from v out , while simultaneously draining any residual charges in the compensation network can be applied to other compensation networks . furthermore , the placement of the various switches can be varied with the same result . for example , fig7 shows an amplifier comprising an anti - pop circuit where the switch 702 functions similarly to switch 502 of amplifier 500 , but located in a different location in the path between node a and v out . a compensation network with the capacitor and resistor transposed from that shown for amplifiers 200 , 400 , 500 , 600 , and 700 introduces countless more combinations of switch positions . no doubt the various combinations of switch locations and compensation network elements would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . fig8 illustrates an amplifier with an anti - pop circuit using the principles illustrated in the anti - pop circuits described for amplifiers 400 and 500 . again , amplifier 800 is similar to that described in the previous figures . similar to output stages of previously described amplifiers , output stage 820 incorporates switch 402 to drag down v out as well as switch 502 to break the path between node a and v out . in addition , switch 504 shunts node a to v ss through capacitor 202 . similar to that described for amplifier 400 , switch 402 drags down v out to v ss when the control signal is low . therefore , prior to power up , switch 402 is closed . switch 502 and 504 behave in essentially the same manner as described for amplifier 500 . therefore , when the control signal is high , the amplifier behaves essentially like amplifier 400 . however , when the control signal is low , such as prior to power up or just after power down , v out is dragged to ground , node a is shunted to v ss and the connection between capacitor 202 and resistor 204 is broken . for simplicity , the earlier examples have used a single ended amplifier stage in a single ended amplifier . fig9 a illustrates a two - stage differential amplifier comprising differential amplifier stage 910 and differential output stage 920 having core output stage 960 . differential amplifier stage 910 takes differential inputs v in + and v in − and provides outputs to differential output stage 920 at nodes a + and a − . differential output stage 920 has two output v out + and v out − . to supply stability to a compensation network with a feedback path from v out + to node a − and a compensation network with a feedback path from v out − to node a + are added to differential output stage 920 . in a typical implementation , the differential stage is inverting hence , the voltage v out + is fed back in a compensation network to node a − and node a + . in the example of fig9 a , the compensation networks can be as simple as comprising a capacitor and a resistor . output stage 920 of amplifier 910 comprises a compensation network with resistor 902 and capacitor 904 which provides a path between v out + and node a − and a compensation network with resistor 906 and capacitor 908 which provides a path between v out − and node a + . the paths during power up and power down unfortunately provide a path for a spike to traverse from differential amplifier stage 910 to output v out + and / or output v out − . fig9 b shows a differential amplifier with analogous anti - pop circuitry to the single ended amplifiers described above . amplifier 950 comprises output stage 970 which is similar to output stage 920 , but includes switches for breaking the path from output to the input node via the compensation network . furthermore , it comprises a switch for shunting the capacitor in the compensation network to v ss . more specifically switch 912 is open during power up or power down and breaks the path between v out + and node a − and switch 914 is closed during power up or power down and shunts capacitor 902 to v ss . similarly , switch 916 is opened during power up or power down and breaks the path v out − and node a + and switch 918 is closed during power up or power down and shunts capacitor 906 . during power up or power down the control signal supplied to the switches is low , otherwise it is high . when the control signal is high amplifier 950 behaves like amplifier 900 . while not shown , one of ordinary skill in the art could vary the switch placement and the type of compensation network . furthermore , switches can be placed at each of the differential outputs to pull down v out + and v out − to v ss . another common amplifier implementation is a push - pull output stage . in a typical push - pull output stage , two complementary transistors are placed in series such as shown in fig1 with fet 1102 and fet 1104 . the output is tapped between the two transistors . often , the complementary transistors are an n - channel fet ( nfet ) and a p - channel fet ( pfet ), other configurations include a npn bipolar transistor and a pnp bipolar transistor . quite often the inputs to the transistors ( such as the gate on fet ) require different biasing . because the inputs to the transistors often require different bias voltages . a bias circuit is often used between the amplifier stage and the output stage . the output of the bias circuit generates two voltages one for each transistor in a push - pull output stage . fig1 a illustrates the preliminary stages of an amplifier . preliminary stages 1020 comprises amplifier stage 1010 which behaves similarly to the amplifier stage 110 described above . amplifier stage 1010 receives differential inputs with voltages v in + and v in − and produces an output which is the amplified difference between v in + and v in − . the output having a voltage of v a is separately biased for use by a push - pull output stage , by bias circuit 1012 such as class ab bias control . the outputs of bias circuit 1012 have voltages equal to the input of v a with a fixed bias . specifically , v ap = v a + v bias1 and v an = v a − v bias2 . fig1 b illustrates a circuit diagram for an exemplary bias circuit . the input voltage has a fixed bias added and subtracted with voltage source 1014 and 1016 . the voltage sources maintain a fixed voltage between its two terminals . thus if the potential across voltage source 1014 is v bias1 then v ap = v a + v bias1 and if the potential across voltage source 1016 is v bias2 then v an = v a − v bias2 . one of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that even though voltage sources 1014 and 1016 are symbolically represented by a battery any voltage source circuit can be used . fig1 c illustrates an amplifier with a push - pull output stage . amplifier 1000 comprises preliminary stages 1020 . preliminary stages 1020 receives differential input v in + and v in − and produces an output which is the amplified difference between v in + and v in − , but the output is presented with a bias . at node a p , the output is appropriately biased to control a pfet in push - pull output stage 1060 and at node a n , the output is appropriately biased to control a nfet in push - pull output stage 1060 . the signals at nodes a p and a n are referred to as p_cntl and n_cntl , respectively . in order to stabilize amplifier 1000 , output stage 1030 further comprises compensation network comprising capacitor 1032 and 1034 which provides a feedback path from v out to node a p and a compensation network comprising capacitor 1036 and resistor 1038 which provide a feedback path from v out to node a n . once again , the feedback paths introduced by the compensation networks provide paths for a pop to travel from preliminary stages 1020 to the output v out . fig1 d shows an amplifier with a push - pull output stage and analogous anti - pop circuitry to the amplifiers described above . amplifier 1050 comprises output stage 1070 which is similar to output stage 1030 , but includes switches for breaking the path from the output to each input node via the compensation network . furthermore , it comprises a switch for shunting the capacitor in the compensation network to v ss . more specifically switch 1042 is open during power up or power down and breaks the path between v out and node a p and switch 1044 is closed during power up or power down and shunts capacitor 1032 to v ss . similarly , switch 1046 is open during power up or power down and breaks the path v out and node a n and switch 1048 is closed during power up or power down and shunts capacitor 1036 . during power up or power down the control signal supplied to the switches is low , otherwise it is high . when the control signal is high amplifier 1050 behaves like amplifier 1000 . additional switches can be added to push - pull output stage 1060 . fig1 illustrates in greater detail an example of an amplifier with push - pull output stage . amplifier 1100 comprises amplifier stage 1020 which is similar to that described for amplifiers 1000 and 1050 . furthermore , amplifier 1100 comprises output stage 1120 which comprises a push - pull output stage comprising pfet 1102 and nfet 1104 . as can be seen , node a p is the input that provides pfet 1102 with the p_cntl signal and node a n is the input that provides nfet 1104 with the n_cntl signal . in principle , the p_cntl signal and n_cntl signal represent the same input but are biased differently . though shown specifically as a generic fet , pfet 1102 is often a p - channel metal - oxide - semiconductor fet ( mosfet ) in enhancement mode . likewise , nfet 1104 is often an n - channel mosfet in enhancement mode . in addition to switches 1042 and 1046 breaking the path provided by compensation networks from v out to the respective nodes a p and a n and in addition to switches 1044 and 1046 which shunt capacitors 1032 and 1036 to v ss as described for amplifier 1050 . switch 1106 which is closed during power up and power down pulls v out to v ss output stage having anti - pop circuitry added . switch 1106 operates similarly to switch 402 described for amplifier 800 . in addition , output stage 1120 further comprises switch 1108 which drags the voltage at node a p to v dd , that is p_cntl is v dd when switch 1108 is closed . during power up and power down , switch 1108 is closed , by forcing p_cntl to be v dd , pfet 1102 as a gate - to - drain voltage of zero effectively shutting pfet 1102 . essentially , this insures that no current is flowing through pfet 1102 . this also has the effect of charging capacitor 1042 so that even after the control signal goes high and switches 1108 and 1044 open , p_cntl begins initially at v dd therefore pfet 1102 begins with no current flowing through it , thus preventing a pop from manifesting after the control signal causes switch 1108 and 1044 to open and switch 1042 to close . when the control signal is high , switches 1044 , 1048 , 1106 and 1108 are open and switches 1042 and 1046 are close . hence output stage 1120 , functions as a compensated push - pull output stage . there are several methods to implement a control signal . as mentioned before , the ideal control signal should be low during power up and power down . for example , the control signal could be latched to v dd as soon as v dd reaches a predetermined level , the control signal goes high and as soon as v dd drops below a predetermined level the control signal goes low . however , this simple approach leaves the possibility of an audio pop . fig1 shows the timing of an alternative control signal . at time 1202 , the power supply voltage v dd begins to amp up . prior to this time the control signal is low and remains low . at time 1204 , v dd reaches normal operating level , but the control signal still remains low . up to this time , v out is forced to v ss . a short time later at time 1208 , control signal goes high and the amplifier begins to operate normally . because the amplifier is allowed to completely powered up before activating the control signal any audio pop is completely suppressed . in the power down sequence , at time 1212 , the control signal goes low , however , the power supply voltage v dd remains at normal operating levels . at this point , the amplifier is essentially deactivated and is forced v out is forced to v ss . a short time later at time 1216 , v dd begins to ramp down . at time 1218 , v dd has completely powered down . such timing can be implemented without the need of a second voltage supply . this control signal is a non - overlapping version of power supply signal , v dd . for example , a control signal latched to v dd by way of a delay circuit can delay the control signal going high until a small time interval after v dd has reached normal operating voltage . in many applications , such as this example , the circuitry is controlled by a digital control . as an example a power down bar ( pdb ) signal used to indicate whether the amplifier block is powered up or down . for the power up sequence , the pdb signal goes high at time 1206 shortly there after the control signal goes high . during power down the digital circuitry begins to power down the block . first the control signal goes down at 1212 , then the pdb signal goes down at 1214 and finally the power signal begins to ramp down at 1216 . it should be emphasized that the above - described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations . many variations and modifications may be made to the above - described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure . all such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims .	7
in the overall scheme of preparing phs in a limited number of process steps , it has been unexpectedly found that the intermediate product , i . e . 4 - hydroxymethylcarbinol ( hpmc ) can be efficiently prepared by hydrogenating 4 - hydroxyacetophenone ( 4 - hap ) under certain conditions . specifically , it has been found that 4 - hap can be heated under suitable hydrogenation conditions of temperature and pressure in the presence of a suitable palladium catalyst and for a sufficient period of time to form hpmc in relatively high yields . the heating is conducted at a temperature of at least about 20 ° c ., preferably from about 20 ° c . to about 100 ° c ., in the presence of at least a stoiehiometric amount of hydrogen and a catalyst selected from the group consisting of pd / c ; pd / al 2 o 3 ; pd / sio 2 ; and pd / caco 3 . in a preferred embodiment , the reaction is conducted until a substantial completion of hydrogenation is indicated by a lack of h 2 uptake , normally about one to twelve hours . in a preferred embodiment , when pd / c is used , the reaction proceeds at a pressure of from about 14 . 7 psig to about 5 , 000 psig , more preferably at a pressure of from about 50 psig to about 500 psig , and most preferably at a pressure of from about 100 psig to about 400 psig . the hydrogenation conditions also include the use of a suitable solvent / diluent . diluents / solvents which can be used in the present invention include : ( a ) water ; ( b ) hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , xylene , and low - boiling point petroleum fractions ; ( c ) inorganic gases such as carbon monoxide , carbon dioxide , nitrogen , helium , and argon ; ( d ) dipolar protic or aprotic solvents ; and ( e ) mixtures thereof . the dipolar aprotie solvents employed are solvents which have a high dielectric constant and a high dipole moment but no acid hydrogen atoms ; for example , such solvents include dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), acetonitrile , dimethylformamide ( dmf ), dimethylacetamide , hexamethylphosphoric acid triamide ( hmpt ), and n - methyl pyrrolidone ( nmp ). solvents such as ethanol , methanol , or tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) may be used alone or in combination with the preceding solvents / diluents . water , ethanol , methanol , benzene , and toluene ( and mixtures thereof ) are preferred diluents . the diluents are used in an amount of 2 to 200 mols , preferably 3 to 20 mols per mol of 4 - hap . it is to be understood that any diluent may be used under any temperature and reaction conditions so long as the hydrogenation of 4 - hap is effected smoothly . the amount of catalyst employed is that which is catalytically effective in promoting the reaction . usually , this amount is from about 0 . 001 weight percent to about 10 . 0 weight percent based on the weight of the starting material , i . e . 4 - hap . the length of time which this heating / hydrogenation ( reaction ) step is conducted is not critical and the only requirement is that the heating be conducted for a period sufficient to form hpmc . generally , this period is at least five minutes and may be as long as 25 hours , generally from about one to about twelve hours . after the hydrogenation of 4 - hap , the end product ( hpmc ) is recovered from the reaction product and the residual fraction containing any unreacted 4 - hap can be recycled as the starting material for the next cycle of hydrogenation . the end product ( hpmc ) may be recovered from the reaction product by any method . one example is to recover the hpmc as a polymerized product , i . e . the reaction product is first subjected to a decomposition and a polymerization step to polymerize the hpmc to the resulting polymer -- polyhydroxystyrene ( phs ). the following specific example is supplied for the purpose of better illustrating the invention . this example is not intended , however , to limit or restrict the scope of the invention in any way and should not be construed as providing conditions , parameters , or values which must be utilized exclusively in order to practice the present invention . while the above has been described using 4 - hydroxyacetophenone ( 4 - hap ) as the starting material , it is also within the scope of the present invention to use ( 1 ) other hydroxyacetophenones ( wherein the hydroxy substituents are positioned at different locations on the phenyl ring ), and ( 2 ) substituted hydroxyacetophenones wherein the remaining four hydrogen atoms ( on the phenyl ring ) are selectively replaced by an r group , said r being selected from the group consisting of ( a ) c 1 - c 8 alkyl ; ( b ) c 6 h 5 ; ( c ) halogen ( f , cl , br , i ); ( d ) hydroxy ; and ( e ) or where r is the same as defined above . these hydroxyacetophenones and substituted hydroxyacetophenones are all suitable starting materials for use in the present invention process . the resultant product will be a hydroxyphenylcarbinol or substituted hydroxyphenylcarbinol (&# 34 ; carbinol &# 34 ;). in another facet of the present invention , it was also found that the utilization of a basic material in the hydrogenation step results in substantial increases in the selectivity to the desired product , i . e . the carbinol . the basic material is selected from the group consisting of ( a ) alkali metal hydroxides ( e . g . naoh , koh ); ( b ) alkaline earth metal hydroxides ( e . g . ca ( oh ) 2 ; ( c ) alkali metal carbonates ( e . g . k 2 co 3 ); ( d ) alkali metal alkoxides ( e . g . naoch 3 and koc ( ch 3 ) 3 ); ( e ) alkali metal organic acid salts ( e . g . an ionic organic base such as potassium acetate ); and ( f ) amines ( a non - ionic organic base ) such as pyridine or a tri - lower - alkylamine ( e . g . tripropylamine , trimethylamine , and triethylamine ). such basic material is present in any amount which will achieve the desired end result . thus , an effective amount will be at least 1 ppm ( part per million ), preferably from about 1 ppm to about 10 , 000 ppm , more preferably from about 25 ppm to about 1 , 000 ppm . the exact mechanism is not known , however it was surprising to find that such addition of the basic material to the hydrogenation step resulted in significant increases in selectivity . 4 - hydroxyacetophenone ( 13 . 6 g , 0 . 1 mol ) was charged in a 500 ml zipper autoclave reactor , absolute alcohol ( 100 ml ), and 5 % pd / c ( johnson matthey &# 39 ; s 21r ) ( 1 . 2 g ) was added . the autoclave was first checked for leaks with 100 psig of nitrogen . the autoclave was later pressurized to 300 psig with hydrogen and stirred at 35 ° c . for three hours . during this time , 0 . 095 mole of hydrogen was consumed ( 95 % of the theoretical value ). the reaction was vented and the contents filtered through a millipore filter yielding a colorless solution . concentration of this solution in vacuo gave a solid . traces of ethanol were removed via azeotropic distillation with toluene to afford a white solid ( 13 . 8 g ). liquid chromatographic analysis of the product showed 1 , 4 - hpe ( or hpmc ) ( 99 . 0 %), 4 - hap ( 0 . 2 %), and 4 - ep ( ethylphenol ) ( 0 . 8 %). 1 h nmr spectrum of the product showed it to be mainly 1 , 4 - hpe , with traces of 4 - hap . using the same procedure set forth in example i , examples ii - xii were carried out using different reaction conditions as outlined in table 1 . the results are shown in table 1 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________analytical reaction conditionsexam - ex . std run 4 - hap catalyst type solvent / h . sub . 2ple no . hpmc 4 - hap hsm ep time ( g .) & amp ; amount amount added comments__________________________________________________________________________ii 84 . 79 11 . 08 0 . 00 0 . 57 1 . 6 hrs 12 . 0 0 . 6 g . 5 % pd / c 48 g . meoh 227 45 ° c ., white crystalsiii 74 . 11 0 . 33 0 . 00 16 . 00 1 . 1 hrs 18 . 0 1 . 3 g . 5 % pd / c 42 g . meoh 323 55 ° c ., white crystalsiv 83 . 33 0 . 00 0 . 00 10 . 60 3 . 2 hrs 6 . 0 0 . 2 g . 5 % pd / c 54 g . meoh 108 35 ° c ., white crystalsv 35 . 97 48 . 96 5 . 97 2 . 46 2 . 0 hrs 6 . 9 0 . 6 g . 5 % pd / c 51 g . etoh 270 35 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , white crystalvi 47 . 30 41 . 48 5 . 22 2 . 64 1 . 0 hrs 6 . 0 0 . 6 g . 5 % pd / c 51 g . etoh ** 35 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , white crystalvii 78 . 95 0 . 00 0 . 00 16 . 57 3 . 0 hrs 6 . 0 0 . 6 g . 5 % pd / c 50 g . meoh 35 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , white crystalviii 2 . 5 hrs 6 . 0 0 . 6 g . 5 % pd / c 45 . 5 g . meoh / 740 81 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , 5 . 6 g . h . sub . 2 o liquid after rotovapix 86 . 90 0 . 00 * 10 . 11 2 . 0 hrs 8 . 0 0 . 4 g . 5 % pd / c 53 . 4 g . meoh 780 35 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , white crystalx 81 . 36 0 . 86 * 3 . 55 2 . 0 hrs 8 . 0 0 . 2 g . 5 % pd / c 53 . 4 g . meoh 530 35 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , white crystalxi 28 . 52 69 . 22 * 2 . 26 4 . 0 hrs 20 . 0 1 . 0 g . 5 % pd / c 40 g . meoh 390 35 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , white crystalxii 4 . 5 hrs 20 . 0 1 . 0 g . 5 % pd / c 39 . 9 g . meoh 1140 35 ° c ., rxn psi 300 , white__________________________________________________________________________ crystal to a five - gallon stainless steel reactor , a solution of 4 - hydroxyacetophenone ( 2500 g , 18 . 4 moles ) and a 25 % solution of sodium methoxide in methanol ( 39 . 1 g , 0 . 26 moles ) in methanol ( 10 , 000 g , 312 . 5 moles ), and palladium on carbon catalyst ( escat 10 , 125 g ) were charged . the reactor is purged three times with nitrogen ( 100 psi ). hydrogen is then charged to a pressure of 300 psi and the reactor is heated to 45 ° c . the temperature is maintained at 45 ° c . for three hours at a constant hydrogen pressure of 500 psi . the reactor is cooled to 30 ° c . and then discharged ( 12 , 245 g ). the analysis of the solution gave a conversion of 97 . 6 % and a selectivity of 96 . 0 % ( note table 2 ). example xiii was repeated nine times using the conditions set forth in table 2 . the results are shown in table 2 . the results of these examples xiii - xxii are compared to those of examples i - xii ( i . e . without the use of a basic material ) and it can readily be seen that the use of a basic material surprisingly results in a significant increase ( e . g . example vi - 47 . 30 % hpmc vs . example xv - 86 . 4 % hpmc ) in selectivity of the hpmc . table 2__________________________________________________________________________temp pressure % % catalystexample ° c . psig 4 - hap vs 4 - hap conversion selectivity yield__________________________________________________________________________xiii 45 500 20 5 97 . 6 96 . 0 93 . 7xiv 35 300 10 3 92 . 7 96 . 4 89 . 4xv 55 300 30 3 99 . 2 86 . 4 85 . 7xvi 35 700 10 7 99 . 6 93 . 8 93 . 4xvii 45 500 20 5 99 . 4 88 . 8 88 . 3xviii55 700 10 3 92 . 1 95 . 5 88 . 0xix 35 700 30 3 99 . 4 93 . 5 92 . 9xx 35 300 30 7 98 . 2 98 . 0 96 . 2xxi 55 300 10 7 99 . 3 93 . 9 93 . 2xxii 45 500 20 5 98 . 4 96 . 9 95 . 3__________________________________________________________________________ 4 - hydroxyacetophenone ( 13 . 6 g , 0 . 1 mol ) was charged in 500 ml zipper autoclave reactor , absolute alcohol ( 100 ml ), the indicated amount ( table 3 ) of et 3 n ( triethylamine ), and 5 % pd / c ( johnson matthey &# 39 ; s 21r ) ( 1 . 2 g ) was added . the autoclave was first checked for leaks with 100 psig of nitrogen . the autoclave was later pressurized to 300 psig with hydrogen and stirred at 35 ° c . for three hours . during this time , 0 . 095 mole of hydrogen was consumed ( 95 % of the theoretical value ). the reaction was vented and the contents filtered through a millipore filter yielding a colorless solution . concentration of this solution under vacuum gave a solid . traces of ethanol were removed via azeotropic distillation with toluene to afford a white solid ( 13 . 8 g ). liquid chromatographic analysis of the product showed 97 . 8 % conversion and 99 . 2 % selectivity to 4 - hpmc . 1 h nmr spectrum of the product showed it to be mainly 4 - hpmc with traces of 4 - hap . the results are shown in table 3 . example xxiii was repeated four times using the conditions set forth in table 3 . the results are shown in table 3 . table 3__________________________________________________________________________hydrogenation of 4 - hydroxy acetophenone ( 4 - hap ) to4 - hydroxyphenylmethylcarbinol ( 4 - hpmc ) example 4 - hap ( additive ) h . sub . 2 press . convrs . selectivity 4 - hpmcno . ( mole ) solvent catalyst ( g ) ( mole ) t , h t , c psig % 4 - hpmc 4 - ep 4 - vpm yield__________________________________________________________________________ % xxiv 0 . 1 ethanol 5 % pd / c . sup . a ( 1 . 0 ) et . sub . 3 n ( 0 . 01 ) 3 . 3 50 100 55 . 2 83 . 5 0 . 0 3 . 6 46 . 1xxv 0 . 1 ethanol 5 % pd / c . sup . a ( 1 . 0 ) et . sub . 3 n ( 0 . 005 ) 3 . 5 50 150 91 . 4 86 . 5 0 . 0 0 . 9 84 . 2xxvi 0 . 1 ethanol 5 % pd / c . sup . a ( 1 . 3 ) et . sub . 3 n ( 0 . 005 ) 5 . 0 40 200 74 . 9 93 . 7 0 . 0 0 . 4 80 . 4xxvii 0 . 1 ethanol 5 % pd / c . sup . a ( 1 . 2 ) et . sub . 3 n ( 0 . 005 ) 4 . 0 35 250 99 . 4 87 . 3 0 . 0 0 . 6 87 . 5__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a johnson matthey &# 39 ; s 21r catalyst lot no . 8d4906 was used . although the invention has been illustrated by the preceding examples , it is not to be construed as being limited thereby ; but rather , the invention encompasses the generic area as hereinbefore disclosed . various modifications and embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof .	8
as mentioned above , the present invention is based on the unexpected finding that combined administration of a 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist and a 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist reduces food intake more than either agonist or antagonist alone . such combined administration of a 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist and a 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist may also offer several benefits , for instance in the treatment of obesity , as compared to treatment with either agonist or antagonist alone . firstly , the combined administration requires lower doses of each compound to yield similar or improved reduction of food intake than mono - therapy . secondly , the lower doses required by the combined administration may reduce the risk of adverse events . thirdly , the lower doses required by the combined administration may reduce the risk of tolerance development and abuse liability . fourthly , therapy based on two targets may increase the individual therapeutic efficacy relative to therapy based on one target . the risk of non - responsive efficacy ( non - responders ) may be reduced as well . the beneficial effects of the combined administration of this invention is useful not only for the modulation of eating behavior , and for treating over - weight and obesity , but may also be useful for the treatment of cns disorders such as , depression , mania , schizophreniform disorders , anxiety , memory disorders ( such as alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease ) migraine headache , drug addiction , convulsive disorders , personality disorders , post - traumatic stress syndrome , and sleep disorders as well as for treatment of urinary incontinence ( or more generally overactive bladder ), sexual dysfunctions , gastrointestinal disorders and glaucoma . the term “ 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist ” as used herein refers to a compound that causes activation of the serotonin 5 - ht 2c receptor . the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist preferably has an affinity constant , k i , of less than 50 nm , preferably less than 20 nm , and an in vitro intrinsic activity , measured as intracellular ca 2 + levels , greater than 20 %, preferably greater than 50 %, relative to 5 - ht ( 1 μm ). the term “ 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist ” as used herein refers to a compound that causes blockade of the serotonin 5 - ht 6 receptor mediated responses . the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist preferably has an affinity constant , k i , of less than 50 nm , preferably less than 20 nm , and an in vitro intrinsic activity , measured as intracellular camp levels , less than 50 %, preferably less than 20 %, relative to 5 - ht ( 1 μm ). in vitro assays that may be used for determining the affinity and the intrinsic activity , respectively , of 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists and 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists are known in the art and are also given in the experimental part below , as are assays for determining affinity to 5 - ht 2a and 5 - ht 2b receptors . generally , the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists and 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists should be sufficiently selective not to cause any substantial adverse side effects . the terms “ selective ” and “ substantial ” in this context are , however , to be interpreted broadly , the meanings thereof being readily apparent to the skilled person . the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist preferably has a selectivity for the 5 - ht 2c receptor of at least 5 , preferably at least 10 and more preferably at least 20 , relative to the 5 - ht 2a , 5 - ht 2b and 5 - ht 6 receptors , respectively ( measured as the affinity ratios 5 - ht 2a / 5 - ht 2c , 5 - ht 2b / 5 - ht 2c and 5 - ht 6 / 5 - ht 2c ). the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist preferably has a selectivity for the 5 - ht 6 receptor of at least 5 , preferably at least 10 and more preferably at least 20 , relative to the 5 - ht 2a , 5 - ht 2b and 5 - ht 2c receptors , respectively ( measured as the affinity ratios 5 - ht 2a / 5 - ht 6 , 5 - ht 2b / 5 - ht 6 and 5 - ht 2c / 5 - ht 6 ). relevant tests to determine whether a compound is a selective 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist or a selective 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist are known in the art , and are , as mentioned above , also outlined in the experimental part below . compounds known to be 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists are , for example , azetidine and pyrrolidine derivatives of the type described in ep - a - 0863136 ; tricyclic pyrrole derivatives of the type described in ep - a - 0657426 ; 1 - aminoethylindoles of the type described in ep - a - 0655440 ; pyrazinoindoles of the type described in ep - a - 0572863 ; piperazinylpyrazines of the type described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 081 , 542 ; indoline derivatives of the type described in wo 00 / 12475 ; pyrroloindoles , pyridoindoles and azepinoindoles of the type described in wo 00 / 12510 ; indazole derivatives of the type described in wo 00 / 12482 ; pyrroloquinolines of the type described in wo 00 / 12502 ; 2 , 3 , 4 , 4a - tetrahydro - 1h - pyrazino [ 1 , 2 - a ] quinoxalin - 5 ( 6h ) ones of the type described in wo 00 / 35922 ; indazolylpropylamines of the type described in wo 00 / 12481 ; indazoles of the type described in wo 00 / 17170 ; piperazinylpyrazines of the type described in wo 00 / 76984 and in swedish patent applications nos . 0004244 - 0 and 0004245 - 7 , filed on nov . 20 , 2000 ; heterocycle fused γ - carbolines of the type described in wo 00 / 77001 , wo 00 / 77002 and wo 00 / 77010 ; benzofurylpiperazines of the type described in wo 01 / 09111 and wo 01 / 09123 ; benzofurans of the type described in wo 01 / 09122 ; benzothiophenes of the type described in 01 / 09126 ; pyridinylpiperazines of the type described in ep 370560 ; pyrroloquinolines of the type described in bioorg . med . chem . lett . 2000 , 10 , 919 - 921 ; aminoalkylindazoles of the type described in wo 98 / 30548 ; indoles of the type described in wo 01 / 12603 ; indolines of the type described in wo 01 / 12602 ; pyrazino ( aza ) indoles of the type described in wo 00 / 44753 ; tricyclic pyrroles or pyrazoles of the type described in wo 98 / 56768 . currently preferable 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists are of the arylpiperazine and piperazinylpyrazine compound classes , in particular compounds disclosed in wo 00 / 76984 and in swedish patent applications nos . 0004244 - 0 and 0004245 - 7 , filed on nov . 20 , 2000 . compounds known to be 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists are , for example , piperazinylbenzenesulfonamides of the type described in wo 99 / 37623 ; sulfonylbenzene derivatives of the type described in ep - a - 0930302 ; sulfonamide derivatives of the type described in wo 99 / 02502 ; sulfonamide derivatives of the type described in wo 99 / 42465 ; sulfonamide derivatives of the type described in wo 98 / 27081 ; carboxamide derivatives of the type described in wo 98 / 27058 ; sulfonamide derivatives of the type described in ep - a - 0815861 ; pyrrolidonomethylindole derivatives of the type described in wo 99 / 47516 ; bicyclic piperidine and piperazine derivatives of the type described in wo 99 / 65906 ; pyrazolopyrimidine and pyrazolotriazine derivatives of the type described in ep - a - 0941994 ; arylsulfone - substituted hexahydroazepinoindoles of the type described in wo 01 / 05793 ; oxazinocarbazoles of the type described in wo 01 / 09142 ; aminoalkoxycarbazoles of the type described in wo 01 / 17963 ; diphenylsulfones of the type described in the international patent application pct / us00 / 30177 , filed on jun . 20 , 2000 ; and arylsulfonylindoles of the type described in the swedish patent application no . 0003810 - 9 , filed on oct . 20 , 2000 . currently preferable 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists include the azepinoindole compound class , such as the class of arylsulfone - substituted hexahydroazepinoindoles compounds disclosed in wo 01 / 05793 . other preferred 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists include the arylsulfonylindole compound class , such as the compound class described in the swedish patent application no . 0003810 - 9 . the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists and the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists may be the compounds as such or where appropriate the pharmaceutically acceptable salts ( acid or base addition salts ) thereof or stereochemically isomeric forms thereof ( including optical isomers , such as enantiomers and racemates ). the pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts as mentioned above are meant to comprise the therapeutically active non - toxic acid and base addition salt forms which the compounds are able to form . compounds which have basic properties can be converted to their pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts by treating the base form with an appropriate acid . exemplary acids include inorganic acids , such as hydrogen chloride , hydrogen bromide , hydrogen iodide , sulphuric acid , phosphoric acid ; and organic acids such as acetic acid , propanoic acid , hydroxyacetic acid , lactic acid , pyruvic acid , glycolic acid , maleic acid , malonic acid , oxalic acid , benzenesulfonic acid , toluenesulfonic acid , methanesulfonic acid , trifluoroacetic acid , fumaric acid , succinic acid , malic acid , tartaric acid , citric acid , salicylic acid , p - aminosalicylic acid , pamoic acid , benzoic acid , ascorbic acid and the like . exemplary base addition salt forms are the sodium , potassium , calcium salts , and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable amines such as , for example , ammonia , alkylamines , benzathine , and amino acids , such as , e . g . arginine and lysine . the term addition salt as used herein also comprises solvates which the compounds and salts thereof are able to form , such as , for example , hydrates , alcoholates and the like . the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists and the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists may also be prodrugs or forms that may release the active ingredient in question after metabolic tranformation in vivo . conventional procedures for the selection and preparation of suitable prodrug derivatives are described , for example , in “ design of prodrugs ” ed . h . bundgaard , elsevier , 1985 . the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists and the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists may be formulated into various pharmaceutical forms for administrative purposes , either in the same pharmaceutical dosage form , such as in the same tablet , or in separate pharmaceutical dosage forms . in the latter case , however , it may be advantageous to put the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist unit dosage form and the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist unit dosage form in the same package , for example in the same blister . the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists and the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists , in the form of free bases or salt , can be brought into suitable galenic forms , such as compositions for oral use , for injection , for nasal spray administration or the like , in accordance with accepted pharmaceutical procedures . such pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention comprise an effective amount of a 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist and a 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist in association with compatible pharmaceutically acceptable carrier materials , or diluents , as are well known in the art . the carriers may be any inert material , organic or inorganic , suitable for oral , enteral , rectal , percutaneous , subcutaneous or parenteral administration , such as : water , gelatin , gum arabicum , lactose , microcrystalline cellulose , starch , sodium starch glycolate , calcium hydrogen phosphate , magnesium stearate , talcum , colloidal silicon dioxide , and the like . such compositions may also contain other pharmacologically active agents , and conventional additives , such as stabilizers , wetting agents , emulsifiers , flavoring agents , buffers , and the like . the compositions according to the invention can e . g . be made up in solid or liquid form for oral administration , such as tablets , pills , capsules , powders , syrups , elixirs , dispersable granules , cachets , suppositories and the like , in the form of sterile solutions , suspensions or emulsions for parenteral administration , sprays , e . g . a nasal spray , transdermal preparations , e . g . patches , and the like . the dose level of each of the specific 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist and 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist , and the frequency of dosage of the specific combination will vary depending on a variety of factors including the potency of each specific compound employed , the metabolic stability and length of action of that compound , the patient &# 39 ; s age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , mode and time of administration , rate of excretion , drug combination , the severity of the condition to be treated ). the daily dosage may , for example , range from about 0 . 001 mg to about 150 mg per kilo of body weight , preferably from about 0 . 01 mg to about 100 mg per kilo of body weight , especially from about 0 . 1 to about 50 mg per kilo of body weight of each of the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist and of the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist , administered singly or multiply in doses , e . g . dosages of from about 0 . 01 mg to about 1 g each . usually , such a combined dosage is given orally but e . g . parenteral or rectal administration may also be chosen . an exemplary tablet combination formulation may be in the form of either ( a ) two separate tablets , i . e . one tablet containing 10 mg , 20 mg or 50 mg of a 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist , and one tablet containing 10 mg , 20 mg or 50 mg of a 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist ; or ( b ) a combined tablet containing 10 mg , 20 mg or 50 mg of a 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist and 10 mg , 20 mg or 50 mg of a 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist . the invention will now be illustrated further by the following non - limiting experimental section . the free base of the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist ( 2r )- methyl - 1 -{ 3 -[ 2 -( 3 - pyridinyloxy ) ethoxy ]- 2 - pyrazinyl } piperazine , fumarate (“ pnu - 183933f ”) was prepared as described in wo 00 / 76984 . the free base was converted to its fumarate salt , m . p . 