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fig1 and 2 show a prior art construction comprising a compressor 10 , a condenser 11 , a capillary tube 12 and an evaporator 13 in a closed system . this system is well known in which the compressor 10 withdraws refrigerant of a known type from the evaporator 13 and discharges vapor under pressure into the condenser 11 . the refrigerant is then condensed in the condenser , which is cooled in a known manner , and flows through a capillary tube 12 . it should be evident that the flow resistance in the capillary tube is so great that a low pressure is maintained in the evaporator 13 . it is usually the construction , as seen in fig2 to insert the end of the capillary tube 12 a distance into the evaporator pipe 13 to which it is rigidly connected , as well as sealed by means of solder 14 . in most refrigeration apparatus there is a certain quantity of liquid refrigerant in the evaporator that is successively evaporated during the generation of cold . it has been found that if this liquid refrigerant is allowed to accumulate in the inlet part of the evaporator , the condensate in the evaporator affects unfavorably the further injection of condensate from the condenser and interferes with the accumulated liquid refrigerant . it should be noted that the noise to be eliminated or substantially reduced by the construction of the invention is created by the refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 13 from the capillary tube 12 at a great velocity . referring now to fig3 and 4 in which the apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown , a refrigerator 15 is illustrated which is provided with an evaporator 16 connected to the capillary tube 12 and extends substantially in a horizontal plane . the evaporator 16 has a part 17 which is connected to an end of the capillary tube 12 at a point 18 with a part of said tube 12 projecting within the part 17 . the part 17 is inclined in a downward direction from the point 18 . the angle of inclination of part 17 is from 1 ° to approximately 15 °, in order to make the apparatus of practical value . the other downward end of the inlet part is connected to an upwardly inclined part 19 relative to the horizontal parts of the evaporator 16 . the foregoing construction results in a considerable damping of the sound in the evaporator portion of the refrigeration apparatus . fig5 shows a further embodiment of the present invention in which a rollbond evaporator 20 is shown which comprises metal plates that are joined to form an evaporator plate 21 . a slot 22 is shown cut through the plate 21 which separates the evaporator inlet part 23 , positioned on the plate strip 24 from the remainder of the evaporator . furthermore , the strip 24 is bent downwardly from the connection point 25 of the capillary tube 12 to the inlet part 23 . instead of utilizing the construction shown in fig5 and if there is sufficient room in the refrigerator , a slot 26 can be provided in the evaporator plate which extends to the edge 28 of the evaporator 27 . the connection point 29 of the capillary tube 12 , as seen in fig7 is positioned above the horizontal plane of the evaporator 27 . furthermore , if there is sufficient room in the refrigerator in the construction shown in fig3 and 4 , the connection point 18 can be arranged on a higher plane than the location of the horizontal evaporator 16 so that the evaporator part 30 is located adjacent to the connection point and inclines in a downwardly direction from that point .	5
the description will be made as to the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompaniment drawings . in this specification , “ print ” (“ recording ”) means formation or processing of a print medium by forming an image , a pattern or the like , widely including a character , a letter , a figure or the like , by applying liquid onto the print medium , irrespective of weather or not it is of meaning and the respective of whether or not it is visualized to be sensed by human beings . in this specification , “ deterioration of image quality ” includes deterioration of the processing accuracy in the case of processing . in this specification , “ print ” or “ recording ” includes formation , on a recording material , of significant or non - significant information such as an image , a pattern , character , figure and the like , and processing of a material on the basis of such information , visualized or non - visualized manner . here , the “ recording or printing material ” includes paper used in a normal printer , textile , plastic resin material , film material , metal plate and the like which can receive ink ejected from the print head . it may simply be called “ paper ” or “ sheet ”, hereinafter . here , “ ink ” or “ liquid ” includes liquid usable with the “ print ” or “ recording ” defined above , and liquid usable to formation of an image , patter or the like on the printing material or to processing of the printing material . fig4 is a schematic perspective view of an example of an ink jet printing apparatus to which the present invention is applicable . as shown in fig4 a head cartridge 1 is removably mounted on a carriage 2 . the head cartridge 1 comprises a printing head portion for ejecting the ink and an ink container portion for accommodating the ink . the head cartridge 1 is provided with a connector for sending and receiving signals for driving the head portion . the head cartridge 1 is carried on a carriage 2 at a correct position . the carriage 2 is further provided with a connector holder ( electrical connecting portion ) for transmitting driving signal or the like to the head cartridge 1 through the connector . the carriage 2 is reciprocally supported and guided by a guiding shaft 3 provided in the main assembly of apparatus , the guiding shaft 3 extending in a main scan direction . the carriage 2 is driven by a main - scanning motor 4 through a transmission movement mechanism including a motor pulley 5 , a follow pulley 6 , a timing belt 7 or the like , and the movement and position in the main scan direction is controlled . designated by a reference numeral 30 is a sensor for detecting a reference position ( home position ) in the main scan connection of the head cartridge 1 or the carriage 2 . the rotation of the sheet feeding motor 35 is transmitted to a pick - up roller 31 through a gear so that it is rotated , by which the print paper , thin plastic resin plate or another print medium 8 is separated from an automatic sheet feeder ( asf ) 32 . by the rotation of the feeding roller 9 , the recording material is fed through a position where the head cartridge 1 and the ink ejection outlet of the printing head are opposed to each other . the feeding roller 9 is driven by transmitting the rotation of the line feed ( lf ) through a gear . at the time when the paper end sensor 33 detects the passage of the print medium 8 , the discrimination is made as to whether or not the sheet has been fed , the leading - edge position of the sheet is determined . furthermore , the rear end of the print medium 8 is detected , and the paper end sensor 33 is used to determine the current print position from the actual trailing edge position . the print medium 8 is supported by a platen ( unshown ) at its back side such that flat surface to be printed is established . the head cartridge 1 carried on the carriage 2 is supported such that surface having the ejection outlets ( ejection side surface ) which are extended downwardly from the carriage 2 portion is parallel to the print medium 8 . the head cartridge 1 has a print portion which ejects the ink using thermal energy , for example , and the print portion has electrothermal transducers for generating thermal energy in response to electric energization . the print portion used in the head cartridge 1 according to this embodiment generates film boiling in the ink by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer , and the pressure of a bubble generation ed thereby is effective to eject the ink through the ejection outlet , thus effecting the printing . fig5 is a block diagram showing an example of a structure of the control circuit in the ink jet printing apparatus of fig4 . in fig5 a controller 200 constitutes a main controller , and comprises , for example , a cpu 201 in the form of a micro computer , a rom 203 containing the program and a predetermined table , ram 205 having an area for conversion and a working area . the host apparatus 210 is a supply source of image data and may be a computer for effecting generation of data , processing or the like , or a reader portion for reading an image , or a digital camera or the like . the image data , commands , status signals or the like are sent or received between the controller 200 through an interface i / f 212 . the operating portion 220 has a group of switches for inputting instructions by the user and includes a main switch 222 , a recovery switch 226 for initiating a refreshing process for maintaining proper ink ejection . designated by 230 is a group of sensors for detecting states of the apparatus , which includes a home position sensor 30 for detecting a home position in the direction of the main scan of the printing and , a paper end sensor 33 for detecting presence or absence of the print medium or the like , a temperature sensor 234 , disposed at a proper position , for detecting an ambient temperature , and so on . designated by 240 a driver for driving an electrothermal transducer ( ejection heater ) for the printing head 100 in accordance with the print data or the like . the head driver 240 comprises a shift register for aligning the print data correspondingly to the position of the ejection heater 25 , a latching circuit for latching the aligned data at proper timing , a logic circuit element for actuating the ejection heater in synchronism with the actuation timing signal , a timing setting portion for setting proper drive timing ( ejection timing ) for alignment for the dot formation . the printing head 100 is provided with a sub - heater 242 in addition to the ejection heater 25 . the sub - heater 242 functions for temperature adjustment to stabilize the ejection of the ink , and it may be built into the printing head substrate simultaneously with the ejection heater 25 , and / or may be mounted to the main body of the printing head 100 or the head cartridge 1 . designated by 250 is a motor driver for driving the main - scanning motor 4 , and 270 is a motor driver for driving the lf motor 34 for feeding the print medium 8 in the sub - scan direction . designated by 260 is a driver for driving a sheet feeding motor for separating and feeding the print medium 8 from the asf . referring to fig6 the print control according to this embodiment will be described . in the figure , at the left , arrangements of black ejection outlet array bk 1 and color ejection outlet arrays c 1 , c 2 , m 1 , m 2 , y 1 , y 2 on a surface of the printing head 100 opposed to the print medium 8 . in this figure , the printing head 100 scans along the surface of the sheet in the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction indicated an arrow ( left - right direction in the figure ). in this embodiment , a range b of the color ejection outlet arrays is equal to the length of one to feeding ( the feeding width ), and a distance between the color ejection outlet arrays and the black ejection outlet array is also equal to the sheet feeding width . the range of the black ejection outlet array bkl is equal to the sheet feeding width ( a * + a + a ′= b ) plus a length of a predetermined ejection outlet array portion indicated by a ″ in the figure , and length of the ejection outlet portion an and the length a ″ are equal to each other . designated by reference numeral 1 in the figure is quatized black image data to be printed . for each of predetermined areas f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , enclosed by a broken line in the black image data , the dots corresponding to the black data among the image data is counted . the height measured in the sub - scan direction of the area to be counted is equal to a ′, and the length measured in the main scan direction corresponds to 8 pixels in this embodiment for easy calculation . in this embodiment , in accordance with the dot count for each area , it is selected whether the printing of the black data in the area is to be carried out by the ejection outlet array portion in the range a ′ or by the ejection outlet array portion in the range a ″. in the present invention , the region for each dot to be printed on the basis of the image data is treated as a pixel . fig7 is a flow chart of an example of a setting process steps . at step s 1 in fig7 the dots corresponding to the black data is counted for one of the predetermined areas shown in fig6 ( more particularly , the first area is area f 1 ). then , at step s 3 , the discrimination is made on the basis of the result of the dot count . here , 100 % means the case in which there are data to be printed in all of the pixels . if the result the dot count is not less than 33 % ( that is , the percentage of the black data in the image data is relatively high ), the image data is so set that image data in the area is printed by the ejection outlet array portion a ′ ( step s 5 ) and the no ejecting operation is carried out by the ejection outlet portion a ″ ( by setting blank data , at step s 7 ). on the other hand , the result of the dot count is less than 33 % ( that is , the percentage of the black data in the image data is relatively small ), the blank data are set for the ejection outlet array portion a ′ ( step s 9 ), and the setting is executed such that image data in the area is printed by the ejection outlet portion a ″ ( step s 11 ). such process steps are effective for each of the areas f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , shown in fig6 by which the black data in each area is printed either by ejection outlet array portion a ′ or a ″. referring to fig6 the description will be made as to the print control on the basis of such settings in terms of the relationships between the printing head and the image formed on the print medium . it is supposed that result of the dot count indicates that black print data in the area f 1 on the image data to be printed is not less than 33 %. it is also supposed that for the area f 2 , it is less than 33 %, and that for the area f 3 , it is again not less than 33 %. then , the image data corresponding to the area f 1 and area f 3 are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet array a ′, and blank data are set for the area f 2 . similarly , the image data corresponding to the area f 2 are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″, and the blank data are set for the area f 1 and area f 3 . then , the printing operation is carried out corresponding to the image data set for respective regions . the image data for the area f 1 and the area f 3 for which the count is not less than 33 %, are printed by the ejection outlet array a ′ in the first print scanning operation . the hatched regions indicated by ( 1 ) in fig6 are print regions on the print medium to be printed in the first printing scan , the printing is executed for the parts indicated by g 1 and g 8 corresponding to the area f 1 and the area f 3 . thereafter , the sheet is fed , and the next scanning operation is carried out . the region h 2 is printed by the ejection outlet a ″ corresponding to the area f 2 for which the black dot count is less than 33 %. the sheet is further fed , and the color printing is carried out in the next printing scan hatched region indicated by ( 3 ) in the figure ). then , the sheet is fed , and the color printing is carried out corresponding to the hatched regions g 1 , h 2 , 83 indicated by ( 4 ) in the figure in the subsequent printing scan . thus , the image is completed for one print region . through these process steps , the printing is carried out fundamentally under the equivalent conditions as with the arrangement shown in fig2 for the image data which has a relatively low ( less than 33 % in this embodiment ) black print duty and with which the deterioration of the image quality attributable to the difference , depending on the areas , in the time differences from the shots of the black ink to the shots of the color ink is remarkable , as discussed hereinbefore . in addition , the printing is carried out fundamentally under the equivalent conditions as with the arrangement shown in fig3 because of the use of the printing operation using the ejection outlet array portion of the equivalent arrangement , for the image data which has a relatively high ( not less than 33 % in this embodiment ) black print duty and with which the deterioration of the image quality attributable to the difference in the perviousness between the black ink and the color ink and to the black - color bleeding is dominant . therefore , the high speed image formation is accomplished with suppressed deteriorations of the image qualities described hereinbefore . depending on the materials of the print medium and the composition of the ink , there is a possibility that black - color bleeding or the like is produced with the use of the ejection outlet array arrangement shown in fig2 at a boundary between the region in which the black - color bleeding or the like is remarkable and the non - uniformity attributable to the difference , depending on the areas on the print medium , in the black - color time differences , are remarkable , and non - uniformity attributable to the difference , depending on the areas , in the black - color time differences is produced with the use of the ejection outlet array arrangement shown in fig3 . the second embodiment of the present invention with which such a problem can be avoided . similarly to the foregoing embodiment , the structures to the printing apparatus and the control system of the foregoing embodiment and the arrangement of the ejection outlet array are usable . however , in the print control method for the black data in accordance with the result of the dot count in this embodiment , the selection is made from three choices . fig8 is a flow chart according to an example of the setting process steps accomplishing this , and fig9 a - d show an example of a pattern data used in the setting process . at step s 21 in fig8 similarly to the process at step s 1 in fig7 in the foregoing embodiment , the black image data dots are counted in a predetermined area , and at step s 23 , the discrimination is made as to whether or not the count is not less than 33 %. if the result of the discrimination is less than 33 %, the operation goes to step s 27 , where the data of logical product ( and ) of the image data and “ pattern ” 0 shown in fig9 a are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′. since “ pattern 0 ” is constituted by blank data , as shown in fig9 a , the blank data are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′. at step s 29 , data of logical product ( and ) of the image data and the pattern 1 shown in fig9 b are set for in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″. the pattern 1 is a full - data patten as shown in fig9 ( b ), and therefore , the image data are set as they are in the memory region even if and gate is passed . that is , the process equivalent to that in the above - described embodiment in the case of low black duty . when the result of the dot count indicates not less than 33 % at step s 23 , and not less than 50 % at step s 25 , the operation proceeds to step s 31 , where the data of logical product ( and ) of the image data and the pattern 1 shown in fig9 b are set in the memory region , that is , the image data as they are set in the memory region . subsequently , at step s 33 , the data of logical product ( and ) of the image data and the pattern 0 shown in fig9 a are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″, so that blank data are set in the memory region . this process is equivalent to the process of the foregoing embodiment , for the case of the relatively high black duty . when the result of the dot count indicates not less than 33 % less than 50 %, the image data is thinned with the pattern 2 shown fig9 c and the pattern 3 shown in fig9 d , that is , half duty patterns which are in interpolation relationship , and then our set in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″ and in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′, at step s 35 and s 37 . through these process steps , the high speed image formation is accomplished while preventing deterioration of the image quality even when the combination of the print medium and the ink is such that black - color bleeding occurs with the ejection outlet array arrangement shown in fig2 and that non - uniformity attributable to the differences , depending on the areas , in the black - color time difference with the ejection outlet array arrangement shown in fig3 . by the processing according to this embodiment , the smooth continuation is accomplished between the portion of print of the image data in the predetermined area only by the ejection outlet array a ′ and the portion of print of the image data in the predetermined area only by the ejection outlet a ″. in the third embodiment of the present invention , in addition to the structure employed in the second embodiment , means is provided to change the threshold level for discriminating for selection of the print control mode on the basis of the result of the dot count for the black , in accordance with the information of the ink ejection amount from the black ejection outlet array or the information relating thereto . when a high duty image is formed only by the black ink , there is a deterioration of image quality peculiar to that case . this embodiment provides a solution to such a deterioration . fig1 illustrates the deterioration of the image quality which remarkably appears when the high duty image is formed only by the black ink . this figure is a view of a section of the print medium 8 as seen in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction . in this figure , designated by kd 1 is a state of the ink printed for a print region p 1 on the print medium with a prior print scanning scan 1 when the black ink is ejected at a high duty , and kd 2 is a state of the ink printed for a next print region p 2 with the subsequent print scanning scan 2 after the sheet feeding . as shown in fig1 , there is a portion where the thickness of the ink placed on the print medium is small , at a boundary portion between the first printed portion kd 1 and the subsequently printed portion kd 2 ( an adjacent print region ). the thin portion exhibits a relatively low density as compared with the portions around it , and therefore , the quality of the printed image is deteriorated . the phenomenon is particularly remarkable in the case of the image formed with the black ink which provides a high reflected optical density . therefore , in this embodiment , when the result of the black dot count is larger than a predetermined level , the image is formed using both of the ejection outlet array portion a ′ and the ejection outlet array portion a ′ which print the boundary portion between the adjacent print region , by which the thin black ink portion is reduced , thus preventing or suppressing the decrease of the image density . fig1 illustrates a print control for such process . in this example , among the print region p 1 in the range a * to be printed in the prior print scanning scan 1 , a half , for example , of the data to be printed by the ejection outlet array portion a ′ located at the position of the portion adjacent to the print region p 2 to be printed by the subsequent print scanning scan 2 , are printed , and in the subsequent print scanning scan 2 , the remaining half of the data are printed by the ejection outlet portion a ″ simultaneously with the printing for the print region p 2 in the range a *. by doing so , the ink dots printed simultaneously on the boundary portion of the adjacent print region are combined with each other , and therefore , the thickness of being at the boundary portion between the kd 1 and kd 2 is not so thin as in the case of fig1 . in the printing apparatus of the embodiment , when the percentage of the black data in the predetermined area is larger than 90 %, it is deemed that printing is carried out only with the black ink . in the case of such a high duty black image formation , the above - described method is used since otherwise there is a liability of deterioration of the image quality . more specifically , when the result of the black dot count indicates the percentage one on 90 %, the image printing is carried out using both of the ejection outlet array portion a ′ and ejection outlet portion a ″. in this embodiment , a control is effected to suppress the influence of the change of the ejection amount of the black ink due to the ambient temperature under which the printing apparatus is placed and the influence of the variations of the ejection amount of the black ink due to the variations in the manufacturing of the printing heads . more particularly , the threshold level for the selection of the print controlling mode on the basis of the result of the black dot count , in accordance with the head rank set corresponding to the ejection outlet array for the black ink in the manufacturing of the printing head and in accordance with the ambient temperature measured by a temperature sensor 234 ( fig5 ) contained in the printing apparatus . fig1 is a table for the selection of the threshold level , and the table may be stored in a rom 203 or the like as fixed data . in the show an example , the ambient temperature is divided into a case of lower than 20 ° c ., a case of 20 ° c . or higher and lower than 30 ° c . and a case 30 ° c . or higher ( three cases ). as for the head rank , there are provided three ranks , namely , “ 1 ”, “ 0 ” and “− 1 ”. corresponding to combinations of the ambient temperatures and the head ranks , the threshold level is selected from predetermined three threshold value 1 , value 2 and value 3 , and the printing mode or method for the black data is selected in accordance with the result half the black dot count . fig1 is a flow chart of an example of setting process steps for this purpose . in this example , at step s 40 , the ambient temperature and the head rank are fetched , and the table to be referred to is determined . then , at step s 41 , the dot count for the black image data in the predetermined area is carried out , and at step s 43 , the discrimination is made as to whether or not the result is larger than the value 1 set in the table to be referred to , for example , as to whether or not it is larger than value 1 = 35 when the ambient temperature is lower than 20 ° c ., and the head rank is “ 0 ”. if the result of the black dot count is not more than value 1 , the operation proceeds to step s 51 , data of and of the image data and the pattern 0 shown in fig9 a are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′. since “ pattern 0 ” is constituted by blank data , as shown in fig9 a , the blank data are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′. at step s 53 , data of logical product ( and ) of the image data and the pattern 1 shown in fig9 b are set for in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″. the pattern 1 is a full - data pattern as shown in fig9 ( b ), and therefore , the image data are set as they are in the memory region even if and gate is passed . therefore , the image of the adjacent portion is printed by the ejection outlet portion a ″. when the result of the black dot count indicates that it is larger than value 1 , and the discrimination at the step s 45 results in not more than value 2 , the operation proceeds to steps s 55 , s 57 , where the image data is thinned with the pattern 2 shown in fig9 c and the pattern 3 shown in fig9 d , namely the half duty patterns which are in an interpolation relationship with each other , and are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″ and in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′. therefore , in this case , the image of the adjacent portion is formed using both of the ejection outlet portion a ″ and the ejection outlet portion a ″. when the result of the black dot count indicates that it is larger than value 2 , and the discrimination at the step s 47 indicates not more than value 3 , the operation proceeds to step s 59 , where the date of and of the image data and the pattern 1 shown in fig9 b are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′, so that image data as they are are set in the memory region . subsequently , at step s 61 , the data of logical product ( and ) of the image data and the pattern 0 shown in fig9 a are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″, so that blank data are set in the memory region . therefore , in this case , the image at the adjacent portion is formed by the ejection outlet array portion a ′. when the result of the black dot count indicates that count is larger than value 3 , the operation proceeds to steps s 63 , s 65 , and the image data are thinned by the pattern 2 shown fig9 c and the pattern 3 shown in fig9 d , namely the half duty pattern which are in an interpolating relationship with each other , and are set in the memory region for the ejection outlet array portion a ′ and in the memory region for the ejection outlet portion a ″. therefore , in this case , the image at the adjacent portion is formed using the ejection outlet portion a ″ and the ejection outlet portion a ″, so that above - described deterioration of the image quality at the time of high duty black image formation can be suppressed or prevented . in this embodiment , the threshold level for the discrimination is changeable corresponding to the head rank and / or the variations of the black ink ejection amounts resulting from the change in the ambient temperature , so that switching point of the print control method or mode can be set with a higher accuracy . in this embodiment , the corrections are carried out for both of the black head rank and the ambient temperature , but the present invention is not limited to this . the threshold for the discrimination may be changed on the basis of either one of them . another parameters such as a temperature of the printing head per se or another may be used , if it is reflected in the ejection amount of the black ink . in the foregoing embodiments , the black ejection outlet array and the color ejection outlet array are disposed with deviation in the sheet feeding direction . but , this is not limiting . as described in the foregoing , the present invention is effective to accomplish a high speed image formations with suppressed deterioration of the image quality , indicates that above - described deteriorations of the image quality due to various causes in an ink jet printing apparatus using a polarity of ejection outlet arrays which are disposed with deviation in the sub - scan direction , irrespective of whether they are provided integrally in a printing head or whether they are provided in separate printing heads . in the foregoing , the black ink and the color ( cyan , magenta and yellow ) ink , but the combination of color tones ( including color and density ) is not limited to this , if the above - described deterioration of image quality arises . in the foregoing embodiments , the black ink is first printed , and then the color ink is printed in the same print region , but the present intention is not limited to such a structure . in other words , the present invention is applicable to an ink jet printing apparatus in which the color ink is first printed . in addition , in the foregoing embodiments , the printing by a plurality of ejection outlet array portions as to the black ejection outlet array , but the present intention is not limited to this . in other words , the similar structures and controls may be employed for the color ejection outlet array or arrays , by which the deterioration of the image quality due to various factors can be suppressed . in addition , in the foregoing embodiments , the control operations are carried out with respective only to the duty of the black image data in terms of the color tones , it is a possible alternative that with respect to the relationship with the duty of the color image data , the print control may be properly selected for the black image data and / or color image data . as regards the values for the print control selection , it may be set or may be variable . the values in the foregoing embodiments are only examples , and not limiting to the present invention . the present invention is applicable not only to the ink jet head having an electrothermal transducers as the print elements , but also to the ink jet head having electrical machine conversion members such as piezoelectric element . as described in the foregoing , according to the present invention , when the printing is effected using different inks having different compositions , proper print controls can be selected in accordance with the image data which determine the amounts of inks to be shot onto the print medium , and therefore the deterioration of image quality attributable to the differences , depending on the areas on the print medium , in the time differences from a shot of the ink having a certain composition to a short of the having a different composition , and / or the deterioration of the image quality attributable to the differences in the pervious between inks or bleeding between the inks having different compositions , can be avoided , and a high speed image formation is accomplished . while the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein , it is not confined to the details set forth and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purpose of the improvements or the scope of the following claims .	1
fig1 shows a schematic illustration of an internal combustion engine according to the invention . the engine is provided with at least one cylinder 1 and comprises a fuel injector 2 , through which fuel is injected into a combustion chamber 3 , for each cylinder . a fuel injection control unit 4 controls fuel injection quantity per combustion cycle injected through each fuel injector . a piston 5 in the engine cylinder has a compression action that causes a mixture of air and fuel within the combustion chamber to be ignited during hcci - mode . the cylinder is provided with at least one inlet valve 6 for admitting gas which includes fresh air into said cylinder and at least one exhaust valve 7 for exhausting combusted gases from said cylinder . air is supplied through an intake conduit 9 connected to an intake manifold , while exhaust gas is exhausted through an exhaust conduit 10 . during si - mode , the ignition of the fuel / air mixture is ignited by a spark plug 8 . the control unit receives signals from at least one sensor for measuring engine operation parameters , which sensors include a combustion chamber pressure sensor 11 , an intake manifold pressure sensor 12 and a λ - probe 13 in the exhaust conduit , as well as temperature sensors for intake air 14 , engine coolant 15 and engine oil 16 . the control unit controls the intake and exhaust valves 6 , 7 by means of valve actuators 17 , 18 . the actuators may be either electrically or mechanically operated . fig2 shows a diagram illustrating the variation of cylinder pressure over crank angle for hcci - and si - mode . as can be seen from the curves in the diagram , the engine can be operated in homogeneous charge compression ignition ( hcci ) combustion mode and in conventional spark ignited ( si ) combustion mode . the hcci combustion has no moving flame front , as opposed to a si combustion that has a moving flame front . the lack of a flame front reduces temperature and increases the heat release rate hence increases the thermal efficiency of the combustion . this will result in a considerably higher peak pressure after ignition ( ig ); typically in excess of 40 bar , as opposed to about 20 bar in si mode . the main difference between the hcci - and si modes is that a part of the combustion residuals are captured by operating the engine with a negative valve overlap . the negative valve overlap is achieved by closing the exhaust valve , or ev , before piston tdc ( evc ) and opening the inlet valve , or iv , after piston tdc ( ivo ) in the gas exchange ( ge ) phase of the combustion , as illustrated in fig2 . during the air intake phase , residuals increase the temperature of the mixture so that the auto ignition temperature is reached before piston top dead center ( tdc ) and dilutes the mixture so that the heat release rate decreases to an acceptable level . by controlling the heat release , noise and knocking combustion can be reduced . a split fuel injection is used having a pilot direct fuel injection ( pi ) before tdc during the negative valve overlap and a main direct fuel injection ( mi ) after tdc of the negative valve overlap . the relative quantities of fuel injected during the pilot and the main injections can be varied and are calculated and controlled by a fuel injection control unit ( not shown ). the fuel of the pilot injection ( pi ) will react in the retained residuals , forming radicals , intermediates or combustion products . this reaction can be exothermic hence heating the residuals , resulting in earlier timing of the auto ignition temperature . a prerequisite for this reaction is the presence of excess oxygen , without which the reaction will stop before it is completed . when the engine is operated in hcci - mode the control unit must adjust the value of λ to be sufficiently high for all engine operating conditions to ensure this . the total quantity of injected fuel for the pilot and the main injection is substantially constant with respect to the current engine operating conditions , such as engine speed , engine load and efficiency . the quantity of the first injection is preferably selected to be in the range of 0 & lt ; pi & lt ; 45 % of the total amount of injected fuel . the above example describes a split fuel injection occurring before and after top dead center of the piston stroke during the interval when both of the exhaust and intake valves are closed . however , the invention is not limited to this particular embodiment of split injection timing . due to the demand for dilution , which controls the rate of heat release , only the part load regime of the engine is used for hcci combustion mode . the auto ignition timing for hcci operation can be controlled by the pilot fuel injection and / or the captured amount of residuals and / or the absolute manifold pressure . the latter may be controlled by increasing the pressure of the intake air by means of a compressor or turbocharger . according to a preferred embodiment , the amount of trapped residuals during negative overlap should be in the range 20 – 60 %, irrespective of how this is achieved . when operating the engine , engine knocking , low combustion stability and a high noise level has to be avoided . knocking , which is also a source of noise , is detected by measuring the peak pressure and / or pressure variations caused by a too rapid heat release during the expansion phase . knocking occurs when the peak pressure exceeds an expected maximum pressure , or when a series of rapid pressure variations occur during the expansion phase . low combustion stability is indicated by high cycle to cycle variations of the pressure during combustion . typically , an engine operated in hcci mode may oscillate between a late phased combustion ( low cylinder pressure ) and a subsequent early phased combustion ( high cylinder pressure ). when the engine is operating in the hcci - mode , at least four combinations of sequential combustion cycles are possible . this is illustrated in fig3 a – d . a more detailed explanation of the cycle - to - cycle variation ( cov ) and how this may oscillate under different engine operating conditions can be found in the sae - paper sae 2002 - 01 - 0110 , the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the description by reference . the sae - paper discusses the cycle - to - cycle variations ( cov ) during hcci - operation . the oscillating nature of cov and the effect of exhaust valve closure timing on combustion stability is described . in all cases shown in fig2 a – d a control unit ( not shown ) evaluates the signals from sensors that indicate knock and combustion stability . in the figures , a knock signal is deemed to be high if the peak pressure during combustion exceeds an expected pressure level , indicated by a horizontal line in all fig3 a – d . when a cov signal is deemed to be high , this is indicated by a reduced peak pressure during combustion . due to the cyclic nature of the cov signal , the reduction in peak pressure generally occurs every second combustion cycle . all figures indicate the timing of the piston top dead center ( tdc ) and the exhaust valve closure ( evc ). fig3 a shows the cylinder pressure for a case where the knock signal is low and the oscillating cov signal is low . in this case the noise level can be unacceptable . according to this embodiment , the combustion phasing is retarded by decreasing the amount of fuel injected in the pilot injection , in combination with an increase of the amount for the main fuel injection in order to keep load and lambda constant . noise level will be reduced with a later phased , or retarded , combustion . fig3 b shows the cylinder pressure for a case where the knock signal is high and the cov signal is high . this indicates high knocking cycles with early phased combustion cycles , alternating with late phased combustion cycles . when both the knock signal and the cov signal is high the amount of fuel injected in the pilot injection is increased , while the amount for the main fuel injection is decreased in order to keep load and lambda constant . the combustion is then phased earlier , or advanced , in the next cycle and engine knock is decreased . for a conventional control strategy , detection of knocking would cause the combustion phasing to be retarded . in this mode of operation such a strategy would cause misfire . fig3 c shows the cylinder pressure for a case where the knock signal is high and the cov signal is low . in this case the amount of fuel injected in the pilot injection is decreased , while the amount for the main fuel injection is increased in order to keep load and lambda constant . the combustion is then phased later in the next cycle and engine knock is decreased . in this context , the term “ next cycle ” refers to the cycle following immediately after the current cycle . fig3 b and 3d show the cylinder pressure for a case where the knock signal is low and the cov signal is high . this indicates low knocking cycles with early phased combustion cycles , alternating with late phased combustion cycles . for a conventional control strategy , this would result in an immediate advance of the combustion phasing to avoid problems with stability . however , if this adjustment occurs immediately after a late phased cycle , the result would most likely be engine knocking in the next cycle . according to the invention , the control unit evaluates the signals from sensors that indicate knock , combustion stability and combustion phasing . the latter is preferably achieved by detecting the location of peak pressure ( lpp ). when the knock signal is low , the cov signal is high and lpp is early , the amount of fuel injected in the pilot injection is increased , while the amount for the main fuel injection is decreased in order to keep load and lambda constant . this will phase the combustion of the next cycle earlier than it would have been without injection adjustment and combustion stability is increased . however , if lpp is sensed late , the amount of fuel injected in the pilot injection is increased , while the amount for the main fuel injection is decreased for the cycle after the next cycle . this delay avoids an even earlier and perhaps knocking combustion for the next cycle . if , for some reason , the time taken by the control unit to perform the necessary calculations exceeds the start of the next , immediately following evc event , then the adjustment of the injections is skipped for two cycles . this is indicated in fig3 b and 3d , where a first event evc 1 is assumed to be missed . the control unit will then skip the cycles including evc 1 and the following event evc 2 , to execute the adjusted injection after the start of a third event evc 3 . fig4 shows a schematic diagram for a control strategy for managing the combustion control , engine knocking and combustion stability , using variations of the pilot fuel injection which is possible to alter from cycle to cycle . the control strategy involves reading values for pilot and main injection from a map stored in the control unit . based on these values the control unit performs an evaluation of the output signals from multiple sensors , such as a knocking sensor , a combustion stability sensor and a pressure sensor , and calculates required corrections of the amount of fuel injected in the pilot and main injections accordingly . the corrections are generally very small from cycle to cycle and the magnitude of the incremental steps is controlled by and dependent on the accuracy of the pid regulator used . however , for reasons of clarity , fig4 describes combustion control for steady state condition in order to illustrate the general principle of the invention . in actual use the control unit applies a dynamic regulation dependent on current engine operating conditions when the engine is switched from si - mode to hcci - mode , the control loop is initiated by the injection control unit . after transmitting a command to start s 1 the control loop , the control unit reads the output signals transmitted from a number of sensors s 2 . in this embodiment the sensors used are a knocking sensor , a combustion stability sensor and a pressure sensor . the control unit will then compare the knock signal with a predetermined limit value s 3 to determine whether the signal is high or low . if the knock signal is high the control unit will compare the stability signal , also referred to as cov , with a further predetermined limit value s 4 . if the cov signal is also high , then the control unit will immediately increase the amount of fuel injected during the pilot injection s 5 , that is , for the next cycle . as described above , the amount of fuel injected during the main injection will be decreased accordingly . if , on the other hand , the cov signal is low , then the control unit will immediately decrease the amount of fuel injected during the pilot injection s 6 , that is , for the next cycle . should the control unit determine that the knock signal is lower than the predetermined limit value s 3 , the control unit will compare the cov signal to a predetermined limit value s 7 , identical to that of step s 4 . if the cov signal is low , then the control unit will immediately decrease the amount of fuel injected during the pilot injection s 6 , that is , for the next cycle . however , if it is determined that the knock signal is low s 3 and that the cov signal is high , a further comparison is made using a signal indicating cylinder pressure plotted over time . the control unit can then determine the location of peak pressure ( lpp ), that is , when the maximum pressure occurs during combustion . the control unit can then determine if the lpp has occurred early or late s 8 with respect to an estimated or desired point in time . if the lpp has occurred early , then the control unit will immediately increase the amount of fuel injected during the pilot injection s 9 , that is , for the next cycle immediately the current cycle . if , on the other hand , the lpp has occurred late , then the control unit will increase the amount of fuel injected during the pilot injection s 10 for the subsequent cycle , that is the cycle following the next cycle . this delay avoids an even earlier and perhaps knocking combustion for the next cycle , as described above , and counteracts possible oscillations caused by cycle - to - cycle variations . for all the operating conditions described above , the control loop is carried out continuously for each combustion cycle until the control unit determines the hcci operation is no longer possible s 11 . the control unit will then end the procedure s 12 and switch to s 1 - mode . fig5 illustrates a schematic λ map to be stored in a control unit . as seen from the figure , the air / fuel ratio is λ = 1 , 5 at idling speed under a low load . if either the load or the engine speed is increased , while the other parameter is kept substantially constant , then the air / fuel ratio is increased to λ = 2 . when both engine speed and engine load are increased according to the linear function shown , then the air / fuel ratio is increased to λ = 2 , 3 . fig6 shows a schematic diagram for a control strategy for managing the no x emissions by adjusting the absolute pressure in the air intake manifold . the adjustments are made based on a comparison between the measured , actual lambda value and a lambda value selected on the basis of a number of sensor readings . it is possible to adjust the intake manifold pressure from cycle to cycle . the control strategy involves an evaluation of the output signals from multiple sensors , primarily an engine speed sensor , an engine load sensor and pressure and temperature sensors in the intake manifold . when the engine is switched to hcci - mode the no x control loop s 1 is initiated by a control unit . in a first step s 2 , the control unit reads the signals transmitted from a λ - sensor , an engine speed sensor , an engine load sensor , an intake manifold pressure sensor and an intake air temperature sensor . further sensors may include temperature sensors for engine oil and coolant . when receiving the signals for engine speed and engine load , the control unit will use these values to look up and select an associated value for lambda λ s in a map s 3 stored in the control unit . the control unit will then check the signal from the intake manifold temperature t m sensor and correct the selected λ - value s 4 , if the measured temperature t m deviates from a predetermined reference temperature t ref for said stored map . in general , if the intake manifold temperature t m increases the λ - value will need to be corrected upwards . such a correction may also be required for increasing temperature for engine oil and coolant , which contributes to a general increase in temperature of the engine . the control unit will then compare the selected λ s with a measured λ - value λ a for the air fuel ratio in the exhaust gas s 5 . if λ a & gt ; λ s then the control unit will transmit a signal to the intake air charging unit to decrease the absolute intake pressure s 6 . similarly , if λ a & lt ; λ s then the control unit will transmit a signal to said air charging unit to increase the absolute intake pressure s 7 . before repeating the control loop , the control unit checks that the hcci - mode is still in operation s 8 . if this is not the case , then the no x control ends s 9 . in the above example the λ - value is measured using a λ - sensor , such as an oxygen sensor . however , it is also possible to use sensors that generate a signal indicative of the λ - value , such as a no x - sensor of an ion current sensor . hence , for the step s 5 above , either of a no x signal or ion current signal may be compared to a respective reference signal . if either signal is lower than its reference signal , the control unit will transmit a signal to the intake air charging unit to decrease the absolute intake pressure s 6 , and vice versa . according to a further embodiment , the value of λ may be calculated by the ecu , using the mass air flow ( maf ) and the amount of injected fuel . high λ - values combined with low fuel consumption and low no x emissions can not be achieved with atmospheric pressure in the intake manifold during hcci operation at high loads and / or speeds . in a preferred embodiment the engine is provided with an intake air charging unit , arranged to adjust the intake manifold pressure . fig7 a and 7b show different air charging arrangements for an engine e as described in connection with fig1 . according to fig7 a , the intake air charging unit may be a turbocharger 20 having a compressor 21 for intake air 22 and a turbine 23 driven by exhaust gases 24 from the engine e , which turbine is provided with a wastegate for controlling the intake manifold pressure . according to one embodiment , this wastegate 25 may be connected to bypass the turbine 23 . however , according to an alternative embodiment a wastegate 26 may be connected to bypass the compressor 21 , as indicated by dotted lines in the figure . a controllable valve 27 may also be connected to the intake conduit between the compressor 21 and the engine e , to exhaust compressed air to the atmosphere . fig7 b shows an alternatively intake air charging unit in the form of a supercharger 28 for intake air 29 . as in the case of the turbocharger in fig7 a , the supercharger is provided with a throttle or wastegate for controlling the intake manifold pressure . a wastegate 30 may be connected to bypass the supercharger 28 , as indicated by dotted lines in the figure . a controllable valve 31 may also be connected to the intake conduit between the supercharger 28 and the engine e , to exhaust compressed air to the atmosphere . according to a preferred embodiment , the intake air charging unit is arranged to increase the intake manifold pressure if the actual λ - value is less than the selected λ - value . similarly , the intake air charging unit is arranged to decrease the intake manifold pressure if the measured λ - value is greater than or equal to the selected λ - value . the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and may be varied freely within the scope of the appended claims .	5
fig1 shows a meridian section through a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus , denoted overall by 10 , in a highly schematised representation which is not to scale . the projection exposure apparatus 10 includes an illumination system 12 with a light source 14 for generating a projection light beam 13 . the light source 14 , which may for example be an excimer laser , generates short - wave projection light . in the present exemplary embodiment , the wavelength of the projection light is 193 nm . it is likewise possible to use other wavelengths , for example 157 nm or 248 nm . the illumination system 12 furthermore contains illumination optics , indicated by 16 , with a depolarizer 17 and a field aperture 18 . the illumination optics 16 reshape the projection light beam generated by the light source 14 in the desired way , and make it possible to set up different illumination angle distributions . to this end , the illumination optics 16 may for example contain exchangeable diffractive optical elements and / or microlens arrays . since such illumination optics 16 are known in the prior art , see for example u . s . pat . no . 6 , 285 , 443 a , the explanation of further details in this regard may be omitted . an objective 19 of the illumination system 12 images the field aperture 18 sharply onto a subsequent object plane of a projection objective 20 . the projection objective 20 contains a multiplicity of lenses and other optical elements , only a few of which ( denoted by l 1 to l 6 ) are indicated by way of example in fig1 for the sake of clarity . the projection objective 20 may also contain other optical elements , for example imaging mirrors or mirrors used for folding the beam path , or filter elements . in the case of extremely short wavelengths , for example 13 nm , the projection objective 20 contains only mirrors as imaging elements , since sufficiently transparent lens materials are not available for these short wavelengths . the same applies for the illumination system 12 . the projection objective 20 is used to project a reduced image of a mask 24 , which can be arranged in an object plane 22 of the projection objective 20 and is illuminated by the projection light beam 13 , onto a photosensitive layer 26 which , for example , may be a photoresist . the layer 26 is located in an image plane 28 of the projection objective 20 and is applied onto a support 29 , for example a silicon wafer . the lenses contained in the illumination system 12 and in the projection objective 20 are provided with an antireflection coating . the purpose of the antireflection coating is to reduce the proportion of light which is reflected at the interfaces of the lenses and is therefore lost for the projection , or leads to double reflections . the coatings generally contain a multiplicity of a thin individual layers , the refractive indices and thicknesses of which are selected so that the desired properties are achieved for the wavelength of the projection light 13 . in the case of antireflection coatings , these properties are primarily a very high transmissivity of more than 98 %. such a high transmissivity should be achieved for a large incidence angle range . especially in the case of very high - aperture projection objectives 20 , incidence angles of up to 70 ° may occur , and even more in particular cases . if the transmissivity depends too strongly on the incidence angle , then this will lead to field - dependent structure width variations with coatings close to the pupil , and to angle - dependent structure width variations with near - field coatings . it is moreover expected of the antireflection coatings applied on lenses that they have these optical properties irrespective of the polarization state of the incident projection light 13 . if the transmissivity varies too greatly for orthogonal polarization states in an antireflection coating , then this polarization dependency may lead to undesired imaging errors . this is related to the fact that , despite the use of a depolarizer 17 in the illumination system 12 , the projection light 13 does not remain fully depolarized when it passes through the projection objective 20 . reasons for this may , for example , be intrinsically or stress - birefringent lens materials , polarizing mask structures as well as the polarization dependencies being discussed here in the case of antireflection and reflection coatings . if an antireflection coating is arranged in the vicinity of a field plane , then the polarization dependency of its transmissivity leads to intensities varying over the image field when the projection light has a preferential polarization direction that varies over the field . such intensity variations in a field plane become manifested as undesired field - dependent structure width variations on the component . on the other hand , if an antireflection coating with a polarization - dependent transmissivity is arranged close to the pupil , then an already existing angle dependency of the polarization state may likewise lead to undesired structure width variations . for this reason , when developing an antireflection coating , attempts are made to keep the difference δt between the transmission coefficients for orthogonal polarization states less than 10 %, such as less than 3 %. ( anti -) reflection coatings of lenses and mirrors may furthermore cause the phase of the light passing through the coatings to vary as a function of the polarization state . this makes the coating optically birefringent , which has an unfavourable effect on the imaging quality in the image plane . for this reason , the permissible phase difference δφ between orthogonal polarization states should be less than 1 / 10 of the wavelength λ of the projection light 13 . a high average transmissivity on the one hand , as well as a low polarization dependency of the transmissivity and of the phase on the other hand , cannot however be achieved over a sizeable incidence angle range , or can be achieved at most with extremely great outlay . according to the disclosure , the coatings in the projection exposure apparatus 10 therefore configured so that the polarization dependency of the transmission coefficient and of the phase are kept low over a large incidence angle range . the average transmissivity and the average phases may however vary perceptibly over the incidence angle range . the concomitant perturbations of the imaging are corrected in a comparatively straightforward way , for example with the aid of grey filters or — in the case of phase errors — local non - axisymmetric surface deformations . substantial polarization independency , specifically in the case of antireflection coatings , means that the transmission coefficients for mutually orthogonal polarization states differ from one another by no more than 10 % ( e . g ., by no more than 3 %, by no more than 1 %) over an incidence angle range of 70 °. the same applies for the reflection coefficients in the case of reflection coatings . layer systems configured in such a way can be developed and produced with relatively little outlay . the way to do this in detail may be found in standard textbooks , for example t . w . baumeister “ optical coating technology ”. fig2 shows a lateral section of a detail of an exemplary embodiment of an antireflection coating 32 , in which the transmission coefficients for mutually orthogonal polarization states differ from one another by no more than 1 %. the antireflection coating 32 consists of 6 thin individual layers l 1 to l 6 , the materials and optical thicknesses of which are specified in table 1 . the antireflection coating 32 is applied on a concave surface 34 of a lens 36 , which consists for example of quartz glass , and it is configured for a wavelength of λ = 193 nm . the quantity qwot ( quarter wave optical thickness ) refers to the optical thickness , i . e . the product of refractive index and the geometrical thickness , in units of a quarter wavelength . likewise suitable in principle , albeit less preferred owing to the low durability , is the coating described as exemplary embodiment 4 in jp 2004 - 302113 a , which is constructed from three layers . ep 0 994 368 a2 describes a more durable coating which has five layers but in which the transmission coefficients for orthogonal polarization states differ from one another by about 5 % in the incidence angle range of from 0 ° to 70 °. it will be assumed below that the light ray 30 contains both a p - polarized component 38 indicated by double arrows and an s - polarized component indicated by black circles 40 . the majority of the light striking the antireflection coating 32 will be transmitted , with the transmission coefficients t s and t p respectively for the s - polarized component 40 and for the p - polarized component 38 differing slightly . in fig2 , this slight difference is indicated by the arrow 42 s for the transmitted s - polarized component 40 being somewhat longer than the arrow 42 p for the transmitted p - polarized component 38 . in general , the reflectivity of the antireflection coating 32 also differs according to the polarization state of the incident light , which is indicated in an exaggeratedly represented way at 44 in fig2 . the average transmissivity t of the antireflection coating 32 is given by the following equation ( 1 ): the polarization dependency of the transmissivity is best described by the difference between the transmission coefficients t s and t p according to equation ( 2 ) for the average phase φ and the phase difference δφ , equations ( 3 ) and ( 4 ) respectively apply : fig3 and 5 show graphs in which the average transmissivity t , the difference δt between the transmission coefficients according to eq . ( 2 ) and the phase difference according to eq . ( 4 ) are respectively plotted as a function of the incidence angle α for the antireflection coating 32 . it can be seen that δt & lt ; 1 % and δφ & lt ; 0 . 1 · λ apply over an angle range of 70 °. the average transmissivity t is however not consistently higher than 98 % over this incidence angle range , rather it falls off to values below 92 % for large incidence angles . this may therefore lead to the aforementioned field - and / or angle - dependent intensity variations . in order to avoid intensity variations in the image plane 28 , grey filters may be used which are likewise to be positioned near the field . as an alternative to this , it is possible to position filter elements with angle - dependent transmissivities near the pupil . such an angle - dependent grey filter is indicated by 50 in fig1 . further designs of grey filters , which are suitable in this context , may be found in us 2005 / 0018312 a1 . in a scanning projection exposure apparatus 10 , it is also feasible to use a field aperture , which includes a multiplicity of individually displaceable aperture elements , in the illumination system 12 . such field apertures which are known per se , as described for example in ep 0 952 491 a2 , make it possible to vary the radiation dose in the image plane 28 as a function of the longitudinal position of the slit - shaped light field . if the antireflection coating 32 lies in the vicinity of a pupil plane , however , then this will generate pupil apodisation . such pupil apodisations may be corrected by suitably configured antireflection layers in the vicinity of a pupil plane . tilting of the pupil apodisation , which can be described by the zernike coefficients z 2 / z 3 , may be corrected by a mirror layer . stronger double reflections , which may occur owing to the average transmissivity t being lower at particular angles , may be absorbed by anti - scattering apertures . since the average phase φ is likewise not given priority in the optimisation of the antireflection coating , phase errors due to the antireflection coating 32 may lead to imaging errors . such imaging errors may be corrected , at least within certain limits , by manipulators which are known per se . particularly good correction is achieved when interfaces of optical elements , or plates separately provided here , are deformed locally and non - axisymmetrically . the deformations , which may be generated by adding or removing material , are in this case of the order of a few nanometres , such as less than 50 nanometres . instead of respectively optimising the individual antireflection coatings with a view to minimal polarization dependency , it is also possible to carry out an overall optimisation of a plurality or all of the antireflection coatings contained in the projection objective 20 , and optionally throughout the projection exposure apparatus 10 . the conditions mentioned above may then be described as naturally , the above considerations also apply for reflection coatings such as are used for curved imaging mirrors or plane deviating mirrors in the projection exposure apparatus 10 . several exemplary embodiments of antireflection coatings will be described below , some of which likewise have a particularly small difference between the transmission coefficients for orthogonal polarization states . in other exemplary embodiments , although this difference is greater , particularly high average transmission coefficients and / or particularly small phase splittings are nevertheless achieved over a sizeable incidence angle range . it should furthermore be pointed out that the transmission performance will now be described no longer by specifying the transmission coefficients t , but by specifying the reflection coefficients r . if the coatings have a negligible absorption , then t = 1 − r applies . small reflection coefficients therefore correspond to large transmission coefficients , and vice versa . table 2 gives the layer specification for an exemplary embodiment of an antireflection coating , which includes four layers in total . fig6 shows a graph in which the reflection coefficients r s , r p and r a for s - polarized , p - polarized and unpolarized light are respectively plotted as a function of the incidence angle for this antireflection coating . as in exemplary embodiment 1 described above , the layers are counted starting from the support material which , for example , may be a lens or a plane - parallel plate . caf 2 , which has a refractive index of about 1 . 56 at a wavelength of 193 nm , will be assumed as the material of the support ( substrate ) in this exemplary embodiment and the ones described below . it is however also possible to use other support materials , for example synthetic quartz glass ( sio 2 ) or barium fluoride ( baf 2 ); the optical properties of the antireflection coating will only be modified relatively slightly by this . lanthanum fluoride ( laf 3 ), which has a refractive index of about 1 . 69 at a wavelength of 193 nm has been assumed for the more highly refractive layers . magnesium fluoride ( mgf 2 ), which has a refractive index of about 1 . 43 at the same wavelength , has been assumed for the less refractive layers . the known production methods , for example pvd or cvd methods , may be employed in order to produce the layers . of course , the materials mentioned for the more highly refractive layers and the less refractive layers may also replaced by other materials respectively with similar refractive indices . also suitable as more highly refractive materials , besides laf 3 , are in particular ndf 3 , al 2 o 3 and erf 3 . besides mgf 2 for the less refractive materials , alf 3 , chiolite or kryolite may for example also be envisaged . since these materials have somewhat different refractive indices from the materials mentioned in table 2 , differences may arise for the optical thicknesses specified there in units of qwot ( quarter wave optical thickness ). these are mentioned in the last row of table 2 in the form of range specifications . even when employing laf 3 and mgf 2 , it may be expedient to use optical thicknesses within the value ranges in the table , for example in order to carry out fine tuning . a common feature of the more highly and less refractive materials is that refractive indices in the range of between about 1 . 60 and 1 . 92 , or in the range of between about 1 . 37 and 1 . 44 , can respectively be achieved by them without the packing density thereby decreasing below a value of 85 %. these layers are therefore more durable and do not substantially change their optical properties even after prolonged operating times and under different environmental effects . the graph shown in fig6 reveals that with this antireflection coating , consisting of only four layers , the reflection coefficients r s and r p for s - polarized and p - polarized light differ only very slightly from one another over an incidence angle range of between 0 ° and 60 °, specifically by no more than 1 %. for an incidence angle range of between 0 ° and 50 °, not only the difference but also the absolute value of the reflection coefficients r s and r p are less than 1 %. a particular feature of this antireflection coating is that the reflection coefficient r s for s - polarized light is less than the reflection coefficient r p for p - polarized light for incidence angles of between about 35 ° and 55 °. such behaviour , which was described for the first time — albeit for an incidence angle range above 55 °— in jp 2004 - 302113 is unusual because p - polarized light is in principle transmitted better than s - polarized light according to the fresnel equations . this reversal of the reflection behaviour which is conventional per se , over a particular angle range , can advantageously be used to compensate for effects due to the conventional polarization - dependent reflection behaviour at other coatings . even if the difference between the reflection coefficients for the s - polarized and p - polarized light can be kept very small , as shown by the first exemplary embodiment and also some of the subsequent exemplary embodiments , this nevertheless often involves more complex layer systems with six or more individual layers , the production of which is correspondingly elaborate . if however an antireflection coating having the properties shown in fig6 is combined with another simply constructed antireflection coating , which has a higher reflectivity for s - polarized light than for p - polarized light over an incidence angle range , then polarization - neutral behaviour can be achieved overall . to this end , it is not categorically necessary that the antireflection coatings , whose polarization dependencies are intended to compensate for one another , should exhibit the described behaviour in the same incidence angle range . light rays which strike one optical surface at large incidence angles may strike another optical surface at small incidence angles , and vice versa . if two identically constructed antireflection coatings , which have ranges with r s & gt ; r p and r s & lt ; r p , are applied onto optical surfaces selected in such a way , then there polarization dependencies can neutralise one another . in general , however , the situation is simplest when the compensating antireflection coatings are applied on the entry and exit surfaces of an optical element , for example a lens . this is because when optical systems are being configured , attempts are often made to make the incidence angles similar on the entry and exit surfaces of the optical lenses . if however there are many other optical elements between the antireflection coatings , then the incidence angle distribution may be modified in a relatively complicated way by the optical elements lying between them . it is to be understood that the layer specification given in table 2 need not be identical over the entire surface of the optical element . since different regions on an optical element are often exposed to different distributions of incidence angles , it may be expedient for different antireflection coatings , which are optimally adapted to the angle spectrum respectively encountered , to be applied onto the different regions . table 3 gives the layer specification for an exemplary embodiment of an antireflection coating , which includes eight layers in total . fig7 shows a graph in which the reflection coefficients r s , r p and r a for s - polarized , p - polarized and unpolarized light are respectively plotted as a function of the incidence angle for this antireflection coating . it can be seen in the graph of fig7 that the reflection behaviour differs from the per se conventional behaviour at incidence angles of more than about 40 ° here , because s - polarized light is reflected much less than p - polarized light there . the negative difference δr = r s − r p of the reflection coefficients r s and r p increases substantially more strongly at the incidence angles of about 50 ° than is the case with the antireflection coating shown with the aid of fig1 of jp 2004 - 302113 . the antireflection coating with the layer specification given in table 3 can therefore be used even better to compensate for polarization dependencies of other layers , as was explained above in relation to exemplary embodiment 2 . a substantial advantage over the antireflection coating described in jp 2004 - 302113 is , above all , that only layers which have a packing density of more than 85 % are used in the antireflection coating described here . in the exemplary embodiment described in jp 2004 - 302113 , however , the packing density of the lowermost layer is merely 49 % in order to be able to achieve the low refractive index of 1 . 21 . a low packing density of this type is disadvantageous because such an incompact layer is susceptible to environmental effects and therefore modifies its optical properties relatively quickly as a function of time . table 4 gives the layer specification for another exemplary embodiment of an antireflection coating , which includes seven layers in total . fig8 shows a graph in which the reflection coefficients for s - polarized , p - polarized and unpolarized light are respectively plotted as a function of the incidence angle for this antireflection coating . the reflection coefficients for s - polarized and p - polarized light differ only very slightly between incidence angles of 0 ° and 60 °, specifically by no more than 0 . 1 %. at 4 %, the absolute values r s and r p are likewise very similar in an angle range of between about 20 ° and 50 °. this antireflection coating is therefore suitable in particular for such optical elements which light strikes only obliquely with incidence angles in the range , or at least predominantly obliquely . the antireflection coating with the layer specification given in table 4 has also been optimised with a view to achieving a minimal phase difference δφ between s - polarized and p - polarized light after passing through the antireflection coating . in order to obtain a small phase difference δφ , it is favourable for the coating to consist of as few layers as possible , but at least for the thickness of the layers provided to be as small as possible . comparison of the layer specification given in table 4 with the layer specification given in table 3 , for exemplary embodiment 3 , shows that this rule can be satisfied without thereby entailing intolerably large differences δr = r s − r p . in exemplary embodiment 4 , a phase difference is achieved which is less than 0 . 5 ° for incidence angles of between 0 ° and 50 °, and which does not reach about 6 ° until an incidence angle of 70 °. if all the layers are made about 7 % thinner based on the layer specification given in table 4 , then the range with particularly small reflection coefficients will be shifted to smaller incidence angles as revealed by the graph of fig9 . this modification makes the antireflection coating particularly suitable for incidence angles of between 0 ° and about 40 °. in this incidence angle range , the reflection coefficients r s and r p for s - polarized and p - polarized light are both below about 0 . 2 %; the differences δr between the reflection coefficients are an order of magnitude less . the phase difference δφ is likewise shifted to smaller incidence angles here . the phase difference δφ at incidence angles of 70 ° is therefore somewhat higher , specifically 10 °. in exemplary embodiments 2 and 3 , the phase splitting may also be reduced if it is feasible for the thicker layers , in particular , to be made thinner . table 5 shows the layer specification for an antireflection coating which is based on the layer specification shown in table 3 for exemplary embodiment 3 . the thicker layers 2 , 4 and 5 provided there are now much thinner . fig1 shows a graph in which the reflection coefficients for s - polarized , p - polarized and unpolarized light are respectively plotted as a function of the incidence angle for this antireflection coating . the phase difference δφ for exemplary embodiment 5 is plotted with a line of dashes , and for exemplary embodiment 3 with thin dots and dashes for comparison . it may be seen clearly that much smaller phase differences δφ are entailed for incidence angles of more than about 30 ° owing to the reduction of the layer thicknesses . on the other hand , the reflection behaviour has not been compromised significantly by the modification carried out , as shown by a comparison of fig1 and 7 . table 6 gives the layer specification for another exemplary embodiment of an antireflection coating , which includes eight layers in total . fig1 shows a graph corresponding to fig1 , in which the reflection coefficients for p - polarized , s - polarized and unpolarized light as well as the phase difference δφ are plotted as a function of the incidence angle . the antireflection coating according to this exemplary embodiment is distinguished by a particularly small phase difference , the absolute value of which does not exceed 5 ° throughout the incidence angle range of between 0 ° and 70 °. with this antireflection , it is furthermore noteworthy coating that the phase difference δφ is negative in an angle range of between 0 ° and about 65 °. this means that p - polarized light passes through the antireflection coating with a retardation relative to the s - polarized light within this incidence angle range . this unusual behaviour may be used to compensate for a positive phase difference , in a similar way as was explained above in connection with exemplary embodiment 2 for the reflection coefficients r s , r p . here again , it is true that the combination of at least one antireflection coating having a positive phase difference with another antireflection coating having negative phase splitting can achieve the effect that s - polarized and p - polarized light no longer have a significant phase difference after passing through the two antireflection coatings . in this case , for example , it is also possible that the contributions of a multiplicity of antireflection coatings to a sizeable positive phase difference may be compensated for by a single antireflection coating or a few antireflection coatings with a negative phase difference . here again , the angle ranges of the antireflection coatings with a positive phase difference and those with a negative phase difference need not necessarily coincide . methods of computer - assisted optimisation , for example the variation method , may be employed in order to achieve substantially polarization - neutral behaviour in respect of reflectivity and phase by combining different antireflection coatings . in general , it will be simplest to optimise the antireflection coatings in a first step such that a minimal difference in the reflectivity for orthogonal polarization states is obtained overall . in a second step , phase differences still existing on one or a few , for example 4 , antireflection coatings may then be reduced . the reverse procedure may of course also be adopted , by starting with reduction of the phase differences and subsequently optimising the reflectivity . simultaneous optimisation in respect of both the reflectivity and the phase difference is also possible in principle .	6
it is to be understood that the figures have been simplified to illustrate only those aspects of an interconnect which are relevant , and some of the dimensions have been exaggerated to convey a clear understanding of the present invention , while eliminating , for the purpose of clarity , some elements normally found in an interconnect . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other elements are required to produce an interconnect . however , because such elements and process steps are well known in the art , and because they do not further aid in the understanding of the present invention , a discussion of such elements is not provided herein . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a dielectric layer 2 , a semiconductor layer 4 , and an interface 6 between the dielectric layer 2 and the semiconductor layer 4 . the dielectric layer 2 may be of any dielectric material , and in the described embodiment it is boro - phospho - silicate glass oxide (“ bpsg oxide ”). a lower conductor 8 is located in the semiconductor layer 2 adjacent to the interface 6 , and may be any conductor of current , such as a doped semiconductor or a metal . in the described embodiment , the lower conductor 8 is an n + doped semiconductor . the lower conductor 8 is patterned to form conductive paths as is known in the art . the dielectric layer 2 , semiconductor layer 4 , interface 6 , and lower conductor 8 form a portion of an integrated circuit 10 . fig2 is a cross - sectional view of the integrated circuit 10 after an opening 12 has been created in the dielectric layer 2 . the opening 12 is defined by an inner wall 14 and extends from a top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 to the lower conductor 8 . the formation of such an opening in a dielectric layer is well known in the prior art . for example , an anisotropic etch in a reactive ion etch (“ rie ”) reactor , using cf 4 + chf 3 at between 10 ° c . and 40 ° c . may be used . many other methods of forming an opening are known , such as using a combination of isotropic and anisotropic etches to create sloped side walls in a dielectric layer . fig3 is a cross - sectional view of the integrated circuit 10 after the deposition of a plug layer 20 , which substantially fills the opening 12 . tungsten is preferred as the material for the plug layer 20 because it is easily deposited using a chemical vapor deposition (“ cvd ”) process . any conductor of current , however , may form the material for the plug layer 20 . because tungsten does not readily adhere to oxides , which comprise the dielectric layer 2 in the preferred embodiment , a “ glue ” layer 22 is preferably deposited before the plug layer 20 . in the preferred embodiment titanium is used as the glue layer 22 because it adheres well to oxides and it consumes silicon dioxide , forming titanium silicide which has a low resistance . the silicon dioxide may remain at the bottom 18 of the opening 12 from previous process steps , and if it is not removed , it will increase the contact resistance between a plug , described below , and the lower conductor 8 . titanium may be deposited , for example , by using a chemical vapor deposition (“ cvd ”) process , preferably using a titanium - chloride chemistry , such as titanium and cfcl 3 . alternatively , titanium may be sputtered directly onto the opening 12 . because sputtered titanium often results in shadowing , a columniator may be utilized to provide a more uniform distribution . an alternative glue layer is titanium silicide , deposited by a cvd process . titanium silicide cvd produces a conformal layer of titanium silicide , yielding uniform metal layers along the vertical and horizontal surfaces in and around the opening 12 . the titanium silicide cvd process uses titanium tetrachloride in conjunction with titanium and silicon gasses to produce the layer of titanium silicide . titanium silicide , however , does not consume silicon dioxide as titanium does . in addition to the glue layer 22 , a barrier layer 24 is used in the preferred embodiment because tungsten reacts with silicon to cause “ worm holes ” in the silicon . worm holes result in small voids in the silicon surface where the silicon has migrated into the tungsten , and they increase the contact resistance and can cause leakage in diodes built in the silicon substrate . as a result , the barrier layer 24 is preferably used to separate the tungsten layer 20 from any form of silicon , such as a doped silicon substrate . when both a glue layer 22 and a barrier layer 24 are used , both the glue layer 22 and the barrier layer 24 may coat the bottom 18 and the walls 14 of the opening 12 , as shown in fig3 . fig4 shows an alternative embodiment wherein the glue layer 22 is deposited only on the bottom 18 of the opening 12 , so that it will consume any silicon dioxide present on the lower conductor 8 . the barrier layer 24 , however , is deposited on both the walls 14 and the bottom 18 of the opening 12 . the preferred barrier layer 24 , titanium nitride , is suitable as both a “ barrier ” and a “ glue ”, and is deposited on top of the glue layer 22 , to act as a barrier between tungsten and silicon , and on the walls 14 to act as a glue layer . titanium nitride readily adheres to the titanium / titanium silicide glue layer 22 , to the tungsten plug layer 20 , and to the dielectric layer 2 . it also forms an effective barrier between the tungsten plug 26 and silicon , and is conformal and easily deposited by a cvd process . the titanium nitride may also be deposited by annealing titanium in the presence of nitrogen or ammonia . regardless of the manner in which titanium nitride is deposited , an annealing step follows the deposition of the glue layer 22 , preferably either immediately after the glue layer 22 is deposited , or after the barrier layer 24 is deposited . the annealing step is necessary for the titanium , which preferably comprises the glue layer 22 , to effectively consume silicon dioxide . the glue and barrier layers 22 and 24 , of course , are preferably not used when the plug 26 does not react adversely with any other materials in the opening 12 , and when the plug 26 adequately adheres to the wall 14 and bottom 18 of the opening . in fact , the glue and barrier layers 22 and 24 are not required to utilize the invention , but they are used in the preferred embodiment . a layer of titanium may always be used , however , to consume silicon dioxide from the bottom 18 of the opening 12 . fig5 shows a cross - sectional view of the integrated circuit 10 after portions of the plug layer 20 , glue layer 22 , and barrier layer 24 have been removed , leaving a plug 26 having a top surface 28 and an edge 29 . the edge 29 of the plug 26 is defined generally by the glue and barrier layers 22 and 24 . the portions of the plug layer 20 , glue layer 22 , and barrier layer 24 may be removed , for example , by a dry etch process using a chlorine - based gas is used , such as chlorine gas , ccl 4 , or hcl . preferably , however , a chemical - mechanical polish (“ cmp ”), as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 224 , 534 (“ the &# 39 ; 534 patent ”) issued to yu et al ., assigned to micron technology , inc . and incorporated herein by reference , may be used to remove the top layer of tungsten and leave the top surface 28 of the plug 26 even with the top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 . fig6 shows the integrated circuit 10 after being subjected to a cleaning step . the surface of the integrated circuit 10 is cleaned , for example , by a bath of hydrofluoric acid which cleans the surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 and opens up a small recess 30 in the glue and barrier layers 22 and 24 around the edge 29 of the plug 26 . the recess 30 has a generally rectangular cross - section , is typically between 1 , 000 and 2 , 000 angstroms deep , typically about 1 , 000 angstroms wide , and will often contain impurities . as discussed above , if the impurities remain in the recess 30 they may develop into a latent defect which may ultimately cause a failure of the device . as described in the &# 39 ; 534 patent , the cmp process may also form a recess 30 at the edge 29 of the plug 26 , without the use of a hydrofluoric acid bath . following the cleaning step , an “ etchback ” step is preferably performed which removes material from the top surface 28 of the plug 26 so that the plug 26 is between about 1 , 000 to 2 , 000 angstroms below the top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 . the etchback is to compensate for the different etch rates of tungsten and bpsg oxide , in anticipation of an etch step described below with respect to fig7 . the depth of the etchback is chosen so that at the conclusion of the etch step , discussed below with respect to fig7 the top surface 28 of the plug 26 and the top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 are even . the etchback may be achieved , for example , through a dry etch of the plug 26 . fig7 shows a cross section of the integrated circuit 10 after it is subjected to an etch step to clean and enlarge the recess 30 . after the recess 30 is enlarged it extends into the dielectric layer 2 and the plug 26 . many types of etches , such as facet etches and sputter etches , may be used to clean and enlarge the recess 30 . it has been found , however , that superior results are achieved with a sputter etch using an argon plasma , with a pressure between five and fifty millitorr , a flow rate of between 10 and 100 standard cubic centimeters per minute (“ sccm ”) of argon gas , a plasma energy level of between 1 . 7 and 5 . 1 watts per square centimeter of the target surface , and an angle between 40 ° and 60 ° above horizontal . in the most preferred embodiment , the sputter etch angle is 58 ° above horizontal . the sputter etch typically increases the width of the recess 30 from about 1 , 000 angstroms to between about 2 , 000 angstroms and 3 , 000 angstroms , although the depth of the recess 30 is usually not significantly changed . of course , both larger and smaller recesses 30 are possible , and the depth of the recess may be changed to suit particular needs by , for example , altering the sputter etch angle . when the sputter etch increases the width of the recess 30 , it tapers the top surface 28 of the plug 26 , which increases the surface area of the plug 26 , and it tapers the top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 . the increased surface area of the plug 26 allows for a lower resistance contact and better adhesion with a subsequently applied upper conductor . the tapered plug 26 and dielectric layer 2 also allow for very good step coverage over the recess 30 when a subsequent upper conductor layer is applied , as described below with respect to fig8 . the sputter etch also cleans the recess 30 of impurities and residue remaining from previous process steps , further reducing the likelihood of a latent defect . furthermore , the sputter etch cleans the surface of the integrated circuit 10 of impurities and removes residue , such as tungsten particles deposited during the formation of the plug 26 , which are often not removed in the cleaning step using hydrofluoric acid . during the sputter etch step both the plug 26 and the dielectric layer 2 are etched , but because tungsten sputters more slowly than bpsg oxide , the thickness of the plug 26 decreases at a slower rate than the thickness of the dielectric layer 2 . for that reason , in the preferred embodiment the top surface 28 of the plug 26 is etched back about 1 , 000 to 2 , 000 angstroms below the top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 prior to the etch step . as a result of the etchback of the plug 26 , at the conclusion of the sputter etch the top surface 28 of the plug 26 is approximately even with the top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 . fig8 is a cross - sectional view of the integrated circuit 10 after a top conductor layer 32 has been applied to the top surface 16 of the dielectric layer 2 and the top surface 28 of the plug 26 . the top conductor layer 32 fills the recess 30 , taking advantage of the increased surface area of the plug 26 , and resulting in a lower resistance contact and better contact adhesion . good step coverage over the recess 30 results from the tapered plug 26 and dielectric layer 2 . the top conductor layer 32 may be any conductor of current , such as doped semiconductor , aluminum , titanium , copper , or polysilicon , and methods of deposition of the top conductor layer 32 are well known in the prior art , such as by sputtering and cvd . the top conductor layer 32 is patterned to form conductive paths as is known in the art . fig9 illustrates a system 34 in which the present invention may be employed . the system is comprised of a solid state device , such as memory device 36 , in which connections of the type disclosed herein are made . the memory device is under the control of a microprocessor 38 which may be programmed to carry out particular functions as is known in the art . those with ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented . for example , the recess 30 may be formed in a plug 26 and dielectric layer 2 without the presence of glue and barrier layers 22 and 24 . the foregoing description and the following claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations .	7