126 - 129 ° c . ms m / z 315 ( m ) + . anal . ( c 16 h 2l n 5 o 2 . c 4 h 4 o 4 ) c , h , n . the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist 6 - methyl - 9 -( phenylsulfonyl )- 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - hexahydroazepino [ 4 , 5 - b ] indole , hydrochloride (“ pnu - 186053a ”) was prepared as described in wo 01 / 05793 . the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist ( 2r )- 1 -( 3 -{ 2 -[( 2 - ethoxy - 3 - pyridinyl ) oxy ] ethoxy }- 2 - pyrazinyl )- 2 - methylpiperazine , fumarate (“ bvt . 2938f ”) was prepared as described in wo 00 / 76984 . the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist 1 -( phenylsulfonyl )- 4 -( 1 - piperazinyl )- 1h - indole , hydrochloride (“ bvt . 5182c ”) was prepared as described in swedish patent application no . 0003810 - 9 , filed on oct . 20 , 2000 . briefly , bvt . 5182c was prepared according the general procedure depicted in scheme 1 , below , starting from commercially available 4 - piperazinoindole ( compound 1 ) that undergoes steps ( a ) to ( c ) to afford 1 -( phenylsulfonyl )- 4 -( 1 - piperazinyl )- 1h - indole , hydrochloride ( yield 80 %). hplc purity & gt ; 95 %; 1 h nmr ( dmso - d6 ) δ9 . 64 ( br s , 2 h ), 8 . 00 - 7 . 85 ( m , 3 h ), 7 . 79 ( d , j = 3 . 77 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 70 - 7 . 65 ( m , 1 h ), 7 . 63 - 7 . 60 ( m , 3 h ), 7 . 27 - 7 . 22 ( m , 1 h ), 6 . 95 ( d , j = 3 . 76 hz , 1 h ), 6 . 81 - 6 . 77 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 30 - 3 . 20 ( m , 4 h ); 13 c nmr ( dmso - d6 ) δ144 . 79 , 137 . 02 , 135 . 22 , 134 . 62 , 129 . 82 , 126 . 85 , 125 . 63 , 125 . 54 , 123 . 49 , 111 . 15 , 107 . 87 , 107 . 76 , 47 . 81 , 42 . 86 ; ms ( poses - fia ) m / z 342 ( m + h ). 4 - piperazinoindole ( 1 eq ), dmap ( 0 . 1 eq ) and et 3 n ( 4 eq ) were dissolved in dmf . ( boc ) 2 o ( 1 . 1 eq ) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature ( 12 h ). dmf was evaporated and the residue was purified by chromatography on silica gel using a mixture of chloroform , methanol and ammonia as eluent . hplc : 100 % purity . ms m / z 302 . 2 ( m + h ). the intermediate 2 ( 1 . 0 eq ) was dissolved in dmf and nah ( 1 . 3 eq ) was added and the suspension was stirred for 0 . 5 h under nitrogen atmosphere . benzenesulfonyl chloride ( 1 . 2 eq ) was added and the reaction was stirred overnight at room temperature . the volatiles were evaporated . the residue was dissolved in dcm , washed with a saturated solution of nahco 3 , dried ( mgso 4 ), filtered and concentrated to give an oily residue that was purified by chromatography on silica gel using a mixture of hexane and ethylacetate ( 7 : 3 ) as eluent to give tert butyl 4 -[ 1 -( benzenesulfonyl )- 1h - indol - 4 - yl )]- 1 - piperazinecarboxylate ( 3 ). hplc 100 %. nmr ( 1 h and 13 c ) and ms analyses support the stated structure . the boc group on intermediate 3 was removed by dissolving the compound in methanol followed by addition of ether saturated with hcl gas . the hcl salt ( 4 ) was filtered and dried . tablet ingredients mg / tablet 1 . 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist 10 . 0 2 . 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist 10 . 0 3 . cellulose , microcrystalline 57 . 0 4 . calcium hydrogen phosphate 15 . 0 5 . sodium starch glycolate 5 . 0 6 . silicon dioxide , colloidal 0 . 25 7 . magnesium stearate 0 . 75 the active ingredients 1 and 2 are mixed with ingredients 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 for about 10 minutes . the magnesium stearate ( 7 ) is then added , and the resultant mixture is mixed for about 5 minutes and compressed into tablet form with or without film - coating . 5 - ht 2c receptor affinity is determined in competition experiments , where the ability of a compound in serial dilution to displace 3 h - labeled 5 - ht , bound to membranes prepared from a transfected hek293 cell line stably expressing the human 5 - ht 2c receptor protein , is monitored by scintillation proximity assay ( spa ) technology . non - specific binding is defined using 5 μm mianserin . 5 - ht 2a receptor affinity is determined in competition experiments , where the ability of a compound in serial dilution to displace 3 h - labeled ketanserin or lysergic acid diethylamide ( lsd ), bound to membranes prepared from a transfected cho cell line stably expressing the human 5 - ht 2a receptor protein , is monitored by measuring the radioactivity of filtered membrane homogenates on glass fiber filters in a scintillation counter . non - specific binding is defined using 5 μm mianserin . 5 - ht 2b receptor affinity is determined in competition experiments , where the ability of a compound in serial dilution to displace 3 h - labeled 5 - ht , bound to membranes prepared from a transfected cho cell line stably expressing the human 5 - ht 2b receptor protein , is monitored by scintillation proximity assay ( spa ) technology . non - specific binding is defined using 5 μm mianserin . the agonist efficacy at the 5 - ht 2c receptor is determined by the ability of a compound to mobilise intracellular calcium in transfected hek293 cells , stably expressing the human 5 - ht 2c receptor protein , using the calcium - chelating fluorescent dye fluo - 3 ( sigma , st . louis , mo ., u . s . a .). relative efficacy (%) is measured relative to that of serotonin at 1 μm . the radioligand binding assay uses [ 3 h ]- lysergic acid diethylamide ( lsd ). the assay is carried out in 96 - well sample plates by the addition of 11 μl of the test compound at the appropriate dilution ( the assay employs 11 serial concentrations of samples run in duplicate ), 11 μl of radioligand , and 178 μl of a washed mixture of wga - coated spa beads and membranes in binding buffer prepared from hek293 - cells containing cloned human 5 - ht 6 receptor . the plates are shaken for about 5 minutes and then incubated at room temperature for 1 hour . the plates are then loaded into counting cassettes and counted in a scintillation counter . the specifically bound cpm obtained are fit to a one - site binding model using graphpad prism ver . 2 . 0 . estimated ic 50 values are converted to k i ( affinity constant ) values using the cheng - prusoff equation ( cheng , y . c . et al ., biochem . pharmacol . 1973 , 22 , 3099 - 3108 ). the antagonist potency at the 5 - ht 6 receptor is determined by the ability of a compound to antagonize the increase in camp induced by 5 - ht in hek293 cells , stably expressing the human 5 - ht 6 receptor protein , using a camp spa direct screening assay system ( rpa559 , amersham pharmacia biotech , uppsala , sweden ). 5 - ht 2c receptor agonists ( 2r )- methyl - 1 -{ 3 -[ 2 -( 3 - pyridinyloxy ) ethoxy ]- 2 - pyrazinyl } piperazine , fumarate (“ pnu - 183933f ”) and ( 2r )- 1 -( 3 -{ 2 -[( 2 - ethoxy - 3 - pyridinyl ) oxy ] ethoxy }- 2 - pyrazinyl )- 2 - methylpiperazine , fumarate (“ bvt . 2938f ”) were dissolved in saline ( 0 . 9 % nacl ) and diluted in the same vehicle to the appropriate concentration . 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonists 6 - methyl - 9 -( phenylsulfonyl )- 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - hexahydroazepino [ 4 , 5 - b ] indole , hydrochloride (“ pnu - 186053a ”) and 1 -( phenylsulfonyl )- 4 -( 1 - piperazinyl )- 1h - indole , hydrochloride ( 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist (“ bvt . 5182c ”) were dissolved and diluted in 25 % cyclodextrin . male mice 8 - 9 weeks old ( c57bl / 6jbom - lep ob ( ob / ob ), bomholtsgaard , denmark ) with an average body weight of 45 g were used . the animals were housed singly in cages at 23 ± 1 ° c ., 40 - 60 % humidity and had free access to water and standard laboratory chow . the 12 / 12 h light / dark cycle was set to lights off at 5 p . m . the animals were conditioned for at least one week before start of study . during experimental sessions , the animals obtained special chow ( bioserv , frenchtown , n . j ., usa dust - free precision pellets weighing 20 mg each ). at the start of the study the animals were transferred to special cages “ operant test cages ” ( habitest modular animal behavior test system ; colbourn instr , allentown , pa ., usa ). these cages consist of a feeder trough with sensors for measurement of food intake , an optic lickometer for registration of water intake and an infrared - based monitor for recording overall general motor activity . the monitors are coupled to a computer , which controls and monitor events continuously . food pellets were weighed to the amount needed for one whole study and water bottles were filled with fresh tap water and weighed . the animals were conditioned to their new environment for three days to establish baseline values . the animals were weighed at 3 p . m . at the start and at the end of the study . the compounds were administered between 4 . 20 and 5 . 00 p . m . before dark onset . three groups of animals received ( i ) 5 - ht 6 antagonist in 25 % cyclodextrin ; ( ii ) 5 - ht 2c agonist in saline ; and ( iii ) the combination 5 - ht 2c agonist / 5 - ht 6 antagonist , respectively . when combined , 5 - ht 6 antagonist or saline was administered 30 min before administration of the 5 - ht 2c agonist or 25 % cyclodextrin . a fourth group received respectively vehicle administered in the same way . the study ended on the fifth day . weighing was performed with a computer - assisted mettler - toledo pr5002 / pr802 balance . each dose group consisted of 12 - 16 animals . data were corrected for food spillage based on the weighed spillage during 22 hours and assumed to be proportional over time . calculations were performed for the data before and after treatment . the values were expressed as % of basal food intake ( mean ± sem ) for the difference between food intake before treatment and 3 h ( 5 pm - 8 pm ), 6 h ( 5 pm - 11 pm ), 12 h ( 5 pm - 5 am ), 21 h ( 5 pm - 2 pm ). the results shown in fig1 indicate that combined treatment with the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist “ pnu - 186053a ” ( 50 mg / kg subcutaneously ) and the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist “ pnu - 183933f ” ( 50 mg / kg per orally ) decreased food consumption significantly more than the compounds given alone . correspondingly , the results shown in fig2 indicate that combined treatment with the 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist “ bvt . 2938f ” ( 5 mg / kg subcutaneously ) and the 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist “ bvt . 5182c ” ( 3 mg / kg subcutaneously ) decreased food consumption , at 12 and 21 hours following administration , significantly more than the compounds given alone . thus , it is apparent that combined therapy with a 5 - ht 2c receptor agonist and a 5 - ht 6 receptor antagonist reduces food intake more efficiently as compared to treatment with either agonist or antagonist alone .	0
fig1 - 5 show generally the preferred method of the present invention and the transfer system of the present invention which is designated generally by the numeral 10 . the method of the present invention involves the use of a first , typically smaller marine vessel 11 that is to be transferred to or from the cargo deck 18 of a second , typically larger marine vessel 12 . the second vessel 12 will receive the first marine vessel 11 and transport it to a selected locale . the first , smaller vessel 11 can then be off loaded . such a transfer enables the two vessels 11 , 12 to travel with the first vessel 11 resting upon a cargo deck 18 of the second vessel 12 . the first vessel 11 can be any vessel that floats and can include for example a hovercraft , an amphibious vessel or any floating vessel that is able to travel upon a surrounding water surface 30 of a surrounding deep water marine environment 29 . as part of the method of the present invention , the first , smaller vessel 11 travels from water surface 30 to the upper surface 19 of cargo deck 18 of second marine vessel 12 . in fig1 and 2 , the first marine vessel 11 is a smaller marine vessel that provides a continuous inflatable wall that surrounds a pressurized volume of air under the hull of the vehicle . vessel 11 can also be of the type that has a continuous inflatable skirt or wall 57 that extends around the periphery of the vessel 11 . such a vessel with continuous inflatable skirt can be seen in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 984 , 754 , which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . the second marine vessel 12 is preferably an air cushion vehicle , hovercraft or surface effect vessel . vessel 12 can be the type that has two spaced apart rigid hulls ( e . g . catamaran ) and that provides sealing members or skirts forward and aft . the second marine vessel 12 provides a hull 13 that can be a single hull or a pair of spaced apart hull members providing a catamaran type hull . hull 13 has a bow 14 and a stem 15 , a port side 16 and a starboard side 17 . in such a catamaran rigid hulled vessel 12 , a pressurized volume of air 28 ( see fig5 ) is trapped under the hull 13 . the pressurized volume of air 28 is trapped in between the two rigid hulls and in between front and rear seals or skirts 21 . such rigid hull catamaran surface effect vessels can be seen in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 987 , 865 and 4 , 714 , 041 , each hereby incorporated herein by reference . in fig3 and 4 , the vessel 12 that is shown is a larger vessel that has spaced apart rigid hulls including a port side hull 22 and a starboard side hull 23 . flexible seals 21 can be provided fore and aft . a pressurized volume of air 28 ( see fig5 ) can be trapped under hull 13 in between the spaced apart rigid hulls 22 , 23 , under the cargo deck 18 , in between fore and aft flexible seals 21 , and above the water surface 30 . hull 13 provides a cargo deck 18 having an upper surface 19 that is receptive of first , smaller vessel 11 according to the method of the present invention . the cargo deck 18 can provide an inclined section 20 that is next to or that communicates with the water surface 30 . inclined section 20 or surface 19 can be positioned near or below water surface 30 when a transfer ( see fig2 and 4 ) of vessel 11 to cargo deck 18 is to take place . in fig4 , cargo deck 18 can provide an inclined section 20 that is near that part of vessel 12 that will receive vessel 11 . in fig3 and 4 , vessel 11 transfers from surrounding deep water marine environment 29 to cargo deck 18 at a position next to stem 15 of hull 13 . however , it should be understood that such a transfer could take place at the bow of vessel 12 , or at another location if desired . hull 13 can provide a superstructure 24 . hull 13 can be propelled using propellers 25 or jets as examples . in the embodiment shown in fig1 - 4 , a propeller 25 can be provided to each of the hulls 22 , 23 . steering is provided with a rudder 26 that is preferably positioned behind each propeller 25 , a rudder 26 is thus mounted on each of the port and starboard hulls 22 , 23 . gate 31 is an optional feature that is shown in fig1 - 4 . gate 31 can be a part of cargo deck 18 that pivots to an open position which is shown in fig1 and 4 . gate 31 can pivot to a closed position as indicated schematically by arrow 33 in fig3 . it should be understood however that gate 31 is an optional feature that can help dampen waves during transfer . in fig1 and 2 , arrow 32 schematically illustrates the forward movement of first vessel 11 toward cargo deck 18 of second vessel 12 . in fig1 and 4 , second vessel 12 is in its lowered or displacement mode , as indicated by the reference line 36 designating the water line relative to the vessel hull 13 . in fig5 , arrows 34 illustrate schematically the elevation of the hull 12 relative to the water surface 30 . reference line 27 in fig5 shows the water line in reference to hull 13 when the hull 13 is on its air cushion 28 for traveling . arrows 34 show that the upper deck 19 of cargo deck 18 has been elevated a distance indicated by arrows 77 in fig5 , i . e . the distance between reference lines 27 and 36 . in order to transfer the vessel 11 to the cargo deck 18 of the vessel 12 , the vessel 12 simply lowers the pressure of the pressurized volume of air that is contained under its hull 13 . for a hovercraft or surface effect ship such as the vessel 12 , this is accomplished by deactivating the powered fans that create the pressurized cushion of air upon which the vessel 12 travels . when a pressure lowering occurs , the vessel 12 is lowered in the water from a higher position shown in fig5 ( reference line 36 ) to the lower position shown in fig4 ( reference line 27 ). in fig5 , reference line 27 indicates the position of the water line when the vessel 12 is supported by the air cushion . in fig5 , a pressurized cushion or pressurized volume of air elevates the vessel 12 to the position shown . in fig1 and 4 , the pressure of the pressurized volume of air has been reduced so that the vessel 12 lowers in the water . this lowering of vessel 12 places cargo deck 18 upper surface 19 at , near or next to the water surface 30 . fig6 - 14 show a more detailed view of a suitable first , smaller marine vessel 11 . first vessel 11 provides a hull 41 having bow 42 and stern 43 portions . the hull 41 provides a port side 44 and a starboard side 45 . a hull periphery 46 is shown for purposes of reference when discussing the movement of the air propulsors or propellers 48 between the inner or inboard position of fig9 and the outer or outboard position of fig8 . a stem ramp 47 is positioned at stern 43 , in between propulsors 48 . ramp 47 is preferably of a width that enables full width loading of three lanes of vehicles 50 when the propulsors 48 are in the outboard position of fig7 and 8 . the hull 41 provides a deck area 49 for containing vehicles 50 . as shown in fig7 , multiple lanes of vehicles 50 are provided so that three vehicles 50 at a time can be loaded to deck area 49 using the three lane stern ramp 47 . a bow ramp 55 is likewise provided for unloading vehicles 50 , three lanes at a time . in fig8 - 14 , the movement of air propulsors or propellers 48 is shown between the inner or inboard position 51 ( fig9 and 11 ) and the outer or outboard position 52 ( fig8 and 10 ). each of the propellers 48 is a variable geometry main propulsor 48 that moves to the position of fig8 and 10 for enabling more efficiency and the position of fig9 and 11 which allows the first vessel 11 to be loaded onto second larger vessel 12 without damage to the propulsors 48 . in fig8 and 9 , reference numbers 53 and 54 are provided on the port and starboard sides of hull 41 . vertical reference line 53 extends upwardly from the periphery 46 of hull 41 . vertical reference line 54 extends upwardly from the inside edge of propulsor 48 . in the position of fig8 , it can be seen that at least a part of each of propulsors 48 is outboard of hull periphery 46 and thus outboard of reference lines 53 and 54 . when the propulsors 48 are in the position of fig8 , the distance between them as indicated by arrow 56 is equal to or wider than the width of the multiple ( e . g . three ) lane stem ramp 47 . in the position of fig9 , it can be seen that at least a part of each of propulsors 48 is inboard of hull periphery 46 and thus inboard of reference lines 53 and 54 . the propulsors 48 in the position of fig8 do not in any way interfere with the loading of vehicles 50 to deck area 49 , including when loading multiple lanes at a time using the full width of multiple lane stem ramp 47 . fig1 - 14 show in more detail the movable connection between the propeller 48 and hull 41 . in fig1 and 11 , a pivotal connection 59 can be used to join propeller 48 to support structure 62 which is connected ( for example , bolted or welded ) to the vessel hull 41 . a motor such as hydraulic cylinder 60 can be used to rotate propeller 48 relative to ships hull 41 as indicated schematically by the arrow 58 in fig9 and 11 . hydraulic cylinder 60 can thus be connected to support structure 62 with pinned connection 61 . a pinned connection 74 can be used to attach hydraulic cylinder 60 to propeller 48 . in fig1 - 14 , alternate methods for driving the propeller blades 66 are illustrated . in fig1 , motor drive 63 interfaces with propeller shaft 65 using a transmission 64 . arrow 67 illustrates that transmission 64 rotates with motor drive 63 and with shaft 65 and fan 48 , as the fan 48 moves in an arcuate path as shown by arrow 67 . similarly , the motor drive 63 in fig1 interfaces with drive shaft 69 using a transmission 68 . a right angle drive 70 connects shaft 69 to propeller shaft 72 using a gear box 71 . in fig1 , a power generator 73 produces electricity that travels via transmission lines 75 to electric motor 76 which rotates propeller shaft 72 to which blades 66 are attached . the following is a list of suitable parts and materials for the various elements of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . parts list part number description 10 vessel transfer system 11 first marine vessel 12 second marine vessel 13 hull 14 bow 15 stern 16 port side 17 starboard side 18 cargo deck 19 deck upper surface 20 inclined section of cargo deck 21 flexible seal or skirt 22 port hull 23 starboard hull 24 superstructure 25 propeller 26 rudder 27 reference line 28 pressurized air volume 29 deep water environment 30 water surface 31 gate section of cargo deck 32 arrow ( vessel 1 launch / recovery ) 33 arrow ( gate movement ) 34 arrow vessel 2 ( on / off cushion ) 35 arrows 36 reference line 41 hull 42 bow 43 stern 44 port side 45 starboard side 46 hull periphery 47 stern ramp 48 propulsors 49 deck area 50 vehicle 51 inner position 52 outer position 53 reference line 54 reference line 55 bow ramp 56 arrow , ramp width 57 inflatable skirt 58 arrow 59 pivot 60 hydraulic cylinder 61 pinned connection 62 support structure 63 motor drive 64 transmission 65 propeller shaft 66 propeller blade 67 arrow 68 transmission 69 drive shaft 70 right angle drive 71 gear box 72 propeller shaft 73 power generator 74 pinned connection 75 transmission 76 electric motor all measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure , at sea level on earth , unless indicated otherwise . the forgoing embodiments are presented by way of example only ; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims .	8
referring now to fig4 , there is shown a much simplified block diagram of a system for processing a modulating digital signal , wherein an “ encoder ” block receives a modulating information stream and outputs an encoded information stream organised in packets consisting of n frame bits , which may be either 64 , 800 or 16 , 200 ; the code employed is the ldpc code of the dvb - s2 standard . in an “ interleaver ” block , said packets are written into an interleaving matrix having a total size n frame ; said matrix is constituted by m × n columns and n frame / m × n rows . a “ demux ” block carries out a permutation of the bits received from the “ interleaver ” block ; such bits are received by the interleaving matrix in groups of m × n bits at a time , where n is the number of bits carried by the constellation ( n = 10 for 1024qam , n = 12 for 4096qam ), and “ m ” is an integer greater than or equal to 1 . the “ demux ” block associates them in m groups of n bits and permutes them according to predetermined schemes by taking into account the type of modulation ( i . e . the qam level ), the code and the type of transmission channel , and then it outputs them . a “ mapper ” block associates the n - ples of bits outputted by the “ demux ” block with the points or coordinates of the constellation , e . g . as shown in fig3 a and 3 b and in fig1 a to 10 m for qam modulations . it is worth pointing out that the blocks shown in fig4 are only those which are essential for understanding the present invention ; it should not therefore be excluded the presence of intermediate blocks , e . g . located between the “ demux ” block and the “ mapper ” block , adapted to perform specific signal processing functions . the present invention proposes particular permutation schemes which may be adopted for the qam modulations and ldpc codes having different code rates provided , for example , by the dvb - s2 standard in association with different types of interleaving . the preferred embodiment of the present invention refers to the 1024qam and 4096qam modulations and to the ldpc code of the dvb - s2 standard . the preferred embodiment of the present invention employs an interleaver which is equal or similar to the one of the dvb - s2 standard as shown in fig2 , with a number of bits / columns dependent on the qam modulation level type . the present invention provides for using a matrix interleaver in the form of a matrix having 2 × n columns and n frame /( 2 × n ) rows , written by columns from top to bottom and read by rows from left to right . in this case , the “ demux ” block operates with m equal to 2 . for 1024qam modulation , the 2 × n bits inputted to the “ demux ” block are permuted as specified in any of fig6 a to 6 d , and are associated with 2 consecutive symbols of 1024qam modulation . given the 2 × n bits b 0 to b 19 , the 2 × n bits carried by the 1024qam constellation y 0 to y 19 are determined by applying the method described in detail below . a first symbol consists of the bits b 0 , b 2 , b 4 , b 6 , b 8 , b 10 , b 12 , b 14 , b 16 , b 18 , and a second symbol consists of the bits b 1 , b 3 , b 5 , b 7 , b 9 , b 11 , b 13 , b 15 , b 17 , b 19 . each symbol is mapped individually by arranging the bits first on the in - phase portion ( i ) from the least significant bit ( lsb ) to the most significant bit ( msb ), and subsequently on the quadrature portion ( q ) from the msb to the lsb , as shown in fig8 a . i b , 1 and q b , 1 respectively designate the arrays of bits associated with the bits i y1 carried by the in - phase component and with the bits q y1 carried by the quadrature component of the first symbol ; i b2 , q b2 , i y2 , q y2 have the same meaning for the second symbol . as an alternative , the bits may be associated with the qam symbols as follows : i y , 1 = i b , 2 , q y , 1 = q b , 2 , i y , 2 = i b , 1 , q y , 2 = q b , 1 . the bits belonging to the pairs ( b 1 , b 3 ) and ( b 11 , b 19 ) are then exchanged ; fig8 b will thus be obtained from the example shown in fig8 a . the two symbols are then interlaced in terms of in - phase and quadrature portions , e . g . as shown in fig8 c , which is obtained from the example of fig8 b . as an alternative , the bits may be associated with the qam symbols as follows : i y , 1 = i b , 2 , q y , 1 = q b , 1 , i y , 2 = i b , 1 , q y , 2 = q b , 2 . afterwards , the bits associated with the even locations y 2 , y 6 , y 10 , y 14 , y 18 or odd locations y 0 , y 4 , y 8 , y 12 , y 16 on the in - phase portion are respectively exchanged with those associated with the even locations y 3 , y 7 , y 11 , y 15 , y 19 or odd locations y 1 , y 5 , y 9 , y 13 , y 17 on the quadrature portion . fig8 d will thus be obtained from the example shown in fig8 c . a first preferred embodiment relating to the 1024qam constellation is the one listed in fig8 d and illustrated in fig6 a , according to which , given the 2 × n bits b 0 to b 19 , the 2 × n bits carried by the 1024qam constellation y 0 to y 19 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 8 , y 1 = b 19 , y 2 = b 13 , y 3 = b 6 , y 4 = b 4 , y 5 = b 15 , y 6 = b 17 , y 7 = b 2 , y 8 = b 0 , y 9 = b 11 , y 10 = b 10 , y 11 = b 9 , y 12 = b 7 , y 13 = b 12 , y 14 = b 14 , y 15 = b 5 , y 16 = b 1 , y 17 = b 16 , y 18 = b 18 , y 19 = b 3 where b 0 and y 0 are the most significant bits [ msb ], and b 19 and y 19 are the least significant bits [ lsb ]. in particular , the “ mapper ” block receives the bits y 0 to y 9 first , followed by the bits y 10 to y 19 . by using the above - mentioned alternatives , three more preferred embodiments can be obtained . the second preferred embodiment is the one shown in fig6 b , wherein the bits y 0 to y 19 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 19 , y 1 = b 8 , y 2 = b 6 , y 3 = b 13 , y 4 = b 15 , y 5 = b 4 , y 6 = b 2 , y 7 = b 17 , y 8 = b 11 , y 9 = b 0 , y 10 = b 9 , y 11 = b 10 , y 12 = b 12 , y 13 = b 7 , y 14 = b 5 , y 15 = b 14 , y 16 = b 16 , y 17 = b 1 , y 18 = b 3 , y 19 = b 18 . the third preferred embodiment is the one shown in fig6 c , wherein the bits y 0 to y 19 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 9 , y 1 = b 10 , y 2 = b 12 , y 3 = b 7 , y 4 = b 5 , y 5 = b 14 , y 6 = b 16 , y 7 = b 1 , y 8 = b 3 , y 9 = b 18 , y 10 = b 19 , y 11 = b 8 , y 12 = b 6 , y 13 = b 13 , y 14 = b 15 , y 15 = b 4 , y 16 = b 2 , y 17 = b 17 , y 18 = b 11 , y 19 = b 0 . the fourth preferred embodiment is the one shown in fig6 d , wherein the bits y 0 to y 19 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 10 , y 1 = b 9 , y 2 = b 7 , y 3 = b 12 , y 4 = b 14 , y 5 = b 5 , y 6 = b 1 , y 7 = b 16 , y 8 = b 18 , y 9 = b 3 , y 10 = b 8 , y 11 = b 19 , y 12 = b 13 , y 13 = b 6 , y 14 = b 4 , y 15 = b 15 , y 16 = b 17 , y 17 = b 2 , y 18 = b 0 , y 19 = b 11 . still referring to the case wherein the “ demux ” block operates with m equal to 2 , there are some permutations which have proven to be advantageous for the 4096qam constellation ; the 2 × n bits inputted to the “ demux ” block are permuted as specified in any of fig7 a to 7 d , for 4096qam modulation encoded according to the ldpc code of the dvb - s2 standard , and are associated with two consecutive symbols of 4096qam modulation . the method for obtaining the configurations shown in fig7 a to 7 d will now be described in detail . given the 2 × n bits b 0 to b 23 , a first symbol consists of the bits b 0 , b 2 , b 4 , b 6 , b 8 , b 10 , b 12 , b 14 , b 16 , b 18 , b 20 , b 22 , and a second symbol consists of the bits b 1 , b 3 , b 5 , b 7 , b 9 , b 11 , b 13 , b 15 , b 17 , b 19 , b 21 , b 23 . each symbol is mapped individually by arranging the bits first on the in - phase portion ( i ) from the lsb to the msb , and subsequently on the quadrature portion ( q ) from the msb to the lsb , as shown in fig9 a . as an alternative , the bits may be associated with the qam symbols as follows : i y , 1 = i b , 2 , q y , 1 = q b , 2 , i y , 2 = i b , 1 , q y , 2 = q b , 1 . the bits belonging to the pairs b 1 , b 3 and b 13 , b 23 are then exchanged ; fig9 b will thus be obtained from the example shown in fig9 a . the two symbols are then interlaced in terms of in - phase and quadrature portions ; for example , the table of fig9 c will thus be obtained from fig9 b . as an alternative , the bits may be associated with the qam symbols as follows : afterwards , the bits associated with the even locations y 2 , y 6 , y 10 , y 14 , y 18 , y 22 or odd locations y 0 , y 4 , y 8 , y 12 , y 16 , y 20 on the in - phase portion are respectively exchanged with those associated with the even locations y 3 , y 7 , y 11 , y 15 , y 19 , y 23 or odd locations y 1 , y 5 , y 9 , y 13 , y 17 , y 21 on the quadrature portion . for example , the table of fig9 d will thus be obtained from fig9 c . a first preferred embodiment relating to the 4096qam constellation is the one listed in fig9 d and illustrated in fig7 a , according to which , given the 2 × n bits b 0 to b 23 , the 2 × n bits carried by the 4096qam constellation y 0 to y 23 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 10 , y 1 = b 23 , y 2 = b 15 , y 3 = b 8 , y 4 = b 6 , y 5 = b 17 , y 6 = b 19 , y 7 = b 4 , y 8 = b 2 , y 9 = b 21 , y 10 = b 13 , y 11 = b 0 , y 12 = b 11 , y 13 = b 12 , y 14 = b 14 , y 15 = b 9 , y 16 = b 7 , y 17 = b 16 , y 18 = b 18 , y 19 = b 5 , y 20 = b 1 , y 21 = b 20 , y 22 = b 22 , y 23 = b 3 by using the above - mentioned alternatives , three more preferred embodiments can be obtained . the second preferred embodiment is the one shown in fig7 b , wherein the bits y 0 to y 23 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 23 , y 1 = b 10 , y 2 = b 8 , y 3 = b 15 , y 4 = b 17 , y 5 = b 6 , y 6 = b 4 , y 7 = b 19 , y 8 = b 21 , y 9 = b 2 , y 10 = b 0 , y 11 = b 13 , y 12 = b 12 , y 13 = b 11 , y 14 = b 9 , y 15 = b 14 , y 16 = b 16 , y 17 = b 7 , y 18 = b 5 , y 19 = b 18 , y 20 = b 20 , y 21 = b 1 , y 22 = b 3 , y 23 = b 22 the third preferred embodiment is the one shown in fig7 c , wherein the bits y 0 to y 23 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 11 , y 1 = b 12 , y 2 = b 14 , y 3 = b 9 , y 4 = b 7 , y 5 = b 16 , y 6 = b 18 , y 7 = b 5 , y 8 = b 1 , y 9 = b 20 , y 10 = b 22 , y 11 = b 3 , y 12 = b 10 , y 13 = b 23 , y 14 = b 15 , y 15 = b 8 , y 16 = b 6 , y 17 = b 17 , y 18 = b 19 , y 19 = b 4 , y 20 = b 2 , y 21 = b 21 , y 22 = b 13 , y 23 = b 0 the fourth preferred embodiment is the one shown in fig7 d , wherein the bits y 0 to y 23 are determined as follows : y 0 = b 12 , y 1 = b 11 , y 2 = b 9 , y 3 = b 14 , y 4 = b 16 , y 5 = b 7 , y 6 = b 5 , y 7 = b 18 , y 8 = b 20 , y 9 = b 1 , y 10 = b 3 , y 11 = b 22 , y 12 = b 23 , y 13 = b 10 , y 14 = b 8 , y 15 = b 15 , y 16 = b 17 , y 17 = b 6 , y 18 = b 4 , y 19 = b 19 , y 20 = b 21 , y 21 = b 2 , y 22 = b 0 , y 23 = b 13 the above - described methods may be used to advantage in a system for transmitting digital signals based on a 1024qam or 4096qam modulator , and particularly in an audio / video digital signal transmitter for broadcasting digital television signals over cable networks . as is apparent to those skilled in the art , if the above - described method is applied in transmission , a reverse method will have to be applied in reception . as known , the transmission of television signals is carried out by radio frequency transmitters , while the reception of television signals occurs through television receivers typically installed in the television service users &# 39 ; homes .	7
fig1 represents the use of an intraoral camera for optical , three - dimensional measurement of the shape of a tooth . the polychromatic light source used for object measurement is a fiber - coupled superluminescent diode 1 having a half - width value in the order of magnitude of approximately 100 nm . the light emitted therefrom is coupled into a fiber 2 . furthermore , a first switchable laser diode 3 and a second switchable laser diode 4 are provided , whose light is used as reference light for calibrating the system and is coupled into the fiber 2 via a y - junction 5 , or y - junction 6 , respectively . the measuring light and reference light emerging from the end of the fiber 2 passes to a collimator lens 7 for the purpose of bundle collimation . this forms at least one approximately plane wave , which passes to a microlens array 8 comprising approximately 100 × 150 microlenses , which form foci which impinge on an adapted and oriented pinhole array 9 . the microlens array 8 and the pinhole array 9 together form a point light source array having a square raster . from the individual pinholes , which represent the point light sources , at least approximately spherical waves , i . e ., diverging beams of light b 1 to bi are propagated , from which at least approximately planar waves , i . e ., collimated beams of light , are formed by means of a second collimator lens 10 and which pass through the beam splitter 11 to impinge on a phase - zone lens 12 having a negative refracting power . the measuring light is transmitted thereto predominantly in the first order of diffraction . on the other hand , the reference light , whose wavelength at the first laser diode 3 is slightly above , and at the second laser diode 4 is slightly below , the spectral distribution of the measuring light , can pass through the phase - zone lens 12 also in the zero order of diffraction . this phase - zone lens 12 is situated in the pupil plane of the measuring lens 14 , which in this case represents the imaging system for the object 18 . the focal length of the measuring lens 14 is in the order of magnitude of from 100 mm to 200 mm . the pupil is defined by the aperture 13 . the measuring light and reference light are focused by means of the measuring lens 14 via the mirror 17 into the object &# 39 ; s physical space . the numerical aperture ( na ) of the measuring lens 14 is in this case na = 0 . 15 . thus it is also possible to scan details of the tooth 18 exhibiting large gradients . due to the wavelength - dependent refracting power of the zone lens 12 , chromatic longitudinal splitting of the measuring light bundle occurs in the object space in the region δz_c , the foci of the long - wave light being furthest from the measuring lens 14 . the focal length of the phase - zone lens 12 for the average wavelength of the superluminescent diode 1 is in the order of magnitude of from 300 mm to 500 mm . thus , depth scanning of a tooth 18 can operate in the order of magnitude of approximately 10 mm . the light reflected at a point p on the tooth 18 passes into the measuring lens 14 . here the measuring light is transmitted through the zone lens 12 , again in the first order of diffraction . at the plate 15 , the reference light is reflected at the surface 16 , where there is a sharp image of the point light sources , and passes again through the measuring lens 14 and aperture 13 , back to the zone lens 12 in the zero order of diffraction , or alternatively in the first order of diffraction . the light transmitted in the zero order of diffraction serves to subsequently form the reference images on the detector matrix 21 . reference light and measuring light are at least partially deflected at the beam splitter 11 and pass through a dispersion prism wedge 19 and a focusing lens 20 to the detector matrix 21 . on this detector matrix 21 there is formed the spectrum of the intensity via the wavelength containing the information on the depth position of each object pin - point measured . the images formed by the reference light of the point light sources created by the pinhole array 9 make it possible to define sub - matrices on the detector matrix 21 numerically , in which sub - matrices the evaluation of each spectrum of measuring light obtained upon measuring a tooth 18 is then carried out . in each case , the spectral region showing the maximum intensity or the mass center of intensity distribution is determined , in which case sub - pixel techniques may also be employed . illustrated here are , for example , the sub - matrix j_k , or sub - matrix 21 a and the assembly of sub - matrices 21 b and 21 c . thus , by rotating both the microlens array 8 and the pinhole array 9 about the optical axis ao relatively to the detector matrix 21 through an acute angle an according to equation ( 1 ) it is possible to form rectangular sub - matrices that almost entirely cover the surface of the detector matrix 21 . by finding the point images produced , by means of reference light of known wavelength , i . e ., foci , from which the spectral reference points pλmax and pλmin can be computed here with sub - pixel accuracy in each sub - matrix , not only their position on the detector matrix 21 is determined with pixel accuracy but also the change in the wavelength is ascertained , that is to say , the spectral sensitivity of the sub - matrix , i . e ., the spectral sensitivity laterally over the pixels of the detector matrix 21 , is ascertained with ultrahigh accuracy . the spacing of the spectral reference points may vary somewhat on account of distortion of the focusing lens 20 particularly in the marginal region of the measuring area . when scanning a tooth 18 , evaluation of the intensity distribution of the light reflected from the tooth 18 in each sub - matrix 21 a , 21 b , 21 c . . . , or in a sub - matrix j_k , the depth position of each object pin - point a , b , c . . . , or an object pin - point pj_k can be determined by computation of the chromatic confocal signal in known manner so that the shape of the tooth 18 can be determined three - dimensionally in a measurement time corresponding to the time frame for creating a single image per camera frame on the detector matrix 21 , which can considerably reduce the measurement errors caused by camera - shake . the period of time required for signal evaluation may be substantially longer than that required for creating the image . when measuring the object by means of the superluminescent diode 1 , the switchable laser diodes 3 and 4 are switched off . it is most advantageous to carry out chromatic calibration by means of the reference light , i . e . by means of the laser diodes 3 and 4 , provided no tooth 18 or any other object is in the region of the measuring set - up , as then no undesirable light from these laser diodes 3 and 4 will impinge via the tooth 18 or other object onto the detector matrix 21 . according to another exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig2 , a triple reflector 23 with a band - stop filter 22 is directly assigned to the beam splitter 11 , which band - stop filter substantially blocks the passage of measuring light in the reference beam path . the light of laser diode 3 and laser diode 4 reflected at the beam splitter 11 on the other hand passes through the band - stop filter 22 , at least partially , is reflected by the triple reflector 23 , passes through band - stop filter 22 a second time and passes through the beam splitter 11 in transmittance and then through the dispersion prism wedge 19 and is focused by means of the focusing lens 20 onto the detector matrix 21 so that sharply defined images are produced on said matrix by means of reference light from the laser diodes 3 and 4 as point light sources , for the purpose of chromatic calibration . two images of the point light sources , i . e . foci , from which the spectral reference points pλmax and pλmin are calculated in this case , each numerically mark a sub - matrix 21 a ( j_k ), 21 b , 21 c . . . on the detector matrix 21 . in this way , the orientation of the spectral axis can be determined with ultrahigh accuracy . by means of sub - matrices 21 a , 21 b , 21 c . . . the laser diode 3 and laser diode 4 are switched off and the measuring light , i . e . the superluminescent diode 1 , is switched on and the measuring procedure for tooth 18 is started . fig3 is a partial view of the system for the condition n = 2 , cf . equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) and the relationship ( 3 ), and shows the formation of sub - matrices as spectral cells having the geometrical midpoints m on a high - pixel detector matrix 21 . the angle α 2 is in this case α 2 = 26 . 57 degrees and the length - to - width ratio of the sub - matrices v 2 = 5 , if it is desired to obtain a coverage by sub - matrices to an extent of 100 %. the spectral axis , the λ axis , lies in the projection plane of the drawings and is in each case oriented in the horizontal direction . this means that in this case the elongated spectral cells , that is to say , the sub - matrices 21 a , 21 b , 21 c . . . are oriented in the projection plane orthogonally to the real or imaginary , parallelly projected wedge edge k ′ of the dispersion prism wedge 19 or to the lines of a diffraction grating , for the purpose of spectral analysis . the parallel straight lines g ′ _k , g ′ _k + 1 ′ _k , g ′ _k + 2 , which join the spectral midpoints m_j_k , m_j_k + 1 , m_j_k + 2 . . . of directly adjacent sub - matrices , and the midpoints m_j_k , m_j_k + 1 , m_j_k + 2 of the sub - matrices are each computed from the pertaining spectral reference points pλmax_j_k , pλmax_j_k + 1 , pλmax_j_k + 2 and pλmin_j_k , pλmin_j_k + 1 , pλmin_j_k + 2 . . . each enclose an angle α 2 = 26 . 57 degrees with the longitudinal axes of the inter - parallel sub - matrices . in addition , in fig3 , the possible intensity distribution is illustrated in the middle line zm of a sub - matrix j_k having an intensity maximum , the lateral position of which is required for the purpose of calculating the depth of the object pin - point , i . e . its z coordinate when the geometrical / optical data of the system are known , while the lateral coordinates of this object pin - point can be computed from the position of the sub - matrix and the geometrical / optical data of the system . fig4 is a partial view of the system for the condition n = 4 , cf . equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) and the relationship ( 3 ), and shows the formation of sub - matrices as spectral cells having the geometrical midpoints m on a high - pixel detector matrix 21 . the angle α 4 is in this case α 4 = 14 . 04 degrees and the length - to - width ratio of the sub - matrices v 4 = 17 , if it is desired to obtain a 100 % coverage by sub - matrices . the smaller the angle α n , the more elongated is the sub - matrix so that typically the spectral resolution and thus also the depth resolution are higher . however , the precision of depth measurement in an object pin - point can improve at a higher spectral resolution only when the available light energy is sufficiently high to excite the detector matrix 21 . in fig1 to 4 it is assumed that in the illustrated section of the detector matrix 21 , precise adjustment of the system has made the spectral axis to be orientated always exactly parallel to the line direction of the detector matrix 21 .	6
the present invention provides a lipidic vector which offers numerous benefits over conventional vectors , and which is produced via a method that itself has several specific advantages . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , charge - based interactions are exploited ( a ) to combine a therapeutic molecule with a polycation , ( b ) to combine the polycation with an anionic lipidic preparation and , optionally , ( c ) to introduce a ligand , all in order to control the surface charge of the vector and thereby reduce the above - mentioned , non - specific in vivo associations , and to enhance transfectability of targeted cells . in accordance with the present invention , the therapeutic molecule / polycation complex can be quantitatively incorporated into a lipidic vector . the lipidic vector of the present invention can be used to deliver nucleic acids as well as other types of molecules having therapeutic value . illustrative of such therapeutic molecules are drugs , e . g ., hormones , growth factors , secondary metabolites and synthetic pharmaceutical compounds , and antigenic substances useful for raising an immune response . the therapeutic molecule is included in the lipidic vector via charge interaction with the polycation , as in the case of a nucleic acid , or via conjugation , i . e ., by covalent bonding of the therapeutic molecule to the polycation or to a lipid of the lipidic preparation . the covalent bonding can be achieved by conventional methods . preparation of the vector can include the addition of cellular receptor - targeting ligands , fusogenic ligands , nucleus - targeting ligands , or a combination of such ligands , either to the lipidic preparation , to the polycation molecule , or to the complex formed with the therapeutic molecule . &# 34 ; ligand &# 34 ; here denotes a molecule , which is often a peptide , that facilitates connection between a cell or a cellular nucleus and the lipidic vector or the encapsulated complex . fig1 depicts schematically the sequence of events and the principles involved in production of a lipidic vector within the present invention . thus , a therapeutic molecule , which is dna in fig1 is mixed with a polycation so that an excess of positive charge occurs , efficiently condensing the dna in a dna / polycation complex . since the nucleic acid in this vehicle is highly condensed , it is more resistant to nuclease activity . according to fig1 after formation of the dna / polycation complex , the condensed complex is brought into contact with the anionic lipidic preparation . as a result , dna - encapsulating lipidic vectors are obtained which vary in overall charge as a function of the ratio of dna / polycation to lipidic preparation . this charge variation is important generally because a lipidic vector that carries an overall positive charge ( i . e ., is cationic ) will deliver the nucleic acids nonspecifically , since all cell types have negative - charged membranes . in contrast , an anionic lipidic vector which incorporates a targeting ligand , as discussed above , will deliver the nucleic acid to the targeted cell . these principles pertain , according to the present invention , whether the therapeutic molecule is a dna , as shown in fig1 or another molecule of therapeutic value . according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the polycation molecule is polylysine ( bromide salt , mol . wt . 25 , 600 ), which can be purchased from sigma chemical corporation ( st . louis , mo .). other polycations can be used , however , including a wide range of short , synthetic cationic peptides . illustrative of other , suitable polycations are protamine , deae - dextran , cationized albumin , polybrene , spermine , polyornithine , histones , a cascade amidoamine &# 34 ; dentritic &# 34 ; polymer , gramicidin s cyclic peptide , and spermidine . haensler and szoka , supra . when an isoelectric complex is formed between the nucleic acid and a polycation , rapid and undesirable aggregation occurs . ( in this regard , &# 34 ; isolelectric &# 34 ; connotes a neutral surface potential rather than strict electrical neutrality .) for example , a dna / polylysine ratio of about 10 . 47 ( wt : wt ) is associated with an isoelectric state and , hence , with aggregation . undesirable aggregation also will occur when slightly charged complexes are formed , especially at high nucleic acid concentrations . considerably less aggregation occurs when the charge balance between the nucleic acid and the polycation of a complex is far from the isoelectric ratio . since the dna / polycation ratio at which isoelectric complexes form changes with ph , a cationic complex can be prepared at a ph where the anionic charge of the nucleic acid is partially neutralized , to increase the cationic / anionic charge ratio . for example , at ph 2 polylysine is fully protonated and , for a dna / polylysine ratio of 1 : 0 . 75 , the cationic charge is greatly in excess . after the complex has formed , the ph can be adjusted to 7 . 4 , where cationic charge is only slightly in excess . this will bring all the polylysine into the complex . no aggregation will occur during the ph adjustment because the complex does not pass through the state where the nucleic acid - to - polycation charge balance is virtually zero (&# 34 ; substantially neutral &# 34 ;). an essentially similar approach applies to the preparation of anionic nucleic acid / polycation complexes , in which case a high ph ( for example , about 10 ) is used to partially neutralize the polycation charge . as a consequence , the overall charge on the complex is shifted away from neutrality during complex formation , avoiding aggregation . it also is possible , pursuant to the present invention , to affect the charge balance of a complex via other &# 34 ; helper &# 34 ; molecules , i . e ., molecules that contribute a charged species or that sequester a charged species in the reaction mixture . examples of suitable anionic helper molecules include ( 1 ) non - monovalent anions such as po 4 3 - , hpo 4 2 - , edta , dtpa , and deferoxamine , ( 2 ) anionic polymers such as polymethacrylic acid and poly glutamic acid , and ( 3 ) anionic detergents such as cholesteryl hemisuccinate ( chems ), cholate , fatty acids and deoxycholate . the category of suitable cationic helper molecules is illustrated by ( 1 ) non - monovalent cations such as ca 2 + , mg 2 + , mn 2 + , al 3 + , and spermidine , ( 2 ) cationic polymers such as polylysine , deae - dextran , spermine , spermidine , protamine , polybrene , cationized proteins , cationic micelles and cationic liposomes , and ( 3 ) cationic detergents such as dc - chol , cetyltrimethylammonium bromide ( ctab ), etc . ( monovalent cations and anions , such as those introduced via high nacl used in previous technology , generally are not effective in this context . adding nacl increases ionic strength and decreases charge interaction , but does not change the charge balance during complex formation .) helper molecules can be removed following complex preparation by dialysis or gel - filtration chromatography . the charge of the helper molecule can also be regulated with ph . after the nucleic acid / polycation complex is formed , it often is useful to bring the complex back to near charge neutrality . this can be achieved , as described above , by addition of an acid or base and by removal or neutralization of a helper molecule . according to one embodiment of the present invention , the liposome preparation is a dope / chem 6 : 4 ( w : w ) mixture , prepared by standard methods , the ph of which has been adjusted to ph 8 . 0 . cholesteryl hemisuccinate ( chems ) can be purchased from sigma chemical company . dioleoylphosphatidylenthanolamine ( dope ) is available commercially from avanti polar lipids , inc . ( alabaster , ala .). according to another embodiment of the invention , an anionic , non ph sensitive liposome preparation is made consisting of a dope / ps ( 8 : 2 ) mixture . phosphatidyl serine ( ps ) was purchased from avanti polar lipids . any amphiphilic lipid can be used for the lipidic preparation . an example of such a preparation is a composition of anionic liposomes prepared by the methodology of chu et al ., pharm . res . 7 : 824 ( 1990 ). other lipidic materials can be substituted to form lipidic vectors such as anionic oil - in - water emulsions or micelles . a lipidic vector of the present invention can be composed of any amphiphiles or their mixtures , such as oil - in - water emulsions and micelles . an example would be the composition tween 80 / chems at a molar ratio of 3 : 1 . another step according to the scheme described in fig1 is the addition of a targeting ligand . the targeting ligand can be added to the lipidic vector by mixing in with the anionic lipidic preparation or by conjugation to either the polycation or to a lipid . the methods employed to achieve the conjugation are standard methods , known to one versed in the art . according to one embodiment of the invention , folate serves as a targeting ligand to the folate receptor ( k d = 1 nm for folic acid ). folate - peg - pe ( folate - peg - phosphatidylethanolamine ) was synthesized as described previously lee & amp ; low , biochim . biophys . acta . 1233 : 134 - 44 ( 1995 ). according to yet another embodiment of the invention , a fusogenic peptide is added to the lipidic preparation . fusogenic peptides are amphipathic helix - forming oligopeptides which have been designed to imitate the behavior of the viral fusion peptide . see , for example , haensler and szoka , supra . in a preferred embodiment , an amphipathic helical oligopeptide is incorporated via charge interaction , to serve as a fusogenic peptide . particularly preferred in this regard is a 20 amino - acid oligopeptide having the sequence glfgaiagfiesilelalel ( seq id no : 1 ), where the underscored amino acids are negatively charged . the salient features of this non - immunogenic molecule , which can be synthesized by standard methods , are that it is a short peptide ( about 20 residues in length ) and is non - helical at neutral ph . at the acidic ph 5 or 6 , which is commonly found in endosomes , the peptide can undergo a conformational change to an amphipathic alpha helix , which can insert into a cellular membrane and form an aqueous pore . the first eleven residues are identical to the influenza viral fusion peptide n - terminal conserved sequence . the remaining portion contains three negatively charged glutamic acid residues in neighboring positions of a helical wheel which confers to this peptide a ph - sensitive trigger . the negative charge of the glutamic acid residues allows for charge - based interaction with the dna / polycation complex . a leucine - zipper motif is incorporated into the design of the molecule to allow several of the peptides to interact with each other , facilitating pore formation after membrane insertion . in accordance with the present invention , the aforementioned 20 - mer peptide , with its three negatively charged glutamic acid residues , was added to a positively charged dna / polylysine complex at a dna / polylysine / 20 - mer peptide ratio of 1 : 0 . 75 : 0 . 4 ( wt : wt : wt ). the resultant complex then was encapsulated into anionic liposomes composed of dope / chems / folate - peg - pe ( 6 : 4 : 0 . 01 ) at a lipid / dna ratio of 12 : 1 ( wt : wt ). these dna - containing liposomes were highly effective in transfecting receptor - bearing kb cells , and remained effective in the presence of 10 % fetal bovine serum . by contrast , liposomes lacking the 20 - mer peptide lost transfection effectiveness in the presence of serum . the present invention is further described by reference to the additional examples below , which are purely illustrative in nature . liposomes which were ph - sensitive and which were composed of dope / chems ( 6 : 4 ) were prepared by the following method . dope and chems ( 50 mg total lipids ) were first dissolved in dry chloroform and then dried into a thin film in a round - bottomed flask . next , the lipid was suspended in 2 . 5 ml deionized h 2 o by vortexing . the suspension then was adjusted to ph 8 and sonicated in a bath - type sonicator for 5 minutes . the resulting liposomes were sized by light scattering and sterilized by filtration through a 0 . 45 μm filter . folate - targeted liposome was prepared by the same method except 0 . 1 mole % folate - peg - pe was included in the lipid composition . ( anionic non - ph - sensitive liposome composed of dope / ps ( 8 : 2 ) were also prepared by the same method . 36 μg poly - l - lysine in 400 μl deionized h 2 o was rapidly mixed with 48 μg prsvluc plasmid dna , plautz et al ., proc . nat &# 39 ; l . acad . sci . usa 90 : 4645 - 49 ( 1993 ), in 400 μl deionized h 2 o , at dna / polylysine weight ratio 1 : 0 . 75 . aliquots of the resulting dna / polylysine complex were then rapidly mixed with various amounts of anionic liposomes in equal volumes of deionized h 2 o . prsvluc plasmid dna and polylysine formed condensed complexes when rapidly mixed . these complexes were stable when the overall charge was either positive or negative ( fig2 ). but when the overall charge was close to neutral , for example , at dna / polylysine ratio of 1 : 0 . 45 , rapid aggregation of the complexes occurred ( see fig2 ). in order to determine whether in the presence of excess positive charge all polylysine molecules were involved in dna complex formation , dna was mixed with polylysine containing trace amount of fluorescent label in the form of florecein isothiocyanate ( fitc ) purchased from sigma , at a weight ratio of 1 : 0 . 75 . the resulting dna / polylysine complex was loaded on the top of a 0 to 30 % sucrose gradient in a ultracentrifuge tube . following 33 min . of centrifugation at 100 , 000 g , all fluorescence sedimented to the bottom of the gradient suggesting that all polylysine molecules were complexed to dna ( uncomplexed dna or polylysine remain on the top of the sucrose gradient ). the average size of the dna / polylysine complexes determined by electron microscopy was ˜ 80 nm . dna / polylysine ( 1 : 0 . 75 ) complex became spontaneously encapsulated when rapidly mixed with dope / chems ( 6 : 4 ) liposomes . the size of the dna - containing liposome was dependent on the charge ratio between the dna / polylysine complex and the anionic liposomes ( fig3 ). when the overall charge was close to neutral , the size of the particles increased over time due to aggregation . a similar charge / size relationship was observed when 0 . 1 mole % folate - peg - pe was included in the anionic liposomes during the preparation of folate - targeted liposomes . in order to compare the liposome preparations described above with standard preparations , a cationic liposome dna / dc - chol complex was prepared according to gao and huang , biochem . biophys . res . comm . 179 : 280 - 85 ( 1991 ). its activity was deemed optimum when prepared at a ratio of 1 μg : 10 nm of dna to liposome . cells were plated in 24 - well plates at 5 × 10 4 cells per well and grown for 24 hr . prior to transfection . to each well , 1 μg plasmid dna in various formulations was added in 200 μl serum - free culture medium . following four hours incubation at 37 ° c ., the medium in each well was replaced with medium containing 10 % fetal bovine serum . after an additional 36 hours incubation , the cells were lysed in 0 1 % triton x - 100 containing 2 mm edta . the lysate was assayed for luciferase activity and protein content . gao and huang , supra . folate receptor ( k d = 1 nm for folic acid ) has recently been identified as a prominent tumor marker , especially in ovarian carcinomas . kb cells , known to vastly overexpress the folate receptor , were transfected with dna - containing , folate - targeted liposomes prepared as described in example 1 ( see fig4 ). at low lipid to dna ratio (& lt ; 6 ), cationic particles were produced . transfection of the kb cells was efficient but could not be inhibited by the addition of 1 mm free folic acid , which suggested that the cellular uptake was due primarily to charge interaction between the dna - containing liposomes and the negatively charged cell surface rather than via the folate receptor . at a lipid to dna ratio of 6 , the transfection efficiency with these liposomes was 13 - times higher than the cationic liposome dna / dc - chol complex ( prepared under optimized conditions of 1 μg : 10 nm dna / liposome ratio . at higher lipid - to - dna ratios (& gt ; 10 ), where anionic particles were formed , however , transfection appeared to be receptor - mediated , since it could be partially blocked by free folic acid . interestingly , even 1 mm folic acid was insufficient to completely block the receptor - mediated transfection . this was probably due to the multivalency of the ligand on the liposomes conferring them much higher affinities than the monovalent folic acid . non - targeted anionic dna - containing liposomes were inactive in cellular transfection ( data not shown ). at lipid to dna ratios of higher than 12 , there was a reduction in transfection activity probably due to dna uptake competition by excess empty folate - conjugated liposomes . the cytotoxicity of various formulations was evaluated by determining the total protein content in the cellular extracts . as shown in fig5 in the cationic range ( lipid / dna & lt ; 6 ) dna - containing liposomes showed very little toxicity compared to cationic liposome dna / dc - chol complexes . cells treated with cationic liposome dna / dc - chol had an 8 - fold lower protein level in the extract . neutral particles ( lipid / dna = 8 ) seemed particularly cytotoxic . in the anionic range ( lipid / dna & gt ; 10 ) cytotoxicity was again very low . but very high lipid - to - dna ratios (& gt ; 16 ) led to higher toxicity levels . by use of these dna - containing liposomes , similar transfection results also were obtained in hela , 2008 , bl6 , cho and el4 cells and t - lymphocytes ; a suspension of cultured t - lymphocytes was not transfectable with the cationic liposome dna / dc - chol complex . acceptable but slightly lower transfection activity in cho cells also was obtained when liposomes containing dope / phosphatidylserine ( 8 : 2 ), a ph - insensitive anionic lipid composition , were used in place of dope / chems liposomes . kb cells were seeded at 5 × 10 4 per well in 24 - well plates and incubated overnight in a co 2 cell culture incubator . liposome preparations containing 1 μg i 125 - labeled plasmid dna and diluted in 200 μl serum - free medium were added in triplicates to each well . after 4 h incubation at 37 ° c ., the cells were washed twice with phosphate - buffered saline ( pbs ) and lysed in 300 μl lysis buffer . cellular uptake of dna then was determined , by counting the radioactivity in the lysate , and calibrated with the protein content , ascertained by commassie assay , in the cellular lysate . non - targeted , dna - containing liposomes composed of dope / chems ( 6 : 4 ) were compared with folate - targeted liposomes composed of dope / chems / folate - peg - pe ( 6 : 4 : 0 . 01 ) in the presence or absence of 1 mm free folic acid . as can be seen in fig1 for non - targeted liposomes , a high level of cellular uptake took place only at low lipid - dna ratios , where the overall charge of the dna - containing liposomes was positive . at these lipid / dna ratios , folate targeting did not further enhance the level of cellular uptake . at high lipid / dna ratios ( greater than 10 : 1 ), however , folate - targeted liposomes are taken up by receptor - bearing kb cells in a ligand - specific manner ; that is , the uptake was competitively inhibited by the presence of 1 mm free folic acid . __________________________________________________________________________ # sequence listing - ( 1 ) general information :- ( iii ) number of sequences : 1 - ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 1 :- ( i ) sequence characteristics :# acids ( a ) length : 20 amino ( b ) type : amino acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear - ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 1 :- gly leu phe gly ala ile ala gly - # phe ile glu ser ile leu gluleu # 15 - ala leu glu leu 20__________________________________________________________________________	2
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 embodiment 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 . referring generally to the figures , a hose reel apparatus 10 having an elevated point of operation and a low - entry point for hose retrieval is illustrated . the hose reel apparatus of the preferred embodiment includes an enclosure assembly 12 , a spool assembly 14 , a level - wind assembly 16 , a first gear train 18 , a second gear train 20 , and a crank assembly 22 . the enclosure assembly includes a pair of side panels 24 secured in a substantially parallel arrangement . a front panel 26 extends between the side panels 24 at a front portion thereof to enclose the front portion of the enclosure and a rear panel 28 extends between the side panels at a rear portion thereof to enclose the rear portion of the enclosure . a lid member 30 encloses the top portion of the enclosure . in the preferred embodiment , the side members , front panel and lid member are formed by the process of injection molding to include integral connectors , ribs 46 and gussets 48 . the side panels 24 include integrally formed first connectors 32 along one edge thereof and integrally formed second connectors 34 along a second opposite edge thereof . the first connectors 32 are illustrated herein as at least one outwardly extending locking post 34 being constructed and arranged to cooperate in an interlocking manner with at least one inwardly extending socket 36 positioned along the edges of the front panel for interlocking cooperation therebetween . the locking posts 34 are constructed and arranged to cooperate with the front panel for connecting and maintaining a substantially perpendicular relationship between the front and side panel members . it should also be noted that while the locking posts are illustrated as being rectangular in shape when viewed from the end , other shapes suitable for locating and securing panels together may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention . in a most preferred embodiment , each locking post 34 includes at least one detent or spring lock fastener 38 integrally formed thereto . the spring lock is constructed and arranged to cooperate with a catch surface 40 positioned within each socket for snap - together interlocking engagement . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the snap - type fasteners 38 can be used throughout the hose reel device 10 to mount or secure components to one another , and to facilitate ready assembly of the cart if it is provided in an unassembled manner . referring to fig2 and 4 , the second connectors 34 are illustrated herein as two spaced apart substantially parallel surfaces 42 extending outwardly from an end surface 44 forming a u - shape for connection to an adjacently positioned extruded or blow molded rear panel 28 . in a most preferred embodiment , at least one of the parallel surfaces include a spring lock fastener integrally formed thereto for cooperation with a catch surface positioned in the rear panel . it should be noted that while the locking posts are illustrated as formed on the edges of the side panels , the locking bosses may be formed on the edges of the front or rear panel and the sockets formed into the side panels without departing from the scope of the invention . referring to fig1 - 3 , the lid member is illustrated . the lid member includes a bottom surface 50 constructed and arranged to cooperate with the front panel , the rear panel and the side wall members in a closed position to maintain a weather - tight enclosure . the bottom surface 50 illustrates the ribs 46 and gussets 48 facilitated by injection molding of panels . in addition to the strengthening ribs 46 , the bottom surface of the lid member includes a depending lip 51 extending around the perimeter of the lid and a hinge means integrally formed to a rear portion thereof . the hinge means is illustrated herein as a pair of depending c - shaped members 52 and loop shaped receivers 54 . a latch means 56 is integrally formed to a front portion of the lid member for releasably securing the cover to the front panel . the latch means is illustrated herein as a depending spring - lock 58 that is constructed and arranged to cooperate with apertures 60 positioned in the upper edge of the front panel . it should be noted that other latch means well known in the art may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention . in operation , when the lid is opened a portion of the depending lip 51 pivots to engage an inwardly extending recess 53 . the engagement between the depending lip 51 and the recess 53 control the rotation of the lid and prevent the lid prevent from being removed from the enclosure . strap 47 may also be provided to control rotation of the lid and further tie the lid to the enclosure . integrally formed mounts 49 allow the ends of the strap 47 to be snapped into engagement with the lid and the side panel . injection molding of the panel members offers significant strength , stability and versatility advantages over blow - molding , extrusion or vacuum molding as utilized in the prior art . injection molding facilitates forming thicker and / or thinner portions within the same panel for areas of high or low stress concentrations such as is required with the first and second connectors to facilitate connection to panels manufactured by different methods . it should also be appreciated that the injection molded panels of the instant invention only require a single wall construction , while the extruded or blow molded panels may include two or more walls integrally connected together . it should also be noted that while only the rear panel is illustrated as being an extruded panel , the first and second connectors may be formed along the edges of any injection molded panel , used in construction of the enclosure , for cooperation with an adjacently positioned extruded or blow molded panel . in this manner , an enclosure comprising various combinations of extruded , injection molded and blow molded panels may be constructed for economy , strength and durability . referring to fig8 , a rotatable reel assembly suitable for use with the teachings of the instant invention is illustrated . the rotatable reel assembly 14 is operably connected between the side panels 24 for rotation about an axis of rotation a ( fig4 ). the rotatable reel 14 provides for pick - up , storage and pay - out of an elongated hose member . the spool 14 includes a central hub 62 and a pair of radially extending flanges 64 that are configured to accommodate a length of flexible hose wrapped around the hub 62 between the flanges 64 . in a typical arrangement , the hose reel apparatus 10 may store between 50 to 300 feet of a ⅝ inch common hose . those skilled in the art will recognize that the hose reel apparatus 10 may include a water / air inlet port or in - tube 66 ( fig2 ) and an outlet port or out - tube ( not shown ). typically the in - tube is mounted to the side panel 24 at about the axis of rotation a of the spool 14 . the in - tube is connected to the out - tube by a sliding seal arrangement ( not shown ) so that the in - tube remains fixed to the side panel 24 , while the out - tube rotates with the spool 14 , and the in - tube and out - tube remain in fluid communication with one another . this arrangement permits rotation of the spool 14 without twisting or torquing internal components , while maintaining sealed fluid communication between the water / air supply and the hose . the preferred in - tube and coupling arrangement can be viewed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 998 , 552 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . referring to fig1 , 3 and 6 , the crank assembly 22 is rotatably supported and journaled to one of the side wall members 24 at a position above the axis of rotation a to elevate the point of operation for the device . in an alternative embodiment , the crank assembly 22 is rotatably supported and journaled to one of the side wall members 24 at the axis of rotation a . in this manner , the crank could be directly connected to the reel as is well known in the art . the crank assembly preferably includes a foldable handle 68 for a compact storage and shipping configuration . the foldable handle may include a sleeve 70 that is constructed and arranged to rotate about the handle during operation of the crank . in the preferred embodiment the crank 22 is indirectly connected to the spool assembly via a first gear train 18 to provide rotation thereto . a level - wind assembly 16 is optionally located between the side wall members 24 at a position below the axis of rotation a . the level - wind assembly is operably connected to said spool assembly via a second gear train 20 so that rotation of the spool assembly provides reciprocating movement to a hose guide 28 to uniformly and smoothly wrap a hose onto the spool assembly 14 to provide a compact storage configuration . it should also be noted that the device may be utilized without the level - wind or with a manually operated level - wind ( not shown ) without departing from the scope of the invention . in a preferred embodiment , the level - wind assembly 16 is automatically reciprocated with the reel . the automatic level - wind assembly 16 includes a double - helix lead screw 72 suitably supported and journaled in the side panels 24 for rotational movement and a single guide element 74 extends between the side panels . it should be noted that while a rod is illustrated as the guide element , other structures such as rails , cables , grooves and the like may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention . when the spool 14 is rotated the second gear train 20 illustrated in fig6 , transfers rotary motion from the spool 14 to the double - helix lead screw 72 . a guide 28 cooperates with the double - helix lead screw 72 and slides along the guide element 74 to cause the guide 28 to reciprocate back and forth across the spool 14 facilitating even distribution of the flexible elongate member onto the spool . still referring to fig6 , in order to provide manual rotation of the hose reel 14 and reciprocation of the automatic level - wind assembly 16 , a first gear train 18 is positioned within one of the side panels 24 . the crank assembly 22 ( fig3 ) includes an input shaft ( not shown ) extending inwardly through an opening 76 in an upper portion of the side panel 24 and rotatable with respect thereto . the input shaft is secured to the input gear 78 of the first gear train 18 at a position at or above the axis of rotation a . the spool gear 80 is suitably secured to the spool 14 so as to be rotatable therewith . idler gears 82 a and 82 b are positioned within the side panel 24 to be freely rotating with respect to the side panel and directly meshed with the input gear 78 , one another , and the spool gear 80 to provide gear powering therebetween . thus , rotational movement of the input gear 78 with handle assembly 22 will cause similar rotational movement of the spool gear 80 and spool 14 . preferably the spool gear 80 will be larger in pitch diameter than the pitch diameter of the input gear 78 thereby achieving a torque increasing gear reduction desired by the present invention . it should be noted that while the crank is illustrated herein as connecting to the reel at a position above the axis of rotation , the crank may be directly coupled to the reel or any number of idler gears may be utilized for spacing to place the crank above the axis of rotation without departing from the scope of the invention . still referring to fig6 , the second gear - train 20 utilizes rotation of the spool 14 to cause rotation of the double - helix lead screw 72 . the lead screw gear 84 is suitably secured to the lead screw 72 to be rotatable therewith . idler gears 86 a and 86 b are positioned within the side panel 24 to be freely rotating with respect to the side panel 24 and directly meshed with the spool gear 80 , one another , and the lead screw gear 84 to provide direct gear powering therebetween . thus , rotational movement of the spool gear 80 will cause similar rotational movement of the lead screw gear 84 and reciprocation of the hose guide 28 . preferably the spool gear 80 will be larger than the lead screw gear 84 thereby achieving the desired amount of hose guide 28 travel per spool 14 revolution for a compact hose storage configuration . it should be noted that while the level - wind assembly is illustrated herein as positioned at a lowermost position within the enclosure , the level wind assembly may utilize more or less idler gears for spacing to position the level - wind at any position at or below the axis of rotation without departing from the scope of the invention . referring now to fig3 , the enclosure includes a pair of spaced apart side members 24 and may include a storage bin 88 that extends between the side panels . the storage bin is preferably formed as a single piece having multiple living hinges 90 which facilitate assembly . a pair of tabs 92 extend outwardly from the sides of the storage bin to facilitate connection to storage bin receivers 94 which are preferably integrally formed to the inner surface of the side members 24 . alternatively , the storage bin may be formed of multiple components that are glued or suitably fastened together and attached to the inner surface of the enclosure panels as is known in the art . the storage bin 88 can be used to store various hose attachments , such as , spray heads , nozzles and the like . consumers will recognize the advantage to having the handy storage bin 88 mounted within the enclosure assembly , so that hose attachments can be readily stored with the hose and easily accessed , rather than stored in another location and possibly misplaced or lost . 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 .	8