referring first to fig1 - 6 , a machine unit of a hydraulically driven annular saw 1 is generally designated 2 . the machine unit 2 comprises a motor housing 6 with a hydraulic motor ( not shown ). the motor is provided with hydraulic conduits 3 and handles 4 and 5 . the machine unit 2 also includes elements for holding an annular saw blade 8 in place in the machine unit and a transmission system for transmitting drive power of the motor to the saw blade 8 . the machine unit 2 has a center disc 9 and a base plate 10 . a cover 11 is mounted on the base plate 10 by means of screws 12 , so that the cover 11 with the support elements for the saw blade 8 fitted in it can be removed when the saw blade 8 is to be fitted or replaced . the annular saw blade 8 has an inner rim portion 14 of rubber , an outer rim portion 15 provided with cutting elements in the shape of diamond tipped sectors , and a web portion 16 between the rim portions with a smooth underside 17 and a smooth topside 18 . the sides 17 and 18 are parallel to each other and to a plane of symmetry 19 of the saw blade 8 ( fig3 ). the inner rim portion 14 of rubber is secured through vulcanization to the inner edge of the web portion 16 of the saw blade which consists of steel . the rubber portion 14 is completely straight according to this embodiment and has a thickness equal to that of the web portion 16 of the saw blade . also the inner edge of the rubber portion 14 is completely straight . a groove 24 is provided in the smooth underside 17 of the saw blade 8 . a drive pulley 30 of the saw blade 8 is fitted mainly inside the annulus of the saw blade 8 . the pulley 30 is arranged so as to be able to rotate around an axis of rotation 31 , which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the saw blade 8 , via a drive axle 32 ( fig4 ). further , transmission means ( not shown ) are provided for transmitting drive power of the motor to the drive pulley 30 , together with a pair of lower running rollers 40 and 41 and a pair of upper running rollers 42 and 43 in the cover 11 ( roller 43 is not shown ). each one of the lower running rollers 40 and 41 is provided with a flange 44 in a manner known per se . the flange 44 is accommodated in known manner in the groove 24 having an edge 45 . as far as other elements shown in fig1 and 4 are concerned , reference is made to u . s . pat . no . 4 , 793 , 065 incorporated herein by reference . according to the preferred embodiment , the inner rim portion 14 of the saw blade 8 consists of rubber united with the inner edge 20 of the web portion 16 of the metal saw blade 8 through vulcanization . the rim portion 14 has the same thickness as the web portion 16 of the saw blade 8 . the relative thickness is somewhat exaggerated in the drawings . the sides 21 and 22 of the rim portion 14 are parallel with and lie in the same planes as the sides 17 and 18 of the web portion 16 . the inner edge 23 of the rubber portion 14 according to this embodiment is straight but could also be somewhat rounded . the drive pulley according to this embodiment consists of two halves 33 and 34 , which abut each other in a dividing plane 35 and are clamped together by means of screws 36 . the upper half of the drive pulley 30 has projections 37 alternating with valleys 38 in an annular rim portion facing the dividing plane 35 , with the projections and valleys forming a circumferential wave pattern . the projections 37 and the valleys 38 follow smoothly upon each other but in other respects the annular rim portion has the feature of a gear - ring . the lower half 34 of the drive pulley is designed in an analogous manner but is rotated through an angle relative to the upper half corresponding to a half wave length , so that valleys and projections in the two halves will lie opposite each other . in this way a circumferential groove 39 with wave formed upper and lower side surfaces is formed between the two halves . this groove 39 has a thickness which substantially corresponds to the thickness of the rubber rim portion 14 of the saw blade . possibly , the groove 39 may be somewhat narrower than the rim portion 14 . the rubber rim portion 14 is provided in the groove 39 such that it will extend along a sector of the rim portion . in this way , the peripheral part of the rim portion 14 will be bent in a wave pattern between on one side the projection 37 and the valleys 38 in the first half 33 , and on the other side the corresponding valleys , and projections 38 &# 39 ;, 37 &# 39 ;, respectively , in the second half 34 . this is schematically illustrated in fig6 . in this mode there is achieved a very efficient coupling between the drive pulley 30 and the saw blade 8 without any greater pressure having to be applied to the rim portion 14 of the saw blade . as a result , the friction losses in driving the saw blade are very small . as a result , the friction losses in driving the saw blade are very small . as the side 45 of the groove 24 in the saw blade 8 will gradually be worn , so that the groove 24 will widen , the saw blade to a corresponding degree will move outwards from the drive pulley 30 . the grip in the wave pattern in the groove 39 , however , during the entire life of operation of the saw blade will be sufficient to ensure a good grip between the drive pulley 30 and the rubber rim portion 14 of saw blade 8 . thus there is maintained a grip which resembles that of the grip in a gear - wheel or gear - ring transmission , regardless of changes of the positions of the drive pulley 30 and the saw blade 8 relative to each other . in this way , the favourable features of a gear - wheel transmission , namely good grip and low friction losses , are combined with reliability in operation of the friction drive . in fig7 there is shown a saw blade 8a having a somewhat different design . thus the web portion 16a of this saw blade in its inner rim portion has a symmetrically projecting tongue 23a with smooth sides . the tongue 23a on both sides is covered by rubber layers 14a . the rubber layers 14a and the tongue 23a together have the same thickness as the web portion 16a . the rubber layers 14a on the saw blade 8a according to fig7 can be used as drive surfaces in a groove in a drive pulley having a somewhat different design as compared to the previous embodiment . fig8 schematically illustrates this embodiment of the groove in the drive pulley , the upper and lower parts of which have been designated 33a and 34a . the projections 37a and valleys 38a in the one half 33a in this case are located opposite to corresponding projections 37a &# 39 ; and valleys 38a &# 39 ;, respectively , in the other half 34a of the drive pulley . in this way the layers 14a are alternately compressed and expanded , respectively through displacements of rubber at the passage through the groove . also in this case there is achieved a very good grip between the drive pulley and the saw blade . the dimensions have been exaggerated in fig8 as in fig6 in order to make the mode of the operation clearer . still another embodiment of the projections of the drive pulley is shown in fig9 which schematically illustrates one half of a drive pulley . the projections in this case consist of spherical segments 37b . the corresponding spherical segments in the other half of the drive pulley can be located between the spherical segments 37b shown in fig9 ( in this case there can be used , for example , a saw blade according to fig3 ) or opposite to the spherical segments 37b ( in this case there can be used , for example , a saw blade according to fig7 ). in the embodiment according to fig1 , a rubber layer 14c is provided in a groove 19 in the web portion 16c of the saw blade 8c . the inner rim portion 20c is somewhat bevelled . for driving the saw blade 8c there can be used a machine of the type shown in fig1 and 12 . the drive pulley 30 , according to the previous embodiments , in this case has been replaced by a drive roller 50 , which operates between a pair of upper running rollers , which are designed in the same way as the running rollers 42 and 43 according to fig4 . on the other side of the saw blade , opposite to the drive roller 50 there is a support roller 51 , and opposite to the upper running rollers there may be provided a pair of lower running rollers , corresponding to the running rollers 40 and 41 according to fig4 . the latter ones , in this case are provided with a flange operating in the groove 24 . the drive roller 50 is provided with a drive axle 55 and has a central portion 52 having cogs , ridges , or other projections alternating with valleys , grooves or similar indentations , which projections may be pressed into the rubber layer 14c in order to give a good grip between the drive wheel 50 and the saw blade 8c . on both sides of the driving portion 52 there are support surfaces 53 and 54 having a smaller diameter , which support surfaces are pressed against the web portion 16c of the saw blade 8c and limitat the penetration of the projections of the drive portion 52 into the rubber layer 14c . the support roller 51 is provided with a flange 56 having a bevelled rotational surface which contacts and supports against the outer edge 20c of saw blade 8c in known manner . rotational surfaces 57 , 58 and 59 are provided which contact the underside of saw blade 8c . in the above embodiment , the drive pulleys or drive rollers are provided with projections intended to be pressed into the flexible material of the saw blade . experiments , however , have shown that one can achieve a very good drive also without such projections . this at least concerns an annular saw blade of the type where the flexible material has been located to the inner rim portion of the saw blade , as shown in fig3 . an annular saw blade of this type has been proven to work very efficiently together with a drive pulley having a wedge shaped groove with completely smooth sides . at the same time an annular saw blade of this type have given rise to considerably less noise than an annular saw blade without any rim portion of rubber . the invention therefore is not limited to be use of drive means , in the form of drive pulleys or drive rollers provided with projections as shown in the above - described embodiments .	1
referring now to the drawings submitted herewith wherein the various elements depicted therein are not necessarily drawn to scale and wherein like elements are identified with like reference numerals and in particular fig1 and 2 , there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of a body pillow 100 constructed according to the principles of the present invention . as illustrated in the figures , the body pillow 100 comprises a body 10 having a first layer 15 and a second layer 20 secured proximate a peripheral edge 25 creating a cavity 30 therebetween . the body 10 is generally rectangular in shape and is of sufficient size to be disposed within a bathtub . those skilled in the art will recognize that the body 10 could be manufactured in numerous shapes and sizes and retain the ability to be disposed within a bathtub . the body 10 is manufactured from a durable comfortable material such as but not limited to vinyl . it is further contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body 10 is substantially waterproof in order to inhibit liquids from propagating into the cavity 30 . furthermore , it is desired within the scope of the present invention that the body 10 be manufactured from a material that is mildew resistant or with a material that has been treated with a substance that substantially inhibits the growth of mildew and / or algae . the first layer 15 and second layer 20 are secured proximate the peripheral edge 25 using suitable and durable chemical or mechanical methods . substantially disposed within the cavity 30 is an intermediate layer 35 . the intermediate layer 35 is manufactured from a material that functions to provide increased comfort to a user superposed on the body pillow 100 . more specifically but not by way of limitation , the intermediate layer 35 could be manufactured from foam , gel or other suitable material for providing comfort to user . additionally , the intermediate layer 35 could be comprised of a gas such as but not limited to air . it is desired within the scope of the present invention that the first layer 15 , second layer 20 and intermediate layer 35 have thermal characteristics such that they assume the temperature of their surroundings . the body 10 further includes a plurality of portions 40 that are separated by seams 45 . the portions 40 of the body 10 function to provide comfort and support for different parts of a user &# 39 ; s body that is engaged therewith . a head portion 50 is located at one end 55 of the body pillow 100 and functions to provide comfort and support for the user &# 39 ; s head and neck area of the user &# 39 ; s body . those skilled in the art will recognize that although the head portion 50 is illustrated in the drawings submitted herewith as being shell - shaped that the head portion 50 could be manufactured in numerous different shapes . the lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 distal to the end 55 function to provide support for the lower parts of a user &# 39 ; s body that are submerged under the water that is contained within a bathtub . the lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 are non - buoyant so as to facilitate positional stability of the body pillow 100 subsequent to the body pillow 100 being partially submersed in water contained within a bathtub . in use , the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 remain proximate the bottom of the bathtub that the body pillow 100 has been disposed within , subsequent to the bathtub being at least partially filled with water . the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 inhibit the portions 40 of the body pillow 100 that are submerged under the water contained in the bathtub from floating . the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 further function to enhance the user manageability of the body pillow 100 subsequent to the body pillow 100 being placed in a bathtub that is at least partially filled with water as the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 remain proximate the bottom of the bathtub . this allows the user to more easily position themselves on the body pillow 100 and be able to maintain the desired position thus increasing the user &# 39 ; s comfort while bathing . the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 are manufactured to be non - buoyant by utilizing a gel for the intermediate layer 35 that is substantially disposed within the cavity 30 . as the intermediate layer 35 manufactured from gel is disposed within the cavity 30 , the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 remain proximate the bottom of the bathtub following the bathtub being at least partially filled with water . it is further contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 could be manufactured to be non - buoyant by numerous other methods . more specifically but not by way of limitation , the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 could have compartments disposed therein that are designed to receive therein a suitable material such as weights that would restrict the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 from floating . additionally , the non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 could have external pockets secured to the second layer 20 or first layer 15 that function to receive therein a material suitable for restricting the adjacent portions 40 from floating when submerged . those skilled in the art should also recognize that although the body pillow 100 is illustrated in the drawings submitted herewith as having three non - buoyant lower portions 41 , 42 , 43 the body pillow 100 could be manufactured to have as few as one non - buoyant portion with the other portions 40 being buoyant . furthermore , it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body pillow 100 could be manufactured to have any number of portions 40 . the seams 45 are laterally oriented across the body 10 and are conventional seams constructed from suitable mechanical or chemical methods . the seams 45 function to divide the body 10 into the portions 40 . the seams 45 allow a user to fold the body pillow 100 into a smaller size to allow for storage in a suitable container such as but not limited to a bag . those skilled in the art should recognize that the body pillow 100 could be manufactured to have any number of seams 45 laterally disposed across the body 10 . although it is not illustrated in the drawings submitted herewith , it is further contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body could have a handle attached thereto that would facilitate a user being able to engage the body pillow 100 with a hook or other suitable structure to temporarily suspend the body pillow 100 to allow the body pillow 100 to dry . furthermore , it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body 10 could have journaled therethrough and proximate the peripheral edge 25 , a plurality of grommets that could also function to receive therein a suitable durable structure in order to temporarily suspend the body pillow 100 for drying . lumbar pads 70 are integrally formed to the first layer 15 of the portion 40 proximate the end 55 . the lumbar pads 70 function to provide additional support for the lumbar region of a user &# 39 ; s spine when superposed on the body pillow 100 . although the body pillow 100 is illustrated in the drawings submitted herewith as having two lumbar pads 100 it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body pillow 100 could have any number of lumbar pads . it is also contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the lumbar pads 70 could have disposed therein the same materials referenced herein that comprise the intermediate layer 35 . secured to the second layer 20 are a plurality of suction cups 75 . the suctions cups 75 are manufactured from a suitable pliable material such as plastic . the suction cups 75 function to substantially inhibit the lateral and longitudinal movement of the body pillow 100 subsequent to being disposed within a bathtub . it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that any number of suction cups 75 could be utilized to substantially inhibit the lateral and / or longitudinal movement of the body pillow 100 . those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous different devices could be utilized to substantially inhibit the lateral an longitudinal movement of the body pillow 100 . more specifically but not by way of limitation , the body pillow 100 could have secured thereto a plurality of non - skid vinyl or other suitable material nubs such as silicon nubs . it is further contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body pillow 100 have disposed thereon the silicon nubs or other non - skid material . although it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body pillow 100 is primarily to be utilized disposed within a bathtub during bathing , it should be recognized that the body pillow 100 could be utilized to increase the comfort of any rigid surface for which a user chooses to engage . more specifically but not by way of limitation , the body pillow 100 could be utilized in a spa , on a boat or as an exercise mat functioning to increase the comfort for the user of the rigid support structure upon which the body pillow 100 has been superposed . while no particular size of the body pillow 100 is required , it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body pillow 100 could be manufactured of a size suitable for disposing within a sink to provide comfort to an infant during bathing . it is further contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the body pillow 100 could be manufactured from numerous materials that would substantially inhibit fading , peeling or mold . additionally , the body pillow 100 could have substantially disposed therein all portions the non - buoyant gel or small particle such as beads . referring in particular to fig1 a description of the operation of the body pillow 100 is as follows . in use , a user will place the body pillow 100 substantially within a bathtub with at least a portion 40 of the body pillow 100 being proximate the bottom of the bathtub . following releasably securing the body pillow 100 to the bathtub utilizing the suction cups 75 to substantially inhibit any lateral and / or longitudinal movement , the user will at least partially fill the bathtub with a desired liquid such as water . subsequent to at least partially filling the bathtub with a desired liquid , the non - buoyant portions 41 , 42 and 43 will remain proximate the bottom of the bathtub as these portions 40 do not float . the user will then engage with the body pillow 100 in a sitting or laying position as desired for the desired length of time . in the preceding detailed description , reference has been made to the accompanying drawing that form a part hereof , and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . these embodiments , and certain variants thereof , have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention . it is to be understood that other suitable embodiments may be utilized and that logical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art . the preceding detailed description is , therefore , not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents , as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	0
for a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages , reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings , in which like reference numbers indicate like features . fig1 is a high level diagram of the system as a whole , the main components and how they interact with each other . one way to implement the described embodiments is to provide an sdk ( piece or pieces of code ) to an app developer to be incorporated into an existing app . thus , an app running the presently described approach can insert the sdk and run on a ‘ smart ’ mobile device and will work on any smart device that has a microphone . the app that contains the sdk could be something directly related to tv related material or be completely unrelated ( e . g ., a game such as angry birds ). while the app is being used for its intended activity , in the background a small sound fingerprint is recorded and sent as described below via an application programming interface (“ api ”) for identification against a database of recorded tv broadcasts ( movies and music as well ). if the fingerprint is identified then the broadcast related data is analyzed along with existing user data to create a profile for a targeted mobile ad to be delivered to the mobile device . the program data is also stored with the existing user data to enhance the user profile . devices 110 represent consumer mobile devices including but not limited to mobile phones , tablets , laptops , and personal smart devices . app server 104 is a server that is related directly to the specific app or website in use on the mobile device . the app server 104 in this context represents functions directly related to the app such downloading the app for the first time , accessing additional features and functions , registration , and it can also act as a gatekeeper for activities such as ad delivery . the app server 104 may or may not be involved in the mobile ad delivery process but is represented in fig1 as it will sometimes be the first point of access . main application server 102 is at the core of the solution . it manages the main processes including data analysis , user profiling , database storage management , interaction with devices 110 , ad server 130 , and merchant server 120 . the main application server 102 communicates with the devices 110 to receive an audio fingerprint and gather anonymous user identifiers and specific viewing data . the user and viewing data is stored in the user database 108 . the main application server 102 also does a sentiment analysis on the main topics of the program during the time of user viewing . this sentiment is used to help determine if an ad related to the main topic should be sent or avoided . the main application server 102 analyzes the newly acquired data along with the existing user and program data to build a profile for an ad request . the ad request with the profile is subsequently sent to the ad server 130 , sometimes via the merchant server 120 . once the ad is received from the merchant server 120 , it logs the ad details in the user database 108 and delivers the ad to the devices 110 . the main application server 102 receives subsequent user ad activity data based on the user &# 39 ; s behavior with the ad and stores it in the user database 108 . the user ad activity includes data such as if the user clicked on the ad , when they clicked on the ad , and what they did after clicking on the ad . media database 150 is the database that stores the tv program information which includes sound matching files as well as program metadata . the media database 150 receives the sound fingerprint from the main application server 102 and looks for a match against the sound files in the database . if a match is found it returns the program name and additional program information including the original broadcast channel , the time at which the broadcast originally took place , and other descriptive details including genre , program description , main topics at time of broadcast and specific spoken words around the topics . the fingerprint matching files and technology as well as program related data could be generated in - house , licensed and accessed from a third party , or any combination thereof . user database 108 stores user information including identifiers and profiles . the user information is stored under an anonymous id associated with the specific device or application . the user data includes raw data as well as analyzed data from tv programming viewing habits , apps used , interaction with served ads , device type , and other relevant data . the users do not have access to their user data . program memory 103 provides all the logic and programs used for data analysis , sentiment analysis , user profile building , ad - to - profile matching , etc . the logic and programs are stored as computer - readable instructions that can be accessed by the main application server 102 to execute the functions described in the disclosed embodiments . merchant server 120 is the entity behind the app or mobile website utilizing the solution . this may or may not interact directly with the main application server 102 . the merchant server 120 is owned and maintained by an outside party and in most cases manages many components of the app or mobile website such as game scores , multi - player sessions , etc . oftentimes , the merchant server 120 also manages ad selection and delivery and in this case the main application server 102 would communicate directly with the merchant server 120 . in other cases where the ad component is not handled by the merchant server 120 , there may be no requirement for direct communication from the main application server 102 . ad server 130 is where the ads that are ultimately delivered to the devices are located . this could include mobile ad network , mobile advertising platform , a real - time bidding system , or other ad delivery mechanism . when the main application server 102 generates a profile for an ad it sends it to the ad server 130 for a match to that profile . the request could include a request based on a specific demographic such as a male , age 21 - 30 , interested in sports . the ad server 130 would then find a match , ideally at the highest paying advertiser for that demographic , and then send the ad back to the main application server 102 for ultimate delivery to the devices 110 . additional examples of profiles could include a golf ad for zip code xxxxx or movie tickets for the upcoming release of the movie starring a specific actress . media server 140 encompasses the tv programming that is delivered to users . the variety of delivery mechanisms is vast and may include traditional broadcast television to a standard television set , a streaming solution such as netflix to a laptop , a dvd being watched on a game console , as well as a number of other solutions . the creation and source of the broadcast content is independent of the solution . when a user is using an app with the sdk component of the solution embedded it can recognize the program being broadcast regardless of the delivery source of that broadcast . step 201 : the app or mobile website developer incorporates the sdk code into their source code before distribution to the users . the sdk includes all the code that facilitates the capturing of the sound fingerprint as well as all the communication between the devices 110 and the main application server 102 . the sdk can be made available to the developers in a number of different ways . it could be downloaded from a website or provided directly by a mobile ad network , a mobile carrier or other third party . step 202 : the user downloads the app that contains the sdk and installs on their device 110 . the app can be downloaded from any location authorized to provide mobile apps to users . the app could also have been pre - installed on the device 110 . the user then launches the app and uses it for its intended purpose . the app may or may not be related to television . step 203 : at a pre - established interval , a fingerprint is taken of the background sound while the user is within the app . the fingerprint is captured without any disruption of the user experience . step 204 : the sound fingerprint is sent to the main application server 102 for identification against the media database 150 . step 205 : the media database 150 determines if the fingerprint matches any program within the database as described earlier in the document . step 206 : if there is a match from step 205 , the data available for the tv program is analyzed by the main application server 102 . step 207 : once the data from the tv program is analyzed it is combined with the analyzed user profile data from the user database 108 and a profile for the ad ( s ) to be requested is created by the main application server 102 . step 208 : if there is not a match from step 205 , the existing user profile data from the user database 108 is analyzed by the main application server 102 and a profile for the ad ( s ) to be requested is created for submission to the ad server 130 . step 209 : a request for a mobile ad based on the created profile is submitted by the main application server 102 to the ad server 130 and an ad is returned from the ad server 130 with relevant details . details could include elements like dimension of the ad , structure of the ad ( e . g . static , rich media , video ), how many components of the profile were a match , cost and required action ( e . g . view , click , sign up ). step 210 : the ad is delivered to the device 110 so it can be displayed at the time stipulated by the app . some examples of the proper time to display an app would include during a commercial break in the tv program or in between levels of a game . the ad could be audio , video , or web banner . step 211 : the data from the user interaction with the ad is captured and sent to the main application server 102 for analysis and subsequent storage in the user database 108 .	7
in the embodiment of fig1 an externally toothed wheel 3 , with straight , axially directed teeth or splines is fixed to a drive shaft 1 , mounted in a radial and axial bearing 2 . the toothed wheel 3 may be regarded as a first or driving shaft element of the clutch . a coupling sleeve 5 of the clutch has an internal ring of splines or teeth 6 , which engage the splines or teeth of the wheel 3 . a flange 7 rigidly secured to the coupling sleeve 5 comprises an end surface 8 that can be brought into abutment with a rear end surface 4 of the wheel 3 to limit the movement of the sleeve 5 axially of the wheel . the coupling sleeve 5 is formed with a peripheral groove 9 for an operating fork or bridle ( not shown ) of conventional form by means of which it is axially displaced . a driven shaft 10 is arranged coaxially of the drive shaft 1 and is radially supported by a bearing 12 . the shaft has a flange 11 co - operating with two bearings 13 and 14 that serve for axial support of the shaft in a manner permitting some axial movement , a compression spring or springs 15 acting on the axial bearing 13 urges it and the shaft 10 to the right as seen in the figure , that is to say away from the drive shaft 1 . a second wheel 16 , having helical splines or toothing 16a , is secured to the driven shaft 10 and can mesh with complementary internal toothing 17 on the coupling sleeve 5 . the wheel 16 has a planar end face 18 which , together with a planar end face 19 on the toothed wheel 3 , forms a second pair of abutment surfaces limiting axial movement of the sleeve . the respective wheels 3 , 16 can be regarded as forming or being parts of driving and driven shaft elements of the clutch . to describe the operation of the clutch in fig1 let it first be assumed that driving and driven shafts 1 and 10 are stationary , and that the clutch is disengaged ( lower half of fig1 ). to couple the shafts , the drive shaft 1 is first rotated slowly ( anticlockwise as seen from the left of the figure ) and at the same time the coupling sleeve 5 is displaced towards the right to bring the helical toothing 17 into engagement with the toothing 16a of the wheel 16 . because of the torque applied by the drive shaft 1 and the direction of obliguity of the helical toothing , the sleeve and driven shaft will tend to screw into each other . this action urges the driven shaft leftwards against the bias of the spring 15 and displaces the sleeve rightwards to bring the first pair of abutment surfaces 4 , 8 into engagement . at the instant when the abutment surface 8 of the sleeve 5 strikes against the abutment surface 4 of the wheel 3 , due to the effect of the torque of the drive shaft 1 , the wheel 16 moves sufficiently against the bias of the spring 15 to bring its abutment surface 18 against the abutment surface 19 of the wheel 3 . the two toothed wheels 3 and 16 will then be securely connected together , and the driving and driven shafts 1 and 10 will then be locked in rotation with one another ( upper half of fig1 ). if the torque in the clutch reverses , the clutch will be immediately disengaged owing to the helical teeth 16a , 17 running out of mesh , the coupling sleeve 5 moving leftwards as seen in the drawing and , because of the axial biasing force or pressure of the compression spring 15 , the driven shaft 10 moving rightwards . the abutment surfaces 18 and 19 move apart from each other , and with disengagement of the clutch , therefore , there are no parts in frictional contact with one another . disengagement of the clutch can also take place , by displacing the coupling sleeve 5 to the left , when the various components are stationary . as a modification of the illustrated arrangement , the compression spring or springs 15 may be arranged , for example , between the two shafts 1 and 10 , and it will also be possible to replace the spring 15 by a hydraulic or pneumatic piston which axially loads one element of the parts which are to be coupled together , so as to completely disengage the clutch when the driving torque is discontinued . fig2 illustrates a modified form of clutch according to the invention in which the second pair of abutment surfaces 20 and 21 between the shaft elements are of axially tapered form , in contrast to the arrangement in fig1 in which the second pair of abutment surfaces 18 and 19 have planar faces . the alternative shown in fig2 affords the advantage that , if the driving and the driven shafts 1 and 10 are not strictly coaxial , they will be centered with each other as engagement of the clutch takes place . fig3 shows a further modified form of clutch according to the invention wherein the straight or axial toothing of the wheel 3 and its meshing internal ring 6 of fig1 is replaced by helical toothing 22 and 23 , shown with a spiral pitch opposite to that of the toothing 16a , 17 . this affords the advantage that the pressure exerted between the first pair of abutment surfaces can be increased or reduced by appropriately selecting the helic angles of the sets of teeth 22 and 23 . the clutches described above can easily be engaged and disengaged . in the disengaged condition the shafts are completely separated from one another but in its engaged condition each clutch has similar characteristics to those of a rigid flanged connection , in that the clutch is not subject to wear . because , in the engaged condition of the clutch , no relative movements will take place ( even when the shaft ends are not in exact alignment ) in the co - operating sets of teeth of the clutch , the teeth may be subjected to very much higher specific loads than is possible with parts which are not securely pressed against each other . again , this makes it possible to construct such clutches for very high powers , such as have not hitherto been found possible to deal with using conventional toothed or dog clutches . it will be understood that while the illustrated examples show clutches with driving and driven toothed wheels interconnected by an internally toothed sleeve , an equivalent arrangement can be provided using internally toothed driving and driven shaft elements with externally toothed interconnecting means . also , the invention is applicable both to manually controlled clutches and also to synchromesh clutches .	5
referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout , the present invention now will be described . the first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the motion vector detecting circuits of fig1 and 2 . in fig1 the motion vector detecting circuit receives reference and check block data from input terminals 1 and 2 , respectively . the blocks are stored by registers 4 and 5 . a reference block analyzing circuit 3 commands selecting circuits 6 and 7 to adaptively select pixels of each block . the selected pixels are forwarded to a differential absolute value sum operating circuit 8 which calculates the residual difference . a minimum value circuit 9 selects the minimum residual difference because the correct check block should have a minimum difference between successive frames and the correct residual difference is output . the adaptive selection operation of the motion vector detecting circuit will now be described in more detail . the reference block data is supplied to the input 1 and forwarded to both the reference block analyzing circuit and the ( m × n ) register 4 . the check block data is similarly supplied to the input 2 and forwarded to the ( m × n ) register 5 . the ( m × n ) registers 4 and 5 store the reference block and check block data , respectively . the reference block analyzing circuit causes the selecting circuits 6 and 7 to adaptively select pixels from each of the ( m × n ) registers by outputting a selection signal 10 indicating the positions of the pixels to be selected . the reference block analyzing circuit determines which pixels are to be selected by calculating a value indicative of a particular feature of the reference block . that is , the pixels are adaptively selected based on that particular feature of the reference block . for example , the feature used to adaptively select pixels may be the maximum and minimum values of the pixels in the reference block data . the reference block analyzing circuit determines the positions of the pixels which have the maximum and minimum values and generates the selection signal indicative of the positions . preferably , two maximum and two minimum values are used to ensure greater accuracy in matching the check block to the reference block . the feature can also be the maximum and minimum deviations from the mean value in the reference block . that is , the reference block analyzing circuit calculates the mean ( i . e ., average ) value for all the pixel values in the reference block and the pixel values having the maximum and minimum deviations from the mean value are selected . the above features can also be combined to yield a first set of maximum / minimum values and a second set of mean deviation values . thus , the reference block analyzing circuit determines the maximum and minimum pixel values , and also determines the mean deviation pixel values . as an alternative to the above features , the reference block analyzing circuit can also select pixels on the basis of the difference between adjacent pixels . the maximum and minimum differences between the adjacent pixels determines which pixels are selected . the reference block analyzing circuit , thus , generates a selection signal 10 dependent upon the pixels selected under one of the discussed feature schemes . the selection signal is supplied to both selecting circuits 6 and 7 and the selecting circuits select the pixels from the ( m × n ) registers 4 and 5 . in this manner , the reference block and the check block are subsampled adaptively and an erroneous mismatching is avoided . the selected pixel values are supplied to the differential absolute value sum operating circuit 8 as reference block data 13 and check block data 14 . the differential absolute value sum operating circuit calculates the absolute residual difference between the selected reference block selected pixels and the selected check block selected pixels . for example , the absolute difference between the maximum pixel values in the check block and the reference block is added to the absolute difference between the minimum pixel values in the check block and the reference block . in the alternative , the differential absolute value sum operating circuit 8 may calculate the square sum of the differences between the pixel values . due to the subsampling , the dimensions of the selected reference block or check block are necessarily smaller than the ( m × n ) blocks received at the inputs 1 and 2 . therefore , the arithmetic burden on the differential absolute value sum operating circuit is reduced and operation speed is increased . as discussed , the correct check block will have the minimum residual difference . thug , the minimum value circuit 9 selects the minimum residual difference to ensure that the correct motion vector is detected . fig2 is a block diagram of a modification to the first embodiment . the figures are generally the same except that fig2 is modified to include feature extracting circuits 16 and 17 coupled to the inputs 1 and 2 , respectively . the purpose of the feature extracting circuits is to extract feature values ( other than the feature described in regard to fig1 ) from the reference and check blocks at the inputs , thus reducing the size of the blocks input to the motion vector detecting circuit . since the size of the input blocks is reduced , the overall processing becomes easier and system efficiency is increased . as an example of extracting the pixels having the desired feature by the feature extracting circuit , a low pass filter may be employed . in the alternative , the feature extracting circuits may divide the reference and check blocks into smaller blocks and add the pixel values in each of the smaller blocks . an integration projection which adds the pixel values in the lateral and vertical direction ( such as a hadamard transformation ) may also be employed by the feature extracting circuits . the reference block and the check block are processed in the same manner described with reference to fig1 . a detailed discussion of the operation of the corresponding circuits will , therefore , not be repeated and reference is made to the foregoing description . the second embodiment will now be described with reference to fig3 a to 4 c , 6 , 7 a and 7 b . fig3 is a representation of pixels in a 4 × 4 block . according to the second embodiment , adaptive sampling is achieved by dividing the blocks into sub blocks 30 and 31 ( here , two 4 × 2 sub blocks ) and determining the maximum and minimum pixel values for each sub block . fig4 a , for example , shows the reference block 40 divided into two 4 × 2 sub blocks 41 and 42 . the extracted maximum pixel values ( a and b ) in each sub block are shown by the hatched circles while the extracted minimum values in each sub block are indicated by the dotted circles ( c and d ). similarly , the check block 43 of fig4 b is divided into two sub blocks 44 and 45 and the extracted maximum and minimum values are indicated by the circles ( a ′, b ′, c ′ and d ′). the extracted values are sent to a differential absolute value sum operating circuit 61 ( fig6 ) and the residual difference is calculated therefrom . in the situation where the residual difference is calculated as the absolute value of the differences between corresponding maximum and minimum values , the following mathematical expression yields the residual difference value . in the above example , the check block 43 is identical to the reference block 40 . accordingly , the residual difference is = 0 and the blocks are considered to be matched perfectly . however , in the case where the check block of fig4 c is significantly different from the reference block of fig4 a , the residual difference is 12 ; and it will be seen that the fixed sampling block matching method generates erroneous matches . in the present invention , on the other hand , the adaptive sampling described above is employed and the check block is correctly matched to the reference block despite the significant differences in pixel values . the feature extracted from both the reference and check blocks 40 and 46 , respectively , are the pixels corresponding to the maximum and minimum values of the reference sub blocks ( a , a ′, b , b ′, c , c ′, d and d ′). as the check block is moved within the vector range ( fig9 ), pixels in the check block at the positions corresponding to the maximum and minimum pixel values in the reference sub blocks are selected from the check sub blocks . the check block with a minimum residual difference , as determined by a minimum value circuit 62 ( fig6 ), is determined to be the correct check block . thus , errors are not produced in the present invention when the check block pattern is significantly different from the reference block pattern . rather , the present invention obtains the correct match . experimental results of the present invention according to the second embodiment are depicted in the graph of fig5 . the y - axis ( ordinate ) represents the noise - to - signal ratio ( ynsr ) in decibels ( db ) of a motion vector detecting circuit and the x - axis ( abscissa ) represents the number of samples per reference block . the fixed sampling block matching method is depicted by the curve comprised of hollow squares , and the adaptive sampling method according to the present invention is depicted by the curve comprised of solid squares . the experimental results were derived under the conditions of an mpeg encoding rate of 6 mbps with a reference block size of 16 × 16 pixels . the signal - to - noise ratio was calculated using the following expression . snr = - 20  log  ( ∑  ( yreal - ydecode ) 2 the number of all pixels / 255 ) ( 2 ) as can be seen from the graph , the adaptive sampling method of the present invention has a lower noise - to - signal ratio for the same number of samples than the fixed sampling method . it will also be noted that the number of samples can be increased in the present invention to 32 pixels since the signal - to - noise ratio is high , thus allowing the mpeg system to increase television pixel density . thus , the present invention is clearly advantageous over a fixed sampling method . fig6 is a block diagram of a circuit embodying the second embodiment described above . the reference block is supplied to the input 50 and the check block is supplied to the input 54 . the reference block is divided into two small blocks ( i . e ., sub blocks ) and stored in small block registers 51 and 52 . similarly , the check block is divide into two small blocks and stored in small block registers 5 s and 56 . with reference to fig4 a to 4 c , the reference small block 41 is , for example , stored in small block register 51 and the reference small block 42 is stored in the small block register 52 ; the check small blocks 44 or 47 are stored in the small block register 55 and the check small blocks 45 or 48 are stored in the small block register 56 . the reference block is also sent to a max . value / min . value detecting circuit 53 which selects the maximum and minimum pixel values for each of the small blocks . the max . value / min . value detecting circuit determines positions of the maximum and minimum pixel values in each of the reference small blocks and outputs two selection signals , one for each small block . the first small block 40 of the reference block is sampled by a selecting circuit 57 as determined by selection signed 64 and first small block 44 or 47 of the check block is sampled by a selecting circuit 59 according to the selection signal 64 . similarly , the second small blocks 52 and 56 for both the reference and check blocks are sampled by selecting circuits 58 and 60 , respectively , according to the selection signal 65 . the sampled pixel values are , then , forwarded to the differential absolute value sum operating circuit 61 for arithmetic processing . in particular , the maximum pixel values for each small block of the reference block are output on lines 66 and 68 while the minimum pixel values are output on lines 67 and 69 . similarly , the maximum values for each small block of the check block are output on lines 70 and 72 while the minimum values are output on lines 71 and 73 . the differential absolute value sum operating circuit 61 derives the residual difference and the minimum value circuit 62 selects the minimum residual difference as the check block is moved within the vector range , as aforedescribed . the residual difference is calculated in a manner similar to the first embodiment wherein the absolute value of the differences between the maximum values and the absolute value of the differences between the minimum values are added . recognizing that the maximum and minimum values are the values output on lines 66 to 73 ( fig6 ), the residual difference =\| data 66 − data 68 \|+\| data 67 − data 69 \|+\| data 70 − data 72 \|+\| data 71 − data 73 \|. while the invention of the second embodiment performs adaptive sampling in a manner similar to the first embodiment , the second embodiment offers the advantage of specifying the positions of the pixels having the maximum and minimum values for a plurality of sub blocks in each block , thus yielding a higher degree of accuracy . the invention according to the second embodiment may also be applied with equally advantageous results to the situation where the reference block is a 16 × 16 pixel block . as shown in fig7 a and 7b , the reference block is divided into eight 4 × 8 small blocks . according to the invention , the maximum and minimum values for each of the eight small blocks are determined . in the situation where there is a large number of pixels in each sub block , there may be more than one maximum or minimum value in each sub block . preferably , one of each of the maximum and minimum values is selected by selecting the pair of maximum and minimum value pixels which have the greatest distance apart of all pixel pairs . alternatively , selection is made by choosing the pair of maximum and minimum value pixels which are at a predetermined distance apart . as a further alternative , a pair of pixel positions of the maximum and minimum value pixels are chosen over other pairs which provide a more favorable reference pattern . it is also advantageous to “ flag ” each of the maximum and minimum pixel values when the reference block contains a large number of pixel values . fig7 b shows the maximum and minimum values of fig7 a having flags set to “ 1 ” whereas the flags of the other pixel values are set to “ 0 ”. the “ 1 ” flags indicate the positions of the pixels to be selected . thus , the selection circuits quickly determine the distances between the pixels for selecting one of a plurality of maximum or minimum pixel values . the sub blocks of fig7 a are , then , processed in a manner similar to that described for a 4 × 4 reference block . thus , the residual difference is calculated from the sampled pixel values and the minimum residual difference , chosen as the check block is moved within the vector range , is correct . the present invention , thus , may be applied to a reference block of any size by dividing the reference block into sub blocks and calculating the minimum residual difference from the sub blocks . therefore , the invention has the additional advantage that television broadcasts with even higher density than heretofore seen can be processed . the present invention , thus , provides adaptive sampling of the pixels employed in the motion vector detecting operation . as noted , particularly with reference to fig5 the signal - to - noise ratio is significantly higher in the present invention than in the fixed sampling method . therefore , the present invention significantly improves matching the check block to the reference block and an erroneous match is avoided . while the above invention was described with reference to an mpeg system , it will be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to other applications which employ motion vectors . it is , therefore , to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as precisely described herein .	7
a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views . reference to the preferred embodiment does not limit the scope of the invention , which is limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto . referring to fig2 and 3 , a bag is generally shown as 200 . the bag 200 is formed by two sidewalls 202 and 204 that are sealed along their perimeter 206 to define an interior volume 207 . the bag 200 has a first end edge 208 , a second end edge 210 , and first and second side edges 212 and 214 . the first edge 208 and the first side edge 212 form a first corner 216 , and the first end edge 208 and the second side edge 214 , form a second corner 218 . similarly , the second edge 210 and the first side edge 212 form a third corner 220 , and the second end edge 210 and the second side edge 214 , form a fourth corner 222 . the first and second side edges 212 and 214 define a centerline 224 . although the first end edge 208 is depicted as being at the top of the bag 200 and the second end edge 210 is depicted as being at the bottom , the first end edge 208 may be considered to be along the bottom of the bag 200 , while the second end edge is along the top . when so considered , corners 216 and 218 are considered to be along the bottom edge of the bag 200 , while corners 220 and 222 are considered to be along the top . the bag 200 can be formed using a variety of different materials such as plastics or cloth . examples of plastics include polyethylene and polystyrene . examples of cloth include burlap and cotton . in one possible embodiment , a dashed line 226 is printed on the surface of the bag 200 to form a pouring region 228 and indicate where a user should cut open the bag 200 to form a pouring hole . the dashed line 226 extends diagonally across the second corner 218 of the bag 200 and from the first end edge 208 of the bag 200 to the second side edge 214 of the bag 200 . in another possible embodiment , perforations are defined across the second top corner 218 in an orientation similar to which the dashed line 226 is drawn . the perforations provide a structural weakness in the bag 200 that permits a person to tear open the second corner 218 of the bag 200 and define a pouring hole ( as illustrated in fig4 ). other embodiments are possible . examples include a pouring spout that is positioned at the pouring region 228 and is in fluid communication with the interior volume 207 of the bag 200 , a removable patch that covers a hole in the bag 200 , a pull string that a user can pull to tear open a portion of or all of the first end edge 208 of the bag 200 , and a zipper closure or any other sort of resealable closure running across the first end edge 208 of the bag 200 . a handle 230 is formed in or attached to the bag 200 and is positioned proximal to the first end edge 208 of the bag 200 . the handle 230 is offset from the centerline 224 of the bag 200 . in one possible embodiment , the handle 230 is positioned adjacent to the first corner 216 of the bag 200 and is formed by a hole 232 defined through the first and second sidewalls 202 and 204 of the bag 200 . because most people grab the handle 230 with one hand and the fourth corner 222 with the other hand , positioning the handle 230 so that it is offset from the centerline 224 of the bag 200 in this manner provides a lever arm r 2 that extends from the handle 230 to the fourth corner 222 . the lever arm r 2 of a bag having such an offset position is greater than the lever arm r 1 of the prior art . when the bag 200 is formed from plastic , the first and second sidewalls 202 and 204 are heat sealed to one another in a heat - sealed region 234 surrounding the hole 232 that forms the handle 230 . the heat - sealed region 234 provides structural reinforcement of the bag 200 at the location of the handle 230 and prevents contents from spilling through the hole 232 from the interior volume 207 of the bag 200 . a reinforcing ring 236 extends through both sidewalls 202 and 204 of the bag 200 and is positioned along the perimeter of the hole 232 . the reinforcing ring 236 provides structural rigidity to the handle 230 . additionally , two layers 238 and 240 of additional material line the first and second sidewalls 202 and 204 to provide a reinforcing structure for the handle 230 . other embodiments include only one layer of reinforcing material or do not include any layers of reinforcing material . the bag 200 can be used to hold a variety of different contents that are pourable . examples include birdseed , feed such as dog food or cat food , cat litter , salt , fertilizers , grass seed , dry cement , and the like . in use , as shown in fig4 a user of the bag 200 supports the bag 200 by the handle 230 . when maneuvering the bag 200 into a pouring position , the user grasps the bag 200 by its fourth corner 222 to apply a rotational force r rot in order to tip the bag 200 into a pouring position . the mechanical advantage realized by the user of the bag 200 during the process of tipping the bag 200 into a pouring position is equal to the length of its effective lever arm r 2 , which is maximized by its placement of the handle 230 in the first corner 216 of the bag 200 . the user of the bag 200 need apply a minimal rotational force at the fourth corner 222 in order to tip the bag 200 into its proper pouring position — a desirable result for the user . additionally , control of a pouring hole 242 formed in the pouring region 228 is enhanced by strategically locating the handle 230 . as the user tips the bag 200 by applying a rotational force r rot to the fourth corner 222 , the fourth corner 222 travels an arcuate route 244 , the length of which is equal to radius r 2 multiplied by the angle through which the bag 200 is rotated . similarly , the second corner 218 and hence the pouring hole 242 travels an arcuate route 246 , the length of which is equal to radius r 3 multiplied by the angle through which the bag 200 is rotated . thus , the ratio between the distance traveled by the pouring hole 242 and the fourth corner 222 is r 3 / r 2 . in other words , for every inch traveled by the fourth corner 222 , the pouring hole 242 travels only r 3 / r 2 of an inch . by locating the handle 200 in the first corner 216 , as described in relation to one possible embodiment , the distance r 3 is reduced as much as possible without reducing the distance r 2 . as a result , control over movement of the pouring hole 242 is increased as much as possible while still maximizing the length of the lever arm r 2 . referring to fig5 an alternative embodiment of a bag is generally shown as 248 and is similar to the embodiment illustrated in fig2 and 3 , first and second corners 216 and 218 . the bag 248 has a first end edge 208 , second end edge 210 , first and second side edges 212 and 214 and a dashed line 226 to mark where to form a pouring opening . a handle 250 having a gripping portion 252 is attached to and projects from the first side edge 212 of the bag 248 . the handle 250 can be formed from any suitable material such as plastic , metal , rope loops , and the like . additionally , the handle 250 can be attached to the bag 248 using any suite type of connection such as adhesive , fasteners such as rivets , and the like . the handle 250 also can be molded to the bag 248 . in one possible embodiment as shown , the handle 250 is positioned along the first side edge 212 of the bag 248 and adjacent to the first corner 216 . other possible positions for the handle 250 that increase the lever arm r 2 are possible . for example , the handle 250 can be attached to the first end edge 208 of the bag 248 or at a position that is distal to the first corner 216 but still provides for a lever arm that is greater than the lever arm of a bag in which the handle is positioned at the center of the first end edge 208 . yet another possible embodiment of the bag is illustrated in fig6 and is generally shown as 252 . the bag 252 has a first end edge 208 , a second end edge 210 , first and second side edges 212 and 214 that define a centerline 224 , a first handle 254 similar to the handle 230 , and a dashed line 226 to mark where to form a pouring opening . additionally , a second handle 256 is positioned along the first end edge 208 of the bag 252 and is centered about the centerline 224 . in this embodiment , a user can use the first handle 254 when pouring contents from the bag 252 and the second handle 256 when carrying the bag 252 . the second handle 256 allows the bag 252 to be balanced when a user carries it . yet another possible embodiment of the bag is illustrated in fig7 and is shown generally as 258 . the bag 258 has a first end edge 208 , a second end edge 210 , first and second side edges 212 and 214 defining a centerline 224 , a handle 230 , a dashed line 226 to mark where to form a pouring opening , and a pouring region 228 which is demarcated by the dashed line 226 . as in the previous figures , the first corner 216 is located at the intersection of the first side edge 212 and the first end edge 208 . the second corner 218 is located at the intersection of the second side edge 214 and the first end edge 208 . the third corner 220 is located at the intersection of the first side edge 212 and the second end edge 210 . the fourth corner 222 is located at the intersection of the second side edge 214 and the second end edge 210 . the handle 230 is located along the end edge not containing the pouring region 228 and on the opposite side of the centerline 224 from the pouring region 228 . in the specific embodiment depicted in fig7 the handle 230 is located in the second corner 218 , catercorner from the pouring region 228 . when rotating the bag 258 into a pouring position , a user is expected to grasp the bag 258 by its handle 230 with a first hand and to grasp the bag 258 immediately beneath the pouring region 228 with a second hand . the user is also expected to apply an upward force with the first hand , rotating the bag 258 about the region grasped by the second hand , thereby maneuvering the bag 258 into a pouring position . because the user &# 39 ; s second hand is anticipated to grasp the region immediately beneath the pouring region 228 , controllability of the pouring region is maximized , because r 3 ( not shown ) effectively approaches 0 . at the same time , the effective lever arm r 2 is maximized , thereby providing mechanical advantage for the bag &# 39 ; s user . although the description of the preferred embodiments is quite specific , it is contemplated that various modifications could be made without deviating from the spirit of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended that the scope of the present invention be dictated by the appended claims , not the description of the preferred embodiment and method .	1
the present invention discloses a second - order bandpass filter , which will be described taken from the preferred embodiments with reference to the annexed drawings . fig2 shows a schematic structure diagram of a second - order bandpass filter according to the present invention . as shown , the second - order bandpass filter 10 comprises a two - port network 11 and a grounding capacitor c . the two - port network 11 comprises a first port 13 and a second port 14 . an input signal si is inputted at the first port 13 and an output signal so is outputted at the second port 14 . the first port 13 comprises a first blocking capacitor c 1 , a first resonance capacitor c 2 and a first resonance inductor l 1 . the input signal si is first inputted to the first blocking capacitor c 1 at one end and a dc component thereof is filtered out . the first resonance capacitor c 2 is coupled electrically to the other of the first blocking capacitor c 1 at one end . the first resonance inductor l 1 is coupled electrically to the other of the first blocking capacitor c 1 at one end . the second port 14 comprises a second blocking capacitor c 3 , a second resonance capacitor c 4 and a first resonance inductor l 2 . an output signal so is outputted from the second blocking capacitor c 3 at one end and a dc component thereof is filtered out . the second resonance capacitor c 4 is coupled electrically to the other of the second blocking capacitor c 3 at one end . the second resonance inductor l 2 is coupled electrically to the other of the second blocking capacitor c 3 at one end . the grounding capacitor c is coupled electrically to the first resonance capacitor c 3 , the first resonance inductor l 1 , the second resonance capacitor c 4 and the second inductor l 2 at one end and coupled electrically to ground at the other . the grounding capacitor c forms a feedback path from the second port 14 to the first port 13 and provides two finite zeros for the filter 10 . in addition , a mutual induction is generated between the first inductor l 1 and the second inductor l 2 , which is represented by “ x ” in the drawing . fig3 shows an equivalent diagram of the bandpass filter according to the present invention , and the feedback path formed by the capacitor c from the second port 14 to the first port 13 may be seen therein . to make frequency response of the second - order bandpass filter comply with wireless lan application specification , frequency of noises have to fall outside the pass band formed by the two finite zeros . to this end , capacitances and inductances used in the filter have to be properly given so that central frequency , frequency bandwidth and zeros may be specified in compliance with the requirements in the application . now , assuming the input signal vi has a progressive wave vi + and a bouncing wave vi − and the output signal vo has a progressive wave vo + and a bouncing wave vo −, which may be presented by the equation below : [ vo + vo - ] = [ s 11 s 12 s 21 s 22 ] ⁡ [ vi + vi - ] , ( eq . ⁢ 1 ) wherein s ij is a scattering parameter being a function of frequency ω and s 21 is the generally termed frequency response . this representative relationship is apparent to those skilled in the art , and will be omitted in this specification . a transfer function is defined as a gain of the filter and a function of frequency ω . to obtain the two finite zeros , the transfer function for the filter should be determined first and then let the numerator of the transfer function to be zero . at this time , the following equation may be obtained : ω 4 ⁢ c 2 ⁢ c 4 m ⁢ ( l 1 ⁢ l 2 - m 2 ) - ω 2 ⁡ ( c + l 1 ⁢ c 2 m + l 2 ⁢ c 4 m ) + 1 m = 0 . ( eq . ⁢ 2 ) by solving eq . 2 , two zero frequencies may be obtained ( with the other two solved negative zero frequencies omitted ). now assuming the two finite zeros correspond to a frequency of ω 1 and ω 2 , respectively . the frequency difference of ω 1 and ω 2 may be adjusted by directly varying capacitance of the grounding capacitor c . as an example , when the capacitance c = 11 . 6 μf , the two zero frequencies ω 1 and ω 2 are 1 . 85 ghz and 4 . 3 ghz , respectively . as the capacitance c increases , the two zero frequencies ω 1 and ω 2 becomes more distant from each other , i . e . the higher one becomes further higher while the lower much lower . since the characteristic that the frequency difference of the two zeros may be adjusted by directly varying capacitance of the grounding capacitor c , noise filtering over a specific case conducted by the inventive filter may be easily designed . referring to fig4 , a diagram showing frequency response of the second - order bandpass filter according to the present invention is depicted therein , in which a real measurement and a simulated response are both provided . as shown , the parameter s 21 is represented as a curve ( although two curves are shown in the drawing ) in a coordinate measured by frequency and scattering parameter , which is generally known as a frequency response curve . with a proper design of the capacitances of the used capacitors and inductances of the used inductors , the zeros may be located at 1 . 8 - 1 . 9 ghz ( ω 1 ) and 4 - 4 . 4 ghz ( ω 2 ), respectively . a pass band is located within a frequency range of 2 . 4 to 2 . 5 ghz while a stop band is located outside the range . in the filter , a signal processed is transmitted while a signal outside the range is stopped and filtered out . in a preferred embodiment , the zero ω 2 is adjusted to have a larger range 3 . 6 - 4 . 8 ghz . in addition , the frequency response presents a frequency width approximately as 100 mhz and a central frequency of pass band approximately as 2 . 45 ghz . further , since signals corresponding to frequencies adjacent to the zero frequencies may be inhibited below − 30 db , noises may be efficiently filtered out . for the transmitted signal , loss of the pass band is approximately − 1 . 6 db , comparable to an average of those achieved in the two references . since the insertion loss is low , the filter is suitable to be used for processing of communications signals . in addition , all the scattering parameters of the filter are negative , meaning that such filter is a passive device . a greater negative scattering parameter means a greater power loss filter , and vice versa . to adapt the second - order bandpass filter to be properly used in the wireless lan application , the capacitances and inductances have to be devised in compliance with ieee 802 . 11b / g specification , i . e . frequencies of the interference signals ( 1 . 8 ghz , 1 . 9 ghz and 4 . 8 ghz ) have to be presented at the zero frequencies or outside the pass band , so do gsm signals ( with frequencies of 0 . 9 ghz , 1 . 8 ghz and 1 . 9 ghz ) generally used in the wireless communications . the frequency response curve shown in fig4 may satisfy these requirements by the following parameter settings : c 1 = c 3 = 1 . 1 μf , c 2 = c 4 = 2 . 52 μf , l 1 = l 2 = 1 . 76 nh and c = 11 . 6 μf . in the settings , the first and second capacitances have to be equal and the first and second inductances have also to be equal so that the rated central frequency may be achieved . however , these settings are not given in a limiting sense , but should be otherwise determined based upon the real applications . if these parameters of the components in the filter are not properly set , the frequency dependent parameters , central frequency , frequency width and zeros may not satisfy the requirements of the application . such a frequency response case may be seen in fig5 . in the case shown in fig5 , the central frequency is approximately 4 . 8 ghz and the frequency width is approximately up to 800 mhz . unfortunately , the two finite zeros fall at 3 . 7 - 3 . 8 ghz and 7 . 5 - 8 ghz , respectively , making the filter not efficient in inhibition of the aforementioned interference signals ( frequency thereof is 4 . 8 ghz ) and thus not suitable to be used in this application . therefore , although the greater frequency width is provided at the cost of the reduced infinite zero number , the infinite zero may not filter out noises presented at some frequency band . as a result , the component parameters should be properly given in a manner such as that specified in fig4 . furthermore , the second - order bandpass filter of the invention also has the advantage that no extremely low capacitance or inductance is to be used therein . this feature may avoid the issue of frequency response shift since a greater manufacturing variation of the capacitors and inductors may be allowed . in addition , the second - order bandpass filter has a relatively smaller volume of 2 . 5 × 2 . 0 × 0 . 82 mm 3 when fabricated by low temperature co - fired ceramic ( ltcc ) technology , compared with 4 . 3 × 2 . 0 × 0 . 55 mm 3 and 3 . 8 × 0 . 4 × 0 . 5 mm 3 achieved in the two references by the same technology , respectively . instead of the ltcc , the second - order bandpass filter may otherwise be fabricated as a form of the conventional discrete components and printing - based components or by other conventional technologies . however , ltcc is still the preferred choice since a smaller overall volume of the filter may be achieved thereby . as such , the purposes of compactness and slightness and susceptible of integration with other communications devices may be achieved . in conclusion , the second - order bandpass filter of this invention has two finite zeros by providing a grounding capacitor therein . further , a frequency width defined by the two finite zeros may be adjusted by directly varying capacitance of the grounding capacitor . therefore , such second - order bandpass filter is reasonably suitable to be used in wireless lan application . while this invention has thus far been described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof , it will readily be possible for those skilled in the art to put this invention into practice in various other manners or forms deduced from the preferred embodiment of the present invention . in this regard , scope of this invention should be defined in a broadened sense as drafted in the appended claims .	7
the invention will now be described with reference to fig1 - 5 . as shown in fig1 , a preferred embodiment of a programmable bit error rate monitor 10 in accordance with the present invention preferably includes at least a bit error counter 11 , a programmable monitoring period counter 12 , and an error flag generator 13 . bit error counter 11 preferably receives the data stream 14 to be monitored , and outputs at 15 a signal representative of the number of errors encountered since the last reset of bit error counter 11 . a clock signal 16 associated with data signal 14 , which may be provided separately from data signal 14 or may be recovered from data signal 14 by clock recovery circuitry ( not shown ) as is well known , is input to programmable monitoring period counter 12 . programmable monitoring period counter 12 preferably includes a user - programmable memory 120 into which a user , via input 121 , can enter an upper bound representing the duration of the monitoring period . programmable monitoring period counter 12 preferably increments once per cycle of clock 11 . when the count of programmable monitoring period counter 12 reaches the user - programmed upper bound , it preferably asserts a signal at 122 , which is output to both bit error counter 11 and error flag generator 13 , which use signal 122 as described below . error flag generator 13 preferably includes comparator ( s ) 130 and a user - programmable memory 131 into which a user , via input 132 , can enter an error threshold value . the value in user - programmable memory 131 is one input to the comparator , while error count signal 15 is the other input to the comparator . signal 122 is used as an enable signal for the comparator . when the monitoring period duration is reached , monitoring period counter 12 briefly asserts signal 122 , which enables the comparator ( s ) in error flag generator 13 . if , while a comparator 130 is enabled , the error count 15 exceeds the threshold value in memory 131 , then error flag generator 13 asserts an error flag 133 . signal 122 also functions as a reset signal for bit error counter 11 , so that the error count returns to zero for the start of a new monitoring period . error flag generator 13 preferably provides not only basic error flag 133 , but preferably also 1 , 000 - times - error flag 134 and 1 , 000 , 000 - times - error flag 135 . thus , if the basic error flag 133 represents one error per billion bits , then 1 , 000 - times - error flag 134 represents one error in one million bits and 1 , 000 , 000 - times - error flag 135 represents one error in one thousand bits . as stated above , these flags 133 - 135 are actually multiples of 1 , 024 rather than multiples of 1 , 000 , so that 1 , 000 - times - error flag 134 is actually 1 , 024 times less sensitive than error flag 133 , while 1 , 000 , 000 - times - error flag 135 is actual 1 , 024 2 times ( or 1 , 048 , 576 times ) less sensitive than error flag 133 . flag selector 136 , which preferably is a multiplexer as shown , is programmable by user input 137 to select one of the three flags 133 , 134 , 135 as the output 138 of error flag generator 13 . it is possible that error flag generator 13 makes three separate comparisons to generate flags 133 - 135 . in one embodiment of such a case , the user might program three separate thresholds in memory or memories 131 , and a separate comparison would be made between error count signal 15 and each threshold . however , preferably 1 , 000 - times - error flag 134 and 1 , 000 , 000 - times - error flag 135 are extrapolated from base error flag 133 . one way that this can be done is shown in fig2 - 4 . as seen in fig2 - 4 , error count signal 15 as generated by bit error counter 11 preferably is a 30 - bit number . this is required for the preferred one - in - a - billion resolution of base error flag 133 . 2 30 ≈ 1 . 07 × 10 − 9 , and is the smallest power of 2 to exceed one billion , and therefore thirty bits preferably are used . for the base comparison shown in fig2 , which generates error flag 133 , comparator 21 compares error count 15 directly to threshold memory 131 , which also may be a 30 - bit number . if error count 15 exceeds threshold 131 , error flag 133 preferably is asserted . for the 1 , 000 - times comparison shown in fig3 , which generates error flag 134 , comparator 31 compares only the twenty most significant bits of error count 15 to only the twenty least significant bits of threshold memory 131 . this results in an approximation of 1 , 000 times less sensitivity than base error flag 133 . if the twenty most significant bits of error count 15 exceed the twenty least significant bits of threshold 131 , error flag 134 preferably is asserted . for the 1 , 000 , 000 - times comparison shown in fig4 , which generates error flag 135 , comparator 41 compares only the ten most significant bits of error count 15 to only the ten least significant bits of threshold memory 131 . this results in an approximation of 1 , 000 , 000 times less sensitivity than base error flag 133 . if the ten most significant bits of error count 15 exceed the ten least significant bits of threshold 131 , error flag 135 preferably is asserted . it follows from the foregoing that in most cases , a 10 - bit error threshold is sufficient , considering that for flags 134 and 135 , the ten or twenty most significant bits of the number in threshold memory 131 are ignored . indeed , in a preferred embodiment , if a user programs a threshold value into threshold memory 131 that has any ones in the twenty most significant bits then flag 135 is not available , and if any of those ones are in the ten most significant bits then flag 134 also is not available . the discussion so far has assumed a monitoring period on the order of one second . however , greater error resolution can be obtained by lengthening the monitoring period . a factor of ten increase in the duration of monitoring period results in substantially a factor of ten increase in resolution . therefore , by lengthening the monitoring period sufficiently , the bit error rate can be measured with a resolution of 10 − 18 to 10 − 15 , which is in the range of error rates for many telecommunications applications . the present invention provides users with the flexibility to adjust a bit error rate monitor to accommodate any deviations in their designs from known standards as described above by allowing easy adjustment of the monitoring period and the error threshold , as well as the easy selection of error flags or different sensitivities . thus , the hypothetical user described above who implements an 11 gb / s interface can easily adapt bit error rate monitor 10 to accommodate that interface . as stated above , bit error rate monitor 10 according to the present invention may be implemented in a dedicated circuit having programmable memories for monitoring period upper bound memory 120 and threshold memory 131 . alternatively , bit error rate monitor 10 could be implemented in a programmable logic device . either way , as seen in fig5 , bit error rate monitor 10 may be used with another pld 50 including a programmable logic region 51 and a high - speed serial interface 52 to monitor error rates in high - speed serial interface 52 . if pld 50 is sufficiently large , bit error rate monitor 10 could be implemented using part of the programmable logic resources in programmable logic region 51 , as shown . in such a case , the user could devise the necessary programming independently , or could rely on a preprogrammed logic “ core ” available from the provider of pld 50 or from a third party . fig5 shows bit error rate monitor 10 both as an internal device implemented in programmable logic 51 , and as an external device implemented either as a dedicated circuit or in another pld , but normally in any particular implementation only one of those options will be used for bit error rate monitor 10 . pld 50 with which , or in which , bit error rate monitor 10 according to the present invention may be used , preferably is programmably configurable to handle any of a plurality of high - speed communication protocols . a pld 50 incorporating a bit error rate monitor according to the present invention may be used in many kinds of electronic devices . one possible use is in a data processing system 900 shown in fig6 . data processing system 900 may include one or more of the following components : a processor 901 ; memory 902 ; i / o circuitry 903 ; and peripheral devices 904 . these components are coupled together by a system bus 905 and are populated on a circuit board 906 which is contained in an end - user system 907 . system 900 can be used in a wide variety of applications , such as computer networking , data networking , instrumentation , video processing , digital signal processing , or any other application where the advantage of using programmable or reprogrammable logic is desirable . pld 50 can be used to perform a variety of different logic functions . for example , pld 50 can be configured as a processor or controller that works in cooperation with processor 901 . pld 50 may also be used as an arbiter for arbitrating access to a shared resources in system 900 . in yet another example , pld 50 can be configured as an interface between processor 901 and one of the other components in system 900 . it should be noted that system 900 is only exemplary , and that the true scope and spirit of the invention should be indicated by the following claims . various technologies can be used to implement plds 50 as described above and incorporating this invention . it will be understood that the foregoing is only illustrative of the principles of the invention , and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention , and the present invention is limited only by the claims that follow .	6
referring to the drawings in detail , reference numeral 10 generally indicates a stuffing gland embodying the invention and adapted for installation around the outer end of a shaft 12 projecting outwardly through an aperture 14 in the sidewall 16 of a vessel , valve body , or the like . the shaft 12 is normally loosely disposed in the bore 14 in order to reduce resistance to actuation of the shaft . a sleeve 18 is provided around the outer periphery of the shaft 12 spaced axially outwardly from the outer surface of the wall 16 and may be integral with the shaft 12 , or a separate element rigidly secured thereto in any suitable manner , as desired . the sleeve 18 is of an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the shaft 12 and in proper ratio with respect thereto whereby the cross - sectional area of the sleeve 18 is equal to twice the cross - sectional area of the shaft 12 . in other words , the cross - sectional area a 1 of the sleeve 18 is in proper ratio to the cross - sectional area a 2 of the shaft 12 whereby a 1 - a 2 = a 2 . thus , the area of the end 20 of the sleeve 18 equals the cross - sectional area of the shaft 12 . in addition , an annular groove 22 is provided in the outer periphery of the sleeve 18 for receiving a suitable sealing member , such as an o - ring 24 , therein for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth . the stuffing gland 10 comprises a substantially cylindrical outer housing 26 adapted for disposition around the outer end of the shaft 12 and sleeve 18 and having an aperture 28 provided in one end thereof for receiving the shaft 12 therethrough as particularly shown in fig1 . a suitable sealing member 29 is interposed between the bore 28 and the outer periphery of the shaft 12 for precluding leakage of fluid therebetween . an outwardly extending circumferential flange 30 is provided at the opposite end of the housing 26 and is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced bores 32 for receiving bolts 34 or the like therethrough for securing the housing 26 to the outer surface of the wall 16 . a suitable sealing ring 35 is interposed between the flange 30 and the wall 16 for sealing therebetween . a substantially centrally disposed bore 36 is provided in the housing 26 and open to the outer surface of the wall for receiving the internal pressure of the vessel or valve through the bore 14 since there is normally no sealing between the shaft 12 and the bore 14 . the bore 36 is of a reduced diameter at 38 to provide an annular shoulder 39 and is in sealing engagement with the sealing ring 24 for precluding leakage of fluid therebetween . the bottom 40 of the bore 38 is spaced slightly from the end 20 of the sleeve 18 for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth . a substantially cylindrical collar 41 is disposed around the outer periphery of the shaft 12 and within the housing 26 . the collar 41 comprises a stem portion 42 having the inner periphery thereof in engagement with the outer periphery of the shaft 12 and the outer periphery thereof in engagement with the inner periphery of the bore 38 . an outwardly extending circumferential flange 44 is provided on the outer end of the stem 42 for engagement with the shoulder 39 for limiting the movement of the collar 41 in one direction . a suitable sealing member 46 is interposed between the collar 41 and the shaft 12 for precluding leakage of fluid therebetween , and a similar sealing member 48 is interposed between the collar 41 and the bore 38 for precluding leakage of fluid therebetween . in addition , a suitable bearing or thrust washer 50 is disposed around the shaft 12 and interposed between the sleeve 18 and collar 41 for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth . a longitudinally extending passageway 52 is provided in the housing 26 and extends from the bore 36 into communication with a radially extending bore 54 . the bore 54 extends into communication with an annular chamber 55 interposed between the bore 18 and bottom 40 of the bore 36 and surrounding the shaft 12 , as particularly shown in fig1 . the outer end of the bore 54 is open to the exterior of the housing 26 and is provided with an enlarged threaded portion for receiving a suitable pipe plug 56 therein for sealing thereof , as is well known . in addition , a radial bore 58 is provided in the housing 26 in the proximity of the bearing 50 and extends between the bore 38 and the exterior of the housing 26 for venting of the bore 38 to the atmosphere , as will be hereinafter set forth . in operation , the high pressure within the vessel or valve associated with the wall 16 is communicated to the bore 36 through the bore 14 which surrounds the shaft 12 , and the pressure acts against the outer end of the collar 41 for urging the collar in a left hand direction as viewed in fig1 . the left hand movement of the collar 41 is limited by the engagement of the flange 44 with the shoulder 39 . the pressure in the bore 36 cannot pass around the collar 41 due to the sealing members 46 and 48 , and thus is communicated through the passageway 52 and bore 54 to the chamber 55 and to the left hand side of the sleeve 18 for acting on the end 20 thereof . the pressure is maintained between the seals 29 and 24 , and the area between the collar 41 and sleeve 18 is isolated from the fluid pressure , and the port 58 bleeds any pressure therein to the atmosphere . since the area of the end 20 exposed to the high pressure is equal to the cross - sectional area of the shaft 12 exposed to the same high pressure present internally in the vessel , the pressure outboard of the end 20 pushes on the sleeve 18 in the direction of the wall 16 with an equal force that is exerted on the shaft in the outboard direction . the forces acting on the shaft being thus equalized , the shaft is pressure balanced , and actuation of the shaft is considerably facilitated . from the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel stuffing gland for use with the projecting end of a shaft utilized in a high pressure vessel , valve , or the like , and which is particularly designed for equalizing the pressures acting on the shaft for facilitating actuation of the shaft . the stuffing gland comprises a collar member having one end open to the high pressure acting on the shaft , and the opposite end thereof having an equal and opposite force acting thereon . the internal high pressures acting on the shaft are by - passed around the collar whereby the shaft is pressure balanced , and the actuation thereof , such as rotation of the shaft about its own longitudinal axis , is greatly facilitated since there is relatively little pressure to be overcome by the actuator means . whereas the present invention has been described in particular relation to the drawings attached hereto , it should be understood that other and further modifications , apart from those shown or suggested herein may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention .	5