the present invention relates to a wave control circuit used to control the operation of various plumbing devices and appliances . an illustrative embodiment of the invention is described herein , with reference to the accompanying drawing figures . a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention may be practiced in a variety of orientations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . fig1 shows an illustrative embodiment of the invention used to control the operation of a plumbing device such as a faucet . the embodiment of the invention consists of a wave control circuit 10 , a plumbing device 20 and at least one sensor 30 . alternatively , all or a portion of the plumbing device 20 may comprise the sensor 30 . as best seen in fig2 , the wave control circuit 10 may include at least one sensor circuit 100 , at least one control circuit 110 , at least one driver circuit 120 , at least one valve 130 , and at least one sensor 30 associated with the plumbing device 20 . control circuit 110 may comprise digital logic circuitry or a microprocessor 160 that executes software instructions built into the microprocessor 160 . in either case , control circuit 110 reads output from sensor circuit 100 to control the flow of fluid through plumbing device 20 . control circuit 110 sends an output signal through driver circuit 120 to control the flow of fluid through plumbing device 20 . driver circuit 120 achieves the proper drive voltage and current necessary to enable or disable valve 130 . valve 130 enables and disables functions of plumbing device 20 . for example , when valve 130 is open , fluid such as water may flow through plumbing device 20 , which is shown in fig1 as a faucet . now referring to fig2 , the wave control circuit 10 is shown to include a sensor circuit 100 , a control circuit 110 , and a driver circuit 120 . the wave control circuit 10 may be communicatively connected to the valves 130 . as best seen in fig2 , the sensor circuit 100 may include a capacitive sensing network that is connected to proximity sensor 30 . the proximity sensor 30 may detect the presence of objects placed within the sensor &# 39 ; s sensing field by capacitive charging and discharging . therefore , when an object is placed within the sensing field of the proximity sensor 30 , the proximity sensor 30 is charged with a potential voltage and then discharged when the object is moved away . when the proximity sensor 30 is discharged , a small current or a voltage drop may be produced and the sensor circuit 100 may detect such a voltage drop . an example of proximity sensor used in such an application may be what is generally referred to as a charge transfer sensor . however , a person having ordinary skill in the art will understand that this is but only one example of the proximity sensor 30 that may be used in the application and other types of sensors may be used to perform the equivalent function . typically charge transfer sensors are used to detect objects in free space ; thus , a very low capacitance field is generally present . however , the presence of running water may change the impedance of the capacitance network and , thus , may change and affect the sensitivity of sensor circuit 100 . to adjust for this possibility , the sensor circuit 100 is put through a recalibration procedure by either power cycling the sensor circuit 100 or engaging a recalibration function of the sensor circuit 100 to adjust to the load impedance presented to the circuit when the water flows . the recalibration accounts for the changed operating conditions and allows the sensor circuit 100 to have identical sensitivity when water is flowing or isn &# 39 ; t flowing through the plumbing device 20 . a person having skill in the art will appreciate that a slight delay may be included before the recalibration . this delay may help to assure that impedance is accurately sensed or measured by the sensor circuit 100 . the control circuit 110 may consist of discrete components such as a sequence of flip - flops , a clock , and logic gates to perform the functions described in fig3 - 5 . in an embodiment of the wave control circuit 10 , the control circuit 110 may further include a control logic circuit and a timer circuit . upon a successful signal ( i . e ., detection of an object ) from sensor 30 , sensor circuit 100 , which is connected to the control logic circuit , may output a high state . the high state of control logic circuit may trigger the timer circuit to create a timing event . such timing event may enable the driver circuit 120 , which subsequently enables or disables valve 130 . the timing event may also be used to recalibrate the sensor circuit 100 while the sensor circuit 100 maintains its high output state . the high output state of the sensor circuit 100 may be maintained until a second signal from the sensor 30 is detected . such second detection may set the output state of sensor circuit 100 to low , which may create another timing signal that disables valve 30 and resets sensor circuit 100 . fig3 represents one possible logical flow for the operation of a hands - free plumbing device such as a faucet . in such an embodiment , the plumbing device 20 may use the proximity sensor 30 of the circuit 100 . as shown in fig3 , the control circuit 110 initializes at step 200 . at 210 , the proximity sensor 30 may determine if an object has been placed within a predetermined proximity to faucet 20 . if it is determined that no object is within the sensing field of proximity sensor 30 , the process loops to point 212 and repeats step 210 . when an object is found within the sensing field of proximity sensor 30 , the logical control 110 may enable the valve 130 to start the flow of water at step 214 . after a short delay at step 216 , the proximity sensor 30 may be recalibrated at step 218 and the logic control 110 may start a first automatic timer at step 220 . at step 230 , the proximity sensor 30 may determine if an object has been placed in proximity to the faucet 20 . if no object is detected within the sensing field of the proximity sensor 30 , the process loops to point 232 to determine if the first automatic timer has expired . if the automatic timer has not expired , the logical control 110 loops back to step 230 . if the automatic timer has expired or an object is found within the sensing field of proximity sensor 30 , the logical control 110 proceeds to step 234 and disables the valve 130 , stopping the flow of water . after a short delay at step 236 , the logical control 110 moves to point 238 and recalibrates the proximity sensor 30 . subsequently , the logical control 110 proceeds to the point 212 . a person having ordinary skill in the art will understand that the logical flow of the embodiment of the invention may be modified to incorporate additional features . one such alternate logical flow is described in fig4 , which discloses a hands free mode to control the water temperature of a plumbing device . as illustrated in fig4 , at step 214 , the embodiment of the system is modified to include a hot valve and a cold valve , both of which may be enabled or disabled by logic control 110 or another similar control device or circuit . for example at step 220 , a first timer may be started . the hot / cold control shown at step 250 enables and disables the hot and cold valves to control the water temperature . the initial state of the hot / cold control is the warm state . in the illustrated embodiment , the first timer controls the period on which the hot / cold control is active . this permits the user to cycle through the temperature states and select a desired water temperature . in the warm state , both the hot valve and the cold valve are enabled , resulting in a mixture of hot and cold water flowing to the plumbing device . the volume of hot and cold water flowing to the plumbing device may be selectively varied , thus , resulting in the ability to selectively control the water temperature . for a period of time established by first automatic timer at step 200 , the proximity sensor 30 may attempt to detect objects within the sensor &# 39 ; s sensing field . successful detection of an object causes the hot / cold control shown at step 250 to cycle through several temperature states . the hot / cold control , shown at step 250 , cycles through the warm state , the hot state , and finally the cold state . after changing the state of the hot / cold control at step 250 , the first automatic timer may be reset . when the time period set by first automatic timer expires , the hot / cold control may be disabled and the water temperature cannot be changed . the water flow will then be disabled by either the detection of an object within the sensing field of proximity sensor 30 or the expiration of a time period set by a second automatic timer . if the temperature is changed during the first auto timer period , an appropriate led may be lit to indicate the water temperature chosen . for example a red led may be lit to indicate hot temperature and a green led may be lit to indicate cooler temperature . such an led can be on constantly or may be blinking at a rapid rate . when the first auto timer period ends , and the water temperature cannot be changed , the led may go off or may become a less often blinking indicator ( lower duty cycle ) to conserve energy . when the water is off , the led may also be completely off . now referring to fig5 , another feature of the invention may be a quarts timer control . such an embodiment may include a regulator to control the flow of the water . in this embodiment , for a period of time , proximity sensor 30 attempts to detect objects within the sensing field to enable the quarts timer control , step 260 . once enabled , a user may use the quarts timer control to set the volume of water to be dispensed to a predetermined volume , e . g ., 1 quart , 4 quarts , etc . the quarts timer control may also calculate the volume of water that has already flowed and finally reset the first automatic timer . on subsequent detections while the first automatic timer is active , the quarts timer control cycles through water volume to be dispensed and adjusts the regulator accordingly . at the expiration of the time period set by the first automatic timer , the quarts timer control calculates the time required for the desired volume of water to be dispensed and starts the second automatic timer . the flow of water is disabled by either the detection of an object within the sensing field of proximity sensor 30 or the expiration of the time period set by the second automatic timer . another embodiment of the system may optionally be a hands free bathtub faucet and shower - head . such an embodiment may include proximity sensors in both the faucet and the shower - head . the successful detection of an object within the sensing field of the proximity sensor of either the faucet or the shower head may accordingly enable the flow of water in the appropriate plumbing device . if the activated plumbing device detects an object within the sensing field of the proximity sensor , the plumbing device may accordingly disable the flow of water . however , if the disabled plumbing device detects an object within the sensing field of its proximity sensor , the active plumbing device will be disabled and the next plumbing device will be activated . while the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof . the accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .	8
in general , according to one embodiment , there is provided a magnetoresistive element comprising : a recording layer having magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film surface and having a variable magnetization direction ; a reference layer having magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film surface and having an invariable magnetization direction ; a tunnel barrier layer provided between the recording layer and the reference layer ; a functional layer provided on a surface of the recording layer , which is opposite to a surface of the recording layer where the spacing layer is provided , wherein the functional layer contains a rocksalt crystal structure having the ( 100 ) plane parallel to the substrate plane and with lattice parameter along its { 110 } direction being larger than the bcc ( body - centered cubic )- phase co lattice parameter along { 100 } direction ; and an electrode layer provided on a surface of the functional layer , which is opposite to a surface of the functional layer where the recording layer is provided . fig1 is a cross - sectional view showing a configuration of an mtj element 10 as a mtj element according to the first embodiment . the mtj element 10 is configured by stacking an upper electrode 11 , a reference layer 12 , a tunnel barrier layer 13 , a recording layer 14 , a functional layer 15 , and a bottom electrode layer 16 in this order from the top . the recording layer 14 and reference layer 12 each are made of a ferromagnetic material , and have uni - axial magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film surfaces . further , directions of easy magnetization of the recording layer 14 and reference layer 12 are also perpendicular to the film surfaces . in another word , the mtj element 10 is a perpendicular mtj element in which magnetization directions of the recording layer 14 and reference layer 12 face in directions perpendicular to the film surfaces . a direction of easy magnetization is a direction in which the internal magnetic energy is at its minimum where no external magnetic field exists . meanwhile , a direction of hard magnetization is a direction which the internal energy is at its maximum where no external magnetic field exists . the recording layer 14 has a variable ( reversible ) magnetization direction . the reference layer 12 has an invariable ( fixing ) magnetization direction . the reference layer 12 is made of a ferromagnetic material having a perpendicular magnetic anisotropic energy which is sufficiently greater than the recording layer 14 . this strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy can be achieved by selecting a material , configuration and a film thickness , such as tbcofe ( 10 nm )/ cofeb ( 2 nm ), or copd ( 10 nm )/ cofeb ( 2 nm ), or multilayer such as ( co / pd ) n / cofeb ( 2 nm ). in this manner , a spin polarized current may only reverse the magnetization direction of the recording layer 14 while the magnetization direction of the reference layer 12 remains unchanged . an mtj element 10 which comprises a recording layer 14 having a variable magnetization direction and a reference layer 12 having an invariable magnetization direction for a predetermined write current can be achieved . the tunnel barrier layer 13 is made of a metal oxide or nitride can be used , such as mgo , mgn , etc . the functional layer 15 may serve to introduce surface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the recording layer 14 . the functional layer 15 is made of an oxide ( or nitride , chloride ) layer which has a rocksalt crystalline as its naturally stable structure thereof will be described later . an example configuration of the mtj element 10 will be described below . the reference layer 12 is made of tbcofe ( 10 nm )/ cofeb ( 2 nm ). the tunnel barrier layer 13 is made of mgo ( 1 nm ). the recording layer 14 is made of cofeb ( 0 . 8 nm )/ copd ( 2 nm )/ cofeb ( 1 . 2 nm ). the functional layer 15 is made of mgo ( 2 . 5 nm ). the bottom electrode layer 16 is made of ta ( 20 nm )/ cu ( 20 nm )/ ta ( 20 nm ). each element written in the left side of “/” is stacked above an element written in the right side thereof . in the recording layer , the first ferromagnetic sub - layer 14 c is made of cofeb ( 0 . 8 nm ) and has a small surface perpendicular anisotropy from the interaction with its immediately adjacent rocksalt crystal mgo tunnel barrier layer . the second amorphous ferromagnetic sub - layer 14 a is made of cofeb ( 1 . 2 nm ) immediately adjacent to the rocksalt crystal functional layer has a strong surface perpendicular anisotropy . the middle ferromagnetic layer 14 b is made of copd ( 2 nm ) which has a moderate crystal perpendicular anisotropy . a perpendicular magnetization of the recording layer is achieved by the combination of the crystal perpendicular anisotropy and surface perpendicular anisotropy . among these perpendicular anisotropies , the surface perpendicular anisotropy strength of the second sub - layer 14 a can be manipulated through applying an electric field on the dielectric functional layer . further as the electric field pointed upward from the top surface of the functional layer is strong enough , the surface perpendicular anisotropy of the second sub - layer 14 a can changed into a surface in - plane anisotropy , which would directly cause a large reduction in the total perpendicular anisotropy in a recording layer , accordingly leading to a much reduced spin transfer current during a write operation . fig2 is a cross - sectional view showing an example configuration of the mtj element 10 according to the second embodiment . the mtj element 10 is configured by stacking an upper electrode 11 , a reference layer 12 , a tunnel barrier layer 13 , a recording layer 14 , a functional layer 15 , and a bottom electrode layer 16 in this order from the top . an example configuration of the mtj element 10 will be described below . the reference layer 12 is made of tbcofe ( 10 nm )/ cofeb ( 2 nm ). the tunnel barrier layer 13 is made of mgo ( 1 nm ). the recording layer 14 is made of co2feal ( 2 . 5 nm )/ cofeb ( 1 . 2 nm ). the functional layer 15 is made of mgo ( 2 . 5 nm ). the bottom electrode layer 16 is made of ta ( 20 nm )/ cu ( 20 nm )/ ta ( 20 nm ). each element written in the left side of “/” is stacked above an element written in the right side thereof . in the recording layer , the first ferromagnetic sub - layer is a half - metal heusler alloy film co2feal ( 2 . 5 nm ) and has a small surface perpendicular anisotropy from the interaction with its immediately adjacent rocksalt crystal mgo tunnel barrier layer . the second amorphous ferromagnetic sub - layer cofeb ( 1 . 2 nm ) immediately adjacent to the rocksalt crystal functional layer has a strong surface perpendicular anisotropy . an optional insertion layer can be added between the first and the second magnetic sub - layers for better crystal structure and thermal property of a heusler alloy film . fig3 is a cross - sectional view showing an example configuration of the mtj element 10 according to the third embodiment . the mtj element 10 is configured by stacking an upper electrode 11 , a reference layer 12 , a tunnel barrier layer 13 , a recording layer 14 , a buffer layer 15 b , a functional layer 15 a , and a bottom electrode layer 16 in this order from the top . an example configuration of the mtj element 10 will be described below . the reference layer 12 is made of tbcofe ( 10 nm )/ cofeb ( 2 nm ). the tunnel barrier layer 13 is made of mgo ( 1 nm ). the recording layer 14 is made of cofeb ( 1 . 5 nm ). the buffer layer 15 b is made of mglio ( 1 . 5 nm ). the functional layer 15 a is made of mgo ( 2 . 5 nm ). the bottom electrode layer 16 is made of ta ( 20 nm )/ cu ( 20 nm )/ ta ( 20 nm ). each element written in the left side of “/” is stacked above an element written in the right side thereof . the buffer layer is a rocksalt crystal mgo with li doping agent , which is a conductive layer . the doping agent can be also selected from other metal elements , such as cr , ti , etc . fig4 is a cross - sectional view showing an example configuration of the mtj element 10 according to the fourth embodiment . the mtj element 10 is configured by stacking an upper electrode 11 , a reference layer 12 , a tunnel barrier layer 13 , a recording layer 14 , a functional layer 15 , and a bottom electrode layer 16 in this order from the top . an example configuration of the mtj element 10 will be described below . the reference layer 12 is made of tbcofe ( 10 nm )/ cofeb ( 2 nm ). the tunnel barrier layer 13 is made of mgo ( 1 nm ). the recording layer 14 is made of an anti - parallel structure cofeb ( 0 . 8 nm )/ cofe ( 0 . 3 nm )/ ru ( 0 . 8 nm )/ cofe ( 0 . 3 nm )/ cofeb ( 1 . 2 nm ). the functional layer 15 is made of mgo ( 2 . 5 nm ). the bottom electrode layer 16 is made of ta ( 20 nm )/ cu ( 20 nm )/ ta ( 20 nm ). each element written in the left side of “/” is stacked above an element written in the right side thereof . while certain embodiments have been described above , these embodiments have been presented by way of example only , and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions . for an example , the perpendicular mtj element in each embodiment may have reversed layer - by - layer sequence . indeed , the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms ; furthermore , various omissions , substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions . the accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions .	7
the novel process of the present invention will be illustrated in connection with a p channel mosfet , but it is to be understood that the process is equally applicable to n channel mosfets and to other semiconductor structures . with reference to fig1 the surface of a n type semiconductor wafer 10 is masked by a conventional mask 12 to define an active region , and a p type impurity is implanted in a conventional manner and driven , e . g ., by annealing , to form a p channel region 14 . the region of p type impurity 14 , generally referred to as th e base region , is herein referred to as the channel region because it is the region in which the channel forms during operation of the device . as shown in fig2 a n type polarity impurity may then be implanted and driven into the channel area 14 to form a n + source region 16 adjacent the surface of the wafer . a second conventional mask 18 may then be used as shown in fig3 to define the area for two trenches 20 , 22 . the trenches 20 , 22 may then be etched in a suitable conventional manner downwardly through the n + source region 16 and the p channel region 14 into n wafer . the second mask 18 of fig3 may then be removed and a gate oxide layer 24 over all of the exposed upper surface of the semiconductor including the walls and bottom of the trenches 20 , 22 as shown in fig4 . as shown in fig5 a layer of polysilicon 26 may conventionally be provided over the gate oxide later 24 , completely filling the trenches 20 , 22 . as shown in fig6 a third mask 28 may then be provided to define an area larger than the active region defined by the mask 12 to protect the polysilicon layer 26 for establishing a contact at a later time . thereafter , the polysilicon layer 26 left unprotected by the mask 28 may be etched back to leave polysilicon 26 only in the trenches 20 , 22 . a layer of borophosphosilicate glass (&# 34 ; bpsg &# 34 ;) 30 may then be formed over the surface of the semiconductor as shown in fig7 and , as shown in fig8 a fourth mask 32 may be conventionally formed over the bpsg layer 30 to thereby define a the area for a third trench 34 which may be etched through the bpsg layer 30 , the gate oxide 24 , the n + source 16 , and the p channel area 14 into the n semiconductor 10 . once the trench 34 has been etched , a p type impurity may be implanted and driven into the n wafer to thereby form a p + area 35 of higher impurity concentration than the p channel region 14 . as illustrated in fig9 a metal layer 36 may then be formed over both the bpsg area 30 to thereby establish a contact with the n + source region and the p + high concentration region 35 at the bottom of the trench 34 of fig8 . the four mask trench process of the present invention eliminates two masks used in the prior art process , i . e ., the p + mask and the source block mask , and it makes alignment easier to achieve , i . e ., the only alignment required is the contact to the trench . the six mask process of the prior art process results in a structure as shown in fig1 and provides a ready contrast with the structure of the present trench process . in the prior art structure of fig1 , the cell pitch is equal to the length of the gate (&# 34 ; lg &# 34 ;) plus three time the length of the design rule value (&# 34 ; l &# 34 ;) and the width of the source is equal to l . in contrast , the structure of fig1 provides a cell pitch of lg plus 2l , a saving of l and the width of the source is reduced to l / 2 . in addition , the depth d1 of the p + high concentration area or buried layer 35 may be significantly reduced below the depth d2 in fig1 because the depth d2 is necessitated to achieve the lateral diffusion of the p + implant under the source 16 . because of the impact of the lateral diffusion on the channel 14 , the length of the source , and thus the design rule value l , negatively impacts on the pitch of the device . because the length of the source 16 is reduced in fig1 , it is possible to reduce the design rule value l and the pitch . additionally , the depth d1 of the buried layer 35 in fig1 may be greater than the depth d3 of the trench gates 20 , 22 , making it possible for the mosfet to break down at the pn junction 35 and protect the trench gate 26 . with reference to fig1 - 15 in which like numerical references have been retained with the structures of fig1 and 11 to facilitate a comparison therewith , the present invention may be embodied in a planar mosfet ( fig1 ), a trench igbt ( fig1 ), a planar igbt ( fig1 ) and a planar mct ( fig1 ). while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described , it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence , many variations and modifications naturally occurring to those of skill in the art from a perusal hereof .	7
fig1 shows a block diagram of a host containing three adapters , two of which are connected to first network and the third being connected to a different network . fig1 illustrates the problems associated with arp processing and helps explain the invention . the host shown in fig1 contains three adapters d , e and f . adapters d and e are attached to the same network , which in fig1 is illustratively assumed to be a token ring lan tr 1 . tr 1 has attached to it workstations ws 1 , ws 2 and ws 3 . adapter f is attached to a different network identified as token ring lan tr 2 . tr 2 has attached to it workstations ws 4 , ws 5 and ws 6 . in conventional arp processing , although adapters d and e are on the same network , if d fails or becomes inactive for any reason , the host ( or adapter e if it is an offload adapter ) will not respond to arp requests for d received over adapter e . this prevents e from being a backup for d , and vice versa . if the host did respond to such arp requests for d , then without additional processing arp replies would be generated for both adapters d and e in the normal situation , thereby resulting in multiple and inconsistent arp replies . assume further that the host of fig1 has one or more virtual ip addresses ( vipas ) v assigned to it and that d has responsibility for responding to arp requests for vipas . in this case , for the same reason as above , if d fails or becomes inactive , the host will not respond to arp requests for v received over e . therefore , the invention is directed to solving the problem of providing backup adapters when two or more adapters on on the same network , and to do it in a way that results in one and only one reply to an arp request . further , the invention is adapted to solve this problem for host adapters , offload adapters and vipas . fig2 pertains to the first embodiment in which a system contains only host adapters and specifically to the steps executed by a host when an adapter x becomes active at the host . the first embodiment relies on the receipt of arp advertisement messages to determine the network that adapters are on . the adapter control block maintained in memory for each adapter is modified to contain a backup adapter field . this field is cleared by step 202 for the adapter x which is becoming active . next , step 204 sends an arp advertisement over the new adapter x . this advertisement maps ip - x to mac - x . all hosts that are on the same network as adapter x will receive the arp advertisement . fig3 shows the steps executed by every host on the same network as x when the host receives the arp advertisement from fig2 . step 304 determines the ip address of the adapter over which the host received the advertisement . step 306 determines the ip address s of the new sending adapter x from the advertisement message . step 307 determines if s is owned by this host . if the answer is no , then this host needs to update its arp cache with the mapping contained in the advertisement . thus , step 309 performs this by mapping ip - 8 from the advertisement with the mac contained in the advertisement . if step 307 determines that s is owned by this host , then this host must determine if it received the advertisement over an adapter other than the one on which it was sent . if so , the receiving adapter is on the same network as the sending adapter x . thus , step 308 determines if ip - r equals ip - s . if they are equal , the advertisement is ignored . if they are unequal , step 310 determines if the receiving adapter r has a backup adapter marked in the adapter control block . if it doesn &# 39 ; t have a backup adapter , step 312 marks s as the backup adapter for r . next , step 314 determines if s has a backup adapter . if not , then r is marked as the backup adapter for s . this ends the processing of an arp advertisement every host receiving the advertisement has updated its arp cache and the sending host has determined if adapters s and r can act as backup adapters for each other . when an adapter x becomes inactive for any reason , then if x has a backup , all hosts must be told of backup . also , if x is marked as a backup for one or more other adapters in the host owning x , then the control blocks pertaining to the other adapters must be updated to remove x as the backup . step 402 of fig4 determines if adapter x has a backup adapter y . if so , then step 404 sends an arp advertisement over adapter y mapping ip - x to mac - y . step 406 locates all adapter control blocks in the host owning x and clears the backup adapter field in any that has x marked as backup . sometimes a host sends an arp request into a network to request the host owning an adapter x with ip address ip - x to reply with its mac address mac x . fig5 shows the steps executed by a host when it receives an arp request associated with ip - a over adapter b . step 502 determines if ip - a equals ip - b . that is , 502 determines if the request is received over the same adapter as the ip address contained in the request . if the answer is yes , step 506 returns a conventional arp reply over the adapter mapping ip a to mac - a . if the answer is no , conventional hosts will not generate a reply . however , step 504 of the invention determines if a backup adapter b is marked in the a control block . if not , nothing more can be done . however , if a has a backup , step 505 determines it adapter a is active . if it is , then it is assumed that a reply will be made to the request that is received over adapter a . thus , no further processing is done on this request . however , if adapter a is not active , then step 506 sends an arp reply to the requester mapping ip - a to mac - b . fig6 shows the steps executed by a host when it receives a reply to an arp request . the arp cache maintained by the host receiving the reply conventionally updates its arp cache to associate the ip address in the reply to the mac address in the reply . the second embodiment relies principally on sending and receiving icmp ( internet control message protocol ) messages with a hop count of one to determine which of separate networks contain specific adapters . this embodiment is also arranged to handle offload adapters and vipas . fig7 is the initial figure of the second embodiment and shows the steps executed by a host when an adapter x becomes active at the host . x should regain ownership of its ip address if another backup adapter has been previously given responsibility ( ip - x associated with mac y ). step 702 determines if a backup adapter is specified in the adapter x control block . if the answer is yes , step 708 determines if the backup adapter is an offload adapter . if that answer is yes , at step 710 the host sends a command to the adapter x to un - register ip - x with mac - y . this causes the adapter x to remove any association of ip - x with mac - y . step 704 clears the backup adapter field in the x control block so that no other adapter is marked as backup for x . any possible backup adapter for x will be determined dynamically shortly . step 706 determines if x is an offload adapter . if it is , step 712 sends a command to the adapter x to register ip - x with mac - x . this causes the adapter to send an arp advertisement into the network containing this association . if the adapter is not an offload adapter , step 714 sends the advertisement into the network itself . next begins the operation of determining what adapters are on what network . step 716 determines if this adapter x is the first adapter to become active on this host . if there are no other active adapters on this host , then this host knows of no other network other than the network on which x is located , so there is no need to determine the network to which x belongs relative to other active adapters . in this case , step 724 creates a new and first network control block for a network pnet - x ( where x in this case is 1 ) and links the network control block to the adapter x control block . all that is known now is that adapter x is active and that it resides in some network designated as pnet - 1 . since x is the only active adapter on this host , it is marked at step 726 as owning all virtual ip addresses adapters on this host for this physical network . an alternative when an adapter becomes active is to assign vipa responsibility to any one of the adapters known to the host at that time . step 728 determines if x is an offload adapter . if so , step 730 sends a message to adapter for each vipa owned by the host , each message maps ip - v with the adapter x . as a result , adapter x sends an arp advertisement message into the network mapping each ip - v to its mac address mac - x . if the adapter is not an offload adapter , step 732 sends the arp advertisements into the network itself . returning to step 716 , if there are active adapters on this host other than x , then it is desired to determine on which , if any , of these networks x resides . for each physical network known to the host ( as evidenced by network control blocks created by the host ) step 718 selects one adapter and sends an icmp message to that adapter via the new adapter x . the icmp message is marked with a hop count of one to prevent routers and other hosts from transmitting the packet off of the physical network . in the preferred embodiment , the icmp message used is an echo request , although any message with a hop count of one can be used . also , step 718 saves the ip address of each selected destination adapter in a list . when all of the echo requests have been sent at step 718 , step 720 starts a timer . the ip address of the new adapter x is included in the timer setup as a parameter to be delivered if a timeout occurs . that is the end of this processing . the network occupied by adapter x will be determined by a reply to the echo request or a timeout of the timer activated by step 720 . fig8 shows the steps executed by a host if and when it receives an icmp echo request . if a request is received over an adapter on the list from 718 , then it is known that the adapter x over which the message was sent in in the same network as the adapter receiving the message . step 802 determines if this receiving host sent the icmp echo request . if it did not , then the echo request offers no information as to what networks the adapters on this host belong . therefore , the echo request is processed in the conventional way at step 808 . if the echo request was sent by this receiving host , step 804 determines if this request contains an ip address that is on the list generated at step 718 . if the answer is no , then again the echo request is just processed conventionally at step 808 . if the ip address is on the list , it is now known that the adapter x , whose ip address is in the echo request , is in the same network as the receiving adapter . step 806 sets the network field of the adapter x control block to point to the same network to which the receiving adapter points . since an adapter can only be in one network , step 807 cancels the timer initiated at 718 . processing of the echo request is completed by step 808 . it is now known which of the active adapters on this host has the capability of acting as backup for the new adapter . an actual backup adapter is not selected at this time . that decision is reserved in the preferred embodiment until it is necessary . this is discussed below with respect to fig1 . fig9 shows the steps executed by a host as a result of a timeout initiated at step 720 . a timeout means that the newly active adapter x from fig7 is not in any network presently known to the host . therefore , the host needs to create a new network control block and link this adapter into it . the ip address of the new adapter x is delivered to step 900 when the timeout occurs . step 902 determines if the adapter x control block is already linked to a network control block . if it is , then the timeout is ignored . if it is not , step 902 branches control to step 724 of fig7 to create a new network identification pnet - x for this adapter and to link the adapter control block to the new pnet network control block . fig1 shows the steps executed by an offload adapter b when it receives an arp request for the mac address associated with an ip address ip - a . step 1002 determines if the host has registered the address ip - a with the offload adapter . if the hoast has not so registered , the adapter ignores the arp request . otherwise , the adapte responds at step 1004 with an arp reply mapping ip - a to mac - b . fig1 shows the steps executed by a host when it receives an arp request over adapter b for the mac address associated with ip - a . step 1102 compares ip - a with ip - b to determine if the request is received over the same adapter to which the request pertains . if so , then step 1106 replies to the arp request in the conventional way mapping ip - a to mac - a . if ip - a does not match ip - b , step 1104 determines if adapter b is marked as a backup for adapter a . if it is , then again step 1106 replies to the request , but in this case it maps ip - a to mac - b . at 1104 , if adapter b is not marked as backup for adapter a , step 1108 determines if ip - a is a vipa address . if ip - a is a vipa address , then step 1110 determines if adapter b is designated as owning responsibility for vipas for that physical network . if it is , then step 1106 replies to the arp request , mapping mac - b to the virtual ip address ip - a . fig1 shows the steps executed by a host it receives a reply to an arp request for the mac address associated with ip - a . step 1202 updates the arp cache of the host in a conventional way to map the mac address in the reply to the ip address in the reply . fig1 shows the steps executed by a host when it receives an an arp advertisement . step 1302 also updates the host arp cache table in a conventional way . fig1 shows the steps executed by a host when an adapter x becomes inactive . step 1402 determines if there is another adapter on this host that also is in the same network as adapter x . this is determined by examining the network control blocks that are linked to the adapter control blocks for adapters that share the same network . if there is no other sharing adapter , no further processing is necessary . if there is , arp caches and backup indications maintained by this host and other hosts need to be updated . step 1406 picks the sharing adapter b or one of the sharing adapters b if there are more than one to backup adapter x and updates the backup field in the adapter x control accordingly . step 1408 determines if adapter b is an offload adapter . if so , step 1410 registers ip - x with adapter b to cause the adapter to advertise to the network a mapping of ip - x to mac - y . otherwise , the host performs the advertising at step 1416 . step 1412 determines if adapter x has been designated as owning responsibility for vipas . if not , then processing is complete . if yes , step 1418 marks the backup adapter b as now owning vipa responsibility . step 1420 now determines if adapter b is an offload adapter . if so , step 1422 registers ip - v with the backup adapter b for each vipa known to the host . this causes adapter b to broadcast an arp advertisement to the network for each of these vipas mapping it to mac - b . if adapter b is not an offload adapter , the host sends these advertisement messages into the network to complete the processing required for this inactive adapter x . skilled artisans in the fields to which the invention pertains will recognize that numerous variations can be made to the embodiments disclosed herein and still remain within the sprit and scope of the invention .	7