the present invention is based upon the discovery of improved pharmaceutical compositions for administering nsaids to patients . in addition to containing one or more nsaids , the compositions include acid inhibitors that are capable of raising the ph of the gi tract of patients . all of the dosage forms are designed for oral delivery and provide for the coordinated release of therapeutic agents , i . e ., for the sequential release of acid inhibitor followed by analgesic . the nsaids used in preparations may be either short or long acting . as used herein , the term “ long acting ” refers to an nsaid having a pharmacokinetic half - life of at least 2 hours , preferably at least 4 hours and more preferably , at least 8 - 14 hours . in general , its duration of action will equal or exceed about 6 - 8 hours . examples of long - acting nsaids are : flurbiprofen with a half - life of about 6 hours ; ketoprofen with a half - life of about 2 to 4 hours ; naproxen or naproxen sodium with half - lives of about 12 to 15 hours and about 12 to 13 hours respectively ; oxaprozin with a half life of about 42 to 50 hours ; etodolac with a half - life of about 7 hours ; indomethacin with a half - life of about 4 to 6 hours ; ketorolac with a half - life of up to about 8 - 9 hours , nabumetone with a half - life of about 22 to 30 hours ; mefenamic acid with a half - life of up to about 4 hours ; and piroxicam with a half - life of about 4 to 6 hours . if an nsaid does not naturally have a half - life sufficient to be long acting , it can , if desired , be made long acting by the way in which it is formulated . for example , nsaids such as acetaminophen and aspirin may be formulated in a manner to increase their half - life or duration of action . methods for making appropriate formulations are well known in the art ( see e . g . remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 16 th ed ., a . oslo editor , easton , pa . ( 1980 )). it is expected that a skilled pharmacologist may adjust the amount of drug in a pharmaceutical composition or administered to a patient based upon standard techniques well known in the art . nevertheless , the following general guidelines are provided : indomethacin is particularly useful when contained in tablets or capsules in an amount from about 25 to 75 mg . a typical daily oral dosage of indomethacin is three 25 mg doses taken at intervals during the day . however , daily dosages of up to about 150 mg are useful in some patients . aspirin will typically be present in tablets or capsules in an amount of between about 250 mg and 1000 mg . typical daily dosages will be in an amount ranging from 500 mg to about 10 g . however , low dose aspirin present at 20 - 200 mg ( and preferably 40 - 100 mg ) per tablet or capsule may also be used . ibuprofen may be provided in tablets or capsules of 50 , 100 , 200 , 300 , 400 , 600 , or 800 mg . daily doses should not exceed 3200 mg . 200 mg - 800 mg may be particularly useful when given 3 or 4 times daily . flurbiprofen is useful when in tablets at about from 50 to 100 mg . daily doses of about 100 to 500 mg , and particularly from about 200 to 300 mg , are usually effective . ketoprofen is useful when contained in tablets or capsules in an amount of about 25 to 75 mg . daily doses of from 100 to 500 mg and particularly of about 100 to 300 mg are typical as is about 25 to 50 mg every six to eight hours . naproxen is particularly useful when contained in tablets or capsules in an amount of from 250 to 500 mg . for naproxen sodium , tablets of about 275 or about 550 mg are typically used . initial doses of from 100 to 1250 mg , and particularly 350 to 800 mg are also used , with doses of about 550 mg being generally preferred . oxaprozin may be used in tablets or capsules in the range of roughly 200 mg to 1200 mg , with about 600 mg being preferred . daily doses of 1200 mg have been found to be particularly useful and daily doses should not exceed 1800 mg or 26 mg / kg . etodolac is useful when provided in capsules of 200 mg to 300 mg or in tablets of about 400 mg . useful doses for acute pain are 200 - 400 mg every six - eight hours , not to exceed 1200 mg / day . patients weighing less than 60 kg are advised not to exceed doses of 20 mg / kg . doses for other uses are also limited to 1200 mg / day in divided doses , particularly 2 , 3 or 4 times daily . ketorolac is usefully provided in tablets of 1 - 50 mg , with about 10 mg being typical . oral doses of up to 40 mg , and particularly 10 - 30 mg / day have been useful in the alleviation of pain . nabumetone may be provided in tablets or capsules of between 500 mg and 750 mg . daily doses of 1500 - 2000 mg , after an initial dose of 100 mg , are of particular use . mefenamic acid is particularly useful when contained in tablets or capsules of 50 mg to 500 mg , with 250 mg being typical . for acute pain , an initial dosage of 1 - 1000 mg , and particularly about 500 mg , is useful , although other doses may be required for certain patients . lomoxicam is provided in tablets of 4 mg or 8 mg . useful doses for acute pain are 8 mg or 16 mg daily , and for arthritis are 12 mg daily . other nsaids that may be used include : celecoxib , rofecoxib , meloxicam , piroxicam , droxicam , tenoxicam , valdecoxib , parecoxib , etoricoxib , cs - 502 , jte - 522 , l - 145 , 337 , or ns398 . jte - 522 , l - 745 , 337 and ns398 as described , inter alia , in wakatani , et ( jpn . j . pharmacol . 78 : 365 - 371 ( 1998 )) and panara , et al . ( br . j . pharmacol . 116 : 2429 - 2434 ( 1995 )). the amount present in a tablet or administered to a patient will depend upon the particular nsaid being used . for example : celecoxib may be administered in a tablet or capsule containing from about 100 mg to about 500 mg or , preferably , from about 100 mg to about 200 mg . piroxicam may be used in tablets or capsules containing from about 10 to 20 mg . rofecoxib will typically be provided in tablets or capsules in an amount of 12 . 5 , 25 or 50 mg . the recommended initial daily dosage for the management of acute pain is 50 mg . meloxicam is provided in tablets of 7 . 5 mg , with a recommended daily dose of 7 . 5 or 15 mg for the management of osteoarthritis . valdecoxib is provided in tablets of 10 or 20 mg , with a recommended daily dose of 10 mg for arthritis or 40 mg for dysmenorrhea . with respect to acid inhibitors , tablets or capsules may contain anywhere from 1 mg to as much as 1 g . typical amounts for h2 blockers are : cimetidine , 100 to 800 mg / unit dose ; ranitidine , 50 - 300 mg / unit dose ; famotidine , 5 - 100 mg / unit dose ; ebrotidine 400 - 800 mg / unit dose ; pabutidine 40 mg / unit dose ; lafutidine 5 - 20 mg / unit dose ; and nizatidine , 50 - 600 mg / unit dose . proton pump inhibitors will typically be present at about 5 mg to 600 mg per unit dose . for example , the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole should be present in tablets or capsules in an amount from 5 to 50 mg , with about 10 or 20 mg being preferred . other typical amounts are : esomeprazole , 5 - 100 mg , with about 40 mg being preferred ; lansoprazole , 5 - 150 mg ( preferably 5 - 50 mg ), with about 7 . 5 , 15 or 30 mg being most preferred ; pantoprazole , 10 - 200 mg , with about 40 mg being preferred ; and rabeprazole , 5 - 100 mg , with about 20 mg being preferred . the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention include tablets , dragees , liquids and capsules and can be made in accordance with methods that are standard in the art ( see , e . g ., remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 16 th ed ., a oslo editor , easton , pa . ( 1980 )). drugs and drug combinations will typically be prepared in admixture with conventional excipients . suitable carriers include , but are not limited to : water ; salt solutions ; alcohols ; gum arabic ; vegetable oils ; benzyl alcohols ; polyethylene glycols ; gelatin ; carbohydrates such as lactose , amylose or starch ; magnesium stearate ; talc ; silicic acid ; paraffin ; perfume oil ; fatty acid esters ; hydroxymethylcellulose ; polyvinyl pyrrolidone ; etc . the pharmaceutical preparations can be sterilized and , if desired , mixed with auxiliary agents such as : lubricants , preservatives , disintegrants ; stabilizers ; wetting agents ; emulsifiers ; salts ; buffers ; coloring agents ; flavoring agents ; or aromatic substances . enteric coating layer ( s ) may be applied onto the core or onto the barrier layer of the core using standard coating techniques . the enteric coating materials may be dissolved or dispersed in organic or aqueous solvents and may include one or more of the following materials : methacrylic acid copolymers , shellac , hydroxypropylmethcellulose phthalate , polyvinyl acetate phthalate , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose trimellitate , carboxymethylethyl - cellulose , cellulose acetate phthalate or other suitable enteric coating polymer ( s ). the ph at which the enteric coat will dissolve can be controlled by the polymer or combination of polymers selected and / or ratio of pendant groups . for example , dissolution characteristics of the polymer film can be altered by the ratio of free carboxyl groups to ester groups . enteric coating layers also contain pharmaceutically acceptable plasticizers such as triethyl citrate , dibutyl phthalate , triacetin , polyethylene glycols , polysorbates or other plasticizers . additives such as dispersants , colorants , anti - adhering and anti - foaming agents may also be included . preferably , the combination of an acid inhibitor and an nsaid will be in the form of a bi - or multi - layer tablet . in a bilayer configuration , one portion of the tablet contains the acid inhibitor in the required dose along with appropriate excipients , agents to aid dissolution , lubricants , fillers , etc . the second portion of the tablet will contain the nsaid , preferably naproxen , in the required dose along with other excipients , dissolution agents , lubricants , fillers , etc . in the most preferred embodiment , the nsaid layer is surrounded by a polymeric coating which does not dissolve at a ph of less than 4 . the nsaid may be granulated by methods such as slugging , low - or high - shear granulation , wet granulation , or fluidized - bed granulation . of these processes , slugging generally produces tablets of less hardness and greater friability . low - shear granulation , high - shear granulation , wet granulation and fluidized - bed granulation generally produce harder , less friable tablets . a schematic diagram of a four layer tablet dosage form is shown in fig1 . the first layer contains naproxen sodium distributed throughout a matrix of pharmaceutically acceptable fillers , excipients , binding agents , disintegrants , and lubricants . the second layer is a barrier layer which protects the first layer containing naproxen sodium . the barrier film coat is applied by conventional pan coating technology and the weight of the barrier coat may vary from 1 % to 3 % of the core tablet weight . in particular embodiments , the core naproxen sodium tablet is coated with coating ingredients such as opaspray ® k - 1 - 4210a or opadry ® ys - 1 - 7006 ( colorcon , west point , pa .). polymer film coating ingredients such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2910 and polyethylene glycol 8000 in a coating suspension may also be used . the function of the third layer is to prevent the release of naproxen sodium until the dosage form reaches an environment where the ph is above about 4 or 5 . the enteric coating does not dissolve in areas of the gi tract where the ph may be below about 4 or 5 such as in an unprotected stomach . methacrylic acid copolymers are used as the enteric coating ingredient , triethyl citrate and dibutyl phthalate are plasticizers , and ammonium hydroxide is used to adjust the ph of the dispersion . the coating dissolves only when the local ph is above , for example , 5 . 5 and , as a result , naproxen sodium is released . the outermost layer contains an “ acid inhibitor ” in an effective amount which is released from the dosage form immediately after administration to the patient . the acid inhibitor in the present example is a proton pump inhibitor or , preferably the h2 blocker famotidine , which raises the ph of the gastrointestinal tract to above 4 . the typical effective amount of famotidine in the dosage form will vary from 5 mg to 100 mg . a typical film coating formulation contains opadry clear ® ys - 1 - 7006 which helps in the formation of the film and in uniformly distributing famotidine within the fourth layer without tablets sticking to the coating pan or to each other during application of the film coat . other ingredients may include : plasticizers such as triethyl citrate , dibutyl phthalate , and polyethylene glycol ; anti - adhering agents such as talc ; lubricating ingredients such as magnesium stearate ; and opacifiers such as titanium dioxide . in addition , the ph of the film coating solution can be adjusted to aid in dissolution of the famotidine . the film coating is thin and rapidly releases famotidine for absorption . fig2 illustrates a three layered dosage form which releases famotidine immediately after ingestion by the patient in order to raise the ph of the gastrointestinal tract to above about 4 . the innermost layer contains naproxen uniformly distributed throughout a matrix of pharmaceutically acceptable excipients . these excipients perform specific functions and may serve as binders , disintegrants , or lubricants . a pharmaceutically acceptable enteric coating surrounds the naproxen core . the function of the enteric coat is to delay the release of naproxen until the dosage form reaches an environment where the ph is above about 4 . the coating does not dissolve in the harshly acidic ph of the unprotected stomach . it contains methacrylic acid copolymers which prevent the release of naproxen in the unprotected stomach . also included are : triethyl citrate , a plasticizer ; simethicone emulsion , an anti - foaming agent ; and sodium hydroxide which is used to adjust the ph of the dispersion . the outermost layer contains an “ acid inhibitor ” in an effective amount which is released from the dosage form immediately after administration to the patient . the acid inhibitor in this example is a proton pump inhibitor or , preferably , the h2 blocker famotidine which raises the ph of the stomach to above 4 . a typical film coating formulation contains opadry clear ® ys - 1 - 7006 which helps in the formation of the film and in uniformly distributing famotidine in the fourth layer without tablets sticking to the coating pan or sticking to each other during application of the film coat . other ingredients are : plasticizers such as polyethylene glycol 8000 ; anti - adhering agents such as talc ; lubricating ingredients such as magnesium stearate ; and opacifiers such as titanium dioxide . in addition , the ph of the film coating solution can be adjusted to aid in dissolution of the famotidine . the film coating is thin and rapidly releases famotidine for absorption . a trilayer tablet which separates famotidine contained in the film coat from controlled - release naproxen may be used in the present invention . the core tablet of naproxen is formulated using excipients which control the drug release for therapeutic relief from pain and inflammation for 24 hours . fig2 shows an example of an appropriate trilayer tablet . in this particular example , naproxen is mixed with a polymeric material , hydroxypropyl - methylcellulose and granulated with water . the granules are dried , milled , and blended with a lubricant , such as magnesium stearate . they are then compacted into tablets . the controlled - release core tablet of naproxen is film coated with a pharmaceutically acceptable enteric coating . the function of the enteric coat is to delay the release of naproxen until the dosage form reaches an environment where the ph is above about 4 . the coating does not dissolve in the extremely acidic ph of the unprotected stomach . the function of methacrylic acid copolymers is to prevent the release of naproxen until the ph of the stomach rises . triethyl citrate is a plasticizer , simethicone emulsion is a anti - foaming agent , and sodium hydroxide is used to adjust the ph of the dispersion . the outermost layer contains an “ acid inhibitor ” which is released from the dosage form immediately after administration to the patient . the acid inhibitor in the present example is a proton pump inhibitor or , preferably , the h2 blocker famotidine which consistently raises the ph of the stomach to above 4 . the typical effective amount of famotidine in the dosage will vary from 5 mg to 100 mg . a typical film coating formulation contains opadry blue ® ys - 1 - 4215 which is essential for film formation and for the uniform application of famotidine to the core tablet . polymer film coating ingredients , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose or opaspray ® k - 1 - 4210a ( colorcon , west point , pa .) may also be used . other ingredients which help in the formation of the film and in the uniform application of famotidine to the core tablet are : plasticizers such as triethyl citrate and dibutyl phthalate ; anti - adhering agents such as talc ; lubricating ingredients such as magnesium stearate ; and opacifiers such as titanium dioxide . in addition , the ph of the film coating solution can be adjusted to aid in dissolution of the famotidine . the film coating is thin and rapidly releases famotidine for absorption . a trilayer tablet which separates famotidine contained in the film coat from controlled - release naproxen and famotidine may be used in the present invention . the core tablet of naproxen and famotidine is formulated using excipients which control the drug release for therapeutic relief from pain and inflammation for 24 hours . fig2 is an example of an appropriate trilayer tablet . in this particular example , naproxen and famotidine are mixed with a polymeric material , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and granulated with water . the granules are dried , milled , and blended with a lubricant , such as magnesium stearate . they are then compacted into tablets . the controlled - release core tablet of naproxen and famotidine is film coated with a pharmaceutically acceptable enteric coating . the function of the enteric coat is to delay the release of naproxen until the dosage form reaches an environment where the ph is above about 4 . the coating does not dissolve in the extremely acidic ph of the unprotected stomach . the function of methacrylic acid copolymers is to prevent the release of naproxen until the ph of the stomach rises . triethyl citrate is a plasticizer , simethicone emulsion is a anti - foaming agent , and sodium hydroxide is used to adjust the ph of the dispersion the outermost later contains an “ acid inhibitor ” which is released from the dosage form immediately after administration to the patient . the acid inhibitor in the present example is a proton pump inhibitor or , preferably , the h2 blocker famotidine which consistently raises the ph of the stomach to above 4 . the typical effective amount of famotidine in the dosage will vary from 5 mg to 100 mg . a typical film coating formulation contains opadry blue ® ys - 1 - 4215 which is essential for film formation and for the uniform application of famotidine to the core tablet . polymer film coating ingredients , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose or opaspray ® k - 1 - 4210a ( colorcon , west point , pa .) may also be used . other ingredients which help in the formation of the film and in the uniform application of famotidine to the core tablet are : plasticizers such as triethyl citrate and dibutyl phthalate ; anti - adhering agents such as talc ; lubricating ingredients such as magnesium stearate ; and opacifiers such as titanium dioxide . in addition , the ph of the film coating solution can be adjusted to aid in dissolution of the famotidine . the film coating is thin and rapidly releases famotidine for absorption . enteric coated naproxen sodium core and pantoprazole immediate release in film coat a schematic diagram of a four layer tablet dosage form is shown in fig1 . the first layer contains naproxen sodium distributed throughout a matrix of pharmaceutically acceptable fillers , excipients , binding agents , disintegrants , and lubricants . the second layer is a barrier layer which protects the first layer containing naproxen sodium . the barrier film coat is applied by conventional pan coating technology and the weight of the barrier coat may vary from 1 % to 3 % of the core tablet weight . in particular embodiments , the core naproxen sodium tablet is coated with coating ingredients such as opaspray ® k - 1 - 4210a or opadry ® ys - 1 - 7006 ( colorcon , west point , pa .). polymer film coating ingredients such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2910 and polyethylene glycol 8000 in a coating suspension may also be used . the third layer is an enteric film coat . it does not dissolve in areas of the gi tract where the ph may be below 4 such as in an unprotected stomach but it dissolves only when the local ph is above about 4 . therefore , the function of the third layer is to prevent the release of naproxen sodium until the dosage form reaches an environment where the ph is above 4 . in this example , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate is the enteric coating ingredient , cetyl alcohol is a plasticizer and acetone and alcohol are solvents . the fourth layer contains an “ acid inhibitor ” in an effective amount which is released from the dosage form as soon as the film coat dissolves . the acid inhibitor in this example is a proton pump inhibitor , pantoprazole , which raises the ph of the gastrointestinal tract to above 4 . the typical effective amount of pantoprazole in the dosage form may vary from 10 mg to 200 mg . the film coat is applied by conventional pan coating technology and the weight of film coat may vary from 4 % to 8 % of the core tablet weight . other ingredients are , plasticizers such as triethyl citrate , dibutyl phthalate , anti - adhering agents such as talc , lubricating ingredients such as magnesium stearate , opacifiers such as , titanium dioxide , and ammonium hydroxide to adjust the ph of the dispersion . the film coating is thin and rapidly releases pantoprazole for absorption . therefore , pantoprazole releases first and then the core erodes and releases naproxen sodium . naproxen sodium , 50 % microcrystalline cellulose and povidone are dry mixed and wet granulated in an appropriate granulator with sufficient purified water . the wet granules are dried , milled , and blended with the remaining 50 % microcrystalline cellulose , talc and magnesium stearate . the final granule blend is compressed into tablets . opadry clear is added slowly to purified water and mixing is continued until opadry is fully dispersed . the solution is sprayed on to the tablet cores in a conventional coating pan until proper amount of opadry clear is deposited on the tablets . hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate and cetyl alcohol are dissolved in a mixture of alcohol and acetone . the solution is then sprayed on to the tablet bed in proper coating equipment . a sample of the tablets is tested for gastric resistance and the coating stopped if the tablets pass the test . pantoprazole sodium is dissolved in purified water containing sodium carbonate in solution . after thorough mixing , opadry clear is added slowly and mixing is continued until opadry is fully dispersed . the suspension is sprayed on to the tablet cores in a conventional coating pan until the proper amount of pantoprazole sodium is deposited . enteric coated naproxen sodium core and omeprazole immediate release in film coat a schematic diagram of a four layer tablet dosage form is shown in fig1 . the first layer contains naproxen sodium distributed throughout a matrix of pharmaceutically acceptable fillers , excipients , binding agents , disintegrants , and lubricants . the second layer is a barrier layer which protects the first layer containing naproxen sodium . the barrier film coat is applied by conventional pan coating technology and the weight of the barrier coat may vary from 1 % to 3 % of the core tablet weight . in particular embodiments , the core naproxen sodium tablet is coated with coating ingredients such as opaspray ® k - 1 - 4210a or opadry ® ys - 1 - 7006 ( colorcon , west point , pa .). polymer film coating ingredients such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2910 and polyethylene glycol 8000 in a coating suspension may also be used . the third layer is an enteric film coat . it does not dissolve in areas of the gi tract where the ph is below 4 such as in an unprotected stomach but it dissolves only when the local ph is above 4 . therefore , the function of the third layer is to prevent the release of naproxen sodium until the dosage form reaches an environment where the ph is above about 4 . in this example , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate is the enteric coating ingredient , cetyl alcohol is a plasticizer and acetone and alcohol are solvents . the fourth layer contains an “ acid inhibitor ” in an effective amount which is released from the dosage form as soon as the film coat dissolves . the acid inhibitor in this example is a proton pump inhibitor , omeprazole , which raises the ph of the gastrointestinal tract to above 4 . the typical effective amount of omeprazole in the dosage form may vary from 5 mg to 50 mg . the film coat is applied by conventional pan coating technology and the weight of film coat may vary from 4 % to 8 % of the core tablet weight . other ingredients are , plasticizers such as triethyl citrate , dibutyl phthalate , anti - adhering agents such as talc , lubricating ingredients such as magnesium stearate , opacifiers such as , titanium dioxide , and ammonium hydroxide to adjust the ph of the dispersion . the film coating is thin and rapidly releases omeprazole for absorption . therefore , omeprazole is released first and then the core erodes and releases naproxen sodium . naproxen sodium , 50 % microcrystalline cellulose and povidone are dry mixed and wet granulated in an appropriate granulator with sufficient purified water . the wet granules are dried , milled , and blended with the remaining 50 % microcrystalline cellulose , talc and magnesium stearate . the final granule blend is compressed into tablets . opadry clear is added slowly to purified water and mixing is continued until opadry is fully dispersed . the solution is sprayed on to the tablet cores in a conventional coating pan until the proper amount of opadry clear is deposited on the tablets . methacrylic acid copolymer , triethyl citrate , and talc are dissolved in a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water . the solution is then sprayed on to the tablet bed in a proper coating equipment . a sample of the tablets is tested for gastric resistance and the coating is stopped if the tablets pass the test . omeprazole is dissolved in a purified water and isopropyl alcohol mixture . after thorough mixing , opadry clear is added slowly and mixing is continued until opadry is fully dispersed . the suspension is sprayed on to the tablet cores in a conventional coating pan until proper amount of omeprazole is deposited on the tablets . a coordinated delivery dosage may be used to provide fast release of an acid inhibitor , a proton pump inhibitor , omeprazole which raises the ph of the gastrointestinal tract to above 4 , and the delayed release of a non - steroidal anti - inflammatory drug , naproxen sodium . omeprazole granules modify the ph of the stomach such that the drug readily dissolves and is absorbed in the stomach without significant degradation . the typical effective amount of omeprazole in the dosage form may vary from 5 mg to 50 mg . the release of naproxen sodium is delayed by enteric coating . omeprazole granules contain an alkalizing excipient such as sodium bicarbonate . other soluble alkalizing agents such as potassium bicarbonate , sodium carbonate , sodium hydroxide , or their combinations may also be used . the alkalizing agent helps solubilize and protect omeprazole from degradation before its absorption . sodium lauryl sulfate helps in the wetting of omeprazole . other surfactants may be used to perform the same function . in the present example , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose helps in granule formation , sodium starch glycolate is a disintegrant , and magnesium stearate is a lubricant . other excipients may also be used to perform these functions . naproxen sodium pellets as shown in fig3 are prepared by the wet massing technique and the conventional extrusion and spheronization process . the excipients used in the formulation are microcrystalline cellulose , and povidone . the pellets after drying and classification are coated with a protective subcoating containing povidone . other coating ingredients may also be used such as opaspray k - 1 - 4210a or opadry ys - 1 - 7006 ( trademarks of colorcon , west point , pa .). polymer film coating ingredients such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2910 and polyethylene glycol 8000 in a subcoating suspension are also alternatives . other ingredients are , plasticizers such as triethyl citrate , dibutyl phthalate , anti - adhering agents such as talc , lubricating ingredients such as magnesium stearate , opacifiers such as , titanium dioxide . the subcoated pellets are enteric coated using enteric coating polymers . in this example , the enteric coating polymer is methacrylic acid copolymer and the plasticizer is dibutyl phthalate which are dissolved in a mixture of acetone and alcohol . the enteric film does not dissolve in the acidic ph but dissolves when the ph in the gut is above about ph 6 and releases naproxen sodium . hydroxypropylmethylcellulose is dissolved in water , then sodium lauryl sulfate is added and the solution is mixed . omeprazole , microcrystalline cellulose , and sodium bicarbonate are dry mixed together and granulated with the granulating solution . the granulation is mixed until proper granule formation is reached . the granulation is then dried , milled , and blended with magnesium stearate . povidone is dissolved in water . naproxen sodium and microcrystalline cellulose are dry mixed and granulated with povidone solution . the wet mass is mixed until proper consistency is reached . the wet mass is then pressed through an extruder and spheronized to form pellets . the pellets are then dried and classified into suitable particle size range . the pellet cores are coated using povidone solution by a conventional coating pan method to a weight gain of 1 - 2 %. eudragit l - 100 is dissolved in isopropanol and acetone and diethyl phthalate is dissolved . the solution is sprayed on the pellet cores using proper film coating equipment . a sample of the pellets is tested for gastric resistance before stopping the coating process . omeprazole fast release granules and naproxen sodium delayed release pellets are blended together and filled into appropriate size capsules to contain 250 mg naproxen sodium and 20 mg omeprazole per capsule . the present example is directed to a coordinated delivery dosage form containing omeprazole and naproxen . the formulation contains 10 mg omeprazole and uses methylcellulose as a binder and croscarmellose sodium as a disintegrant . naproxen pellets as shown in fig3 do not need a subcoating layer and are enteric coated with an aqueous dispersion of methacrylic acid copolymer . optionally , these pellets could be compressed into a core and film coated with an acid inhibitor and thereby form a bilayer tablet . methylcellulose is dissolved in water , then sodium lauryl sulfate is added to the solution and mixed . omeprazole , microcrystalline cellulose , and sodium bicarbonate are dry mixed together and granulated with the granulating solution . the granulation is mixed until proper granule formation is reached . the granulation is then dried , milled , and blended with magnesium stearate . povidone is dissolved in water . naproxen and microcrystalline cellulose are dry mixed and granulated with povidone solution . the wet mass is mixed until proper consistency is reached . the wet mass is then pressed through an extruder and spheronized to form pellets . the pellets are then dried and classified into a suitable particle size range . eudragit 30d is dispersed in purified water and simethicone emulsion . talc and triethyl citrate are then dispersed . the suspension is sprayed on the pellet cores using proper film coating equipment . a sample of the pellets is tested for gastric resistance before stopping the coating process . omeprazole fast release granules and naproxen sodium delayed release pellets are blended together and filled into appropriate size capsules to contain 250 mg naproxen and 10 mg omeprazole per capsule . sixty - two subjects were enrolled in a clinical study and randomly assigned to three groups . the following three groups were administered study medication twice daily for five days : ( a ) 550 mg naproxen sodium ( n = 10 ), ( b ) 40 mg famotidine given with 550 mg of naproxen or famotidine followed 90 minutes later by 550 mg naproxen , ( n = 39 ) or ( c ) 20 mg omeprazole followed by 550 mg naproxen sodium ( n = 13 ). gastric ph was measured hourly beginning at the time of dosing of the final daily dose of study medication and for 8 - 10 hours thereafter . subjects had a gastric endoscopy performed at the beginning and on day 5 prior to the morning dose of study medication to identify gastric and duodenal irritation ; no subjects were admitted to the study if gastric irritation was present at the time of initial endoscopy . five patients , three ( 33 %) in the naproxen alone group and two ( 5 %) in the famotidine / naproxen group , presented with gastroduodenal ulcers at the end of the study . in the naproxen alone group , the ph was greater than 4 only 4 % of the time , and in the famotidine / naproxen group the ph was greater than 4 forty - nine percent of the time during the 8 - 10 hours following naproxen sodium dosing . additionally , lanza grade 3 or 4 damage was present in 28 % ( n = 11 ) of the subjects receiving famotidine / naproxen sodium , and present 100 % ( n = 10 ) in the naproxen sodium treatment group . monitoring of gastric acidity on day 5 indicated that patients with lanza scores of greater than 2 had integrated gastric acidity of greater than 100 mmol - hr ./ l . only 20 - 40 % of patients with integrated gastric acidity of less than 100 mmol - hr / l had gastric pathology , whereas all patients with integrated gastric acidity greater than 100 mmol - hr / l had pathology . famotidine and enteric coated naproxen reduce gastroduodenal damage due to nsaid therapy thirty - seven patients were randomized to two groups for a one week study of twice - daily dosing of : 500 mg enteric coated naproxen , and 500 mg enteric coated naproxen preceded by 40 mg famotidine . endoscopies were conducted on all patients prior to first dosing and on the final day of the study . no subjects had evidence of gastroduodenal damage at the beginning of the study ( at first endoscopy ). at the second endoscopy , lanza scores for gastroduodenal damage were assessed for all subjects . 39 % of the subjects in the enteric coated naproxen 500 mg group had grade 3 - 4 gastroduodenal damage . this is lower than the percentage that would be expected for the administration of 500 mg of non - enteric naproxen based upon previous work . nevertheless , subjects administered 500 mg enteric coated naproxen and 40 mg famotidine had an even lower incidence of grade 3 - 4 gastroduodenal damage ( 26 %) than subjects who had previously taken enteric coated naproxen alone which demonstrates the value of combining acid inhibition with enteric coating of nsaid to minimize the gastrointestinal damage . all references cited herein are fully incorporated by reference . having now fully described the invention , it will be understood by those of skill in the art that the invention may be performed within a wide and equivalent range of conditions , parameters and the like , without affecting the spirit or scope of the invention or any embodiment thereof .	0
fig1 a - 1c depict a mirror subassembly 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 a , mirror subassembly 10 has a front transparent nonconductive plate 25 and a rear transparent nonconductive plate 35 which have front and rear surfaces 20 and 30 , respectively . glass is a suitable material for use as the front and rear transparent plates 25 and 35 . a reflective surface 75 is coated on an inner surface 36 of rear plate 35 . silver may be used as the coating for the reflective surface 75 . sandwiched between the front plate 25 and the reflective surface coating 75 on the rear plate 35 are a first transparent conductive layer 45 , a layer of dichroic liquid crystal material 55 , and a second transparent conductive layer 65 . the mirror subassembly 10 is sealed with epoxy around its perimeter , to contain the dichroic liquid crystal material 55 without leakage . the epoxy seal is shown as shadow line 95 in fig1 b . a method of sealing the mirror subassembly 10 with epoxy comprises screen printing a bead , typically in the range of 10 - 25 mils in width , of heat curable epoxy , such as abelstick no . 681 , around the perimeter of one of the transparent plates 25 or 35 . the epoxy is placed on the entire perimeter of the plate , typically 25 - 75 mils from edges of the transparent plate , except for a small fill area which will be used as a fill opening for the liquid crystal material . the transparent plate 25 or 35 not containing the epoxy bead is coated with glass spacers ( not shown ) which are 8 - 12 microns in thickness , and placed on top of the transparent plate with the epoxy bead . the transparent plates 25 and 35 are then compressed and heated for typically 30 to 60 minutes which causes the epoxy bead to spread creating a seal , joining and sealing the transparent plates 25 and 35 with a cavity formed therebetween . the cavity is vacuum filled with the liquid crystal material 55 through the open fill area in the epoxy seal . the fill area is then sealed . one suitable dichroic liquid crystal material 55 is a mixture consisting of a combination of a nematic liquid crystal , an organic dye and a cholesteric dopant . referring again to fig1 a , when no electric field is applied across the liquid crystal material between the first conductor layer 45 and second conductor layer 65 , the liquid crystal molecules are in a parallel orientation with respect to the front and rear substrates 25 and 35 . further , the dye molecules orient themselves with their molecular axis parallel to the axis of the nematic crystal molecules in the material 55 . in this orientation , the dye molecules , which are asymmetrical in shape having a long axis and a short axis , absorb a maximum amount of incident light entering the front plate 25 , reflecting off the reflective surface 75 and exiting back out through the front plate 25 . in this manner , a corresponding low reflectance state having a reflectance in the range of 4 % to 15 % may be achieved . alternatively , when an electric field is applied across the dichroic liquid crystal material 55 , the liquid crystal molecules orient themselves such that considerably less light is absorbed . the molecules in the liquid crystal material 55 and the associated dye align with their long axes parallel to the electric field and absorb approximately 30 % to 50 % of the incident light . thus , a corresponding high reflectance state of typically greater than 50 % reflectance can be achieved . the manner in which an electric field is applied across the dichroic liquid crystal material 55 is described below with reference to fig1 b . the cholesteric dopant in the material 55 adds a twist to the liquid crystal molecules and enhances the contrast between the low reflectance state and the high reflectance state . fig1 b illustrates a front elevational view of the mirror subassembly 10 of fig1 a . in fig1 b , the dimmable front surface 20 faces out of the drawing . a frame 11 surrounds the perimeter of mirror 10 for protection of the edges of mirror 10 and to facilitate mounting of the mirror subassembly 10 . the mirror subassembly 10 has electrically conductive contacts 85 and 90 at opposite corners 21 and 29 . the corner 29 of front plate 25 has been cut off providing access to the front facing electrical contact 90 which is electrically connected to the second conductive layer 65 . likewise , the corner 21 of rear plate 35 has been cut off providing access to rear facing electrical contact 85 which is electrically connected to the first conductive layer 45 as shown in fig1 c . the electrically conductive contacts 85 and 90 are adapted to receive electrical wires which are connected to external drive circuits . the external drive circuits provide the necessary electric field across the dichroic liquid crystal material 55 to operate the disable mirror in a high reflectance state . one suitable method for forming the contacts 85 and 90 is to coat the corners 21 and 29 of the front and rear transparent plates 25 and 35 with a thick film silver amalgamate that is annealed to the front and rear transparent plates 25 and 35 producing silver contacts . the formed silver contacts 85 and 90 provide a surface to which wire connectors can be soldered . such soldered wires may then be covered with an additional layer of epoxy to provide relief of mechanical strain . other methods of attachment including conductive epoxies and self adhering conductive contacts may be used . the front plate 25 may be dip coated with ultra - violet absorbing polysiloxane to protect the dichroic dyes from ultra - violet degradation caused by sunlight . this dip - coating method provides an advantage over the conventional use of laminated plastic ultra - violet filters , which tend to warp and delaminate under the environmental extremes to which a side mirror is subjected . in addition , the dip coat also provides superior optical performance over conventional laminated filters by reducing the number of and the distance between secondary reflective surfaces that cause parallax . for example , the use of a conventional 0 . 125 inch thick laminated plastic filter adds substantial secondary image reflections to the primary mirror image . fig1 c shows a rear elevational view of mirror subassembly 10 . since reflective surface 75 is coated on the inner surface 36 of rear transparent plate 35 , the rear surface 30 of mirror subassembly 10 operates as a conventional mirror . further , the rear surface 30 will have a reflectance greater than or equal to that of the dimmable surface 20 in its high reflectance state . thus , the mirror subassembly 10 can be regarded as having dual reflectance , a dichroic lc dimmable mirror for the front surface 20 , and a conventional mirror for the rear surface 30 . fig2 a - 2c depict a dimmable safety mirror 1 comprising the mirror subassembly 10 described above with respect to fig1 a - 1c , and a mirror housing 100 in a rotating center shaft configuration . fig2 d - 2e are an enlarged exploded parts illustration of the regions of safety mirror 1 indicated in fig2 a by broken outlines d and e , respectively . referring to fig2 a , 2d and 2e , the mirror subassembly 10 is rotatably mounted to the housing 100 by top and bottom rods 110 and 120 , which extend outwardly from the frame 11 of mirror subassembly 10 . the top and bottom rods 110 and 120 engage top and bottom recesses 115 and 125 of housing 100 . the top recess 115 is shown by shadow a line in fig2 d . referring to fig2 d , the top rod 110 has first and second diametrically opposed grooves 111 and 112 extending along a radial axis of rod 110 . the first groove 111 is substantially aligned with the dimmable mirror front surface 20 of the mirror subassembly 10 . correspondingly , the second groove 112 is substantially aligned with the conventional mirror surface 30 of the mirror subassembly 10 . the top rod 110 engages a first collar 114 positioned in the recess 115 of the housing 100 . a hole 116 in the housing 100 extends from a front edge 117 through to the recess 115 . a first ball plunger detent 118 is disposed in the hole 117 and extends into the recess 115 and a notch 119 in the first collar 114 . likewise , referring to fig2 e , the bottom rod 120 has a first groove 121 extending along its radial axis which is aligned with the dimmable mirror surface 20 , and a second groove 122 diametrically opposed from the first groove 121 which is aligned with the conventional mirror surface 30 of the mirror subassembly 10 . the bottom rod 120 engages a second collar 124 positioned in the recess 125 of the housing 100 . a hole 126 in the housing 100 extends from the front edge 127 through to the recess 125 . a second ball plunger detent 128 is disposed in the hole 126 and extends into the recess 125 and a notch 129 in the second collar 124 . in operation , the mirror subassembly 10 can rotate in the housing 100 about the radial axes of the top and bottom rods 110 and 120 . the top and bottom rods 110 and 120 rotate within the first and second collars 114 and 124 in the recesses 115 and 125 . the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 within the threaded holes 116 and 126 extend into recesses 115 and 125 so as to engage grooves 111 and 112 of the top rod 110 , and 121 and 122 of the bottom rod 120 , respectively . when the mirror subassembly 10 is rotated in the housing 100 , the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 will engage either first grooves 111 and 121 or second grooves 112 and 122 to secure the mirror subassembly 10 in one of two positions . when the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 engage first grooves 111 and 121 , the mirror subassembly 10 will be in a first fixed viewing position with the dimmable mirror surface 20 as the viewing surface of the dimmable safety mirror 1 as shown in fig2 a . in the alternative , when the locking screws 118 and 128 engage second grooves 112 and 122 , the mirror subassembly 10 will be in a second fixed viewing position with the conventional mirror surface 30 as the viewing surface of the safety mirror 1 as shown in fig2 c . the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 disengage from the grooves 111 and 121 or the second grooves 112 or 122 permitting the mirror subassembly 10 to rotate when a suitable force is applied to an edge of mirror subassembly 10 . referring to fig2 a - 2c , a tab 140 is attached to an edge 12 of mirror subassembly 10 . the tab 140 is positioned to assist a driver in changing the viewing surface of the mirror subassembly 10 . in fig2 a , the tab 140 is shown in a first position near an edge 150 of the housing which positions the mirror subassembly 10 in the first fixed viewing position with its dimmable front surface 20 as the viewing surface . in this position , the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 engage first grooves 111 and 121 of fig2 d and 2e . in fig2 c , the tab 140 is shown near an edge 160 of the housing 100 which positions the mirror subassembly 10 in the second fixed viewing position , resulting in conventional mirror surface 30 being the viewing surface . in this position , the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 engage second grooves 112 and 122 of top and bottom rods 110 and 120 as shown in fig2 d and 2e . in order to change the viewing surface of safety mirror 1 from the dimmable mirror surface 20 to the conventional surface 30 , a driver or user applies suitable force to the tab 140 or other portions of the mirror subassembly 10 to release the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 from the first grooves 111 and 121 of the top and bottom rods 110 and 120 , and rotates the mirror subassembly 10 in a direction as illustrated by arrow a in fig2 b . the mirror subassembly 10 is rotated until the ball plunger detents 118 and 128 engage the second grooves 112 and 122 in the top and bottom rods 110 and 120 as shown in fig2 c . in this position , the tab 140 is near the edge 160 . other means for securing the mirror subassembly 10 in either the first or second fixed positions includes locking detents and corresponding detent receptacles located on the edge of the mirror subassembly 10 and the housing 100 . in addition , rotation of the mirror subassembly 10 may also be implemented using a motor or other automatic means , either electrically or mechanically powered , or powered by a combination of electrical and mechanical means . an example of the latter would be a spring loaded system activated when there was a power failure to the mirror subassembly 10 . a rear portion 105 of housing 100 should be adequately shaped and sufficiently deep to permit the mirror subassembly 10 to freely rotate in the housing 100 without obstruction . in normal operation , the mirror subassembly 10 should be positioned so that the dimmable surface 20 is the viewing surface . in this first fixed position , the safety mirror 1 may be operated automatically in the high reflectance state or the low reflectance state , depending upon the intensity of the light impinging upon the viewing surface 20 of the mirror 1 . also , the user may choose to operate the mirror in either the high or low reflectance state , as described below . the conductive tabs 85 and 90 , best seen in fig1 b and 1c , are connected by wires to a voltage source by a control switch ( not shown ). the control circuit permits selection of the high reflectance state or the low reflectance state of dimmable front surface 20 and may be fully manual , or semi - automatic or fully automatic as discussed below with reference to fig5 . the wires may be disposed within or proximate the center rods 110 and 120 so as to avoid tangling when the viewing position of the mirror is changed . in the event of a malfunction causing loss of power to mirror subassembly 10 and thereby reversion of the dimmable surface 20 to the low reflectance state , the driver can manually rotate the mirror subassembly 10 as shown in the sequence of fig2 a - 2c in order to reposition it with the conventional mirror surface 30 as the viewing surface . thus , the present invention conforms with the nhtsa safety standard no . 111 , because it provides a means for a driver to adjust the mirror into a high reflectance state in the event of an electrical failure . upon restoration of electrical power to the mirror subassembly 10 , the driver can rotate the mirror subassembly 10 from the conventional mirror surface 30 to the dimmable surface 20 . in addition , the present invention provides a safer alternative to those conventional electrically dimmable mirrors relying on backup or secondary power sources , e . g ., batteries and solar cells . dimmable mirrors relying on secondary power sources pose a safety risk because the secondary power source can also fail causing the mirror to enter a low reflective state . the present invention circumvents this safety risk by providing a mechanical means to switch the viewing surface from the failed dimmable mirror to a conventional high reflectance mirror . an alternative embodiment of the present invention is a safety mirror 1 &# 39 ; with a detachable assembly as shown in fig3 a - 3c . in fig3 a , the mirror subassembly 10 , which is the same as the mirror subassembly utilized in the embodiment shown in fig1 - 2 , is secured to a housing 100 &# 39 ; by quick - releasing fasteners 200a - 200d . the frame 11 of mirror subassembly 10 , has holes 210a - 210d ( best seen in fig3 b ), which are symmetrically aligned with fastener anchoring holes 220a - 220d in housing 100 &# 39 ;. fasteners 200a - 200d are inserted in symmetrically positioned holes 210a - 210d of mirror subassembly 10 and engage fastener anchoring holes 220a - 220d in housing 100 &# 39 ; to securely hold mirror subassembly 10 to housing 100 &# 39 ;. the holes 210a - 210d and 220a - 220d should be symmetrically aligned to permit mirror subassembly 10 to be secured to the housing 100 &# 39 ; in either a first fixed position shown in fig3 a , or a second fixed position shown in fig3 b . in normal operation , the mirror subassembly 10 is secured to the housing 100 &# 39 ; in the first position with the dimmable mirror surface 20 as the viewing surface . in this position , the safety mirror 1 &# 39 ; can be switched from a high reflectance state to a low reflectance state automatically or by a control switch ( not shown ) located in the vehicle . upon an electrical failure causing the mirror to revert to its low reflectance state , the mirror subassembly 10 can be removed from the housing 100 &# 39 ; by removing the quick - releasing fasteners 200a - 200d as shown in fig3 b . the mirror subassembly 10 can then be rotated and refastened to the housing 100 &# 39 ; in the second fixed position with the conventional mirror surface 30 as the viewing surface as shown in fig3 c . the driver refastens the mirror subassembly 10 to the housing 100 &# 39 ; by insertion of the quick - releasing fasteners 200a - 200d . numerous other configurations of the present invention utilizing the mirror subassembly 10 can be envisioned by those skilled in the art from this description . for example , one contemplated embodiment of the present invention incorporates a slidably detachable mirror subassembly , wherein the mirror subassembly 10 would slide in and out of grooves within the mirror housing . upon a failure causing the dimmable surface to enter a low reflection state , the driver would slide the mirror subassembly 10 out of the housing , rotate the mirror subassembly 10 and slide it back into position with the conventional mirror surface 30 as the viewing surface . in another contemplated embodiment , a rotating assembly is provided which eliminates the need for the mirror housing . in such a configuration , the mirror subassembly 10 is rotatably attached to the mounting brackets that secure the safety mirror to the vehicle . a cover panel is used to cover the surface of the mirror subassembly 10 that is not being used as the viewing surface . the covered surface would face forward of the vehicle . in normal operation , with the dimmable mirror surface 20 being used as the viewing surface , the cover would be attached to the conventional mirror surface 30 of the mirror subassembly 10 . upon a failure of the dimmable mirror , the mirror subassembly 10 is rotated 180 degrees and the cover panel is removed to expose the conventional mirror surface . the conventional mirror surface 30 is now in position for use as the viewing surface and the cover panel is placed over the failed dimmable mirror surface 20 . furthermore , the use of a dual reflective mirror subassembly 10 is not necessary to practice the present invention . a housing and mechanism of the present invention may utilize two mirrors , a dimmable mirror and a conventional mirror , and means for positioning either of the two mirrors as the viewing surface of the safety mirror . one contemplated embodiment of such a mirror positions a dimmable mirror in front of a conventional mirror in a housing . upon a failure of the dimmable mirror , the driver would slide the failed mirror out of the housing , leaving the conventional mirror exposed . in an alternative embodiment , a conventional mirror is rotatably mounted and positioned behind a dimmable mirror whereby upon a failure of the dimmable mirror , the conventional mirror can be rotated from behind the dimmable mirror to cover the dimmable mirror . in addition , the present invention may be utilized with pre - existing mirrors by incorporating a mounting mechanism that secures a dimmable mirror to , and in front of , the pre - existing mirror . upon a failure of the dimmable mirror , it may easily be removed to make the pre - existing conventional mirror as the viewing surface . one embodiment of such a device is a clip - on dichroic liquid crystal rearview mirror as shown in fig4 a - 4b . in fig4 a - 4b , a conventional rearview mirror 300 is shown that is part of or attached to a motor vehicle ( not shown ) in a conventional manner . a dimmable dichroic liquid crystal mirror 310 , which is substantially the same size as mirror 300 , is detachably mounted to a face 301 of the conventional mirror 300 by removable u - shaped brackets 320 and 330 . operational elements of dimmable dichroic liquid crystal mirror 310 are substantially similar to those of mirror subassembly 10 shown in fig1 a - 1c , except that dimmable mirror 310 does not have a corresponding conventional mirror rear surface as surface 30 of the mirror subassembly 10 . the brackets 320 and 330 have retaining adjustment screws 325 and 335 , respectively . installation of the dimmable mirror 310 consists of sliding the fixed bracket 330 and attached mirror 310 over an end 302 of the motor vehicle &# 39 ; s conventional mirror 300 as shown in fig4 a . the removable u - shaped bracket 320 is then fastened to the dimmable mirror 310 over the conventional mirror 300 as shown in fig4 b . the adjustment screws 325 and 335 are hand tightened to hold the dimmable mirror 310 in place . once installed , dimmable mirror 310 is used by the driver for viewing objects behind the vehicle . upon a loss of power causing the dimmable mirror 310 to enter its low reflection state , the driver can remove the dimmable 310 by loosing adjustment screws 325 and 335 , detaching the removable bracket 320 and sliding the dimmable mirror 310 off of the conventional mirror 300 . thereby , the conventional mirror 300 once again may be used for viewing objects behind the vehicle . further , power may be provided to the dimmable mirror 310 via wires electrically connected to the motor vehicles electrical system . in the alternative , u - shaped bracket 320 may be adapted to contain replaceable batteries ( not shown ) for the dimmable mirror 310 while u - shaped bracket 330 may be adapted to contain electronic control circuitry for dimmable mirror 310 . wires originating from the control circuitry are connected to the mirror 310 and the battery and may be routed through the u - shaped bracket 330 and through a bezel of dimmable mirror 310 . the mirror wires can then be connected to the mirror 310 by a suitable method , such as the contact pad configuration of the safety mirror 10 in fig1 a - 1c . the battery wires in the bezel of mirror 310 which originate from the control circuit connect to slide contacts ( not shown ) on the bezel proximate the connection point of removable bracket 320 . the removable bracket 320 has corresponding slide contacts which mate with those of mirror 310 when the bracket 320 is attached . the batteries contained within u - shaped bracket 320 are electrically connected to the slide contacts on the bracket 320 . a disadvantage of prior art battery - powered lc dimmable mirrors has been a short operating life due to the continuous power consumption of maintaining the mirror in its high reflection state . for example , the most efficient prior art battery - powered lcd mirror would deplete two aa lithium batteries in approximately one to two months , i . e ., 720 to 1440 hours . in order to extend the operating life , the electronics of the dimmable mirror 310 of fig4 a - 4b may contain a passive motion detector sensor 430 as shown in fig5 . in fig5 a battery source 410 is connected to a dimmable mirror 420 , such as dimmable mirror 310 shown in fig4 a - 4b , via the motion sensor circuit 430 and dimming control circuit 440 . the motion sensor circuit 430 may make use of a passive mechanical type motion sensor . typical motion sensor of this type consists of a mercury droplet or metal ball that rolls over multiple electrical contacts when moved . a low - power circuit monitors the state of electrical shorting of the electrical contacts and detects vibration or motion by changes in the state of electrical shorting of these electrical contacts . in operation , when vibration or motion is not detected for an extended period of time , e . g ., fifteen minutes , the motion sensor circuit 430 disconnects the battery source 410 from the dimming control circuit 440 and the mirror 420 . when a sufficient level of vibration is detected , the motion sensor circuit 430 connects the battery source 410 to the mirror 420 and dim control circuit 440 . the sensitivity of the motion detector circuit 430 can be selected to provide power to the mirror upon door openings , driver entry , and doors closing , as well as vibrations caused by acceleration , deceleration , or motor vibration . the purpose of the motion detector 430 is to only power the mirror when the motor vehicle is occupied and operating . therefore , since typically most cars are operated approximately 500 hours out of a year ( 8 , 760 hours ), life expectancy of a battery should be greater than one year . this aspect of the present invention provides a significantly more efficient dimmable battery - powered mirror than found in prior art mechanisms . all the embodiments listed above may incorporate dimming control electronics , such as circuit 440 of fig5 to provide fully manual , semi - automatic or fully automatic means of switching between the high reflectance state and low reflectance state of the dimmable mirror . in a fully manual system , a driver activated switch is used to select high or low reflectance states . in a dimmable mirror having a semi - automatic system , a driver selectable switch is provided to select day or night operation . in day operation , the disable mirror is maintained in its high reflectance state . in night operation , the electronics automatically dim the mirror anytime headlights or other bright light is detected . in a dimmable mirror with a fully automatic dimming system the electronics further determine whether day or night conditions exist . a suitable semi - automatic control circuit 475 for use as dim control circuit 440 is shown in fig6 . in fig6 a photo sensor 450 is connected to a light threshold comparator 455 which generates the signal s 1 which is applied to suitable control logic circuit 460 . the light threshold comparator 455 may also be connected to an optional sensitivity adjustment device , such as potentiometer 457 . the control logic 460 is adapted to receive input signals s 2 and s 3 which are generated based on the position of a day / night toggle switch and a manual toggle switch ( not shown ) respectively . the toggle switches are located within reach of the motor vehicle operator . the control logic 460 generates an output signal s pow based on the input signals s 1 - s 3 according to the table of fig7 . the output signal s pow is applied to a power supply 465 . the power supply 465 is further connected to a dimmable mirror 470 , such as dimmable mirror 310 of fig5 . a suitable device for power supply 465 is a dc to ac converter connected to a battery to produce a required 15 - 25 v rms to maintain a dichroic lc mirror in a bright state . in operation , the photo sensor 450 and threshold comparator 460 detects the presence or absence of headlight glare and generates and output s 1 accordingly . an optical sensitivity adjustment 457 may be utilized to adjust the sensitivity of light threshold comparator 455 . the control logic circuit 460 output signal s pow controls the power supply 465 to cause dimmable lc mirror 470 to enter its high or low reflectance states . the control logic circuit 460 generates s pow based on signals s 1 - s 3 in the relationship shown in fig7 . for example , when manual switch output signal s 3 is in a manual dim mode , s pow is generated such that mirror 470 is dimmed independent of the state of signals s 2 and s 3 . further , when manual switch output signal s 3 is not in a manual dim mode and day / night switch output signal s 2 corresponds to the day position , s pow will be generated to maintain mirror 470 in its high reflectance state . lastly , when signal s 3 is not in a manual dim mode and day / night switch output signal is in a night mode , the output signal s pow will be generated to dim mirror 470 when the light threshold comparator signal s 1 is in a glare detected state , otherwise s pow will maintain mirror 470 in a high reflectance state . fig8 depicts a suitable fully automatic circuit 485 for dim control circuit 440 of fig5 . in fig8 the block components for an automatic dim control circuit 485 are substantially identical to and operate in substantially the same manner to the semi - automatic dim control circuit 475 of fig6 with one modification . in fig8 similar component blocks to those of fig6 are indicated with a &# 39 ;. for example , logic control circuit 460 &# 39 ; corresponds generally to logic control circuit 460 . the difference between the automatic control circuit 485 of fig8 and semi - automatic control circuit 475 of fig6 concerns the generation of a signal s 2 &# 39 ; indicating day or night mode . the circuit 485 utilizes a more sophisticated photo sensor 450 &# 39 ; and a day / night light threshold comparator 490 to detect day or night conditions and to generate the signal s 2 &# 39 ;. the comparator 490 replaces the day / night switch depicted in fig6 . the comparator 490 is connected to the photo sensor 450 &# 39 ;. in addition , an optional sensitivity adjustment circuit 495 , such as a potentiometer , may be connected to the comparator 490 . in operation , the generation of signals s 1 &# 39 ;, s 3 &# 39 ; and s pow &# 39 ; by the respective blocks occurs by the same operation that produces signals s 1 , s 3 and s pow of fig6 . the control logic 460 &# 39 ; may contain the identical boolean operations as those contained in control logic circuit 460 which are governed by the table of fig7 . however , automatic control circuit 485 , automatically determines the day / night mode by measuring the magnitude of ambient light with photo sensor 450 &# 39 ; and comparing it to a predetermined threshold in comparator 490 . the sensitivity may be adjusted by varying the threshold with an optional adjustment circuit 495 . thereby , circuit 485 operates in substantially the same manner as circuit 475 without requiring the motor vehicle operator to manually select day or night mode operation . in yet another embodiment , the control electronics of the dimmable mirror are connected to associated electrical components of the vehicle to activate automatically the safety mirror 1 or 1 &# 39 ; to operate in a high reflectance state when a reverse gear of the vehicle &# 39 ; s transmission engaged . the frame 11 of mirror subassembly 10 shown in fig1 b - 1c may incorporate environment protection elements which protect the mirror subassembly 10 from damage by the environmental extremes to which a motor vehicle mirror is subjected . a dichroic lc mirror should be shock mounted to withstand the severe vibrations caused by shuddering and general harsh - ride of large trucks and other motor vehicles which would damage the mirror subassembly 10 . a dichroic mirror should also be mounted in a water tight frame to prevent exposure of the lc mirror epoxy seal to road - salt and moisture from humidity or rain . moisture tends to permeate the epoxy seal which would eventually cause the lc mirror to malfunction . in addition , the lc mirror should possess a heater to maintain the liquid crystal within their normal range of operating temperatures of above 0 ° c . an environment protection frame assembly 500 for use with the mirror subassembly 10 according to the present invention is shown in fig9 . the frame assembly 500 provides suitable protection from vibration , wet weather and temperature extremes that are typical in an environment in which a motor vehicle safety mirror would operate . in fig9 a plurality of components are positioned adjacent to each to form the protective frame assembly 500 . the plurality of components comprises : a rear frame 510 , standoffs 520 , rear gasket 530 , electrical perimeter heater strip 540 , the mirror subassembly 10 , a front gasket 550 and a front frame 560 . the rear frame 510 , standoffs 520 and front frame 560 contain a like - positioned plurality of holes 515 , 525 and 565 , respectively . when the components of the environment protection frame 500 are sandwiched together , the holes 515 , 525 and 565 , are aligned to permit insertion of screws 570 and threaded receptacles 580 to secure the rear frame 510 to the front frame 560 . when the components of the environment frame assembly 500 are secured together , the rear gasket 530 , the perimeter heater strip 540 , mirror subassembly 10 and front gasket 550 are held tightly together between the standoffs 520 and front frame 560 . in addition , the rear frame 510 and front frame 560 may be larger than the other components to form a channel between the frames 510 and 560 and outer edges of the interior components for the entire perimeter of the assembled protection frame 500 . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of an assembled protection frame 100 . in fig1 , the channel between the rear frame 510 and front frame 560 which is filled with a silicone elastomer potting compound 590 . the silicone compound 590 totally encapsulates the edges of the mirror subassembly 10 , including the contact areas 85 and 90 , shown in fig1 b and 1c , preventing any moisture from reaching subassembly epoxy seal or electrical contacts . the silicone compound 590 provides the added advantage of increased shock and vibration resistance of the protection frame assembly 500 . alternatively , if the rear and front frames 510 and 560 are not larger than the interior components an a assembly 500 no perimeter channel will be formed . in such an assembly , the silicone compound may be coated on the perimeter edges to provide the protection from the environment . the perimeter heater strip 540 of frame assembly 500 maintains the liquid crystal mirror at operational temperatures , as well as , providing de - icing in cold weather . the perimeter heater strip 540 permits the majority of the rear surface of mirror subassembly 10 to be used as the conventional mirror surface . since the perimeter heater strip 540 allows the rear surface of the mirror subassembly 10 to be used as a mirror , it provides an advantage over typical mirror heaters which are merely opaque coatings covering the entire rear surface of the mirror . electrical power to the perimeter heater strip 540 is controlled by a conventional thermal relay ( not shown ) located in the safety mirror housing , such as housing 100 shown in fig2 a - 3c . the thermal relay connects electrical power to the heater 540 when temperatures are below freezing . a switch may be added in the motor vehicle to override the thermal relay and turn power off to heater 540 . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and may be utilized with any dimmable type mirror which reverts to a low reflectance state upon power loss or other type of failure . any type of dimmable mirror can be utilized as a safety mirrors according to the present invention by incorporating a suitable mounting mechanism to permit the changing of the viewing surface from the dimmable mirror to a conventional mirror upon loss of power or other malfunction causing the dimmable mirror to enter its low reflectance state . therefore , all types of dimmable mirror which may fail to a low reflectance state can provide a measure of safety and comply with the nhtsa safety regulation no . 111 , if configured in a safety mirror according to the present invention .	1
in this description , the following mathematical notation conventions are adopted , unless otherwise indicated : the range [ x , y ] designates the range of all whole numbers greater than or equal to x and less than or equal y , with x and y being integers ; a vector a in a space with d dimensions ( such as d ) has coordinates a 1 , a 2 , . . . , a d ; [ 0 , x ] d designates the product [ 0 , x 1 ] x [ 0 , x 2 ] x . . . x [ 0 , x d ] where x is a vector of d with coordinates x 1 , x 2 , . . . , x d , such that the i th coordinate u , of a vector u of [ 0 , x ] d belongs to the range [ 0 , x ], where i is an index greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to d ; and \| x \| is the sum of the components of the vector x , such that \| x \|= x 1 + x 2 x d . fig1 a shows a digital image 2 that has an anisotropic texture . in this description , the anisotropy is to be understood as meaning that the properties of the image &# 39 ; s texture are not the same in all directions but instead differ depending on the direction in which they are observed . the texture of a digital image is generally defined as relating to the spatial distribution of intensity variations and / or tonal variations of the pixels forming the digital image . the texture is a manifestation of the holderian regularity of the image . this concept of “ texture ” is defined in “ handbook of texture analysis ,” m . mirmehdi et al ., eds ., world scientific , october 2008 in the chapter “ introduction to texture analysis ” by e . r . davies , as well as in the section “ i . introduction ” of the paper by robert m . haralick et al entitled “ textural features for image classification ,” ieee transactions on systems , man and cybernetics ; vol . smc - 3 , n ° 6 , p . 610 - 621 , november 1973 . anisotropy of an image can arise from two factors : “ texture ” and “ tendency .” “ texture ” typically corresponds to the intensity variations of the pixels at short range , i . e ., at high frequency ; “ tendency ” relates to intensity variations of the pixels at longer range , i . e ., at low frequency . the texture , and in particular , the texture &# 39 ; s anisotropy , is of particular interest for characterizing images that represent biological tissue , such as a mammogram image 2 . in such an image , the anisotropic character of an image &# 39 ; s texture indicate the presence or risk of developing cancerous cells within that tissue . fig1 b to 1d show other examples of images of the type that are common when inspecting a mammogram . fig1 b shows an image having isotropic texture . fig1 c and 1d respectively show images the texture of which is isotropic and anisotropic and each of which includes an anisotropy caused by a second order polynomial tendency . in these images , that tendency is oriented in the horizontal direction . the image 2 is formed from a plurality of pixels . each pixel is associated with a pixel intensity value and a position d in space , where d is a natural integer greater than or equal to 2 that represents the dimension of the image 2 . in the particular example described herein , d = 2 . the pixels of the image 2 are thus disposed in space in the manner of a matrix (“ lattice ”) in the space d . the resolution of the image is preferably the same along all d axes of the image . hereinafter , the set of the possible positions of the pixels of the image 2 is denoted [ 0 , n ] d , where n is a vector that codes the size of the image and whose components are strictly positive natural integers belonging to d . this notation signifies that the coordinates n 1 , n 2 , . . . , n d of the position n of a pixel of the image respectively belong to the set [ 0 , n 1 ], [ 0 , n 2 ], . . . , [ 0 , n d ], where n 1 , n 2 , . . . n d are the coordinates of n . in the particular example , the image 2 is a square with dimensions ( n 1 + 1 ) ( n 2 + 1 ), where n 1 + 1 = n 2 + 1 and n 1 + 1 is the length of a side of that square expressed as a number of pixels . in this example , the image 2 is an area of interest that has been extracted from an image of larger size . in general , the sides of the image 2 have a length greater than or equal to 50 pixels , 100 pixels , or 500 pixels . in this example , the luminous intensity of the pixels is gray - scale encoded on 8 bits . the values of pixel intensity are integers in the range [ 0 , 255 ]. fig2 shows a device 12 for identifying and characterizing the anisotropy of an image &# 39 ; s texture . the device 12 indicates whether an image 2 is isotropic or not . in some practices , the device 12 also quantifies , or characterizes , the extent of the anisotropy . the device 12 includes : a programmable electronic computer 14 , an information - storage medium 16 , and a digital - image acquisition interface 18 that enables the acquisition of the image 2 . the digital image 2 typically comes from an electronic imaging device , which in the illustrated embodiment is a radiography device . the computer 14 executes the instructions stored on the medium 16 for executing the method described below in connection with fig3 and 4 . this method identifies and characterizes image anisotropy using certain operations . in example described herein , the image 2 is modeled as the statistical realization of an intrinsic random gaussian field . this means that the intensity value associated with each pixel of the image 2 corresponds to the realization of a gaussian random variable z . the intrinsic random gaussian field is explained in more detail in : j . p . chilès et al . “ geostatistics : modeling spatial uncertainty ,” j . wiley , 2 nd edition , 2012 . z [ p ] denotes an intensity value associated with a pixel in the image 2 whose position is given by the vector p . an orthonomic frame of reference is defined in d as having , as its origin , the null vector ( 0 ) d . an embodiment of the method for automatic characterization of the anisotropy of the texture is described next with reference to the flowchart in fig3 and with the aid of fig1 and 2 . in an acquisition step 20 , the image 2 is automatically acquired via the interface 18 and stored , for example , on the medium 16 . hereinafter this image 2 is designated by the notation “ i ”. in this example , with dimension d = 2 , a square matrix z with dimensions ( n 1 + 1 )·( n 2 + 1 ) models the normalized image 2 . the coefficients of this matrix z are the z [ p ] corresponding to the intensity of the pixels at position p . the components of the vector p give the position of that coefficient in the matrix z . for example , z [ p ] is the coefficient of the pith row and the p 2 th column of z , where p 1 and p 2 are the coordinates of the position p in [ 0 , n ] 2 . in a transformation step 22 that follows , geometrical transformations of the image 2 are applied to obtain a series of transformed images i j , k . these transformations include modifications t j , k , of the image 2 , each of which includes a rotation by an angle α j and a change of scale by a scale factor γ k . t j , k ( i ) denotes the image obtained after the application of the modification t j , k to the acquired image i . each modification t j , k is uniquely characterized by a vector u jk of the space 2 \{( 0 , 0 )}, such that α j = arg ( u jk ) and γ k = 2 . the space 2 \{( 0 , 0 )} is the space 2 without the point with coordinates ( 0 , 0 ). the indices “ j ” and “ k ” are integers that respectively and uniquely identify the angle α j and the factor γ k . to simplify the notation , hereinafter “ rotation j ” and “ change of scale k ” respectively refer to a rotation by angle α j and to a change of scale by the factor γ k . the rotation j rotates each of the pixels of the image 2 by the angle α j from a starting position to an arrival position about the same point or the same predetermined axis . that point or that rotation axis typically passes through the geometrical center of the image . in the illustrated embodiment , rotation is relative to the geometrical center of the image , which is the barycenter of the positions of all of the pixels of the image , each weighted by a coefficient of the same value . the change of scale k enlarges or reduces the image by a homothetic factor γ k . in the examples given below , the homothetic center is the geometrical center of the image . these modifications t j , k are applied for at least two and preferably at least three or four different angles α j . the different values of the angles as are advantageously distributed as uniformly as possible between 0 ° and 180 ° while complying with the constraint that the vector u jk must belong to the space 2 \{( 0 , 0 )}. to limit the number of calculations to be performed , the number of different values for the angle α j is generally chosen so as not to be too large . in typical embodiments , this number is made less than twenty . in others , it is less than ten . a good compromise is to choose four different values for the angle α j . for each angle α j , modifications t j , k are applied for at least two and preferably at least three , four , or five different changes of scale γ k . the values of the factor γ k are , for example , greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 10 2 or 8 2 or 4 2 . the different values of the factor γ k are preferably distributed as uniformly as possible across the chosen range of values . some practices of the method include choosing the rotation angles α j as a function of the horizontal and vertical directions of the image 2 . for example , to perform two rotations j 1 and j 2 , one chooses values α j1 = 90 ° and α j2 = 180 °, where j 1 and j 2 are particular values of the index j . by convention , the angles are expressed relative to the horizontal axis of the image 2 . in the two - dimensional examples described herein , the modifications t j , k are given by : the transformation step 22 includes calculating k - increments for each of the transformed images t j , k ( i ). this calculation includes filtering that is intended to limit the tendencies of polynomial form of order strictly less than k . in particular , for each image t j , k ( i ), a filter is applied to make it possible to calculate the k - increment v j , k of that image t j , k ( i ). it is the k - increment of that image t j , k ( i ) that constitutes the transformed image i j , k . the k - increment v j , k of that image is not calculated for all the points of the image t j , k ( i ), but only for some of those points , as explained later . the k - increment is defined in more detail for example in : j . p . chilès et al . “ geostatistics : modeling spatial uncertainty ,” j . wiley , 2 nd edition , 2012 , the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference . the filtering is performed with a convolution kernel denoted “ v ” to apply linear filtering . hereinafter “ filter v ” designates this convolution kernel . the filter v is defined over the set [ 0 , l ] d . a characteristic polynomial q v ( z ) characterizes filter v as follows : in this example , the filter v designates a matrix , and v [ p ] designates a particular scalar value of this filter for the vector p , where p is a vector of [ 0 , l ] d . this value of v [ p ] is zero if the value p does not belong to [ 0 , l ] d . in an equivalent manner , the filter v is also said to feature limited support on [ 0 , l ] d . this filter v is distinct from the null function , which has a null value v [ b ] for any value of the vector p . here the notation z p designates the monomial z 1 p1 · z 2 p2 · . . . z d pd . the parameters of the filter v are therefore set by the [ 0 , n ] d vector l . as a general rule , the vector l is chosen so as to be contained in the image i . values of l are therefore preferably adopted that satisfy , for all i from 1 to d , the relation l i & lt ;& lt ; n i . for example , l i is less than 10 times or 100 times less than n i . moreover , the filter v is such that its characteristic polynomial q v ( z ) satisfies the following condition : where the constant k is a non - zero natural integer and ∂ \| a \| q v /∂ z 1 a1 . . . ∂ z d ad is the partial derivative of the polynomial q v ( z ) with respect to the components of the vector z , the symbol ∂ z 1 ai indicating a differentiation of the polynomial q v ( z ) of order a i with respect to the variable z i , where z i designates the i th component of the vector z and a i designates the i th component of the vector a , i being an integer index greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to d . the filtering of the image t j , k ( i ) by the filter v makes it possible to eliminate the effect of the tendency on the subsequent calculations of the method when the latter takes the form of a polynomial of order m , provided that the value of the constant k is chosen so that k ≧ m + 1 if d is less than or equal to 4 , and k ≧ m / 2 + d / 4 if d & gt ; 4 . the k - increments of the image t j , k ( i ), denoted v j , k , are then calculated as follows using the filter v : v j , k [ m ] is a k - increment calculated on the image t j , k ( i ) for the pixel at position m , with m being a vector belonging to a set e defined hereinafter ; the product t j , k · p corresponds to the application of the modification t j , k to the pixel p of the image i and expresses the coordinates in d , after application of the modification t j , k , of the pixel initially at position p in the image i , v [ p ] is the value of the filter v for the value of p . for each image t j , k ( i ), the k - increment is calculated only on those pixels of the image t j , k ( i ) whose positions belong to a set e . the set e contains only positions that belong to the image i , and , regardless of the modification t j , k applied , occupy a position that already exists in the image i after application of this modification t j , k . the number of positions that belong to the set e is denoted n e . moreover , for any position m belonging to the set e , the pixels at position “ m − t j , k · p ” occupy a position contained in the image i . accordingly , the quadratic variations are calculated only on the points of the transformed image for which no interpolation is necessary . it is therefore possible to have recourse to rotations j by any angle , in contrast to the situation with projections . in fact , if a projection is applied in a diagonal direction of the image , for example , projected points will have a position that does not belong to the set [ 0 , n ] d . in other words , they are no longer part of the matrix . it is therefore necessary to have recourse to an interpolation to determine the intensity value associated with points that belong to that matrix . this introduces an approximation and therefore the possibility of an error . the reliability of the method is increased by the modification t j , k and thereafter the selection of the points of the set e . in the illustrated example , the filtering is effected within the same formula as the application of the modification t j , k . with this choice of the constant k , the filtering produces the increments v j , k [ m ] of order k . this filtering makes it possible to avoid taking into account an anisotropy of the image caused by the tendency , and to consider only the anisotropy of the texture of the underlying image , which in the present example , is an image of the mammary tissue . this results in improved reliability of the characterization method . the constant k must therefore be chosen as described above as a function of the nature of the tendency present in the image 2 . typically , in the case of a mammogram , the polynomial degree m of the tendency is less than or equal to 2 . step 22 thus includes acquiring a value of the vector l and a value of the constant k . in this example , the filter v is chosen as follows : if the vector p belongs to [ 0 , l ] d and v [ p ]= 0 otherwise , where the terms c p l designate binomial coefficients . with this particular filter , the condition previously expressed on the characteristic polynomial q v ( z ) is satisfied if k =\| l \|− 1 . also , the value of k is deduced from the value of the parameter l that has been acquired . then , in this particular instance , the filtering of the image t j , k ( i ) by the filter v makes it possible to eliminate the effect of the “ tendency ” if the latter has a polynomial form of order m provided that the parameter l is chosen such that \| l \|= m + 2 if d is less than or equal to 4 , and \| l \|= m / 2 + d / 4 + 1 if d & gt ; 4 . in this two - dimensional example , with d = 2 , the vector l has two components , l 1 and l 2 . to eliminate a tendency of order m = 2 , l 1 and l 2 must be chosen such that \| l \| is equal to four . the preferable choice is l 1 = 4 and l 2 = 0 . in fact , by choosing values for the coordinates of the vector “ l ” sufficiently far apart , the filter can be made to have greater directional sensitivity . this greater sensitivity allows it to react in a more marked manner and therefore to filter more effectively those variations that are oriented in a particular direction . in contrast , a filter for which l 1 = 2 and l 2 = 2 would be less sensitive to a directional signal and would therefore be a less effective filter . during step 22 , for each different value of j and k , the computer 14 successively applies the modification t j , k to the image 2 to obtain the image t j , k ( i ) and then applies the filter v to the image t j , k ( i ) to obtain the transformed image i j , k . then , during a step 24 , for each image i j , k , the p - variation w j , k associated with that image i j , k is calculated . the p - variation concept is well known to the person skilled in the art in the field of probability and statistics . it is given by the following in the above equation , the symbol “ q ” has been used instead of the symbol “ p ” that is conventionally used in this equation . this is to prevent any confusion with the symbol “ p ” used herein to designate the position of a pixel . in this example , a particular form of the p - variations is used , namely the “ quadratic variations ” or “ 2 - variations ” for which q = 2 . the quadratic variation w j , k of the image i j , k is therefore calculated as follows from the k - increments calculated after filtering during step 22 : these quadratic variations w j , k contain information that is important for the identification of the anisotropy . this information is extracted beginning with step 26 . the next step is an analysis step 26 during which a covariance analysis , including a statistical regression , is effected on all the variations w j , k calculated for each of the images i j , k . this is carried out in order to interpolate the value of the hurst exponent h of the image i and a term β j . the statistical regression is defined by the following equation : log (\| w j , k \|)= log (\| u jk \| 2 )· h + β j + ε j , k , where h is the hurst exponent of the image i , which is a physical magnitude independent of the rotations of the image ; β j is a quantity that does not depend on the change of scale k , this being analogous to an intercept parameter of the regression , except that it depends on the rotations j ; and ε j , k is an error term of the regression , the statistical properties of which are predetermined and fixed by the user . in some practices , the user chooses the error terms ε j , k to be gaussian random variables that are correlated with one another . a number n j of terms β j is therefore obtained , n j being the number of different rotations applied to the image i . for example , if the two rotations j 1 and j 2 described above suffice , the regression is effected on the basis of all the quadratic variations calculated for j 1 and j 2 . this results in two terms β j1 and β j2 . the analysis includes estimating the covariance of the quadratic variations , for example by a standard method applicable to stationary fields . the parameters are estimated using a generalized least - squares criterion . a method of this kind is described for example in : p . hall et al ., “ properties of nonparametric estimators of autocovariance for stationary random fields ,” probability theory and related fields , vol . 99 : 3 , p . 399 - 424 , 1994 . at this stage , the anisotropy is detected by testing the equality of the terms with one another to within a predetermined error margin . in fact , each of the terms β j encapsulates information relating to the texture in the direction inherent to the rotation j . if all the terms β j are equal to one another , this means that the texture does not depend on the orientation . this , of course , is what “ isotropic ” means . otherwise , if the terms β j are not equal to one another , then the texture is anisotropic . during a testing step 28 , the equality of the terms β j with one another to within a predefined value is tested . the image 2 can then be identified as being isotropic if an equality of this kind is found . otherwise , it is identified as being anisotropic . a suitable test for use in the testing step 28 is a fisher statistical test to test the validity of the following null hypothesis : “∀ jε [ 1 , n j ], β j = β ,” where β is a term that does not depend either on the rotations j or on the changes of scale k . this null hypothesis is tested against the alternative hypothesis “∃ j 1 , j 2 such that β j1 ≠ β j2 .” in a typical embodiment , the predetermined error margin is fixed by a confidence range of 95 % or 99 %. the p - value of the fisher test amounts to a digital signature indicating the degree of anisotropy of the image . this makes it possible to assess whether the image is of low or high anisotropy . this , in turn , makes it possible to classify the image 2 relative to a reference anisotropy value or relative to other images . typical practices thus include automatically collecting the test &# 39 ; s p - value . fig4 &# 39 ; s flowchart describes an application of the method for automatically classifying images 2 relative to one another as a function of their anisotropy . an initial acquisition step 30 includes automatically acquiring a plurality of images 2 . a subsequent calculation step 31 includes automatically calculating a digital signal that is characteristic of the extent of the image &# 39 ; s anisotropy . this is carried out using methods discussed above in connection with steps 20 to 28 . in the illustrated embodiment , this signature is the p - value returned by the fisher test at the end of the testing step 28 . the p - value of the test is typically between zero and one , with the value “ one ” representing the lowest order of anisotropy and the value “ zero ” representing the highest order of anisotropy . a classification step 32 that follows includes automatically classifying the acquired images with respect to one another as a function of their anisotropy using the signatures calculated during the calculating step 31 . the images are classified by increasing order of anisotropy , for example . a suitable classifier is a classifying algorithm based on neural networks or a support vector machine . however , other classifiers are possible . in some embodiments , the pixels of the image 2 have other intensity values . the intensity value of each pixel may be a real value . or it may be greater than 256 . in some cases , the image 2 is encoded in color . in such cases , the color image is separated into a plurality of monochrome images , each of which corresponds to a colorimetric channel that composes the color image . the method is then applied separately for each of these monochrome images . although the embodiments described have shown a square image 2 , the image need not be square . for example , in the two - dimension case , where d = 2 , the image can be rectangular or even trapezoidal . when the image does not have a regular shape , the “ horizontal ” and “ vertical ” directions are replaced by reference directions that are better suited to the image &# 39 ; s geometry . for example , in the case of a triangular image , the base and the height of the triangle are useful reference directions . for higher - dimensional cases , the image 2 can be a hypercube of dimension d . although only mammograms have been shown , the image 2 can be something other than a mammogram . for example , it may be a bone - tissue image . the anisotropy of the texture of the image would then provide information on the presence of bone pathologies such as osteoporosis . other , wider fields of application may be envisaged , such as other types of biological tissues , air or satellite images , geological images , or images of materials . as a general rule , the method applies to any type of irregular and textured image such as an image obtained from any electronic imaging device . other modifications may be used . for example , with dimension d = 3 the modifications t j , k perform a rotation j about a given rotation axis and a change of scale k in a given direction of the image . the following modifications may be used , for example : the above modifications t j , k perform a rotation about an axis and a change of scale in a direction that is not parallel to that axis . the values of the angle α j may be different . values of the angle α j are preferably chosen that do not necessitate interpolations . the values of the factor γ k may be different . alternatively , the rotation and the change of scale are not applied at the same time . other filters v can be used to calculate the k - increments . for example , it is quite possible to calculate the k - increments using any filter that has a convolution kernel that is defined as being equal to the convolution product of any convolution kernel v 1 , and a convolution kernel v 2 equal to the kernel v described above . in the particular case where the kernel v 1 is an identity matrix , the filter v described above is used again . conversely , choosing a kernel v 1 different from the identity matrix makes it possible to construct a large number of filters that are different from the filters v described above but that are nevertheless eminently suitable for calculating the k - increments . the filtering may be done differently during step 22 . in particular , the transformation and the filtering are not necessarily applied simultaneously , but rather in separate formulas that are applied in separate steps . in alternative practices , all the transformations t j , k are first applied to the image i , after which the filters are applied to each of the images t j , k ( i ). the value of k may be different . in particular , with the filter v chosen in the example , if the image i has no tendency , in which case m = 0 , then \| l \|= 2 will preferably be adopted or , if d & gt ; 4 , \| l \|= 1 + d / 4 . alternatively , a plurality of filters v i are applied to each image t j , k ( i ) during step 22 . the number of different filters v i applied to a given image t j , k ( i ) is denoted n i . in this case , the transformed image obtained by applying the filter v to the image t j , k ( i ) is denoted i i , j , k and v i , j , k [ m ] denotes the k - increment of that image at the position m in that image , where “ i ” is an index that uniquely identifies the filter v i applied . in such cases , the index “ i ” is different from the index “ i ” used before as a mute variable , notably with reference to the partial derivative of the polynomial q v ( z ). in fact , it is then possible to calculate a plurality of quadratic variations for each image t j , k ( i ), one for each filter v i applied to that image t j , k ( i ). w i , j , k therefore denotes the quadratic variation calculated for the image i i , j , k . to achieve this , in some practices , step 22 includes an operation of selecting the filters v i , for example from a predefined library of filters . the quadratic variations w i , j , k are then calculated during step 24 using the following relation : during step 26 , the regression is then effected as follows , taking account of the n i filters applied : log (\| w i , j , k \|)= log (\| u jk \| 2 )· h + β i , j + ε i , j , k , where : β i , j is the term β j associated with the filter v i ; and ε i , j , k is the error term ε j , k associated with the filter v i . this results in obtaining a number n b of terms β i , j , where n b = n j · n i , n j is the number of different rotations applied to the image i . during step 28 , the null hypothesis of the fisher test is formulated as follows : “∀ jε [ 1 , n j ], β i , j = β i ,” where β i is a term that does not depend on the rotations j or on the changes of scale k but does depend on the filters v i used . if a plurality of filters v i are used , the numbers of filters v i applied can vary from one image t j , k ( i ) to another , always provided that to a filter i there correspond at least two rotations j and , for each of those rotations j , at least two changes of scale k . it is also possible to carry out step 28 differently , for example by implementing the fisher test differently . this might be implemented by choosing a different estimator or with other confidence ranges . alternatively , it is possible to use other ways to test the equality of the terms during step 28 . for example , one can test whether all the terms β j are equal to one another to within 2 % or to within 5 %. if so , then the texture is termed isotropic . otherwise the texture is termed anisotropic . this test is then not a true statistical test . instead , it is a test of strict equality . according to another example , the equality test is performed by using a student statistical test to test inequality between the terms β j . for example , it is possible to compare all the terms β j two by two to determine if there exists j 1 , j 2 such that β j1 & gt ; β j2 . it is also possible to perform the classification during step 32 differently . for example , is possible to choose the order of classification of the images differently . having described the invention , and a preferred embodiment thereof , what is claimed as new , and secured by letters patent is :	6
referring to fig1 the system includes a cathode ray tube 1 , comprising three electron guns 2 , deflection plates 3 , a shadow mask 4 and a luminescent screen 5 . the synchronising part of a video signal 6 of raster - scan format coming from , for example , a television broadcast receiver ( not shown ) is utilized to control the operation of a deflection circuit 7 . the video part of the signal 6 is split into a luminance signal and three chrominance signals which are fed to the three electron guns 2 in conventional manner . each of the electron beams from the guns 2 is directed to impinge on the luminescent screen 5 , the screen being composed of triads of red , green and blue light emitting phosphor dots , the beams of electrons passing through apertures in the shadow mask 4 so that in normal operation each beam can strike only the phosphor dots of one colour as the beams are scanned across the screen in a rectangular raster by the deflection circuit 7 . a glass plate 8 is placed in front of the screen at a suitable angle to partly reflect the light output from the screen towards a beam splitter 9 . the main part of the light output , however , is transmitted through the plate 8 for viewing by an observer . the light reflected by the plate is split into three parts by a beam splitter by the plate is split into three parts by a beam splitter 9 , which three parts are directed via colour filters 10 to photodetectors 11 . the filters 10 pass only red , blue and green light respectively so that the photodetectors 11 are each responsive only to light output from the crt screen of one colour . the output from each of the photodetectors is then applied to a comparator 13 via a differentiating circuit 12 . when an electron beam impinges on a phosphor dot , light which is emitted by the dot is suddenly &# 34 ; switched on &# 34 ; and then slowly fades away . hence , the light impinging on each photodetector exhibits a series of small rising edges , as each dot in turn of the relevant colour phosphor is hit by an electron beam , plus a large substantially constant component comprising the sum of light emitted by the other dots of the same colour whose light output has not yet faded away . differentiation of a photodetector output removes this large substantially constant component so that the differentiated output represents only the light output of each dot as it is hit by an electron beam . in the comparator 13 , the output of each photodetector 11 is compared with the corresponding and other colour components of the video signal . in this way any difference between the contemporary value of each colour component of the video signal and the actual output of light of that colour from the crt screen due to misdirection of the electron beams can be detected . for example , if the red electron beam is impinging at least partly on the green phosphor dots this can be detected by the existence of a degree of correlation between the red video signal and the green light output signal . appropriate correction signals are then generated in a deflection correcting circuit 14 from the outputs of the comparator 13 and applied to the deflection circuit 7 where they are utilised to produce colour corrected scanning signals for application to the deflection plates 3 such that each electron beam impinges only on phosphor dots of the correct colour . it will be understood that the use of the glass plate 8 is not essential and other means of directing the light output to the photodetectors may be used . for example , when a crt without a shadow mask is used , the photodetectors can receive light from the back of the crt screen via a window 21 provided in the back of the crt , as shown in fig2 . in a further alternative embodiment of the invention instead of obtaining signals indicating the phosphor dots on which the electron beams are incident at any time by differentiating signals representing the red , green and blue light produced at the screen , use is made of the spectral shift in the light outputs of the phosphor dots caused by the momentary temperature rise of a dot as an electron beam impinges on it . a beam typically causes a temperature rise of 100 ° c . or more if it is energetic , as it is in bright displays . this means that the wavelength emitted by a phosphor dot changes momentarily as an electron beam passes over it . interference filters can therefore be used to separate , for application to the detectors 11 , the light emitted at the highest temperature i . e . at incidence of an electron beam on phosphor dots , from the light emitted at other times , i . e . during afterglow . by adding signature materials to the phosphor dots the effect can be accentuated and non visible light outputs from the dots may be used . whilst , as indicated above , the invention finds application in correcting colour distortion in a colour crt display device due to vibration , the invention may also be utilised as a primary means of electron beam steering so that , for example , the use of a shadow mask in a colour crt may be dispensed with . it should further be understood that the use of a separate photodetector for each colour phosphor is not essential since , for example in the case of three phosphors , the use of two photodetectors is sufficient for deducing information about three electron beams , if the amplitude is also used since the sum of each of the different colour light outputs is equal to the total brightness intended . it will further be understood that whilst a display system in accordance with the invention using a three electron gun shadow mask crt has been described by way of example , the invention is applicable to display devices utilising other kinds of colour crt .	7
the crib enclosure 50 of the present invention is adapted to help a parent or guardian keep a child safely within the interior of a crib . the enclosure may prevent a child from injuring themselves while in a crib . additionally , the enclosure can prevent a child from escaping from a crib , where they may be injured . the enclosure is generally sized so that its base dimensions are consistent with the length and width of the bottom pad 62 typically used in cribs 58 . the enclosure 50 comprises a dome - shaped top 66 , and a box - shaped body . the box - shaped body comprises two opposed end panels 70 , two opposed side panels 74 and a bottom panel 78 . the panels 70 , 74 , 78 and the top 66 may be attached to the various components of the crib 58 , including side rails 82 , headboard and footboard 86 , and bottom support 90 . both the end panels 70 and the side panels 74 are designed to be roughly the same height as the interior of a standard crib 58 . the dome shaped top 66 of the enclosure 50 is set at a height that will allow a young child to stand unobstructed inside the crib 58 . the protective enclosure 50 confines a child to the inside of the crib 58 . this is accomplished by lining the interior surfaces of the crib with the box - shaped body of the enclosure and by covering the top of the crib with the dome - shaped top . although the dome - shaped top takes the form of a dome in most embodiments , it may also be formed of different shapes , as the descriptive term “ dome - shaped ” is not limiting . additionally , a flap 174 may exist on the top that can be selectively opened , as shown in fig1 , and 14 , to allow a child and / or objects to be placed into and removed from the interior of the crib , or closed as shown in fig2 , and 15 . although in most embodiments the box - shaped body comprises continuous material forming five sides of a continuous rectangular shape , other embodiments may have different variations . for instance , the bottom panel 78 may only extend under a margin of the pad 62 , thus creating an opening 102 to reduce the amount of material required , as shown in fig1 . in such embodiments the mattress or pad 62 will cover the opening in the bottom panel when the enclosure 50 is installed in a crib 58 as shown in fig2 , 13 , and 15 . some embodiments of the enclosure may not have panels that are permanently connected on all of their adjacent edges . one such non - permanent connection is shown in fig1 , 11 , and 16 where a velcro type ( hook and loop ) material is used to connect the box - shaped body to the dome - shaped top . fig1 shows yet another embodiment having the end panels 70 and the side panels 74 that are not directly connected to one another . the end panels and side panels in this embodiment are held tightly against one another when installed in the crib as shown in fig1 . this prevents a child from placing its arms or legs outside of the crib or otherwise becoming entangled at the intersection between the end panels 70 and the side panels 74 . while the invention in the several embodiments completely encloses the interior 54 of the crib 58 , a flap 174 may exist on the top 66 and can be left open for children that are too small to stand or otherwise reach the top of the enclosure 50 . similarly , the top of the enclosure may also be removed from the bottom in some embodiments having a removable top as illustrated in fig1 , when children are supervised , or do not require supervision . the structure of the enclosure 50 is generally made of cloth material and may be made of mesh cloth . in some embodiments , portions of the covering may be layered with a solid , reinforcing fabric such as a taffeta lining , or may even be replaced with such fabric . this may be done at such locations as the end panels 70 as shown in fig1 , end panel straps 126 , and side rail straps 114 or at the reinforcement strips 142 adjacent the top of the side rails 82 , as shown in fig1 and 13 . other portions of the enclosure 50 may also be reinforced . before installing the enclosure 50 , the pad 62 is removed from the crib . the enclosure is then placed inside the interior of the crib 58 . in embodiments where the top of the enclosure is permanently attached to the bottom , the pad 62 is usually inserted through the opening created by the flap 174 and then laid on top of the bottom panel 74 to hold it in position . in embodiments with a removable top , the pad may be placed into the crib when the top of the enclosure is removed or through a flap on the top . the side panels 74 and end panels 70 are designed to fit snugly around the sides 122 of the pad 62 to prevent an infant or sundry items in the crib 58 from being lodged between the pad 62 and the side / end panels 70 , 74 of the enclosure 50 . the enclosure may also be secured to the crib with additional fastening elements . end panel straps 126 that help attach the enclosure 50 to the crib can be connected to the enclosure 50 near the intersection of the end panels 70 and side panels 74 . these straps 126 may wrap completely around the headboard or footboard 86 and may be tied together or otherwise connected to one another with velcro ( hook and loop fasteners ), snaps , buttons , or any other comparable fasteners . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 and 15 , the side panels 74 are not directly connected to the end panels 70 . however , this embodiment has two sets of straps 126 at each end of the enclosure 50 . one set is associated with the end panels 70 and one set is associated with the side panels 74 . each of these sets of straps 126 are wrapped around the headboard or footboard 86 and fastened together to eliminate any openings in the enclosure 50 . in other embodiments , as shown in fig1 , and 9 , no such straps 126 are used . the top edges of the side panels 74 may also be secured to the top bar of the side rails by multiple side rail straps 114 . in the illustrated embodiment , there are five side rail straps 114 on each of the two side rails 82 , although any number can be used . the side rail straps 114 are shown to include a velcro fastener ( hook and loop material ) although other types of fastener may be used . in embodiments having a removable top , these side rail straps may also serve to secure the enclosure top to the box - shaped body . the side rail straps 114 are anchored to the reinforcing strip 142 which runs the length of the side panels adjacent to the top of the side rail 82 in the illustrated embodiment . in the preferred embodiment , this reinforced strip 142 is made of taffeta , although other materials may be used . the top 66 of the enclosure 50 comprises a dome - shaped structure . the structure is supported by one or more semi - rigid ribs 146 , each held firmly to the enclosure 50 . in one embodiment of the invention , the ribs 146 are inserted into sleeves 150 of the enclosure 50 which end in pockets 154 near each corner of the top 66 as shown in fig3 . the pockets 154 at the corners of the enclosure 50 and the sleeves 150 hold the ribs 146 in a manner that causes them to bow into a desired shape . this bowed shape of the ribs 146 defines the dome - shaped structure of the top 66 of the enclosure 50 . when the ribs 146 are removed from the sleeves 150 , the enclosure will be unstructured and may be rolled or compressed for storage . while continuous sleeves 150 are shown in the preferred embodiment , multiple smaller sleeves , hooks or other fasteners may be used in place of the continuous sleeve . in another embodiment as shown in fig1 , the top 66 of the enclosure 50 comprises a dome - shaped structure supported by a pair of semi - rigid , continuous loops 147 , 148 . each of these loops are enclosed in a sleeve 150 made of fabric . although in some embodiments these continuous loops may be disassembled and removed from the sleeves , they may also remain in the sleeves when the dome - shaped top is configured in its operative position , as illustrated in fig1 , and when it is in its collapsed position for storage . fig1 shows a first continuous loop 147 that provides structure to the upper portion of the top and a second continuous loop 148 that resides near the side rails and the ends of the crib to facilitate securing the top to the crib in addition to providing some structure to the top . [ 0044 ] fig1 shows another embodiment having only one semi - rigid , continuous loop 147 that provides structure to the top . the continuous loop of this embodiment may be fastened to the side rails 82 in order to secure the top 66 to the crib 58 . the top of each of the embodiments shown in fig1 and 18 may be either removably attached to the bottom as in fig1 or permanently attached to the bottom . additionally , the top may have an openable flap 174 to allow a child or objects to be placed into or removed from the crib . the flap , as shown in both of fig1 and 18 , is generally in the shape of an inverted ‘ u ’, however , some embodiments may include flaps having different shapes or have no flap at all . embodiments of the invention shown in fig1 and 18 having a semi - rigid , continuous loop may be collapsed for storage without removing the continuous loop from its sleeve 150 . to accomplish this , the structure is first removed from the crib . fig1 a represents a semi - rigid , continuous loop 147 as it is shaped when the top is in its operative position . the loop or loops are then folded into a figure - 8 configuration as represented in fig1 b . once in the form of a figure - 8 , each of the loops of the figure - 8 are then folded on top of one another such that the semi - rigid loop takes on the form of a single smaller loop as shown in fig1 c . this process may be continued to reduce the size of the final set of overlapped loops . the fabric of the top and the bottom of the enclosure may be bundled or wrapped around this final loop and thereafter placed in a container for storage . such a container may be circular and thus consistent with the shape of the folded loop , or it may be of a different shape as the invention is not limited in this respect . in other embodiments , the enclosure itself may include a loop - shaped pocket incorporated into the top or box - shaped body that can be used as a storage container . a flap 174 is included in the dome shaped top 66 adjacent to one of the side panels 74 of some embodiments . this flap 174 includes a zipper closure 178 in the illustrated embodiments , although other fasteners can be used . the flap 174 is generally shaped like an inverted ‘ u ’ with its closed zipper end 186 and open zipper end 190 terminating near and above the top of the side rails 82 . the ends of the flap 174 are set at a height to help prevent a child from accessing the flap 174 or the zipper closure 178 . the zipper 178 is arranged to open from right to left as the user is facing the covering from outside , thus placing the slide 182 of the closed zipper on the right side . this arrangement is preferable because most adults prefer to operate the zipper 178 with their right hand while supporting the child in their left arm . in some embodiments as shown in fig4 there is a taut liner 194 on the interior of the flap 174 that further prevents a child from accessing the zipper 178 or the zipper slide mechanism 182 from the inside . this liner 194 is connected to the interior of the flap 174 on at least the lower side of the zipper 178 . the uppermost side of the liner 194 is left free so that it does not interfere with the operation of the zipper 178 . this arrangement makes it more difficult for a child to access the zipper slide mechanism 182 or zipper 178 as it requires the child to reach over the top edge of the liner 194 before gain access can be gained . this prevents the child from playing with the zipper mechanism 182 and injuring him or herself or from opening the zipper from the inside . in some embodiments , as is shown in fig8 there is a zipper pocket 198 located on the closed end 186 of the zipper 178 . in the preferred embodiment , this is also the right hand side of the zipper . this pocket is made by attaching a lining material 130 on the interior side of the enclosure 50 . the lining material 130 is sewn into the top of the enclosure around a portion of the periphery of the closed end of the zipper as shown by the stitches 134 in fig8 . the pocket provides a protective environment for the zipper mechanism 182 when it is positioned at the closed end 186 of the zipper 178 . it prevents a child from reaching the zipper while the child is inside the enclosure , thus preventing the child from operating the zipper . the pocket extends a short distance ‘ d1 ’ from the closed end 186 of the zipper 178 as shown in fig6 while in other embodiments such as shown in fig8 the pocket 198 extends a much greater length ‘ d2 ’. fig7 depicts the cross section of the pocket when the zipper is closed . it is noted that the pocket as shown in fig7 contains a certain amount of slack when the flap 174 is closed , although other embodiments may have more or less slack . from the foregoing description those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications may be made of the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of this invention . for instance , the dome - shaped top and the box - shaped bottom may be made as completely separable entities that are each independently attached to the crib . therefore , it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated , but rather its scope is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents .	0
fig1 illustrated one embodiment of an automatically controlled color plotter , generally designated 10 , having a photoexposure of photohead 12 with optical means for projecting a beam of polychromatic light from the head onto the photosensitive surface of a film f . the film f is fixedly positioned on the flat work surface of a movable table 14 under the photohead 12 . the table with the film is movable relative to the photohead 12 in the illustrated x coordinate direction by means of an x - drive motor 16 interposed between the head and the table . similarly , the table is moved relative to the head in the illustrated y coordinate direction by means of a y - drive motor 18 . the x - and y - motions are determined by a plotting program that is stored in the master controller 20 for the color plotter . during a plotting operation , the controller reads the program and generates either analog or digital motor command signals that are transmitted to the respective motors 16 and 18 by means of an x - motor driver 22 and a y - driver 24 . of course , it should be recognized that the relative movement of the photohead and the film f could also be generated by moving the photohead while the film and table 14 are held stationary . also , the head could be moved in one coordinate direction relative to the table while the table and film are moved in the other coordinate direction . each of the above described motion generating means results in relative movement of the film f and the spot of light on the photosensitive surface of the film at the point of beam impingement . the line trace or path traversed by the light spot exposes the film and produces a photographic record of the trace either directly or by means of photographic development processes appropriate for the particular film being used . it will also be understood that a plotting operation must be carried out in a dark or low light level environment in order to prevent exposure of the film in areas other than those illuminated by the light spot . here the term &# 34 ; dark &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; low light level &# 34 ; conditions are intended to include conditions in which the ambient light consists only of wavelengths to which the particular film under consideration is not sensitive . in the illustrated plotter 10 the photohead 12 includes a light source 30 from which the beam is projected along an optical axis 32 between the source and the work table 14 . the illustrated source is a xenon lamp that is periodically excited by means of a flash circuit 34 . the flash circuit is in turn controlled by means of the motor command signals that are transmitted to the x - and y - drive motors 16 and 18 from the controller 20 . the same commands are processed respectively by means of an x - tachometer circuit 35 and a y - tachometer circuit 36 to determine the relative velocity between the film and the spot of light in both coordinate directions . the output signals ex and ey of the circuits 35 and 36 represent the respective velocities and are transmitted to a computing circuit 38 which calculates the total relative velocity in accordance with the pythagorean theorem . the total velocity signal ev from the computing circuit 38 is supplied to the flash circuit 34 and is employed to control the rate at which the xenon lamp is flashed . by controlling the flashing rate in accordance with the speed of relative movement of the light spot on the film f , a desired intensity or uniform exposure standard is obtained along the line traced or plotted by the light spot . for example , if the relative movement increases , a corresponding increase in the flash rate ensues in order to expose the film by the same amount at each point along the plotted line . of course , increased flashing rates at the same speed will produce greater exposure and decreased flashing rates , decreased exposure . for a more complete description of the flashing circuit and associated controls , reference may be had to copending application ser . no . 864 , 601 filed dec . 27 , 1977 , in the names of leonard g . rich and henry f . berdat . light emanating from the source 30 is directed along the beam axis 32 through condensing lenses 42a and 42b and then through a color compensating filter or filters 44 . since most artificial light sources do not produce a color balanced light , that is a light of uniform intensity throughout the color spectrum , photographic images produced by the light are not color balanced , that is , certain colors will dominate and other colors will be suppressed with the overall result being an untrue color picture . for this reason the compensating filter 44 is interposed in the light beam and is provided with spectral transmission characteristics that tend to produce a more even distribution of the color wavelengths emitted by the source 30 . the balanced , polychromatic light beam then passes through a converging lens 46 and , while still diffused , through an aperture slide 48 . the aperture slide includes a plurality of apertures positioned in side - by - side relationship for movement individually into the light beam so that spots or images of corresponding size and shape can be projected onto the photosensitive surface of the film through an objective lens 49 . the plate 48 may be indexed relative to the optical axis 32 to position a selected aperture in the beam , and one means for indexing such plate that employs the relative movement of the photohead 12 and plotting table 14 is described in greater detail in copending u . s . application ser . no . 833 , 374 filed sept . 14 , 1977 now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 129 , 264 , by wood and alford having the same assignee . each of the apertures on the slide may be accompanied by a normalizing filter that balances the amount of light falling on the film from the various apertures . in accordance with the present invention a color filter disc 50 is mounted adjacent the beam axis 32 and as close as possible to the aperture plate 48 . the color disc , shown in greater detail in fig2 includes a plurality of color separation filters 52a - 52h that are arranged in a circular array at the periphery of the disc . the separation filters have different spectral transmission characteristics associated with given wavelengths in the visible light spectrum and therefore transmit given colors in the polychromatic beam of light . as shown in fig1 the disc is mounted on the drive shaft of a small servo motor 54 so that the periphery of the disc containing the filters lies within the light beam from the source 30 . the servo motor 54 rotates the disc about its central axis and positions the respective separation filters individually in registration with the beam axis 32 to thereby adjust the color of the light spot on the film surface . with separation filters of different spectral transmission characteristics and by appropriate actuation of the servo motor 54 , the plots produced by the photohead on the color film f may be generated with any of the colors established by the filters 52b - 52h on the filter disc 50 . the dominant colors transmitted by the filters may be selected from any portion of the color spectrum and it is desirable to include a position such as 52a in the disc with no filter so that black or white images may also be plotted in the same manner as a conventional photoplotter described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 330 , 182 . the color selector 56 controls the operation of the servo motor 54 in response to command signals received from the master controller 20 . accordingly , the desired color of a particular plotted line is recorded in the controller along with data defining the geometric configuration of the line so that colors may be selected and changed in a completely automatic plotting process . a neutral density filter disc 60 is also imposed in the light beam between the color filter disc 50 and the objective lens 49 . the filter disc 60 may consist of a plurality of discrete filters each of which has a different neutral density from the others so that the intensity of the light passing through the disc 60 is attenuated accordingly . the filters may be distributed in a circular array similar to the color separation filters shown in fig2 . preferably , however , the filter disc 60 is comprised by a single neutral density filter in the form of a circular disc shown in fig3 having light attenuating characteristics which vary circumaxially about the disc . such a disc is described in greater detail in the referenced u . s . pat . no . 3 , 330 , 182 . by mounting the disc adjacent to the light beam for rotation of the disc periphery through the beam , the amount of light passing to the color film and , correspondingly , the intensity of the colored light from the color filter disc 50 can be controlled . for this purpose the disc 60 is mounted for rotation by means of another small servo motor 62 that is controlled by a density selector circuit 64 in response to commands received from the controller 20 . not only the color of the light spot on the film but also the intensity of the spot may be recorded in the plotting data so that both color and density or saturation of the resulting plot may be controlled automatically during the plotting process . in a further embodiment of the color plotter shown in fig1 the variable density filter 60 and its associated servo motor 62 may be replaced by means of a control link 66 ( shown in phantom ) between the density selector circuit 64 and the flash circuit 34 . in this embodiment , the density of the color plot is controlled by an intensity control circuit 68 connected to the flash circuit 34 . the intensity circuit adjusts the discharge current through the xenon lamp during each flash of the lamp caused by the flash circuit 34 , and the intensity of the flash is correspondingly adjusted . by increasing the flash intensity , the exposure of the color film f by the light from the color disc 50 is increased and the density of the color exposure on the film changes correspondingly . a decrease of the flash intensity by the circuit 68 provides the opposite change in color density . the same effect can also be achieved by adjusting the flash circuit 34 to change the flash rate or the number of flashes per unit length of a line plot rather than the flash intensity . a color plotter , generally designated 70 , illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig4 . components of the plotter 70 which have previously been described in connection with the plotter 10 illustrated in fig1 bear the same reference numerals . in the color plotter 70 of fig4 the light source 72 is a mercury arc lamp that is energized by means of a power supply 74 to produce a fixed intensity beam of polychromatic light during a plotting operation . light from the source 72 passes through the color correction filter 44 , the converging lens 46 , the aperture plate 48 and the variable density filter 60 . the objective lens 49 then focuses the real image of the aperture in the plate 48 sharply on the light sensitive surface of the color film f . an iris or other type shutter 71 actuated between open and closed conditions by a solenoid 73 is mounted immediately above the objective lens 49 to interrupt the light beam falling on the film during intervals when no exposure of the film is desired . this situation can occur when the head and film are at a standstill or when the photohead and film are moved relative to one another but no line plot is desired . the solenoid 73 is operated by the controller 20 in accordance with a plotting program to control film exposure just as other plotting parameters such as displacement , speed , intensity and color . between the aperture plate 48 and the variable density filter 60 the light beam passes adjacent a pack of color separation filters 80a - 80h . the filters are mounted for pivotal or translational movement into and out of the beam of polychromatic light by means of a corresponding plurality of individual actuating solenoids 82a - 82h illustrated schematically . an actuating device of this type is disclosed in greater detail in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 056 , 317 . a color selector circuit 84 is connected with the actuating solenoids , and in response to command signals from the controller 20 causes the solenoids to move the individual color separation filters into or out of the beam of light from the source 72 . the color of the spot on the recording film is thus changed and the color emulsions on the films are exposed correspondingly . if desired , more than one separation filter may be inserted into the light beam at the same time in order to mix the colors of various filters . if the filters all consist of the three subtractive primary colors , cyan , magenta and yellow , in different density ranges , a broad spectrum of colors at different densities can be generated by combinations of the filters . since all of the filters may be held out of the light beam , it is not necessary to provide a clear filter as suggested in connection with the color disc 50 in the embodiment of the fig1 . the intensity of the beam of light reaching the film f is also controlled by the variable density filter 60 such as shown in fig3 . the filter 60 is rotated by the servomotor 62 in response to control signals applied to a summing junction 76 from both a color density selecting circuit 78 and the computing circuit 38 which receives velocity signals from the tachometers 35 , 36 . the composite velocity signal from the circuit 38 adjusts the beam intensity to provide a predetermined film exposure at various plotting speeds as in the embodiment of fig1 . the density selecting circuit 78 increases or decreases the predetermined film exposure set by the computing circuit in accordance with programmed intensity signals recorded in the controller 20 . in effect , the density selecting circuit 78 performs basically the same function as the density selector circuit 64 in the plotter 10 to control the density of the color in the finished plot . thus , the adjustment of beam intensity at the film surface for a programmed color density at any plotting speed is accomplished by means of the one variable density filter 60 and the control circuits 38 and 78 . if the color densities exposed on the film are adequately modified at discrete levels by the filters 80a - 80h in the pack without need for fine adjustment by the variable density filter 60 , the density selector circuit 78 may be eliminated . in still a further embodiment of the color plotter shown in fig5 the color filter disc 50 in fig1 and 2 or the color filter pack in fig4 is replaced in the photohead 88 by a linear color filter slide 90 . otherwise , the components are the same and bear the same reference numerals as in the plotter in fig4 . the linear color filter slide 90 is shown in detail in fig6 and is structurally similar to the aperture slide 48 in fig1 except that the slide 90 carries a plurality of color separation filters 92b - h positioned linearly along the slide . the slide 90 is mounted in the photohead 88 along the beam axis 32 between the converging lens 46 and the variable density filter 60 so that one of the color separation filters 92b - h coincides with the beam axis and establishes the color of the light spot produced by the beam on the film f . at the end position 92a of the slide 90 , no filter is provided so that a black or white plot can be produced if desired . individual color filters 92b - h on the slide 90 or the end position 92a are positioned in registration with the beam axis by indexing the slide laterally of the beam and relative to the photohead 88 . such indexing can be produced by a servomotor in the head or by moving the head while one end of the slide is abutting a stationary stop as described in the above referenced u . s . application ser . no . 833 , 374 , now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 129 , 264 . the indexing operation is generally carried out when a line plot has been completed and a color change is desired . when the line plot is completed , the power supply 74 is turned off or preferably the shutter 71 is closed to prevent the film from being further exposed . indexing of the color slide takes place and then plotting is resumed by slewing the optical axis 32 to the next plotting point and turning the power supply 74 on or opening the shutter 71 . while the present invention has been described in several preferred embodiments , it should be understood that numerous modifications and substitutions can be had without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , the plotters disclosed are generally denominated table plotters in which the film is spread on a flat surface and the relative movement of the film and the spot of light occurs in a flat and generally horizontal plane . however , the invention also is applicable to drum plotters in which the film is held by vacuum or other means on the cylindrical surface of a drum that rotates relative to a photoexposure head . the color films employed generally include a plurality of color sensitive emulsions spread on either a flexible or rigid substrate to form a photographic plate . in addition to controlling the intensity of the light source , the density of the color exposure may be controlled with the variable density filter and other light attenuating devices such as an iris - type aperture control found in many cameras . incandescent lamps may be employed as light source in plotters such as shown in fig4 where the source operates at a uniform intensity level ; however , incandescent lamps are not suitable in plotters which vary the light intensity to control film exposure because the light from such lamps changes its spectral composition at different power levels and , therefore , a complex color correction system would be required . the various color plotting operations may be carried out in different fashions . all plots of one color may be completed before the plots of another color are started or the machine may readily switch between the various colors as given regions of the film are exposed . accordingly , the present invention has been described in several preferred embodiments by way of illustration rather than limitation .	6
fig1 is a schematic circuit diagram of a constant - voltage power supply circuit 200 according to a first embodiment of the present invention . like or same reference numerals are given to those components that are the same as the corresponding components of the prior art . an output transistor t 1 , which has a source connected to an external power supply v 1 and a drain connected to an output terminal to , is connected to the ground gnd via feedback resistors r 1 and r 2 . a node n 1 between the feedback resistor r 1 and the feedback resistor r 2 is connected to a non - inversion input terminal of a differential amplifier 1 . a reference voltage v 2 is supplied to an inversion input terminal of the differential amplifier 1 . output voltage of the differential amplifier 1 is supplied to the gate of the output transistor t 1 . the output transistor t 1 , the feedback resistors r 1 and r 2 , and the differential amplifier 1 enable an output voltage vout , which is set based on the reference voltage v 2 , to be output as a constant voltage from the output terminal to during normal operation . a p - channel mos transistor t 11 , which has a source connected to the external power supply v 1 and a drain connected to the base of an npn transistor t 12 , is connected to the ground gnd via a resistor r 5 . the transistor t 11 has a gate supplied with the output voltage of the differential amplifier 1 . thus , the transistor t 11 executes a current mirror operation with the output transistor t 1 . the transistor t 11 is smaller than the output transistor t 1 in size . the transistor t 12 has a collector connected to the external power supply v 1 via a resistor r 6 and an emitter connected to the ground gnd . thus , when the drain current of the transistor t 11 increases , the transistor t 12 is turned on and the potential at the collector ( node n 2 ) of the transistor t 12 decreases . a p - channel mos transistor t 13 , which has a source connected to the external power supply v 1 and a drain connected to the base of an npn transistor t 14 , is connected to the ground gnd via a resistor r 7 . the base of the transistor t 14 is connected to the ground gnd via an n - channel mos transistor t 15 . the transistor t 13 has a gate supplied with the output voltage of the differential amplifier 1 . thus , the transistor t 13 executes a current mirror operation with the output transistor t 1 . the transistor t 13 is smaller in size than the output transistor t 1 and larger in size than the transistor t 11 . the resistors r 5 and r 7 have the same resistance . thus , the transistor t 13 operates at a higher speed than the transistor t 11 . the transistor t 14 , which has an emitter connected to the ground gnd and a collector connected to the drain of a p - channel mos transistor t 16 and to the gates of the p - channel mos transistor t 16 and a p - channel mos transistor t 17 . the transistors t 16 and t 17 have sources connected to the external power supply voltage v 1 . the drain of the transistor t 17 is connected to the gate of the output transistor t 1 . the transistors t 16 and t 17 execute a current mirror operation . when the drain current of the transistor t 13 increases when the transistor t 15 is off , the transistor t 14 is turned on . when the transistor t 14 is turned on , the transistors t 16 and t 17 are turned on . a node n 2 is connected to an input terminal of an inverter circuit 2 . an output signal of the inverter circuit 2 is provided to a first input terminal of an and circuit 3 , and is also provided to a second input terminal of the and circuit 3 via a delay circuit 4 . an output signal of the and circuit 3 is provided to a signal input terminal of a latch circuit 5 as an input signal s . an output signal q output from an output terminal of the latch circuit 5 is provided to a first input terminal of a nor circuit 6 . the output voltage vout is supplied to a comparator 7 . the comparator 7 compares the output voltage vout with a predetermined threshold voltage . the comparator 7 outputs a high ( h ) level output signal to an inverter circuit 8 when the output voltage vout is higher than the threshold value and provides a low ( l ) level output signal to the inverter circuit 8 when the output voltage vout is lower than the threshold value . the threshold value used for the comparator 7 is set lower than a normal output voltage vout and has hysteresis . more specifically , as shown in fig2 , a threshold value vth 1 , which is used when the output voltage vout decreases , and a threshold value vth 2 , which is used when the output voltage vout increases and which is larger than the threshold value vth 1 , are set for the comparator 7 . an output signal of the inverter circuit 8 is provided to a reset terminal of the latch circuit 5 , as a reset signal r , and to a second input terminal of the nor circuit 6 . the latch circuit 5 latches an h level input signal s and outputs the latched input signal s as the output signal q . the latch circuit 5 resets the output signal q to an l level when the reset signal r rises to an h level . an output signal of the nor circuit 6 is provided to the gate of the transistor t 15 . when the output signal of the nor circuit 6 rises to an h level , the transistor t 15 is turned on and the drain current of the transistor t 13 is absorbed by the transistor t 15 . thus , the transistors t 14 , t 16 , and t 17 are turned off in this state . when the output signal of the nor circuit 6 falls to an l level , the transistor t 15 is turned off . in this state , when the drain current of the transistor t 13 increases , the transistor t 14 is turned on , and the transistors t 16 and t 17 are turned on . the following describes the operation of the constant - voltage power supply circuit 200 . during normal operation , the differential amplifier 1 , the output transistor t 1 , and the feedback resistors r 1 and r 2 generate the output voltage vout , which is a constant voltage . thus , the differential amplifier 1 , the output transistor t 1 , and the feedback resistors r 1 and r 2 configure a constant - voltage output unit . the differential amplifier 1 and the feedback resistors r 1 and r 2 configure a constant - voltage control unit . during generation of the constant voltage , the drain current of the transistor t 11 is relatively small and the transistor t 12 is off . thus , the voltage at the node n 2 is maintained at an h level , and an output signal having an l level is output from the inverter circuit 2 . accordingly , the output signal of the and circuit 3 has an l level , and the output signal of the latch circuit 5 also has an l level . further , the output voltage vout is higher than the threshold value vth 1 of the comparator 7 . thus , the comparator 7 outputs an output signal having an h level , and the inverter circuit 8 outputs an output signal having an l level . in this state , the nor circuit 6 is provided with input signals having an l level . thus , the nor circuit 6 outputs an output signal having an h level , and the transistor t 15 is turned on . the transistors t 14 , t 16 , and t 17 are maintained in an off state . in this state , when a load circuit connected to the output terminal to short - circuits increases the output current iout of the output transistor t 1 , the drain current of the transistor t 11 also increases . further , the base potential at the transistor t 12 increases . then , when the output current iout exceeds the predetermined overcurrent detection value i 1 , the transistor t 12 is turned on . this decreases the voltage at the node n 2 to an l level and raises the output signal of the inverter circuit 2 to an h level . when the output current iout exceeds the overcurrent detection value i 1 during a period exceeding a delay time , which is set by the delay circuit 4 , the output signal of the and circuit 3 rises to an h level and the output signal q of the latch circuit 5 rises to an h level . therefore , the output signal of the nor circuit 6 falls to an l level , and the transistor t 15 is turned off . when the transistor t 15 is turned off , the drain current of the transistor t 13 turns on the transistor t 14 . this turns on the transistors t 16 and t 17 . as a result , the drain current of the transistor t 17 increases the gate potential of the output transistor t 1 . as shown in fig2 , the output current iout is instantaneously restricted at the restriction current value i 2 . the latch circuit 5 holds this restricted state ( as indicated by the broken line ). the transistors t 11 and t 12 and the resistors r 5 and r 6 configure an overcurrent detection unit . the transistors t 13 , t 14 , t 16 , and t 17 , and the resistor r 7 configure an output current restriction unit . the delay time of the delay circuit 4 is set so that it is longer than the period during which a large consumption current flows through a device , which serves as the load , and so that the heat generation amount of the device does not become too large . this setting of the delay time of the delay circuit 4 prevents the device , which serves as the load , from functioning erroneously . when the output current iout is restricted at the restriction current value i 2 , the output voltage vout decreases and becomes lower than the threshold value vth 1 of the comparator 7 . thus , the output signal of the comparator 7 falls to an l level , and the output signal of the inverter circuit 8 rises to an h level . as a result , the output signal q of the latch circuit 5 is reset to an l level , and the output signal of the nor circuit 6 is held at an l level . subsequently , when the short - circuited state of the load circuit is corrected and the output circuit iout decreases , the output voltage vout increases . when the output voltage vout exceeds the threshold value vth 2 of the comparator 7 , the output signal of the comparator 7 rises to an h level . then , the output signal of the inverter circuit 8 falls to an l level , and the output signal of the nor circuit 6 rises to an h level . further , the transistor t 15 is turned on , and the transistors t 14 , t 16 , and t 17 are turned off . as a result , the constant - voltage output unit autonomously returns to normal operation and generates the output voltage vout as a constant voltage . when the output current iout instantaneously increases during a period that does not exceed the delay time , which is set by the delay circuit 4 , while a constant voltage is being output , the output current iout , which corresponds to the value of the output voltage vout ( constant voltage value ) and the driving capability ( i . e ., constant voltage ) of the output transistor t 1 , may be supplied to the load until it reaches its maximum value . the value of the output voltage vout is set by the external power supply v 1 and the reference voltage v 2 . the driving capability of the output transistor t 1 is determined by the size of the transistor t 1 . when the constant voltage is being output , if the output current iout instantaneously increases causing the output current iout supplied the load to become greater than or equal to the driving capacity of the transistor t 1 and causing the output voltage vout to become lower than the threshold value vth 1 of the comparator 7 , the output signal of the comparator 7 falls to an l level . thus , the output signal of the nor circuit 6 falls to an l level and the transistors t 14 , t 16 , and t 17 are turned on . this restricts the output current iout . this operation is executed even when the period during which the output current iout is greater than or equal to the overcurrent detection value i 1 does not exceed the delay time set by the delay circuit 4 . the following describes the operation of the constant - voltage power supply circuit 200 when the constant - voltage power supply circuit 200 is activated by the external power supply v 1 . when the activation of the external power supply v 1 increases the power supply voltage , the reference voltage v 2 is supplied to the differential amplifier 1 to operate the differential amplifier 1 . in this state , the output voltage vout is equal to the potential of the ground gnd . thus , the operation of the differential amplifier 1 turns on the output transistor t 1 and increases the output voltage vout . in this state , the output voltage vout is still at an l level . thus , the comparator 7 outputs an output signal having an l level , the nor circuit 6 outputs an output signal having an l level , and the transistor t 15 is turned off . further , the inverter circuit 8 outputs an output signal having an h level , and the output signal q of the latch circuit 5 is reset to an l level . thus , when the drain current of the output transistor t 1 increases , the transistors t 14 , t 16 , and t 17 are turned on . this restricts the output current iout . when the output voltage vout exceeds the threshold value vth 2 of the comparator 7 , the output signal of the comparator 7 rises to an h level , the input signals of the nor circuit 6 both fall to an l level , and the output signal of the nor circuit 6 rises to an h level . then , the transistor t 15 is turned on and the transistors t 14 , t 16 , and t 17 are turned off . this stops the output current control operation . then , the operation of the constant - voltage output unit outputs the output voltage vout , which is a constant voltage . the constant - voltage power supply circuit 200 has the advantages described below . ( 1 ) the operation of the output current restriction unit keeps the output current iout less than or equal to the overcurrent detection value i 1 when the output current iout exceeds the overcurrent detection value i 1 during a period longer than or equal to the predetermined time , which is set by the delay circuit 4 . ( 2 ) when the period during which the output current iout exceeds the overcurrent detection value i 1 is shorter than the predetermined time set by the delay circuit 4 , the output current iout is not restricted . this prevents the output voltage vout from decreasing . accordingly , a decrease in the output voltage vout , which would be caused by an instantaneous overcurrent , is prevented without enlarging the output transistor t 1 . ( 3 ) when the output current restriction unit restricts the output current iout and the output voltage vout decreases , the cause of the overcurrent factor of the output current iout is eliminated . thus , when the output voltage vout increases , the output current restriction unit automatically stops operating , and the output current restriction unit autonomously returns to execute a constant voltage output operation . ( 4 ) when the output voltage vout decreases and becomes less than or equal to the threshold value vth 1 , which is set in the comparator 7 , the output current restriction unit operates irrespective of the output current iout . this prevents the output current iout from being an overcurrent . ( 5 ) the output current restriction unit operates when the circuit 200 is powered on . this prevents an overshoot of the output voltage vout and the output current iout . ( 6 ) during normal constant voltage operation , the transistors t 12 , t 14 , and t 16 are maintained in an off state . this reduces current consumption of the circuit 200 . fig3 is a schematic circuit diagram of a constant - voltage power supply circuit 300 according to a second embodiment of the present invention . in the second embodiment , the resistor r 6 in the first embodiment is replaced by a current source 9 . the other parts are the same as in the first embodiment . due to this configuration , the constant - voltage power supply circuit 200 has the same advantages as the first embodiment . fig4 is a schematic circuit diagram of a constant - voltage power supply circuit 400 according to a third embodiment of the present invention . in the third embodiment , the transistor t 11 in the first embodiment is replaced by a pnp transistor t 18 , and the transistor t 13 in the first embodiment is replaced by a pnp transistor t 19 . resistors r 8 and r 9 are connected between the external power supply v 1 and the source of the output transistor t 1 . further , the base of the transistor t 18 is connected to a node between the resistors r 8 and r 9 . the base of the transistor t 19 is connected to a node between the resistor r 9 and the source of the output transistor t 1 . in such a configuration , the collector currents of the transistors t 18 and t 19 increase when the output current iout increases . thus , the third embodiment has the same advantages as the first embodiment . the transistors t 18 and t 19 have different base potentials . thus , even if the transistors t 18 and t 19 are equal in size , the transistors t 18 and t 19 operate in the same manner as the transistors t 11 and t 13 in the first embodiment . more specifically , the base potentials of the transistors t 18 and t 19 are set so that that the transistor t 19 operates at a higher speed than the transistor t 18 . further , the overcurrent detection value i 1 is easily adjusted by adjusting the resistances of the resistors r 8 and r 9 . fig5 is a schematic circuit diagram of a constant - voltage power supply circuit 500 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention . in the fourth embodiment , the transistors t 12 and t 14 in the first embodiment are replaced by n - channel mos transistors t 20 and t 21 . in such a configuration , the constant - voltage power supply circuit 500 has the same advantages as the first embodiment . fig6 is a schematic circuit diagram of a constant - voltage power supply circuit 600 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention . in the fifth embodiment , the structure of the output current control unit in the first embodiment is changed . specifically , the drain of the transistor t 13 is connected to the collector of the npn transistor t 22 and to the bases of the npn transistors t 22 and t 23 . the transistors t 22 and t 23 configure a current mirror circuit . the collector of the transistor t 23 is connected to the external power supply v 1 via the resistor r 10 . the p - channel mos transistor t 24 has a source connected to the external power supply v 1 and a drain connected to the gate of the output transistor t 1 . the gate of the transistor t 24 is connected to the collector of the transistor t 23 . in such a configuration , the transistors t 22 and t 23 execute a current mirror operation based on the drain current of the transistor t 13 when the transistor t 15 is off . when the drain current of the transistor t 23 increases , the transistor t 24 is turned on . this increases the gate potential at the output transistor t 1 . the constant - voltage power supply circuit 600 has the same advantages as the first embodiment . the present examples and embodiments 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 and equivalence of the appended claims .	6
the bacterial strains used in this application are listed in table 1 . e . coli k - 12 strains jm109 was used for propagating plasmids , and was grown and transformed by standard procedures ( sambrook et al ., 1989 ); transformants were selected in l broth containing 1 % ( w / v ) glucose , and ampicillin at a final concentration of 200 μg ml − 1 . l broth with 1 % glucose and 30 μg ml − 1 chloramphenicol was used to grow et12567 . streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ) m145 and streptomyces lividans 1326 were obtained from the john innes centre strain collection , and were used for transformation and propagation of streptomyces plasmids . protoplast preparation and transformation were performed as described by kieser et al . ( 2000 ). sfm medium ( mannitol , 20 gl − 1 ; soya flour , 20 gl − 1 ; agar , 20 gl − 1 , dissolved in tap water ) was used to make spore suspensions . minimal medium ( mm ) and r2ye agar plates ( kieser et al ., 2000 ) were used for promoter - probing experiments ; r2ye was also used for regenerating protoplasts and , after addition of the appropriate antibiotic , for selecting recombinants . for standard cultivation of streptomyces , and for plasmid isolation , yeme ( kieser et al ., 2000 ) or tryptone soy broth ( difco ) containing 10 % ( w / v ) sucrose ( designated tsbs ), were used . growth curves were performed in nmmp ( liquid minimal medium ), with 1 % mannitol as the carbon source . for this purpose , strains were grown on mmd medium , a solid minimal medium with mannitol ( 1 % w / v ) and 100 mm 2 - deoxyglucose , which is lethal for glk −+ strains . therefore colonies that develop on this medium have to be glk − . for each mutant , three independent colonies that were able to grow on mmd were selected , and tested for glucose kinase activity . strains that lack glucose kinase activity are glucose kinase deficient ( δglka ). strains were checked by pcr , which showed that the nature of the mutations varied from large deletions to point mutations . those harboring very large deletions ( beyond the glka gene ) were discarded . pij2925 ( janssen and bibb , 1993 ) is a puc - derived plasmid used for routine subdloning . for cloning in streptomyces we used phjl401 ( larson and herschberger , 1986 ), and pwhm3 ( vara et al .). phjl401 is a shuttle vector containing the e . coli puc19 and streptomyces scp2 * ( lydiate et al ., 1985 ) origins of replication , giving approximately 10 copies per chromosome in streptomyces ; pwhm3 is a shuttle vector containing the e . coli puc19 and streptomyces pij101 origins of replication ( approximately 50 copies per chromosome ). e . coli plasmid dna was isolated from s . lividans prior to transformation to s . coelicolor . pij2587 ( van wezel et al ., 2000a ) was used for promoter probing experiments . it is an e . coli - streptomyces shuttle vector derived from phjl401 with puc19 and scp2 * origins of replication ; it possesses a copy number of approximately 10 per chromosome in streptomycetes . fragments harboring upstream sections of the respective ssga - like genes , as well as of ssgr , were amplified by pcr , using 30 - mer oligonucleotides . the oligonucleotides were designed such , that restriction sites were added so as to clone the upstream sequences as ecori - bamhi fragments , with the bamhi site proximal to the start of the genes . in this way , possible promoter sequences were positioned in the desired orientation and immediately upstream of the promoterless redd gene in pij2587 . red production by the transformants on r2ye plates was assessed visually . the exact inserts of the constructs are shown in table 2 . exact location of the dna fragments harboring upstream sequences of the various ssga - like genes , as well as ssgr , are shown . the inserts were cloned as ecori - bamhi fragments into pij2587 , to allow transcription of the promoterless redd gene . fragments were amplified by pcr , using the relevant oligonucleotides . 3 . constructs for the expression of ssga and ssga - like genes in streptomyces for the overexpression of ssga in actinomycetes , pgws4 - sd was used , an integrative expression construct based on pset152 ( bierman et al ., 1992 ), containing ssga behind the strong and constitutive erme promoter . construction of this construct was described in european patent application 99929959 . 7 ( publication number 1090121 ). for complementation experiments , dna fragments harboring ssga - like genes and upstream sequences were inserted into phjl401 . these constructs for the expression of ssgb , ssgc , ssgd , ssge , ssgf , and ssgg , were designated pgwb1 , pgwc1 , pgwd1 , pgwe1 , pgwf1 , and pgwg1 , respectively . presence of active promoters was confirmed by promoter probing ( see below ). restriction maps of ssgb - g and flanking regions , and exact inserts of the expression constructs are shown in fig8 a - 8f . as an alternative to expression constructs harboring complete copies of any of the ssga - like genes ssgb - g , hybrid constructs were produced containing the ssgra operon with the part of ssga following the bamhi site replaced by comparable parts of any of the ssga - like genes . the architecture of these constructs is shown in fig9 a . in this way , timing of expression of the hybrid ssgax genes is similar to that of ssga . the phjl401 - based constructs contain the bglii - bamhi part of ssgra operon ( i . e ., the − 440 /+ 1000 region relative to the ssgr translational start codon ; cf fig4 a ), fused to an approximately 600 bp pcr - generated bamhi - hindiii dna fragment , with the bamhi site created at a position corresponding to the fully conserved proline residue ( aa residue 24 in the ssga ( seq id no : 11 ) sequence ) shown in the alignment ( fig7 ). the regions − 1000 /+ 3 and + 410 /+ 1400 relative to the start of the ssgb gene were amplified by pcr , using 30 - mer oligonucleotides . these were designed such as to introduce a bamhi site in the middle of the insert , allowing introduction of the apramycin resistance cassette . a thiostrepton resistance cassette on the vector part of pgwb2 allowed distinction between single and double recombination events . transformants were selected for apra r and subsequently screened for thiostrepton sensitivity , indicative of loss of the plasmid . the region deleted in the mutant and replaced by the apramycin resistance cassette is shown in fig8 a . to create a construct for the deletion of ssgr , the 1400 bp bglii - bamhi fragment containing ssgr and part of ssga ( fig4 a ) was inserted into bamhi - digested pij2925 , and the ncoi - sphi segment of ssgr was removed , to create an in - frame deletion in the ssgr gene on the plasmid . subsequently , the apramycin resistance cassette aacc ( 4 ) ( kieser et al ., 2000 ) was inserted into the ecori site of the construct ( outside the ssgra insert ), producing pgwr2 . this construct allows production of an in - frame deletion mutant of ssgr . after transformation of the non - replicating construct to s . coelicolor m145 , initial integrants ( apramycin resistant ) were selected , allowed to sporulate on sfm plates without antibiotics , and replicated non - selectively to allow a second recombination event to take place , and plated for single colonies . the latter were replicated to sfm containing apramycin , to screen for double recombinants , which should have lost the plasmid and hence have become sensitive to apramycin . about 30 % of all apramycin sensitive colonies were sporulation mutants . testing of four sporulating and four non - sporulating double recombinants by pcr revealed that all sporulation mutants carried the expected 300 bp in - frame deletion , while sporulating colonies had a wild - type ssgr gene . one of the mutant colonies was selected , and designated gsr1 . location of the deletion is shown in fig4 a . for complementation experiments plasmid pgwr1 was designated . this is a low - copy number phjl401 - based vector that harbors a 1 . 3 kb pcr - generated insert including the entire ssgr gene , and approximately 300 bp of upstream sequences , including the ssgr promoter region . for analysis of the effect of enhanced expression of ssga on the growth rate and on productivity of actinomycetes , growth curves were performed in small scale fermentations using a bioflo 3000 5l bench top fermenter ( new brunswick biosciences ). 4 . 5 liters of tryptone soy broth with 10 % sucrose ( ts medium ) containing 50 mm cucl 2 and the relevant antibiotics , were inoculated with a 100 ml preculture , grown for 30 hours at 30 ° c . in a spring - coiled flask . the fermentation inoculum was 0 . 2 g / l . fermentations were performed at 30 ° c ., and the ph was fixed at 6 . 5 , by the addition of 2n phosphoric acid or 2n naoh . dissolved oxygen tension was set at 80 % and maintained by changing the stirrer speed . the specific enzymatic activity of tyrosinase secreted by transformants of s . lividans 1326 harboring pij703 ( katz et al ., 1983 ) was determined as described previously , following the conversion of 1 mm dopa spectrophotometrically at 475 nm ( lerch and ettinger , 1972 ). activity ( expressed as δa 475 / sec . ml ) was corrected for biomass content of the samples . to assess the total antimicrobial activity present in the culture fluid of s . roseosporus fermentations , 40 ml samples were taken at regular intervals , biomass was harvested by centrifugation ( 20 minutes at 10 , 000 rpm ), and residual debris removed by filtration using a 0 . 22 μm bacterial filter ( millipore ). a lawn of streptomyces avermitilis atcc31267 was streaked on minimal medium agar plates containing 0 . 5 m cacl 2 , with mannitol as the sole carbon source ( 1 % w / v ). sterile 0 . 6 cm antibiotic assay filter paper discs ( whatman grade aa ) were placed onto the plates and 10 μl of filtered supernatant was spotted on these filters . plates were allowed to grow for four days and photographed . zones of clearing ( dark halos ) represent growth inhibition due to antibiotics present in the culture fluid of the s . roseosporus fermentations . polymerase chain reactions ( pcrs ) were performed in a minicycler ( mj research , watertown , mass . ), using pfu polymerase ( stratagene , la jolla , calif . ), and the buffer provided by the supplier , in the presence of 5 % ( v / v ) dmso and 200 μm dntp . no additional mg ++ was added to the reaction mixture . the following pcr program was used for 30 cycles : 45 seconds melting at 94 ° c ., 1 minute annealing at 54 ° c ., and 90 seconds extension at 72 ° c . the reaction was completed by an additional ten minutes incubation at 72 ° c . rna was purified from mm agar plates with mannitol as the carbon source , as described by kieser et al . ( 2000 ), except that dnase i treatment was used in addition to salt precipitation to eliminate dna from the nucleic acid preparations . for each nuclease s1 protection assay , about 0 . 02 pmol ( about 10 4 cerenkov counts minute − 1 ) of labeled probe was hybridized to 30 μg of rna in natca buffer at 45 ° c . overnight after denaturation at 70 ° c . for 15 minutes . all subsequent steps were carried out as described previously ( kieser et al ., 2000 ), using an excess of probe . the probes used for mapping ssgr and ssga transcripts were amplified from dna of s . coelicolor cosmid q11 . the following probes were amplified ; for mapping ssgr transcripts , a 393 nt probe covering the − 320 /+ 72 region relative to the ssgr translational start codon , and for ssga a 233 nt probe covering the − 192 /+ 41 region relative to the translational start codon of ssga . s . coelicolor strains were grown in 500 ml minimal medium ( smm ) supplemented with 1 % ( w / v ) glucose or mannitol , under vigorous shaking at 28 ° c . cells were harvested at 30 minute intervals , washed twice and then resuspended in cold standard buffer ( 50 mm tris ph 7 . 4 ; 5 mm mgcl 2 , 40 mm nh 4 ac , 50 mm nacl , 1 mm dtt ). crude extracts were prepared by sonication at 50 w ( labsonic u ( braun ); five times for 30 seconds each time ) and subsequent removal of cell debris by centrifugation . glucose kinase activity in cell extracts was assayed using 50 μg of total protein , in a reaction mixture containing 50 mm tris - cl ( ph 7 . 0 ), 20 mm glucose , 25 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 5 mm nadp , 1 mm atp , and 0 . 7 u glucose - 6 - p dehydrogenase ( skarlatos and dahl , 1998 ). s . coelicolor strains were grown as described for the glucose kinase activity assay . proteins of cell extracts were separated by sds - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis on a 7 . 5 % polyacrylamide gel and transferred to a hybond - c super ( amersham ) by electroblotting . glk was detected with a rabbit polyclonal antiserum raised against glk ( his 6 ) of s . coelicolor . glk antibodies ( mahr et al ., 2000 ) were visualized using the ecl western blot analysis system ( amersham ). to analyze what the effect is of enhanced expression of ssga ( seq id no : 11 ) on growth rate and on product formation by actinomycetes , we used streptomyces coelicolor m145 , genetically the most well - characterized actinomycete , whose genome sequence was published recently ( bentley et al ., nature 417 : 141 ( 2002 )), and the related but industrially more relevant strain streptomyces lividans 1326 as initial test systems . s . coelicolor forms large clumps during fermentation , and grow slowly ( doubling time approximately three hours in defined media ). mainly due to these growth problems , s . coelicolor has never been used in industrial fermentations . the ssga gene was introduced in the wild - type strain m145 , which dramatically altered its morphology ( van wezel et al ., 2000c ). recent tests in 5l fermentations showed strong reduction of the adaptation ( lag ) phase , and doubling of specific growth rate on introduction of m145 + ssga . such an improvement of growth rate strongly reduces fermentation time , making the production process much more cost effective , as more fermentations can be run in the same time span . while the growth effects were very promising , we tested what effect this seemingly improved morphology had on the yield of secreted enzymes in small - scale fermentations . for this purpose , pij703 , a plasmid expressing the tyrosinase gene ( melc ) ( katz et al ., 1983 ) was introduced into s . lividans 1326 , a strain often used for the commercial production of enzymes that require streptomyces as the production host . excitingly , expression of ssga had a very positive effect on both growth rate and enzyme production ( fig1 ). specific growth rate of the enzyme - producing s . lividans during fermentation had approximately doubled . another important observation is the reduced so - called lag phase , or the time the culture requires entering exponential growth . precultures of s . lividans harboring pgws4 - sd entered exponential growth significantly earlier than the control strain . clearly , the smaller mycelial clumps of the ssga transformant were much better suited for the production of the secreted enzyme tyrosinase , as shown by the spectacular increase in tyrosinase activity of the ssga transformant (“ 1326 ssga ” in fig1 ). this strain reached a peak of 0 . 94 ( arbitrary units ) around 20 hours after start of the fermentation , while the control strain harboring the control plasmid pset 152 produced 0 . 55 arbitrary units after almost 35 hours . for the analysis of the effect of growth improvement on antibiotic production , we introduced pgws4 - sd into streptomyces roseosporus , producer of the glycopeptide antibiotic daptomycin . control transformants harbored pset152 . similarly to the experiments described above for s . coelicolor and s . lividans , growth behavior was altered , with enhanced fragmentation and therefore reduced pellet formation . an example of growth curves is shown in fig2 a . 40 ml samples were taken at regular intervals from both fermentations , and analyzed for antimicrobial activity using a standard antibiotic assay ( see materials and methods section ). as indicator strain we used streptomyces avermitilis . the size of the zone of clearing around the filter disc is a measure for the antibiotic concentration in the samples . also in the case of s . roseosporus the effect of enhanced ssga expression on growth rate was positive , although not as strong as in the case of s . coelicolor and s . lividans , probably because the latter two strains produce larger pellets than s . roseosporus . however , the effect of the introduction of pgws4 - sd on antibiotic production by this strain was spectacular . while early samples taken from exponentially growing cells contained little antibiotic , as was apparent from the small zones of clearing in fig2 b ( control strain , samples 1 - 3 ) and fig2 c ( s . roseosporus expressing ssga , samples 1 - 4 ), samples taken from stationary phase cultures ( fig2 b , samples 5 - 6 ; fig2 c , samples 5 - 8 ) showed a strong increase of the zones growth inhibition around the filter discs . excitingly , the much larger clearing zones around filter discs containing supernatants from pgws4 - sd transformants as compared to when supernatants from control pset152 transformants were applied to the discs , clearly show that enhanced expression of ssga has a very positive effect on the antibiotic production of s . roseosporus . in summary , the experiments described above convincingly show that ssga has a strongly positive effect on enzyme production and on antibiotic production of several actinomycetes . an ssgr insertional knock - out mutant of s . griseus was shown to have a whi ( non - sporulating ) phenotype ( jiang and kendrick , 2000 ). however , since this mutant was created by insertion of a resistance cassette , this effectively blocks transcription from the ssgr promoter into ssga . to rule out this possibility , and especially to study the role of ssgr in regulating ssga transcription in s . coelicolor , an in - frame - deletion mutant of s . coelicolor ssgr was created , as described in the materials and methods section . this effectively removed the approximately 300 bp ncoi - sphi section of ssgr , resulting in an in - frame deletion rendering ssgr effectively inactive ( fig4 a ). this mutant was designated gsr1 . gsr1 had a phenotype very similar to that of the ssga mutant gsa3 , forming aerial hyphae , but few spores , and only after prolonged incubation on sfm plates ( fig3 ). apparently , the ssgra gene cluster has a very similar role in s . coelicolor and s . griseus . to analyze the growth - phase - dependent transcription of ssgr , nuclease s1 mapping experiments were performed on rna isolated from solid cultures of s . coelicolor m145 . rna was isolated at 12 to 24 - hour intervals during five days , so as to provide representative samples to analyze development - dependent transcription . a 393 bp dna fragment encompassing the − 320 /+ 72 region relative to the translational start site of ssgr , was amplified by pcr , with the relevant 20 - mer oligonucleotides , and used as probe . two transcripts were observed with a length of approximately 210 and 72 nt . the 5 ′ ends of these transcripts correspond to nt positions − 135 and + 1 , relative to the translational start site of ssgr , respectively . thus , the latter transcript lacks a leader sequence . transcription is developmentally regulated , and is strongly enhanced after approximately 64 hours , corresponding to the onset of sporulation . since ssgr and ssga are transcriptionally linked ( van wezel et al ., 2000c ), and both are essential for correct sporulation , a functional relationship between the two genes was investigated . ssgr encodes a member of the family of iclr - type regulators , including several repressors and activators . to analyze the possible dependence of ssga transcription on ssgr , nuclease s1 mapping experiments were performed on rna isolated from solid cultures of s . coelicolor m145 , and its congenic ssgr in - frame deletion mutant gsr1 . a 233 bp dna fragment encompassing the − 192 /+ 41 region relative to the ssga translational start site was amplified by pcr , with oligonucleotides t7 - af ( 32 p - labeled at its 5 ′ end ) and t7 - ar ( fig4 b ), and used as probe in the mapping experiments . rna was isolated at 12 to 24 - hour intervals for five days , so as to provide representative samples to analyze development - dependent transcription . in wild - type s . coelicolor , two transcripts were observed of approximately 115 nt and 100 nt ( bands a1 and a2 in fig6 , respectively ). promoter probe data indicated that ssga is transcribed from the ssgr promoter as well as from its own promoter . however , it is unclear if both bands a1 and a2 represent de novo transcription . if so , the promoter sequences overlap . the abundance of both ssga transcripts increased , reaching a maximum after approximately 80 hours , corresponding to sporulation . interestingly , ssgr transcripts reached a maximum already after 64 hours ( using the same rna samples ), corresponding to the onset of sporulation . this is in accordance with our complementation data , and suggests that ssgr activates transcription of ssga . to test this hypothesis , transcription of ssga in the ssgr mutant was analyzed . excitingly , no ssga transcripts could be detected in the ssgr mutant ( fig6 , right panel ). therefore , we conclude that ssgr is a likely transcriptional activator of ssga . expression of ssga ( seq id no : 11 ) restores sporulation to an ssgr mutant if the non - sporulating phenotype of the ssgr mutant is solely due to the absence of ssga transcripts , it follows that expression of ssga ( seq id no : 11 ) in such a mutant would counteract the mutation . therefore , two constructs were introduced into gsr1 , one with ssga preceded by its own ( ssgr - activated ) regulatory sequences , and one with ssga positioned behind the ssgr - independent and constitutive erme promoter . in a control experiment , we also introduced ssgr expression constructs in the ssga mutant . in this case , no effect was expected . in another control experiment , it was tested if the ssgr and ssga mutants could be complemented by wild - type copies of ssgr and ssga , respectively . the results are shown in fig3 . expectedly , the ssga and ssgr mutants could be complemented by the introduction of wild - type ssga ( using plasmid pgws4 ; van wezel et al ., 2000c ) and ssgr ( using plasmid pgwr1 , see materials and methods section ), respectively . this underlines that the non - sporulating phenotype of the ssgr and ssga mutants is solely due to the absence in these mutants of ssgr or ssga , respectively . as shown in fig3 , the data clearly show that expression of ssgr has no effect on the development of the ssga mutant . interestingly , expression of ssga using the ssgr - independent erme promoter fully restored development , while introduction of multiple copies of ssga behind its own promoter did not complement the ssgr mutant ( fig3 , gsr3 and gsr4 , respectively ). again , this strongly suggests that ssgr activates ssga transcription . apparently , positioning of an ssgr - independent promoter in front of ssga relieves its dependence on an active copy of ssgr . this allows altering the regulation of ssga expression , offering possibilities for growth improvement of streptomyces . dna sequences required for , and mode of , ssgr binding to the ssga promoter region interestingly , a clone harboring 233 bp upstream of the translational start codon of ssga showed no detectable promoter activity , even though s1 nuclease mapping experiments revealed two transcription starts in this region ( see previous section ). the clone was sequenced , and shown to contain the published dna sequence . this is apparently confirmed by promoter - probe experiments using a clone with a larger upstream region ( fragment 2 in fig1 a ), which did stimulate red production . the possibility that the dna sequence added to fragment 1 to give fragment 2 ( fig1 a ) one or more promoters , was ruled out by nuclease s1 mapping experiments , which failed to reveal a transcriptional start site inside the ssgr gene ( not shown ). it is most likely that the dna sequence between nt positions − 600 /− 50 , relative to the ssga translational start site , contains all the necessary elements for activation of ssga transcription by ssgr . members of the superfamily of ic 1 r - like regulators bind as homodimers to two well - separated imperfect inverted repeats , so that in total four proteins must bind for activity ( see , for example , zhang et al ., 2002 ). these inverted repeats are separated by at least 100 bp , and on binding , the spacer dna is folded away . it is likely that the region around the stop codon of the ssgr gene constitutes the downstream one of these two elements ; it is highly conserved among s . coelicolor and s . griseus ( fig4 c ), and harbors an a - rich stretch similar to that found for other ic 1 r - type binding sites . activity of ic 1 r - like regulators is lost on binding of a substrate . while this substrate is not yet known , we anticipate that this may be a high - energy metabolic intermediate such as acetyl - coa , phosphoenolpyruvate ( pep ) or citrate , which signal a nutrient - rich state . alteration of the substrate - binding domain should allow the use of unique and non - metabolizable inducers , for improved control of growth and morphology of streptomyces in liquid - grown cultures . ssgr has a similar effect on morphology and fragmentation of liquid - grown cultures of s . coelicolor as ssga ( seq id no : 11 ) since we here show that ssgr transactivates ssga , it is logical that overexpression of ssgr stimulates ssga , and thus fragmentation of the mycelium . indeed , introduction of low - and high - copy number vectors into s . coelicolor m145 results in similar fragmentation as observed for ssga overexpression , with increased fragmentation and reduced branching , with a stronger effect when multi - copy constructs were used ( not shown ). summarizing the regulatory role of ssgr , it is a key regulator of ssga expression , and provides a very useful tool to fine tune or modulate the expression pattern of ssga , and hence control mycelial morphology of streptomycetes and other actinomycetes in submerged culture , and especially in industrial fermentations . ssga ( seq id no : 11 ) belongs to a family of developmentally active proteins the recently completed genome sequences of s . avermitilis and s . coelicolor revealed six and seven genes with relevant homology to ssga , respectively ( bentley et al ., 2002 ; ikeda et al ., 2003 ). the genes encode relatively small ( 130 - 140 aa ) proteins , which share between 30 - 50 % amino acid identity ( keijser et al ., 2003 ; van wezel et al ., 2000c ). the herein described and used ssg proteins have been renamed to bring their names into conformity with keijser et al . ( ssge ( seq id no : 14 ) and ssgg ( seq id no : 10 )). proteins with relevant similarity to ssga ( seq id no : 11 ) are designated salps ( s sg a - like p roteins ). homologues of s . coelicolor ssga ( sco3926 ), ssgb ( sco1541 ), ssgd ( sco7622 ), and ssge ( sco3158 ), are found on the s . avermitilis genome ( sav3926 , 6810 , 1687 , and 3605 , respectively ), with high conservation in these otherwise distantly related species : the ssgb gene products differ in only one amino acid residue . the highest conservation is found in two sections of the proteins , corresponding to amino acid residues 13 - 30 and 40 - 65 of ssga ( seq id no : 11 ). in total 20 amino acid residues ( about 15 % of the protein ) are fully conserved among all 19 salp proteins identified so far . however , there are no sequences in these proteins that resemble known functional motifs . the amino acid sequences of the salp - family proteins from s . coelicolor were retrieved from the entrez protein databases at ncbi ( world wide web 3 ( www3 ). ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / entrez / index . htlm ). the multalin program ( corpet , 1988 ) was used to create a multiple alignment of these sequences . the output file was loaded into the software boxshade ( world wide web ( www ). ch . embnet . org / software / box form . html . the resulting alignment of the s . coelicolor salps is shown in fig7 , with identical and similar amino acids shaded black and grey , respectively . short amino acid stretches showing high homology among all orthologues were selected and used to search the swiss - prot and trembl databases with the scanprosite program for matching protein sequences ( gattiker et al ., 2002 ). the identity of the hits with these searches determined whether the signature sequence had to be adjusted . the sequence was made more specific when too many hits were obtained , while one or more degenerations were allowed in case not all known ssga - like amino acid sequences were detected by the search pattern . the process was reiterated until enough specificity was achieved . eventually , the following signatures for ssga - like proteins were distilled : where [ iv ] represents i or v in a particular position , x represents any amino acid , and x ( n ) means a number ( n ) of ambiguous amino acids . signatures a ( seq id no : 1 ) and c ( seq id no : 3 ) exclusively recognized all ssga - like sequences , while signature b ( seq id no : 2 ) ( a shorter and therefore less limiting version of signature c ( seq id no : 3 )) also detected a few other protein sequences , including putative morpho - proteins . to establish if any of the ssga - like genes constitutes a functional homologue of ssga , phjl401 - derived low - copy number vectors ( 10 copies per chromosome ) harboring the respective genes ssgb - g ( see materials and methods section ) were introduced in the ssga mutant . none of these constructs restored full development ( particularly sporulation ) to the ssga mutant , illustrating that increasing the copy number and expression level of these genes does not fully compensate for the absence of ssga ( seq id no : 11 ). since in this particular experiment the ssga - like genes are expressed from their own promoters , we also used hybrid constructs in which the ssga - like genes were regulated in the same way as the ssgra operon . tn this way , effects due to differences in timing of gene expression or in the highly heterologous n - terminal sections of the proteins , were ruled out . the constructs are described in the materials and methods section , and represented schematically in fig9 a . surprisingly , despite the low degree of homology ( less than 40 % aa identity for the predicted gene products ), introduction of multiple copies of the ssgrc hybrid gene restored sporulation to the ssga mutant , producing plenty viable spores . therefore , ssgc ( seq id no : 15 ) is most likely a functional homologue of ssga ( seq id no : 11 ). no visible complementation of the ssga mutant was observed when any of the other genes ssgb , ssgd , ssge , ssgf , or ssgg ( the latter not shown ) were introduced , suggesting these morphogenes are not functionally related to ssga . to further study the role of ssgb in the development of s . coelicolor m145 , the corresponding gene was disrupted . the gene organization around ssgb is shown in fig8 a . ssgb was replaced by the apramycin resistance cassette aacc4 , using suicide vector pgwb2 ( see materials and methods section ). the knock - out strategy resulted in replacement of the complete coding sequence of ssgb by the apramycin cassette in a created bamhi site . integrity of the resulting ssgb mutants ( designated gsb1 ) was confirmed by southern hybridization ( not shown ). the ssgb disruption mutants were arrested in the aerial growth phase , failing to produce spores ( fig1 ). phase contrast microscopy revealed long , undifferentiated aerial hyphae and confirmed the absence of spores ( not shown ). thus , ssgb is a so - called whi ( sporulation ) gene . introduction of ssgb into gsb1 on the low - copy number vector phjl401 restored sporulation ( confirmed by phase - contrast microscopy ). surprisingly , gsb1 colonies were significantly larger than those of the parental m145 . in e . coli , such large colonies are induced by the mlc ( making large colonies ) phenotype , most likely due to pleiotropic and favorable effects on glucose uptake and / or glycolytic activity . we propose that ssgb directly or indirectly acts as a repressor of an mlc system in streptomyces . the larger colonies reflect enhanced growth rates . much to our surprise , gsb1 transformants produced increased levels of actinorhodin . thus , deletion of ssgb results in pleiotropic effects on morphology and antibiotic production . the morphology of surface - grown colonies of s . coelicolor gsb1 and its parental strain m145 were analyzed by cryo scanning electron microscopy . while m145 produced long and regular spore chains , gsb1 formed very smooth and non - coiling aerial hyphae , failing to sporulate ( fig1 ). the mutants appear to be blocked in an early stage of aerial growth , although the morphology of whi mutants does not necessarily correspond to a frozen developmental stage . few irregularly shaped , branched spore chains could be identified . in these pseudo - sporulating hyphae , septum distance varied greatly , as transpired from study of the mutant by transmission electron microscopy ( not shown ). to test the effect of enhanced expression of ssgb on the morphology of s . coelicolor , this strain was transformed with a multi - copy plasmid containing the ssgb gene and 500 bp of upstream sequence , containing the putative ssgb promoter . these transformants produced significantly smaller pellets ( fig1 ). furthermore , fragmentation was enhanced by ssgb , although not as severe as that observed for ssga . considering the effect of ssgb ( seq id no : 9 ) on the morphology of liquid - grown mycelium , and the significantly enlarged colonies formed by the ssgb deletion mutant , it is clear that ssgb plays a role in determining mycelial morphology . effect of in creased expression of other ssga - like genes on the morphology of s . coelicolor to analyze possible effects of ssgc , ssgd , ssge , ssgf , and ssgg on mycelial morphology in liquid culture , phjl401 - and pwhm3 - derived constructs harboring these genes and their promoters ( see m & amp ; m section ) were introduced into s . coelicolor , and the resulting transformants were subsequently cultivated in yeme or in tsbs medium . the mycelial morphology was checked by phase - contrast microscopy . while no noticeable effect was observed for increased expression of ssge and ssgg , exciting morphological effects were observed in transformants over - expressing ssgc , ssgd or ssgf . introduction of pwhm3 / ssgc in s . coelicolor resulted in a phenotype reminiscent of the same strain harboring ssga , only with a far less pronounced effect ; it resulted in more open mycelial structures , and a slight degree of fragmentation . unexpectedly , introduction of pwmh3 / ssgd results in extremely small colonies which can hardly grow , and phjl401 / ssgd transformants form strongly condensed mycelial clumps . close analysis of these clumps suggested a strong degree of branching , probably as the result of over - expression of ssgd . interestingly , overexpression of the vegetatively expressed ssgd has an almost opposite effect as overexpression of the developmentally regulated genes ssga , ssgb , and ssgc , which have different effects on growth and morphology , but all result in open and / or fragmented mycelial structures , with reduced branching . finally , overexpression of ssgf using pwhm3 / ssgf completely blocked sporulation of s . coelicolor . furthermore , antibiotic production was strongly enhanced , an effect observed in both solid - and liquid - grown cultures . no significant changes in mycelial morphology of liquid - grown cultures were observed . the exciting observation that overexpression of salp - family proteins has diverse and very different effects on the morphology and on antibiotic production of streptomyces in submerged culture as well as on plates , suggests that together , these four genes can be exploited to finely control the morphology and antibiotic production of streptomycetes and other actinomycetes . this discovery is expected to have great impact on the control of industrial fermentations . the observations for the function and expression of salps are summarized in table 3 . the experiments described above show that transcription of ssgr is initiated at a time point corresponding temporally to the onset of sporulation in solid cultures , and thus approximately to the phase that marks the transition from exponential to stationary phase in submerged cultures . this is immediately followed by the onset of ssga transcription , as the result of its activation by ssgr . to analyze the timing of transcription of the ssga - like genes ssgb - g , their respective promoter regions were cloned into pij2587 , thereby using the production of the red - pigmented antibiotic undecylprodigiosin as a visible marker . the exact nature of the dna inserts of pij2587 are shown in table 2 , and experimental details are given in the materials and methods section . the results are shown in fig1 . additional experiments were performed where each of the promoters was tested throughout the life cycle , by streaking transformants every morning and evening for a period of seven days . in this way , the onset of promoter activity could be accurately determined ( data not illustrated ). timing of the expression of most ssga - like genes was developmentally controlled , and additional experiments showed that ssga , ssgb , ssgc , ssge , and ssgf were expressed during aerial growth and sporulation ( table 3 ). surprisingly , the ssgd promoter region already stimulated red production very early during growth , even before colonies were visible , showing that it is expressed during early vegetative growth , and possibly as early as spore germination . this experiment again shows that ssgd is very different from the other salps , in terms of the timing of its expression as well as its effect on streptomyces morphology . the insert harboring the upstream region of the ssgg gene hardly stimulated red production , and if a promoter is located on this dna sequence , it was too weak to establish its timing . as described above , the dna fragment harboring the ssga promoter fails to stimulate red production due to the lack of the complete ssgr target sequence . the data presented here are summarized in table 3 and fig1 . to analyze the transcriptional regulation of the members of the family of ssga - like morphogenes , the ability of the ssgra operon promoters , and of the promoters of the individual genes ssgb - ssgg , to transcribe redd in the presence of mannitol or glucose as carbon sources was tested . the plasmids were introduced into s . coelicolor m512 , and the resulting transformants assayed for red production . as described above , on the complex medium r2ye , all transformants produced significant amounts of red , except the control strain m512 / pij2587 , which remained colorless . the ssgd promoter strongly stimulated red production during early vegetative growth , as soon as colonies were visible . in contrast , transcription from the promoters of all ssga - like genes , except that of the vegetative ssgd promoter , showed differentiation - dependent expression , with a maximum when aerial mycelium was produced . this shows that these morphogenes are developmentally regulated . to analyze the relationship between feed and morphogenes , the influence of ccr on promoter activity of the various promoters was tested . surprisingly , promoters of all ssga - like genes , except that of the vegetatively expressed ssgd , were repressed specifically by glucose . for this , transformants of m512 harboring the relevant promoter - probe constructs ( see table 2 ) were grown on mm plates containing either 1 % glucose or 1 % mannitol as carbon source . as typical examples we show the effect of glucose on the ssgra promoter regions ( various fragments shown in fig1 a ; plate shown in fig1 b ), and on the ssgc and ssgd promoters ( pij2587 - ssgcp or pij2587 - ssgdp , fig1 ). while the vegetative ssgdp invariably stimulated red production , independent of the carbon source , glucose had a strong repressive effect on the activity of the developmental ssgr , ssga , and ssgc promoters , as shown in fig1 and 16 , respectively . this strongly suggests that the genes are under ccr . introduction of the same promoter - probe vectors into a glucose kinase mutant derivative of m512 , designated m512 δglka , revealed that glucose had no repressive effect on the promoters in this strain ( fig1 ). this proves that glucose repression of these promoters occurs in a ccr - dependent manner . in biotechnological fermentations , it is of course profitable to use cheap carbon sources , such as molasses and other less well - defined sugar extracts . however , we noticed a severe dependence of antibiotic production on the carbon source used . to assess the nature of these effects , we streaked s . coelicolor m145 ( wild - type ) and seven congenic mutant derivatives of this strain on nmmp plates with various carbon sources . we analyzed mutants of the act biosynthesis pathway ( m511 , to study red production ), of the red biosynthesis pathway ( m510 , m550 ; to study act production ), of the pleiotropic regulatory gene afsr ( disturbed in regulation of the red and act pathways ) and an afsr suppressor , of the maltose repressor gene malr , and of the glka mutant j1915 . the latter is a control to establish if the effects can be related to glucose repression , which is absent in this mutant . the results are shown in fig1 . while galactose , xylose , and sucrose failed to stimulate antibiotic production in many of the strains used except the act - and red - overproducing afsrsup , arabinose and rhamnose strongly stimulated pigment production in all strains used . for example , the redd mutant ( m510 ) produces no visible antibiotics on most of the carbon sources used , but large amounts of act on arabinose and on rhamnose . interestingly , the sugars have different effects on different strains : while pigment production is stimulated in some strains , it is repressed in others . unexpectedly , ccr has no direct effect on antibiotic production : while strains grown on glucose generally show reduced levels of antibiotic production , glucose has the same effect on the wild - type ( m145 ) as on its congenic glka mutant ( j1915 ), which lacks glucose repression . also , we observed no difference in antibiotic production by strains grown on arabinose alone or on a combination of glucose and arabinose . surprisingly , arabinose and rhamnose strongly stimulated antibiotic production in all strains , while production is very low on sugars such as sucrose and xylose . therefore , it is clear that the effect of carbon utilization should be carefully checked for each individual mutant and antibiotic . arabinose and rhamnose are metabolized via the pentose phosphate pathway . affecting this route has a stimulatory effect on carbon fluxes feeding secondary metabolism . this is a very important observation , as glucose is a major constituent of large - scale fermentations , and repression of ssgra , ssgb , and ssgc would have a dramatic influence on mycelial morphology , resulting in enhanced branching and reduced fragmentation , and therefore — undesirably — in large mycelial clumps . these negative effects are counteracted by using non - repressing carbon sources , although these are typically pure and therefore more expensive , or by the enhanced expression of ssga , ssgb , ssgc , and / or ssgr ( van wezel et al ., 2000 bcd ). glucose kinase is expressed constitutively in submerged cultures , independent of the carbon source used ( mahr et al ., 2000 ). this is logical , since glucose kinase is known to be involved in ccr exerted by glucose , but also by carbohydrates that do not require the presence of a catalytically active glucose kinase . furthermore , glucose kinase activity was similar in stationary phase cultures of s . coelicolor a3 ( 2 ) m145 wild - type cells grown in liquid minimal medium under repressing and non - repressing conditions , using glucose , fructose , glycerol , or mannitol as the sole carbon source , respectively . to assess the growth - phase dependence of glucose kinase activity , s . coelicolor m145 was grown in the phosphate - rich minimal medium nmmp , with casaminoacids ( cas ) and glucose or mannitol as the carbon source . western analysis showed that glucose kinase was produced constitutively in both cultures ( fig2 ). surprisingly , two minor bands appeared , migrating slightly faster than the main glk band . these bands were particularly strong during mid - and late exponential growth in the presence of glucose ( 17 to 24 hours ), but not in the mannitol - grown cultures . to assess the relationship between the appearance of these bands and glk activity , protein extracts prepared from the same growth curves were analyzed using a glucose kinase activity assay . in obvious conflict with the significant amount of glk present in the protein extracts , hardly any activity was observed in the mannitol - grown cultures during exponential growth , but increased when stationary phase was reached . even more surprisingly , we observed a sharp rise in glk activity ( up to approximately 500 nmol / min . mg ) during mid - exponential phase in the glucose - grown cultures ( fig1 ), coinciding with the appearance of the two faster migrating protein bands after approximately 17 hours . on transition to stationary phase , activity dropped to a significantly lower level , comparable to that of mannitol - grown cultures . s . coelicolor has a second gene encoding a protein with glucose kinase activity , designated glkii ( genbank accession number sco6260 ), which is inactive in normal cells , and whose expression can be induced at high frequency in glka mutants grown for a prolonged period in the presence of glucose ( angell et al ., 1994 ). however , the protein is significantly larger than glk ( 355 instead of 318 residues ), and can therefore not correspond to the faster migrating bands . several more proteins with similarity to glk occur in s . coelicolor , but their homology to glk ( far less than 40 % amino acid identity ) is most likely too low for cross - reactivity of the antibodies . glucose kinase is probably activated by post - translational modification ( van wezel , unpublished results ). extensive studies of morphological characteristics of actinomycetes under different culture conditions showed that in non - buffered submerged cultures , fragmentation strongly increased towards stationary phase . this surprising observation prompted analysis of ph effects on morphology of actinomycetes . for this purpose , the actinomycetes saccharopolyspora erythraea , streptomyces coelicolor , streptomyces clavuligerus , and streptomyces lividans were grown in 100 ml ts cultures buffered with 100 mm mops at ph 4 . 5 , 5 . 0 , 5 . 5 , 6 . 0 , 7 . 0 or 8 . 0 . interestingly , all actinomycetes analyzed showed reduced pellet formation and reduced branching as soon as ph dropped to between 5 . 5 and 6 . 0 . the effect was even more pronounced when transformants harboring ssga - expression plasmid pgws4 - sd were analyzed . a typical example of such an experiment is shown in fig2 , showing s . coelicolor with pgws4 - sd after 30 hours of growth in buffered ts medium . while strong fragmentation typical of ssga overexpression was observed at a ph 5 . 5 or lower , larger mycelial structures were formed in cultures buffered at ph of 6 . 0 and higher , with a gradual increase of mycelium size on increasing ph . apparently , an important physiological change is effected by alteration of ph , which can be exploited to increase or reduce fragmentation of liquid - grown actinomyces mycelium , depending on what is desirable at a certain stage of the production process . this is a very important new observation , which allows the control of mycelial morphology as well as the fine tuning of ssga - ( seq id no : 11 -) induced fragmentation by fluctuation of the ph . ideally , precultures should contain fragmented mycelium , with average mycelium size 10 - 50 μm . in that way , the preculture contains a maximal number of growth nuclei , which show optimal transfer of nutrients and oxygen due to the small mycelium size , which strongly reduces the start - up ( lag ) phase ( see also fig1 ). in our 5l fermentation experiments ( such as shown in fig1 and 2 ) this lag phase varied between four hours ( fragmented preculture ) and 12 hours ( large pellets in preculture ). however , in the production phase , typically after completion of the exponential growth phase , larger mycelial structures are required , with an optimal average pellet size between 80 - 200 μm . shorter mycelial structures generally fail to produce antibiotics ( martin and bushell , 1996 ). obviously , the ph used in the final fermentation process is dictated by production considerations , e . g . to optimize the stability of an enzyme or a secondary metabolite or antibiotic . considering the excited observation outlined above , we state that ph effects may now be used to optimize the production process . the observed ph effect may be used alone or in combination with one of the herein disclosed agents for altering the morphology of microstructures of filamentous microorganisms . angell , s ., lewis , c . g ., buttner , m . j ., and bibb , m . j . 1994 . glucose repression in streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ): a likely regulatory role for glucose kinase . mol . gen . genet . 244 : 135 - 143 . angell , s ., schwarz , e ., and bibb , m . j . 1992 . the glucose kinase gene of streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ): its nucleotide sequence , transcriptional analysis and role in glucose repression . mol . microbiol . 6 : 2833 - 2844 . bentley , s . d ., chater , k . f ., cerdeno - tarraga , a . m ., challis , g . l ., thomson , n . r ., james , k . d ., harris , d . e ., quail , m . a ., kieser , h ., harper , d ., bateman , a ., brown , s ., chandra , g ., chen , c . w ., collins , m ., cronin , a ., fraser , a ., goble , a ., hidalgo , j ., hornsby , t ., howarth , s ., huang , c . h ., kieser , t ., larke , l ., murphy , l ., oliver , k ., o &# 39 ; neil , s ., rabbinowitsch , e ., rajandream , m . a ., rutherford , k ., rutter , s ., seeger , k ., saunders , d ., sharp , s ., squares , r ., squares , s ., taylor , k ., warren , t ., wietzorrek , a ., woodward , j ., barrell , b . g ., parkhill , j ., hopwood , d . a . 2002 . complete genome sequence of the model actinomycete streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ). nature 417 : 141 - 147 . bibb , m . j . 1996 . the regulation of antibiotic production in streptomycetes . microbiology 142 : 1335 - 1344 . bierman , m ., logan , r ., o &# 39 ; brien , k ., seno , e . t ., rao , r . n ., and schoner , b . e . 1992 . plasmid cloning vectors for the conjugal transfer of dna from escherichia coli to streptomyces spp . gene 116 : 43 - 49 . butler , m . j ., deutscher , j ., postma , p . w ., wilson , t . j ., galinier , a ., and bibb , m . j . 1999 . analysis of a ptsh homologue from streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ). fems microbiol . lett . 177 : 279 - 288 . chater , k . f . 1993 . genetics of differentiation in streptomyces . annu . rev . microbiol . 47 : 685 - 713 . chater , k . f . 1998 . taking a genetic scalpel to the streptomyces colony . microbiology 144 : 1465 - 1478 . corpet f . multiple sequence alignment with hierarchical clustering . 1988 . nucleic acids res . 16 : 10881 - 10890 . floriano , b ., and bibb , m . j . 1996 . afsr is a pleiotropic but conditionally required regulatory gene for antibiotic production in streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ). mol . microbiol . 21 : 385 - 396 . gattiker a ., gasteiger e ., and bairoch a . 2002 . scanprosite : a reference implementation of a prosite scanning tool . applied bioinformatics 1 : 107 - 108 . hindle , z ., and smith , c . p . 1994 . substrate induction and catabolite repression of the streptomyces coelicolor glycerol operon are mediated through the gylr protein . mol . microbiol . 12 : 737 - 745 . ikeda , h ., ishikawa , j . hanamoto , a ., shinose , m ., kikuchi , h ., shiba , t ., sakaki , y ., hattori , m ., omura , s . 2003 . complete genome sequence and comparative analysis of the industrial microorganism streptomyces avermitilis . nature biotechnol . 14 : 14 . janssen , g . r . and bibb , m . j . 1993 . derivatives of puc18 that have bglii sites flanking a modified multiple cloning site and that retain the ability to identify recombinant clones by visual screening of escherichia coli colonies . gene 124 : 133 - 134 . jiang , h ., and kendrick , k . e . 2000 . characterization of ssfr and ssga , two genes involved in sporulation of streptomyces griseus . j . bacteriol . 182 : 5521 - 5529 . katz , e ., thompson , c . j ., and hopwood , d . a . 1983 . cloning and expression of the tyrosinase gene from streptomyces antibioticus in streptomyces lividans . j . gen . microbiol . 129 : 2703 - 2714 . kawamoto , s ., watanabe , h ., hesketh , a ., ensign , j . c ., and ochi , k . 1997 . expression of the ssga gene product , associated with sporulation and cell division in streptomyces griseus . microbiology 143 : 1077 - 1086 . keijser , b . j ., noens , e . e ., kraal , b ., koerten , h . k ., van wezel , g . p . 2003 . the streptomyces coelicolor ssgb gene is required for early stages of sporulation . fems microbiol lett . 225 : 59 - 67 . kelemen , g . h ., plaskitt , k . a ., lewis , c . g ., findlay , k . c ., and buttner , m . j . 1995 . deletion of dna lying closes to the glka locus induces ectopic sporulation in streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ). mol . microbiol . 17 : 221 - 230 . kieser , t ., bibb , m . j ., buttner , m . j ., chater , k . f ., and hopwood , d . a . 2000 . practical streptomyces genetics . norwich , u . k . : john linnes foundation . kwakman , j . h . j . m ., and postma , p . w . 1994 . glucose kinase has a regulatory role in carbon catabolite control in streptomyces coelicolor . j . bacteriol . 176 : 2694 - 2698 . larson , j . l ., and herschberger , c . l . 1986 . the minimal replicon of a streptomycete plasmid produces an ultrahigh level of plasmid dna . plasmid 15 : 199 - 209 . lerch , k . and ettinger , l . 1972 . purification and characterization of a tyrosinase from streptomyces glaucescens . eur . j . biochem . 31 : 427 - 37 . mahr , k ., van wezel , g . p ., svensson , c ., krengel , u ., bibb , m . j ., and titgemeyer , f . 2000 . glucose kinase of streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ): large - scale purification and biochemical analysis . antonie van leeuwenhoek 78 : 253 - 261 . martin , s . m ., and bushell , m . b . 1996 . effect of hyphal micromorphology on bioreactor performance of antibiotic - producing saccharopolyspora erythraea cultures . microbiology 142 : 1783 - 1788 . messing , j ., crea , r ., and seeburg , p . h . 1981 . a system for shotgun dna sequencing . nucleic acids res . 9 : 309 - 321 . parche , s ., schmid , r ., and titgemeyer , f . 1999 . the phosphotransferase system ( pts ) of streptomyces coelicolor : identification and biochemical analysis of a histidine phosphocarrier protein hpr encoded by the gene ptsh . eur . j . biochem . 265 : 308 - 317 . sambrook j ., fritsch e . f ., and maniatis t . 1989 . molecular cloning : a laboratory manual . in : 2nd ed . cold spring harbor laboratory press , cold spring harbor , n . y . skarlatos , p . and dahl , m . k . 1998 . the glucose kinase of bacillus subtilis . j . bacteriol . 180 : 3222 - 3226 . van wezel , g . p ., white , j ., young , p ., postma , p . w ., and bibb , m . j . 1997 . substrate induction and glucose repression of maltose utilization by streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ) is controlled by malr , a member of the lacl - galr family of regulatory genes . mol . microbiol . 23 : 537 - 549 . van wezel , g . p ., white , j ., hoogvliet , g ., and bibb , m . j . 2000a . application of redd , the transcriptional activator gene of the undecylprodigiosin biosynthetic pathway , as a reporter for transcriptional activity in streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ) and streptomyces lividans . journal of mol . microbiol . biotechnol . 2 : 551 - 556 . van wezel , g . p ., van der meulen , j ., taal , b ., koerten , h . k ., and kraal , b . 2000b . effects of increased and deregulated expression of cell division genes on the morphology and on antibiotic production of streptomycetes . antonie van leeuwenhoek 78 : 269 - 276 . van wezel , g . p ., van der meulen , j . kawamoto , s ., luiten , r . g . m ., koerten , h . k ., and kraal , b . 2000c . ssga is essential for sporulation of streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ) and affects hyphal development by stimulating septum formation . j . bacteriol . 182 : 5653 - 5662 . van wezel , g . p ., luiten , r . m ., and kraal , b . 2000d . reducing branching and enhancing fragmentation in antibiotic - producing actinomycetes . world and european patent application , ep0974657 . vara , j ., lewandowska - skarbek , m ., wang , y - g , donadio , s . and hutchinson , c . r . 1989 . cloning of genes governing the deoxysugar portion of the erythromycin biosynthesis pathway in saccharopolyspora erythraea ( streptomyces erythreus ). j . bacteriol . 171 : 5872 - 5881 . white , j ., and bibb , m . j . 1997 . blda dependence of undecylprodigiosin production in streptomyces coelicolor a3 ( 2 ) involves a pathway - specific regulatory cascade . j . bacteriol . 179 : 627 - 633 . zhang , r . g ., kim , y ., skarina , t ., beasley , s ., laskowski , r ., arrowsmith , c ., edwards , a ., joachimiak , a ., and sacvchenko , a . 2002 . crystal structure of thermotoga maritima 0065 , a member of the iclr transcription factor family . j . biol . chem . 277 : 19183 - 19190 .	2
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitations of the inventive scope is thereby intended , as the scope of this invention should be evaluated with reference to the claims appended hereto . alterations and further modifications in the illustrated devices , and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . one form the present invention provides a humidifier coupling the reformer exhaust and the incoming cathode air . as shown in fig1 , inlet air enters a system at humidifier 1 where water is transferred from the uncondensed portion of the water in the effluent from the condenser 2 to the gas fed to the cathode side of a pem fuel cell 3 . inlet air from humidifier 1 is then fed to the cathode side 3 of a pem fuel cell where it reacts with hydrogen fed to the anode side to produce water and electricity . the exhaust gas from the cathode side 3 of the pem fuel cell is then fed to the combustion system of the steam reforming system 4 . the effluent from the combustion system of the steam reforming system 4 is then condensed in condenser 2 , and any residual water vapor in the effluent gas is fed to humidifier 1 where it is transferred to inlet air entering the system , as described above . while not meant to be limiting , an alternate routing using the same components is shown in fig6 . while the arrangement shown in fig6 is less preferred , it should still be considered as contemplated by the present invention . another form of the present invention is shown in fig2 . this embodiment is similar to that shown in fig1 , but in this embodiment , a second humidifier 5 is interposed to transfer water vapor from the effluent gas leaving the fuel cell 3 to the gas fed to the fuel cell cathode 3 . as with the embodiment shown in fig1 , a second humidifier 5 also couples the reformer exhaust and the incoming cathode air . as shown in fig2 , inlet air enters a system at humidifier 1 where water is transferred from the uncondensed portion of the water in the effluent from the condenser 2 to the gas entering the second humidifier 5 . the humidified inlet air then flows into a second humidifier interposed to transfer water vapor from the effluent gas leaving the fuel cell cathode 3 to the gas fed to the fuel cell 3 . inlet air leaving humidifier 5 is then fed to the cathode side of a pem fuel cell cathode 3 where it reacts with hydrogen fed to the anode side to produce water and electricity . the exhaust gas leaving the fuel cell cathode 3 then flows into the second humidifier as described previously . the exhaust gas is then fed into the combustion system of the steam reforming system 4 . the effluent from the combustion system of the steam reforming system 4 is then condensed in condenser 2 , and any residual water vapor in the effluent gas is fed to humidifier 1 where it is transferred to inlet air entering the system , as described above . yet another form the present invention is shown in fig3 . this embodiment is also similar to that shown in fig1 , however greater detail is shown to illustrate one possible arrangement of bypass valves , a startup up combustor , and the main combustor and steam reformer . as shown in fig3 , inlet air enters a system at humidifier 1 where water is transferred from the uncondensed portion of the water in the effluent from the condenser 2 to the gas fed to the cathode side 3 of a pem fuel cell . during start up operations , air is fed through bypass valve 20 to blower 21 , and into start up combustor 22 . this heated effluent is then directed through the main combustor 30 to heat up the main combustor 30 in preparation for normal operations , through the main steam reformer 32 and then through the recuperator 31 , to condenser 2 , where water is collected in water tanks 6 , and any residual water vapor in the effluent gas is fed to humidifier 1 where a portion is transferred to inlet air entering the system , as in the description of fig1 and 2 . as shown in fig3 , the main combustor 30 , main steam reformer 32 , and recuperator 31 form the steam reforming system 4 of fig1 and 2 . during normal ( after startup ) operations , bypass valve 20 and 40 are closed , directing inlet air from humidifier 1 to the cathode side of pem fuel cell 3 where it reacts with hydrogen fed to the anode side 7 to produce water and electricity . air then flows through check valve 50 , through recuperator 31 , combustor 30 , reformer 32 and again through recuperator 31 before entering condenser 2 . check valve 50 closes during the period in which startup blower 21 is operating without main fuel processor blower 41 , preventing backflow of hot gas from recuperator 31 to main fuel processor blower 41 . check valve 20 is in between the connection of the exhaust gas from the cathode side 3 of the pem fuel cell to the main combustion system 30 to prevent backflow from the combustion system 30 , potentially damaging blower 21 . check valve 60 is in between the connection of the exhaust gas from the cathode side 3 of the pem fuel cell and the inlet to the condenser 2 to prevent pressurization of the exhaust gas from the cathode side 3 of the pem fuel cell . check valve 60 opens in the event that a blower in the fuel cell ( not shown ) is moving more gas than the main fuel processor blower 41 . check valve 40 connects the outlet of the humidifier 1 to an outlet of the cathode side 3 of the pem fuel cell , allowing a flow of gas containing oxygen to bypass the inlet to the cathode side 3 of the pem fuel cell . check valve 40 opens in the event that the main fuel processor blower 41 moves more gas than the fuel cell blower ( not shown ) provides . as shown in fig4 , water loss from the system is a function of condenser temperature . it is assumed that the humidification unit achieves a 5 ° c . dewpoint approach on the humid end of the humidification unit . in this case , a unit which achieved water balance at 48 ° c . is now able to achieve water balance at just over 70 ° c . due to the effect of the humidification unit , as shown in the preferred embodiments of the present invention . this benefit could either be realized by increasing the maximum temperature at which water balance is achieved or could be used to reduce radiator size , noise and parasitic power . by raising the coolant temperature from 45 ° c . to ˜ 70 ° c . the outlet temperature approach on the radiator is increased from ˜ 5 ° c . to ˜ 30 ° c . which greatly increases the ability of the radiators to reject the heat . this in turn makes a water balance at elevated temperatures achievable . in some applications it may be desired to utilize a fuel processor based on auto - thermal reforming ( atr ) rather than steam reforming . in an atr fuel processor , fuel , steam and air are mixed and reacted to form reformate . heat to support the reforming reaction is provided by partial combustion of the fuel . because these systems must add air to the reforming reaction , they tend to operate at lower pressure and deliver unpurified reformate directly to the fuel cell anode . in order to prevent co poisoning of the anode , co must be reduced to low levels which is typically achieved using a water gas shift ( wgs ) and preferential oxidation ( prox ) reaction . together the systems that provide these reactions constitute an atr fuel processor . an example application of the present invention in a fuel cell power system using an atr fuel processor is illustrated in fig5 . oxygen containing gas ( typically air or enriched air ) enters the humidifier 1 where uncondensed water vapor is transported from the exhaust into the incoming gas stream . a portion of the humidified air is delivered to the atr fuel processor 8 where it is mixed with fuel and steam produced when water is fed from a water tank 6 to a vaporizer 9 . the fuel , air and steam react within the atr fuel processor 8 to form hydrogen - rich reformate which then enters the anode 7 of the pem fuel cell . the portion of the incoming oxygen containing gas not delivered to the atr fuel processor 8 is delivered to a fuel cell humidifier 5 , where water vapor is transferred into the stream . the gas then enters the fuel cell cathode 3 where the oxygen concentration is depleted due to the oxidation of hydrogen to form water . the cathode exhaust then passes back through the humidifier 5 where a portion of the water is transferred to the gas stream entering the fuel cell cathode 3 and then enters an oxidizer ( not shown ) where it is combined with the exhaust from the fuel cell anode 7 and reacted to fully oxidize the anode exhaust . the energy released during oxidation of the anode exhaust may be used with heat ( q ) from the auto - thermal fuel processor 8 in the vaporizer 9 to generate steam . alternatively , the energy from oxidation of the exhaust from the anode 7 may be used to drive a compressor - expander . in either case , the reaction of the anode exhaust and cathode exhaust streams forms water due to the oxidation of hydrogen , and that exhaust stream enters the condenser 2 where a fraction of the water is condensed and collected in the water tank 6 . the exhaust from the condenser 2 then enters the humidifier 1 where a portion of the uncondensed water is transferred into the incoming air . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character . only certain embodiments have been shown and described , and all changes , equivalents , and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention described herein are desired to be protected . any experiments , experimental examples , or experimental results provided herein are intended to be illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered limiting or restrictive with regard to the invention scope . further , any theory , mechanism of operation , proof , or finding stated herein is meant to further enhance understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way to such theory , mechanism of operation , proof , or finding . thus , the specifics of this description and the attached drawings should not be interpreted to limit the scope of this invention to the specifics thereof . rather , the scope of this invention should be evaluated with reference to the claims appended hereto . in reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “ a ”, “ an ”, “ at least one ”, and “ at least a portion ” are used there is no intention to limit the claims to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claims . further , when the language “ at least a portion ” and / or “ a portion ” is used , the claims may include a portion and / or the entire items unless specifically stated to the contrary . likewise , where the term “ input ” or “ output ” is used in connection with an electric device or fluid processing unit , it should be understood to comprehend singular or plural and one or more signal channels or fluid lines as appropriate in the context . finally , all publications , patents , and patent applications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure as if each were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and set forth in its entirety herein .	7
described hereinafter are specific examples of the consitutions and advantages of the present invention . using the system in fig7 a treatment of an etchant of hydrofluoric acid was carried out under normal temperature . 0 . 5 % hydrofluoric acid was introduced into the reaction tank r1 ( 20 m 3 in capacity ) at a flow rate of 2t / h , to which granular calcium carbonate ( 0 . 05 to 0 . 15 in grain size ) was added at the rate of 25 kg / h for a reaction taking 100 hours of residence time . then powder calcium carbonate ( 2000 to 6000 cm 2 / g in specific area ) was added at a rate of 4 kg / h in the reaction tank r2 for a reaction taking 10 hours of residence time . a solution was introduced into a thickener to be separated into solid phase and liquid phase parts , and the solid phase part was transferred into the reaction tank r3 and treated therein by the counterflow method . that is , the 0 . 5 % hydrofluoric acid was supplied at a flow rate of 400 kg / h to the tank r3 , and was integrated into the reaction tank r1 after transforming unreacted calcium carbonate to calcium fluoride . concentration of fluorine contained in the drain discharged out of the thickener was found not higher than 15ppm . table 1 shows the result . capacity of the reaction tanks r1 and r2 were 20 m 3 . on the other hand , capacity of the reaction tank r3 was 2m 3 being reduced to 1 / 10 as compared with that of the tanks r1 and r2 . thus not less than 99 % of calcium fluoride was recovered by the counter flow method . using the system in fig8 a treatment of an etchant of hydrofluoric acid was carried out under normal temperature . granular calcium carbonate was added at the rate of 25 kg / h to the starting undiluted liquid tank r1 of 50m 3 into which 0 . 5 % hydrofluoric acid was introduced at an addition rate of 2t / h . the undiluted solution tank is provided with a stirring mechanism where a mixture in a state of solid and liquid phases was kept for the residence time of 24 hours , then introduced into the reaction tank r2 continuously in a state of slurry . fig1 shows an example of such stirring mechanism in the undiluted solution tank . powder calcium carbonate was added to the reaction tank r2 at an addition rate of 4 kg / h for a reaction . separation into solid and liquid phases was performed by the thickener , and the solid phase part was placed in the reaction tank r3 and treated by counterflow in the same manner as example 1 . that is , 0 . 5 % hydrofluoric acid was supplied at a flow rate of 400 kg / h to the tank r3 for the counterflow treatment , and was integrated into the reaction tank r1 after transforming unreacted calcium carbonate to calcium fluoride . table 1 shows the result . table 1______________________________________ r2 outundiluted fluorine r3 outtreatment concen - caco . sub . 3 composition ofsolution tration in solid recovered caf . sub . 2hf sio . sub . 2 in drain phase caf . sub . 2 caco . sub . 3 sio . sub . 2 (%) (%) ( ppm ) (%) (%) (%) (%) ______________________________________example 1 0 . 5 0 . 02 10 8 . 8 99 . 0 0 . 59 0 . 07example 2 0 . 5 0 . 2 11 8 . 5 99 . 1 0 . 60 0 . 60______________________________________ using the system in fig9 an etchant of hydrogen fluoride and ammonium fluoride ( 10000ppm in content of fluorine ) was introduced into the reaction tank r1 . first , an approximate equivalent of granular calcium carbonate was added at 70 ° c . to be reacted for 10 hours , then an approximate equivalent of powder calcium carbonate was added to the residual fluorine for a reaction of 10 hours thereby removing not less than 99 % of fluorine from the etchant . separation into solid and liquid phases was performed , and the solid phase part was placed in the reaction tank r2 and reacted with an etchant of hf5 % hydrofluoric acid by counterflow to transform unreacted calcium carbonate to calcium fluoride . thus , not less than 99 % of calcium fluoride was recovered . table 2 shows the result . table 2__________________________________________________________________________undiluted r2 out r3 outtreatment fluorine caco . sub . 3 composition ofsolution concentration in solid recovered caf . sub . 2hf nh . sub . 4 f sio . sub . 2 in drain phase caf . sub . 2 caco . sub . 3 sio . sub . 2 (%) (%) (%) ( ppm ) (%) (%) (%) (%) __________________________________________________________________________example 3 1 . 70 15 . 35 0 . 04 11 2 . 5 99 . 2 0 . 55 0 . 08example 4 1 . 70 15 . 35 0 . 04 10 2 . 6 99 . 3 0 . 54 0 . 07__________________________________________________________________________ using the system in fig1 , an etchant of hydrogen fluoride and ammonium fluoride ( 10000ppm in content of fluorine ) was introduced into the reaction tank r1 . first , an approximate equivalent of granular calcium carbonate was added at 70 ° c . to be reacted for 10 hours , then an approximate equivalent of powder calcium carbonate was added to the residual fluorine for a reaction of 10 hours thereby removing not less than 99 % of fluorine from the etchant . separation into solid and liquid phases was performed , and a fixed bed r2 was filled with the solid phase part , and treated with 5 % hydrofluoric acid by counterflow . that is , after transforming unreacted calcium carbonate to calcium fluoride by supplying and reacting with an etchant of hf5 % hydrofluoric acid by counterflow , the solution was integrated into the tank r1 . table 2 shows the result . the mentioned treatment can be applied in the same manner to the drain in which compoisition various etching assistants are blended with the etchant of hydrogen fluoride and ammonium fluoride . that is , the system shown in fig7 or 8 was used at normal temperature with respect to the drain of hydrogen fluoride alone while the system shown in fig9 or 10 was used at 70 ° c . with respect to the drain of hydrogen fluoride and ammonium fluoride , for reactions with calcium carbonate separately performed in two stages . separation into solid and liquid phases was performed , and the liquid phase was discharged as drain , while solid phase was reacted with an etchant of hf5 % hydrofluoric acid by counterflow . thus , not less than 99 % of calcium fluoride was recovered . tables 3 and 4 show the result . table 3__________________________________________________________________________undiluted r2 out r3 outtreatment fluorine caco . sub . 3 composition ofsolution concentration in solid recovered caf . sub . 2hf sio . sub . 2 assistant in drain phase caf . sub . 2 caco . sub . 3 sio . sub . 2 (%) (%) (%) ( ppm ) (%) (%) (%) (%) __________________________________________________________________________1 0 . 5 0 . 02 h . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 10 8 . 4 99 . 2 0 . 56 0 . 06 10 . 02 1 . 70 15 . 35 hno . sub . 3 11 8 . 5 99 . 3 0 . 61 0 . 05 0 . 04__________________________________________________________________________ table 4__________________________________________________________________________ undiluted treatment r2 out r3 out solution fluorine caco . sub . 3 composition of assis - concentration in solid recovered caf . sub . 2 hf nh . sub . 4 f sio . sub . 2 tant in drain phase caf . sub . 2 caco . sub . 3 sio . sub . 2run (%) (%) (%) (%) ( ppm ) (%) (%) (%) (%) __________________________________________________________________________3 0 . 18 2 . 86 0 . 03 acetic 10 . 0 2 . 6 99 . 1 0 . 75 0 . 03 acid 2 . 54 1 . 70 15 . 35 0 . 03 surfac - 11 2 . 5 99 . 4 0 . 55 0 . 04 tant 200 ppm__________________________________________________________________________ it is to be noted that in every examples described above almost no silica was recovered in the calcium fluoride . 200 liters of solution composed of 15 . 35 % nh 4 f and hf1 . 70 % and 51 . 1 kgs of pure calcium carbonate component ( 200 cm 2 / g in specific area ) were introduced into a stirring type reaction tank of 250 liters in capacity . then , air was supplied at a rate of 50 liters / min keeping the solution temperature at 70 ° c .. after 15 hours , ph of the treatment solution was 8 . 0 , and concentration of fluorine was 95 ppm . the same solution as the foregoing example 1 and calcium carbonate were introduced into a stirring type pressure proof reaction tank of 250 liters in capacity . then , pressure in the reaction tank was kept at a reduced pressure of 100 to 200 mmhg by means of an ejector keeping the solution temperature at 60 ° c . after 15 hours , ph of the treatment solution was 7 . 0 , and concentration of fluorine was 13ppm . concentration of fluorine of the solution collected by the ejector was found not less than 1ppm . the same solution as the foregoing example 1 and calcium carbonate were introduced into the same reaction tank . then , a reaction took place by stirring alone without carrying out aeration and deaeration by reduced pressure keeping the solution temperature at 80 ° c . after 15 hours , ph of the treatment solution was 9 . 0 and concentration of fluorine was 337ppm .	2
set forth below is a description of what is currently believed to be the preferred embodiment or best examples of the invention claimed . future and present alternatives and modifications to this preferred embodiment are contemplated . any alternatives or modifications which make insubstantial changes in function , in purpose , in structure or in result are intended to be covered by the claims in this patent . as can be seen in fig1 , in one embodiment of the present invention the assembly 10 comprises a bone fusion tube or rail 12 , at least one bracket 14 , at least one collet clamp 16 which has seated therein a ball collet 18 , the collet clamp 16 being attached to the bracket 14 , and a pin 20 inserted through the ball collet 18 . generally , the clamp system 10 is configured to connect the rail 12 to the pin 20 , which is connected to a bone for fixation and stabilization . the rails 12 may be any size or shape , and persons of skill in the art will recognize that different application require rails 12 of many differing sizes or shapes , all of which are contemplated herein . the rails 12 may , for example , have a circular , oblong , square , rectangular , or other - shaped cross section . typically , however , the rails 12 have a round or circular cross - section and are sized in a manner suitable for fixation of small bones , such as those of the foot or hand . most preferably , foot systems practicing the present invention can use a short rail of 2 . 25 to 2 . 75 inches in length , or a standard length rail of 3 . 75 to 4 . 75 inches in length . the rails 12 may be composed of many materials including , for example , carbon fiber or high density plastic , which allows the rod to be radiolucent . optionally , the rails 12 may have one or more recesses 22 or detents 24 which limit the axial sliding capability of brackets 14 mounted thereon . an example of unique ball collet features used in certain embodiments of the present invention is shown in fig2 a and 2 b . the ball collet 18 is made of aluminum or a similar crushable material , and includes an aperture 26 for receiving the bone pin 20 therethrough . those of skill in the art will appreciate that the aperture 26 may be of a preselected size ( e . g ., 3 mm , 4 mm , 5 mm or 6 mm ) to mate with a corresponding diameter pin 20 . the ball collet 18 further preferably includes a first pair of perforations 28 or cuts , and a second pair of perforations 30 or cuts . looking at the collet from the orientation of the aperture 26 as in fig2 a , the first pair of perforations 28 are directly above and below the aperture , while the second pair of perforations are to the left and right of the aperture . as can be seen from the side view of the collet in fig2 b , each set of perforations extends approximately 90 percent along the length of the collet , with each pair of perforations 28 , 30 extending from opposite sides of the collet 18 . in other words , at one of the aperture 26 , only the first pair of perforations 28 will extend from the aperture through to the periphery of the ball collet 18 , while at the other end of the aperture , only the second set of perforations will so extend . thus , since neither pair of perforations 28 , 30 extends along the entire length of the ball collet , the ball collet 18 can maintain its structural integrity . however , the presence of the perforations provides a “ crush zone ” such that the application of a compressive force ( as provided and explained below ) provides a friction fit between the ball collet 18 and the pin 20 . as shown in fig3 , the ball collet may be supported by a plastic sleeve 32 , although those of skill in the art will understand that the function of the plastic sleeve 32 may be provided by a recess or groove integrally molded within the collet clamp 16 itself in alternative preferred embodiments . an advantage of the plastic sleeve 32 , however , is that the structure of the collet clamp 16 and bracket 14 are essentially identical , thus allowing a modular , more simple manufacture and assembly . in those embodiments using the plastic sleeve 32 , that feature most preferably comprises a peek plastic sleeve which includes a slit 34 and ridges 36 , with the slit 34 allowing for easier placement of the ball collet 18 during assembly , and the ridges 36 retaining the ball collet 18 once inserted . the ball collet 18 , though still has the ability to rotate within the plastic sleeve 32 after placement and before being secured by a fastener ( explained in greater detail below ) such that the surgeon is afforded a high degree of rotation of the pin 20 and ball collet 18 within the sleeve 32 . as shown in fig4 , once the ball collet 18 is inserted in the plastic sleeve 32 , those components can be seated within the throughbore 39 of collet clamp 16 and mated with the bracket 14 . the collet clamp 16 has a collet clamp support aperture 40 ( fig5 ) extending through the flat bottom of that component . likewise , the bracket 14 ( which in a first preferred embodiment has the same structure as the collet clamp 16 ) has a bracket throughbore 41 ( which slidably engages the rail 12 ) and bracket support aperture 42 . thus , when the collet clamp support aperture 40 and the bracket support aperture 42 are aligned with one another as shown in fig4 , a single screw 44 can connect the bracket 14 to the collet clamp 16 , allowing the collet clamp 16 to rotate with the bracket 14 around the circumference of the rail 12 . in a variant of this preferred embodiment ( as shown in fig5 ) the bracket 14 and collet clamp 16 can further include support markings 46 or machined faces on the sides of the bracket 14 and collet clamp 16 , thus permitting the collet clamp 16 to be rotated relative to the bracket 14 around an axis defined by the collet clamp support aperture 40 and the bracket support aperture . in one preferred embodiment , only the bracket support aperture 42 is threaded to make threading the screw through the collet clamp 16 and the bracket 14 easier , although both the bracket 14 and the collet clamp 16 may be threaded in alternative embodiments to provide truly identical structures for modular manufacture and assembly . given the u shaped structures of the bracket 14 and the collet clamp 16 , tightening the screw 44 squeezes and provides a friction fit for the bracket 14 around the rail 12 , and prevents further movement of the bracket 14 along the length of the rail 12 . likewise , that same tightening action squeezes the bracket 14 and collet clamp 16 together , thus preventing further rotation of the two components relative to one another . further , the squeezing action also squeezes the u shaped the bracket clamp , which in turn squeezes the sleeve 32 and the ball collet 18 and prevents the further rotation of the ball collet . ultimately , the tightening action crimps or collapses the perforations 28 , 30 , which in turn fixes the pin 20 in the collet ball 18 . thus the tightening of a single screw 44 secures each of the different axes of rotation in the assembly 10 . the above description is not intended to limit the meaning of the words used in the following claims that define the invention . rather , it is contemplated that future modifications in structure , function or result will exist that are not substantial changes and that all such insubstantial changes in what is claimed are intended to be covered by the claims . for instance , certain embodiments of the present invention may not include structures for all of the axes of rotation provided in the most preferred embodiments . one alternative embodiment of the present invention could conceivably use a single fastener 44 without employing the collet ball 18 of the most preferred embodiments , or vice versa . likewise , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes , additions , omissions , and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention . all such modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the following claims .	0
in fig1 the facsimile transceiver 10 of the present invention comprises a transmitter having a document entrance section formed by a tray 12 , a scanner section 14 , and a document exit formed by a document - receiving tray 16 . positioned below the tray 16 is a facsimile receiver 18 for reproducing the contents of documents electronically transmitted to it from a remote transmitter . a number of controls 20 are located on the front of the transceiver on the right - hand side thereof ( as seen in fig1 ) for selecting the various modes of operation of the transceiver . the document tray 12 is shown in more detail in fig2 and comprises a generally rectangular - shaped tray having a number of smooth plastic sheets 22 , between which are interposed the documents 24 which are to be transmitted . each sheet 22 has spaced - apart rectangular slits 26 formed at a forward edge thereof for accommodating a pair of extractor wheels ( shown in more detail in fig5 ) which remove documents from the tray 12 . the sheets 22 are bound firmly to the tray at the rear edges thereof , and are not separable therefrom ; conversely , the documents 22 are removable from between the sheets 22 , as will subsequently be described in detail . as seen from the arrows in fig3 documents to be transmitted to a remote transceiver are transported from the tray 12 through the scanner section 14 into the exit section 16 . thus , the document flow is from right to left in fig3 . conversely , documents which are reproduced in the receiver 18 flow from the rear of the receiver to the front thereof as indicated by the phantom arrow in fig3 and as will be described subsequently in more detail in connection with fig7 . referring to fig5 and 6 , the document transport and scanner section of the transmitter includes a frame having side walls 30 and 32 , which support various portions of the section . as shown in fig6 the tray 12 is urged upwardly against a pair of extractor wheels 40 , 42 by means of an arm 44 having a roller 46 pressing against the bottom of the tray . the roller is urged against the tray by means of a spring 48 extending between an attachment 50 on the arm 44 and a pin 52 secured to the frame of the transmitter . the wheels 40 , 42 are positioned directly above , and extend down into , the slots 26 ( see fig2 ) of the tray 12 for extracting documents from the tray one at a time . these wheels are connected to a shaft 60 , journalled in side walls 30 and 32 , which is driven from a motor 62 . they rotate in a clockwise direction , as seen in fig6 to feed documents from the tray 12 over horizontal platform 68 toward the nip formed by a pair of roller belts 64 and 66 . the document - supporting platform 68 shown in fig5 a , and 5b is a sheet of metal having side edges 68a and 68b , a rear edge 68c , and a front edge 68d which includes two projecting arms 68e at the opposite ends thereof and a slot 68f at about its center . near the right end , as seen in fig5 a , the platform carries two contacts 162 and 164 to be described , and , secured to the lower surface , is a switch 142 having an operating arm 140 which extends through the slot 68f ( fig5 b ). for operation with the horizontal document - supporting apparatus including the horizontal platform 68 , this section ( fig5 - 7 ) of the transmitter includes an upper assembly 106 which can be moved into and out of operative relation with platform 68 and serves therewith to hold documents flat and move them along their path from tray 12 to the scanning position and then to the receiving tray . the assembly 106 includes side plates 110 and 112 , shafts 74 and 80 , rubber rollers 100 mounted on shaft 74 , rollers 70 and 72 on shaft 74 , rollers 76 and 78 on shaft 80 , and roller belts 64 and 66 which run over rollers 70 , 76 , and 72 , 78 , respectively . the vertical side plates 110 , 112 are rotatably mounted , spaced apart , on shaft 80 ( fig5 ) adjacent to side walls 30 and 32 and above platform 68 . thus , the assembly 106 is rotatable about shaft 80 . the plates 110 and 112 have a generally circular front end 110a and 112a , through which shaft 80 passes , and the lower portion of this circular front end is provided with a protruding and downwardly extending cam surface 110b and 112b which is disposed above platform 68 and in position to bear against arms 68e of platform 68 and to depress platform 68 when the side plates 110 and 112 and the entire assembly 106 is rotated . rotation of the assembly 106 upwardly is limited by a shaft 116 , which slides in slots 118 in side walls 30 and 32 of the transmitter frame . springs 120 , 122 ( fig5 ) extending between the shaft 116 and corresponding pins 124 , 126 on the outer surfaces of side walls 30 and 32 hold the shaft 116 in its lowermost position in the slots 118 , but allow movement of the shaft 116 upwardly in the slots by an operator to a point where they clear the plates 110 and 112 . this allows the assembly 106 and plates 110 and 112 to be swung upwardly about shaft 80 to provide access to the scanner section for inspection and maintenance . the platform 68 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 100 ( fig6 and 6a ) extending across the frame of the transmitter between walls 30 and 32 . one end of the platform is urged downwardly by a spring 102 extending between that end and a portion 101 of the frame in order to urge the other end against the belts 64 , 66 . thus , when thick documents are encountered between belts 64 , 66 and platform 68 , the platform can yield to accommodate them . the assembly 106 also includes a cross plate 102 which extends between the plates 110 and 112 and has its ends secured to these plates . the cross plate is positioned between shafts 74 and 80 and above platform 68 , and , at its leading edge , it carries a plurality of thin , flexible metal wiper plates 104 , the front edges of which rest on the platform 68 close to the nip between the roller belts 64 , 66 and platform 68 . one of the wiper plates 104 &# 39 ; also presses on contacts 160 , 162 so that , when a document is present between the wiper plates 104 and platform 68 , the contacts bear on the paper with suitable pressure to perform an editing operation which is described below . switch 142 may be mounted on the top surface of plate 102 , if desired , as shown in fig5 . the ends of shaft 74 enter enlarged holes 75 in plates 110 and 112 , and this arrangement permits shaft 74 to float and adjust to pressure on it due to documents of different sizes which appear between 68 and roller belts 64 and 66 . the shaft 74 is coupled to pins 90 , 92 on the plates 110 and 112 by means of springs 94 , 96 . the springs apply tension to the shaft 74 and thus to the belts 64 and 66 which extend between the floating shaft 74 and fixed shaft 80 . a plurality of rubber rollers 100 are disposed on shaft 74 , particularly at its ends , to bear on documents , particularly their edges , to prevent them from curling . shaft 80 is driven for rotation in a clockwise direction ( fig6 ) by a belt drive motor 82 ( fig4 ) through pullies 83 and 85 and belts 87 and 89 . the shaft 80 is coupled to the shaft 60 by means of a one - way clutch 130 and a driving belt 132 interconnecting the clutch and shaft 80 . when motor 62 is energized , motor 82 is de - energized and clutch 130 is engaged . thus , motor 62 drives shaft 60 directly , and also drives shaft 80 via clutch 130 and belt 132 . the connections are arranged so that the extractor wheels 40 , 42 move at a peripheral rate less than one - half that of the driving belts 64 , 66 to advance a document from the tray 12 into the scanner 14 . the principle is that the speed ratio is selected to achieve document separation as the documents are removed from tray 12 . a document feeds into the scanner section at this rate until it touches arm 140 of switch 142 which is tripped thereby . when this occurs , it de - energizes motor 62 and disengages clutch 130 to thus stop the initial feed - in ; the document is now at the position at which scanning can start . if this document is the first to be transmitted , the transmitter enters into the &# 34 ; handshake &# 34 ; mode with the remote receiver to indicate its availability for transmission and check on the receiver &# 39 ; s availability for reception . ( details of the &# 34 ; handshake &# 34 ; process may be obtained from the u . s . pat . no . 3 , 582 , 550 , issued june 1 , 1971 .) should the receiver not be available for reception at this time , the transmitter disengages itself from the phone line , and no transmission takes place . however , if both the transmitter and receiver are ready for operation , the transmitter control energizes the driving belt motor 82 ( fig4 ) and simultaneously starts the scanning process . scanning is accomplished by projecting a light beam 150 ( fig6 ) onto the document and moving it from side to side , line by line , while observing the intensity of the return beam . this is accomplished by means of an optical scanner described in detail in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 558 , 415 , filed mar . 14 , 1975 , by r . w . rhyins et al . the disclosure of that application is to be considered as incorporated herein . positioned within the scanner section 14 are the contacts 160 , 162 which are located at the top surface of platform 68 so that they can make contact with the front face ( the face on which information is recorded ) of the documents being scanned . these contacts are connected into a control circuit and normally form an open circuit within the control circuit . however , on encountering an electrically conductive segment 24a ( see fig2 ) of sufficient length to span the distance between them ( preferably , this distance is very short ), the circuit between the contacts or leads 160 , 162 is closed to thereby create a control signal which energizes the motor 62 to cause document advance at the initial high speed rate . the document continues its advance through the scanner at this rate until the circuit between the contacts 160 , 162 is again broken during transmission of the same document , at which time the slow speed scanning rate is resumed . if the circuit between the contacts 160 , 162 is not broken prior to the time that the entire document has passed through the scanner , the high speed rate will continue until a new document is fed into position for scanning . positioned at the exit end of the scanner is a serrated roller 170 ( fig6 ) mounted for rotation with a shaft 172 which is driven from shaft 80 by means of pulleys 174 , 176 and a resilient line 178 . the roller 170 has a serrated surface in the shape of a sawtooth and rotates in a counterclockwise direction ( fig6 ). pivotally mounted above it are a pair of weighted idler rollers 180 , 182 . documents exiting from the belts 64 , 66 are guided by an auxiliary platform 184 into the nip between the rollers 170 and 182 . as the trailing edge of the documents comes into contact with the roller 170 , it is pressed down into a serration by the rollers 182 and is thereby given a thrust outwardly and downwardly by the rear tooth face sufficient to carry the leading edge of the document into the tray 16 . this insures that each document clears the scanner section before the next document comes along behind it . note that this arrangement does not require any rotating parts extending into the tray , and thus provides a compact and efficient design . turning now to fig7 portions of the receiver are shown in more detail . generally , the receiver feeds a continuous web 200 of paper from a roll 202 mounted in a cradle 204 to a writing station 206 over guides 208 , 210 and through a roller 212 . a spring steel , flexible pressure plate 213 bears against the roller 212 to provide a guide and control action on the web 200 , and preferably , an operating handle or the like , represented by dash line 215 , is coupled to this plate to permit the plate to be moved away from the roller 212 when the paper is initially fed between the roller and the plate on its way to the cutting station . preferably , the operating means 215 is accessible to an operator outside the receiver . a stylus 214 at the writing station is connected to traverse the paper web from side to side and is supplied with electrical signals to reproduce information transmitted to it from the remote transmitter . a paper cutter assembly 216 is provided and is positioned to serve the paper web at the writing station after a document has been reproduced . the severed paper is extracted from the writing station by means of extractor wheels 222 which extend downwardly through apertures in frame 224 to contact the reproduced document and feed in onto a platform 226 . a bale arm 228 moves downwardly in a slot 230 to pivot the platform about a pivot point 232 , simultaneously pressing the document against the platform and assisting in extracting it from the extractor wheels 222 . an arm 234 pivoted about a pivot point 236 and loaded by a spring 238 normally supports platform 226 in the elevated position , but allows the platform to move downwardly in response to the motion of the bale 228 . an arm 240 moves downwardly toward a contact 242 of a switch 244 whenever arm 243 rotates . as long as there are fewer than a predetermined number of documents on the platform 226 , the lower edge of the arm 240 fails to depress button 242 sufficiently to change the state of the switch 244 . when , however , a predetermined number of documents have been loaded onto the platform 226 , arm 240 is moved downwardly sufficiently far in response to the motion of arm 234 and bale 228 to operate switch 244 . switch 244 then provides a signal to indicate that the receiver has received the maximum number of documents that it can accommodate and it thereupon shuts down its operation , signalling the remote transmitter that it has done so . no further document will be received after this time . in an alternative arrangement , represented schematically in fig7 d , the rear edge of plate 234 is provided with two rearwardly projecting arms 390 and 396 mounted in operative relation , with the operating arm of a toggle switch suitably supported on the receiver frame . as the plate 234 pivots under the weight of documents , arm 390 operates an arm 400 of switch 406 to turn off the receiver , and then , when documents are removed , the plate 234 pivots in the opposite direction and arm 396 operates arm 400 of the switch to reset the switch and render the receiver operative again . the paper cutter assembly 216 ( fig7 a , 7b , 7c ) comprises a generally rectangular plate 360 having an arm 362 extending away from the plate at an angle at the lower right corner , as seen in fig7 c . the plate 360 has a generally rectangular vertical slot 364 . a pair of guide or bearing rings 219 are secured to the rear surface of plate 360 , by means of which the plate and cutter assembly are slidably mounted on shaft 220 . the shaft 220 is suitably secured between side walls of the receiver represented schematically by reference numerals 386 , 387 in fig7 a , and a spring 388 is mounted on shaft 220 between a ring 219 and side wall 386 . it is assumed that the cutter assembly moves to the right in fig7 a and 8 to compress spring 388 when it is cocked and prepared for a cutting operation . a second smaller l - shaped plate 366 , having horizontal arm 365 and vertical arm 367 , is pivotally coupled to the front surface of the rectangular plate 360 by means of pin 368 . the plate 366 carries a pin 370 on its rear surface which is disposed in the slot 364 as a guide slot . the vertical arm 367 of l - shaped plate 366 has a notch 369 , for a purpose to be described , and its lower end 371 is bent away from its front surface , as seen in fig7 c . arm 371 lies adjacent to and to the left of arm 362 , as seen in fig7 b . a cutting blade 372 oriented with the cutting surface vertical and facing to the left , as seen in fig7 and 7b , is secured to the l - shaped plate 366 , and the plate is pivotally biased , so that the blade is vertical and projects above the upper edge 361 of plate 360 , by means of a spring 374 on the rear surface of plate 360 . the spring has one arm engaging the pin 370 in the slot 364 and the other arm secured to the plate 360 by means of pin 376 . in its second position , shown in dash lines , the plate 366 is pivoted so that the blade 372 is beneath the top surface 361 of the rectangular plate 360 . an l - shaped bracket 378 provides a protective slot , into which the blade is held in the second position . as seen in fig8 the cutter assembly 216 is mounted so that the projecting arms 371 and 362 of plates 366 and 360 are oriented generally vertically and accessible to apparatus to be described . referring to fig7 - 8 , a drive chain 250 , mounted on sprockets 252 , ( one is shown ) carries a pin 254 which moves to the right as the sprocket 252 rotates in the clockwise direction , as shown in fig8 by the arrows . as the pin 254 moves , it engages notch 369 in plate 361 and pivots the cutter blade 216 downwardly so that it lies below top surface 361 of plate 360 . this action also drives the cutter assembly to the right to the cocked position , in which spring 388 is compressed and in which it is ready to cut the paper . pin 254 on chain 250 also operates a plate 270 positioned adjacent to chain 250 for slidable motion along slots 274 , 275 guided by pins 272 , 273 . a spring 276 connected between the plate 270 and pin 278 on the frame normally biases the plate 270 to its leftmost position , as shown in fig8 . however , during the cocking operation , the rearward extension 254a of the pin presses against a face 270a and moves the plate 270 to the right where it slides over an arm 280 of a switch 282 . this de - energizes the motor driving the sprockets , stops the chain , and the cutter head is held in cocked position . on completing reproduction of the next document , the system electronic logic causes the motor which drives sprockets 252 to be energized , and chain 250 moves , and pin 254 starts its downward descent around the sprocket . as it does so , it first becomes disengaged from the plate 366 , the plate rotates clockwise , and the blade 372 snaps up under the influence of spring 374 , into cutting position oriented vertically , as in fig7 a . the pin then disengages from arm 362 of plate 360 , and the cutter assembly can fly to the left and cut the paper . at this time , pin 254 also leaves plate 270 and releases the plate so that it can be pulled to the left and open switch 282 . thus , the motor which drives sprockets 252 is ready for the next cycle of operation . the receiver also includes a filter 380 which is in the form of a box which comprises a dust collector and air filter , and is disposed generally beneath the paper - cutting portion of the receiver . a suction apparatus 384 is disposed beneath the filter box and is adapted to draw air through the box . the filter box is removable through the front of the receiver portion for cleaning purposes or replacement .	7