in the following , the present invention will be described in more detail with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof referring to fig1 showing , in a somewhat schematic plan view , a part of a shutter disk forming a part of an embodiment of the device of the present invention , constructed as a device for measuring a rotation angle of a steering shaft of a vehicle , and fig2 showing , also in a somewhat schematic illustration , a cross section taken along line ii — ii in fig1 the shutter disk generally designated by 10 is adapted to rotate around its central axis c in accordance with a rotation of a steering shaft of a vehicle ( both not shown ), so as to measure the rotation angle of the steering shaft in a manner described hereinbelow . the shutter disk 10 has a first circular array 14 of notches 12 and a second array 18 of holes 16 as illustrated in fig1 and 2 . in the shown embodiment , the 360 ° angular area of the shutter disk around the central axis c is equally divided into 320 unit angle areas as illustrated in fig1 each unit angle δθ being 1 . 125 °. the notches 12 of the first array 14 are each formed to occupy an angle of 5 times of the unit angle , i . e . 5 . 625 °, with each spacing of the same degree . the holes 16 of the second array 18 are each formed to occupy an angle of three times of the unit angle , i . e . 3 . 375 °, and spaced from adjacent ones by an angle of two times of the unit angle , i . e . 2 , 250 °. in this connection , as will be appreciated after a through review of the present specification and the accompanying drawings , the three times of the unit angle of the opening of each hole 16 and the two times of the unit angle of the spacing between each two adjacent holes 16 may be optionally exchanged with one another such that each similar hole is open for an angle of two times of the unit angle , while each two adjacent ones of such holes are spaced from one another with a spacing corresponding to three times of the unit angle , because the essential function of those holes is to provide two radial edges which traverse the light beam emitted from the light emitting diode 24 or 28 to the corresponding photo transistor 26 or 30 . similarly , as will be also appreciated , the relative angular positioning between the array 14 of the notches 12 and the array 18 of the holes 16 may be optionally changed from that shown in fig1 as long as none of the radial edges of the holes 16 radially aligns with any one of those of the notches 12 , because such variations are only a matter that which of the several possible serial patters of on and off electric pulses available are assigned to indicate which of the left turn and right turn of the shutter disk . it will go without saying that the notches 12 may be replaced by holes of the same angular opening and spacing , while the radial relative position between the array 14 of the notches 12 and the array 18 of the holes 16 may be exchanged oppositely , with or without an accompanying modification that the holes 16 are modified to notches . further , it will be an obvious modification within the scope of equivalence that a third array of holes similar to the array 18 of the holes 16 are provided separately for a below - mentioned third set of light emitting diode and photo transistor , although such a modification will provide no particular advantage . a set of a light emitter 20 and an light receiver 22 forming a first photo sensor ssc are provided adjacent to a radial region of the shutter disk to oppose the first array 14 of the notches 12 . the light emitter 20 may be made of a light emitting diode adapted to emit a light beam toward the light receiver 22 which may be made of a photo transistor . similarly a second set of a light emitter 24 and a light receiver 26 forming a second photo sensor ss 1 are provided adjacent to a radial region of the shutter disk to oppose the second array 18 of the openings 16 . as shown in fig1 as an embodiment , the second set of the light emitter 24 and the light receiver 26 are angulary shifted relative to the first set of the light emitter 20 and the light receiver 22 by an angle of 10 times of the unit angle δθ in the counter - clockwise direction . further , a third set of a light emitter 28 and a light receiver 30 forming a third photo sensor ss 2 are provided adjacent the radial region of the shutter disk also to oppose the second array 18 of the openings 16 . in the shown embodiment , the third set of the light emitter 28 and the light receiver 30 are angulary shifted relative to the first set of the light emitter 20 and the light sensor 22 by an angle of 9 times of the unit angle δθ in the clockwise direction opposite to the second sets of the light emitter 24 and the light receiver 26 with respect to the first set of the light emitter 20 and the light receiver 22 . each set of the light emitters 20 , 24 and 28 and the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 detects each one of the notches 12 or the holes 16 in accordance with a rotation of the shutter disk 10 , so that each corresponding electric signal is generated to be “ on ” in an angular region in which the corresponding light receiver is irradiated by the cooperating light emitter through each notch 12 or each hole 16 , while the electric signal is made “ off ” in an angular region in which the corresponding light receiver is intercepted from the irradiation of the cooperating light emitter by the non - perforated portion of the shutter disk 10 , whereby the electric signal alternates between “ on ” and “ off ”, while forming an edge between the “ on ” and “ off ” regions of the electric signal at the angular positions corresponding to the radial edges of the notches 12 or the holes 16 . such an alternation of “ on ” and “ off ” of each of the electric signals generated by the photo sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 is shown in fig3 . in referring to fig3 it will be appreciated that the angular position of the shutter disk 10 relative to the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 shown in fig1 corresponds to an assumption that the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 are aligned to position “ b ” or “ l ”, and the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 shift rightward in fig3 according to a counter - clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 , i . e . a left turn of the steering , while the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 shift leftward in fig3 according to a clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 , i . e . a right turn of the steering . in other words , if the shutter disk 10 is being turned in the counter - clockwise direction , the sensor ssc located at position “ b ” or “ l ” is just going to newly output an “ on ” signal , while the sensor ss 1 located at position “ b ” or “ l ” has already been outputting an “ on ” signal over an angular region of one unit angle , and the sensor ss 2 has already been outputting an “ on ” signal over an angular region of two unit angles . it will be appreciated that such a rectangular pulse shape as shown in fig3 is due to an ideological illustration for the convenience of description , and that the actual electric pulses are obtained by shaping a continually changing curve with a threshold level so that the output is perceived as “ on ” during a period in which the curve rises above the threshold level , while the output is perceived as “ off ” during a period in which the curve sinks below the threshold level . further , in connection with the above - mentioned availability of the modification that the alternate signaling by the array of holes 16 and the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 of “ on ” and “ off ” at a rhythm three and two may be changed to the signaling of “ on ” and “ off ” at a rhythm of two and three , it will be appreciated that such a modification is just to turn over the three ranked diagram of fig3 upside down , as far as such a diagram is concerned . fig4 shows diagrammatically an electrical part of the embodiment , adapted to treat the outputs of the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 for measuring a rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 . the electrical part generally designated by 32 is essentially constructed by a microcomputer 34 of an ordinary construction , including a central processor unit , a read only memory , a random access memory , input and output port means and a common bus interconnecting these elements . the microcomputer 34 operates the light emitters 20 , 24 and 28 such as light emitting diodes via a drive circuit 36 . the microcomputer receives output signals of the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 such as photo transistors , and processes these signals in the manner described in detail hereinbelow , outputting a measurement value of the rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 toward other control systems 38 such as a vehicle stability control system or the like . the microcomputer 34 further dispatches an output for actuating a warning device 40 when an error beyond a predetermined limit number of times is detected in the measurement of the rotation angle based upon the output signals from the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 , as described in detail hereinbelow . in the following , further details of the construction of the device shown in fig1 and 4 will be described in the form of its operation by referring to fig5 - 9 in the form of flowcharts . referring to fig5 showing a basic routine of the operation of the device shown in fig1 and 3 , when the device is put into operation by a closure of an ignition switch of a vehicle ( both not shown ), in step 50 it is judged if the control arrived at this step for the first time . at a first arrival the answer is yes , and the control proceeds to step 100 , and signals are read in from the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 . the in step 150 , the read - in signals are stored in the particular area of the random access memory of the microcomputer 34 as former data . those data are used as provisional starting data in the control calculations described in detail hereinbelow . then in step 200 , the random access memory is initialized except the above - mentioned particular area . then the control proceeds to step 550 , to output no substantially useful output data in the first control pass , and then the control returns to step 50 . in the second arrival at step 50 by return , the control now proceeds to step 250 , and it is judged if the device is uninitialized . at a first arrival at this step after the closure of the ignition switch , or after the control has once passed through step 700 as described in detail hereinbelow , the answer of step 250 is yes , then the control proceeds to step 500 , and the device is initialized so that the device is ready for a new operation . thereafter , the control returns through step 550 again to step 50 . then the control again proceeds to step 250 , and this time the control proceeds to step 300 , to execute a normal processing such as illustrated in fig6 . referring to fig6 showing a flowchart of the processes executed in the normal operation of the device , in step 310 signals are read in from the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 . in step 320 , the outputs of the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 , i . e . outputs of the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 , are discriminated to be “ on ” or “ off ” as shown in fig3 . as described above , the outputs of the light receivers 22 , 26 and 30 are not so regular as illustrated in fig3 but are often ambiguous between “ on ” and “ off ”, as the amount of light received by each of the light receivers inherently changes gradually as a radial edge of each one of the notches 12 or the holes 16 traverses the front of the light receivers 22 , 26 or 30 , while the notches 12 and the holes 16 are liable to a partial closing by a mist of oil or dust . further , as described above the performances of the light emitting diodes or photo transistors are often liable to electrical noises . in step 330 , it is judged if the output of any sensor did change . if none of the outputs of the sensors has changed , the answer is no , and the control returns to step 50 of the flowchart of fig5 . such a re - circulation is continued at a cycle time such as tens of microseconds as usual in this kind of microcomputer controlled device . when the radial edge of either of the notches 12 or the holes 16 traverses the corresponding sensor ssc , ss 1 or ss 2 , it is detected in step 340 , with a simultaneous judgment if more than one outputs of the sensors did simultaneously change . as will be appreciated from the arrangement of the notches 12 and the holes 16 in the shutter disk 10 shown in fig1 a plurality of outputs should never change simultaneously as long as the device is normally operating . therefore , if such a phenomenon occurred , the control is diverted to step 350 , to identify such an error as error a . in this case , the control proceeds to step 600 of fig5 . as described in detail hereinbelow , there are other errors such as errors a - k . when the control proceeds to step 600 due to one of those errors , a fail count cfail is incremented by 1 . then in step 650 , it is judged if the fail count cfail is larger than 3 . if the answer is no , the control proceeds to step 700 , and the device is set with a flag “ uninitialized ”. then in step 750 , the device is also set with a flag “ first time ”. then the control returns to step 50 . therefore , when any one of the errors a - k has occurred , the device is always initialized through step 500 , and returned for further operation . further , when any such error has occurred four times , the fail count cfail reaches 4 , and the control proceeds to step 800 . in step 800 , the error data are output , and the device is stopped . returning to fig6 when the answer of step 340 is no , the control proceeds to step 360 , and it is judged if the change of the output occurred in the sensor ssc . if the answer is yes , the control proceeds to step 370 . if the answer of step 360 is no , the control proceeds to step 390 , and it is judged if the change of the output occurred in the sensor ss 1 , and if the answer is yes , the control proceeds to step 400 , while if the answer is no , the control proceeds to step 430 , thus determining which of the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 has detected one of the radial edges of the notches 12 or the holes 16 . when the control has proceeded to step 370 , i . e . when it was the sensor ssc which was traversed by the one radial edge , an ssc edge processing control such as shown in fig7 is executed . the control executed according to the flowchart of fig7 will be described by also referring to fig1 , assuming that the shutter disk 10 is rotating counter - clockwise and the moment is at position “ b ” of fig1 . in step 371 , it is judged if the outputs of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 are both “ on ”. as will be apparent from the on - off diagrams of fig1 which are the same as those of fig3 at edge positions of the output of the sensor ssc such as positions b , g , l and q the outputs of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 are always both “ on ” if the device is normally operating . therefore , the answer of step 371 is normally yes , and the control proceeds to step 373 . on the other had , if the answer of step 371 is no , there should be an error in at least one of the on - off pulses of the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 . in this case , the control proceeds to step 372 , and the error is identified as error b . in step 373 , it is judged if a parameter herein called “ count ” is 0 . the count is such as shown in the bottom rank of fig1 . as described hereinbelow , the count is reset to 0 when an edge is detected by the sensor ssc ( step 380 ) and is thereafter increased ( s 450 ) or decreased ( s 420 ) by 1 each time when one of the edges of the holes 16 is detected by the corresponding sensor ss 1 or ss 2 , so that it reaches + 4 or − 4 just before the next edge of the notch 12 is detected by the sensor ssc . therefore , when the device is normally operating , the answer of step 373 is no , and the control proceeds to step 375 . according to the conditions described above with respect to the diagram of fig3 in connection with the relationship between the left turn — right turn and the shifting directions of reference positions a - r , the count gradually increases from 0 to + 4 during a normal left turn , while it gradually decreases from 0 to − 4 , both in each span of five times of the unit angle defined by two successive edges detected by the sensor ssc . therefore , when the device is normally operating , the answer of step 375 is yes . then the control proceeds to step 376 . it is herein defined that the rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 increases when it is turned counter - clockwise in accordance with a left turn of the steering shaft , and decreases when the shutter disk 10 is turned clockwise in accordance with a right turn of the steering shaft . in the case of the steering system of a vehicle , the neutral position in the turning of the shutter disk 10 can be determined by other means such as a yaw rate sensor which gives a zero output when the vehicle is running straight forward or by a comparison of rotation speeds of left and right side wheels which become equal to one another when the vehicle is running straight forward . the device of the present invention measures the rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 , i . e . the steering shaft connected therewith , in respect to any standard or neutral position . therefore , when the center of rotation of the shutter disk 10 is adjusted to the neutral position of the steering system , the device of the present invention provides a positive measurement value which gradually increases in positive values as the shutter disk 10 is turned more counter - clockwise , while it provides a measurement value in a negative measurement value the absolute value of which gradually increases as the shutter disk 10 is turned more clockwise . therefore , there are two modes with regard to the change of the rotation angle measured by the device of the present invention according to each of the edges of the notches 12 being detected by the sensor ssc , such as an increase mode due to a left turn of the steering and a decrease mode due to a right turn of the steering . such two modes triggered by the edge of the notches 12 being detected by the sensor ssc are shown in the fourth rank of fig1 , as inc and dec , respectively . similarly , there are two modes with regard to the change of the rotation angle measured by each of the edges of the holes 16 being detected by either of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 , such as an increase mode due to a left turn of the steering and a decrease mode due to a light turn of the steering . such two modes are shown in the fifth rank of fig1 , as inc and dec , respectively . returning to step 376 of fig7 herein the mode of the sensor ssc is set to the increase mode inc , although in the present case it is already in the increase mode . in step 380 , the count is reset to 0 from + 4 . in step 381 , it is judge if a flag called former edge flag is ssc . the former edge flag is to refer to the position of the edges of the notches 12 . as will be noted later in step 388 , when the processes of fig7 was executed by one of the edges of the notches 12 having been traversed , the former edge flag is set to ssc . on the other hand , when a decrease mode processing or an increase mode processing such as shown in fig8 and 9 described hereinbelow , respectively , was executed , the former edge flag is set to not ssc in step 418 or 488 . therefore , as shown in sixth rank of fig1 , the former edge flag is set to ssc only when each one of the edges of the notches 12 was detected , until a next one of the edges of the holes 16 is detected by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 . therefore , in step 381 the answer is still no , and the control proceeds to step 385 . in step 385 , it is judged if the mode last triggered by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is the increase mode . in the present case of a left turn , it is normally constantly in the increase mode . therefore , the control proceeds to step 386 , and the measurement value θc of the rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 is increased by one unit angle δθ . then , in step 388 , the former edge flag is set to ssc , as will be confirmed in fig1 , until the flag is returned to not ssc at the next position “ c ”. then the control proceeds to step 460 of fig6 . the paths of steps 382 , 383 and 384 are provided for a probable irregular case that , although the mode to be triggered by the sensor ssc is correct , an error occurred in the former edge flag such that it is made ssc when the control proceeded to step 282 . in step 460 , the outputs of the sensors are stored , and the control proceeds to step 550 of fig5 . while the shutter disk 10 is being further rotated in the counterclockwise direction until the edge of one of the holes 16 at position “ c ” is detected by the sensor ss 1 , the control circulates through steps 50 , 250 , 300 , 310 , 320 and 330 to return to step 50 , and when the edge of position “ c ” was detected , the control proceeds through step 340 to step 360 . in this case , the judgement of step 360 is no , and then the control proceeds to step 390 . the answer of step 390 is yes , and therefore the control proceeds to step 400 . in step 400 , it is judged if the outputs of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 before the last edge , i . e . the edge at position “ c ”, were “ on ” and “ off ” or “ off ” and “ on ”, respectively . the answer is no , because the outputs of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 are both “ on ” in the angle region between positions “ b ” and “ c ”. therefore , the control proceeds to step 440 , and the increase mode processing shown in fig9 is executed . referring to fig9 in step 441 , it is judged if the count is 0 . as will be confirmed in the bottom rank of fig1 , the count is still 0 as reset to 0 at position “ b ” by step of 380 of fig7 . therefore , the answer is yes , and the control proceeds to step 442 , and it is judged if the mode of the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is the decrease mode dec . when the device is normally operating for the left turn , the mode triggered by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is the increase mode inc set at the end of each previous execution of this increase mode processing , as shown in step 454 described later . therefore , the judgement of step 442 is no , and the control proceeds to step 443 . in step 443 , it is judge if the former edge flag is set at ssc . the former edge flag was set to ssc at the end of the ssc edge processing executed at position “ b ”. therefore , the answer of step 443 is yes , and the control proceeds to step 445 . in step 445 , it is again judged if the former edge flag is ssc . the answer is yes , and the control proceeds to step 446 . in step 44 g , it is judged if the mode by ssc is in the increase mode . the mode of ssc is certainly the increase mode set in step 376 of the preceding execution of the ssc edge processing of fig7 . therefore , the answer is yes , and the control proceeds to step 448 , and herein the former edge flag is set to not ssc . then the control proceeds to step 449 . in step 449 , the measurement value θc of the rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 is increased by one unit angle δθ . then in step 450 , the count is increased by 1 . then in step 451 , it is judged if the count is smaller than 5 . the count should be + 4 at the largest , if the device is normally operating . if , however , the count had increased to 5 or more , the control proceeds to step 452 , identifying an error named error j , and then the control proceeds to step 600 of fig5 . in step 453 , it is judged if the measurement value θc of the rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 was so increased as to be larger than θmax , a predetermined maximum value allowable for the normal operation of the device . when the answer is yes , the control proceeds to step 454 , and the mode triggered by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is set to the increase mode inc . then the control proceeds to step 460 of fig6 . however , if in step 453 the answer is no , the control proceeds to step 455 , to identify an error named error k , and then to proceed to step 600 . after once passing through step 454 , for the time being while the shutter disk 10 rotates in the counter - clockwise direction within the unit angle , the control again circulates through steps 50 , 250 , 300 , 310 , 320 and 330 to return to step 50 . when the shutter disk 10 further rotates in the same direction so far that one of the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ d ” is detected by the second sensor ss 2 , the control along the flowchart of fig6 proceeds through step 340 to step 360 , and then the control further proceeds through steps 390 to step 430 . in step 430 , it is judged if the outputs of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 before the last edge , i . e . before the edge of position “ d ”, were “ on ” and “ off ” or “ off ” and “ on ”, respectively . since the output of the sensor ss 1 in the angle region between positions “ c ” and “ d ” is “ off ”, while the output of the sensor ss 2 in the same angle region is “ on ”, the answer of step 430 is yes , and then the control proceeds to step 440 , so that the processes of the increase mode processing of fig9 are again executed . then , again in step 441 , it is judged if the count is 0 . the count is now 1 , and therefore the control proceeds directly to step 445 , and it is judged if the former edge flag is ssc . at position “ d ”, the former edge flag is already not ssc , and therefore the control directly proceeds to step 449 . in step 449 , the measurement value of θc of the rotation angle by the device is further increased by the unit angle δθ , and then in step 450 , the count is also increased by 1 . in step 451 , it is judged if the count is smaller than 5 , and if the answer is yes the control proceeds to step 453 , whereas if the answer is no , the control proceeds to step 452 , identifying error j , and then the control proceeds to step 600 . in step 453 , it is judged if the measurement value θc of the rotation angle of the shutter disk 10 is not larger than the predetermined maximum value θmax . if the answer is yes , the control proceeds to step 454 , and the mode triggered by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is set to the increase mode inc , and then the control proceeds to step 460 of fig6 . if the answer of step 453 is no , the control proceeds to step 455 , identifing error k , and then the control proceeds to step 600 of fig5 . then , for the time being , the control again circulates through steps 50 , 250 , 300 , 310 , 320 and 330 to return to step 50 . then , when the shutter disk 10 continues to rotate counter - clockwise so far that one of the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ e ” of fig1 is detected by the sensor ss 1 , the control proceeds again through step 340 to step 360 of fig6 and then the control further proceeds through steps 390 and 400 to step 440 , so that the increase mode processing of fig9 is again executed . the control processes triggered at position “ e ” are the same as those triggered at position “ c ”, resulting in a further increase of the measurement value θc by one more unit angle δθ with a further increase of the count by 1 . similarly , when one of the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ f ” of fig1 is detected by the sensor ss 2 , the control along fig6 proceeds through steps 340 , 360 , 390 and 430 to step 440 , and the control processes of fig9 are executed in the same way , again resulting in a further increase of the measurement value θc by one unit angle δθ and a further increase of the count by 1 , so that the count now reaches + 4 . after a further counter - clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 for the unit angle δθ , one of the edges of the notches 12 corresponding to position “ g ” of fig1 is detected by the sensor ssc , and the control of the flowchart of fig6 again proceeds through steps 340 and 360 to step 370 . then the controls according to the flowchart of fig7 is again executed . as already described with respect to position “ b ” of fig1 , the control by fig7 proceeds through steps 371 , 373 , 375 , 376 , 380 , 381 , 385 and 386 to step 388 , and then to step 460 of fig6 resulting in the setting of the former edge flag to ssc and a reset of the count to 0 . such a cycle by the five times of the unit angle δθ is repeated as long as the shutter disk 10 is rotated in the counter - clockwise direction . when the shutter disk 10 is rotated in the clockwise direction according to a light turn of the steering shaft , the diagrams of the outputs of the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 , the mode by the sensor ssc , the mode by the sensor ss 1 / ss 2 , the former edge flag and the count change are to be scanned from right to left , i . e . from position “ r ” toward position “ a ” in fig1 . in more detail , assuming that the states of the shutter disk 10 and the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 shown in fig1 correspond to position “ l ” of fig1 during its clockwise rotation , the control according to the flowchart of fig6 proceeds through steps 310 to 360 and to step 370 , and then , in the flowchart of fig7 if the device is normally operating , the control proceeds from step 373 to step 375 , and then to step 377 . since the count in the right turn mode , i . e . during a clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 , the count is decreased to − 4 just before position “ l ”, i . e . one of the edges of the notches 12 , is detected by the sensor ssc . therefore , the answer of step 377 is yes , and the control proceeds to step 378 , and the mode triggered by the sensor ssc is set to a decrease mode dec ( indeed , already set at dec , when the shutter disk 10 was being rotated clockwise ). then the control proceeds to step 380 , and the count is reset to 0 . although the control which proceeded to step 374 from a “ no ” judgment in step 373 , after having passed through step 371 , generally proceeds to step 376 from step 375 or to step 378 from step 377 , an error could occur in the count by certain noises . therefore , when the judgment in step 377 is still no , the control proceeds to step 379 , and such an error is identified as error c . in step 381 , it is judged if the former edge flag is ssc . in this right turn mode , the former edge flag is also set to ssc only in an angular region of one unit angle succeeding to each one of the edges of the notches 12 . therefore , the answer of step 381 is no , and the control proceeds to step 385 . as described hereinbelow in the controls through the decrease mode processing shown in fig8 the mode triggered by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is set to a decrease mode dec in its step 424 . therefore , when the control proceeded to step 385 during a normal right turn operation , the answer of step 385 is no , so that the control proceeds to step 387 , and the measurement value θc of the rotation angle is decreased by unit angle δθ . then the control proceeds to step 388 , and the former edge flag is set to ssc . during a further clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 until one of the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ k ” of fig1 is detected by the sensor ss 2 , the control according to the flowchart of fig6 circulates through steps 310 , 320 and 330 to return to step 50 of fig5 . and when , the edge of the hole 16 corresponding to position “ k ” was detected by the sensor ss 2 , the control by the flowchart of fig6 proceeds through steps 310 - 360 to step 390 , and further to step 430 . since the outputs of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 before the last edge , i . e . the edge of position “ k ”, are both on , the judgement of step 430 is no , so that the control proceeds to step 410 . then , the decrease mode processing of fig8 is executed . in step 411 of fig8 it is judged if the count is 0 . as will be confirmed by the illustration of the rank of count of fig1 , the count was reset when the controls of fig7 were executed just before . therefore , the answer of step 411 is yes , and the control proceeds to step 412 . in step 412 , it is judged if the mode by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 , i . e . the mode triggered by the edge of the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 , is an increase mode inc . as will be noted in step 424 at the end of the flowchart of fig8 the mode by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 was set to a decrease mode dec at the end of the control according to the flowchart of fig8 executed as triggered by one of the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ m ” when the shutter disk 10 is being continuously rotated clockwise . therefore , the answer of step 412 is no , and the control proceeds to step 413 . in step 413 , it is judged if the former edge flag is ssc . as will be confirmed from the sixth rank of fig1 , at position “ k ” reached from the right side , the former edge flag set to ssc at position “ l ” is still maintained . therefore , the answer of step 413 is yes , and the control proceeds to step 415 in step 415 , it is again judged if the former edge flag is ssc , and since the answer is again yes , the control proceeds to step 416 . in step 416 , it is judged if the mode by the sensor ssc is a decrease mode dec . since the mode of the sensor ssc was set to the decrease mode in step 378 of the flowchart of 7 executed at position “ l ”, the answer of step 416 is yes , and the control proceeds to step 418 , and the former edge flag is set to not ssc . then , in step 419 , the measurement value θc of the rotation angle is decreased by one unit angle δθ , and then in step 420 the count is also decreased by 1 , making the count to − 1 , as confirmed by the last rank of fig1 . in step 421 , it is judged if the count is not so much decreased as being − 5 not probable when the device is normally operating . when the answer is yes , the control proceeds to step 423 . in step 423 , it is judged if the measurement value θc of the rotation angle to be measured is equal to or larger than a minimum limit θmin predetermined to be a normally allowable minimum value thereof . if the answer of step 423 is no , the control proceeds to step 425 , identifying an error named error g , then letting the control proceed to step 600 of fig5 . when the answer of step 423 is yes , the control proceeds to step 424 , and the mode by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is set to a decrease mode dec . therefore , as will be confirmed from the fourth , fifth and sixth ranks of fig1 , when the shutter disk 10 is continuously rotated clockwise , the mode triggered by the edge of the sensor ssc is constantly set to the decrease mode dec , and the mode triggered by the edge of the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is also set to the decrease mode dec . on the other hand , the former edge flag is set to ssc only for an angle region of one unit angle just after one of the edges of the notches 12 was detected by the sensor ssc . when the shutter disk 10 is further rotated clockwise , the control process circulates through steps 310 , 320 and 330 to return to step 50 of fig5 until a next one of the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ j ” is detected by the sensor ss 1 . when the edge of position “ j ” is detected by the sensor ss 1 , the control by the flowchart of fig6 proceeds through steps 310 - 360 to step 390 , and then proceeds to step 400 . since the outputs of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 before the last edge , i . e . the edge at position “ j ”, were “ on ” and “ off ”, respectively , the control proceeds to step 410 , and the control according to the flowchart of fig8 is again executed . in this case , since the count is set already at − 1 , the control proceeds from step 411 directly to step 415 , and since the former edge flag is already set at not ssc , the control again directly proceeds to step 419 , and the measurement value θc of the rotation angle is decreased by one unit angle δθ , and the count is decreased by 1 , so that the count is now set to − 2 . then the count is similarly checked with respect to its normality in step 421 , and it is confirmed if the measurement value θc of the rotation angle is not smaller than the minimum value θmin in step 423 . then in step 424 , the mode to be triggered by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is set to the decrease mode dec , before the control proceeds to step 460 of fig6 . the same controls as those triggered at positions “ k ” and “ j ” are repeated as triggered by the edges of positions “ i ” and “ h ”, respectively , so that each time the count is decreased by 1 , so that the count is − 4 when the edges of the notches 12 corresponding to position “ g ” is detected by the sensor ssc . then , upon detection of the edge of position “ g ”, the control described with respect to the edge corresponding to “ q ” are executed to reset the count to 0 , while setting the former edge flag to ssc . when the steering is reversed from a left turn to a right turn so that the rotation of the shutter disk 10 is reversed from a counter - clockwise rotation to a clockwise rotation at , for example , a position between positions “ j ” and “ k ” as shown in fig1 , the embodiment of the device of the present invention herein shown operates as follows : when the rotation of the shutter disk 10 is reversed from a counter - clockwise rotation to a clockwise rotation when the control proceeded to a position between positions “ f ” and “ k ” as shown in fig1 , the edge of one of the holes 16 detected by the sensor ss 1 at position “ j ” is again detected at position “ j ”. during the return to position “ j ”, the mode triggered with an edge by the sensor ssc , or the mode of ssc , is kept unchanged until one of the edges of the notches 12 corresponding to position “ g ” is detected by the sensor ssc , and thereafter the mode by ssc is set to the decrease mode dec . the mode triggered with an edge by the sensor ss 1 or ss 2 is kept unchanged until one of the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ j ” is detected by the sensor ss 1 , and thereafter the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is set to the decrease mode dec . the former edge flag is kept unchanged at not ssc until one of the edges of the notches 12 corresponding to position “ g ” is detected by the sensor ssc , and then the flag is changed to ssc for an angular region between positions “ g ” and “ f ”, and then the flag is returned to not ssc until it is again set to ssc at position “ b ”. together with such the modes by ssc and ss 1 / ss 2 and the former edge flag , the count once increased up to + 3 at position “ j ” is decreased to + 2 when the edge of one of the holes 16 corresponding to position “ j ” traverses the sensor ss 1 from right to left , and thereafter the count is successively decreased by 1 each time when the edges of the holes 16 corresponding to positions “ i ” and “ h ” traverses the sensors ss 2 and ss 1 , respectively , so that the count is already reduced to 0 before the sensor ssc detects the edge of one of the notches 12 corresponding to position “ g ”, as illustrated in the bottom rank of fig1 . when one of the edges of the notches 12 corresponding to position “ g ” is detected by the sensor ssc , the control proceeds in the flowchart of fig6 from step 310 straight downward through steps 320 , 330 , 340 and 360 to step 370 . then the control is executed according to the flowchart of fig7 . in this case , when the control has proceeded from step 371 to step 373 , the count is 0 , and therefore the control proceeds directly to step 374 . in step 374 , the mode by ssc , i . e . the mode triggered with an edge of the notches 12 by the sensor ssc is changed oppositely , i . e . from the increase mode inc to the decrease mode dec . then in step 380 , the count is reset to 0 , although in this case the count is already set at 0 . in step 381 , it is judged if the former edge flag is ssc . as will be confirmed from the sixth rank of fig1 , the former edge flag was changed from ssc to not ssc at position “ h ” during the former left turn and is still kept at not ssc . therefore , the control proceeds to step 385 , and since the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is already set at dec at position “ j ”, the answer is no , and the control proceeds to step 387 . then the measurement value θc is decreased by one unit angle δθ , and then the control proceeds to step 388 , where the former edge flag is set to ssc , and then the control proceeds to step 460 of fig6 . as will be noted by comparing the angular region between positions “ f ” and “ g ” of fig1 with the angular region between positions “ p ” and “ q ” of fig1 , the operating condition of the device has now been completely set for a normal right turn , so that a further rotation of the shutter disk 10 in the clockwise direction is processed by the device in the same manner as described with respect to the normal right turn shown in fig1 . as described above , the on - off pulses generated by the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 are liable to electrical noises , particularly when the sensors are of the semiconductor constructions such that the light emitter is made of a light emitting diode and the light receiver is made of a photo transistor , with related integral circuits . when such sensors are disturbed by electrical noises , “ on ” and “ off ” pulses generated by the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 are deformed typically such that the leading edge or the trailing edge between the “ on ” and “ off ” states of a pulse generated by one of the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 shifts beyond the leading edge or the trailing edge of an adjacent pulse generated by other of the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 , or an additional pulse is generated between two successive pulses , so that the order of generation of the on - off pulses among the sensors ssc , ss 1 and ss 2 is disturbed , thereby causing an error in the measurement value θc of the rotation angle to be measured . according to the device of the present invention , such an error in the measurement of the rotation angle due to such noises is identified before the measurement proceed for an angle corresponding to five times of the unit angle . fig1 shows an example that a noise occurred such that an on - edge to be generated by the sensor ssc occurred earlier than that to be generated by the sensor ss 2 during a counter - clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 , corresponding to a left turn of the steering shaft . ( in the following , the direction of rotation of the shutter 10 will be expressed by the corresponding turning direction of the steeling shaft connected therewith for the brevity of description .) in this case , as shown in fig1 , the performances of the mode by ssc , the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 , the former edge flag and the count proceed normally according to those of the left turn shown in fig1 up to position “ j ”. then , when the shutter disk 10 rotates a small angle further beyond position “ j ”, the output of the sensor ssc changes from “ off ” to “ on ”. at this moment the scanning control through the flowchart of fig6 proceeds through step 330 toward step 340 , and then through step 360 to step 370 , so that the flowchart of fig7 is executed . in the flowchart of fig7 in step 371 it is judged if the output of the sensors ss 1 and ss 2 are both on . therefore , if such an irregularity in the on - off performance of the output of the sensor ssc has occurred at a position before the leading edge of the corresponding on - pulse by the sensor ss 2 , i . e . position “ k ”, it is immediately detected by step 371 , letting the control proceeds to step 372 , thereby identifying the irregularity as error b . in this case , the control proceeds to step 600 of fig5 when one of the on - off pulses to be generated by the sensor ss 1 at position “ j ” has deformed by a noise at a position between positions “ h ” and “ i ” before the on - pulse generated by the sensor ss 2 between positions “ f ” and “ i ” ends at position “ i ” as shown in fig1 , such an irregularity is detected as follows : the performances of the modes by ssc and ss 1 / ss 2 , the former edge flag and the count proceed in the normal manner of left turn shown in fig1 until the irregular on - pulse by the sensor ss 1 occurs . when the irregular on - pulse by ss 1 has occurred , in the flowchart of fig6 the control proceeds from step 360 through step 390 to step 400 , and the judgment is made yes . therefore , the control proceeds to step 410 , and the decrease mode processing of fig8 is executed . in step 411 , the answer is no , and therefore the control proceeds to step 415 , wherein the answer is again no . therefore , the control proceeds through steps 419 , 420 , 421 , 423 and 424 , provided that the answers in steps 421 and 423 are yes , so that the count is decreased by 1 and the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is changed to the decrease mode dec , before the control returns . then , soon the trailing edge of the on - pulse by the sensor ss 2 ends at position i . according to this change of the output of the sensor ss 2 , the control in the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 430 , and the judgement is made no . therefore , the control proceeds to step 410 , and the decrease mode processing of fig8 is again executed . in step 411 , the count is now 0 , so that the judgement is yes , and the control proceeds to step 412 , and it is judged if the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is the increased mode inc . however , the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 was already changed to the decrease mode dec by the irregular leading edge of the on - pulse by the sensor ss 1 . therefore , the answer of step 413 is no , and therefore the control proceeds to step 414 , identifying such an error as error d . then the control proceeds to step 600 of fig5 . when an irregularity occurred in an on - pulse generated by the sensor ss 1 as shown in fig1 such that the pulse which should end at position “ h ” has extended to end between positions “ i ” and “ j ”. in this case , the 0 count reset by step 380 of the flowchart of fig7 continues until position i , with the former edge flag being also kept at ssc . then , at position “ i ”, the trailing edge of the on - pulse by the sensor ss 2 terminates . in accordance with this , the control through the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 430 , and the judgement is made no . then the control proceeds to step 410 , and the decrease mode processing of fig8 is executed . in step 411 , since the count is 0 , the judgement is yes and the control proceeds to step 412 . since the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is in the increase mode inc , the judgement of step 412 is yes , and therefore the control proceeds to step 415 . the former edge flag is still ssc , and therefore the judgement of step 415 is yes , and the control proceeds to step 416 . the mode by ssc is at the increase mode inc , and therefore the judgment of step 416 is no , and the control proceeds to step 417 , identify such an irregularity as error e . when one of the on - off pulses generated by the sensor ss 2 has deformed as shown in fig1 such that the trailing edge which should end at position “ i ” is extended to end after the leading edge of an adjacent one of the on - off pulses generated by the sensor ss 1 which is detected at position “ j ”, such an irregularity is detected as follows : the measurement of the rotation angle during a left turn proceeds normally up to position “ h ”. at position “ h ”, the mode by ssc is in the increase mode inc , and the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is also at the increase mode inc . the former edge flag set to ssc at position “ g ” was returned to not ssc at position “ h ”. the count was increased to + 1 at position “ h ”. when the shutter disk 10 rotates further in the counter - clockwise direction , at position “ j ” the leading edge of the on - pulse generated by the sensor ss 1 to extend between positions “ j ” and “ m ” is detected by the sensor ss 1 . upon this detection , the control in the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 400 , and the judgement of step 400 is made yes . therefore , the control proceeds to step 410 , and the decrease mode processing of fig8 is executed . in the flowchart of fig8 in step 411 , the answer is no , because the count is at + 1 , and therefore the control proceeds to step 415 . the judgement of step 415 is no as will be confirmed by the sixth rank of fig1 . therefore , the control proceeds through steps 419 , 420 , 421 , 423 and 424 , so that count is decreased by 1 to return to 0 , while the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is changed to the decrease mode dec . when the shutter disk 10 rotates a little further so that the trailing edge of the on - pulse by the sensor ss 2 extended beyond position “ j ” is detected by the sensor ss 2 , the control by the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 430 , and the judgment is made no , and therefore , the control proceeds to step 410 , and again the decrease mode processing by the flowchart of fig8 is executed . in step 411 , the count is now 0 , so that the control proceeds to step 412 , and it is judged if the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is the increase mode inc . since the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 has been changed to the decrease mode dec at position “ j ”, the answer of step 412 is no , and the control proceeds to step 413 . as is confirmed by the six rank of fig1 , at this stage the former edge flag is set at not ssc . therefore , the judgement in step 413 is no , and the control proceeds to step 414 , identifying such an irregularity as error d . when an irregularity has occurred in one of the on - off pulses generated by the sensor ss 2 as shown in fig1 such that the leading edge an o - pulse which should occur at position “ k ” occurs in advance of the leading edge of an adjacent one of the on - off pulses generated by the sensor ss 1 , it is detected as follows : the normal measurement of the rotation angle in the left turn is carried out in the same manner as shown in fig1 before the leading edge of the irregularly deformed pulse is detected by the sensor ss 2 at the position between positions “ i ” and “ j ”. upon the detection of the leading edge of the irregular pulse , the control by the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 430 , and the answer is no , and therefore , the control proceeds to step 410 , and the decrease mode processing shown in fig8 is executed . in step 411 , the answer is no , because the count is already + 2 , and therefore the control proceeds to step 415 . since the former edge flag is set at not ssc , the control proceeds to step 419 , and further through steps 420 , 421 , 423 and 424 . therefore , the count is decreased by 1 , while the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is changed to the decrease mode dec . after a further small counter - clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 , a leading edge of the on - pulse is detected by the sensor ss 1 at position “ j ”. upon this detection , the control through the flowchart of fig6 process to step 400 , and the answer is yes , and therefore , the control proceeds to step 410 , and again the decrease mode processing shown in fig8 is executed . in step 411 , since the count is + 1 , the control proceeds to step 415 . since the former edge flag is already not ssc , the judgement is no , and the control proceeds directly to step 419 , and further proceeds through steps 420 , 421 and 423 to step 424 . therefore , the counter is further decreased by 1 , so as to become 0 , and the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is kept to the decrease mode dec . if the shutter disk rotates further in the counter - clockwise direction , the leading edge of the on - off pulse generated by the sensor ssc to extend between positions “ l ” and “ q ” is detected at position “ l ” by the sensor ssc . upon this detection , at position “ l ” the control by the flowchart of fig6 proceeds through step 360 to step 370 , and the control by the flowchart of fig7 is executed . when the control proceeds through step 371 to step 373 , it is judged if the count is 0 . as will be confirmed by the seventh rank of fig1 , the count is at 0 . therefore , the control proceeds to step 374 , and the mode by ssc is changed from the increase mode inc to the decrease mode dec . thereafter , the control proceeds to step 380 , resetting the count to 0 ( although the count is already 0 ), and then to step 381 , and it is judged if the former edge flag is ssc . since the answer is no , the control proceeds to step 385 . the judgement of step 385 is no , and therefore the control proceeds through step 387 to step 388 , and the former edge flag is set to ssc . when the counter - clockwise rotation of the shutter disk 10 further continues until the trailing edge of the on - pulse is detected by the sensor ss 1 at position “ m ”, and the control by the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 400 , and according to the judgement of no , control proceeds to step 440 , so that the increase mode processing shown in fig9 is executed . in step 441 , the answer is yes , and therefore the control proceeds to step 442 . since the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is already at the decrease mode dec , the answer is yes , and the control proceeds to step 445 . since the former edge flag is already set to ssc , the answer of step 445 is yes , and the control proceeds to step 446 , and it is judged if the mode by ssc is the increased mode inc . as is confirmed by the fourth rank of fig1 , the mode by ssc is at the decrease mode dec , and therefore the answer is no , and the control proceeds to step 447 , identifying such an irregularity as error i . when an irregularity occurs in one of the on - off pulses generated by the sensor ssc as shown in fig1 such that the trailing edge to be detected at position “ g ” delays beyond position “ h ”, the conditions of the modes by ssc and ss 1 / ss 2 , the former edge flag and the count attained at position “ f ” are extended up to position “ h ”. when the trailing edge of the on - pulse to terminate at position “ h ” is detected by the sensor ss 1 , the control in fig6 proceeds to step 400 , and since the answer of step 400 is no , the control proceeds to step 440 , and the increase mode processing of fig9 is executed . since the judgement of step 441 is no , the control proceeds to step 445 . the judgement of step 445 is again no , and therefore the control proceeds through step 449 to step 450 , and the count is further increased by 1 , so as to become + 5 . therefore , in step 451 , the judgement is no , and the control proceeds to step 452 , identifying such an irregularity as error j . when the trailing edge of one of the on - off pulses generated by the sensor ssc during a clockwise turn of the shutter disk 10 , i . e . during a right turn of the steeling shaft connected therewith , delays as shown in fig1 such that the trailing edge to be detected by the sensor ssc at position “ l ” is not yet detected when the trailing edge at position “ k ” is detected by the sensor ss 2 , the control through the flowchart of fig6 proceeds through step 430 to step 430 , and since the judgement of step 430 is no , the control proceeds to step 410 , and the decrease mode processing of fig8 is executed . in this case , the control proceeds from step 411 directly to step 415 , and since the former edge flag is not ssc , the control proceeds through step 419 , and further to step 420 , so as to decrease the count by 1 , thereby making the count to − 5 . therefore , in step 421 , the judgement becomes no , and the control proceeds to step 422 , identifying such an irregularity as error f during a light turn , similar to error j of fig1 identified during a left turn . when the trailing edge of one of the pulses to be generated by the sensor ss 1 at position “ j ” during a right turn delays behind the leading edge of an on - pulse detected by the sensor ss 2 at position “ i ” as shown in fig2 , the count set to − 1 is maintained up to position i as shown in the bottom rank of fig2 . when the leading edge of the on - pulse is detected by the sensor ss 2 at position “ i ”, the control in the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 430 , and since the judgement of step 430 is yes , the control proceeds to step 440 and the increase mode processing of fig9 is executed . in step 441 , the judgement is no , and the control proceeds to step 445 . the judgement in step 445 is again no , and the control proceeds to step 449 , and then to step 450 , where the count is increased by 1 , so that the count is made 0 , thereafter the control returns through steps 451 , 453 , 454 and 460 . when the extended trailing edge is detected by the sensor ss 1 at a position between i and h , the control in the flowchart of fig6 proceeds to step 400 , and since the answer of step 400 is no , the control proceeds to step 440 to execute the increase mode processing of fig9 . in step 441 , the judgement is now yes , so that control proceeds to step 442 , and it is judged if the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 is the decrease mode dec . as will be confirmed by the fifth rank of fig2 , the mode by ss 1 / ss 2 has been changed to the increase mode inc at position “ i ”. therefore , the judgement of step 442 is no , and the control proceeds to step 443 , and it is judged if the former edge flag is ssc . as will be again confirmed by the fourth rank of fig2 , at this stage the former edge flag is not ssc . therefore the judgement of step 443 is no , and the control proceeds to step 444 , identifying such an irregularity as error h . the irregularities of the pulses caused by the electrical noises also occur as an additional pulse generated between two successive regular pulses as exemplarily shown in fig2 - 24 . the operations of the embodiment described with reference to fig1 - 9 for detection and identification of these irregularities will be appreciated on an analogy with the examples of the irregularities shown in fig1 - 20 and the above descriptions , based upon the illustration of the accompanying fourth to seventh ranks of diagrams about the modes by ssc and ss 1 / ss 2 and the count , and the order of the steps executed shown hereinbelow . therefore , any further detailed descriptions are omitted for the brevity of the specification : starting from position “ h ”: 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 400 - 440 - 441 - 442 - 443 - 445 - 446 - 448 - 449 - 450 - 451 - 453 - 454 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 370 - 371 - 372 ( error b ) starting from position “ g ”: 330 - 340 - 370 - 371 - 373 - 375 - 376 - 380 - 381 - 385 - 386 - 388 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 370 - 371 - 373 - 374 - 380 - 381 - 382 - 384 - 388 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 400 - 440 - 441 - 442 - 443 - 445 - 446 - 447 ( error i ) starting from position “ h ”: 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 400 - 440 - 441 - 442 - 443 - 445 - 446 - 448 - 449 - 450 - 451 - 453 - 454 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 400 - 410 - 411 - 415 - 419 - 420 - 421 - 423 - 424 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 430 - 410 - 411 - 412 - 413 - 414 ( error d ) starting from position “ i ”: 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 430 - 410 - 411 - 415 - 419 - 420 - 421 - 423 - 424 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 430 - 410 - 415 - 419 - 420 - 421 - 423 - 424 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 400 - 410 - 411 - 415 - 419 - 420 - 421 423 - 424 - 460 - 550 - 50 - 250 - 300 - 310 - 320 - 330 - 340 - 360 - 390 - 430 - 410 - 411 - 412 - 413 - 414 ( error d ) it will be appreciated that the irregularities shown in fig1 - 24 are also detectable and identifiable when they occur during a turn in the direction opposite thereto , as the same or different names of errors according to the cases . further , as will be appreciated from above , all such errors are detected , when occurred , immediately before the measurement proceeds a few times of the unit angle , and the measurement process is initialized so that the errors are not accumulated . further , in the embodiment shown in fig5 when any such error occurred more than three times , the measurement operation of the device is automatically stopped and the record of the errors is shown for attention . although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to a particular embodiment thereof , it will be apparent for those skilled in the art that other various embodiments or modifications about the shown embodiment are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention .	6
this document describes , among other things , techniques that can include systems or methods of obtaining and processing image or other at least two - dimensional ( 2d ) spatial information about light emitted around a fingertip or toe of a subject , such as in response to electromagnetic ( field ) (“ electrical ”) stimulation of the subject ( for brevity , this document emphasizes operation with respect to one or more fingertips , but it is to be understood that like apparatuses and methods can be additionally or alternatively used with one or more of the subject &# 39 ; s toes ). such processing can include mapping the image or other 2d spatial response information to a specified particular body anatomy location , component , or system that is remote from the fingertip at which the image information was obtained ( for brevity , this document emphasizes operation with using at least 2d spatial information , but it is to be understood that like apparatuses and methods can additionally or alternatively be used with other at least 2d spatiotemporal information , such as can include a trend over time of at least 2d spatial information , or frequency content of at least 2d spatial information ). such mapping can include using an eastern medicine meridian mapping or other registration system for associating a luminosity response at the fingertips to a specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , such as , for example , associating to a selected particular one of : a cardiovascular system , a gastrointestinal / endocrine system , a respiratory system , a renal system , or a hepatic system . such processing , registration , or mapping can be used to generate a physiological status indication that is particular to a specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system . the physiological status indicator can then be provided to a user or an automated process , such as in a textual or pictorial graphic report , or otherwise . by way of overview , the present techniques can include measuring galvanic skin response ( gsr ). a subject &# 39 ; s fingertip can be placed in contact with a transparent electrode , such as a glass electrode . electrical or other electromagnetic impulses can be applied to the glass electrode , such as for generating a localized electromagnetic field around the fingertip . under the influence of this electromagnetic field , and depending on the fingertip skin resistance , ionization can create a very small current within nearby air molecules . this can result in a small burst of visible or other ( e . g ., ultraviolet ) light in a region surrounding the fingertip . an image of this light can be captured , such as by an automated charge - coupled device ( ccd ) digital camera or other camera or imaging device . the light image ( or at least 2d spatial or spatiotemporal response information obtained therefrom ) can be image - processed , such as to assess its intensity level or one or more other analytical criteria . the light intensity , for example , can be a function of the resistance at the junction between the fingertip and the electrode at the time of the measurement . the light intensity can be registered , for example , as a low , normal , or high response . as explained in detail below , the light image or other at least 2d spatial or spatiotemporal information can be processed to generate a physiological status indication that is particular to a specified particular body anatomy location , component , or system that is remote from the fingertip . the physiological status indicator can then be provided to a user or an automated process , such as in the form of a textual or pictorial graphical report , or otherwise . fig1 is a block diagram showing an example of portions of a system 100 and portions of an environment in which it can be used . in an example , the system 100 can include a transparent electrode 102 , which can be configured for receiving a fingertip of a subject , such as on a top surface thereof . an optional removable transparent dielectric barrier 103 can be placed between the fingertip and the electrode 102 during certain measurements , and can be removed or omitted during other measurements . an electromagnetic ( e . g ., electrical ) signal generator 104 can be electrically coupled to the electrode 102 , such as for delivering a suitable electrical ( or other electromagnetic ) stimulation signal to the fingertip for generating visible or other light ( e . g ., light in the visible through uv portions of the electromagnetic spectrum ) about the fingertip , in response to the electrical stimulation . a camera 106 can provide a light detector to detect an at least 2d spatial response such as an image ( or a spatiotemporal response , such as multiple images taken at different times ) of the light generated about the fingertip in response to the electrical stimulation of the fingertip . the image information can be communicated to a computer 108 , such as via a bus 110 . the computer 108 can include a user or other input / output interface 112 , which can allow input from the user or an apparatus or output to the user or an apparatus . the user interface 112 can include a display 114 . the computer 108 can include a memory circuit 116 , such as for providing a tangible nontransitory medium for storing instructions that can be performed by a signal processor circuit such as processor circuit 118 , which can include the memory circuit 116 or can be separate therefrom . the memory circuit 116 can also store image information obtained from the camera , or other 2d spatial or spatiotemporal response information , such as can be derived from such image information . the processor circuit 118 can be configured to provide image processing of the image information obtained from the camera 106 . the processor 118 can provide , include , or be coupled to a microcontroller circuit , such as to control or coordinate operation of the electrical signal generator 104 , the camera 106 , and an optional light - emitting diode ( led ) or other light source 120 . the light source 120 can be used to illuminate the subject &# 39 ; s fingertip , such as to help align or orient the fingertip as desired on the electrode 102 , such as before electrical stimulation and responsive light imaging of the fingertip are performed . the computer 108 can also be configured to communicate with a server or other remote computer 122 , such as over a wired or wireless communications or computer network 124 , such as a local area network ( lan ) or a wide area network ( wan ). one approach to gsr would be to measure the relatively slow about 8 to 10 microampere current flow response of the skin , during a time period that is on the order of 10 to 100 seconds , to a small ( approximately + 2 volt ) dc voltage applied to the skin . the current flow can be translated to a 0 to 100 scale with 50 indicating a normal , healthy person response , less than 50 indicating a weak condition , and more than 50 indicating an irritated situation . an “ indicator drop ” ( i . d .) of the conductance number , after slowly rising to its maximum value , can also be determined . for a normal response ( about 50 ), the i . d . occurs within about 1 to 3 seconds and the electrical resistance then maintains a constant value until the full measurement time elapsed ( about 10 to 20 sec ). when there is an abnormal response ( above or below 50 ), the i . d . can be much longer ( about 20 to 60 seconds ), depending upon how far away from 50 the maximum conductance reading occurred . unlike the above approach , the present techniques need not pass any direct current through the subject &# 39 ; s body . instead , the present techniques can involve measuring light emitted around the finger in response to a small high - frequency alternating current ( ac ) excitation applied to the subject , such as to the subject &# 39 ; s fingertip . the emitted visible or other light can be observed around the entire circumference of the circular or oval contact area of a fingertip , such as for each of the subject &# 39 ; s ten fingertips or toes . the intensity of the light emitted around the finger contact area in response to the applied ac electrostimulation can vary according to the skin resistance of the subject . the ac electrostimulation can be applied to the subject &# 39 ; s fingertip by applying the ac electrostimulation potential to the electrode 102 , on which the fingertip can rest either directly , or separated therefrom by the dielectric 103 . in an example , the electrode 102 can include a transparent glass dielectric portion , upon which the fingertip can be placed , and a transparent conductive portion , such as an indium tin oxide ( ito ) coating , to which the ac electrostimulation signal can be applied by the electrical signal generator 104 . when a fingertip is placed on the dielectric glass portion of the electrode 102 , two dielectrics ( skin and glass ) are situated in non - parallel geometry . when an ac electrostimulation voltage is applied to the fingertip skin , breakdown ionization can occur in the air surrounding the fingertip , because of the energy transfer between the charges in the stratum corneum of the fingertip and the dielectric glass portion of the electrode 102 . the fingertip can act as a leaky dielectric , and some time may pass before ionizing breakdown of air occurs and light is emitted around the fingertip . the light emitted can vary according to one or more factors , which can include the electrolyte or water content of the fingertip . in human tissue , the dielectric response is a function of the electric permeability of the skin and the frequency applied to the voltage used when making a measurement . the dielectric properties of the skin decrease with increasing frequency due to the time required for charges to form and migrate across the interfaces and interact with the opposing electrode . at low frequencies , corresponding to a period on the order of 10 to 100 seconds , conduction current exists , allowing charge to be transferred across the stratum corneum . when the applied voltage is ac at approximately 1000 hz , the impedance slowly increases with time , but to a smaller degree than when dc voltage is applied over a period of time . without being bound by theory , this effect can be attributed to the selective permeability nature of the cell membranes ( which pass positive ions more easily than negative ions ) and the short - circuit channels between the cells . at an approximately 1000 hz repetition rate , with a positive going square wave voltage pulse of 10 microseconds applied , there is time for the charge to build up then break down . with the about 1 millisecond that exists between the voltage pulses , there is almost sufficient time for the charges to decay before the next pulse arrives . thus , variations of finger conductance in the high frequency region can be detectable . the skin , due to its layered structure , can be likened to a capacitor . each cell in the stratum corneum can have an electrical double layer 10 − 6 to 10 − 7 cm thick at each cell wall , and these can polarize to give rise to capacitance under the influence of an electric field . for about 100 layers of cell membrane in parallel that make up the stratum corneum , with a dielectric constant of approximately 50 , a capacitance on the order of 0 . 045 μf / cm 2 can arise , which is within the range observed for skin . this capacitance can vary , such as according to the amount of electrolyte , water , or protein in the skin . the major barrier to the absorption or diffusion of water or electrolytes through the skin is in the outside layers of the epidermis . the overall range of skin permeability is approximately between 0 . 004 and 600 μcm / min ) and , with age , this permeability decreases . absorption is most likely along the “ spot welds ” or desmosomes , which occur at short intervals , creating channels down through the cell membrane layers . these channels act to decrease the leakage resistance between the cell membranes and thus decrease the capacitance of the cell membranes . diffusion through the desmosomes yields a diffusion coefficient for water of d = 2 μcm 2 / sec which is 10 to 20 % of the epidermis bulk value . a cellular membrane includes fixed charge sites , which may be predominantly positively or negatively charged , depending upon the ph of the tissue fluid relative to the iso - electric point ( iep ) of the cells . the iep represents the ph of the solution needed to neutralize the charge state of the surface of the cell . in the instance where the membrane surface is electro - positively charged , h + ions will be absorbed by the membrane surface . it will be selectively permeable to negative ( anions ) only . when the membrane becomes electro - negatively charged it is permeable to positive ( cations ) only . the iso - electric point of a membrane will shift depending on the degree and type of proteins and carbohydrates imbedded in the cell surface . skin is generally found to be electronegatively charged and is therefore primarily permeable to positive ( cations ) ions . this selective permeability nature of the skin is similar in effect to the function of a diode in a circuit . in an example , the electrical signal generator 104 applies a sinusoidal ac electrical signal at a frequency of approximately 1000 hz , a repetition rate of between about 33 hz and 1000 hz , and a duty cycle of between about 5 and 15 microseconds , for a total fingertip electrostimulation exposure duration of between 0 . 5 second and 32 seconds . the camera 106 can capture light emitted around the fingertip , such as during the entire electrostimulation exposure or a portion thereof , such as in one or a series of images . fig2 is a diagram illustrating generally an example of portions of the present techniques that can be used to obtain a particularized response indication ( such as a physiological status indicator ) that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , which can be remote from the fingertip . at 201 , the fingertip can be illuminated with light from light source 120 . at 202 , a “ live ” image can be captured to help align or orient the fingertip on the electrode 102 . at 203 , the user or automated process can use orientation information from the live image to properly orient the energized image , such as rotationally to within a few degrees . in an example , the processor circuit 118 can be configured to perform image processing that can take the live image of a fingertip and calculate parallel lines along the edges of the live image of the finger as it projects out of the image plane . such parallel lines can then be aligned to a vertical ( longitudinal ) center line of an oval . this can allow the live image to be oriented with respect to the oval using such parallel lines and the longitudinal center line of the oval . the parallel lines and / or oval define a reference direction . when the external edges of the live image of the finger are not clear , or if the finger is very large and therefore there is little of the outward - projecting portion of the finger to be seen in the live image , an automated process may not be able to achieve the correct orientation . in such a case , the user can use information displayed on the display to verify for correct orientation , such as by visually comparing the live image to the energized image and visually assessing the orientation correlation therebetween . at 204 , electrostimulation , such as the ac electrostimulation described above , can be applied by the electrical signal generator 104 to the fingertip , such as to generate visible or other light around the fingertip in response thereto . at 205 , at least two - dimensional ( 2d ) spatial response capture , such as image capture , can be performed . this can include using a light detector such as the camera 106 to acquire the light image obtained in response to the ac electrostimulation . the light image obtained in response to the ac electrostimulation can be referred to as the “ energized ” image . a corresponding light image obtained without such ac electrostimulation , which can be referred to as the “ live ” image can also optionally then be obtained , such as under illumination by the light source 120 ( without accompanying ac electrostimulation ). the live image can later be used to orient the later - obtained energized image , if desired . at 206 , a baseline determination can be made , such as to determine a level of background noise that is present in the light image . first , a centroid of the image can be determined and deemed to correspond to the center of the fingertip . then , the background noise can be determined , such as by using the processor circuit 118 to perform image - processing of the image pixels from the camera 106 to locate the highest gradient in light intensity in the image . this highest gradient in light intensity will occur at the inner edge of the image where the outer perimeter of the fingertip meets the electrode 102 ( or the dielectric 103 ) upon which the fingertip is placed . within such perimeter , any light detected in the image can be deemed noise , since insufficient air is present there to generate an ionizing light response to the ac electrostimulation . all lower intensity pixels within such perimeter can be removed from the image , such as by iteratively processing the image from the centroid of the fingertip outward . such lower intensity pixel removal can continue iteratively until a consistent radius from the centroid of the fingertip to the highest gradient in light intensity is obtained . the magnitude of this radius vector can then be calculated , such as can be expressed as the number of pixels from the centroid of the fingertip image to the inner edge of the image . at 207 , the energized image can be rotationally or translationally oriented , such as automatically , without requiring user intervention . this can be accomplished via signal processing by placing an oval over the live image at a center , which can be calculated as the centroid obtained from the pixels of the live image . the live image centroid can be deemed to correspond exactly to the centroid of the energized image , and these two centroids can be overlaid . the “ live ” image can be used to automatically ( e . g ., without requiring user intervention ) orient ( e . g ., at least one of rotationally or translationally ) an oval onto the “ energized ” image . the oval can be used to establish the reference direction for polar coordinates on the energized image so that a radial sectoring system can be placed on the energized image in the correct orientation . in an example , the live image can allow the user ( or an automated process ) to visualize the finger , including how it projects out of the image plane . this can permit the user ( or an automated process ) to visualize the orientation of the finger in the live image . at 208 , the at least two - dimensional ( 2d ) spatial response , such as the energized image , can be registered to the body , such as for mapping the light intensity information of particular radial sectors of the image ( e . g ., referenced to the centroid of the image ) to a respective corresponding particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , which can be remote from the fingertip . according to an example of the radial sectoring system , the fingers can be numbered , starting with the thumb , which can be designated finger number one , the forefinger ( index finger ) can be designated finger number two , and so forth . table 1 illustrates : ( 1 ) individual fingers ; ( 2 ) examples of radial sectors of the various individual fingers ; ( 3 ) examples of angles defining such radial sectors ; and ( 4 ) particular body anatomy location , component , or system corresponding to the respective radial sectors . in table 1 , the angles describe angular locations of radial rays extending radially outward from the centroid of the fingertip image , with 0 ° corresponding to the reference direction , and with the angle value increasing in a clockwise direction therefrom . at 210 , the properly oriented energized image of a fingertip can be analyzed , such as by using automated image processing that can be provided by the processor circuit 118 , such as described further below . at 212 , a result of analysis at 210 is provided as a particularized response indication ( such as a physiological status indicator ) that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , which can be remote from the fingertip . fig3 shows an example of such an image - analysis technique . at 302 , for image analysis , the energized image can be broken down into a pixel matrix , for an illustrative ( non - limiting ) example , such as an x = 320 by y = 240 pixel matrix representing the respective x and y positions of pixels in the image . each pixel can include data representing light intensity observed at that pixel location . from the pixel information , in an example , various analysis parameters can be determined , such as by automated image processing of the energized image using the processor circuit 118 . in an example , such analysis parameters can include normalized sector area , average intensity , form - one , form - two , entropy , fractal , reference - subjective , reference - objective , and break , such as described further below . at 303 , a center point location parameter of the energized image can be obtained or determined . in an example , the center point can be determined by first determining contour points of the fingertip boundaries . the contour points can be determined by ( e . g ., working out from the true center of the image ) selecting pixels having an intensity exceeding a specified intensity threshold value . an ellipse can then be fitted to such contour points , such as by using a least - squares analysis to perform the fitting . the ellipse fitting can be iteratively repeated , if desired . at each iteration , one or more outliers among the contour points can be removed . the midpoint of the ellipse can be determined and deemed to be the center point of the energized image . at 304 , a minimum radius parameter of the fingertip energized image can be determined , such as by automated image processing using the processor circuit 118 . the minimum radius parameter of the image can be determined as the smaller principal axis of the ellipse fitted as described above . at 306 , a maximum radius of the fingertip energized image can be determined , such as by automated image processing using the processor circuit 118 . the maximum radius of the image can be determined as the larger principal axis of the ellipse fitted as described above . at 308 , an image angle parameter can be determined , such as by automated image processing using the processor circuit 118 . the image angle can be given by the angle between the major axis and the reference direction on the energized image . if the ellipse is close to a circle ( which is the case when the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis is at or near 1 . 0 ), then the image angle can be declared to be zero . at 310 , a background noise level parameter can be determined , such as by determining a threshold intensity level at which only a specified amount ( e . g ., 0 . 002 % of the pixels in the center region of the image ) exceed the threshold intensity level . in an example , this background noise level can be determined in the center region of the image , which can be taken as the interior of the ellipse ( e . g ., within the minimum radius ), with the ellipse fitted such as described above with respect to 303 ). this threshold intensity level can be declared to be the background noise level . the center region of the image can be used because this should be an area completely devoid of light and therefore representative of what the background of the image should look like . in an example , to calculate the background noise level , intensities can be determined for all “ lit ” pixels within the center region area that is defined by the ellipse fitted as described above with respect to 303 . an iterative calculation can be used to iteratively remove portions of the lit pixels within the center region . in an example , percentages of the lit pixels can removed , such as based on their intensities , until only a specified target amount ( e . g . 0 . 002 %) of the originally - present lit pixels in that center region remain . so , in an illustrative example , if there are 100 lit pixels to start with , of varying intensities , in a first pass through , all lit pixels with intensities less than a threshold value ( e . g ., threshold value = 20 ) can be cleared . those lit pixels that remain , if greater than the specified target amount of 0 . 002 % of the original number of lit pixels that were present in the center region , can be processed in another pass , in which all lit pixels having an intensity value of less than a higher threshold value ( e . g ., threshold value = 30 ) can be removed . if greater than the specified target amount of 0 . 002 % of the original number of lit pixels in the center region are still present in the center region , then another pass can be made . this iterative process can continue until the specified target amount of only 0 . 