objects , advantages , and features of the exemplary adjustable shear ledge and shroud for a material spreader described herein will be apparent to one skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification , including the attached drawings . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views . it is noted that as used in the specification and the appending claims the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” can include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . as shown in fig1 a - 1c , a material spreader 1 of the present disclosure may include a material holding container 10 , a hitch 20 , a power take - off 30 , a drive enclosure 40 , at least one auger ( not shown ), and a discharge device 50 . the container 10 of the material spreader 1 may include angled sidewalls 12 to allow materials stored in the container 10 , such as manure or fertilizer , to be conveyed downwards toward a bottom 14 of the container 10 . the discharge device 50 may be disposed on a side surface of one of the angled sidewalls 12 . additionally , the at least one auger may be housed near the bottom 14 of the container 10 , along a portion of one of the angled sidewalls 12 . referring to fig2 a and 2b , the discharge device 50 may include a discharge inlet 52 , a discharge outlet 54 , and a housing 56 . the discharge inlet 52 may include a discharge door 58 located between the discharge device 50 and the container 10 . the discharge door 58 may control the amount of material entering the discharge device 50 from the container 10 or may prevent any material from entering the discharge device 50 . using rotational power received from the power take - off device 30 , the drive enclosure 40 may then convert the power received from the power take - off 30 to an appropriate rotational speed in order to drive the at least one auger . during operation , the at least one auger may be rotatably actuated in order to convey materials located within the container 10 towards the discharge inlet 52 . the discharge device 50 may then convey the materials out of the housing 56 via the discharge outlet 54 laterally outward from the discharge device 50 , as will be described in further detail below . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , the discharge device 50 may include an adjustable shear ledge 60 and an adjustable shroud 70 . as shown in fig3 a and 3b , the discharge device 50 may include a drive shaft 80 and a plurality of material conveying components 82 which may be attached to the drive shaft 80 . the drive shaft 80 may be mounted to the housing 56 of the discharge device 50 , and the housing 56 may be attached to a side surface of one of the angled sidewalls 12 . each of the plurality of material conveying components 82 may include a front face 84 and a bottom surface 86 . the drive enclosure 40 may convert power received from the power take - off 30 to an appropriate rotational speed in order to drive the drive shaft 80 . during operation , the drive shaft 80 may be rotatably actuated and the plurality of material conveying components 82 are correspondingly rotated about a center of the drive shaft 80 in a counter - clockwise manner ( r ), as shown in fig3 a . in one embodiment , the center of the drive shaft 80 may be configured to move towards or away from the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 in order to adjust a gap distance between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and at least one of the adjustable shear ledge 60 and the adjustable shroud 70 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig4 , the adjustable shear ledge 60 of the discharge device 50 may include a shear top surface 62 . the adjustable shear ledge 60 may also include a shearing edge 64 . the adjustable shroud 70 of the discharge device 50 may be disposed adjacent to the adjustable shear ledge 60 . the adjustable shroud 70 may include a shroud top surface 72 . when the plurality of material conveying components 82 are rotated , a portion of the materials located near the discharge inlet 52 may be scooped up by the front surface 84 of one of the plurality of material conveying components 82 . subsequently , as the front surfaces 84 of the plurality of material conveying components 82 nears the adjustable shear ledge 60 , a portion of materials is separated and peeled from the remainder of the materials as other portions of the materials contact the shearing edge 64 located near the discharge inlet 52 . the portion of the materials may then be guided along the shear top surface 62 . after passing along the shear top surface 62 of the adjustable shear ledge 60 , the portion of the materials may then be guided along a shroud top surface 72 and then slung underhand laterally out the side of the discharge outlet 54 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig5 , the adjustable shear ledge 60 may include a plurality of reinforcing tabs 66 . the plurality of reinforcing tabs 66 may be disposed on an underside of the adjustable shear ledge 60 , opposite of the shear top surface 62 , in order to provide structural strength to the adjustable shear ledge 60 . each of the plurality of reinforcing tabs 66 may also include a mounting hole 68 disposed on an end opposite of the shearing edge 64 . the adjustable shear ledge 60 may also include a plurality of mounting brackets 63 having mounting members 65 disposed thereon . the mounting members 65 may be in the form of a longitudinal slot or a longitudinal rail . the plurality of mounting brackets 63 may be provided on opposite lateral ends of the adjustable shear ledge 60 . the mounting members 65 of the mounting brackets 63 may be parallel with a rear surface 67 of the shearing edge 64 . in one embodiment , each of the plurality of mounting brackets 63 includes at least two mounting members 65 . in one embodiment , the shearing edge 64 moves along a plane that passes substantially through a center of the shaft 80 . the adjustable shroud 70 may include a plurality of longitudinal ribs 74 and a plurality of lateral ribs 76 on a side opposite of the shroud top surface 72 in order to provide structural rigidity to the adjustable shroud 70 . one end of the longitudinal ribs 74 may include a through hole 78 . the adjustable shroud 70 may include a plurality of external mounting plates 71 disposed on each lateral end of the adjustable shroud 70 . a shroud mounting hole 73 may also be provided on each of the external mounting plates 71 . in one embodiment , the adjustable shear ledge 60 and adjustable shroud 70 may be assembled adjacent to each other . the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be pivotably connected to the adjustable shroud 70 . a fastener or bearing ( not shown ) may be provided to couple the mounting hole 68 of the adjustable shear ledge 60 to the through hole 78 of the adjustable shroud 70 . in operation , the adjustable shroud 70 may pivot relative to the adjustable shear ledge 60 . in one embodiment , the fastener or bearing securing the adjustable shear ledge 60 to the adjustable shroud 70 may be designed to fail , when a predetermined load is applied to the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 , in order to provide overload protection for the other components of the discharge device 50 . for example , overload protection may be required when an unusually large object attempts to pass through the discharge device 50 and would otherwise become stuck or cause damage to critical , expensive , or hard to replace components of the discharge device . as shown in fig6 - 8 , the adjustable shear ledge 60 and the adjustable shroud 70 may be mounted to the bottom 14 of the container 10 . the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be a self - contained structure , or the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be integral with the container 10 . in one embodiment , outer mounting beams 16 may be positioned on opposite sides of the shaft 80 as shown in fig6 and 7 . the outer mounting beams 16 may be attached to inner mounting beams 18 positioned below the bottom 14 of the container 10 . a first outer mounting beam 16 a may be disposed closer towards a front end of the material spreader 1 . as shown in fig6 and 7 , the first outer mounting beam 16 a may be formed to correspond to a portion of the drive enclosure 40 so as to fit around a side 40 a and a bottom portion 40 b of the drive enclosure 40 . a second outer mounting beam 16 b may be disposed closer towards a rear end of the material spreader 1 . the outer mounting beams 16 may each include a shroud adjusting port 15 . the outer mounting beams 16 may each include at least one first shear adjustment port 17 , or at least one shear adjusting track ( not shown ). each first shear adjustment port 17 may be attached by a bolt or other fastener to at least one of a plurality of second adjustment ports 19 , or one of a plurality of second shear adjusting tracks ( not shown ), formed in the inner mounting beams 18 . in one embodiment , the mounting members 65 may be provided on the mounting beams 16 , 18 , and corresponding adjustment ports , or adjustment tracks , may be provided on the mounting brackets 63 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig7 and 8 , each of the mounting brackets 63 of the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be attached to a respective inner mounting beam 18 , and a respective one of the first outer mounting beam 16 a and the second outer mounting beam 16 b . by lining up the mounting members 65 with the first shear adjustment ports 17 and the second shear adjustment ports 19 , a bolt and / or another fastener system may be used to secure the adjustable shear ledge 60 to the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ). in one embodiment , as shown in fig9 a , the fastener system may include , on one side , at least one bolt 102 and at least one washer 104 secured to least one nut 106 on an opposite side of the a respective mounting beam ( 16 a , 16 b , or 18 ) to lock the adjustable shear ledge 60 in a desired position . in one embodiment , the at least one bolt 102 may be designed to fail , when a predetermined load is applied to the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 , to provide overload protection for the other components of the discharge device 50 . in one embodiment , the at least one bolt 102 , the at least one washer 104 , and the at least one nut 106 may be forcibly slid along the slots or rails provided by the mounting members 65 , while being secured to one of the first shear adjustment ports 17 and / or one of the second shear adjustment ports 19 , when a predetermined load is applied to the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 , to provide overload protection for the other components of the discharge device 50 . in one embodiment , the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be provided with a guide system , and the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ) may be provided with a corresponding follower system to follow the guide system . in one embodiment , the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be provided with a follower system and the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ) may be provided with a guide system . the guide system and the follower system may enable the adjustable shear ledge 60 to be repositioned relative to the plurality of material conveying components 82 by way of repositioning the adjustable shear ledge 60 on the mounting beams ( 16 a , 18 ). in one embodiment , the guide system may be in the form of a track , groove , rail , etc ., and the corresponding follower system may be in the form of a peg , wheel , ball joint , etc . for example , the peg of the follower system may follow along a track of the guide system . in one embodiment , fasteners may be used to set and hold a current location of the follower system relative to the guide system . in one embodiment , a set screw or a bolt and nut combination may be used to secure and lock the follower system at a particular location on the guide system to lock a position of the adjustable shear ledge 60 in place . in one embodiment a shock absorption system may be disposed between the adjustable shear ledge 60 and the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ) in order to provide overload protection for the adjustable shear ledge 60 . in one embodiment , a shock absorption system may be interposed between the guide system and the follower system . the shock absorption system may include a spring - loaded mount or an elastomeric mount . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system may enable the adjustable shear ledge 60 to move relative to the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ) and away from the plurality of material conveying components 82 . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system may provide overload protection by enabling large objects or obstructions to pass through the discharge device 50 by temporarily increasing an operating clearance between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustable shear ledge 60 , and / or between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustable shroud 70 . once the large object or obstruction has passed , the shock absorption system may return the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 back to a normal or previously set location and operating clearance . the overload protection may thereby prevent damage to the discharge device and reduces operating down time . in one embodiment , adjustments to the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 may be performed manually by an operator loosening / tightening bolts and / or fasteners and then shifting a current position of the adjustable shear ledge 60 to a new position . in one embodiment , adjustments to the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 may be implemented using a hydraulic system or a mechanical linkage . in one embodiment , a shroud mounting port 15 may be formed in each of the outer mounting beams 16 as shown in fig8 . with the shroud mounting port 15 , respective mounting plates 71 may be attached to each of the outer mounting beams 16 . specifically , by lining up each shroud mounting hole 73 with a portion of a respective shroud adjusting port 15 , a bolt and / or other fastener may be used to secure the adjustable shroud 70 to a respective outer mounting beam ( 16 a , 16 b ). in one embodiment , as shown in fig8 a , and 9b , an opening of the shroud adjusting port 15 may be sized larger than an opening of the mounting hole 73 . in this configuration , the mounting hole 73 can be moved vertically and / or horizontally into an infinite number of positions , with respect to the shroud adjusting port 15 , while still remaining within a boundary of the opening of the shroud adjusting port 15 . a bolt and / or other fastener together with a washer or a movable installation plate may be used to secure the adjustable shroud 70 to the outer mounting beams 16 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig9 a , a bolt 91 , a washer 92 , an eccentric plate 93 , and a nut 94 may be provided to secure the external mounting plates 71 to the outer mounting beams 16 . the eccentric plate 93 may be provided to prevent the bolt 91 from passing through the opening of the adjusting port 15 while enabling the bolt 91 to be secured to the nut 94 in a plurality of positions . in one embodiment , a bracket 95 and a set screw adjustment 96 which may include an eyebolt , may be provided to assist in aligning the adjustable shroud 70 . by adjusting the location of where the adjustable shroud 70 is secured with respect to the outer mounting beams 16 , a gap distance between the shroud top surface 72 and the plurality of material conveying components 82 may be adjusted to achieve a desired gap distance and to promote concentricity . in one embodiment , the bolt 91 may be designed to fail when a predetermined load is applied to provide overload protection for the other components of the discharge device 50 . in one embodiment , the bolt 91 , the washer 92 , the eccentric plate 93 , and the nut 94 may be forcibly repositioned with respect to the opening of the adjusting port 15 , while being secured to one of the shroud mounting holes 73 , when a predetermined load is applied to provide overload protection for the other components of the discharge device 50 . in one embodiment , the external mounting plates 71 of the adjustable shroud 70 may be provided with a guide system , and the outer mounting beams 16 may be provided with a corresponding follower system to follow the guide system . the guide system may be in the form of a track , groove , rail , etc . in one embodiment , the external mounting plates 71 of the adjustable shroud 70 may be provided with a follower system , and the outer mounting beams 16 may be provided with a corresponding guide system to guide the follower system . the guide system and the follower system may enable the adjustable shroud 70 to be repositioned relative to the plurality of material conveying components 82 by way of repositioning the adjustable shroud 70 on the outer mounting beams 16 . in one embodiment , the guide system may be in the form of a track , groove , rail , etc ., and the corresponding follower system may be in the form of a peg , wheel , ball joint , etc . for example , the peg of the follower system may follow along a track of the guide system . in one embodiment , fasteners may be used to set and hold a current location of the follower system relative to the guide system . in one embodiment , fasteners may be used to set and hold a current location of the follower system with respect to the guide system . in one embodiment , a set screw or a bolt and nut combination may be used to secure the follower system at a particular location on the guide system to lock a position of the adjustable shear shroud 70 in place . in one embodiment a shock absorption system may be disposed between the adjustable shroud 70 and the outer mounting beams 16 in order to provide overload protection for the adjustable shroud 70 . in one embodiment , a shock absorption system may be interposed between the guide system and the follower system . the shock absorption system may include a spring - loaded mount or an elastomeric mount . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system may enable the adjustable shroud 70 to move relative to the outer mounting beams and away from the plurality of material conveying components 82 . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system may provide overload protection by enabling large objects or obstructions to pass through the discharge device 50 by temporarily increasing an operating clearance between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustable shear ledge 60 , and / or between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustable shroud 70 . once the large object or obstruction has passed , the shock absorption system may return the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 back to a normal or previously set location and operating clearance . the overload protection may thereby prevent damage to the discharge device and reduces operating down time . in one embodiment , both the adjustable shear ledge 60 and the adjustable shroud 70 may both be moved with respect to the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ) to achieve a desired gap distance and promote concentricity with the plurality of material conveying components 82 . additionally , while the adjustable shear ledge 60 and adjustable shroud 70 are being moved , the adjustable shroud 70 may also be pivoted with respect to the adjustable shear ledge 60 , thus enabling the entire shroud top surface 72 to be brought closer towards the plurality of material conveying components 82 to promote concentricity . in one embodiment as shown in fig9 a and 9b , a hydraulic system 110 may be provided to adjust a position of the adjustable shear ledge 60 and the adjustable shroud 70 . the hydraulic system 110 may include a first hydraulic actuator 111 secured at a first end 112 to the bottom of the container 14 or to the housing 56 of the discharge device 50 . the hydraulic actuator 111 may be secured at a second end 113 to a bracket 114 of the adjustable shear ledge 60 . in one embodiment , the hydraulic actuator 111 may be installed parallel with or substantially parallel with the bottom of the container 14 to laterally adjust a position of the adjustable shear ledge 60 , or both the adjustable shear ledge 60 and the adjustable shroud 70 . in one embodiment , the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 may be repositioned laterally away from a center of the container 10 as the hydraulic actuator 111 is extended , or towards the center of the container 10 as the hydraulic actuator 111 is retracted . the hydraulic system 110 may include a second hydraulic actuator 115 with a first end 116 secured to the bracket 114 of the adjustable shear ledge 60 . the second hydraulic actuator 115 may include a second end 117 secured to a bracket 119 of the adjustable shroud 70 . in one embodiment , the second hydraulic actuator 115 may extend at an angle , downward from the first hydraulic actuator 111 , in order to rotatably adjust the adjustable shroud 70 with respect to the adjustable shear ledge 60 . in one embodiment , the adjustable shroud 70 may be rotated upward towards the plurality of material conveying components 82 as the second hydraulic actuator 115 is extended , or rotated downward away from the plurality of material conveying components 82 as the second hydraulic actuator 115 is retracted . in one embodiment , the first hydraulic actuator 111 and / or the second hydraulic actuator 115 may be adjusted to extend or retract on demand in response to a predetermined load applied to the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or adjustable shroud 70 to provide overload protection for the other components of the discharge device 50 . in one embodiment , the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be provided with a guide system , and the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ) may be provided with a corresponding follower system to follow the guide system , or vice versa . the guide system and the follower system , together with the hydraulic system , may be used to adjust a position of the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 relative to the plurality of material conveying components 82 by way of repositioning the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 on the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ). the first hydraulic actuator 111 may be used to set and hold a position of the adjustable shear ledge 60 relative to the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ). the guide system and the follower system , together with the hydraulic system 110 , may be used to adjust a position of the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 relative to the plurality of material conveying components 82 by way of repositioning the adjustable shroud 70 and / or the adjustable shear ledge 60 on the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ). the second hydraulic actuator 115 may be used to set and hold a position of the adjustable shroud 70 and / or the adjustable shear ledge 60 on the mounting beams ( 16 , 18 ). in one embodiment , a shock absorption system may be installed in series or in parallel with the first hydraulic actuator 111 and / or the second hydraulic actuator 115 . the shock absorption system may provide overload protection by enabling large objects or obstructions to pass through the discharge device 50 by temporarily increasing an operating clearance between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustable shear ledge 60 , and / or between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustable shroud 70 . once the large object or obstruction has passed , the shock absorption system may return the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 back to a normal or previously set location and operating clearance . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system may be spring loaded device . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system is actuated when a predetermined force is applied on the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 . in one embodiment , when the shock absorption system is actuated , a distance between the first end 112 and the second end 113 of the first hydraulic actuator 111 may be extended or shortened as needed to allow the obstruction to pass . in one embodiment , when the shock absorption system is actuated , a distance between the first end 116 and the second end 117 of the second hydraulic actuator 115 may be extended or shortened as needed to allow the obstruction to pass . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 a and 10b , at least one hydraulic system 120 may be provided to adjust a mounting position of the drive shaft 80 with respect to the housing 56 . the at least one hydraulic system 120 may be used with one of the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 , or may be used with a fixed position shear ledge and / or fixed position shroud . the drive shaft 80 may support the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustment of the mounting position may correspondingly adjust a position of the plurality of material conveying components 82 with respect to an installed shear ledge and shroud to improve a swing path of the plurality of material conveying components 82 . in one embodiment , the hydraulic system 120 may be provided on either side of the housing 56 to support at least both ends of the drive shaft 80 . the hydraulic system 120 may include a support column 121 that is rotatable and secured to a pivot 122 which may be attached to the housing 56 . the hydraulic system 120 may include a collar mechanism 123 that may be slidably supported on the support column 121 . in one embodiment , a first hydraulic actuator 124 may be provided to adjust an axial position of the collar mechanism 123 along a length of the support column 121 . a bearing support member 130 may be attached to the collar mechanism 123 to secure the drive shaft 80 to the housing 56 . the first hydraulic actuator 124 may be attached at a first end 125 to the pivot 122 and at a second end 126 to the collar mechanism 123 . in one embodiment , the drive shaft 80 may be adjusted towards the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 as the first hydraulic actuator 124 is extended , or adjusted away from the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 as the first hydraulic actuator 124 is retracted . in one embodiment , the collar mechanism 123 may include a plurality of circular rings sized to receive the support column 121 along their respective inner circumference . a beam member may be provided to connect the plurality of circular rings to one another . the circular rings may include mounts for attaching the bearing support member 130 thereto . in one embodiment , a second hydraulic actuator 127 may be provided to adjust an angle a of the support column 121 with respect to the pivot 122 . the second hydraulic actuator 127 may be attached at a first end 128 to an end of the support column 121 , opposite from the pivot 122 . the second hydraulic actuator 127 may be attached to a second end 129 that is secured to a side of the housing 56 or the container 10 . in one embodiment , the drive shaft 80 may be swung laterally away from a center of the container 10 as the second hydraulic actuator 127 is extended , or swung toward a center of the container 10 as the second hydraulic actuator 127 is retracted . in one embodiment , the first hydraulic actuator 124 and / or the second hydraulic actuator 127 may be adjusted to extend or retract on demand in response to a predetermined load applied to the adjustable shear ledge 60 , adjustable shroud 70 , and / or the plurality of material conveying components 82 to provide overload protection for the other components of the discharge device 50 . in one embodiment , a shock absorption system may be installed in series or in parallel with the first hydraulic actuator 124 and / or the second hydraulic actuator 127 to provide overload protection by enabling large objects or obstructions to pass through the discharge device 50 by temporarily adjusting a position of the drive shaft 80 . once the large object or obstruction has passed , the shock absorption system may return the drive shaft 80 back to a normal or previously set position . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system may be a spring loaded device . in one embodiment , the shock absorption system is actuated when a predetermined lateral force is applied to the drive shaft 80 . in one embodiment , adjustments may be made by an operator based on visual inspection of the discharge device 50 . as shown in fig3 b , a sensor 90 to measure a gap distance and / or to measure torque of the material conveying components 82 may be provided to give a reading of the measurement to the operator , whereby the operator can adjust the gap distance between the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 with the plurality of material conveying components 82 to a desired gap distance . in one embodiment , the sensor 90 may be provided to measure a gap distance between the plurality of material conveying components 82 and the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 to determine whether the gap distance is in an appropriate operating range , and to automatically adjust the gap distance using the hydraulic system 120 [ ljw1 ] . in one embodiment , a sensor measuring a torque of the material conveying components 82 may be provided to detect whether the discharge device 50 is in an appropriate operating range and to automatically adjust the gap distance between the adjustable shear ledge 60 and / or the adjustable shroud 70 with the plurality of material conveying components 82 using the hydraulic system 120 . in one embodiment , each of the mounting members 65 is a longitudinal opening ( e . g . slot ) that extends towards the shear top surface 62 . in this configuration , the adjustable shear ledge 60 may be positioned or repositioned along a vertical axis and a horizontal axis , both the vertical axis and the horizontal axis being perpendicular to an axis of the drive shaft 80 . by positioning or repositioning the adjustable shear ledge 60 , a gap distance between the shear top surface 62 and the plurality of material conveying components 82 may be adjusted to achieve a desired gap distance and to promote concentricity . in one embodiment , the gap distance may be between 0 . 05 and 0 . 25 inches . in another embodiment , the gap distance may be between 0 . 10 and 0 . 15 inches . it is understood that the adjustable shear ledge and shroud of the present disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein , but embraces much modified forms thereof that are within the scope of the following claims .	0
hereinafter , the advantages , the features , and the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig4 is one embodiment of a driving circuit diagram of an ipl apparatus in accordance with the present invention . according to the present invention , the ipl apparatus comprises a noise filter unit 20 , a double - voltage unit 110 , a switch unit 120 , a charging capacitor 80 , a reference voltage generator 90 , a controller 50 , a user interface unit 60 , a trigger unit 70 and a xenon lamp flash unit 40 . additionally , the present invention may further comprise a rectification unit 91 , a smoothing unit 93 , a constant voltage supply unit 35 , and a constant current supply unit 38 . the noise filter unit 20 is a circuit element for removing noise from an inputted supply voltage 10 ranging from 100v to 240v , and an output of the noise filter unit 20 passes through the rectification unit 91 and the smoothing unit 93 and supplies to the double - voltage unit 110 . the rectification unit 91 and the smoothing unit 93 are partially contributed to form double - voltage as will be described later on fig1 . it is needless to say that the output of the noise filter 20 is supplied to the double - voltage unit 110 in a circuit where the rectification unit 91 and the smoothing unit 93 are not equipped . the double - voltage unit 110 is a circuit for outputting the inputted supply voltage after increasing a peak value of the supply voltage double times or more . the switch unit 120 is turned on and off according to an output signal of the reference voltage generator 90 , and charges the charging capacitor 80 . the reference voltage generator 90 is a circuit for setting one of various levels of reference voltages , and the user interface unit 60 is configured as an operating switch or the like and used to input ipl output power from the user . the controller 50 adjusts a reference voltage of the reference voltage generator 90 according to a control signal outputted from the user interface unit 60 , and generates a trigger signal at proper timing . the trigger unit 70 controls the radiation of a xenon lamp into on and off operation by outputting a trigger operation signal for triggering the xenon lamp flash unit 40 according to the trigger signal inputted from the controller 50 , and the xenon lamp flash unit 40 irradiates xenon light on the user &# 39 ; s skin according to the trigger operation signal . further , the output of the noise filter 20 is used to supply stable power to the controller 50 via the constant voltage supplier 35 . generally , since the controller 50 uses a low operating voltage of 5v , it is possible to use the low - priced constant voltage supplier 35 having tens of watts , and thus it is even possible to use the inexpensive low - capacity noise filter 20 that removes noise from power supplied to the constant voltage supplier 35 . from now on , a circuit operation shown in fig4 will be described . when fig4 is described , a circuit that comprises a rectification unit 91 , a smoothing unit 93 , a constant current supply unit 38 , and a constant voltage supply unit 35 , which are selectively equipped , will be described as follows . if the user inputs an output level through the user interface unit 60 , a voltage level of the reference voltage generator 90 is set via the controller 50 . the inputted supply voltage 10 is supplied to the rectification unit 91 , the constant current supply unit 38 , and the constant voltage supply unit 35 after noise has been removed in the noise filter unit 20 . the power inputted to the rectification unit is rectified into a dc component , is superposed with an ac component in the smoothing unit 93 , and is provided to the double - voltage unit 110 . the power from which noise is removed is inputted to the constant current supply unit 38 , and a constant current is outputted to the reference voltage generator 90 . after said noise - removed power has been inputted to the constant voltage supply unit 35 , stable power is supplied to the controller 50 . the double - voltage unit 110 which has received the smoothed power outputs a peak value of the supply voltage double times or more , and the switch unit 120 compares the voltage inputted from the double - voltage unit 110 , the voltage inputted to the reference voltage generator 90 , and a voltage of an output end ( input end of the charging capacitor ). if a certain condition is satisfied , the switch unit is converted into the “ on ” state to charge the charging capacitor 80 . the controller 50 generates a trigger signal by calculating proper timing . the trigger unit 70 outputs a trigger operation signal for triggering the xenon lamp flash unit 40 according to the trigger signal inputted from the controller 50 , and the xenon lamp flash unit 40 irradiates xenon light on the user &# 39 ; s skin according to the trigger operation signal . meanwhile , in the circuit diagram of fig4 , it is illustrated that an input - blocking switch sw is added to the noise filter unit 20 , and that a control signal for turning on and off a switch of the noise filter unit 20 is received from the controller 50 . said configuration will be described as follows . if the noise filter unit 20 which is not added with the switch is used , the energy is irregularly charged even when the charged energy is discharged to the xenon lamp flash unit 40 , thereby causing a problem that the energy supplied to the user &# 39 ; s skin is not regular . such a problem will be described in reference to fig7 . fig7 is a graph for illustrating the amount of energy charged and discharged in a charging capacitor , wherein a horizontal axis indicates a time and a vertical axis indicates the amount of energy . a charging process is progressed until the time tt from 0 second , and a discharging process is initiated by the trigger operation signal . although a desirable discharging process is performed along a smooth curve marked as “{ circle around ( n )}”, if there is no switch in the noise filter unit 20 in the circuit diagram of fig4 , the charging process is progressed by the inputted supply voltage , so that the amount of energy like the curve “{ circle around ( a )}” in fig7 is supplied to the user . to solve the charging problem during such a discharging period , the present invention shows two methods . one of the methods is to block the supply voltage inputted during the discharging process by using the controller 50 and the noise filter unit 20 having the switch sw illustrated in fig4 , and the other is to start discharging at a corresponding time matched with a certain period of the inputted supply voltage illustrated in fig5 . in the circuit of fig4 , the controller 50 generates the control signal for turning off the input - blocking switch sw during the discharging time , and the noise filter unit 20 is blocked according to the control signal during the discharging time in order to prevent the inputted supply voltage from being supplied . also , xenon lamps are often continuous discharged when lamp driving circuit is out of order and pwm control cannot be controlled . at this time , it is possible not to supply continuous energy to xenon lamp by changing “ off ” state on the switch sw . a relay operated by an electromagnet or a solid state relay ( ssr ) operated by a semiconductor has been used as the input - blocking switch sw . compared with a circuit diagram of fig5 to be mentioned later , the circuit diagram illustrated in fig4 has an advantage that a special delay for matching timing is not generated . since the input - blocking switch sw is a switch for preventing the charging capacitor 80 from being charged by the inputted supply voltage 10 while the charging capacitor 80 is discharged , it is also possible that said switch is provided at any position that can block the electric flow between the supply voltage 10 and the charging capacitor 80 in addition to the noise filter unit 20 . that is to say , the input - blocking switch sw may be equipped at any place capable of switching the electric flow between the supply voltage and the charging capacitor . for instance , the input - blocking switch sw can be positioned even between the double - voltage unit 110 and the switch unit 120 . also , as another embodiment , it makes the same result of shutting off the power supplied to noise filter unit 20 if the reference voltage supplied to the switch unit 120 is controlled to be almost zero voltage . fig5 is one embodiment of a driving circuit diagram of an ipl apparatus in accordance with the present invention . since the circuit diagram shown in fig5 has almost similar configuration to the circuit diagram shown in fig4 , only the features different from those of the circuit diagram of fig4 will be described below . the circuit diagram of fig5 shows a noise filter unit 20 from which a switch is removed , and thus a control signal line inputted to the noise filter unit 20 from the controller 50 in fig4 is unnecessary . instead , in the circuit diagram of fig5 , an input wave timing unit 115 , which receives an output signal of the noise filter unit 20 and generates an input wave timing signal at every time such as up or down time of an input waveform , is added between a controller 50 and the noise filter unit 20 . like shown in fig8 , the input wave timing unit 115 perceives the input waveform inputted from the noise filter unit 20 , and outputs an input wave timing signal s to the controller 50 at every certain time , and the input wave timing unit can simply be realized by using a photo coupler . an output of the noise filter unit 20 is connected to a photo diode used as an input end of the photo coupler , the photo diode is turned on to generate light if more than a certain voltage is applied , and a light receiving transistor which constitutes an output end of the photo coupler is turned on by receiving the light generated from the photo diode and generates the input wave timing signal s . fig8 ( a ) illustrates that the input wave timing signal s is outputted at every time whenever a sine wave is increased if the sine wave is inputted from the noise filter unit 20 to the input wave timing unit 115 , and fig8 ( b ) illustrates an example that the input wave timing unit 115 generates a square wave from the input wave inputted from the noise filter unit 20 , and that the input wave timing signal s is generated at every time whenever the square wave is increased and is applied to the controller 50 . if the input wave timing signal s is inputted from the input wave timing unit 115 , the controller 50 which constitutes the circuit of fig5 generates a trigger signal for starting discharging at a proper time and transmits the generated trigger signal to the trigger unit 70 . the driving circuit of the ipl apparatus in accordance with the one embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 and fig5 has an advantage of using one of pam and pwm driving modes if controller 50 controls the width of trigger signal or changes reference voltage setup without changing a circuit configuration , that is , through the same circuit configuration . fig6 is one embodiment of a driving circuit diagram of an ipl apparatus in accordance with the present invention . since the circuit diagram shown in fig6 has almost similar configuration to the circuit diagram shown in fig5 , only the features different from those of the circuit diagram of fig5 will be described below . the controller 50 in the circuit diagram shown in fig4 and fig5 calculates proper charging time and / or discharging time , and in the circuit diagram of fig4 , the trigger signal is generated by blocking the input signal of the noise filter unit 20 , or in the circuit diagram of fig5 , the trigger signal is generated at a corresponding time matched with the input wave timing signal s outputted from the input wave timing unit 115 . the circuit diagram of fig6 is characterized in that a voltage divider 195 and an analog to digital converter 97 are additionally provided between a charging capacitor 80 and a controller 50 in order to exactly sense a voltage of the charging capacitor 80 . the voltage divider 195 is a circuit element for measuring a charging voltage of the capacitor 80 while minimizing power consumption , and in the present invention , a voltage vc of the capacitor 80 is divided within the range of approximately 1 / 10 to 1 / 300 , and the divided voltage is inputted to the controller 50 through the analog to digital converter 97 . the controller 50 in the circuit diagram of fig6 senses a voltage level inputted from the analog to digital converter 97 , and generates a trigger signal at a corresponding time matched with an input wave timing signal s outputted from an input wave timing unit 115 . it is needless to say that the voltage divider 195 and the analog to digital converter 97 may be equipped in the circuit diagram of fig4 , and in this case , the controller 50 generates the trigger signal by blocking the input signal of the noise filter unit 20 if the charging capacitor 80 reaches a desired voltage level . fig9 is one embodiment of a driving circuit diagram of an ipl apparatus in accordance with the present invention . in the circuit diagram of fig9 , for the explanatory convenience , only the main circuit configurations such as a noise filter unit 20 , a rectification unit 91 , a smoothing unit 93 , a double - voltage unit , a constant current supply unit 38 , a reference voltage generator , a switch unit , a charging capacitor , a controller 50 , and a xenon lamp flash unit 40 are illustrated , and the rest of circuit elements were omitted . in the circuit diagram of fig9 , a supply voltage 10 corresponds to the supply voltage 10 of fig4 , a noise filter unit 20 , a rectification unit 91 , and a smoothing unit 93 respectively correspond to the noise filter unit 20 , the rectification unit 91 , and the smoothing unit 93 of fig4 , a capacitor c 1 and a diode d 1 correspond to the double - voltage unit 110 of fig4 , a zener diode d 3 , a zener temperature compensation circuit unit 125 , and a voltage divider 195 correspond to the reference voltage generator 90 of fig4 , an scr 1 corresponds to the switch unit 120 of fig4 , and a capacitor c 3 corresponds to the charging capacitor 80 of fig4 . first , a double - voltage circuit for boosting a voltage triple times will be described as follows . fig1 separately illustrates only the double - voltage circuit which only comprises the supply voltage 10 , the noise filter 20 , rectification unit 91 , smoothing unit 93 , the capacitors c 1 and c 3 , the diode d 1 , and the scr 1 in the circuit of fig9 . first , when the supply voltage 10 supplies “+” voltage , current path “□” flowing through the noise filter 20 , rectification unit 91 , and smoothing unit 93 is formed . and capacitor consisting of rectification unit 91 is charged vc voltage with the polarity as shown fig1 . then , when the supply voltage changes “−” voltage , current path “□” flowing through the noise filter 20 , capacitor c 1 , diode d 1 and smoothing unit 93 is formed . charges ( or energies ) accumulated at smoothing unit 93 are accumulated to capacitor c 1 through the diode d 1 and the charges supplied from the supply voltage 10 are also accumulated to the capacitor c 1 simultaneously . therefore the capacitor c 1 is charged to 2 vc voltage ( almost double voltage of the supply voltage 10 ) with the polarity as shown fig1 . when the supply voltage is changed “−” to “+” in the “ on ” state of thyristor scr 1 , new current path “□” flowing through noise filter 20 , capacitor c 1 , thyristor scr 1 and charging capacitor c 3 is formed beside current path “{ circle around ( 1 )}”. at this time , the accumulated charges ( or energies ) at capacitor c 1 are moved to charging capacitor c 3 through the thyrister scr 1 and energy supplied by the supply voltage 10 also accumulated to charging capacitor c 3 . therefore , 3 vc voltages ( almost triple voltage of the supply voltage 10 ) are accumulated to charging capacitor c 3 as shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , we can see that rectification unit 91 and smoothing unit 93 according to the present invention also contribute to form double voltage . again , in fig9 , the zener diode d 3 and the voltage divider 195 form a reference voltage generator . the zener diode is a circuit element for maintaining a certain voltage all the time , and the certain voltage applied to the zener diode d 3 generates a reference voltage in accordance with an energy level inputted to a gate terminal of the scr 1 through a user interface by the voltage divider 195 which is formed with a plurality of switch elements and a plurality of resistors . however , said zener diode may cause a voltage change if an applied current value is not regular . such a problem will be described in reference to fig1 . fig1 is a graph for illustrating a characteristic of voltage to current operation of a zener diode . like shown in fig1 , it could be understood that if a current which flows in the zener diode is changed into i2 from i1 , a voltage value applied thereto is also changed into v2 from v1 . to solve such a problem , the constant current supply unit 38 is employed in fig9 , and said constant current supply unit 38 may simply be configured as a resistance and constant current diode . another problem of the zener diode d 3 is a draft that a voltage gets higher when the peripheral temperature rises . said voltage draft problem in accordance with the temperature rise may be solved by using a zener temperature compensation circuit unit 125 in the circuit diagram of fig9 , which is positioned between the voltage divider 195 and a ground and is characterized by lowering a resistance value according to the rise of the peripheral temperature . a thermistor may be used as the zener temperature compensation circuit unit 125 , and the thermistor performs a function of compensating the voltage increase which occurs in the zener diode d 3 owing to the temperature rise , whereby the zener diode d 3 operates as a stable reference voltage source irrespective of the peripheral temperature change . even though the circuit diagram of fig9 shows that the reference voltage generator is configured with the zener diode d 3 , the zener temperature compensation circuit unit 125 , and the voltage divider 195 , it is also possible to form only the voltage divider if the precision of a reference voltage may be sacrificed slightly . in addition , as another configuration , it is also possible to comprise a digital to analog converter between the controller and the gate terminal of the scr , and to convert a voltage level value inputted from the controller by using the digital to analog converter and to apply the converted value to the gate terminal of the scr . next , the operation of the scr ( scr 1 , thyristor ) will be described as follows . although the thyristor ( scr 1 ) is used as a switch in the circuit diagram of fig9 , said thyristor could be replaced with a triac element . an anode of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) is connected to one terminal of the capacitor c 1 which forms the double - voltage unit , and a voltage of the anode is marked “ v1 ”. a cathode of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) is connected to one terminal of the charging capacitor c 3 , and a voltage of the cathode is marked “ v3 ”, and a voltage of the gate terminal which is the remaining terminal of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) is marked “ v2 ”. a reference voltage which can be set to the gate voltage “ v2 ” of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) is determined by a value between maximum and minimum values of the voltage “ v1 ” applied to the anode terminal . the thyristor scr 1 shown in fig9 is turned on when “ v1 ” has a larger value than “ v3 ” and “ v2 ” has a larger voltage than “ v3 ” as much as the threshold voltage . after the thyristor scr 1 is turned on , “ v1 ” gets lower than “ v3 ” then , thyristor scr 1 is turned off . and even if “ v1 ” gets higher than “ v3 ” while “ v2 ” has a lower value than “ v3 ”, the thyristor scr 1 cannot be turned on . therefore charging process is stopped . at this time , the value “ v3 ” is same value of gate threshold minus from the value “ v2 ”. therefore the value “ v3 ” becomes similar value “ v2 ”. normally , a rectification unit 91 and a smoothing unit 93 in the circuit configuration shown in fig9 and fig1 are contributed to form double voltage and the voltage charged to charging capacitor c 3 becomes almost triple the voltage of the supply voltage 10 . therefore the circuit configuration shown in fig9 and fig1 is usually used at the area with 100v ˜ 120v of the supply voltage 10 . on the other hand , almost double energy supplied by supply voltage 10 can be charged to charging capacitor c 3 in the area with 220v of the supply voltage 10 . the circuit configuration excepting a rectification unit 91 and a smoothing unit 93 is proposed in fig1 and fig1 . this circuit configuration is suitable to the area with 220v of the supply voltage 10 . fig1 corresponds to fig9 and fig1 corresponds to fig1 . when the supply voltage 10 supplies “−” voltage , current path as shown number “{ circle around ( 1 )}” flowing through the noise filter 20 , capacitor c 1 , and diode d 1 is formed . therefore capacitor c 1 is charged vc voltage ( almost the voltage supplied from supply voltage 10 ) with the polarity as shown fig1 . if the supply voltage is changed “+” to “−” in the “ on ” state of thyristor scr 1 , current path “{ circle around ( 2 )}” flowing through noise filter 20 , capacitor c 1 , thyristor scr 1 and charging capacitor c 3 is formed . at this time , the accumulated charges ( or energies ) at capacitor c 1 are moved to charging capacitor c 3 through the thyrister scr 1 and energy supplied by the supply voltage 10 is also accumulated to charging capacitor c 3 . therefore , 2 vc voltages ( almost double voltage of the supply voltage 10 ) are accumulated to charging capacitor c 3 as shown in fig1 . hereinafter , the operation of the circuit shown in fig1 will be described below . first , suppose that 60 hz of 220v power is used as a supply voltage , a reference voltage of 340v is applied to a gate of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) by the combination of the voltage divider in accordance with an energy level which is set by the user through the user interface , no electric charges are accumulated in the charging capacitor in an early state , and that the threshold voltage of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) is ov . under said condition , a maximum peak value of the corresponding supply voltage is 310v approximately . since electric charges supplied by the supply voltage 10 is doubled with the electric charges accumulated in the capacitor c 1 , a bias voltage of the “ v1 ” terminal is 310v and the amplitude is 310v . further , a voltage varying between ov and 620v is applied to the “ v1 ” terminal because a sine - wave voltage having a maximum peak value of 620v is applied . if the supply voltage is applied under said condition , the anode voltage of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) gets higher than the cathode voltage ( v1 & gt ; v3 ) and the gate voltage v2 gets higher than the threshold voltage for turning on the thyristor compared with the cathode voltage v3 . thus , the thyristor is conducted to charge the charging capacitor . if the waveform applied to the v1 terminal gets lower than the cathode voltage ( charging voltage of the charging capacitor ) while going down by passing through the peak , the thyristor ( scr 1 ) stops operating . then , as the input waveform starts increasing in the next cycle , the anode voltage v1 of the thyristor ( scr 1 ) gets higher than the voltage v3 of the cathode terminal of the thyristor ( scr 1 ), and under the condition “ v2 & gt ; v3 ”, the thyristor ( scr 1 ) is conducted again to progress the charging process . the charging process is progressed as said operation is repeated until the voltage charged in the charging capacitor c 3 reaches a voltage which is subtracted as much as the threshold voltage for turning on the thyristor ( scr 1 ) from the reference voltage applied to the gate of the thyristor ( scr 1 ). then , power is supplied to the xenon lamp flash unit 40 by a trigger operation signal which is not shown in fig1 . while specific embodiments of the invention have been described and shown above , it is obvious that the invention can be modified in various forms by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the invention . the modified embodiments should not be understood separately from the spirit and scope of the invention and should be considered as belonging to the appended claims of the invention . although the audio communication has been mainly described above , the invention can be easily applied to a video communication . in this case , the phone 500 means a television phone and a protocol suitable for a video should be used instead of the sip protocol .	0
as stated above , the catalyst utilized in this invention is of alumina having deposited thereon boria and tin , lead , manganese or mixtures thereof in the oxide form . preferably , the catalyst utilized in this invention is of alumina having deposited thereon boria and tin or lead or a mixture of tin and lead or a mixture of tin , lead and manganese in the oxide form . the alumina preferably is a high area alumina having a boehmite , bayerite , beta , or eta crystalline form . the catalyst is prepared by techniques well known in the art . one may employ extrudates or pellets for impregnation , or powders followed by pelletization or extrusion to yield the finished catalyst . the boria and metal oxide are added by the use of water soluble salts , such as nitrates , sulfates , halides , acetates , etc . wellknown procedures for drying and calcining the catalyst may also be employed , such as vacuum drying and calcination in oxidative or neutral atmospheres . calcination should be conducted at temperatures between about 450 ° and 550 ° c . the concentration of boria , ( b 2 o 3 ), in the finished catalyst should be from about 0 . 5 to about 15 % by weight and preferably from about 1 to about 10 by weight . the total concentration of the metal or metals ( in elemental form ) should be between about 0 . 1 and about 4 . 0 % by weight . aromatic hydrocarbons which can be alkylated by the process of this invention are those having at least one replaceable hydrogen such as benzene , toluene , xylene and naphthalene . the preferred olefinic alkylating stock is one having 2 - 12 carbon atoms per molecule such as ethylene , propylene , butylene and dodecylene , and mixtures thereof . to carry out the invention , a mixture of selected aromatic and olefinic hydrocarbons are contacted with the catalyst at desired operating conditions . operating conditions employed in the process of the present invention are critical and will be dependent , at least in part , on the specific alkylation reaction being affected . such conditions as temperature , pressure , space velocity and molar ratio of the reactants and the presence of inert diluents will have important effects on the process . generally , an operating pressure of between about 100 and about 1000 psig , a temperature of between about 25 ° and about 150 ° c ., a liquid - hourly - space velocity of between about 0 . 1 and about 10 , a molar ratio of aromatics to olefins of between about 1 : 1 and about 20 : 1 can be used . more preferred conditions are about 100 to about 1000 psig , about 35 ° to about 150 ° c ., a lhsv of about 1 : 1 to about 10 : 1 and a molar ratio of aromatics to olefin of about 2 : 1 and about 10 : 1 . preferred diluents are the paraffins and the naphthenes . an aqueous solution of boric acid , h 3 bo 3 and tin sulfate was prepared in a weight percent concentration of 11 % h 3 bo 3 and 5 . 7 % tin sulfate . catalyst prepared from this solution is designated as a in table 1 . a predetermined weight of alumina was then saturated with each of the solutions . each portion of saturated alumina was dried and calcined at a temperature of 500 ° c . for 16 hours . in laboratory tests , a mixture of toluene and propylene in a ratio of 6 moles toluene to 1 mole of propylene was passed over each of the catalysts at a pressure of 500 psig at temperatures of 25 ° to 125 ° c . and at the liquid - hourly - space velocities shown in table i . table i__________________________________________________________________________run a a a a a b b__________________________________________________________________________catalystweight % of boria 10 % 10 % 10 % 10 % 10 % 10 % 10 % in catalystweight % of metal 2 % tin 2 % tin 2 % tin 4 % tin 4 % tin 4 % mn 2 % mnin oxide form oncatalystoperating conditionstemperature - ° c . 32 116 127 54 127 24 60pressure - psig 500 500 500 500 500 500 500lhsv 1 1 1 1 2 1 1product distributionby boiling pointless than toluene 1 . 1 0 0 0 . 8 0 1 . 2 1 . 6toluene 92 . 9 81 . 8 82 . 8 94 . 9 85 . 8 98 . 2 96 . 3m - cymeme 0 . 7 1 . 8 1 . 8 0 . 5 1 . 8 0 . 1 0 . 2p - cymene 2 . 5 7 . 1 6 . 4 1 . 8 6 . 1 0 . 3 1 . 1o - cymene 2 . 2 6 . 0 5 . 8 1 . 5 5 . 0 0 . 2 0 . 8greater than cymene 0 . 6 3 . 3 3 . 2 0 . 5 1 . 3 -- -- weight % of propyleneconvertedmono - alkylation 24 67 63 17 58 3 9di - alkylation 4 22 22 3 9 0 0polymerization 16 0 0 11 0 17 23unconverted 56 11 15 69 33 80 68cymene distributiono - 41 40 41 40 39 33 38m - 13 12 13 13 14 17 10p - 46 48 46 47 47 50 52ratio of para to meta 78 : 22 80 : 20 78 : 22 78 : 22 77 : 23 75 : 25 84 : 16__________________________________________________________________________ an unexpected feature of this new catalyst - catalyst system is the isomer distribution of the product obtained . the presently used friedel - crafts catalyst and the more common solid oxide catalyst , when used to alkylate aromatics with olefins , yields product high in the meta isomer and low in the ortho and para isomer . for example , in the publication , &# 34 ; organic reactions ,&# 34 ; volume iii , john wiley and sons , inc ., page 46 , the alkylation of toluene with n - butyl or t - butyl chloride with aluminum or iron chloride catalysts in a mole ratio of 5 . 6 to 1 is shown to yield a ratio of para to meta butyltoluene of 38 : 62 and 33 : 67 . the catalysts of this invention yield products with the improved isomer distribution , namely , the produce is higher in ortho and para compounds and lower in the meta compounds , as indicated in table i . the catalyst of this invention is easily regenerated when it becomes fouled or spent . because of the low temperatures of the alkylation process , deactivation occurs not by the deposition of carbon on the catalyst pores but by the plugging of the catalyst pores with heavy polymeric material . the catalyst is easily regenerated or restored by washing it with a paraffinic , naphthenic , or aromatic solvents . if a more strenuous regeneration is required , the catalyst can be reactivated by heating it to a temperature of between about 150 ° and about 370 ° c ., in the presence of hydrogen or an inert gas such as nitrogen . this high temperature treatment will drive off the heavy polymeric material leaving only a small amount of carbon deposited on the catalyst surfaces . when reference is made herein to groupings under the periodic system of the elements , the particular groupings are as set forth in the periodic chart of the elements in &# 34 ; the merck index ,&# 34 ; ninth edition , merck & amp ; co ., inc ., 1976 .	2
fig4 shows a block diagram of a power system 100 comprising a main contactor 106 coupled in series between a power source 102 and a load component 126 . the load component 126 may be e . g . a capacitive power stage 104 . the main contactor 106 is shown as a relay . alternatively , the main contactor 106 may be any controllable conductive device , for example a manual switch or semiconductor device , for example a triac , two anti - parallel silicon controlled rectifiers ( scrs ), an insulated gate bipolar transistor ( igbt ), a fet , or a mosfet . the power source 102 is shown as a dc power source , but may be any power source including , but not limited to , a battery , a supercapacitor , a fuel cell , or a rectified ac source . an auxiliary contactor 108 is coupled to a pre - charge and discharge circuit 110 . the auxiliary contactor 108 and precharge and discharge circuit 110 are coupled in parallel with the main contactor 106 . the auxiliary contactor 108 is shown as a relay . alternatively , the auxiliary contactor 108 may be any controllable conductive device , for example a manual switch or semiconductor device , for example a triac , two anti - parallel scrs , igbt , fet , or mosfet . the pre - charge and discharge circuit 110 may comprise a resistor or ptc 112 . a controller circuit , for example a timing circuit , voltage sensor , or microcontroller can control the opening and closing of the main contactor 106 and the auxiliary contactor 108 . the main contactor 106 and the auxiliary contactor 108 may be capable of generating feedback signals for processing by the controller circuit . alternatively , the controller circuit can control the conduction or non - conduction of the semiconductor devices . opening the main contactor 106 and the auxiliary contactor 108 disconnects the load component 104 from the power source 102 . to energize the load component 104 , the controller first closes the auxiliary contactor 108 to pre - charge the capacitive power stage in the load component 104 . when the bus voltage comes within a predetermined range of the power supply voltage , the controller then closes the main contactor 106 . the pre - charge and discharge circuit 110 may also include a controllable switch 114 and a current limiting element 116 , for example a resistor or ptc to allow the capacitive power stage of the load component to be discharged when the main contactor 106 is open . the controllable switch 114 and the current limiting element 116 are coupled in parallel with the load component 104 . incorporating a feedback signal of a commercially available contactor can be unreliable because such contactor feedback signals are based on auxiliary switches , which might fail or not follow the main switch . an alternative embodiment as illustrated in fig5 actually eliminates the need for a feedback signal from the contactor . fig5 shows a power system 200 comprising a main contactor 206 coupled in series between a power source 202 and a load component 226 . the main contactor 206 is shown as a relay . alternatively , the main contactor 206 may be any controllable conductive device , for example a manual switch or semiconductor device , for example a triac , two anti - parallel scrs , igbt , fet , or mosfet . the power source 202 may be a dc power source . the load component 226 may comprise a capacitive power stage 204 . an auxiliary contactor 208 may be coupled to a contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 210 . the auxiliary contactor is shown as a relay . alternatively , the auxiliary contactor 208 may be any controllable conductive device , for example a manual switch or semiconductor device , for example a triac , two anti - parallel scrs , igbt , fet , or mosfet . the auxiliary contactor 208 and the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 210 are coupled in parallel with the main contactor 206 . exemplary contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuits 210 are shown in fig7 - 9 as will be discussed in detail below . the opening and closing of the main contactor 206 and the auxiliary contactor 208 may be controlled by a controller circuit 220 . alternatively , the controller circuit 220 can control the conduction or non - conduction of the semiconductor devices . the load component 226 is disconnected from the power source 202 by opening the main contactor 206 and the auxiliary contactor 208 . to energize the load component 226 , the controller 220 first closes the auxiliary contactor 208 to pre - charge the capacitive power stage 204 in the load component 226 through the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 210 . when the bus voltage v bus is within a predetermined voltage range , v pre , of the power supply voltage vbat , the controller 220 then closes the main contactor 206 . the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 210 may also allow the capacitive power stage 204 of the load component 226 to be discharged when the main contactor 206 is open . fig6 shows a power system 300 comprising a main contactor 306 , a contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 310 , an auxiliary contactor 308 , a controller circuit 320 , and a capacitive power stage 304 integrated in a load component 326 . the load component 326 may be coupled to the power source 302 through conductor 330 and 332 . exemplary contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuits 310 are shown in fig7 - 9 . if the bus is enclosed inside a component and , hence , is less likely to be touched , then the auxiliary contactor 308 may be removed and replaced by a solid connection . fig7 shows a first embodiment of a contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 400 for use in the systems 200 or 300 shown in fig5 and fig6 . to initiate the closing of the main contactor 206 , 306 , the controller circuit 220 , 320 first closes auxiliary contactor 208 , 308 . current from the power source 202 , 302 will charge the capacitive power stage 204 , 304 of the load component 226 , 326 through d1 , r p , r s . the voltage v s across r s can be sensed by the controller circuit 220 , 320 . the voltage v s will be negative while the capacitive power stage 204 , 304 of the load component 226 , 326 is charging . when the bus voltage v bus is within a predetermined voltage range , v pre , of the power supply voltage v bat ( e . g . v s is less than or equal to v pre ) it is now safe for the controller circuit 220 , 320 to close the main contactor 206 , 306 . the controller circuit 220 , 320 may have some designed in hysteresis to account for minor circuit variations and v pre may not be 0v . preferably , the predetermined voltage v will be less than 5 % of the power supply voltage v bat , and more preferably less than 2 . 5 % of the power supply voltage v bat . if the main contactor 206 , 306 opens unintentionally during operation of the load component 226 , 326 , this dangerous condition can be detected by the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 210 , 310 . if the load continues to consume energy , v bus will decrease and current will flow through d1 , r p , and r s and v s will become negative and exceed v pre . in this case the controller circuit 220 , 320 can disable the load component 226 , 326 and prevent the main contactor 206 , 306 from reclosing before the potentials have been equalized by the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 210 , 310 . the controller circuit 220 , 320 may ensure that the main contactor 206 , 306 remains open after the controller circuit 220 , 320 detects that the main contactor 206 , 306 has unintentionally opened . the controller circuit 220 , 320 may ensure that the main contactor 206 , 306 remain open until the controller circuit 220 , 320 is manually reset using a manual actuator or for a predetermined period of time . if however , the load component 226 , 326 had been regenerating power when the main contactor 206 , 306 opened , a current will flow through r s , d3 , and r d , and v s will be positive and exceed v pre . in this case the controller circuit 220 , 320 can disable the load component 226 , 326 and prevent the main contactor 206 , 306 from reclosing before the potentials have been equalized by the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 210 , 310 . this is shown graphically in fig7 a . for correct operation of the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 400 , the auxiliary contactor 208 , 308 must remain closed during operation . this may result in a small amount of current flowing through r d . when the main contactor 206 , 306 is opened , a conductive path r s , d3 , and r d , allows charge stored in the capacitive power stage 204 , 304 of the load component 226 , 326 to safely discharge to eliminate the risk of shock due to capacitive charge . fig8 shows a second embodiment of a contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 500 . to avoid any unnecessary loses through r d , the resistor r d of fig7 is replaced by a more “ useful ” load such as a power - supply circuit u 1 ′. the power supply circuit u 1 ′ can be enabled or disabled by the controller circuit 220 , 320 . however , it must remain enabled should the bus be discharged when the main and auxiliary contactors open . fig9 shows a third embodiment of a contactor feedback and pre - charge circuit 600 . the contactor feedback and pre - charge circuit 600 adds an analog to digital converter 640 to the contactor feedback and pre - charge and discharge circuit 500 shown in fig8 . the a - d converter 640 converts the voltage across r s to a digital output ( on or off ) that can be coupled to the controller circuit 220 , 320 for processing . fig1 shows one embodiment of a finite state machine ( fsm ) implementing a contactor control - logic for use in the controller circuit of fig5 and 6 . preferably , the logic is realized either in software or in digital logic , e . g ., programmable array logic ( pal ) or complex programmable logic device ( cpld ). the purpose of the fsm is to close and open a contactor based on a user input (“ close ”) and based on the output of the “ feedback and pre - charge circuit ” (“ charged ”, also called “ dout ”). the fsm has 4 states : 2 ) closing : the contactor is closing ( allows for some time to debounce ) initially , the contactor is open and the fsm is in state 1 . the user may then request the contactor to be closed by asserting “ close ”. only if the load is fully precharged ( i . e . “ charged ”= 1 ) the fsm will proceed to state 2 and energize the contactor by means of the “ relay ” signal . the fsm remains in state 2 for a certain amount of time to allow for the de - bouncing of the contactor , and then proceeds to state 3 . at this point , the load may be enabled (“ ready ”= 1 ). the user can then de - assert “ close ” in order to open the contactor and the fsm returns to state 1 . if during run operation ( state 3 ) the contactor should pop open ( for example due to a power supply problem ) the “ charged ” signal will go low and the fsm will immediately switch to state 4 and disable the load and the contactor by de - asserting the signals “ ready ” and “ relay ”. the fsm remains in state 4 for a certain amount of time and then proceeds to state 1 . alternatively , the fsm may remain in state 4 until manually reset . it should be understood that , while the present invention has been described in detail herein , the invention can be embodied otherwise without departing from the principles thereof , and such other embodiments are meant to come within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claim ( s ).	7
the invention will be described in reference to the preferred embodiments as shown in the attached drawings . in fig1 a sewing machine 1 has a machine housing 1a . the machine housing 1a has a panel 2 secured to the front face thereof . the panel 2 has a first vertical portion 3 and a second lateral portion 6 in accordance with the configuration of the machine housing 1a . on the first portion 3 of panel 2 , there is vertically arranged a group of pattern selecting push button switches 4 each having a ten - key function meaning numbers 0 - 9 respectively designated to the switches from the top to the bottom . adjacent the group of pattern selecting push button switches 4 , is arranged a first group of pattern indicia 5 in three rows which may be most frequently produced by the sewing machine 1 at the selection of the sewing machine operator . the second portion 6 of panel 2 has a slide switch 7 provided thereon , which is slidingly shifted to three predetermined positions to selectively show pattern indicia on a pattern indicating part 8 . for example , when the switch 7 is at the middle position , the pattern indicia on the pattern indicating part 8 are all covered and become invisible . in this case , the push button switches 4 become effective to be operated to select any of the pattern indicia 5 . more precisely , each time one push button switch 4 is operated , the corresponding laterally arranged three indicia 5 are selected one by one from the left to right repeatedly , and the selected indicium is electrically lighted . when the switch 7 is at the left side position , a second group of pattern indicia on the pattern indicating part 8 , for example , the capital alphabet letters become visible . then any of pattern indicia 5 in the first and second groups of pattern indicia may be selected by ten - key operation of the pattern selecting push button switch 4 in reference to the numbers respectively given to the pattern indicia 5 in the first group and to the pattern indicia in the second group . in this case , the ten - key numbers 0 - 9 are indicated with electric light in a number indicating part 9 on the panel 2 between the group of pattern selecting push button switches 4 and the first group of pattern indicia 5 . the result of the ten - key operation of the pattern selecting push button switches 4 is indicated in a 2 -- figure number at a 7 -- segment number indication tubes 10 in the panel 2 . when the switch is at the right side position , the second group of pattern indicia on the pattern indicating part 8 is covered and becomes invisible . instead , a third group of indicia , for example , the small alphabet letters become visible . then any of pattern indicia in the first and third groups of pattern indicia may be selected in the same way as above mentioned when the second group of pattern indicia is visible . in reference to fig2 showing the panel 2 in an exploded view , a print board 11 is secured to the machine housing 1a behind panel 2 . on one side of the print board 11 , there are mounted the 7 -- segment number indication tubes 10 , and switch elements 12 , 13 each operated by the slide switch 7 . on the other side of the print board 11 , there are arranged the elements and the necessary wiring for controlling the pattern selection and pattern formation of the invention . the panel 2 is formed with a recessed part 14 on the front face thereof to which a pattern indicating plate 15 is fixedly attached . the pattern indicating plate 15 has pattern indicia such as the capital and small alphabet letters printed thereto alternately with an even space between the laterally adjacent letters as shown . these letters are each affixed with a specific 2 - figure pattern number though it is not shown . a pair of adjusting elements 16 , 17 are formed with bosses 18 , 19 , respectively . a pair of switch actuating elements 20 , 21 are mounted on the bosses 18 , 19 , respectively , and then the adjusting elements 16 , 17 and the switch actuating elements 20 , 21 are fixedly connected to each other , respectively by means of fastening screws . the panel 2 is formed with another recess 22 in alignment with the pattern indicating recessed part 14 . on the rear side of the recess 22 , there are provided a pair of spaced transverse pins 23 , 23 on which the adjusting elements 16 , 17 are turnably mounted , respectively by way of holes 24 , 25 thereof . in this condition , transverse projections 26 , 27 of the adjusting elements 16 , 17 are protruded out on the front side of the recess 22 through arcuated slots 28 , 29 formed in the recess 22 . the panel 2 is secured to the machine housing 1a of the sewing machine 1 by any suitable means as shown in fig1 . the switch elements 12 , 13 are provided with actuators 30 , 31 , respectively , and the switch actuating elements 20 , 21 are respectively formed with forked parts 32 , 33 which engage the actuators 30 , 31 of the switch actuating elements 12 , 13 . the recess 22 is so formed as to receive a cam plate 34 which is laterally slided in the recess 22 . as shown , the cam plate 34 is formed with a pair of cam slots 35 , 36 each consisting of a horizontal slot and an inclined slot which receive the transverse projections 26 , 27 of the adjusting elements 16 , 17 , respectively . a first slide plate 37 is slidably fitted to the recessed part 14 of the panel 2 to cover the pattern indicating plate 15 and is slidingly moved laterally of the recessed part 14 . the first slide plate 37 is provided with a number of rectangular transparent parts 38 as partly shown in the drawing with a space between the adjacent transparent parts 38 , the space being twice as wide as the space between the laterally adjacent indicia on the pattern indicating plate 15 . the first slide plate 37 is opaque except the transparent rectangular parts 38 . the slide plate 37 has a transverse projection 39 formed at the right end thereof . the transverse projection 39 passes through a laterally elongated slot 40 of the panel 2 and engages a fork 41 of the adjusting element 16 . the slide plate 37 is so designed as to superpose the transparent parts 38 on the vertical rows of capital alphabet letters respectively when the plate 37 is slided to the left end position . thus the capital alphabet letters are made visible . when the slide plate 37 is slided to the right end position , the plate 37 hides the capital alphabet letters and superpose the transparent parts 38 on the small alphabet letters so that the latter may be visible . a second slide plate 42 is also slidably fitted to the recessed part 14 of panel 2 and superposed on the first slide plate 37 . the second slide plate 42 is provided with a number of transparent rectangular parts 43 as partly shown , and is substantially of the same design with the first slide plate 37 . the second slide plate 42 has a transverse projection 44 formed at the right end thereof . the transverse projection 44 passes through a laterally elongated slot 45 of the panel 2 and engages a fork 46 of the adjusting element 17 . a window frame 47 is employed to fixedly cover the recessed part 14 of the panel 2 so that the slide plates 37 , 42 may not come out of the recessed part 14 and so that the pattern indicia on the pattern indicating plate 15 may be visible through a transparent part 48 of the window frame 47 . the window frame 47 has a laterally elongated opening 50 formed at the right end thereof . the opening 50 receives a boss 52 formed on the inner side of a switch knob 51 of the slide switch 7 in such a manner that the switch knob 51 may be laterally moved in the opening 50 . the opening has notches 53 oppositly formed at the middle thereof which are to engage projections 54 formed on the boss 52 of the switch knob 51 , to thereby determine the center position of the switch knob . the switch knob is fixedly connected to the cam plate 34 by means of a bolt 55 and a nut 56 . the switch knob 51 has a cover 57 to be secured thereto on the outer side thereof to hide the bolt 55 . with the foregoing structure and combination of elements , the invention operates as follows : in reference to fig1 and 2 and fig3 ( a ), when the switch knob 51 is at the center position , the transverse projection 26 of adjusting element 16 is located at the right end of the horizontal part of cam slot 35 , and the adjusting element 16 is slightly inclined in the clockwise direction . on the other hand , the transverse projection 27 is located at the left end of the horizontal part of cam slot 36 , and the adjusting element 17 is slightly inclined in the counterclockwise direction . in this case , the first slide plate 37 is moved so that the transparent parts 38 may be aligned with the rows of the small alphabet letters on the pattern indicating plate 15 , respectively and the second slide plate 42 is moved so that the transparent parts 43 may be aligned with the rows of the capital alphabet letters respectively . as the result , the capital alphabet letters are hidden by the first slide plate 37 , and the small alphabet letters are hidden by the second slide plate 42 . therefore only the first group of indicies 5 may be selected by operation of the pattern selecting push button switches 4 . simultaneously the actuators 30 , 31 of switch elements 12 , 13 assume a lower position . further in reference to fig3 ( b ), when the switch knob 51 is at the left side position , the transverse projection 27 of adjusting element 17 is located at the left end of the horizontal part of cam slot 36 , and the adjusting element 17 remains as it is in fig3 ( a ). the second slide plate 42 therefore hides the capital alphabet letters on the pattern indicating plate 15 . on the other hand , the transverse projection 26 of adjusting element 16 is located at the upper end of the inclined part of cam slot 35 , and the adjusting element 16 is turned in the counterclockwise direction as shown . in this case , the first slide plate 37 is moved so that the transparent parts 38 may be aligned with the rows of the capital alphabet letters respectively . as the result , the capital alphabet letters become visible . simultaneously the actuator 30 of switch element 12 , assumes an upper position . further in reference to fig3 ( c ), when the switch knob 51 is at the right side position , the adjusting elements 16 , 17 are inversely operated to assume the positions respectively as shown . as the result , the capital alphabet letters are hidden , and the small alphabet letters become visible . simultaneously the actuator 30 of switch element 12 assumes a lower position and the actuator 31 of switch element 13 assumes an upper position . in reference to fig4 showing a block diagram of an electric control circuit , a microcomputer receives and processes the signals from the pattern selecting push button switches 4 and the slide switch 7 , and then gives the output to a led drive circuit as to the pattern selection . the led drive circuit accordingly drives light emitting diodes ( call led 1 hereinafter ) for lighting the first group of indicia 5 , light emitting diodes ( call led 2 hereinafter ) for lighting the ten - key numbers in the pattern number indicating part 9 , and the 7 -- segment number indication tubes 10 . in the meantime , the microcomputer receives a pulse signal of upper shaft sensor , which is produced per rotation of the upper drive shaft of sewing machine , so as to selectively give to an actuator drive circuit the stitch control signal of a selected pattern , and the actuator drive circuit drives pulse motors for controlling the lateral swinging amplitudes of needle and fabric feeding amount respectively . the electric control operation is as follows ; in reference to fig5 showing a flow chart according to the invention , upon application of a control electric source , the microcomputer starts a program control . after the programs of initial setting or so have been carried out , reading of key is carried out , namely it is identified if the pattern selecting push button switches 4 and slide switch 7 have been operated . if the switch knob 51 of slide switch 7 is located at the center position , the actuators 30 , 31 of switch elements 12 , 13 are located at a lower position and produce a specific signal . with such a signal , it is identified that the first group of pattern indicia is designated , and the light emitting diode led 1 is lighted at one of pattern indicia 5 in dependence upon the operation of push button switches 4 . thus a selected pattern indicium is electrically indicated . in this case , the pattern indicia are all hidden in the pattern indicating part 8 of the sewing machine . with the subsequent operation of sewing machine , the selected pattern is repeatedly produced with the stitches thereof controlled . when the switch knob 51 of slide switch 7 is moved to the left or right side position , the actuator 30 or 31 of switch element 12 or 13 is at the upper position . in this case , the pattern selection is not limited to the first group of indicia 5 , and the pattern numbers are electrically visible at the pattern number indicating part 9 by the light emitting diode led 2 . if a pattern number is designated by two -- time operation of the push button switches 4 , the two -- figure number is indicated at the 7 -- segment indication tubes 10 . if the switch knob 51 of slide switch 7 is at the left side position , the actuator 30 of switch element 12 is located at the upper position , and the actuator 31 of switch element 13 is located at the lower position . the resultant specific signal gives a function to the push button switches 4 to designate the pattern numbers of the second group of indicia ( capital alphabet letters ) as well as the first group of indicia 5 . in this case , the capital alphabet letters and the accompanied numbers of second group of the indicia are visible in the pattern indicating part 8 . accordingly the two - time operation of push button switches 4 may selectively designate the pattern numbers of the second group of indicia and of first group of indicia 5 . with the subsequent operation of sewing machine , a selected pattern is produced with the stitches thereof controlled . when the switch knob 51 of slide switch 7 is at the right side position , the actuator 30 of switch element 12 is located at a lower position and the actuator 31 of switch element 13 is located at the upper position . the resultant specific signal gives a function to the push button switches 4 to designate the third group of indicia ( small alphabet letters ) in the pattern indicating part 8 as well as the first group of indicia 5 . in this case , the third group of indicia and the accompanied numbers are visible , and two - time operation of the push button switches 4 may selectively designate any of pattern numbers of the third group of pattern indicia as well as the first group of pattern indicia 5 . with the subsequent operation of sewing machine , a selected pattern is produced with the stitches controlled . the numbers accompanying the pattern indicia respectively in the pattern indicating part 8 are determined in relation with the position of slide switch 7 ( 51 ), i . e ., left or right side position thereof . it is therefore possible to give the same number to one of the indicia in the second group ( capital alphabet letters ) and to one of the indicia in the third group ( small alphabet letters ). the system of the invention is designed to select at most one hundred indicia including the ones in the first , second and third groups when the slide switch is located at the left or right side position . fig6 ( a ) and 7 ( a ), 7 ( b ), 7 ( c ) show a second embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the groups of indicia are switched to each other by a rotational dial instead of by a slide switch 7 ( 51 ) which is employed in the first embodiment . according to the embodiment , the dial is rotated to the maximum extent in the counterclockwise direction to visualize the second group of indicia in the pattern indicating part 8 , so that the second group as well as the first group of indicia may be selected by operation of the push button switches 4 . on the other hand , the dial is rotated to the maximum extent in clockwise direction to visualize the third group of indicia in the pattern indicating part 8 , so that the second group as well as the first group of indicia may be selected . the dial is positioned at the center position to hide both groups of indicia in the pattern indicating part 8 , so that only the first group of indicia may be selected by operation of the push button switches 4 . in reference to fig6 ( a ) and 7 ( a ), 7 ( b ), 7 ( c ), the second embodment will be explained only with respect to the parts which are different from the first embodiment as shown in fig1 and 3 ( a ) to 3 ( c ). a pair of adjusting elements 59 , 60 have bosses 61 , 62 respectively . the switch actuating elements 20 , 21 are fitted to the bosses 61 , 62 of the adjusting elements 59 , 60 respectively , and are secured to each other by means of fastening screws . a panel 2a is formed with a mount 63 which has a pair of spaced pins 23a secured to the rear side thereof . on the pins 23a the adjusting elements 59 , 60 are turnably mounted . the adjusting elements 59 , 60 have transverse projections 66 , 67 respectively which are protruded out to the front side of the panel 2a through arcuated slots 29a respectively which are formed in the mount 63 . a rotary cam 68 is rotatably mounted on the mount 63 . the rotary cam 68 is made of a synthetic resin and has a central mounting hole 69 as seen from fig6 ( a ). the rotary cam 68 is formed with an eccentric groove 70 of laterally symmetrical curvature as shown which is to cooperate with the transverse pins 66 , 67 . the rotary cam 68 is formed with an elastic projection 71 located radially thereof between the both ends of the eccentric groove 70 . the projection 71 is adapted to snappingly engage three notches 72 formed on the rotary cam mount 63 respectively to position the rotary cam with respect to the mount 63 . a window frame 47a has a dial guide hole 73 formed at the right end part thereof . a dial 58 is formed with an axial boss 74 which is to be inserted into the dial guide hole 73 and is then fixedly connected to the rotary cam 68 by means of a bolt 75 and a nut 76 . the dial 58 is covered with a cap 76 which is affixed with an arrow mark a . the arrow mark a is related to three reference marks 77 provided on the window frame 47a to identify the three detaining positions of the dial 58 as the latter is rotated . the operation of the second embodiment is substantially the same with that of the first embodiment . it would therefore be not necessary to describe in detail the operation of the second embodiment . fig7 ( a ) shows a condition in which the dial 58 is rotated until the arrow mark a is aligned with the center reference mark so that the first group of indicia may be selected . fig7 ( b ) shows the condition in which the dial 58 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction until the arrow mark a is aligned with the left side reference mark so that the second as well as the first group of indicia may be selected . fig7 ( c ) shows a condition in which the dial is rotated in the clockwise direction until the arrow mark a is aligned with the right side reference mark so that the third as well as the first group of indicia may be selected . it will be understood that each of the elements described above , or two or more together , may also find a useful application in other types of pattern selecting devices in electronic sewing machines differing from the types described above . while the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a pattern selecting device for an electronic sewing machine , it is not intended to be limited to the details shown , since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention . what is claimed as new as desired to be protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims .	6
as seen in fig1 and 2 , the farrowing system is generally designated in the drawings with the reference numeral 10 . the farrowing system may also be referred to as the natural farrowing system ™. the farrowing system utilizes a generic farrowing building 12 , typically a hoop or pole barn . the floor of the farrowing building has a farrowing box area 14 which has a series of farrowing boxes 16 grouped together . the farrowing box 16 may also be referred to as nesting box ™. as illustrated , the farrowing boxes 16 are grouped together to conserve heat . alternatively , these boxes may be separated . also , the farrowing boxes 16 as illustrated have their backs to one another such that an entrance to the farrowing box 16 is pointed outward . the farrowing boxes 16 may also be formed in a single lane . the number of farrowing boxes 16 are determinate upon the size of the farrowing building 12 and general guidelines regarding layout of the farrowing building 12 . layout considerations include an alley 18 outside of the farrowing box 16 that is preferably 6 to 7 feet wide . also , a 12 feet wide floored area 20 extends along the front of the farrowing building 12 and includes a waterer 24 that is approximately 8 inches off the ground and a feeder 22 that as illustrated is 8 feet high and holds several weeks worth of feed . in addition , the farmer may desire a storage area 26 behind the farrowing box area 14 in which to store straw . the storage area 26 is optional and not required . as seen in fig2 , the relative size of the components is illustrated . as illustrated , the farrowing boxes are 8 feet long and 5 ′ 4 ″ wide to give each farrowing box 42 square feet inside . each alley 18 to the left and the right of the farrowing box area 14 is 7 feet wide bringing the total width of the building to 30 feet . the total length of the building is 50 feet which provides adequate storage space 26 and a forward area 20 . the generic farrowing building 12 as illustrated is a hoop building that protects the farrowing boxes 16 from snow , wind , and rain . the structure should be 14 feet wide to accommodate one 8 foot long nesting box and a 6 foot wide alley and have a length to accommodate as many 5 ′ 4 ″ farrowing boxes 16 as can be placed in the barn 12 for each female hog that is farrowing . the floor of the farrowing building 12 may be dirt , concrete , or other material . the floor is illustrated in fig6 as numeral 70 . the entire floor of the building 12 is covered with a half inch of ag lime # 3 . this layer is illustrated in fig6 as numeral 66 and acts as a disinfectant and barrier to pathogens in the floor . the area of the floor under the nesting boxes is bedded with a 4 inch layer shell and bone dry lime stone 68 to insulate gilt . to encourage the female hog to nest , ⅓ to ½ of a small bale of long stemmed straw ( 20 lbs ) illustrated as numeral 64 is placed in the farrowing box 16 . as seen in fig3 , the farrowing box 16 has a front 28 , back 30 , both having cross bars 31 for structural support . joining the back 30 to the front 28 are sides 32 which are attached to the back 28 and front 30 by corner braces 33 . the front 28 , back 30 , and sides 32 together form an open bottom 34 and an open top 36 . on the front 28 is an entrance 37 positioned over a removable door 38 that slides along grooves 40 on each side of the entrance 37 . above the removable door 38 is a 4 ″ by 24 ″ plastic roller 42 that helps the female hog prevent damaging her pre - farrowing underside and udder . the plastic roller 42 may be used with the above described farrowing box 16 , summer pasture hut farrowing boxes , or other farrowing environments in the prior art . on each side of the farrowing box 16 are anti - crush boards 44 . these boards 44 help prevent the piglets from being crushed up against sides 32 accidentally by the female hog . crossbars 46 extend across the front and back sides of the farrowing box . the plastic roller 42 is placed upon the front crossbar 46 during construction and spins about the front crossbar 46 . also seen within the nesting area are rods 48 . these rods prevent two female hogs from lying down and sharing a farrowing box 16 together . as mentioned earlier , gilts are social animals and will sometimes co - mingle in the same farrowing box 16 without the use of rods 48 . the rods 48 enable a female hog to maneuver within the box 16 but not to lay down except within a center channel in alignment with the entrance thus preventing piglet crushing . fig9 illustrates anti - crush rods 48 which are moveable between a nesting position where the rods 48 are extended outward to permit the pre - farrowing female hog to build a nest without obstructions of the rods 48 and a nursing position wherein the rods are moved parallel such that only one female hog may lay in the farrowing box at a time to nurse her piglets . the nursing position significantly prevents piglet crushing by preventing two female hogs from being with the same farrowing box 16 at the same time and to designate an area where the nursing mother may lay which further prevents piglet crushing . the rod 48 is moveable between the nesting position and the nursing position . the rod 48 may be used with the above described farrowing box , summer pasture hut farrowing boxes , or other farrowing environments in the prior art . the rod 48 is supported by a u - bolt 81 affixed under the front crossboard 46 . the rod 48 travels through the u - bolt 81 and a pin 80 placed through the rod prevent the rod 48 from moving outward into the inner nesting area . a hole 82 within the creep area crossboard 46 is raised off the ground approximately 12 ″ to effectively remove the rod 48 from interfering with the nesting of the female hog . downward support bars 84 are on the outside of the wooden crossboard 46 and extend about 4 ″ downward . the downward support bars 84 permit the rod 48 to be slid into place at approximately 8 ″ off the floor of the farrowing box 16 . in addition , the bars 84 also deter the mothering hogs from pushing material into the creep area . the rod 48 is a ¾ ″ steel pipe that will not be damaged by the female hog . the rod 48 is moved between the nesting and nursing positions by removing pin 80 , pushing the rod 48 into the nesting area and then pulling the rod 48 through the entrance 37 which removes the rod 48 out of hole 82 , the rod 48 is then placed into the bars 84 , and finally the rod 48 is placed into the u - bolt 81 and the pin 80 placed through the rod 48 to prevent movement past the u - bolt 81 . the rod 48 is moved between the nursing and nesting positions similarly but with reverse order of steps . a sloped creep front 50 is in position at the back 30 of the farrowing box 16 . this is sloped forward and has holes 52 through which wiring 54 runs to lamps 56 . the sloped creep front 50 defines a creep area level with the anti - crush boards 44 . a mesh wire abuts the bottom of the creep area and prevents straw bedding 64 from touching the lamps 56 . the farrowing box 16 as shown is equipped with two 250 watt heat lamps 56 . these heat lamps 56 maintain a minimum 70 ° f . temperature in the creep area and a minimum of 50 ° f . in the nesting / nursing area . ideally , the heat lamps 56 maintain a 90 ° f . temperature in the creep area and a 70 ° f . in the nesting / nursing area . the heat lamps 56 may be controlled by a thermostat . the heat lamps 56 maintain these temperatures even when the external temperatures outside the farrowing building are at − 12 ° f . with a − 35 ° f . wind chill . the heat lamps 56 are protected from the female hog and piglets by the solid plywood barrier 50 . the wire mesh 58 is ¼ inch wire mesh and is an effective barrier below the heat lamp to prevent the heat lamps from contacting the straw bedding and to prevent the lamp from straw contact from the nesting female hog , and protect the piglets and female hog in the unlikely event that the lamps become loose or explode . insulation 62 is placed on the open top 36 of the farrowing box 16 . additionally , a plastic vapor barrier 63 may be placed in use with the styrofoam insulation 62 . the plastic vapor barrier 63 is typically a 6 ml clear plastic barrier . the insulation 62 is typically 2 inch thick styrofoam panel ( r10 ) heat loss barrier . a covering may be placed upon the door to prevent heat loss out of the farrowing box 16 . as seen in fig7 and 8 , this door 76 may be a 3 × 2 foot insulating carpet square or it may be insulating plastic sheets 78 overlapping . the plastic sheets 78 may provide the additional benefit of being clear and permitting a female hog to see within the farrowing box 16 . as seen in fig4 , the piglets 73 are shown standing without their mother in the nesting area . the piglets 73 may alternatively rest underneath the heat lamps in the creep area or under the anti - crush boards 44 and anti - crushing rods 48 . fig5 illustrates a female hog 72 which may be a sow or gilt . sows are older female hogs which have already had one litter and gilts are female hogs having their first litter . the female hog 72 is shown with a nose ring 74 . the nose ring 74 prevents the female hog 72 from rooting in the alley and encourages the female hog 72 to root and build a nest in the farrowing box 16 . the use of the farrowing system will now be described . approximately 12 hours before a gilt is due to farrow she will start looking for a nest site and will move into the farrowing box 16 and isolate herself from other female hogs . the 4 ″ inch plastic roller on the approximately 12 inch high entrance prevents any bruising of the female hogs 72 large pre - farrowing underline and udder . the female hog 72 will root in the 4 ″ dry limestone layer and proceed to build a nest with the straw that is provided in the farrowing box 16 . she will tend to mound the straw in the middle of the farrowing box 16 causing the newborn piglets 73 to move to the sides 32 under the anti - crushing boards 44 , anti - crush bars 48 , and under the sloped creep front 50 . the gilt will lie in the box facing the door and the piglets 73 will be born next to the heat source 56 in the creep area under the sloped creep front 50 . the female hog 72 is discouraged to farrow in the bare outside alley 18 because there is no nesting material , such as bone limestone 68 or straw bedding 64 , and because by instinct wants to isolate her new piglets 73 from the other female hogs . the female hog may have a ring 74 inserted in her snout to further prevent rooting in the alley 18 . after farrowing , the female hog 72 will lie in the farrowing box 16 and vocalize and nurse her piglets 73 for about 12 hours before she will get up and go outside into the alley 18 to urinate and defecate . she will then go to the end of the farrowing building 12 and eat and drink from the feeder 22 and waterer 24 . the female hog 72 will then go back to her farrowing box by scenting her piglets 73 . the female hog 72 will only go back into the farrowing box 16 holding her piglets 73 because of her mothering instinct . the female hog 72 will nurse her piglets in the farrowing box 16 and continue to go outside over the farrowing box roller 42 to urinate , defecate , eat and drink . this results in the farrowing box 16 staying dry and warm for the piglets health and comfort . after about 14 days the lower door 38 of the farrowing box 16 is removed and the piglets 73 will naturally start to follow their mother outside and integrate with the other piglets and mothers . the piglets will follow their mother to the end of the structure and will begin to eat and drink with her . the piglets also learn to urinate and defecate in the alley 18 and thus their farrowing box 16 , that they will always return to , will stay dry and warm . the farrowing box 16 will always provide the female hog 73 and her litter a safe haven from the environment outside the farrowing boxes 16 . the piglets 73 continue to nurse their mother and eat and drink with her until about six weeks of age when they are weaned at approximately 35 pounds . weaning is done by removing the female hog 72 from the area and by allowing the piglets 73 to stay in their normal environment which eliminates much of the weaning stress of the piglets 73 . the piglets continue to each and drink from the self feeder 22 and waterer 24 at the end of the farrowing building . at eight weeks of age the piglets 73 are 50 to 55 pounds and marketed as feeder pigs and removed from the building . for cleaning , the farrowing boxes 16 are removed from the building 12 by picking them up with a front end loader ( not shown ) attached by chain such that the cross beam 60 can be lifted up . the limestone 66 and 68 , straw 64 and manure are then mechanically removed with the front end loader and spread on crop ground as valuable natural fertilizer that is dry and virtually odor free . the cycle begins again by placing a ½ ″ layer of ag lime # 3 spread over the entire floor 70 of the building 12 as a disinfectant and barrier to pathogens in the floor . the entire process is an eight - week cycle . the cycle is further enhanced utilizing a once - bred gilt system . this system utilizes a genetic line of hogs which reach reproductive maturity quickly . ideally the female hogs are induced to go into heat by being placed near a boar such that their first heat is between 5½ to 6 months of age . the female hogs are then artificially inseminated such that they farrow at approximately 9¼ months of age . the mother may then be weaned at approximately 10½ to 11 months of age where they may then be marketed as market hogs . this is valuable because market hogs command a higher price than hogs older than one year of age . during warm seasons , the insulation 62 and vapor barrier 63 are removed from the farrowing boxes and the heat lamps 56 turned off by thermostat . in addition , the farrowing building 12 may have windows and doors opened . utilizing these steps , the farrowing system for cold environments may be modified to be used during the hot summer months . as seen in the below table , the results of using the above - described cold farrowing system is as effective if not more effective than summer pasture hut farrowing . * results from cold weather farrowing in hoop building temperatures tested at − 12 ° f . with a wind chill of − 35 ° f . below . ** outdoor pig production : a pasture farrowing herd in western iowa honeyman , mark and rousch , wayne publication number isrf98 - 10 the invention has been shown and described above for the preferred embodiments , and it is understood that many modifications , substitutions , and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention . in the foregoing , it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives in a cold environment and with minor modifications can be used in warm seasons to improve pasture hut farrowing results .	0