002 % of the original number of lit pixels within the center region remain . the corresponding intensity level can be declared to be the background noise level . in an example , the background noise level can be between 30 and 45 , in most cases . an inner radius can be determined , as explained above , such as after the background noise has been subtracted from the image . the remaining image has an inner radius that is described by the distance from the center point to the first pixel , in the radial direction from the center , that exceeds the background noise level . this inner radius dimension will be variable along the inner edge of the image due to the size and shape of the finger that created the image . for each calculation , the inner radial distance can be calculated . at 312 of fig3 , a sector area parameter of a particular radial sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . a radial sector can be given by an area between rays , such as adjacent rays , emanating radially outward from the center point of the 2d energized image . the sector area of a particular sector can be determined as the number of pixels within a particular sector and within the fitted ellipse , having an intensity exceeding a specified value , such as exceeding a specified value of the background noise level . at 314 , a normalized sector area parameter of a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . in an example , the normalized sector area can be given by the following relationship : an is the normalized sector area a is the sector area s is the quantity of sectors θ is the radial angle of the sector between end rays at 316 , an average intensity parameter of a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . in an example , the average intensity of a particular sector can be determined by dividing the sum of intensities of all pixels in a particular sector by the number of pixels given by the sector area for that sector . at 318 , an entropy parameter of a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . this can include computing a shannon entropy along a profile . the profile can be created by traversing the image radially with a sweep ray extending from the center point of the fitted ellipse , and sweeping the ray clockwise with respect to the center point of the fitted ellipse , which can serve as a fixed reference . the clockwise sweep of the sweep ray can be performed in steps , such as of ¼ of an angular degree , in an illustrative example , and the profile ( and corresponding shannon entropy ) can be determined along the sweep ray at each such step . for each of the resulting ( e . g ., 360 * 4 = 1440 ) angles , an image profile can be computed , such as by selecting the pixels exceeding the background noise level ( e . g ., as explained above with respect to fig4 ) that intersect with the sweep ray at one of the 1440 ( or other number of ) angles and centered at the ellipse midpoint . thus , a particular image profile can include an angle , a set of pixels extending radially along the profile at that angle , and the intensities associated with the profile pixels . an entropy for a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as by first computing an entropy for each individual profile within that particular sector , and then averaging or otherwise determining a central tendency of each individual profiles to obtain a composite profile for that particular sector . for various pixel positions i along the radial profile ( where the integer i = 1 , 2 , . . . n , and n is the total number of pixels in the radial profile ), the entropy can be expressed as a radial vector e given by the following relationship : δi i is pixel intensity above the background noise level at 320 , a form - one parameter of a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . the particular image profiles determined at the various ( e . g ., 1440 angles ) angular positions , as explained above , can be used in determining the form - one parameter . the active area of the fingertip image can be divided into adjacent concentric regions ( e . g ., annular regions or , in the center , a disk ) that are separated from each other by concentric circular rings ( of different radii ), which can be commonly coaxially centered at the center point of the ellipse . in an example , three such concentric rings can be used to compute three form - one parameters , with corresponding progressively increasing radii of r1 , r2 , and r3 to define boundaries of three concentric regions having respective areas a1 ( area of a disk bounded by r1 ), a2 ( area of a ring between r1 and r2 ), and a3 ( area of a ring between r2 and r3 ). in an example , the form - one parameter of a particular sector can be expressed using multiple form - one parameters , such as form - one 1 for area a1 , form - one 2 for area a2 , and form - one 3 for area a3 . in an example , form - one 1 , form - one 2 , and form - one 3 for each area a1 , a2 , and a3 can represent derivative parameters , respectively providing an indication of the amount of change in pixel intensity along each radial image profile within the respective concentric region a1 , a2 , and a3 . form - one for each area ( e . g ., a1 , a2 , and a3 ) can be determined by computing the maximum value of the derivative along the image profile within the respective concentric region , a1 , a2 , and a3 as indicated above . in an example , the form - one parameters for a particular sector can be expressed as follows : f1 r is the form - one parameter for a region r l r is the perimeter length ( in pixel count ) for region r δi i is the pixel intensity above the background noise level at 322 , form - two can be calculated using a similar calculation ; however it can be carried out for the concentric region having a radius greater than r3 . at 324 , a fractal dimension parameter of a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . the fractal parameter can be determined by computing a mathematical fractal dimension , such as using a box - counting method for a two - dimensional area . the fractal parameter can be represented by : m is the fractal dimension parameter l is the perimeter length ( in pixel count ) of the sector r i is the inner radius ( see step 304 of fig3 ) at 326 , a reference - subjective parameter ( rs ) for a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . rs can provide a comparison measure between a subject &# 39 ; s image sector and a corresponding sector of a subject - specific calibration image ( e . g ., a calibration image that has been taken on the same day as the subject images ). the rs comparison can be determined both with and without the dielectric 103 in place . in an example , the rs parameter can be determined for a particular sector using the following relationship : rs is the reference - subjective parameter s identifies one sector of interest si s is an average intensity of sector s of the subject image ci s is an average intensity of sector s of a calibration image the value 0 . 05 can be subtracted for normalization sa s is the quantity of active pixels in sector s of the subject image sp s is the total quantity of pixels in sector s of the subject image ca s is the quantity of active pixels in sector s of the calibration image cp s is the total quantity of pixels in sector s of the calibration image the value ∈ can be set to a value ( e . g ., 10 − 4 to ensure stability ) at 328 , a reference - objective parameter ( ro ) for a particular sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ) can be computed , such as for one or more radial sectors of the energized image . the ro parameter can also provide a comparison measure between a subject &# 39 ; s image sector and a corresponding sector of a “ perfect ” subject image ( such as has been previously stored and retrieved from a database ). the ro comparison can be determined both with and without the dielectric 103 in place , just as described above for rs , except that the determination of ro can differ by substituting a population - composite healthy person image for the subject - specific calibration image used in the rs computation . the population - composite healthy person image can be determined by generating a composite image from a sample ( e . g ., of tens of thousands ) of human fingertip images from known or presumed healthy subjects . at 330 , a break parameter can be determined . the break parameter , can represent a gap , providing an indication of whether there is a gap in the inner ring bounding a particular concentric region . a gap can be declared to exist when one or more pixels along such inner ring has an intensity that falls below a threshold value , such as the background noise level . the value of the break parameter can correspond to the size ( e . g ., the circumferential length along the inner ring ) of such gap , if any . if a gap exists , the break parameter can be assigned a specified value , such as a value between 0 and 10 . by way of overview , in an example , each of the parameters described above with respect to fig3 ( e . g ., center point , inner radius , fractal , entropy , etc ., which can be denoted ( x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x n )) can be calculated from the energized image , assessed for normality within the dataset ( e . g ., using information from a clinical knowledge base representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject ), and statistical outliers can be discarded ( or otherwise adjusted ). after such processing , if any , the parameters described above can be combined , for a particular radial sector , into a sector composite parameter for that radial sector , such as by a weighted linear combination ( e . g ., y = a · z 1 + b · z 2 + c · z 3 + . . . + y · z n , where a , b , c , etc . are scaling coefficients , and z 1 . . . z n are the normal distribution z - scores associated with the parameters described above with respect to fig3 .) the normal distribution z - scores can be determined using information from a clinical knowledge base representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject . the sector composite parameter then can be scaled , such as to fit within a defined scale ( e . g ., a scale from 0 to 5 , or a scale from 0 to 25 , which can be defined by a population to which the subject is being compared ( e . g ., using information from a clinical knowledge base representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject ), or by other sector composite parameters associated with the same subject ). an example is explained in more detail below with respect to fig4 . the acts described with respect to fig4 can be applied after each of the parameters described above with respect to fig3 has been calculated for each of the radial sectors . at 402 , for each parameter ( x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x n ) described above with respect to fig3 , a corresponding average value ( μ 1 , μ 2 , . . . , μ n ) or other central tendency of that parameter can be computed across all radial sectors in the energized image . at 404 , for each parameter ( x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x n ) described above with respect to fig3 , a corresponding standard deviation value ( σ 1 , σ 2 , . . . , σ n ) ( or variance , or other measure of dispersion or variability ) of that parameter can be computed across all radial sectors in the energized image . then , a first variability range ( e . g ., of +/− one standard deviation ) of that parameter across all the radial sectors in the energized image can be calculated . then , a second variability range ( e . g ., of +/− three standard deviations ) of that parameter across all the radial sectors in the energized image can be calculated . at 406 , for each radial sector , any parameters that fall within the second variability range ( e . g ., fall within +/− three standard deviations ) can be excluded from the next average and standard deviation calculation . from those parameters that have not been so excluded , and a second average and a second standard deviation can be computed across non - excluded radial sectors . at 408 , a normal distribution z - value ( also called a z - score , where z 1 =( x 1 − μ 1 )/ σ 1 ) can be calculated for all parameters ( x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x n ), for all sectors , including those that were excluded from the previous average and standard deviation calculation , of the energized image — but using the applied second average and the applied second standard deviation determined at 406 , instead of the average and standard deviation determined at 402 and 404 . at 410 , for each radial sector , the z - scores described above at 408 can be combined into a sector composite parameter , such as by a weighted linear combination , for example : y is the sector composite parameter a , b , c , etc . are scaling weights z 1 . . . z n are unscaled z - scores described above at 408 in an example , the scaling weights associated with the corresponding unscaled z - scores of the parameters can be as follows : area weight = 0 . 5 intensity weight = 25 entropy weight = 1500 form - one weight = 300 form - two weight = 300 rs weight = 3000 fractal weight = 225 break weight = 5000 the break weight can be applied as an on / off rule : it can be applied if a break is present , and not applied if the break is not present . the break weight can be scaled by a specified value , such as a value that can be between 0 and 10 . at 414 - 424 , one or more rules can then be applied to the sector composite parameter , based upon the z - scores of the parameters associated with that radial sector . at 414 a , if any radial sector meets one or more specified criteria , such as a z - score greater than or equal to a specified value ( e . g ., 0 . 9 ) for both area and intensity , then at 414 b the sector composite parameter for that radial sector can be adjusted , such as by adding an additional amount ( e . g ., 5000 ) to the sector composite parameter for that radial sector of the energized image . at 416 a , if any radial sector meets one or more specified criteria , such as a z - score greater than or equal to 0 . 9 for fractal , then at 416 b the sector composite parameter for that radial sector can be adjusted , such as by adding an additional amount ( e . g ., 10 , 000 ) to the sector composite parameter for that radial sector of the energized image . at 418 a , if any radial sector meets one or more specified criteria , such as a z - score greater than or equal to 0 . 9 for each of form - one , form - two , and entropy , then at 418 b the sector composite parameter for that radial sector can be adjusted , such as by adding an additional amount ( e . g ., 7000 ) to the sector composite parameter for that radial sector of the energized image . at 420 a , if any radial sector meets one or more specified criteria , such as a z - score greater than or equal to 0 . 9 for each of form - one and form - two , then at 420 b the sector composite parameter for that radial sector can be adjusted , such as by adding an additional amount ( e . g ., 5000 ) to the sector composite parameter for that radial sector of the energized image . at 422 a , if any radial sector meets one or more specified criteria , such as a z - score greater than or equal to 0 . 9 for each of form - one and entropy , then at 422 b the sector composite parameter for that radial sector can be adjusted , such as by adding an additional amount ( e . g ., 7000 ) to the sector composite parameter for that radial sector of the energized image . at 424 a , if any radial sector meets one or more specified criteria , such as a z - score greater than or equal to 0 . 9 for each of form - two and entropy , then at 424 b the sector composite parameter for that radial sector can be adjusted , such as by adding an additional amount ( e . g ., 10 , 000 ) to the sector composite parameter for that radial sector of the energized image . at 414 - 424 , the one or more rules can be evaluated ( in the priority listed and shown in fig4 ) such that only one of these rules is actually applied and given effect , such that there is no duplicative adjustment to the sector composite parameter from more than one of the rules of 414 - 424 . at 430 , for those body anatomy organs or systems in table 1 that correspond to both a radial sector of the left hand and a radial sector of the right hand , a left to right differential sector composite parameter (“ delta ”) between the respective sector composite parameters for such left - hand and right - hand radial sectors can be computed . if the delta exceeds 50 % of the value of either of the respective sector composite parameters for such left - hand and right - hand radial sectors corresponding to the same body anatomy organ or system , then an additional amount ( e . g ., 20 , 000 ) can be added to the respective sector composite parameters for such left - hand and right - hand radial sectors corresponding to the same body anatomy organ or system . at 432 , the sector composite parameter for each radial sector of the energized image , after adjusting as described above with respect to 414 - 430 , can be scaled , such as by multiplying or dividing the value of the sector composite parameter by a specified normalizing amount ( e . g ., dividing by 100 ). at 434 , the resulting normalized sector composite parameter can be compared to a within - subject curve ( e . g ., a normal distribution curve compiled from all of the sector composite parameters of the same subject ) and also fit to a population - based curve ( e . g ., a normal distribution curve for the same sector composite parameter from a comparable population or subpopulation of subjects , such as using information from a clinical knowledge base representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject ). the population - based curve can be based on a comparable subpopulation of patients , such as based upon one or more factors such as medical history , gender , race , or age ). the location of the sector composite parameter within the within - subject curve can be scaled and reported to the user . the location of the sector composite parameter within the population - based curve can also be scaled and separately reported to the user . at 436 , in an example , two statistical modeling analysis methods can be employed to associate and optimize sector relationship to the particularized response indication that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , wherein the particularized response indication can be indicative of disease etiology , progression , or pattern as well as severity of ‘ issue ’ or abnormality that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system . a first statistical approach can include naïve - bayes analysis , which can produce one or more probabilities and multiplicative factors for each sector and coefficient - parameter combination . these factors can be applied to the 78 sectors . a resultant physiology - specific composite score that can provide a physiological status indicator that is specific to a particular body anatomy location , component , or system can be produced , such as on a scale of 0 to 5 or 0 to 25 ( e . g ., such as for one of five major organ systems , such as cardiovascular system , 0 to 5 or 0 to 25 , renal system , 0 to 5 or 0 to 25 , respiratory system , 0 to 5 or 0 to 25 , gastrointestinal system , 0 to 5 or 0 to 25 , or hepatic system , 0 to 5 or 0 to 25 ). the higher the physiology - specific score for a particular body anatomy location , component , or system , the greater the probabilistic prediction that there is an issue or abnormality with that particular body anatomy location , component , or system . a second statistical approach that can be employed can include logistic regression , such as using information from a clinical knowledge base representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject . in an example , one or more multiplicative factors can be calculated for each sector and coefficient - parameter combination . using these probabilistic outcomes for each sector , a ranking can be created for each sector . in an example , using information from a clinical knowledge base representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject , such as across a population of several thousand data points these probabilities have been normalized and translated into a scoring system from 0 to 25 . a score of 25 can indicate the highest probability that there is an issue or abnormality with a particular body anatomy , location , component , or system for the particular individual whose image is being analyzed . within a patient - specific or population - based range , such as the 0 to 25 range example , subranges can be defined , such as can respectively represent a normal response ( e . g ., 0 to 10 ), a chronic response ( e . g ., 11 to 16 ), and an emergent or acute response ( e . g ., 17 to 25 ). these subranges can be scaled to correspond to a specified cutoff value in a patient - specific or population - based distribution of such physiology - specific composite scores . for example , the 0 to 10 subrange can correspond to values within a 68 % cutoff value ( inclusive ) on the patient - specific or population - based distribution , the subrange 11 to 16 can be scaled to correspond to values between a 69 % cutoff value and a 95 % cutoff value ( inclusive ), and the subrange 17 to 25 can be scaled to correspond to values that are greater than the 95 % cutoff value . although the above example is described using a scale from 0 to 25 , another scale ( e . g ., 0 to 5 ) can be selected and used . trending over time ( e . g ., over a time period of days , weeks , months , or years ) can be carried out , such as on the physiology - specific composite score , on one or more of its underlying parameters , or on the image or other at least 2d spatial or spatiotemporal response information . in an example , one or more such trends can be analyzed , such as to provide a trend - based physiological status indication or other particularized response indication that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system . in an example , the information generated as discussed above ( e . g ., one or more of the parameters , the physiology - specific composite scores , or the trends ) can be presented to a diagnostician , caregiver , or other user . this can be in the form of one or more textual or pictorial reports , charts , or images that can be displayed or printed or otherwise provided to the user or to an automated process . fig5 shows an illustrative example of a report that can be presented to a user . in the example of fig5 , the physiology - specific composite scores can be presented to a user , such as in association with various particular body anatomy locations , components , or systems ( which can be annotated “ l ” or “ r ” if separate physiologic - specific composite scores are generated from the left and right hands for that particular physiology - specific composite score ). thus , in the illustrative example of fig5 , the scores are presented in visual correspondence with their respective particular body anatomy location , component , or system ( e . g ., one or any combination of eye ( l ), eye ( r ), ear / nose / sinus ( l ), ear / nose / sinus ( r ), jaw / teeth ( l ), jaw / teeth ( r ), cervical spine , thoracic spine , lumbar spine , sacrum , coccyx / pelvis , nervous system , hypothalamus , pituitary , pineal , cerebral cortex , cerebral vessels , immune system , spleen , etc . ), which , in turn can be organized into more generic systems ( e . g ., “ sensory & amp ; skeletal systems ,” “ nervous & amp ; immune systems ”, etc .). in an example , the physiologic specific composite scores that are presented in the user can include both “ physical ” and “ autonomic ” composite scores . the physical composite scores can be determined , such as described above , from energized images that can be acquired with the dielectric barrier 103 in place . the autonomic composite scores can be obtained , such as described above , from the energized images that can be acquired without the dielectric barrier in place . the autonomic composite scores can include a component arising from stress or anxiety of the subject . the physical composite scores can attenuate such a component arising from stress or anxiety of the subject . in the example of fig5 , both the physical and autonomic composite scores can be presented in such a manner so that the user can easily tell whether they fall within a normal range , or whether they fall outside the normal range . likewise , the physical and autonomic composite scores can be presented in such a manner so that the user can easily tell whether they were obtained using left - hand images ( l ) or right - hand images ( r ). in the example of fig5 , this can be accomplished by presenting the composite scores in separate columns that can help make such distinctions , such as : normal physical ( l ), normal physical ( r ), out of range physical ( l ), out of range physical ( r ), out of range autonomic ( l ), out of range autonomic ( r ), normal autonomic ( l ), and normal autonomic ( r ). the particular composite score can be placed within the appropriate column . in the example of fig5 , the user &# 39 ; s attention can be drawn toward the center - most columns to view or compare out of range physical and autonomic values . in an example using a 0 to 25 scale , physiologic - specific composite score values in the range between 0 and 10 inclusive can be considered normal , and can be displayed without any special color , values in the range between 11 and 16 inclusive can be considered representative of chronic electrophysiology conditions or patterns , and can be displayed in a particular color ( e . g ., red ), and values in the range between 17 and 25 inclusive can be considered representative of more emergent or acute electrophysiology conditions or patterns , and can be displayed in a particular color ( e . g ., red ) and otherwise highlighted ( e . g ., with yellow highlighting background ). although the above example is described using a scale from 0 to 25 , another scale ( e . g ., 0 to 5 ) can be selected and used . in an example , a first (“ self - scale ”) report such as illustrated in the example of fig5 can be provided in which “ normal ” and “ out of range ” can be determined with respect to a distribution or baseline of data previously obtained from the same subject , and a second (“ population comparison ”) report such as illustrated in the example of fig5 can be provided in which “ normal ” and “ out of range ” can be determined using information from a clinical knowledge base representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject , such as with respect to a distribution or baseline of data previously obtained from a population or subpopulation of subjects . in an example , both such self - scale and population comparison reports can be combined in a textual or pictorial report that can be displayed or otherwise presented to the user or an automated process . in an example , the user can select whether to display one or both of the individual reports or the combined report . fig6 shows another illustrative example of a report that can be presented to a user . in the example of fig6 , the physiology - specific composite scores can be presented in a table , such as shown . the table can be sorted , such as by organ or by side ( left - hand , right - hand ) for both the physical system measurements ( e . g ., determined using energized images obtained without the capacitive barrier ) and the autonomic system measurements ( e . g ., determined using energized images obtained with the capacitive barrier ). in an example , the table presented can be user - filtered , such as by one or more organs , by autonomic or physical , or by or one or more other user - specified display filter characteristics ( e . g ., such as low - to - high or high - to - low physiology - specific composite score ). in the examples shown in fig5 - 6 , or other examples , textual or other explanatory content can also be provided , such as can help the user understand relationships between organ system results , between physical and autonomic results , between left - hand and right - hand results , or to assist user - interpretation in any other way . for example , it is believed that the physiology - specific composite scores of certain particular body anatomy locations , components , or systems interact with other physiology - specific composite scores . in another example , it is also believed that a greater difference between left - hand and right - hand physiologic - specific composite scores for a particular body anatomy location , component , or system , ( or set of such physiology - specific composite scores ) can correlate to a greater likelihood of the presence of a corresponding pathological physiological status . in an example , the information displayed or otherwise presented to the user need not focus on the physiologic - specific composite scores , but can additionally or alternatively include information about one or more parameters , which can optionally be presented together with information about one or more corresponding particular body anatomy locations , components , or systems , or any helpful explanatory test . in an illustrative example , this can include information about the reference - subjective or reference - objective parameters described above , or differences between the reference - subjective or reference - objective parameters , or one or more trends in any of these , such as together with an interpretive explanation of how such information can be influenced by nervous system issues of the subject . in an example , the system described herein can be calibrated for acquiring the energized images as described above . in an example , this calibration can be carried out as explained below , such as on the same day on which the actual energized images are to be acquired from the subject . first , a series of ten energized finger images can be acquired , using a specified manufacture of calibration probe rather than a human finger and then matrix analysis can be performed . each image can be represented by an intensity matrix having two spatial dimensions ( e . g ., x = 320 pixels by y = 240 pixels ) and an intensity dimension . then , the image data can be processed , such as to determine a variability in intensity and geographical location ( finger position ). each of the ten images can be centered with respect to a calibration template image , and then compared against the calibration template image . a respective measure of the difference between the intensity and geographical location of the image and the calibration image can be determined . in an example , the calibration template image can be a calculated composite matrix that can be determined based on calibration images gathered over time from several different cameras and assessed for variability , such as across hundreds of images . in an example , the calibration template image can be established by generating a representative radial profile of 5 degrees from the various calibration images gathered over time , and the representative radial profile can be copied 72 times at 5 degree increments to form a 360 degree calibration template image . in an example , the calibration template image can be a calculated composite matrix that can be determined based on one or more calibration images gathered using a calibration probe of a specified manufacture , such as a specified size , shape , or material ( e . g ., a tungsten - composite solid cylindrical metal probe ). the calibration probe can be placed directly onto the glass electrode , and one or more images can be obtained . in an example , 5 images can be captured , but not recorded , and the following 10 images are captured and recorded . the 10 recorded images of the calibration probe can be analyzed as follows . first , the background noise can be determined , such as by finding the highest intensity gradient in the calibration probe image ( e . g ., the inner edge of the calibration probe image ). then , the lower intensity pixels can be removed until the radius vector is consistent to the inner edge ( highest intensity gradient ). this radius vector can be calculated as the number of pixels from the center of the image to the inner edge of the calibration probe , as represented by the highest intensity gradient . next , from the center of the calibration probe image , rings generated using specified multiples of the length of the inner edge radius vector can be calculated ( e . g ., 1 . 2 •* length of radius vector , 1 . 4 •* length of radius vector , 1 . 8 •* length of radius vector , etc .). such rings can be equally - spaced . within each such ring , the area and average intensity can be calculated , such as described above with reference to similar parameter calculations . the consistency of the area and average intensity for each ring can be analyzed across all 10 recorded calibration probe images , and a range of +/− one standard deviation can be calculated . if the standard deviation falls within a specified range , then an acceptable level of calibration can be declared to exist , and acquisition and processing of actual energized fingertip images can commence . otherwise , an unacceptable level of calibration can be declared to exist , and either : ( 1 ) acquisition and processing of actual energized fingertip images can be inhibited , prevented , or qualified , or ( 2 ) one or more data acquisition or signal processing parameters can be adjusted and used . the apparatuses and methods described herein can include using not only static image capture and analysis ( or other static at least 2d spatial response capture or analysis ), but can additionally or alternatively include using dynamic image capture and analysis , such as at least two ( spatial ) dimensional spatiotemporal response capture or analysis ). in an illustrative example , a static image capture process can include capturing images for an exposure period of 0 . 5 seconds , during which 10 frames per second can be captured , thereby capturing 5 static image frames during the 0 . 5 second exposure period , after an initial specified ramp - up delay , such as can be established by hardware , software , or firmware . in an illustrative example , a dynamic image capture process can include capturing images for an exposure period that can be between 0 . 5 seconds and 30 seconds , such as using a 10 frame per second image capture rate , after an initial 200 millisecond delay , such as can be established by hardware , software , or firmware . this can result in capturing close to 300 image frames during a 30 second exposure period . in an example , dynamic image or spatiotemporal response analysis can include computing the parameters and coefficients ( such as described above ) for each image frame in the dynamic imaging set of images , and optionally performing fourier or harmonic analysis to assess the frequency response of one or more such coefficients and parameters . such frequency domain information can be used in the determination of the physiological status indication or other particularized response indication that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , such as by statistical comparison to the within - patient distribution or to the population - based distribution . it is believed that such frequency domain information may further improve the sensitivity or specificity of the physiological status indication or other particularized response indication that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system . it is believed that each parameter can provide a unique frequency measure that can be calculated , specific to each person and each organ system for this person , a composite profile of which may be able yield profile information of individuals , such as for later recognition or identification of the subject using the system . the frequency measure of individual parameters , coefficients , or of the composite profile , can be used to provide a baseline measure , to which comparison can be made to determine a physiological status of the subject . example 1 can include subject matter ( such as an apparatus , a method , a means for performing acts , or a storage device or other tangible nontransitory device - readable medium including instructions that , when performed by the device , cause the device to perform acts ) that can include or use obtaining at least two ( spatial ) dimensional ( 2d ) spatial or spatiotemporal response information ( such as an image , a time - series of images , or frequency domain or time - frequency information derived from images or other response information ) of visible or other light ( e . g ., in the electromagnetic spectrum between the visible spectrum and uv spectrum , inclusive ) associated with a body part , such as around a finger or toe of a subject . the spatial response information can be obtained at a light detector capable of providing information about at least first and second spatial dimensions that are orthogonal to each other , and can optionally include a temporal or frequency dimension . the light can be obtained in response to electromagnetic field ( e . g ., electrical ) stimulation of the finger or toe sufficient to produce the light at the light detector around the finger or toe . the spatial response information can be mapped , registered , or otherwise associated to a specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system ( e . g ., that is particular to a selected particular one of : a cardiovascular system , a gastrointestinal / endocrine system , a respiratory system , a renal system , or a hepatic system ) that is remote from the finger or toe at which the image information was obtained . the associating can include radially sectoring the at least 2d spatial response information — which can be included in at least two spatial dimensional spatiotemporal response information , such as a time series of images , for example . a plurality of parameters can be computed ( e . g ., center point , minimum radius , maxim radius , image angle , background noise level , inner radius , area , intensity , form - one , form - two , entropy , fractal , reference - subjective , or break ). computing parameters can include using the radially sectored 2d spatial response information to compute at least one of the parameters ( e . g ., area , intensity , form - one , form - two , entropy , fractal , reference - subjective , or break ), which can be computed for a particular radial sector ( or a specified subset of the radial sectors that is smaller than the set of all radial sectors ). at least one of the parameters can be adjusted ( e . g ., scaled , normalized , discarded ) or compared ( e . g ., to a corresponding threshold value , or to a population or subpopulation distribution of values ) using information from a clinical knowledge base ( e . g ., stored in a memory circuit , a database , or obtained ) representative of a population of patients including using at least some patients other than the subject ( e . g ., in addition or as an alternative to information obtained from the same subject ). the at least one adjusted parameter can be used for using the spatial response information for providing a particularized response indication ( e . g ., a odds ratio or other form of physiological status indicator ) that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system . example 2 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of example 1 to optionally include or use , the particularized response indication indicating a relative risk ( e . g ., using an odds ratio or other indication ) of an abnormal physiological state of the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system relative to at least one of ( 1 ) at least one other particular body anatomy , location , component , or system or ( 2 ) a normal physiological state of the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system . example 3 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 or 2 to optionally include or use , the at least 2d spatial response information being pre - processed , e . g ., before computing the plurality of parameters , such as to attenuate or ignore one or more spatial response artifacts within at least one designated area of the at least 2d spatial response information ( e . g ., within an ellipse or other area corresponding to the outline of the fingertip ). example 4 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 3 to optionally include or use , the signal processor circuit being configured such that the at least 2d spatial response information can be pre - processed , e . g ., before computing the plurality of parameters , such as to automatically orient the at least 2d spatial response information at least one of rotationally or translationally . this can include using the live image to orient the energized image to within a few degrees , as explained above . example 5 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 4 to optionally include or use , the at least 2d spatial response information being pre - processed , e . g ., before computing the plurality of parameters , such as to calibrate the at least 2d spatial response information . such calibration can include using calibration at least 2d spatial response information obtained using a specified manufacture ( e . g ., size , shape , material ) of calibration