hereinafter , the present invention is concretely described with reference to some of the most preferable embodiments of the present invention . however , these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention in scope . fig2 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus equipped with a controlling apparatus ( device ) for controlling the fixing apparatus ( device ) in this embodiment . it shows the general structure of the apparatus . the image forming apparatus 100 is a full - color laser beam printer , which uses an electrophotographic image forming method . there are disposed in tandem the first , second , third , and fourth image forming sections pa - pd , in the main assembly of the apparatus . in the image forming sections pa - pd , monochromatic toner images , which are different in color , are formed one for one , through processes of forming a latent image , developing the latent image , and transferring the developed latent image . the image forming sections pa - pd have drum - shaped electrophotographic photosensitive components , more specifically , photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d as their own image bearing components , respectively . the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are rotationally driven in the direction indicated by arrow marks r 1 in fig2 , at a preset peripheral velocity . it is on these photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d that monochromatic toner images , different in color , are formed one for one . there is disposed next to the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , an intermediary transfer belt 130 , as an intermediary transferring component . as the toner images , different in color , are formed on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , one for one , they are transferred ( primary transfer ) onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 , in the primary transfer sections n 1 a - n 1 d , respectively . then , they are transferred ( secondary transfer ) onto a sheet p of recording paper , in the secondary transfer section n 2 . after the transfer of the toner images onto the sheet p of recording paper , the sheet p is conveyed to a fixing apparatus ( device ) 9 , in which the sheet p and the toner images thereon are subjected to heat and pressure . thus , the toner images become fixed to the sheet p . thereafter , the sheet p is discharged , as a print , from the main assembly of the apparatus . the image forming sections pa - pd are also provided with charge rollers 2 a - 2 d as charging means , and developing devices 1 a - 1 d as developing means , which are disposed in the adjacencies of the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , respectively . also disposed in the adjacencies of the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are primary transfer rollers 24 a - 24 d as primary transferring means , and cleaners 4 a - 4 d as cleaning means . further , there are disposed above the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , laser scanners la - ld , as exposing means , which are equipped with a light source and a polygonal mirror . the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are roughly uniformly charged by the charge rollers 2 a - 2 d , respectively . then , the charged portion of each photosensitive drum 3 is exposed by the laser scanner l ( la , lb , lc or ld ). a beam of laser light emitted by the light source is deflected by a rotating polygon mirror in a manner of scanning the charged portion of the photosensitive drum 3 , is changed in direction by a reflection mirror , and is focused by an f - θ lens onto the generatrix of the photosensitive drum 3 ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c or 3 d ). consequently , four electrostatic images ( latent images ), which correspond to the image formation signals , are effected on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , one for one . the developing devices 1 a - 1 d contain a preset amount of yellow , magenta , cyan , and black toners , as developer ), respectively . they are replenished with toner , as necessary , by replenishing devices 117 a - 117 d , respectively . they develop the latent images on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d into visible images , more specifically , yellow , magenta , cyan and black toner images , respectively . the intermediary transfer belt 130 is being rotationally driven , in the direction indicated by an arrow mark a , at the same peripheral velocity as the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d . in an operation for forming a full - color image , for example , first , a yellow toner image ( image of first color ) is formed on the photosensitive drum 3 a . this yellow toner image is transferred ( primary transfer ) onto the outward surface of the intermediary transfer belt 130 ( with reference to loop which belt forms ), while the yellow toner image is conveyed through the nip ( primary transfer nip ) n 1 a , which is the area of contact between the photosensitive drum 3 a and intermediary transfer belt 130 . while the yellow toner image is conveyed through the primary transfer nip n 1 a , the primary transfer bias is applied to the intermediary transfer belt 130 by way of the primary transfer roller 24 a . thus , the yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 a is transferred onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 by the combination of the electric field generated by the primary transfer bias , and the pressure in the primary transfer nip n 1 a . similarly , the magenta toner image ( toner image of second color ), cyan toner image ( toner image of third color ), and black toner image ( toner image of fourth color ) are sequentially transferred in layers onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 . consequently , a full - color image , which reflects the image formation signals , is synthetically formed . the secondary transfer section is provided with the secondary transfer roller 11 as a secondary transferring means which is supported by a pair of bearings , in parallel to the intermediary transfer belt 130 , and also , in contact with the downwardly facing portion of the outward surface of the intermediary transfer belt 130 . to the secondary transfer roller 11 , a preset secondary transfer bias is applied by a secondary transfer bias power source . meanwhile , sheets p of recording paper are conveyed to the secondary transfer section by a recording paper supplying means . more specifically , the sheets p are conveyed one by one to the secondary transfer nip from a sheet feeder cassette 10 , by way of a pair of registration rollers 12 , an upstream transfer guide ( unshown ), etc ., with such a timing that each sheet p of recording paper arrives at a preset point in time , at the secondary transfer nip , which is the area of contact between the intermediary transfer belt 130 and secondary transfer roller 11 . while the sheet p is conveyed through the secondary transfer nip , the secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 11 from a secondary transfer bias power source . thus , the synthetic full - color toner image , which is made up of the four monochromatic toner images , different in color , which were transferred in layers onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 , is transferred ( secondary transfer ) onto the sheet p or recording paper . by the way , the toner ( transfer residual toner ) which is remaining on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d after the completion of the primary transfer , is removed and recovered by the cleaners 4 a - 4 d . that is , the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are cleaned so that they can be used for the formation of the next latent images . as for the transfer residual toner , and other contaminants , remaining on the intermediary transfer belt 130 , they are wiped way by a cleaning web ( unwoven cloth ) which is placed in contact with the surface of the intermediary transfer belt 130 . after the transfer of the toner images onto the sheet p of recording paper , in the second transfer section , the sheet p is introduced into a fixing device 9 , which will be described later in detail . in the fixing device 9 , heat and pressure are applied to the sheet p and toner image ( s ) thereon . consequently , the toner image ( s ) becomes fixed to the sheet p . in this embodiment , the controlling apparatus ( device ) for controlling the fixing device as an image heating device is provided with an automatic mode and a user mode ( manual mode ), which will be described later . the controlling device may be a part of an image forming apparatus , like the one in this embodiment , or a part of a fixing device , like the one with which a fixing device is provided in a case where the fixing device is independent from the image forming apparatus . fig3 is a sectional view of the fixing device 9 , while it is not in the state in which it can perform neither an operation for refreshing the fixation roller , nor an operation for refreshing the pressure roller . it shows the structure of the fixing device 9 . the fixing device 9 has a fixation roller ( thermally fixing component ) 40 , which is a rotational heating component ( first rotational component ) for heating the image on a sheet p of recording paper . the fixing device 9 has also a pressure roller ( pneumatic fixing component ) 41 , which is a rotational pressure applying component ( second rotational component ). it is pressed upon the fixation roller 40 to form a nip ( fixation nip ). as a sheet p of recording paper , on which a toner image is present , is conveyed through the fixation nip , remaining pinched between the pressure roller 41 and fixation roller 40 , while the fixation roller 40 is heated by a heat source 40 a disposed in the hollow of the fixation roller 40 , the toner image becomes fixed to the sheet p . further , the fixing device 9 is provided with a fixation roller refreshing system 50 , which can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the fixation roller 40 . it is also provided with a pressure roller refreshing system 60 , which can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the pressure roller 41 . referring to fig3 , the fixation roller 40 is made up of a metallic core ( sustratative layer ) 40 b , an elastic layer 40 c , and a parting layer 40 d . the elastic layer 40 c is formed of rubber , on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 40 b . the parting layer 40 d is the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 . it covers the elastic layer 40 c . more concretely , in this embodiment , the metallic core 40 b is a piece of hollow aluminum tube which is 68 mm in external diameter . the elastic layer 40 c is formed of silicone rubber , and is 20 ° in rubber hardness ( jis - a : under 1 kg of weight ), and is 1 . 0 mm in thickness . the parting layer 40 d , which covers the outward surface of the elastic layer 40 c , is formed of fluorinated resin , and is 50 μm in thickness . thus , the fixation roller 40 is 70 mm in external diameter . the fixation roller 40 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ends of the metallic core 40 b ( in terms of direction parallel to rotational axis of metallic core 40 b ). it is rotationally driven by an unshown motor as a driving means , in the direction indicated by an arrow mark in fig3 . the material for the parting layer is a piece of tube made of fluorinated resin , such as pfa resin ( copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene resin and perfluoroalkoxylethylene ), ptfe ( tetrafluoroethylene ), or the like , which is excellent in parting properties . the material for the parting layer of the fixation roller 40 in this embodiment is a piece of pfa resin tube . the parting layer 40 d , which is the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 is desired to be no less than 30 μm , and no more than 100 μm , in thickness . the fixation roller 40 internally holds a halogen heater 40 a as its heat source . its temperature is kept by a combination of a temperature sensor 42 a and a temperature control circuit , within a range of 150 - 180 ° c ., in which toner is fixable to a sheet p of recording paper . this target temperature has to be varied according to recording paper type . by the way , in this embodiment , the peripheral velocity of the fixation roller 40 was set to 220 mm / sec . this peripheral velocity of the fixation roller 40 is equivalent to the process speed ( image outputting speed ) of the image forming apparatus 100 . at this time , the changes in the surface condition of the fixation roller 40 , which are caused by a sheet p of recording medium as the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 , are described . hereafter , the portions of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , which the side edges ( lateral edges ) of a sheet p of recording paper contact , are referred to as paper edge portions . as the problem that the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 is gradually roughened by the side edges ( lateral edges ) of a sheet of recording paper was examined by the inventors of the present invention , the following became evident . that is , as a substantial number of sheets p of recording paper are conveyed through the fixing device 9 in such a manner that the sheets always contact the same portion of the fixation roller 40 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the fixation roller 40 , the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 becomes nonuniform in surface roughness , as will be described next . that is , referring to fig8 , the paper path portion ( i ), out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ), and paper edge portions ( iii ), or the borderline between the paper path portion ( i ) and out - of - paper - path portion ( ii ), of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , become different in surface roughness . when the fixation roller 40 is in the new condition , the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , which is the outward surface of the parting layer formed of fluorinated resin or the like , is in the mirror - like condition ; the surface roughness rz ( jis : ten point average roughness ) is roughly in a range of 0 . 1 μm - 0 . 3 μm . in comparison , as a substantial number of sheets p of recording paper are conveyed through the fixing device 9 , the portion of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , which corresponds in position to the recording paper path ( portion which comes into contact with recording paper ) is gradually eroded by being attacked by the fibers , internal and external additives of the recording paper . thus , the surface roughness of this portion of the fixation roller 40 gradually increases to roughly 0 . 5 μm - 1 . 0 μm . the out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ) of the peripheral surface 40 d of the fixation roller 40 contact the peripheral surface 41 d of the pressure roller 41 which opposes the fixation roller 40 . thus , the surface roughness rz of the out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ) of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 settles to a value in a range of 0 . 4 μm - 0 . 7 μm . thus , the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 is made nonuniform in surface condition , in terms of the lengthwise direction of the fixation roller 40 , by the conveyance of sheets p of recording paper through the fixing device 9 , as described above . next , the relationship between the condition of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and the nonuniformity in gloss of an image outputted from the fixation roller 40 is described . in order to fix an unfixed toner image to a sheet p of recording paper , the fixing device 9 applies pressure and heat to the sheet p and the unfixed toner image thereon . during this process , the surface condition ( presence of numerous minute peaks and valleys ) of the peripheral surface of the fixing device 9 is transferred onto the surface of the toner image as the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 . thus , the surface condition of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , more specifically , the nonuniformity of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , makes the toner image on a sheet p of recording paper nonuniform in surface condition while the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 . consequently , the image forming apparatus 100 outputs images which are nonuniform in gloss ( fig8 ). generally speaking , with regards to surface gloss , if a surface is capable of highly accurately reflecting an optical image , the surface is recognized as highly glossy , whereas if a surface is incapable of highly accurately reflecting an optical image , it is recognized as low in gloss or not glossy . for example , in a case where an image such as a silver - salt photographic image is seen under florescent illumination , not only is the light from the florescent bulb reflected by the image surface , but also , the shape of the florescent bulb can be seen in the image surface . in such a case , the image is thought to be highly glossy , whether consciously or unconsciously . this means that the surface of the photographic image is in the mirror - like condition , that is , being virtually free of visible peaks and valleys . on the other hand , if a surface is low in gloss , the opposites can be said . that is , in the case of an image which is low in gloss , the minute peaks and valleys which its surface has are relatively large . therefore , as the light from a florescent bulb hits the surface , it is randomly reflected , and therefore , the shape of the florescent bulb is not recognizable in the surface of the image . that is , there is a correlation between the surface condition ( presence of minute peaks and valleys ) of an image , and the glossiness of the image . therefore , if a fixation roller having deteriorated in surface condition is used to fix an image to highly glossy recording medium , such as coated paper , which is used to yield high quality images , an image forming apparatus ( fixing device ) is likely to output images which are nonuniform in gloss . for example , an image forming apparatus ( fixing device ) is likely to output images which have unwanted lines which are low in gloss and correspond in position to the paper edge portions of the fixation roller 40 , images which are nonuniform in gloss because of the difference in gloss between its portion corresponding to the paper - path portion of the fixation roller , and its portions corresponding to the out - of - sheet - path portions of the fixation roller , and the like images . hereafter , the difference in gloss between a portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper edge portion ( iii ) of the fixation roller 40 , and the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the sheet - path portion ( i ) of the fixation roller , is referred to as a paper edge scar , and so is the difference in gloss between the portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper edge portion ( iii ) of the fixation roller . in comparison , the difference in gloss between the portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper - path portion ( i ) of the fixation roller , and the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the out - of - sheet - path portion ( ii ) of the fixation roller is referred to as gloss nonuniformity . the sheet edge portion ( iii ) is roughly 1 - 2 mm in width . that is , it is very narrow . therefore , the difference in gloss between the portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper - path ( i ) of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , and the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ) of the fixation roller 40 , is more conspicuous than the paper edge scars , regardless of severity in roughness of the sheet edge portions of the fixation roller . at this time , the fixation roller refreshing system 50 is described . referring to fig4 , a refreshing roller ( abrading roller ) 52 , which is an abrading component ( first rotational abrading component ), is made up of a metallic ( stainless steel sus 304 ) core 53 which is 12 mm in external diameter , and an abrasive layer ( surface layer ) 33 which covers the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 . more concretely , the abrasive layer 33 is formed by forming an adhesive layer ( intermediary layer ) 54 on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 , and then , densely adhering abrasive particles , as abrasive material 55 , to the adhesive layer 54 ( peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 ). fig7 is an enlarged schematic sectional view of the refreshing roller 52 . as the abrasive 55 of which the abrasive layer 33 ( surface layer ) of the refreshing roller 52 is formed , minute particles of one of the following substances , and their mixtures , can be listed . more specifically , minute particles of aluminum oxide , aluminum hydroxide , silicon oxide , cerium oxide , titanium oxide , zirconia , lithium silicate , silicon nitride , iron oxide , chrome oxide , antimony oxide , diamond , etc ., may be listed . in this embodiment , alumina ( aluminum oxide ) ( which is referred to as alundum or morundum ) was used as the abrasive 55 . alumina - based abrasive is the most widely used abrasive . it is substantially higher in hardness than the fixation roller 40 . further , its edges are acute - angled . therefore , it is excellent in terms of abrasiveness . thus , it is suitable as the abrasive 55 for this embodiment . the alumina - based abrasive used for this embodiment was no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in particles size . thus , the abrasive layer 33 is such a layer that is no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness . this range ( 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness ) was a range in which the refreshing roller 52 can effectively refresh the fixation roller 40 in surface condition , while keeping the fixation roller 40 satisfactory in surface properties . the refreshing roller 52 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ( parallel to rotational axis of roller ) ends of the metallic core 53 . referring to fig4 , the refreshing roller 52 is rotationally drivable by a motor 74 as a driving means . further , the supporting components located at the lengthwise ends , one for one , of the refreshing roller 52 are kept under the pressure generated by a pair of compression springs ( unshown ) as pressure applying means . therefore , the refreshing roller 52 is pressed upon the pressure roller 41 by a preset amount of pressure . therefore , an abrading nip , which has a preset width in terms of the rotational direction of the refreshing roller 52 and the fixation roller 40 , is formed between the refreshing roller 52 and the fixation roller 40 . the refreshing roller 52 may be rotated in either the same direction of rotation as the fixation roller 40 , or the opposite direction as the fixation roller 40 , such that their peripheral surfaces move in the area of contact ( abrading section ) between the refreshing roller 52 and the fixation roller 40 . further , the refreshing roller 52 is disposed so that it can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the fixation roller 40 by a refreshing roller positioning mechanism . referring to fig3 , the pressure roller 41 is made up of a metallic core ( sustrative layer ) 41 b , an elastic layer 41 c , and a parting layer 41 d . the elastic layer 41 c is formed of rubber , on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 41 b . the parting layer 41 d is the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 , and covers the elastic layer 41 c . more concretely , in this embodiment , the metallic core 41 b is a piece of hollow aluminum tube which is 48 mm in external diameter . the elastic layer 41 c is formed of silicone rubber and is 20 ° in rubber hardness ( jis - a : under 1 kg of weight ), and is 2 . 0 mm in thickness . the parting layer 41 d , which covers the outward surface of the elastic layer 41 c , is formed of fluorinated resin , and is 50 μm in thickness . thus , the pressure roller 41 is 50 mm in external diameter . the pressure roller 41 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ( direction parallel to axial line of metallic core ) ends of the metallic core 40 b . the pair of pressure roller supporting components located at the lengthwise ends of the pressure roller 41 are kept pressed by a pair of compression springs ( unshown ), as pressure applying means , one for one . thus , the pressure roller 41 remains pressed upon the fixation roller 40 by a preset amount of pressure . therefore , a fixation nip , which has a preset width in terms of the direction in which the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and that of the pressure roller 41 move , is formed between the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 . in this embodiment , the total amount of pressure by which the pressure roller 41 is kept pressed upon the fixation roller 40 is 800 n . the pressure roller 41 internally holds a halogen heater 41 a as a heat source . its temperature is kept by a combination of a temperature sensor 42 b and a temperature control circuit , within a range of 90 - 110 ° c ., which does not make the first and second surfaces of a sheet p of recording paper different in gloss in the two - sided mode , and also , the pressure roller 41 does not substantially reduce the fixation roller 40 in temperature . if the temperature of the pressure roller 41 substantially exceeds its target level , the pressure roller 41 is cooled by an unshown cooling fan or the like to reduce the temperature of the pressure roller 41 to the target level . this target temperature level is varied according to recording paper type , or the like factor . at this time , the changes in the surface condition of the fixation roller 40 , which are caused by a sheet p of recording medium as the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 , are described . there is a problem that as the fixing device 9 increases in the cumulative number of times sheets p of recording medium were conveyed through the fixing device 9 , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 is gradually roughened by the contaminants such as paper dust . thus , the inventors of the present invention studied the adhesion of paper dust to the pressure roller 41 . as a result , the following became evident . by the way , the frequency with which the pressure roller 41 comes into contact with the toner image on a sheet p of recording medium is less than the frequency with which the fixation roller 40 does . therefore , it may be said that the pressure roller 41 is smaller than the fixation roller 40 , in terms of the effect they have upon the above described paper edge scars , which results in the formation of images which are nonuniform in gloss . each time a sheet p of recording paper moves through the fixation nip , calcium carbonate , and the like , which are ingredients of the paper dust which originates from the sheet p , adhere to the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 , although by an extremely small amount . the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 , which is formed of fluorinated resin , is excellent in parting properties . normally , therefore , it is unlikely that the paper accumulates on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . however , the temperature of the pressure roller 41 is kept relatively low as described above . in the case of the fixation roller 40 , there is a toner image between the fixation roller 40 and a sheet p of recording paper . therefore , it may be said that the amount by which paper dust ingredients adhere to the fixation roller 40 will be very small . as the amount of the paper dust having adhered to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 exceeds a certain value , the pressure roller 41 substantially loses its parting properties . consequently , the paper dust begins to acceleratedly accumulate on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . fig9 is an enlarged view of the paper edge portions of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and those of the pressure roller 41 , and their adjacencies , it shows the paper dust on the pressure roller 41 . more specifically , after a substantial amount of paper dust adhered to this portion of the pressure roller 41 , a sheet of glossy paper ( coated paper ) was used to form a monochromatic black toner image on both the first and second surfaces the sheet . then , the glossiness of the toner image on the first surface was measured . then , the obtained values were plotted along the points of measurement of the fixation roller 40 . as is evident from fig9 , as a given point of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 reduces in surface roughness due to the paper dust adhesion , it reduces in fixation performance ( ability to conduct heat to toner ). thus , the point of the resultant image , which corresponds to the given point , is significantly less in gloss . next , a separation claw mechanism 70 , which is a sheet separating unit , is described . referring to fig5 , the fixing device 9 is provided with multiple separation claws 71 , which are disposed in the adjacencies of the pressure roller 41 , being aligned in tandem in the lengthwise direction of the pressure roller 41 , as shown in fig1 . the separation claws 71 prevent a sheet p of recording paper from wrapping around the pressure roller 41 , by being placed in contact with the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , when the sheet p is discharged from the fixation nip while remaining in contact with the pressure roller 41 . a sheet p of recording paper , which is high in rigidity , is less likely to wrap around the pressure roller 41 at the sheet exit of the fixation nip . therefore , when the sheets p of recording paper which are used for an image forming operation is higher in rigidity than a certain value , it is unnecessary for the separation claws 71 to be placed in contact with the pressure roller 41 . thus , the fixing device 9 is structured so that the separation claws 7 can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . it is impossible to accurately obtain the rigidity of a sheet of recording paper . in this embodiment , therefore , whether the separation claws 71 need to be placed in contact with , or kept separated from , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , is determined based on whether or not the recording paper is coated paper , and / or based on the basis weight of the recording paper . further , in a case where a toner image is present on the surface of a sheet p of recording medium , which is facing the pressure roller 41 , as when the image forming apparatus 100 is in the two - sided image forming mode , the adhesiveness of the toner image comes into play . therefore , it is more likely for the sheet p to wrap around the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . thus , when the image forming apparatus 100 is in the two - sided mode which makes it likely for a toner image to be on the surface of a sheet p of recording medium , which is facing the pressure roller 41 , the separation claws 71 are placed in contact with , or kept separated from , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , based on table 1 ( which shows , in numerical value , conditions in which separation claws are to be placed in contact with , or kept separated , from pressure roller ), in which “ ordinary paper ” includes high quality paper with no coating , recycled paper , and the like , and “ other ” includes all the other categories of sheet of recording medium such as a sheet of plastic film for an overhead projector which does not belong to the “ coated paper ” category . next , a system 60 for refreshing the pressure roller 41 is described . referring to fig5 , a refreshing roller 62 ( roughening roller ) which is an abrading component ( second rotational abrading component ) is made up of a metallic ( stainless steel sus 304 ) core 53 which is 12 mm in external diameter , and an abrasive layer ( surface layer ) 33 which covers the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 . more concretely , the abrasive layer 33 was formed by forming an adhesive layer ( intermediary layer ) 54 on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 , and then , densely adhering abrasive particles , as abrasive material , to the adhesive layer 54 ( peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 ). fig7 is an enlarged schematic sectional view of the refreshing roller 62 . as the abrasive 55 of which abrasive layer 33 ( surface layer ) of the refreshing roller 62 is formed , minute particles of the following substances , and their mixtures , can be listed . more specifically , minute particles of aluminum oxide , aluminum hydroxide , silicon oxide , cerium oxide , titanium oxide , zirconia , lithium silicate , silicon nitride , iron oxide , chrome oxide , antimony oxide , diamond , etc ., may be listed . in this embodiment , alumina ( aluminum oxide ) ( which is referred to as alundum or morundum ) was used as the abrasive 55 . alumina - based abrasive is the most widely used abrasive . it is substantially higher in hardness than the pressure roller 41 . further , its edges are acutely angled . therefore , it is excellent in terms of abrasiveness . thus , it is suitable as the abrasive 55 for this embodiment . the alumina - based abrasive used for this embodiment was no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in particles size . thus , the abrasive layer 33 is such a layer that is no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness . this range ( 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness ) was in a range in which refreshing roller 62 can effectively refresh the pressure roller 41 in surface condition , while keeping the pressure roller 41 satisfactory in surface properties . the refreshing roller 62 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ( parallel to rotational axis of refreshing roller ) ends of the metallic core 53 . referring to fig6 , the refreshing roller 62 is rotationally drivable by a motor 64 as a driving means . further , the supporting components located at the lengthwise ends , one for one , of the refreshing roller 62 are under the pressure generated by a pair of compression springs ( unshown ) as pressure applying means . therefore , the refreshing roller 62 is pressed upon the pressure roller 41 by a preset amount of pressure . therefore , an abrading nip , which has a preset width in terms of the rotational direction of the refreshing roller 62 and the pressure roller 41 , is formed between the refreshing roller 62 and the pressure roller 41 . the refreshing roller 62 may be rotated in either the same direction as the pressure roller 41 , or the opposite direction as the pressure roller 41 , such that their peripheral surfaces move in the area of contact ( abrading section ) between the refreshing roller 62 and the pressure roller 41 . further , the refreshing roller 62 is disposed so that it can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the pressure roller 41 by a refreshing roller positioning mechanism 61 . 8 . difference between fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 in terms of surface layer condition as described above , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are different from each other in the reason why their surface layer changes in condition . the fixation roller 40 is higher in a target temperature level for their temperature control . that is , the fixation roller 40 melts toner to fix the toner to a sheet of recording paper . therefore , the changes in the surface roughness of the fixation roller 40 are more likely to affect the gloss which the image on the sheet p will be given while the sheet p is conveyed through the fixation nip , than those of the pressure roller 41 . in other words , if paper edges scars are made by the pressure roller 41 , they are likely to be inconspicuous , but if they are made by the fixation roller 40 , they are likely to be recognized as nonuniformity in gloss . further in the case of a fixing device such as the one in this embodiment which is for forming high quality images which are highly glossy , the fixing device 9 is operated without placing the separating components in contact with the fixation roller 40 . in such a case , the accumulation of paper dust on the pressure roller 41 , and the pressure roller scars attributable to the separation claws are the primary factors which affect the nonuniformity in image gloss . the amount by which paper dust is generated by each sheet p of recording medium is extremely small . it is unlikely for paper dust to adhere to the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , while it is used for toner image fixation . in comparison , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 comes into contact with the surface of each sheet p of recording paper , which does not have a toner image . therefore , it is likely for paper dust to adhere to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . if paper dust collects on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 reduces in parting properties , even if the paper dust layer is very thin . thus , once a paper dust layer is formed on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , it becomes easier for paper dust , toner , etc ., to adhere to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . therefore , when the image forming apparatus 100 is operated in the two - sided mode , the paper dust on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 transfers onto the image on the first surface of a sheet p of recording medium , possibly reducing the image in quality . as described above , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are different from each other in the reason why their peripheral surface changes in condition . therefore , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are made different in the timing with which their peripheral surface ( surface layer ) is abraded ( refreshed ). that is , the operation for refreshing ( abrading ) the fixation roller 40 and that for refreshing ( abrading ) the pressure roller 41 are independently controlled from each other . in this embodiment , three types of nonuniformity in the texture of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are eliminated with the use of the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 . the first nonuniformity is attributable to the transfer of the scars , which the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 sustained as the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 came into contact with the side ( lateral ) edges of a sheet p of recording paper , onto the image surface . the second nonuniformity is attributable to the transfer of the scars which the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 is made to sustain by the separation claws 71 , as the pressure roller 41 was rotated while the separation claws 71 were in contact with the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , onto the image . the third nonuniformity is attributable to the deterioration of the surface properties of the pressure roller 41 , which was caused by the paper dust , etc ., having adhered to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 while sheets p of recording paper are conveyed through the fixation nip . in order to prevent the image forming apparatus 100 from outputting images which suffer from one or more of the abovementioned three types of nonuniformity , the fixation roller refreshing system 50 and pressure roller refreshing system 60 are controlled by the controlling device for controlling the fixing device 9 . more specifically , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are abraded by the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , respectively , to cover the entirety of the peripheral surface of fixation roller 40 and the entirety of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , in terms of their lengthwise direction , to virtually eliminate the distance between the adjacent peak and valley , in terms of the direction parallel to the radius direction of the two rollers 40 and 41 . further , the minute amount of paper dust and the like contaminants having adhered to the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 are scraped away . this is how the image forming apparatus 100 is prevented from outputting images which suffer from streaks which are lower in gloss than their adjacencies , and the difference in gloss between the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the recording paper path portion of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 , and the portions of the image , which correspond in position to the out - of - paper - path portions of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 . further , after the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and that of the pressure roller 41 are given numerous minute scratches by the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , the impression of the preexisting scars and scratches of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and those on the pressure roller 41 , on the surface of the fixed image are unrecognizable . more concretely , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , the surface layer , that is , the parting layer , of which is formed of fluorinated resin or the like substance , is roughly 0 . 1 μm - 0 . 3 μm in surface roughness rz , across their out - of - paper - path portions , and roughly 0 . 5 μm - 2 . 0 μm in surface roughness across their paper - path portion . in comparison , the portions of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , which was made to deteriorate in surface properties , by their contact with the paper edges , separation claws , and also , the adhesion of paper dust thereto , are roughly 1 . 0 - 4 . 0 μm in surface roughness rz . therefore , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 were refreshed by the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 so that their peripheral surface becomes no less than 0 . 5 μm and no more than 2 . 0 μm in surface roughness rz . by the way , the instrument used for measuring the surface roughness rz of the two rollers 40 and 41 was a surface roughness gauge se - 3400 ( product of kosaka laboratory co ., ltd .). the condition under which the surface roughness of the two rollers 40 and 41 was measured was 0 . 5 mm / s in speed , 0 . 8 mm in cutoff , and 2 . 5 mm in measurement length . it is unnecessary for the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 to continuously rub ( abrade ) the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively , throughout a given image forming operation . for example , the fixing device 9 may be equipped with a sheet counter so that a refreshing ( abrading ) operation will be automatically and periodically performed for every preset number of sheets p of recording paper . also , the control panel of the image forming apparatus 100 may be provided with a button for making the apparatus to start operating in the user mode , in order to enable a user to make the apparatus to perform a refreshing operation as the image nonuniformity becomes noticeable . therefore , the fixing device 9 in this embodiment is provided with a mechanism for placing the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 in contact with , or keep the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 separated from , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively . referring to fig3 and 4 , the operation of the mechanism 51 , which is for placing the refreshing roller 52 in contact with , or separating and keeping separated the refreshing roller 52 from , the fixation roller 40 , is controlled by the controller 73 ( controlling means ) of the fixation roller refreshing system 50 . further , the controller 73 controls the operation of the motor 74 which transmits rotational driving force to the refreshing roller 52 in order to rotate the refreshing roller 52 for a preset length of time . next , referring to fig3 and 5 , the pressure roller refreshing system 60 uses the controller 73 ( controlling means ) to activate the mechanism 61 for placing the refreshing roller 62 in contact with , or separating and keeping the refreshing roller 52 separated from , the pressure roller 41 . further , the controller 63 controls the operation of the motor 64 which transmits rotational driving force to the refreshing roller 62 , in order to rotate the refreshing roller 62 for a preset length of time . as described above , in this embodiment , the fixing device 9 is structured so that its fixation roller refreshing roller 52 can be placed in contact with , or separated , and kept separated , from , the fixation roller 40 , and also , so that its pressure roller refreshing roller 62 can be placed in contact with , or separated , and kept separated , from , the pressure roller 41 . thus , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 can be improved in peripheral surface properties by the placement of the two refreshing rollers 52 and 62 in contact with the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively , for a desired length of time , with a desired timing , with the use of the fixation roller refreshing system 50 and pressure roller refreshing system 60 , when the two rollers 52 and 62 are on standby , that is , when they are remaining separated from the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively . by the way , in this embodiment , the motors 74 and 64 were provided as means for transmitting rotational driving force to the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , respectively . however , the fixing device 9 may be structured so that the rotational driving force is transmitted from the pressure roller 41 by way of a driving gear . fig1 shows the changes in surface roughness rz of the surface layer of the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , which occurs when the refreshing operation was carried out for five seconds for every 500 sheets of recording paper while sheets of recording paper of size a4 , on each of which a monochromatic halftone image , which is roughly 0 . 5 in image data density , is present were conveyed through the fixation nip . “ fixing component - during printing ” refers to a case in which an operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 was carried out without interrupting the on - going image forming operation . “ fixing component - on standby ” refers to a case in which the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 was carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 was kept on standby ( printing operation was interrupted ). “ pressing component - during printing ” refers to a case in which an operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 was carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation . “ pressing component - on standby ” refers to a case in which the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 was carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 was kept on standby ( printing operation was interrupted ). as the surface layer of the refreshing roller reduces in its surface roughness , it reduces in its refreshing performance as well . thus , in order to improve ( restore ) the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 in the surface condition of their surface layer , the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 have to be resurfaced so that their surface roughness rz becomes no less than 7 - 8 μm . this has been found out through experiments . with reference to these values , in the case of the refreshing roller 62 for the pressure roller 41 , whether the pressure roller refreshing operation was carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation , or while the image forming apparatus 100 was on standby , made hardly any difference . in comparison , in the case of the refreshing roller 52 for the fixation roller 40 , when the refreshing operation was carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation , the surface roughness of the fixation roller 40 fell below the referential values , as slightly less than 100 , 000 sheets of recording paper were conveyed through the fixing device 9 . this is less by ⅓ than when the refreshing operation was carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 was kept on standby . this reduction in surface roughness is attributable to the phenomenon that the peripheral surface of the refreshing roller 52 is packed with the toner having offset to the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , paper dust , and the like contaminants . moreover , after the refreshing roller 52 is reduced in surface roughness , the peripheral surface of the refreshing roller 52 has the same color as the toner . thus , the following are evident from these results . that is , in a case where the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 is carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation , contaminants adhere to the peripheral surface of the refreshing roller 52 . therefore , the fixation roller 40 reduces in the surface roughness . thus , in a case where the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 without interrupting the on - going printing operation , the fixation roller 40 reduces in surface roughness faster than in the case where the operation is carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 is kept on standby . in other words , it is evident that it is desirable that the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 is carried out after the on - going printing operation ends , or temporarily interrupted . that is , it is evident that it is desirable that the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 is carried out after the on - going job ( printing operation ) in which sheets of recording paper are conveyed through the nip ( fixation nip ) is interrupted . by the way , instead of interrupting the job in which sheets of recording paper are conveyed through the nip ( fixation nip ), the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 may be carried out between two jobs which are to be sequentially carried out . in comparison , as for the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 , whether it is carried out without interruption of the on - going printing operation , or while the image forming apparatus 100 is kept on standby , had little to do with the effectiveness of the pressure roller refreshing operation . that is , even if the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 is carried out without the interruption of the on - going printing operation , there will be no problem . the reason why the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 is not contaminated during a printing operation is thought to be as follows . that is , as the toner on a sheet of recording paper is heated in the fixation nip which the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 form , it melts , and then , is fixed to the sheet p . during this process , most of the toner is fixed to the sheet p . however , it is possible that a small amount of the toner will offset onto the fixation roller 40 . this phenomenon is referred to as “ hot offset ”. regarding this “ hot offset ”, the higher in temperature the fixation roller 40 , with which toner comes into contact , the more likely for the surface of each toner particle to be excessively melted , and therefore , the smaller the adhesive force between adjacent two toner particles . therefore , the more likely for the toner to offset onto the fixation roller 40 . on the other hand , in the case of the pressure roller 41 , when the image forming apparatus 100 is in the one - sided mode , the surface of a sheet p of recording paper , on which an image is not present , comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 . therefore , “ hot offset ” does not occur . further , in a case where the image forming apparatus 100 is in the two - sided mode , the surface ( first surface ) of a sheet p of recording medium , on which a fixed toner image is present , comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 . however , the target temperature level for the pressure roller 41 is very low compared to that for the fixation roller 40 . in addition , the toner image on the first surface of the sheet p melted and solidified while it was fixed . therefore , it is unlikely for toner to hot - offset onto the pressure roller 41 . fig1 is a block diagram of the system for refreshing the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 , which can be set to an automatic mode or a user ( manual ) mode , which will be described later . each signal is processed by the cpu 81 as a part of a control system ( controlling means ), to control the aforementioned motors and heaters . this cpu 81 functions also as an obtaining portion for obtaining a command ( signal ) for making the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) operate in the mode for improving the image forming apparatus 100 in terms of image glossiness . first , the refreshment sequence carried out in the automatic mode is described , with reference to the flowchart for the automatic mode , with the use of the flowchart in fig1 , and table 2 ( which contains threshold values for deciding whether or not refreshment sequence is to be carried out ). here , the automatic mode is different from the user mode in that in the user mode , each time a refresh key , with which the control panel , as inputting means , is provided , is pressed ( touched ), the cpu 81 decides which refreshment sequence is to be carried out , and makes the fixing device 9 carry out the selected refreshment sequence , whereas in the automatic mode , each time the cpu 81 , which functions also as an executing portion , decides whether or not the fixation roller refreshing operation and / or pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out , each time the value in the counter which functions as a part of a computing portion , reaches the threshold value . then , the cpu 81 makes the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) carry out one or both of the refreshment sequences . incidentally , the computing portion is equipped with three counters . referring to fig1 , steps ( 1 )-( 7 ) make up the refreshment sequence for nullifying the paper edge scars of the fixation roller 40 , and steps ( 1 ), ( 8 ), ( 9 ) and ( 13 )-( 15 ) make up the refreshment sequence for scraping away paper dust , and the like contaminants , from the pressure roller 41 . further , steps ( 10 )-( 15 ) make up the refreshment sequence for nullifying the separation claw scars which are attributable to the contact between the pressure roller 41 and separation claws 71 . as a printing operation is started , whether or not a sheet p of recording paper has moved through the fixing device 9 is detected , in step ( 1 ). then , the number of times a sheet p of recording paper moved through the fixing device 9 is counted by the counter 101 ( fig1 ) in step ( 2 ). this counter 101 is controlled in such a manner that the value by which the value in the counter 101 is increased is varied based on the width ( length in terms of recording paper conveyance direction ) of the sheet p . more concretely , if a sheet p of recording paper is of size a4 ( 210 mm ), the value in the counter 101 is increased by + 1 , and if a sheet p of recording paper is of size a3 ( 420 mm ), which is equivalent to two sheets of size a4 , the value in the counter 101 is increased by + 2 . then , if the value in one of the counters 101 exceeds a threshold value , step ( 4 ) is taken to initiate the fixation roller refreshment sequence . if the value is no more than the threshold value , steps ( 1 )-( 3 ) are repeated as long as the on - going printing operation continues . after the completion of step ( 1 ), step ( 8 ) also is carried out , independently from the above described steps ( sequences ), for the following reason . that is , step ( 8 ) is for dealing with the roller contamination by paper dust . thus , the number of times sheets p of recording paper which have just been heated for image fixation move through the fixing device 9 was counted regardless of sheet width ( size ). as in step ( 2 ), a value equivalent to the count of sheets of size a4 is added to the value in the counter 101 . if the value in the counter 101 is no less than the threshold value , in step ( 9 ), step ( 13 ) is taken . incidentally , steps ( 4 )-( 7 ) may be taken as they are taken from step ( 3 ). in this case , however , the on - going print job has to be interrupted , which results in the reduction in productivity of the printer . therefore , the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 is desired to be carried out without interruption of the on - going printing operation as long as it is possible . step ( 10 ) also is independently carried out right after the starting of a printing operation , for the following reason . that is , this step is for dealing with the separation claw scars . the reason why this step is carried out regardless of the number of times sheets p of recording paper were conveyed through the fixing device 9 is that the extent of the scars attributable to the contact between the pressure roller 41 and separation claws 71 is related to how long the pressure roller 41 rotated in contact with the separation claws . that is , in a case where the pressure roller 41 remains constant in peripheral velocity , the length the separation claws 71 moved along the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 in contact with the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , is proportional to the progression of the deterioration ( separation claw scars ) of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . the separation claws 71 come into contact with the pressure roller 41 before a sheet p of recording paper is discharged from the fixation nip . then , they remain in contact with the pressure roller 41 until the sheet p moves out of the fixation nip . in this case , there is not the so - called proportional relationship between the number of sheets of recording paper having moved through the fixation nip and the length of time the separations claw 71 were in contact with the pressure roller 41 . instead , the extent of separation claw scar is affected by the length of time ( distance ) it takes for sequentially conveyed two sheets p of recording paper to move through the fixation nip , and / or the number of prints ( images ) to be formed in a given printing job . further , in some cases , it is only when the leading edge of a sheet p of recording paper comes out of the fixation nip that the separation claws 71 are required to be in contact with the pressure roller 41 , although it depends on the structure of a given fixing device . in such a case , the length of time the separation claws 71 are required to be in contact with the pressure roller 41 is relatively shorter , with reference to the number of sheets p of recording paper having moved through the fixation nip . a counter which is based purely on the number of sheets p of recording paper having moved through the fixation nip may be employed . however , controlling the refreshing operation based on the length of time the pressure roller 41 rotated while the separation claws 71 were in contact with the pressure roller 41 is more precise than otherwise . this is why the value in a duration counter is increased only by the length of time the pressure roller 41 rotates while the separation claws 71 are in contact with the pressure roller 41 , in step ( 11 ). then , if the value in the duration counter is no less than the threshold value in step ( 12 ), step ( 13 ) and thereafter are taken to carry out the refreshing operation while images are being formed , as they are taken from step ( 9 ). next , the sequence made up of steps ( 4 )-( 7 ), and the sequence made of steps ( 13 )-( 15 ), are described . steps ( 4 )-( 7 ) are such steps that are to be carried out after the on - going printing is interrupted . in step ( 4 ), the length of time the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed ( abraded ) is calculated based on the value in each counter . the objective of the fixation roller refreshing operation is to deal with the paper edge scars . therefore , the length of time the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed is set based on the condition of the portion of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 which has the severest paper edge scars . in this embodiment , the threshold value is 3 , 000 . therefore , the fixation roller refreshing operation is carried out for 60 seconds . next , the length of time the pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed is calculated in step ( 5 ). in a case where the on - going printing operation is interrupted for the fixation roller refreshing operation , the pressure roller refreshing operation may be carried out at the same time , because carrying out the pressure roller refreshing operation at the same time as the fixation roller refreshing operation does not have an additional effect upon productivity . of course , it is not mandatory that the pressure roller 41 is refreshed with the above described timing . that is , the pressure roller 41 may be refreshed without interrupting the on - going printing operation . however , there are cases in which the pressure roller refreshing operation cannot be carried out during a printing operation , for example , such cases as where printing operations for outputting only a small number of prints ( images ) are carried out one after another . this is why the pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out whenever it can be . as soon as the length of time the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed , and the length of time the pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed , are calculated , the on - going printing operation is interrupted in step ( 6 ). then , as soon as the sheet p of recording paper in the fixing device 9 comes out of the fixing device 9 , the fixation roller refreshing operation and pressure roller refreshing operation are carried out in step ( 7 ). in comparison , in the case of the sequence comprising steps ( 13 )-( 15 ), the refreshing operations are carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation . more specifically , in step 13 ), the length of time necessary for the pressure roller refreshing operation is calculated based on the value in the sheet counter and duration counter . then , in step ( 14 ), it is permitted to carry out the pressure roller refreshing operation . then , the pressure roller refreshing operation is carried out in step ( 15 ). in this embodiment , a user mode is provided in addition to an automatic mode , in order to allow a user to perform a refreshing operation whenever the user notices that the image forming apparatus 100 began to output images which are nonuniform in gloss . fig1 is a drawing of the control panel 150 of the image forming apparatus 100 . a referential code 151 stands for a print start button for commanding the image forming apparatus 100 to start a printing operation ; 152 , a reset button for resetting the image forming apparatus 100 to the initial mode ; 153 , a numerical input section ( ten key section ) for inputting numerical values such as the number of prints to be formed ; 154 , a clear button for clearing the numerical input section of the inputted numerical value ; 155 , a stop button for interrupting the on - going printing operation ; 156 , a touch panel for setting various operational modes , and also , for showing the print condition ; and a referential code 157 is a user mode button for selecting the user mode . as a user presses the user mode button 157 , mode section bars are displayed on the touch panel 156 , as shown in fig1 . as the user selects a refresh mode bar , for example , on the touch panel 156 of the control panel , the screen displayed on the touch panel 156 turns into a refresh ui ( user interface ) screen , as shown in fig1 . then , as the user touches the refresh key 160 , a signal for the command for making the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) operate in the mode for improving the apparatus ( device ) in image gloss is inputted into the cpu 81 . as soon as the cpu 81 receives this signal , it makes the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) carry out the refreshing operations , which will be described later . by the way , if the user wants to go back from the refresh ui screen to the user mode , the user is to touch a cancel button 161 . next , referring to the flowchart in fig1 , the operational sequence carried out when the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) is in the user mode is described . while the refresh ui screen is on the touch panel 156 in step ( 1 ), it is allowed to perform the refreshing operations , as long as the image forming apparatus 100 is on standby , in step ( 2 ). next , as the refresh key 160 as a command obtaining section ( inputting means ) for obtaining the command for making the image forming apparatus 100 operate in the mode for improving the image forming apparatus 100 in image gloss is pressed , in step ( 3 ), the following sequences , and / or steps , are carried out . that is , the cpu 81 ( fig1 ), which functions also as a decision making section , confirms ( obtains ) the value in the refresh counter , in order to decide whether or not the fixation roller 40 and / or the pressure roller 41 are to be refreshed , in step ( 4 ). here , the refresh counter is the sheet counter 101 , the value of which is compared with the threshold value to decide whether or not the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed in the above described first roller refreshment sequence ( automatic mode ). it is also the sheet counter , the value of which is compared with the threshold value to decide whether or not the pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out in the roller refreshing second operation . further , it is the duration counter , the value of which is compared with the threshold value to decide whether or not the pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out in the roller refreshing third sequence . if the values in all the refresh counters are no more than 10 % of the threshold values when the refresh key 160 was pressed , in step ( 5 ), the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are refreshed for the shortest length of times in table 3 . that is , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are refreshed for 5 seconds and 2 seconds , respectively . here , the reason why both rollers 40 and 41 are refreshed ( abraded ) is that it is not clear which of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed , and also , it is thought that there is a connection between carrying out both the fixation roller refreshing operation and pressure roller refreshing operation , instead of not carrying out , and the improvement in fixation . thereafter , in step ( 6 ), the refresh key 160 on the refresh ui screen is dimmed , and the operation in the refresh mode is ended in step ( 7 ). once the refresh key 160 is dimmed , it does not occur that the image forming apparatus 100 is operated in the refresh mode , regardless of how many times and how hard the user touches the refresh key 160 , since the image forming operation has been interrupted . that is , the refreshing operations are not going to be carried out until the user mode button 157 is pressed again . if an image forming operation is carried out after the completion of the operation in the refresh mode , the refresh mode key 160 is highlighted again to allow the user to input a command for making the image forming apparatus 100 operate in the refresh mode . on the other hand , as the refresh key 160 is pressed , the value in the refresh counter is confirmed . if the value in one of the refresh counters is no less than the threshold value , it is decided whether or not the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are to be refreshed in step ( 4 ). that is , the sequence for deciding whether or not the value in the refresh counter for the fixation roller 40 is no more than 10 % of the threshold value is decided in step ( 8 ), and the sequence for deciding whether or not the value in the refresh counter for the pressure roller 41 is no more than 10 % of the threshold value , are carried out in step ( 9 ). if the value in the refresh counter for the fixation roller 40 is no more than 10 % of the threshold value , the fixation roller refreshing operation is prohibited , and only the pressure roller is refreshed ( abraded ). on the other hand , if the value in the refresh counter for the pressure roller refreshing operation is no more than 10 % of the threshold value for the pressure roller refreshing operation , only the fixation roller refreshing operation is carried out , and the pressure roller refreshing operation is prohibited . the reason why only one of the two rollers 40 and 41 is prevented from being refreshed is that it is clear which roller is to be refreshed of the fixation roller 40 and the pressure roller 41 , and therefore , only the roller to be refreshed is refreshed to prevent the other roller from reduced service life , by being subjected to a refreshing operation . on the other hand , if the values in the refresh counter for the fixation roller 40 and the value in the refresh counter for the pressure roller 41 are no less than the threshold values , both the fixation roller refreshing ( abrading ) operation , and the pressure roller refreshing ( abrading ) operation , are carried out . the lengths of time these refreshing operations are to be carried out are given in table 3 . that is , when the refresh key 160 is pressed , if value in the sheet counter based on sheet width is between 300 and 3000 , the fixation roller 40 is abraded for a length of time between 5 to 60 seconds , based on the value in the counter . further , when the refresh key 160 is pressed , if the value in the sheet counter is between 50 - 500 , or the length of time the separation claws were in contact with the pressure roller 41 is between 30 seconds to 300 seconds , the pressure roller refreshing operation is carried out for a length of time ( in seconds ) between 2 seconds to 10 seconds , based on the value in the counter . by the way , regarding the length of time ( in seconds ) the refreshing operation is to be carried out , the length may be set in a manner of stair steps so that the greater the value in the counter , the longer the refreshing operation is to be carried out . after the completion of the refreshing operations , the refresh counter for the roller for which the refreshing ( abrading ) operation was carried out is set to zero . that is , in a case where the rotational component for which the abrading operation is carried out is the fixation roller 40 , the paper width counter is reset to zero . on the other hand , in a case where the rotational component for which the abrading operation is carried out is pressure roller 41 , the sheet counter and separation claw contact time counter are reset to zero . then , the highlighted refresh key 160 of the refresh ui screen is dimmed ( darkened ) in step ( 6 ), and the operation in refresh mode is ended in step ( 7 ). as described above , in the user mode , the cpu 81 decides which , or both , of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed . then , it automatically decides ( sets ) the length of abrading time , so that the length of abrading time matches the extent to which the roller ( s ) is to be abraded . thus , all that is necessary for the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 to be optimally refreshed is for a user to press the refresh key 160 . thus , it does not occur that a wrong roller is selected to be refreshed , and also , the refreshing operation can be simply and accurately carried out . in this embodiment , the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a maintenance mode in order to enable a maintenance engineer to operate the image forming apparatus 100 in the maintenance mode , which is for testing and maintaining the image forming apparatus 100 . referring to fig1 ( a ) , as a maintenance engineer inputs his or her password with the use of the numerical input section 153 , the maintenance mode is highlighted on the touch screen . a maintenance engineer is to examine the surface condition of the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 as well as the pressure roller 41 , to find out which refreshing operation is to be carried out . then , the engineer is to press the button , on the screen 170 , which indicates the roller to be refreshed , to refresh the roller . in this embodiment , the length of time each refreshing operation is to be carried out was set to the minimum length of time in table 3 . then , the engineer is to repeat the refreshing operation while examining the images outputted by the image forming apparatus 100 , in order to improve each roller in surface condition . in a case where the value in one of the counters of the refreshing rollers 52 and / or 62 will have reached the preset value for roller replacement , the button which represents the roller to be replaced will be dimmed , as shown in fig1 ( b ) . as described above , the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is provided with the maintenance mode in order to enable a maintenance engineer to perform the refreshing operations . thus , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 can be maintained at a satisfactory level in terms of the surface condition of their surface layer . further , it can be easily decided whether the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 need to be replaced . according to present invention , all that is necessary for a user to do to decide whether or not the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 needs to be refreshed is for the user to select the user mode and press a single button , that is , the button for automatically deciding which , or both , of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 need to be refreshed . therefore , it is possible to prevent the problem that the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 is excessively abraded due to the error in the selection of the roller ( s ) to be refreshed , and / or excessive refreshing of the roller ( s ). in the foregoing , one of the preferable embodiments of the present invention was described . however , the preceding embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in scope . that is , the present invention is also applicable to various modified version of the image forming apparatus , and fixing device , in the preceding embodiment , within the scope of the present invention . in the preceding embodiment described above , the user mode , which is to be selected by a user , is provided , in addition to the automatic mode which does not require an instruction from a user . however , the preceding embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in terms of the user mode . for example , the present invention is also applicable to an image forming apparatus and its fixing device structured so that as a user inputs an instruction , with the use of the ui screen or pc screen , to make the apparatus carry out a refreshing operation , the apparatus automatically decides which roller is to be refreshed , and carries out the refreshing operation for the selected roller . for example , in a case where an image forming apparatus is a printer which does not have a control panel , a refresh mode command transmitted from a host computer is inputted into the cpu 81 of the image forming apparatus , provided that the printer is in connection to the host computer ( pc ), wirelessly or through lan cable . the operational sequences hereafter are the same as those in the above - described embodiment . regarding the mode ( refresh mode ) for improving an image forming apparatus in image gloss , it may be for restoring the image forming apparatus by 80 %- 90 %, in image gloss , relative to the initial condition , instead of restoring ( refreshing ) to 100 %. that is , all that is necessary here is that operating an image forming apparatus in the refresh mode improves the apparatus in image gloss . while the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments . the scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 215387 / 2013 filed oct . 16 , 2013 , which is hereby incorporated by reference .	6