probe ( e . g ., a solid cylindrical tungsten or other metal calibration probed ) in place of the finger or toe of the subject . example 6 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 5 to optionally include or use , the calibration at least 2d spatial response information to normalize the at least 2d spatial response information across different light detectors . this can help reduce or eliminate variability between measurements made with different apparatuses such as described herein . example 7 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 6 to optionally include or use , the calibration at least 2d spatial response information to adjust at least one of the parameters . example 8 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 6 to optionally include or use , the calibration at least 2d spatial response information for qualifying whether the at least 2d spatial response information is suitable for use for computing at least one of the parameters . example 9 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 7 to optionally include or use , the particularized response indication being exclusive to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , and being exclusive of other particular body anatomy , locations , components , or systems . example 10 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 9 to optionally include or use , the associating including computing the particularized response indication using both at least 2d spatial light intensity aggregate and density information . example 11 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 10 to optionally include or use , an electrode that can be configured to provide the electromagnetic field or electrical stimulation to the finger or toe of the subject . the stimulation can include ac electrical stimulation . the electrode can be transparent enough to pass at least a portion of the visible or other light around the finger or toe of a subject . the light detector can be included in the apparatus . the light detector can be configured to receive from the electrode the passed at least a portion of the visible or other light around the finger or toe of a subject . the light detector can be configured to provide to the signal processor circuit at least two - dimensional ( 2d ) spatial response information of visible or other light around a finger or toe of a subject . a dielectric barrier can be provided , such as between ( 1 ) the finger or toe of the subject and ( 2 ) the electrode or the light detector . the dielectric barrier can be configured to be transparent enough to pass at least a portion of the visible or other light around the finger or toe of the subject . the particularized response indication can be exclusive to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system , and can be exclusive of other particular body anatomy , locations , components , or systems . the associating can include computing the particularized response indication using both at least 2d spatial light intensity aggregate and density information . the spatial response information can include at least 2d first spatial response information and at least 2d second spatial response information . the associating can include computing the particularized response information using differential or other relative information that can be determined between ( 1 ) the at least 2d first spatial response information , obtained with the presence of a dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector , and ( 2 ) the at least 2d second spatial response information , obtained without the presence of the dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector . example 12 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 11 to optionally include or use , the spatial response information including at least 2d first spatial response information and at least 2d second spatial response information . the associating can include computing the particularized response information using differential or other relative information determined between ( 1 ) the at least 2d first spatial response information , obtained with the presence of a dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector , and ( 2 ) the at least 2d second spatial response information , obtained without the presence of the dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector . example 13 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 12 to optionally include or use the associating including computing the particularized response indication using a trending over time of each of the spatial light intensity aggregate information and the spatial light intensity density information . example 14 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 13 to optionally include or use the associating including computing the particularized response indication using a polynomial relationship of an area and an average intensity of the spatial light intensity information . example 15 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 14 to optionally include or use , determining a physiological status indicator ( e . g ., an odds ratio indicating a relative likelihood of an abnormal physiological state ) using the particularized response information . the physiological status indicator can be provided to a user or automated process . example 16 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 15 to optionally include or use the spatial response information for providing a particularized response indication that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy location , component , or system comprising a selected particular one of : a cardiovascular system , a gastrointestinal / endocrine system , a respiratory system , a renal system , or a hepatic system . example 17 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 16 to optionally include or use , the spatial response information for providing a particularized response indication including determining an entropy parameter of the spatial response information . example 18 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 17 to optionally include or use , the spatial response information for providing a particularized response indication including determining a form - one parameter of the spatial response information that is within a specified centered first annulus region between an inner first radius of the annulus and an outer second radius of the annulus . example 19 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 18 to optionally include or use , the spatial response information for providing the particularized response indication including also determining a form - two parameter of the spatial response information that is within a specified centered second annulus region between the inner first radius of the annulus and an outer third radius of the annulus , wherein the third radius exceeds the second radius . example 20 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 19 to optionally include or use , the spatial response information for providing the particularized response indication includes determining a fractal parameter of the spatial response information using ( 1 ) a perimeter of spatial response pixels exceeding a specified threshold value and ( 2 ) a spatial variation in the perimeter of spatial response pixels exceeding the specified threshold value . example 21 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 20 to optionally include or use , the spatial response information including an at least 2d first spatial response information and an at least 2d second spatial response information , and wherein the translating the spatial response information into a particularized response indication includes using first differential information determined between ( 1 ) the first spatial response , obtained with the presence of a dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector ; and ( 2 ) the second image , obtained without the presence of the dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector ; and wherein the spatial response includes an at least 2d third spatial response and an at least 2d fourth spatial response , and wherein the translating the spatial response information into a particularized response indication includes using second differential information determined between ( 1 ) the third spatial response , obtained as a calibration spatial response with the presence of a dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector ; and ( 2 ) the fourth spatial response , obtained as a calibration image without the presence of the dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector . example 22 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 21 to optionally include or use , the second spatial response , the third spatial response , and the fourth spatial response being obtained from the same subject and same day calibration spatial response . example 23 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 22 to optionally include or use , the first spatial response and the second spatial response being obtained from the same subject , and wherein the third spatial response and the fourth spatial response are obtained by composite information from different subjects . example 24 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 23 to optionally include or use , the spatial response including a first spatial response and a second spatial response , and wherein the translating the spatial response information into a particularized response indication includes computing the particularized response indication using a reference - subjective parameter determined from ( 1 ) a composite intensity and ( 2 ) a spatial extent of active pixels , as determined for each of ( 1 ) the first spatial response , obtained with the presence of a dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector ; and ( 2 ) the second spatial response , obtained without the presence of the dielectric barrier between the finger or toe and the light detector . example 25 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 19 to optionally include or use , the spatial response information for providing a particularized response indication includes computing the physiological status indicator using an reference - subjective parameter determined from ( 1 ) a composite intensity and ( 2 ) a spatial extent of active pixels . example 26 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 25 to optionally include or use , sampling the spatial response information repeatedly over sampling period of interest at a sampling rate exceeding twice a frequency bandwidth of a parameter of interest ; determining a frequency characteristic of the parameter of interest ; and determining the physiological status indication using the frequency characteristic of the parameter of interest . example 27 can include or use , or can optionally be combined with the subject matter of any of examples 1 through 26 to optionally include or use , displaying a visual illustration of the subject ; and labeling the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system with information about the particularized response indicator that is particular to the specified particular body anatomy , location , component , or system . these non - limiting examples can be combined in any permutation or combination . the above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings , which form a part of the detailed description . the drawings show , by way of illustration , specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced . these embodiments are also referred to herein as “ examples .” such examples can include elements in addition to those shown or described . however , the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided . moreover , the present inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements shown or described ( or one or more aspects thereof ), either with respect to a particular example ( or one or more aspects thereof ), or with respect to other examples ( or one or more aspects thereof ) shown or described herein . in the event of inconsistent usages between this document and any documents incorporated by reference , the usage in this document controls . in this document , the terms “ a ” or “ an ” are used , as is common in patent documents , to include one or more than one , independent of any other instances or usages of “ at least one ” or “ one or more .” in this document , the term “ or ” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or , such that “ a or b ” includes “ a but not b ,” “ b but not a ,” and “ a and b ,” unless otherwise indicated . in this document , the terms “ including ” and “ in which ” are used as the plain - english equivalents of the respective terms “ comprising ” and “ wherein .” also , in the following claims , the terms “ including ” and “ comprising ” are open - ended , that is , a system , device , article , or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim . moreover , in the following claims , the terms “ first ,” “ second ,” and “ third ,” etc . are used merely as labels , and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects . method examples described herein can be machine or computer - implemented at least in part . some examples can include a computer - readable medium or machine - readable medium encoded with instructions operable to configure an electronic device to perform methods as described in the above examples . an implementation of such methods can include code , such as microcode , assembly language code , a higher - level language code , or the like . such code can include computer readable instructions for performing various methods . the code may form portions of computer program products . further , in an example , the code can be tangibly stored on one or more volatile , non - transitory , or non - volatile tangible computer - readable media , such as during execution or at other times . examples of these tangible computer - readable media can include , but are not limited to , hard disks , removable magnetic disks , removable optical disks ( e . g ., compact disks and digital video disks ), magnetic cassettes , memory cards or sticks , random access memories ( rams ), read only memories ( roms ), and the like . the above description is intended to be illustrative , and not restrictive . for example , the above - described examples ( or one or more aspects thereof ) may be used in combination with each other . other embodiments can be used , such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description . the abstract is provided to comply with 37 c . f . r . § 1 . 72 ( b ), to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure . it is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims . also , in the above detailed description , various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure . this should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim . rather , inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment . the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims , along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled .	0
players of gaming machines are allowed to risk residual credits , where a particular gaming system or gaming machine is unable to dispense units of monetary value equivalent to the residual credit . in return for that risk the player is given the chance to win a prize of some significance , such as a jackpot pool . sources of the prizes of a residual credit jackpot which the player undertakes may be jackpots or other prizes . there are two basic types of residual credit jackpots being instant resolution and delayed resolution both of which will be described in further detail below . a player that completes the gambling games and has credits remaining within the gaming system , but which are insufficient to collect as a whole credit may be offered a range of options to use or deal with the remaining or residual credit . the player may continue playing the particular gaming machine until enough credit is raised or realised to enable the machine to pay out units of monetary value that are equivalent to or achieve as much credit owing to the player . alternatively , as in the present invention the player can select a residual credit jackpot redemption feature . the residual credit triggers a prize based on one of the three scenarios which are outlined in the following description . firstly , where the residual jackpot is an instant resolution , the residual stake of the player is calculated as a percentage of the possible prize or prizes , such as a jackpot pool . this is the percentage chance that the residual stake results in winning . a random number is then generated and if this number is less than or equal to the percentage chance to win then an appropriate prize is awarded to the player . referring to the instant resolution in further detail with reference to fig1 at step 100 , the residual credit lottery system is initialised and then at step 102 a prize value is obtained . at step 104 the upper limit of the random number generator range is determined whereby the limit of the range is equivalent to the prize divided by the denomination . the process moves to step 106 where a determination is made of the range of outcomes that would result in a win . thus the winning range upper limit would equal the residual credit divided by the denomination . the process then moves to step 108 where an outcome is generated from the random number generator and a decision is made at step 110 as to whether the outcome has resulted in a win . in other words , if the outcome is a value between 1 and the winning range upper limit , then a prize is awarded at step 112 and the residual credit lottery is terminated at step 114 . if the outcome is not a win , then the process moves to step 114 where the residual credit lottery is terminated . as an example of how the above flow chart works and how the instant resolution is determined , a player may have 50 cents remaining for a system that dispenses dollar coins only . the denomination of the system is 10 cents . the player is offered a selection of residual credit resolution options of which the player selects residual credit jackpot redemption . the single prize award is $ 1 , 000 so that the player has a five in ten thousand chance of winning the $ 1 , 000 prize . this has been determined by the fact that the player has 50 cents remaining and the prize is $ 1 , 000 . the upper range of the random number generation outcome is determined by the prize divided by the denomination which is equivalent to 1 , 000 divided by 0 . 10 equal to 10 , 000 . thus the total range of the random number generation is 1 ≧ outcome ≧ 10 , 000 . the winning range is determined to have an upper limit equivalent to the residual credit which is 50 cents divided by the denomination of 10 cents which gives the result of 5 . therefore , if the outcome is any one of the numerals 1 to 5 , then the player will win the prize of $ 1 , 000 . shown in fig2 is a controller 120 that forms part of the game machine having a processor 122 , data storage means 124 and memory means 126 . linked to the controller 120 is a mechanism 128 that inputs pulses to the controller 120 to indicate that the player has provided sufficient credit in playing . the controller 120 preferably drives a video display screen ( not shown ) and receives input signals from sensors to determine actions of the player . the controller 120 further drives a payout mechanism ( not shown ) which for example may be a coin output . also provided is a random number generator 130 which is input to the controller 120 . the processor 122 specifically determines an upper limit for the random number generating range according to step 104 in fig1 and already has inputs from the mechanism 128 to determine the amount of credit remaining for a player and will also from the memory 126 have access to the denomination of the gaming system or machine . therefore various player outcomes can be set up and calculated knowing the residual credit and denomination . once the random number generator 130 generates a number or an outcome this is then compared by the processor to the outcomes of the player . if a match is determined then a prize is awarded to the player . computer programs that implement a game and game features are stored in memory 126 and runs on a standard gaming console control processor which may be processor 122 . another possible type of residual credit jackpot is that of delayed resolution . in this scenario a residual stake of the player is stored along with residual stakes of other players . the means of associating the ownership of the stake to an individual or a group is also stored along with the respective residual stake . the residual stakes are accumulated until the total of the residual stakes is equal in value to the total of all prizes . each residual individual stake then represents a finite portion of the prize and also represents a percentage chance to win a prize . a random number is then generated by a random number generator and if the number falls into the finite segment that represents a specific stake of a player , then that stake is determined as winning a prize and the player is accordingly awarded a prize . with reference to fig3 the process is described and shown in more detail . firstly , at step 200 the residual credit lottery is created and at step 202 the residual credit lottery is initialised to zero and this initial value is then stored in a storage module 222 ( or equivalently 308 ) for the residual credit lottery . at step 204 , a residual credit upper limit is defined being the prize divided by the denomination . then at step 206 the residual credit lottery initialisation is terminated . at step 210 the player residual credit lottery is commenced and at step 212 the residual credit and unique identity of the owner of the stake is obtained . the total number of residual lottery numbers allocated to a particular player equals the residual credit divided by the denomination . at step 214 a determination is made as to the number and value of outcomes that results in a win . at step 216 each residual lottery value is stored together with the owner identity in a storage module such as 308 . this occurs for all of the players involved in this lottery . at step 218 the residual credit is added to the residual credit lottery in the data storage module 222 ( or 308 ) and at step 220 the player residual credit lottery is terminated . in order to resolve the residual credit lottery 224 , the current value taken from the residual credit lottery data storage module 222 ( or 308 ) is input into a comparator at step 226 which compares that current value to the upper limit of the residual credit derived from step 204 . the process then moves to step 228 where a determination is made as to whether the current value equals the upper limit . if not the process reverts to step 226 but if the current value does equal the residual credit upper limit an outcome is generated by the random number generator at step 230 . at step 232 the generated outcome is compared to all of the residual stakes . at step 234 a determination is made as to whether the generated outcome equals an allocated residual lottery number or numbers . if not , the process returns to step 232 but if the outcome equals one or more of an allocated residual lottery number then the winner is identified at step 236 and the winner contacted to collect the prize at step 238 . as an example of the delayed residual credit jackpot scenario the following can be considered . a player has 60 cents remaining in residual credit for a system that dispenses only dollar coins . the denomination of the system is 10 cents . the player is known to the system and identified under an identification code such as ( xxx . . . xxx ) which is unique to an individual . the total prize is currently worth $ 66 . 10 and a single prize award of $ 100 will be offered that will be resolved when the system accumulates enough residual credit stakes from all of the players when it totals $ 100 . the player is offered a selection of residual credit resolution options of which the player selects residual credit jackpot redemption . the total prize is now worth $ 66 . 70 given that 60 cents of that player is added to the current total prize of $ 66 . 10 . the player identified by ( xxx . . . xxx ) is allocated the numbers 662 , 663 , 664 , 665 , 666 and 667 as the player has a residual credit of 60 cents and the denomination is 10 cents giving the player six numbers so allocated . as the single prize is $ 100 and the denomination is 10 cents , the upper limit of the range will be 1 , 000 numbers . the residual credit upper limit is $ 100 and at step 226 this is compared to the current value of the residual credit lottery formed by the residual amounts of each of the players . thus in fig5 it is noted that the sequence of numbers from 662 up to 667 as a wager belongs to the player identified as ( xxx . . . xxx ). other numbers between 1 and 1 , 000 and outside of the range 662 to 667 would belong to other players . eventually the accumulated prize reaches $ 100 and the range of the random number generation outcome is determined to be between 1 and 1 , 000 . any random number generated that falls in the range 662 through to 667 results in the player identified under code ( xxx . . . xxx ) winning $ 100 . alternatively the numbers allocated to the player need not be sequential as in the above scenario . for example with reference to fig6 out of the 1 , 000 numbers n1 , n3 and n6 may belong to a player identified as ( yyy . . . yyy ) and numbers identified by n2 , n4 and n5 may belong as a total wager to the player identified by ( zzz . . . zzz ). shown in fig4 is an overall game controller 300 that receives inputs from various game machines 302 , 304 , 306 and any number of other game machines operated on by players . it receives updates from each of the game machines on residual credits that are owing to players which cannot be otherwise paid out to the player , for example due to the coin denomination of the machine . it has a data storage means 308 , a memory means 310 and a processor 312 and also receives inputs from a random number generator 314 . a prize limit is set and players that opt to add their residual credit to form a cumulative total of the prize are given outcome values based on the current cumulative total of the prize and this is determined by the processor 312 and stored in the data storage means 308 . player identifications are also stored in the data storage means 308 with the outcome values . once the random number generator 314 generates one or more random outcomes these are compared with the stored player outcomes and any matches are determined by the processor 312 to identify winners . it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described . the present embodiments are , therefore , to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive .	6
referring to fig1 , a slot machine 10 of the present invention is shown . the slot machine 10 may have a housing 12 . the housing 12 maybe used to store and protect the internal circuitry of the slot machine 10 . a front panel 14 of the housing 10 may have a window 16 . the window 16 may be used to show the playing area of the slot machine 10 . the playing area may be a plurality of reels 17 as shown in fig1 . alternatively , the playing area may be a video screen or the like . one or more game information displays 19 may be located on the front panel 14 . the game information displays 19 may be used to show the number of credits available , how many credits are being played , and the like . the listing of the above is given as examples and should not be seen in a limiting manner . the front panel 14 may have a currency collector 18 . the currency collector 18 may be used to insert currency in to the slot machine 10 . the currency collector 18 may be a coin input 18 a , or a paper currency collector 18 b . other types of currency collectors 18 may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , a card reading device may be used which may be able to read , a credit card , debit card , casino player &# 39 ; card and the like . one or more display panels 20 may be formed in the front panel 14 . the display panels 20 may be illuminate panels , video screens , or the like . the display panels 20 may be used to show different information about the slot machine 10 and or to attract individuals to the slot machine 10 to play . the display panels 20 may show a name of the slot machine , the payout for the slot machine , directions on how to play the slot machine , and the like . the above listing of the information which may be shown on the display panels 20 is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner . the front panel 14 may further have a currency outlet 22 and a collection tray 24 . the currency outlet 22 may be used to dispense winnings from the slot machine 10 . the collection tray 24 may be used to collect all the winnings that may be dispensed from the slot machine 10 . the front panel 14 may have a plurality of input devices 26 . the input devices 26 may be used to activate and rotate the plurality of reels 17 , play a set amount of credits , cash - out , and the like . the above are given as examples . the input devices 26 may serve other features without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the slot machine 10 may also have a lever 28 located on a side panel 30 . the lever 28 may also be used to activate and rotate the plurality of reels 17 . the slot machine 10 may have a plurality of other features . for example , the slot machine may have one or more speakers 32 , a light indicator 34 to signal that help is needed or that a bonus payout has been won , a ticket dispenser 36 for dispensing printed tickets of credits , and the like . referring now to fig2 , a simplified block diagram of a portion of the circuitry of the slot machine 10 is shown . the slot machine 10 may have a wager receiver / counter device 36 . the wager receiver / counter device 36 receives any coins , paper currency , and or casino / credit card inserted into the currency collector 18 . the wager receiver / counter device 36 determines what was inserted into the currency collector 18 and sends this information to a processor 38 . the processor 38 will then provide the proper amount of credits for playing the slot machine . the processor 38 may be coupled to one or more of the game information displays 19 . the game information displays 19 may show the number of credits available , the number of credits being played , and the like . the processor 38 may further be programmed to control operation of the slot machine . hence , the processor may be used to control the operation of the window 16 to show the playing area of the slot machine 10 . thus , the processor 38 may be used to rotate and control the plurality of reels 17 and or video reels in the window 16 . in accordance with one embodiment , the processor 38 may provide multiple credits for each paid credit . for example , if the slot machine is a $ 1 . 00 slot machine , for each dollar paid , the processor 38 may provide 2 credits or more . thus , a player may be given an option of playing additional rounds for a single credit paid or playing multiple credits for a single credit paid . in the above example , the player may have two plays / pulls for a single credit paid or alternatively , play two credits on a single play / pull . in accordance with one embodiment , the player may two plays / pulls for a single credit paid . in this embodiment , the game information displays 19 may show the number of credits and also how many pulls per credit . for example , if the slot machine is a $ 1 . 00 slot machine , for each dollar paid , the processor 38 may provide 2 or more pulls . in this embodiment , the player is not given additional credits . each player is given one credit per the designated payment , one credit for each dollar paid in the present example . however , each player is given multiple pulls per credit regardless if the first and or previous pull was a winning combination . in this embodiment , one of the game information displays 19 may show the total amount of credits , the current number of pulls for the current credit being played , and the like . for example , the game information displays 19 may show that the player is on the 2 nd of 3 pulls for the credit being played . it should be noted , that while the above embodiments may allow a player to receive multiple credits for each paid credit and or multiple plays / pulls for a single credit paid , the slot machine 10 may be programmed to keep the same and or similar payout schedule as current slot machines . hence , while the above embodiments may appear to give players better odds at obtaining a payout , the slot machine 10 may be programmed to give the same and or similar payout schedule as present slot machine . while embodiments of the disclosure have been described in terms of various specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims .	6
fig1 and 2 illustrate exemplary smram memory maps according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention . memory map 100 corresponds to a computer having a non - memory - extended processor . memory map 200 corresponds to a computer having a memory - extended processor . state save areas 102 , 202 are for the purpose of storing the state of a host processor while it is in smm . these state save areas should be located at intel - prescribed offsets from smbase so that the host processor may correctly store and retrieve its state information upon entering and exiting smm , respectively . in the case of the non - memory - extended processor , state save area 102 contains 32 - bit register contents . ( a location for the contents of the eax register is shown by way of example .) in the case of the memory - extended processor , state save area 202 is larger than state save area 102 and contains 64 - bit register contents . ( a location for the contents of the rax register is shown by way of example . the low - order 32 - bits of the rax register correspond to the contents of the eax register , but the offsets of the eax and rax register contents within state save areas 102 and 202 may differ .) smi handler code 104 may be the same regardless of whether or not the host processor is memory - extended . it may be located anywhere in memory so long as its first instruction is stored at an intel - prescribed location so that the host processor may successfully find a proper starting point upon entering smm . the smi handler code is for the purpose of implementing a variety of smi utility functions exported by the bios firmware . in addition to implementing those functions , it may also implement method 300 to be described below in relation to fig3 . data structure 106 is a register contents table . like the smi handler code , it may be the same regardless of whether or not the host processor is memory extended . it may be located anywhere in smram . its purpose is to contain a copy of all or a portion of the contents of state save area 102 / 202 during the handling of an smi . in a preferred embodiment , smi handler code 104 may be written so that it uses only 32 - bit register values and 32 - bit addresses . in this manner , the same smi handler code may be used on both memory - extended and non - memory - extended platforms . thus , in memory map 100 , register contents table 106 may contain , for example , a copy of the entire contents of the eax register at offset 108 from the beginning of the table . in memory map 200 , the location at offset 108 in register contents table 106 would contain just the low - order 32 - bits of the rax register . the specific registers shown in the drawings ( rax and eax ) are shown by way of illustration only . in actual embodiments of the invention , registers other than those shown in the drawings may be chosen for copying into register contents table 106 as appropriate . fig3 illustrates a preferred method for utilizing the memory structures of fig1 and 2 . whenever an smi occurs ( step 300 ), the host processor will save its register contents into its state save area in step 302 . next , the bios determines in step 306 whether or not the host processor is memory - extended . it may do so in a variety of ways . for example , it may check the “ extended feature ” flag after executing a cpuid instruction . alternatively , it may check the smm revision id number stored in state save area 102 / 202 . ( this revision id number is stored at an intel - specified offset within the state save area . the offset is the same regardless of whether or not the host processor is memory extended .) after the determination of step 306 has been made , the bios copies all or a portion of the contents of state save area 102 / 202 into register contents table 106 . if step 306 indicated that the host processor was memory extended , then the bios will use the addresses of state save area 202 to perform this function ( step 308 ) and will copy only the low - order 32 bits of whichever register contents are chosen for copying . but if step 306 indicated that the host processor was not memory extended , then the bios will use the addresses of state save area 102 to perform this function ( step 310 ) and will copy the entire 32 bits of whichever register contents are chosen for copying . in step 312 , smi handler 104 performs whichever function was requested by the smi . in doing so , the smi handler may have a need to read from or write to saved register content elements normally found in state save area 102 / 202 . but if so , in the method of fig3 , the smi handler does not access that information directly in the state save area . instead , the smi handler reads from or writes to corresponding entries within register contents table 106 in lieu of those in the state save area . after the smi handler has performed the requested function , and upon exiting smm , bios behavior once again depends on whether or not the host processor is memory extended ( step 314 ). if the host processor is memory extended , then the bios will copy contents from register table 106 back into state save area 202 . if the host processor is not memory extended , then the bios will copy contents from register table 106 back into state save area 102 . finally , the processor exits smm upon executing a rsm instruction in step 320 . fig4 is a memory diagram illustrating smram according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention . in the diagram of fig4 , state save areas 102 / 202 are the same as those in the diagrams of fig1 and 2 . but instead of a register contents table 106 , the embodiment of fig4 uses a register address table 404 . register address table 404 may be located anywhere in smram . smi handler 402 may be the same as smi handler 104 except that the bios differs from that of fig3 regarding initialization and utilization of register address table 404 . smi handler 402 may be located anywhere in memory ( provided the host processor can find the first instruction ), and may be the same regardless of whether or not the host processor is memory extended . fig5 illustrates a preferred method 500 for initializing the memory structures of fig4 . method 500 may be performed when the host computer is booted , during an smm initialization procedure ( step 502 ), or at any other suitable time . in step 504 , the bios determines whether or not the host processor is memory extended . it may do so using any of the above - described techniques . if the host processor is memory extended , then the bios loads register address table 404 with addresses of all or a portion of the elements in state save area 202 . but if the host processor is not memory extended , then the bios loads register address table 404 with address of all or a portion of the elements in state save area 102 . in either case , the entries of table 404 are stored at the same offsets within the table . the embodiment of fig4 is to be distinguished from that of fig1 and 2 in the following sense : table 404 stores the addresses of elements in the state save area , not their contents , while table 106 stores the contents of elements in the state save area , not their addresses . fig6 illustrates a preferred method 600 for utilizing the memory structures of fig4 . whenever an smi occurs ( step 602 ), the host processor will save its register contents into its state save area in step 604 . in step 606 , smi handler 402 performs whichever function was requested by the smi . in doing so , the smi handler may have a need to read from or write to a saved register content element normally found in state save area 102 / 202 . but if so , in the method of fig6 , the smi handler accesses that element by first looking up the element &# 39 ; s address from table 404 and then accessing the element in the state save area using the looked - up address . because the entries in table 404 are stored at the same offsets in table 404 regardless of whether or not the host processor is memory extended , the same code for smi handler 404 handles either case correctly and efficiently . finally , the processor exits smm upon executing a rsm instruction in step 608 . while the invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , the described embodiments have been presented by way of example and not by way of limitation . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form and details of the described embodiments without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	6

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