the steel alloys of the invention exhibit various physical characteristics and processing capabilities . these characteristics and capabilities were established as general criteria , and subsequently the combination of elements and the processing steps appropriate to create such steel alloys to meet these criteria were identified . fig1 is a system flow - block diagram which illustrates the processing / structure / properties / performance relationships for alloys of the invention . the desired performance for the application ( e . g . aerospace structures , landing gear , etc .) determines a set of alloy properties required . alloys of the invention exhibit the structural characteristics that can achieve the desired combination of properties and can be assessed through the sequential processing steps shown on the left of fig1 . following are the criteria for the physical properties and the processing capabilities or characteristics for the alloys . this is followed by a description of the analytical and experimental techniques relating to the discovery and examples of the alloys that define , in general , the range and extent of the elements , physical characteristics and processing features of the present invention . the physical characteristics or properties of the most preferred embodiments of the invention are generally as follows : 1 . corrosion resistance equivalent to 15 - 5ph ( h900 condition ) as measured by linear polarization . 3 . stress corrosion cracking resistance ( k iscc )≧ 15 ksi { square root }{ square root over ( in )}. 4 .   k i   c y   s ≥ 0 . 21 5 . surface hardenable to ≧ 67 rockwell c ( hrc ) for wear and fatigue resistance . a principal goal of the subject invention is to provide alloys with the objective physical properties recited above and with processability that renders the alloys useful and practical . with a number of possible processing paths associated with the scale of manufacture and the resulting cleanliness and quality for a given application , compatibility of the alloys of the subject invention with a wide range of processes is desirable and is thus a feature of the invention . a primary objective for and characteristic of the alloys is compatibility with melting practices such as vacuum induction melting ( vim ), vacuum arc remelting ( var ), and electro - slag remelting ( esr ) and other variants such as vacuum electro - slag remelting ( vsr ). alloys of the subject invention can also be produced by other processes such as air melting and powder metallurgy . of importance is the behavior of the alloys to exhibit limited solidification microsegregation under the solidification conditions of the above processes . by selection of appropriate elemental content in the alloys of the subject invention , the variation of composition that results from solidification during processing across a secondary dendrite can be minimized . allowable variation results in an alloy that can be homogenized at commercially feasible temperatures , usually at metal temperatures in excess of 1100 ° c . and up to the incipient melting of the alloy , and for reasonable processing times , typically less than seventy - two hours and preferably less than thirty - six hours . alloys of the subject invention also possess reasonable hot ductility such that hot working after homogenization can be accomplished within temperature and reduction constraints typical of current industrial practice . typical hot working practice for alloys of the subject invention should enable cross - sectional reduction ratios in excess of three to one and preferably in excess of five to one . in addition , initial hot working of the ingot should be possible below 1100 ° c ., and finish hot working to the desired product size should be possible at temperatures below 950 ° c . objectives regarding solution heat treatment include the goal to fully dissolve all primary alloy carbides ( i . e . m x c where x & gt ; 2 ) while maintaining a fine scale grain refining dispersion ( i . e . mc ) and a small grain size , generally equal to or smaller than astm grain size number 5 in accordance with astm e112 [ astm , astm e112 - 96 , west conshohocken , pa ., 1996 ] which is incorporated herewith . thus with the alloys of the invention , during solution heat treatment into the austenite phase field , coarse scale alloy carbides that formed during prior processing are dissolved , and the resulting carbon in solution is then available for precipitation strengthening during tempering . however , during the same process the austenite grains can coarsen , thereby reducing strength , toughness and ductility . with alloys of the invention , such grain coarsening is slowed by mc precipitates that pin the grain boundaries and , as solution heat treatment temperature increases , the amount of this grain refining dispersion needed to avoid or reduce grain coarsening increases . alloys of the subject invention thoroughly dissolve all coarse scale carbides , i . e . m x c where x & gt ; 2 , while maintaining an efficient grain refining dispersion at reasonable solution heat treatment temperatures in the range of 850 ° c . to 1100 ° c ., preferably 950 ° c . to 1050 ° c . after the solution heat treatment , components manufactured from the alloys of the subject invention are typically rapidly cooled or quenched below temperatures at which martensite forms . the preferred result of this process is a microstructure that consists of essentially all martensite with virtually no retained austenite , other transformation products such as bainite or ferrite , or other carbide products that remain or are formed during the process . the thickness of the component being cooled and the cooling media such as oil , water , or air determine the cooling rate of this type of process . as the cooling rate increases , the risk of forming other non - martensitic products is reduced , but the distortion in the component potentially increases , and the section thickness of a part that can be processed thus decreases . alloys of the subject invention are generally , fully martensitic after cooling or quenching at moderate rates in section sizes less than three inches and preferably less than six inches when cooled to cryogenic temperatures , or preferably to room temperature . after cooling or quenching , components manufactured using alloys of the subject invention may be tempered in a temperature range and for a period of time in which the carbon in the alloy will form coherent nanoscale m 2 c carbides while avoiding the formation of other carbide products . during this aging or secondary hardening process the component is heated to the process temperature at a rate determined by the power of the furnace and the size of the component section and held for a reasonable time , then cooled or quenched to room temperature . if the prior solution treatment has been ineffective in avoiding retained austenite , the tempering process may be divided into multiple steps where each tempering step is followed by a cool or quench to room temperature and preferably a subsequent cool to cryogenic temperatures to form martensite . the temperature of the temper process would typically be between 200 ° c . to 600 ° c ., preferably 450 ° c . to 540 ° c . and be less than twenty - four hours in duration , preferably between two to ten hours . the outcome of the desired process is a martensitic matrix ( generally free of austenite ) strengthened by a nanoscale m 2 c carbide dispersion , devoid of transient cementite that forms during the early stages of the process , and without other alloy carbides that may precipitate if the process time becomes too long . a significant feature of alloys of the invention is related to the high tempering temperatures used to achieve its secondary hardening response . although a specific goal is to avoid cadmium plating for corrosion resistance , many components made from an alloy of the invention may require an electroplating process such as nickel or chromium during manufacture or overhaul . electroplating processes introduce hydrogen into the microstructure that can lead to embrittlement and must be baked out by exposing the part to elevated temperatures after plating . alloys of the invention can be baked at temperatures nearly as high as their original tempering temperature without reducing the strength of the alloy . since tempering temperatures are significantly higher in alloys of the invention compared to commonly used 4340 and 300m alloys , the bake - out process can be accomplished more quickly and reliably . certain surface modification techniques for wear resistance , corrosion resistance , and decoration , such as physical vapor deposition ( pvd ), or surface hardening techniques such as gas or plasma nitriding , are optimally performed at temperatures on the order of 500 ° c . and for periods on the order of hours . another feature of alloys of the subject invention is that the heat - treating process is compatible with the temperatures and schedules typical of these surface coating or hardening processes . components made of alloys of the subject invention are typically manufactured or machined before solution heat treatment and aging . the manufacturing and machining operations require a material that is soft and exhibits favorable chip formation as material is removed . therefore alloys of the subject invention are preferably annealed after the hot working process before they are supplied to a manufacturer . the goal of the annealing process is to reduce the hardness of an alloy of the subject invention without promoting excessive austenite . typically annealing would be accomplished by heating the alloy in the range of 600 ° c . to 850 ° c ., preferably in the range 700 ° c . to 750 ° c . for a period less than twenty - four hours , preferably between two and eight hours and cooling slowly to room temperature . in some cases a multiple - step annealing process may provide more optimal results . in such a process an alloy of the invention may be annealed at a series of temperatures for various times that may or may not be separated by an intermediate cooling step or steps . after machining , solution heat treatment and aging , a component made of an alloy of the subject invention may require a grinding step to maintain the desired final dimensions of the part . grinding of the surface removes material from the part by abrasive action against a high - speed ceramic wheel . damage to the component by overheating of the surface of the part and damage to the grinding wheel by adhesion of material needs to be avoided . these complications can be avoided primarily by lowering the retained austenite content in the alloy . for this and the other reasons stated above , alloys of the subject invention exhibit very little retained austenite after solution heat treatment . many components manufactured from alloys of the subject invention may require joining by various welding process such as gas - arc welding , submerged - arc welding , friction - stir welding , electron - beam welding and others . these processes require the material that is solidified in the fusion zone or in the heat - affected zone of the weld to be ductile after processing . pre - heat and post - heat may be used to control the thermal history experienced by the alloy within the weld and in the heat - affected zone to promote weld ductility . a primary driver for ductile welds is lower carbon content in the material , however this also limits strength . alloys of the subject invention achieve their strength using very efficient nanoscale m 2 c carbides and therefore can achieve a given level of strength with lower carbon content than steels such as 300m , consequently promoting weldability . the alloy designs achieve required corrosion resistance with a minimum cr content because high cr content limits other desired properties in several ways . for example , one result of higher cr is the lowering of the martensite m s temperature which , in turn , limits the content of other desired alloying elements such as ni . high cr levels also promote excessive solidification microsegregation that is difficult to eliminate with high - temperature homogenization treatments . high cr also limits the high - temperature solubility of c required for carbide precipitation strengthening , causing use of high solution heat treatment temperatures for which grain - size control becomes difficult . thus , a feature of the alloys of the invention is utilization of cr in the range of greater than about 6 % and less than about 11 % ( preferably less than about 10 %) by weight in combination with other elements as described to achieve corrosion resistance with structural strength . another feature of the alloys is to achieve the required carbide strengthening with a minimum carbon content . like cr , c strongly lowers m s temperatures and raises solution temperatures . high c content also limits weldability , and can cause corrosion problems associated with cr carbide precipitation at grain boundaries . high c also limits the extent of softening that can be achieved by annealing to enhance machinability . both of the primary features just discussed are enhanced by the use of co . the thermodynamic interaction of co and cr enhances the partitioning of cr to the oxide film formed during corrosion passivation , thus providing corrosion protection equivalent to a higher cr steel . co also catalyzes carbide precipitation during tempering through enhancement of the precipitation thermodynamic driving force , and by retarding dislocation recovery to promote heterogeneous nucleation of carbides on dislocations . thus , c in the range of about 0 . 1 % to 0 . 3 % by weight combined with co in the range of about 8 % to 17 % by weight along with cr as described , and the other minor constituent elements , provides alloys with corrosion resistance and ultrahigh strength . the desired combination of corrosion resistance and ultrahigh strength is also promoted by refinement of the carbide strengthening dispersion down to the nanostructural level , i . e ., less than about ten nanometers in diameter and preferably less than about five nanometers . compared to other strengthening precipitates such as the intermetallic phases employed in maraging steels , the relatively high shear modulus of the m 2 c alloy carbide decreases the optimal particle size for strengthening down to a diameter of only about three nanometers . refining the carbide precipitate size to this level provides a highly efficient strengthening dispersion . this is achieved by obtaining a sufficiently high thermodynamic driving force through alloying . this refinement provides the additional benefit of bringing the carbides to the same length scale as the passive oxide film so that the cr in the carbides can participate in film formation . thus the carbide formation does not significantly reduce corrosion resistance . a further benefit of the nanoscale carbide dispersion is effective hydrogen trapping at the carbide interfaces to enhance stress corrosion cracking resistance . the efficient nanoscale carbide strengthening also makes the system well suited for surface hardening by nitriding during tempering to produce m 2 ( c , n ) carbonitrides of the same size scale for additional efficient strengthening without significant loss of corrosion resistance . such nitriding can achieve surface hardness as high as 1100 vickers hardness ( vhn ) corresponding to 70 hrc . toughness is further enhanced through grain refinement by optimal dispersions of grain refining mc carbide dispersions that maintain grain pinning during normalization and solution treatments and resist microvoid nucleation during ductile fracture . melt deoxidation practice is controlled to favor formation of ti - rich mc dispersions for this purpose , as well as to minimize the number density of oxide and oxysulfide inclusion particles that form primary voids during fracture . under optimal conditions , the amount of mc , determined by mass balance from the available ti content , accounts for less than 10 % of the alloy c content . increasing ni content within the constraints of the other requirements enhances resistance to brittle fracture . refinement of m 2 c particle size through precipitation driving force control allows ultrahigh strength to be maintained at the completion of m 2 c precipitation in order to fully dissolve fe 3 c cementite carbides that precipitate prior to m 2 c and limit fracture toughness through microvoid nucleation . the cementite dissolution is considered effectively complete when m 2 c accounts for 85 % of the alloy c content , as assessed by the measured m 2 c phase fraction using techniques described by montgomery [ montgomery , j . s . and g . b . olson , m 2 c carbide precipitation in af1410 , gilbert r . speich symposium : fundamentals of aging and tempering in bainitic and martensitic steel products , iss - aime , warrendale , pa ., 177 - 214 , 1992 ], which is incorporated herewith . precipitation of other phases that can limit toughness such as other carbides ( e . g . m 23 c 6 , m 6 c and m 7 c 3 ) and topologically close packed ( tcp ) intermetallic phases ( e . g . σ and μ phases ) is avoided by constraining the thermodynamic driving force for their formation . in addition to efficient hydrogen trapping by the nanoscale m 2 c carbides to slow hydrogen transport , resistance to hydrogen stress - corrosion is further enhanced by controlling segregation of impurities and alloying elements to prior - austenite grain boundaries to resist hydrogen - assisted intergranular fracture . this is promoted by controlling the content of undesirable impurities such as p and s to low levels and gettering their residual amounts in the alloy into stable compounds such as la 2 o 2 s or ce 2 o 2 s . boundary cohesion is further enhanced by deliberate segregation of cohesion enhancing elements such as b , mo and w during heat treatment . these factors promoting stress corrosion cracking resistance will also enhance resistance to corrosion fatigue . all of these conditions are achieved by the class of alloys discovered while maintaining solution heat treatment temperatures that are not excessively high . martensite m s temperatures , measured by quenching dilatometry and 1 % transformation fraction , are also maintained sufficiently high to establish a lath martensite microstructure and minimize the content of retained austenite which can otherwise limit yield strength . the alloys can be produced via various process paths such as for example casting , powder metallurgy or ingot metallurgy . the alloy constituents can be melted using any conventional melt process such as air melting but more preferred by vacuum induction melting ( vim ). the alloy can thereafter be homogenized and hot worked , but a secondary melting process such as electro slag remelting ( esr ) or vacuum arc remelting ( var ) is preferred in order to achieve improved fracture toughness and fatigue properties . in order to achieve even higher fracture toughness and fatigue properties additional remelting operations can be utilized prior to homogenization and hot working . in any event , the alloy is initially formed by combination of the constituents in a melt process . the alloy may then be homogenized prior to hot working or it may be heated and directly hot worked . if homogenization is used , it may be carried out by heating the alloy to a metal temperature in the range of about 1100 ° c . or 1110 ° c . or 1120 ° c . to 1330 ° c . or 1340 ° c . or 1350 ° c . or , possibly as much as 1400 ° c . for a period of time of at least four hours to dissolve soluble elements and carbides and to also homogenize the structure . one of the design criteria for the alloy is low microsegregation , and therefore the time required for homogenization of the alloy is typically shorter than other stainless steel alloys . a suitable time is six hours or more in the homogenization metal temperature range . normally , the soak time at the homogenization temperature does not have to extend for more than seventy - two hours . twelve to eighteen hours in the homogenization temperature range has been found to be quite suitable . a typical homogenization metal temperature is about 1240 ° c . after homogenization the alloy is typically hot worked . the alloy can be hot worked by , but not limited to , hot rolling , hot forging or hot extrusion or any combinations thereof . it is common to initiate hot working immediately after the homogenization treatment in order to take advantage of the heat already in the alloy . it is important that the finish hot working metal temperature is substantially below the starting hot working metal temperature in order to assure grain refinement of the structure through precipitation of mc carbides . after the first hot working step the alloy is typically reheated for continued hot working to the final desired size and shape . the reheating metal temperature range is about 950 ° c . or 960 ° c . or 970 ° c . to 1230 ° c . or 1240 ° c . or 1250 ° c . or possibly as much as 1300 ° c . with the preferred range being about 1000 ° c . or 1010 ° c . to 1150 ° c . or 1160 ° c . the reheating metal temperature is near or above the solvus temperature for mc carbides , and the objective is to dissolve or partially dissolve soluble constituents that remain from casting or may have precipitated during the preceding hot working . this reheating step minimizes or avoids primary and secondary phase particles and improves fatigue crack growth resistance and fracture toughness . as the alloy is continuously hot worked and reheated the cross - sectional size decreases and , as a result , the metal cools faster . eventually it is no longer possible to use the high reheating temperatures , and a lower reheating temperature must be used . for smaller cross - sections the reheating metal temperature range is about 840 ° c . or 850 ° c . or 860 ° c . to 1080 ° c . or 1090 ° c . or 1100 ° c . or possibly as much as 1200 ° c . with the preferred range being about 950 ° c . 960 ° c . to 1000 ° c . or 1010 ° c . the lower reheating metal temperature for smaller cross - sections is below the solvus temperature for other ( non - mc ) carbides , and the objective is to minimize or prevent their coarsening during reheating so that they can quickly be dissolved during the subsequent normalizing or solution heat treatment . final mill product forms such as , for example , bar stock and forging stock are typically normalized and / or annealed prior to shipment to customers . during normalizing the alloy is heated to a metal temperature above the solvus temperature for all carbides except mc carbides , and the objective is to dissolve soluble constituents that may have precipitated during the previous hot working and to normalize the grain size . the normalizing metal temperature range is about 880 ° c . or 890 ° c . or 900 ° c . to 1080 ° c . or 1090 ° c . or 1100 ° c . with the preferred range being about 1020 ° c . to 1030 ° c . or 1040 ° c . a suitable time is one hour or more and typically the soak time at the normalizing temperature does not have to extend for more than three hours . the alloy is thereafter cooled to room temperature . after normalizing the alloy is typically annealed to a suitable hardness or strength level for subsequent customer processing such as , for example , machining . during annealing the alloy is heated to a metal temperature range of about 600 ° c . or 610 ° c . to 840 ° c . or 850 ° c ., preferably between 700 ° c . to 750 ° c . for a period of at least one hour to coarsen all carbides except the mc carbide . a suitable time is two hours or more and typically the soak time at the annealing temperature does not have to extend for more than twenty - four hours . typically after the alloy has been delivered to a customer and processed to , or near , its final form and shape it is subjected to solution heat treatment preferably in the metal temperature range of about 850 ° c . or 860 ° c . to 1090 ° c . or 1100 ° c ., more preferably about 950 ° c . to 1040 ° c . or 1050 ° c . for a period of three hours or less . a typical time for solution heat treatment is one hour . the solution heat treatment metal temperature is above the solvus temperature for all carbides except mc carbides , and the objective is to dissolve soluble constituents that may have precipitated during the preceding processing . this inhibits grain growth while enhancing strength , fracture toughness and fatigue resistance . after solution heat treatment it is important to cool the alloy fast enough to about room temperature or below in order to transform the microstructure to a predominantly lath martensitic structure and to prevent or minimize boundary precipitation of primary carbides . suitable cooling rates can be achieved with the use of water , oil , or various quench gases depending on section thickness . after quenching to room temperature the alloy may be subjected to a cryogenic treatment or it may be heated directly to the tempering temperature . the cryogenic treatment promotes a more complete transformation of the microstructure to a lath martensitic structure . if a cryogenic treatment is used , it is carried out preferably below about − 70 ° c . a more preferred cryogenic treatment would be below about − 195 ° c . a typical cryogenic treatment is in the metal temperature range of about − 60 ° c . or − 70 ° c . to − 85 ° c . or − 95 ° c . another typical cryogenic treatment is in the metal temperature range of about − 180 ° c . or − 190 ° c . to − 220 ° c . or − 230 ° c . normally , the soak time at the cryogenic temperature does not have to extend for more than ten hours . a typical time for cryogenic treatment is one hour . after the cryogenic treatment , or if the cryogenic treatment is omitted , immediately following quenching , the alloy is tempered at intermediate metal temperatures . the tempering treatment is preferably in the metal temperature range of about 200 ° c . or 210 ° c . or 220 ° c . to 580 ° c . or 590 ° c . or 600 ° c ., more preferably about 450 ° c . to 530 ° c . or 540 ° c . normally , the soak time at the tempering temperature does not have to extend for more than twenty - four hours . two to ten hours in the tempering temperature range has been found to be quite suitable . during the tempering treatment , precipitation of nanoscale m 2 c - strengthening particles increases the thermal stability of the alloy , and various combinations of strength and fracture toughness can be achieved by using different combinations of temperature and time . for alloys of the invention with lower ms temperatures , it is possible to further enhance strength and fracture toughness through multi - step thermal treatments by minimizing retained austenite . multi - step treatments consist of additional cycles of cryogenic treatments followed by thermal treatments as outlined in the text above . one additional cycle might be beneficial but multiple cycles are typically more beneficial . an example of the relationship between the processing path and the phase stability in a particular alloy of the invention is depicted in fig2 a and 2b . [ 0075 ] fig2 a depicts the equilibrium phases of alloy 2 c of the invention wherein the carbon content is 0 . 23 % by weight as shown in table 1 . [ 0076 ] fig2 b then discloses the processing sequence employed with respect to the described alloy 2 c . after forming the melt via a melt processing step , the alloy is homogenized at a metal temperature exceeding the single phase ( fcc ) equilibrium temperature of about 1220 ° c . all carbides are solubilized at this temperature . forging to define a desired billet , rod or other shape results in cooling into a range where various complex carbides may form . the forging step may be repeated by reheating at least to the metal temperature range ( 980 ° c . to 1220 ° c .) where only mc carbides are at equilibrium . subsequent cooling ( air cool ) will generally result in retention of primarily mc carbides , other primary alloy carbides such as m 7 c 3 and m 23 c 6 and the formation of generally a martensitic matrix . normalization in the same metal temperature range followed by cooling dissolves the m 7 c 3 and m 23 c 6 primary carbides while preserving the mc carbides . annealing in the metal temperature range 600 ° c . or 610 ° c . to 840 ° c . or 850 ° c . and cooling reduces the hardness level to a reasonable value for machining . the annealing process softens the martensite by precipitating carbon into alloy carbides that are too large to significantly strengthen the alloy yet are small enough to be readily dissolved during later solution treatment . this process is followed by delivery of the alloy product to a customer for final manufacture of a component part and appropriate heat treating and finishing . typically the customer will form the alloy into a desired shape . this will be followed by solution heat treatment in the mc carbide temperature range and then subsequent rapid quenching to maintain or form the desired martensitic structure . tempering and cooling as previously described may then be employed to obtain strength and fracture toughness as desired . a series of prototype alloys were prepared . the melt practice for the refining process was selected to be a double vacuum melt with la and ce impurity gettering additions . substitutional grain boundary cohesion enhancers such as w and re were not considered in the making of the first prototype , but an addition of twenty parts per million b was included for this purpose . for the deoxidation process , ti was added as a deoxidation agent , promoting tic particles to pin the grain boundaries and reduce grain growth during solution treatment prior to tempering . the major alloying elements in the first prototype are c , mo , and v ( m 2 c carbide formers ), cr ( m 2 c carbide former and oxide passive film former ), and co and ni ( for various required matrix properties ). the exact alloy composition and material processing parameters were determined by an overall design synthesis considering the linkages and a suite of computational models described elsewhere [ olson , g . b , “ computational design of hierarchically structured materials .”, science 277 , 1237 - 1242 , 1997 ], which is incorporated herewith . the following is a summary of the initial prototype procedure . selected parameters are indicated in fig3 - 6 by a star (★). the amount of cr was determined by the corrosion resistance requirement and a passivation thermodynamic model developed by campbell [ campbell , c , systems design of high performance stainless steels , materials science and engineering , evanston , ill ., northwestern 243 , 1997 ], which is incorporated herewith . the amount of c was determined by the strength requirement and an m 2 c precipitation / strengthening model according to the correlation illustrated in fig3 . based on the goal of achieving 53 hrc hardness , a c content of 0 . 14 % by weight was selected . the tempering temperature and the amounts of m 2 c carbide formers mo and v were determined to meet the strength requirement with adequate m 2 c precipitation kinetics , maintain a 1000 ° c . solution treatment temperature , and avoid microsegregation . fig4 and 5 illustrate how the final v and mo contents were determined . final contents by weight of 1 . 5 % mo and 0 . 5 % v were selected . the level of solidification microsegregation is assessed by solidification simulation for the solidification cooling rate and associated dendrite arm spacing of anticipated ingot processing . amounts of co and ni were determined to ( 1 ) maintain a martensite start temperature of at least 200 ° c ., using a model calibrated to ms temperatures measured by quenching dilatometry and 1 % transformation fraction , so a lath martensite matrix structure can be achieved after quenching , ( 2 ) maintain a high m 2 c carbide initial driving force for efficient strengthening , ( 3 ) improve the bcc cleavage resistance by maximizing the ni content , and ( 4 ) maintain the co content above 8 % by weight to achieve sufficient dislocation recovery resistance to enhance m 2 c nucleation and increase cr partitioning to the oxide film by increasing the matrix cr activity . fig6 shows that , with other alloy element amounts and the tempering temperature set at their final levels , optimization of the above four factors results in the selection of co and ni amounts of about 13 % and 4 . 8 % by weight , respectively . the material composition and tempering temperature were fine - tuned by inspecting the driving force ratios between m 2 c and other carbides and intermetallic phases with reference to past studies of other precipitation hardened ni — co steels . the composition of the first design prototype designated 1 is given in table 1 along with later design iterations . the initial design included the following processing parameters : a minimum solution treatment temperature of 1005 ° c ., where this temperature is limited by vanadium carbide ( vc ) formation according to thermodynamic equilibrium ; and a tempering temperature of 482 ° c . with an estimated tempering time of three hours to achieve optimum strength and toughness . evaluation of the first prototype ( entry 1 in table 1 ) gave promising results for all properties evaluated . the most significant deficiencies were a lower than desired m s temperature by 25 ° c . to 50 ° c . and a strength level 15 % below objectives . a second series of designs denoted 2 a , 2 b and 2 c in table 1 were then evaluated . all three second - iteration prototypes gave satisfactory transformation temperatures , and the best mechanical properties of the second iteration were exhibited by alloy 2 c . based on the latter base composition , a third - iteration series of alloys designated 3 a , 3 b and 3 c in table 1 explored minor variations in grain - refining mc carbides , comparing tic , ( ti , v ) c , and nbc . principal parameters were mc phase fraction and coarsening resistance at solution temperatures , subject to the constraint of full mc solubility at homogenization temperatures . selecting ( ti , v ) c as the optimal grain refining approach , a fourth - iteration design series designated 4 a through 4 g in table 1 examined ( a ) refinement of martensitic transformation kinetics to minimize retained austenite content , ( b ) increased stability of competing m 2 c carbides to promote fall dissolution of cementite during m 2 c precipitation strengthening in order to enhance fracture toughness and ( c ) utilized lower temperature iron ( fe ) based m 2 c precipitation strengthening to completely avoid the precipitation of cementite and enhance cleavage resistance . modification of carbide thermodynamics and kinetics in the latter two series included additions of w and si . following is a summary of the described experiments and alloys : alloy 1 in table 1 was vacuum induction melted ( vim ) to a six inch diameter electrode which was subsequently vacuum arc remelted ( var ) to a eight inch diameter ingot . the material was homogenized for seventy - two hours at 1200 ° c ., forged and annealed according to the preferred processing techniques described above and depicted in fig2 a and 2b . dilatometer samples were machined and the m s temperature was measured as 175 ° c . by quenching dilatometry and 1 % transformation fraction . test samples were machined , solution heat treated at 1025 ° c . for one hour , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature and tempered at 482 ° c . for eight hours . the measured properties are listed in table 2 below . alloy 2 a in table 1 was vacuum induction melted ( vim ) to a six inch diameter electrode which was subsequently vacuum arc remelted ( var ) to a eight inch diameter ingot . the ingot was homogenized for twelve hours at 1190 ° c ., forged and rolled to 1 . 500 inch square bar starting at 1120 ° c ., and annealed according to the preferred processing techniques described above and depicted in fig2 a and 2b . dilatometer samples were machined and the m s temperature was measured as 265 ° c . by quenching dilatometry and 1 % transformation fraction . test samples were machined from the square bar , solution heat treated at 1050 ° c . for one hour , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature , tempered at 500 ° c . for five hours , air cooled , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature and tempered at 500 ° c . for five and one - half hours . the measured properties are listed in table 3 below . the reference to the corrosion rate of 15 - 5ph ( h900 condition ) was made using a sample tested under identical conditions . the average corrosion rate for 15 - 5ph ( h900 condition ) for this test was 0 . 26 mils per year ( mpy ). tensile samples were machined from the square bar , solution heat treated at 1025 ° c . for seventy - five minutes , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature , multi - step tempered at 496 ° c . for either four hours or six hours with liquid nitrogen ( ln 2 ) treatments for one hour in between the temper steps . the measured tensile properties are listed in table 4 below . alloy 2 b in table 1 was vacuum induction melted ( vim ) to a six inch diameter electrode which was subsequently vacuum arc remelted ( var ) to a eight inch diameter ingot . the ingot was homogenized for twelve hours at 1190 ° c ., forged and rolled to 1 . 000 inch diameter round bar starting at 1120 ° c . and annealed according to the preferred processing techniques described above and depicted in fig2 a and 2b . dilatometer samples were machined and the m s temperature was measured as 225 ° c . by quenching dilatometry and 1 % transformation fraction . test samples were machined from the round bar , solution heat treated at 1100 ° c . for 70 minutes , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature and tempered at 482 ° c . for twenty - four hours . the measured properties are listed in table 5 below . alloy 2 c in table 1 was vacuum induction melted ( vim ) to a six inch diameter electrode which was subsequently vacuum arc remelted ( var ) to a eight inch diameter ingot . the ingot was homogenized for twelve hours at 1190 ° c ., forged to 2 . 250 inch square bar starting at 1120 ° c . and annealed according to the preferred processing techniques described above and depicted in fig2 a and 2b . dilatometer samples were machined and the m s temperature was measured as 253 ° c . by quenching dilatometry and 1 % transformation fraction . test samples were machined from the square bar , solution heat treated at 1025 ° c . for 75 minutes , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature , tempered at 498 ° c . for eight hours . the measured properties are listed in table 6 below . test samples were machined from the square bar , solution heat treated at 1025 ° c . for 75 minutes , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature , tempered at 498 ° c . for twelve hours . the measured properties are listed in table 7 below . corrosion test samples were machined from the square bar , solution heat treated at 1025 ° c . for 75 minutes , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature , tempered at 498 ° c . for eight hours , air cooled and tempered at 498 ° c . for four hours . the measured properties are listed in table 8 below . the reference to the corrosion rate of 15 - 5ph ( h900 condition ) was made using a sample tested under identical conditions . the average corrosion rate for 15 - 5ph ( h900 condition ) for this test was 0 . 26 mils per year ( mpy ). tensile samples were machined from the square bar , solution heat treated at 1025 ° c . for 75 minutes , oil quenched , immersed in liquid nitrogen for one hour , warmed to room temperature , multi - step tempered at 496 ° c . for either four hours or six hours with liquid nitrogen ( ln 2 ) treatments for one hour in between the temper steps . the measured tensile properties are listed in table 9 below . essential to the alloy design is the achievement of efficient strengthening while maintaining corrosion resistance and effective hydrogen trapping for stress - corrosion resistance . all of these attributes are promoted by refinement of the strengthening m 2 c carbide particle size to an optimal size of about three nanometers at the completion of precipitation . fig7 shows the atomic - scale imaging of a three nanometer m 2 c carbide in the optimally heat treated alloy 2 c using three - dimensional atom - probe microanalysis [ m . k . miller , atom probe tomography , kluwer academic / plenum publishers , new york , n . y ., 2000 ] which is incorporated herewith , verifying that the designed size and particle composition have in fact been achieved . this image is an atomic reconstruction of a slab of the alloy where each atom is represented by a dot on the figure with a color and size corresponding to its element . the drawn circle in fig7 represents the congregation of alloy carbide formers and carbon which define the m 2 c nanoscale carbide in the image . as a consequence , the alloys discovered have a range of combinations of elements as set forth in table 10 . preferably , impurities are avoided ; however , some impurities and incidental elements are tolerated and within the scope of the invention . thus , by weight , most preferably , s is less than 0 . 02 %, p less than 0 . 012 %, o less than 0 . 015 % and n less than 0 . 015 %. the microstructure is primarily martensitic when processed as described and desirably is maintained as lath martensitic with less than 2 . 5 % and preferably less than 1 % by volume , retained or precipitated austenite . the microstructure is primarily inclusive of m 2 c nanoscale carbides where m is one or more element selected from the group including mo , nb , v , ta , w and cr . the formula , size and presence of the carbides are important . preferably , the carbides are present only in the form of m 2 c and to some extent , mc carbides without the presence of other carbides and the size ( average diameter ) is less than about ten nanometers and preferably in the range of about three nanometers to five nanometers . specifically avoided are other larger scale incoherent carbides such as cementite , m 23 c 6 , m 6 c and m 7 c 3 . other embrittling phases , such as topologically close packed ( tcp ) intermetallic phases , are also avoided . the martensitic matrix in which the strengthening nanocarbides are embedded contains an optimum balance of co and ni to maintain a sufficiently high m s temperature with sufficient co to enhance cr partitioning to the passivating oxide film , enhance m 2 c driving force and maintain dislocation nucleation of nanocarbides . resistance to cleavage is enhanced by maintaining sufficient ni and promoting grain refinement through stable mc carbide dispersions which resist coarsening at the normalizing or solution treatment temperature . alloy composition and thermal processing are optimized to minimize or eliminate all other dispersed particles that limit toughness and fatigue resistance . resistance to hydrogen stress corrosion is enhanced by grain boundary segregation of cohesion enhancing elements such as b , mo and w , and through the hydrogen trapping effect of the nanoscale m 2 c carbide dispersion . alloy composition is constrained to limit microsegregation under production - scale ingot solidification conditions . the specific alloy compositions of table 1 represent the presently known preferred and optimal formulations in this class of alloys , it being understood that variations of formulations consistent with the physical properties described , the processing steps and within the ranges disclosed as well as equivalents are within the scope of the invention . these preferred embodiments can be summarized as five subclasses of alloy compositions presented in table 11 . subclass 1 is similar in composition to alloys 2 c , 3 a and 3 b of table 1 and is optimal for a secondary hardening temper at about 400 ° c . to 600 ° c . to precipitate cr — mo base m 2 c carbides providing a uts in the range of about 270 ksi to 300 ksi . subclass 2 is similar in composition to alloys 4 d and 4 e of table 1 and includes additions of w and / or si to destabilize cementite and provide greater thermal stability with a secondary hardening temper at about 400 ° c . to 600 ° c . to precipitate cr — mo — w base m 2 c carbides . for applications requiring higher fracture toughness , subclass 3 is similar in composition to alloys 1 , 2 a and 2 b in table 1 and provides an intermediate uts range of about 240 ksi to 270 ksi . subclass 4 is similar in composition to alloys 4 f and 4 g of table 1 and is optimal for low - temperature tempering at about 200 ° c . to 300 ° c . to precipitate fe - base m 2 c carbides without the precipitation of cementite . alloy subclass 5 is a most preferred embodiment of subclass 1 . therefore , the invention including the class of ultrahigh - strength , corrosion resistant , structural steel alloys and the processes for making and using such alloys is to be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof .	1
according to the present invention , there is provided a process for the preparation of high molecular weight , linear poly ( 1 , 4 - butylene terephthalate ), the process comprising : ( a ) heating 1 , 4 - butanediol to a temperature in the range of from about 175 ° to about 275 ° c . ; ( c ) removing the byproduct water from the reaction mixture as the water is formed . in another aspect , there is provided a process for the preparation of a high molecular weight , linear poly ( 1 , 4 - butylene terephthalate ), the process comprising : ( a ) heating a mixture of terephthalic acid and at least 1 . 25 moles of 1 , 4 - butanediol per mole of the acid at a temperature in the range of from about 175 ° to about 275 ° c . at atmospheric or subatmospheric pressure ; ( c ) removing the byproduct water by entrainment in excess 1 , 4 - butanediol distilled from the mixture . a preferred feature of the invention will include carrying out the reaction steps at atmospheric or subatmospheric pressure , e . g ., as can be reached by aspirators and pumps . in a preferred feature , the 1 , 4 - butanediol will be present at a molar ratio of at least 1 . 25 , but preferably 2 : 1 , based on the acid . greater excesses can be used , although there is not much to be gained by exceeding a ratio of about 100 : 1 . still another preferred feature is to carry out the process with a high boiling liquid medium , e . g ., decalin , tetralin or the like , but preferably excess 1 , 4 - butanediol , to assist in driving off the byproduct water . still other preferred features are to include polyesterification catalysts in the reaction mixture to shorten the time of contact between unreacted 1 , 4 - butanediol and terephthalic acid . any conventional catalyst , e . g ., an inorganic or organic titanium , tin , or antimony compound can be used , and in conventional amounts . for example , 0 . 001 to 1 . 0 mole % of tetrabutyl titanate , tetra octyl titanate , or triethanolamine titanate , antimony oxide , dibutyl tin - maleate , - dilaurate , and the like can be added . preferably , the polyesterification catalyst will be an organo - titanium or an organo - tin compound . the high molecular weight , linear poly ( 1 , 4butylene terephthalate ) resins produced by the improved process of this invention can include small amounts , e . g , of up to about 15 mol . % of groups derived from other glycols , such as ethylene glycol , 1 , 3 - propanediol , 1 , 4 - dimethylol cyclohexane , and the like , and other diacids , e . g ., isophthalic acid , succinic acid , naphthalene dicarboxylic acid , and the like . the molecular weight in the final product will be sufficiently high to provide an intrinsic viscosity of from about 0 . 7 to about 2 . 0 deciliters per gram , measured , for example , as a solution in a 60 : 40 mixture of phenol and tetrachloroethane at 30 ° c . these high molecular weights are attainable in only about 4 hours under the conditions of the present invention . with respect to the process steps and reagents , in one manner of proceeding , three moles of commercially available 1 , 4 - butanediol can be heated in a suitably sized reactor provided with a short fractionation column and heated , e . g ., with an external oil bath at , e . g ., 250 ° c . the 1 , 4 - butanediol is stirred and purged with a nitrogen stream until it is boiling rapidly , then one mole of commercially available terephthalic acid is added gradually , e . g ., during the 1 / 2 hour . preferably , about 0 . 1 mole % of tetrabutyl titanate is also present in the hot reaction mixture . after the acid addition is complete , the temperature is increased , e . g ., to about 260 ° c ., and the pressure is gradually decreased , e . g ., to about 0 . 5 mm hg during , for example , 2 - 3 hours . the distillates are collected and comprise 1 , 4 - butanediol and water . the resinous product is recovered from the reaction vessel by conventional methods . in another manner of proceeding , terephthalic acid and about 5 moles of 1 , 4 - butanediol per mole of terephthalic acid are charged to a suitably sized reactor . preferably , 0 . 1 mole % of tetrabutyl titanate or similar catalyst ( based on the acid ) is added . the reaction mixture is heated , for example to 185 °- 205 ° c . until it becomes clear , e . g ., in 1 . 5 to 3 hours , then a mild vacuum ( e . g ., 28 &# 34 ; hg ) is applied for a time sufficient to remove the excess 1 , 4 - butanediol ( and entrained water )-- usually about 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 hours is adequate . finally , the prepolymer is heated at , e . g ., 225 °- 255 ° c . under a higher vacuum , e . g ., 0 . 1 - 1 . 0 mm hg , until the desired degree of polymerization is obtained , e . g ., for about 1 hour . the resinous product is removed from the reactor by conventional methods . the following examples illustrate the preparation of polyester resins according to the novel process of the present invention . for comparison purposes , several procedures are set forth to demonstrate the improvements obtained by proceeding in the specified manner . the examples are not to be construed to limit the invention in anyway whatsoever . 1 , 4 - butanediol , 135 g ., 1 . 50 moles and 0 . 15 g of tetrabutyl titanate , 0 . 44 × 10 - 3 moles , are placed in a 300 ml . reactor provided with a short fractionation column and submerged in an oil bath kept at 250 ° c . the mixture is mechanically stirred and purged with a nitrogen stream at 25 cc ./ min . terephthalic acid , 83 . 3 g ., 0 . 50 moles , is added gradually during 1 / 2 hours to the hot reaction mixture . after the mixture becomes clear , the temperature is increased to 257 ° c . and the pressure is gradually reduced to 0 . 5 mm hg over the next 2 hours and 20 minutes . the distillates are collected and analyzed and 0 . 821 moles of 1 , 4 - butanediol is recovered . the calculated usage of 1 , 4 - butanediol is ( 1 . 50 - 0 . 821 )/ 0 . 50 = 1 . 358 moles diol / mole tpa . this is an excess of 35 . 8 % over theory . the recovered polymer has an intrinsic viscosity of 1 . 74 dl ./ g . ( at 30 ° c . in a mixture of 60 : 40 phenol - tetrachloroethane ). as in example 1 , 135 g . of 1 , 4 - butanediol , 83 . 3 g . of terephthalic acid and 0 . 15 g . of tetrabutyl titanate are reacted . however , the terephthalic acid is present from the start and is not added gradually . the distillates contain 0 . 687 mole of 1 , 4 - butanediol , so that the diol usage is ( 1 . 50 - 0 . 687 )/ 0 . 50 = 1 . 63 moles diol / mole tpa . this is a 63 % excess over the theoretically required amount . the recovered polymer is off - white and has an intrinsic viscosity of 1 . 50 dl ./ g . terephthalic acid , 33 . 2 lbs . ( 0 . 2 lb . mole ), 85 lbs . 0 . 944 lb . mole ) of 1 , 4 - butanediol and 28 g ., 0 . 181 × 10 - 3 lb . mole , of tetrabutyl titanate are charged to a 20 gallon stainless steel reactor . the mixture is heated for 2 hours and 20 minutes at 185 °- 202 ° c ., until it became clear , then 2 / 3 hour under a mild vacuum ( down to 28 &# 34 ; hg ) to remove the excess diol and entrained water . the prepolymer is transferred to a polymerization reactor and treated for 1 hour at 225 °-- 255 ° c . and a pressure down to 0 . 38 mm hg . the distillates are analyzed and found to contain a total of 0 . 725 lb . moles of butanediol . the diol usage in this reaction is therefore ( 0 . 944 - 0 . 725 )/ 0 . 2 = 1 . 095 moles diol / mole tpa or only 9 . 5 % over the theoretically required amount . the polymer is recovered and has an intrinsic viscosity of 1 . 13 dl ./ g . according to the recently published method of netherlands patent 7105777 ( 1971 ), based on u . s . ser . no . 32 , 754 ( 1970 ), 125 g . of terephthalic acid , 0 . 75 mole , 375 g . of 1 , 4 - butanediol , 4 . 167 moles , and 0 . 225 g . of tetrabutyl titanate , 0 . 66 × 10 - 3 mole , are reacted in a stainless steel autoclave for 3 hours at 235 ° c . and a pressure of 50 - 70 psig . the prepolymer then is further polymerized in a glass reactor for 2 1 / 2 hours at 250 ° c . and a final vacuum of 0 . 3 mm hg . the collected distillates are analyzed and contain a total of 0 . 596 moles of 1 , 4 - butanediol . thus , by this method , the butanediol usage is ( 4 . 167 - 0 . 596 )/ 0 . 75 = 4 . 76 moles diol / mole tpa or 376 % over the theoretical amount required . the polymer is recovered and has an intrinsic viscosity of 1 . 02 dl ./ g . in a 100 cc tube shaped reactor , provided with a spiral shaped stirrer and a sidearm for removal of volatile products , are placed : 16 . 6 g terephthalic acid ( 0 . 10 moles ), 13 . 5 g 1 , 4 - butanediol ( 0 . 15 moles ) and 0 . 02 g triethanolamine titanate ( 3 . 5 × 10 - 5 moles ). after purging with nitrogen , the tube is immersed in an oil bath heated to 240 ° c . for 105 minutes , when the reaction mixture becomes clear . the temperature is then increased to 255 ° c . and the pressure gradually reduced to 0 . 15 mm hg over the following two - hour period . the resulting product has an intrinsic viscosity of 1 . 05 dl / g . analysis of the distillates indicates that a total of 0 . 019 moles of butanediol has been recovered ; consequently the butanediol consumption is ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 019 )/ 0 . 1 = 1 . 31 moles diol / mole tpa , or 31 % in excess of the theoretical requirement . in this example the excess of butanediol charged initially is only 50 %; however , the use of an effective catalyst and the effective entrainment of water by the excess butanediol in the absence of a fractioning column still makes it possible to obtain a product of high molecular weight with a relatively low loss in butanediol . the experiment of proceeding example 3 is repeated except that : the catalyst consists of 0 . 1 g dibutyl tin dilaurate ( 1 . 6 × 10 - 4 moles ) and the total reaction time is 195 minutes . the resulting polymer has an intrinsic viscosity of 0 . 99 dl / g ; the amount of butanediol found in the distillates is 0 . 0129 moles ; and the effective butanediol usage is therefore ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 0129 )/ 0 . 10 = 1 . 371 moles diol / mole tpa , or 37 . 1 % in excess of the theoretical requirement . the procedure of the above examples is repeated , except that the catalyst consists of 0 . 1 g dibutyl tin maleate ( 3 . 2 × 10 - 4 moles ) and only 11 . 7 g butanediol ( 0 . 13 moles ) is charged to the reactor . after a reaction time of 2 - 1 / 2hours a polymer is obtained with an intrinsic viscosity of 0 . 73 dl / g . the diol usage , corrected for 0 . 0036 moles of butanediol found in the distillates , is ( 0 . 31 - 0 . 0036 )/ 0 . 10 = 1 . 264 moles butanediol / mole tpa , or 26 . 4 % in excess of the theoretical requirement . the above examples demonstrate that high molecular weight poly ( 1 , 4 - butylene terephthalates ) are obtained with very much reduced and almost total suppression of the amount of 1 , 4 - butanediol lost to side reactions , e . g ., dehydration of part of the 1 , 4 - butanediol to tetrahydrofuran . other modifications of examples 1 - 5 provide processes within the scope of this invention . for example , for terephthalic acid , substitute a 98 / 2 mixture of terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid ; a 99 / 1 mixture of terephthalic and adipic acids ; or for the 1 , 4 - butanediol substitute a 98 / 2 mixture of 1 , 4 - butanediol and glycerine . because of their excellent physical , mechanical , chemical , electrical and thermal properties , the polyesters produced by the process of this invention have many and varied uses . they may be used alone as molding powders or mixed with other polymers and may contain fillers , both reinforcing , such as glass filaments , and non - reinforcing , such as wood flour , cloth fibers , clays and the like , as well as flame retardants , pigments , dyes , stabilizers , plasticizers , etc . obviously , other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments of the invention described which are within the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	2
in in - house tests carried out by the applicant , it could be found that the heat transfer between a container 5 acted upon by a spray medium and the spray medium is dependent inter alia also on the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium . it was essentially found that , as the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium increases , there is also an increasing heat transfer between the container 5 and the spray medium . furthermore , however , it was also found that there is a lower limit for the volumetric flow rate , below which there is no longer any heat exchange between the container 5 and the spray medium , or no heat exchange that can be mathematically modeled , in particular no heat exchange that can be mathematically predicted . this lower limit for the volumetric flow rate is represented in simplified form and is reached when the container 5 is no longer constantly fully wetted by the spray medium . it was also found that there is an upper limit for the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium , above which a further increase in the volumetric flow rate brings no further increase in the heat transfer between the container 5 and the spray medium . by means of extensive in - house tests carried out by the applicant , it was possible to define parameters , constants and influencing factors on the basis of which the heat transfer between the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium and the container 5 at the maximum useful volumetric flow rate presented above can be mathematically predicted . by means of further in - house tests carried out by the applicant , it was surprisingly also possible to ascertain that the heat transfer between the spray medium and the container 5 can also be mathematically predicted for those volumetric flow rates lying between the two limit values presented above for the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium . due to this discovery , it is now possible for the first time to adapt a pasteurizer or the pasteurization process to changed operating situations not only by varying the parameters transport speed and temperature of the spray medium but also by varying the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium . at this point , it should be expressly pointed out that it is likewise possible to make such adaptations solely by varying the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium . it is likewise possible , for adapting the pasteurizer 1 or the pasteurization process , to use and to vary the abovementioned and / or further parameters in any combinations . in order to model the basic mathematical model of the heat transfer between the spray medium and the container 5 , it is absolutely necessary to determine , for each type of container to be pasteurized , what heat transfer takes place between this type of container and the spray medium and how this heat transfer changes when for example the container starting temperature t , the temperature of the spray medium t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , the transport speed v and the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium v ° 1 , 2 , 3 have different values . what must be determined , therefore , is the change in the heat transfer between the spray medium and the specific type of container to be pasteurized when one , several or all of the relevant parameters are varied . if the change in the heat transfer when one or several of the abovementioned or else further parameters are varied for a type of container is known , it is possible to adapt the pasteurization process also by varying the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium . building on the knowledge thus obtained , it is possible to calculate and thus also to monitor the pasteurization process for each individual container 5 during the pasteurization thereof . to this end , however , it is absolutely essential that the container 5 to be pasteurized , at all times during the pasteurization process , is in such a state in which the heat exchange between the container and the surrounding environment can be calculated with sufficient accuracy and taken into consideration . if the container 5 is at any time not in such a state and thus can exchange heat for example in an uncontrolled manner with its surrounding environment , it is no longer possible to continue calculating the pasteurization process , which results in the risk of undesirable overpasteurization or underpasteurization . such a situation may arise for example in the event of stoppage of the machine when the container 5 is resting freely on the transport means with the spray medium switched off , wherein all the parameters which define a heat exchange between this container and its surrounding environment , for example ambient temperature , air humidity , flow rate of the air , etc ., are not known . at all times during the pasteurization process , therefore , particularly even in the event of a machine malfunction or break in production , etc ., a container 5 to be pasteurized must be exposed to defined ambient conditions so that the heat exchange between the container 5 and its surrounding environment remains able to be calculated . finally , it is clear from this prerequisite that the container 5 must be constantly acted upon by a spray medium at a known temperature t 1 , 2 , 3 , wherein on the one hand the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium must also be known and on the other hand the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 must be at least great enough that the container 5 is constantly fully wetted with spray medium during the spraying process . in order to calculate the pasteurization process , for each point in time during the pasteurization process the heat transfer between the container 5 and the spray medium is determined , wherein inter alia the starting temperature of the container , the temperature of the spray medium t 1 , 2 , 3 , the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium and for example also the transport speed v of the container are taken into account . taking account at least of the time span in which these parameters have unchanged values , the change in temperature of the container 5 and thus also its temperature during the time span and / or its final temperature after the end of the time span are determined , as a result of which the pasteurization units thus administered can also be calculated . when at least one of the relevant parameters assumes a different value , the calculation is continued using the new values , as a result of which the entire pasteurization process is calculated . in order to carry out the method according to the invention , a pasteurizer 1 is equipped with sensors which monitor the operating state at least of the pasteurizer 1 and / or at least of part of the overall production system . by using suitable sensors , such as those that have been known for a long time to a person skilled in the art , information is recorded for example about the degree to which the transport means 3 are occupied by or filled with containers 5 , the temperatures t 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray media in the individual treatment zones , the conveying speed v of the transport means 3 , etc . this information is transmitted to a suitable control device 7 , for example a device for electronic data processing . nominal values and nominal pasteurization procedures for all the relevant products to be pasteurized are preferably also stored in this control device 7 . also preferably stored in this control device 7 are , for all the relevant types of container or product , all the relevant details regarding the changes in the heat transfer between the container and the spray medium as a function of the relevant parameters . furthermore , the control device 7 is connected to appropriate adjusting elements of the pasteurizer 1 , such as for example pumps 6 , valves , heating elements , drive motors , etc . and is able actively to influence these adjusting elements in terms of their mode of operation or mode of action . the variation or control of the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium takes place at least in one of the treatment zones , but preferably for all the treatment zones , wherein preferably the volumetric flow rate can be controlled separately via open - loop or closed - loop control for each individual treatment zone . the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium is preferably produced by process water pumps — hereinafter referred to as hydraulic pumps — which are driven for example by frequency - controlled motors since in this way the volumetric flow rate can be produced and also changed in a particularly energy - saving manner . the volumetric flow rate can also be influenced by flow control valves and / or bypass lines and / or by spray valves having a variable dispensing volume flow rate . the volumetric flow rate can also be changed by some of the available spray valves being fully opened or closed via open - loop or closed - loop control . the open - loop or closed - loop control of the pasteurization process takes place initially in the known manner , according to which the suitable pasteurization program is selected as a function of the product to be pasteurized . as is known from the prior art , the controller of the pasteurizer reacts autonomously to changes in the operating state , which are reported to the controller for example by the sensors or else by active manual interventions by the operating staff , wherein according to the prior art the pasteurization process is adapted to the changed operating state by varying the parameters transport speed v and temperature t 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray media . as an innovation over this prior art , in a pasteurizer 1 according to the invention the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium at least in one treatment zone 2 can also be varied . in this case , as a function of the current operating state and knowledge of the changed heat transfer behavior , the controller 7 of the pasteurizer 1 acts on the parameters of the pasteurizer 1 that can be influenced or changed , so that an advantageous adaptation of the pasteurization process to the changed operating state is achieved . the changes may in this case be influenced by a closed - loop control or else by an open - loop control of the parameters in question , or of the adjusting elements influencing said parameters , that is to say pumps 6 , valves , heating elements , drive motors . the invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of examples of embodiments . if there is a break in production , i . e . a stoppage of the transport means 3 of the pasteurizer 1 , it is absolutely necessary , as discussed at length above , to expose the containers 5 to defined ambient conditions . this requirement in turn requires that the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium in pasteurizers according to the prior art is kept unchanged , which entails considerable energy costs for the constant pumping and temperature control of a considerable volume of the spray medium . by applying the present invention , it is now possible for the first time to reduce the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium at least in one of the treatment zones , as a result of which the energy costs can be considerably reduced . as discussed above , it is possible in this case to reduce the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium to such an extent that the container is just still fully wetted by the spray medium , without losing the ability to mathematically calculate the pasteurization process . if there is a reduced supply of containers 5 , it is customary in pasteurizers 1 according to the prior art either to continue to operate the pasteurizer in an unchanged fashion or else to completely switch it off , i . e . not to allow any containers 5 to enter the pasteurizer 1 until there is once again a sufficient number of containers available . in this case , it is particularly important that the unchanged operation of a pasteurizer 1 when there is a reduced supply of containers leads to the transport means 3 not being fully occupied , which ultimately leads to a reduced degree of efficiency of the overall system and to an increase in the cost per unit of each pasteurized container 5 . by applying the present invention , it is now possible to operate the pasteurizer 1 in a mode in which the transport speed and also the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium are varied , for example reduced , as a result of which overall a full occupancy of the transport means 3 and a pasteurization process adapted to this reduced transport speed v are possible . if there is a reduced provision of containers 5 upstream of the pasteurizer 1 , then according to the invention firstly the speed of the transport means 3 is reduced from the speed v 1 to the speed v 2 , wherein the speed v 2 is selected in such a way that the transport means 3 is completely filled with containers 5 even when a reduced number of containers 5 are being provided . by reducing the transport speed v , the length of time taken to pass through a treatment zone of length s is extended from the time span t 1 to the time span t 2 . in this case , it is essential that the containers 5 at the end of the two time spans t 1 and t 2 must in each case exhibit the identical temperature change δt , since it is provided for the pasteurization process that a certain temperature t is reached at the end of a treatment zone . consequently , there is a requirement that δt 1 = δt 2 . by virtue of the present invention , the time that is additionally available can now be used to heat the containers 5 more slowly by reducing the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium , so that the nominal temperature change δt 2 is achieved in good time but not ahead of schedule , thus making energy savings possible . accordingly , it is of course also possible to allow the cooling process that is customary in pasteurization to likewise proceed more slowly . analogously it is of course also possible , in the event of an increased inflow of containers , to operate the pasteurizer 1 at an increased speed v , wherein the containers 5 also achieve the nominal temperature change within the now shortened time span due to a suitably increased volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium . it will be understood here that , instead of a nominal temperature change , the reaching of a nominal temperature may also be provided without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention . due to the operating principle , a pasteurizer 1 can be designed optimally only for one type of container to be pasteurized . however , if it is provided to use such a pasteurizer 1 to pasteurize different types of container , this pasteurizer 1 must necessarily be configured in such a way that even the “ container having the greatest heating and cooling requirement and having the poorest heat transfer ” can still be reliably pasteurized . for the pasteurization of other types of container , the pasteurization process according to the prior art is adapted only by varying the parameters transport speed v and temperature t 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray media . although in a pasteurization process adapted in this way a trouble - free pasteurization of the product is generally still achieved , to this end often an increased outlay on energy is required , which ultimately leads to increased costs per item . according to the invention it is proposed , in addition to or instead of varying the parameters transport speed v and / or temperature t 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium , to vary the parameter volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium in order to adapt an actual pasteurizer 1 or a pasteurization process to different types of container . in this case , it is particularly advantageous if , for the pasteurization of different types of container , different volumetric flow rates v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium are provided for each individual one of these different types of container . by virtue of this procedure it is possible for example to treat a container 5 having a lower heating or cooling requirement and good heat transfer with a lesser volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium compared to a container 5 having a high heating or cooling requirement and poor heat transfer . this aspect of the invention is particularly important when account is taken of the fact that the size and the conveying speed of a pasteurizer is determined essentially by the diameter of the containers and the desired output of the pasteurizer [ containers / hour ], since a surface area or footprint for the pasteurizer 1 results from the factors container diameter , number of containers per hour and pasteurization time . due to the variation of the volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium , as proposed by the present invention , there is obtained a much greater number of value pairs of the variable parameters for which it is possible to operate a pasteurizer 1 in such a way that the transport means is always fully occupied even for a wide range of different container diameters while precisely adhering to the pasteurization time . by way of example it may be provided , for a predefined output of the pasteurizer 1 , to act upon a small container 5 having a low heating requirement and good heat transfer at a low transport speed v with a low volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium , whereas a large container 5 having a high heating requirement and poor heat transfer is acted upon at a high transport speed v with a high volumetric flow rate v ° 1 , 2 , 3 for an identical output . by virtue of this procedure , overall a full occupancy of the pasteurizer 1 is achieved even with different container diameters , which ultimately leads to low pasteurization costs per container . in certain operating situations , it may happen that the supply of containers 5 to the pasteurizer is completely interrupted for a certain time interval , so that the transport means 3 has an area which contains no containers 5 . due to the mode of operation of a pasteurizer 1 , such a gap in the container stream must be moved through the pasteurizer 1 at the same speed v as if the transport means 3 were fully occupied with containers 5 . in known pasteurizers 1 , the only reaction to such a gap is that the temperature t 1 , 2 , 3 of the spray medium in the respective treatment zone 2 in which the gap is located in each case is lowered by a certain temperature . according to the invention it is proposed to reduce the volumetric flow rate of the spray medium in the treatment zones 2 in which such a gap is located , or in those treatment zones 2 which contain no containers due to a gap in the container stream . due to this reduction in the volumetric flow rate , the costs incurred by heat losses and by producing the volumetric flow rate can be reduced . it will be understood that the operating situations mentioned in the examples of embodiments and the measures associated with these operating situations — including in the respective combination — are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the present invention . in particular , these examples of embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention to the effect that said combinations of operating situation and measure must necessarily be retained . instead , the present invention also extends to other , “ 1 to 1 ”, “ 1 to n ” and “ n to 1 ” combinations of the aforementioned and further operating situations and measures .	0
the present invention is a pulse width modulator that processes a modulating voltage signal that is a continuous function of time ( which will be denoted by t ), and which may take on both positive and negative values as time progresses . the modulating voltage will be denoted by the functional notation v m ( t ). what is required of a pulse width modulator , and what the invention generates , is a succession of voltage pulses , all of constant duration ( denoted by t ), each pulse being divided into two time intervals , during one of which the pulse voltage is zero ( referred to as &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level ), and during the other of which the pulse voltage is a positive value that is the same for all pulses . the positive pulse voltage will be referred to as the &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; level . the invention uses logic circuits for which the high level is a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and the low level is a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the output of the invention is a pulse train , with each pulse starting at the end of the pulse that preceded it . linear pwm requires , and the invention generates , a pulse train with these properties ; a ) a pulse beginning at an instant when v m ( t ) is zero , having equal duration of high and low levels ; b ) a pulse beginning at a time when v m ( t ) is positive , having a high level duration exceeding t / 2 by a time interval that is proportional to v m ( t ) at the start of the pulse ; and c ) a pulse , beginning at a time when v m ( t ) is negative , having a high level duration that is less than t / 2 by a time interval that is proportional to the absolute value of v m ( t ) at the start of the pulse . if the preceding requirements are met , and the resulting pwm signal is applied to the control elements of the power semiconductors that comprise a standard bridge circuit , the resulting voltage across the load that is connected to the bridge will , after filtering , be a scaled replica of v m ( t ), provided that 1 / t ( the pulse repetition frequency ), is very high compared to the highest frequency present in a fourier decomposition of v m ( t ), which is always the case in practice . the properties of the pwm signal generated by the invention can be summarized by the algebraic formulas : in the first formula , t ( high ) represents the high level interval of a particular pulse and v m ( t ) is the modulation voltage at the start of the pulse . α is a number that determines how much v m ( t ) changes t ( high ). if α = 0 , there is no modulation and the entire pulse train has equal high and low times . the product α \| v m ( t )\| must not exceed t / 2 or overmodulation will result , that is , a high or low level will exist during the entire pulse and there will be a loss of proportionality between t ( high ) and v m ( t ). it should be noted that practical pwh generators , including the invention , depart very slightly from the above formula because v m ( t ) generally changes during the pulse time t . however , this error is very small when ( 1 / t ) is high compared to the highest frequency present in v m ( t ), and will be disregarded here . in the following description and claims several parameters are mathematically defined . they are reproduced and defined here in a table to facilitate reference to them . fig1 a is a block diagram of a configuration that embodies some of the fundamental ideas of the invention . the circuit of fig1 a begins with a 50 % duty cycle square wave ( equal high level and low level durations ) applied by a square wave generator 108 at its output 110 . by means of an or logical operation 112 , the circuit adds to the square wave a variable duration pulse , which is generated by the lower circuit branch 114 , that rises from low level to high level at the negative transition of the square wave . the result is a square wave that is high for 50 % or more of the entire cycle time . to accommodate duty cycles less than 50 % required for bipolar pwm , fig1 a includes a final exclusive - or operation 116 with one input being the or output and the other a &# 34 ; polarity &# 34 ; signal that can be either high or low . from the definition of the ex - or operation , if polarity is low , the ex - or output is the same as the or output , and if polarity is high , the ex - or output is the complement of or output , i . e ., ex - or output is high when or output is low and conversely . the inclusion of the ex - or operation therefore makes it possible for this configuration to produce outputs with duty cycles greater or less than 50 %. fig1 b shows the 50 % duty cycle input square wave , which is labelled i , and has period t . the circuit in fig1 a consisting of resistor r1 , capacitor c1 , is a differentiator circuit with diode d shorting out the positive output so that the three element circuit generates negative pulses at the negative transitions of i . these pulses are illustrated by fig1 c and are labelled ii . as shown in fig1 a , the negative pulses ii are applied to the trigger input 118 of a controllable duration one shot multivibrator 120 ( also known in the art as a variable one shot ), and initiate a modulating pulse at the one - shot output . this one shot output pulse labelled iii , has duration t o as shown in fig1 d . duration t o is proportional to a control voltage applied to control terminal c of the one - shot 120 . fig1 e shows waveform iv , which is the result of the logic operation ( iii or i ) of or gate 112 and is a square wave with a duty cycle greater than or equal to 50 %. fig1 f and 1g show waveform v , which is the result of the logic operation ( iv ex - or polarity ) of exclusive or gate 116 , in the respective cases polarity low ( v and iv identical ) and polarity high ( v the complement of iv ). an actual circuit constructed in accordance with fig1 a would encounter a serious practical difficulty because controllable one - shot multivibrators generally have a minimum output pulse duration ( due to storage effects ) which will be designated here as t ( min ). if the voltage at control terminal c is reduced below a critical value v ( critical ) which produces output pulse duration t ( min ), the output pulse duration will no longer be controlled by voltage at c . as a consequence , operation of a pwm circuit according to fig1 a will be uncontrolled whenever the signal at c is less than the critical value . in the case of sinusoidal pwm , this would occur in a time interval near each zero crossing of an input sinusoid intended to modulate the duty cycle . the resulting &# 34 ; crossover distortion &# 34 ; would be generally undesirable . fig2 a is a block diagram of a circuit that augments the circuit of fig1 a in order to eliminate crossover distortion caused by the existence of a minimum controllable value of one - shot output pulse duration . instead of applying square wave input i directly to an or gate as in fig1 a , square wave i is , before application to the or gate , delayed in time by an interval τ at time delay circuit 22 that exceeds t ( min ). as in fig1 a , the one - shot is triggered by the negative transition of square wave i . from the nature of the or operation , it then follows that the duty cycle at the or output is 50 % for all values of t o , the one - shot output pulse duration , less than or equal to τ . by time shifting the square wave i to a later time by the time delay circuit 22 , an output pulse iii from one - shot 120 and of duration t o occurs when the input to or gate 112 is still high and therefore does not affect the output iv of or gate 112 . if t o & gt ; τ the duty cycle at the or output varies linearly with ( t o - τ ). however , for linear pwm , what is required is that the duty cycle vary linearly with the modulating signal . this requirement is met in the invention by summing the modulating voltage , designated v m ( t ), where t represents time , with an adjustable dc offset voltage v offset . then , if α is a number that when multiplied by the voltage at control terminal c gives output pulse duration , it follows that , if t o & gt ; τ , in practice , v offset is to be adjusted so that αv offset = τ . it then follows that with such adjustment , which is exactly what is needed for linear duty cycle modulation by v m ( t ). further , since v m ( t ) is assumed positive for the circuit of fig2 a ( in later paragraphs of the specification , bipolar v m ( t ) will be dealt with ) and τ & gt ; t ( min ), the one - shot control voltage at terminal c is always greater than that which produces output pulse duration t ( min ), hence there is no crossover distortion . fig2 b illustrates the 50 % duty cycle square wave , again labelled i to be consistent with fig1 a . fig2 c shows waveform i delayed by time t . the delayed waveform is labelled i &# 39 ;. fig2 d shows negative going trigger pulses simultaneous with the negative transitions of signal i ( not of i &# 39 ;). these pulses are labelled ii , again consistent with fig1 a . in fig2 a , the circuit block 224 labelled sum adds an adjustable dc offset voltage to the modulating signal v m ( t ) that is assumed to always have a positive polarity . the sum circuit output 226 is applied to the control terminal c of a one - shot . fig2 e shows the one - shot output pulse ( labelled iii ) when v m ( t )= 0 and when v offset is adjusted so that αv offset = τ as described above . it may be seen from fig2 e that the transitions of both signal i &# 39 ; and signal iii from high to low are simultaneous . it then follows from the nature of the or operation that or gate output ( labelled iv ) is identical to i &# 39 ;, as shown in fig2 f . in other words , if v m ( t )= 0 , output of the or gate is a 50 % duty cycle square wave as required for linear pwm . therefore the &# 34 ; crossover distortion &# 34 ; for 0 ≦ v m ( t )& lt ; v ( critical ) which was described in connection with the circuit of fig1 a is eliminated . fig2 g and 2h respectively show one - shot output and or gate output for v m ( t )& gt ; 0 , in which case t o & gt ; τ and or gate output is a square wave with duty cycle greater than 50 %. fig2 a shows an exclusive - or gate whose function is the same as that described in connection with fig1 a , that is , to produce duty cycles less than 50 % if the polarity input to the ex - or gate is high , and duty cycles greater than 50 % if the polarity input is low . the configuration of fig2 a will accept only positive modulation signals v m ( t ) while a practical modulator must accept bipolar modulation signals and generate duty cycles greater than 50 % for one modulation polarity and duty cycles less than 50 % for the other modulation polarity . fig3 is a block diagram of the invention and illustrates such a practical circuit . it shows an augmentation of the configuration of fig2 a by two more functional elements . the first of these is a full wave rectifier 328 whose input is bipolar v m ( t ) and whose output is \| v m ( t )\|, i . e . the absolute value of v m ( t ), which is always positive . the second element is a polarity signal generator 330 which transitions between high and low levels when v m ( t ) changes polarity . as shown in fig3 a , the sum of \| v m ( t )\| and offset voltage v offset is applied to the pulse duration control terminal c of a one - shot multivibrator 320 , as in fig2 a . in practice , v offset is adjusted so that αv offset is equal to the time τ by which input square wave i is delayed , as explained previously in connection with fig2 a . the polarity generator 330 output is applied to one input of the ex - or gate 316 in order to change duty cycle excursions at v , the ex - or output , from less than to greater than 50 % when v m ( t ) changes polarity . waveforms i , i &# 39 ;, ii , iii and iv for fig3 a are the same as those illustrated by fig2 b through 2h respectively . fig3 b shows v m ( t ) as a sinusoidal function of time , although the invention is not restricted to sinusoidal v m ( t ). fig3 c shows \| v m ( t )\|, which is the output of the full - wave rectifier 328 shown in fig3 a . fig3 d illustrates the polarity signal , which in this example changes from low to high when v m ( t ) changes from positive to negative . fig3 e shows waveform v , the final pwm signal at the output of the ex - or gate . fig3 e must be regarded as illustrative only , since in practice there would be hundreds of pulses per modulation cycle rather than the small number shown in the figure . noteworthy in fig3 e are : a ) 50 % duty cycle at the zero crossings of v m ( t ); cycle of v m ( t ) and less than 50 % for the second half cycle ; and c ) generally , a different duty cycle for each successive pulse , with duty cycle increasing and then decreasing during the first half cycle . therefore , the invention , as described in connection with fig1 - 3 can be summarized as follows . in fig1 the quantity of deviation of duty cycle from 50 % is equal to the duration t o of the one - shot output pulse , which in turn is a function of the modulation amplitude v m ( t ), except for where crossover distortion occurs . the direction ( i . e ., more or less than 50 % duty cycle ) of that deviation is determined by the detected polarity of v m ( t ). in fig2 the combination of the time shift τ by at least t ( min ) combined with summing v m ( t ) with an offset voltage v . sub . ( offset ), chosen so τ = αv . sub . ( offset ), together get rid of the crossover distortion for positive values of v m ( t ), but the circuit of fig2 won &# 39 ; t accept negative values of v m ( t ). the offset voltage v . sub . ( offset ) causes the quantity of deviation of the duty cycle from 50 % to be determined , not by the total duration of the one - shot output ( as in fig1 ), but rather by the time the one - shot output duration exceeds the time delay τ which is also the duration an output pulse from the one - shot would have for a control input voltage to the one - shot of only v . sub . ( offset ). in fig3 the further insertion of a full wave rectifier , so that \| v m ( t )\| instead of v m ( t ) is applied to the summing circuit , allows also acceptance of negative values of v m ( t ). fig4 shows a schematic circuit diagram of a preferred embodiment of the invention , with the functional blocks corresponding to those shown in fig3 a enclosed by dashed lines ( except for the polarity signal generator , since in this embodiment polarity signal is conventionally taken from one of the nodes of the full - wave rectifier rather than providing a duplicate comparator to separately generate the polarity signal ). for a variable one - shot this embodiment uses an inexpensive timing circuit 432 that is available from many vendors and is labelled &# 34 ; 555 timer &# 34 ;. the timer 432 is shown in fig4 configured as a variable one - shot . prior to receiving a negative pulse at its &# 34 ; trigger &# 34 ; terminal 434 , the internal circuitry of the 555 places a short circuit from the &# 34 ; discharge &# 34 ; terminal 436 to ground and sets the &# 34 ; out &# 34 ; terminal at a low level . a negative trigger pulse removes the short circuit and places the output 438 at a high level . with the short circuit removed , timing capacitor c t is charged by the current source 440 until timing capacitor c t reaches the voltage at the &# 34 ; threshold &# 34 ; terminal , which in this configuration is the same voltage as that placed on control terminal &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;. when the threshold voltage is reached , the internal circuitry of the 555 restores the short from the &# 34 ; discharge &# 34 ; terminal to ground and pulls the output 438 low . since the rate of change of voltage across timing capacitor c t is constant when it is being charged by a current source :, and since it starts charging with no voltage across it , the time required to charge c t to threshold voltage is directly proportional to the threshold voltage , hence directly proportional to control voltage in this configuration . it follows that the time when the 555 output is high is directly proportional to control voltage at &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;, which is what is necessary for liner pwm ( duty cycle varying linearly with v m ( t ). the 555 timer has a minimum controllable one - shot pulse duration t ( min ) of , typically , 10 microseconds . therefore , without the delay and offset technique described earlier in connection with fig2 and 3 , a pwm circuit using the 555 as a one - shot , as in fig1 a , would not function acceptably , since crossover distortion would occur over a large fraction of a sinusoidal cycle of v m ( t ), for typical pulse duration t of about 50 microseconds . as shown in fig4 waveform i ( a 50 % duty cycle square wave ) is delayed by means of r2 , c2 , r3 , c3 and the or gate labelled or 1 . with both inputs to or 1 connected together as shown , the output of or 1 ( labelled i &# 39 ;, consistent with fig2 a and 3a ) transitions high when the voltage at its common input is increasing and reaches about 60 % of high level , and transitions downward when the common input is decreasing and reaches about 30 % of high level . both transition values of input voltage are delayed by practically the same time interval from the zero crossings of signal i , hence signal i &# 39 ; is also a 50 % duty cycle square wave , with its transitions delayed from those of i by a time interval τ which is made to exceed t ( min ) by proper choice of r2 , c2 , r3 , and c3 . theoretically time delay τ can desirably equal t ( min ). however , t ( min ) varies among different 555 timer integrated circuits and also varies as a function of temperature . consequently , time delay τ should be chosen to provide an acceptable safety margin to assure that it is at least as great as t ( min ) for all variations of 555 timer circuits under all operating conditions . also , time delay should not exceed t / 2 or it will encroach upon preceding pulses . v m ( t ) is full wave rectified by a difference amplifier consisting of r4 , r5 ( two of each ) and operational amplifier a1 , used in combination with comparators cmp 1 qnd cmp 2 and bilateral switches s1 through s4 . when v m ( t ) is positive , cmp 1 &# 39 ; s output , which is applied to gate terminals g of switch s1 and switch s4 goes high and causes those two switches to close . s2 and s3 are open when v m ( t ) is positive because cmp 2 &# 39 ; s output , which is connected to the gates of s2 and s3 , is low . therefore the voltage at node b is v m ( t ) and the voltage at node a is zero when v m ( t ) is positive . when v m ( t ) is negative , s2 and s3 are closed , s1 and s4 are open , the voltage at node b is zero , and the voltage at node a is v m ( t ). since ## equ1 ## it follows that the output of a1 is equal to ( r5 / r4 )×(-\| v m ( t )\|). an inversion of the sign of a1 &# 39 ; s output takes place when it is summed with a positive offset voltage by a2 , r6 , and r7 , so that waveform viii , which is applied to control terminal c of the 555 timer , is always positive , as required for control of the 555 in its configuration as a variable one - shot . in fig4 polarity signal is obtained from the output of comparator cmp 1 , which transitions between high and low levels at the zero crossings of v m ( t ), and hence has all of the properties required of the polarity signal . the output of comparator cmp 2 could have been used as polarity signal , in which case pwm output would be complemented ( high level would become low level and vice versa ) relative to pwm output with cmp 1 &# 39 ; s output as the polarity signal . each comparator is a conventional comparator having a high gain differential amplifier and two differential inputs connected to compare the signal v m ( t ) to ground . fig5 shows preprocessing of v m ( t ) that adapts the invention to closed loop control of the stroke of a linear motor . for this application , the most efficient form for v m ( t ) is sinusoidal , and the purpose of closed - loop control is to accomplish automatic adjustment of the motor stroke to a preset value . since stroke varies linearly with applied voltage to the motor , stroke adjustment can be accomplished by changing the amplitude of a sinusoidal waveform v m ( t ). in fig5 one input to a multiplier 542 is a constant amplitude sinusoidal voltage , shown in the figure to have amplitude a and constant phase angle φ . the other input is an amplified dc error voltage resulting from the operation gain ×( stroke command dc voltage - measured stroke dc voltage ). if the measured stroke falls below the stroke implicit in the command signal , motor voltage is increased and if gain is high , the error will be driven to a low value . the diode 544 in fig5 prevents negative errors which would otherwise occur when measured stroke exceeded command stroke , and which would cause the loop to become unstable because , as stroke rose increasingly above the command stroke , the amplitude of v m would be further increased . in the event measured stroke does exceed command stroke , the error voltage is zero and therefore the drive voltage applied to the linear motor goes essentially to zero . this turning off of the motor permits motor losses ( e . g . friction and resistive losses ) to cause the stroke amplitude to decay . the invention differs from prior art in its use of the combination of delay and offset as described to eliminate crossover distortion that would otherwise exist , and its use of a combined or , exclusive or operation to generate duty cycles greater and less than 50 %. many variations are possible within the spirit of the invention . for example , logical operations in which high level represents logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and low level logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; could be used without any consequential effect on output . while certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail , it is to be understood that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claims .	7
fig1 shows a vacuum - die casting machine 1 which comprises two mold halves 2 , 3 wherein the mold half 2 is stationary and the mold half 3 is movably supported . the mold half 3 is adjustable between a retracted position ( 3 ) as shown in solid lines and a position ( 3 ′) moved toward the stationary mold half and indicated by dashed lines . the movement of the mold half 3 is achieved by an actuator in the form of a hydraulic cylinder 4 to which hydraulic fluid is supplied via a hydraulic valve 5 . the hydraulic valve 5 is controlled by control signals of a control arrangement 6 . between the mold halves 2 , 3 , a casting or , respectively , molding cavity 7 for receiving a metal melt is enclosed . the mold cavity 7 is in flow communication with a casting chamber 8 in which a casting piston . 9 is movably supported . the casting chamber 8 is connected to a metal melt 11 disposed in a warm - holding oven 12 via a suction pipe 10 . the suction pipe 10 extends so far into the metal melt 11 that the suction pipe end opening 13 is below the melt level 14 of the metal melt 11 . the gas pressure needed to introduce gas into the metal melt is determined by the hydrostatic pressure and the ambient pressure on the melt surface 14 , wherein the hydrostatic pressure is obtained by a multiplication , of the level difference h between the melt level 14 and the end opening of the 13 by the density of the metal melt . the mold cavity 7 is provided with a three - way valve 15 , which , as shown in the enlarged representation in fig1 , is connected in a first position to an evacuation arrangement 16 , which includes a vacuum lank 17 and a vacuum pump 18 . furthermore , in a further position which is indicated by a reference , number 19 , the three - way valve 15 is connected to the atmosphere . at the opposite side , the vacuum valve 15 is connected to the mold cavity 7 . at the three way valve , furthermore , a pressure sensor 20 is arranged via which the mold cavity pressure p v can be measured . the measured mold cavity pressure p v is supplied , together with the melt pressure p 1 , as input signal to the control unit 6 in which , depending on the supplied signals , control signals for the adjustment of the hydraulic valve 5 and , respectively , the hydraulic cylinder 4 are generated for controlling the closing speed of the movable mold half 3 . by means of the control signals of the control unit 6 furthermore the three - way valve 15 may be switched . in addition also the movement of the casting piston 9 is controlled via control signals of the control unit 6 . during the closing movement , the movable mold half 3 approaches the stationary mold half 2 . at the front edge of the movable mold half 3 , a circumferential seal 21 in the form of a seal rope is arranged so that it projects from the front edge of the movable mold half 3 . as soon as the seal rope 21 contacts the opposite front edge of the stationary mold half 2 , an excess air volume is enclosed in the mold cavity 7 . the projection of the seal rope 21 beyond the front edge of the movable mold half 3 is indicated by the distance b , that is the seal rope 21 comes into contact with the front edge of the stationary mold half 2 as soon as the distance between the mold halves becomes smaller than the distance b . fig2 shows the three - way valve 15 during the closing procedure of the movable mold half 3 . fig3 shows three - way valve in a position in which it is connected to the evacuation arrangement 16 . up to the point where the seal rope 21 is in contact with the facing front edge of the stationary mold half 2 the closing procedure is performed at high speed . the three - way valve 15 comprises three individual valves 15 a , 15 b , 15 c , of which the individual valve together with the individual valve 15 c controls the connection between the mold cavity 7 and the atmosphere 19 , and the individual valve 15 b in connection with the individual valve 15 c controls the flow connection between the mold cavity 7 and the evacuation arrangement 16 . during the closing movement of the movable mold half 3 , the individual valve 15 b is switched off , that is closed , so that there is no flow connection between the mold cavity 7 and the evacuation arrangement 16 . the individual valve 15 a is switched open so as to provide for a flow connection between the atmosphere 19 and an area of the individual valve 15 c remote from the mold cavity 7 . the individual valve 15 is closed . when a contract is established between the seal rope 21 and the facing front edge of the stationary mold half 2 , the individual valve 15 c . is opened and at the same time also the individual valve 15 b is moved to the opening position so that the mold cavity 7 is connected to the evacuation arrangement 16 . via the pressure sensor 20 , the momentary pressure in the mold cavity 7 is measured . depending on the height of the pressure , the further closing speed of the movable mold half 3 is controlled by control signals of the control unit 6 . the closing speed is so adjusted that the differential pressure δp between the measured mold cavity pressure p v and the melt pressure p 1 which is also measured , does not exceed a certain value . the adjustment is performed especially in such a way that the mold cavity pressure p v is always smaller than the melt pressure p 1 whereby it is ensured that the enclosed as volume in the mold cavity 7 cannot be driven is the open connection , the casting chamber 8 and the suction pipe 10 into the melt 11 in the warm holding oven 12 . in this way , the turbulences and gas inclusions in the melt 11 are prevented . in addition to the adaptation of the closing speed of the movable mold nail 3 , the evacuation of the gas volume via the evacuation arrangement 16 is achieved . during the closing procedure of the movable mold half 3 up to the establishment of a contact between the front edges of the two mold halves , the casting piston 9 remains in the retracted position as shown in fig1 in which flow communication between the mold cavity 7 via the casting chamber 8 and the suction pipe 10 and also the metal melt 11 in the warm holding oven exists . the described control is established in order to prevent gas from flowing into the melt 11 during the closing procedure . after the closing procedure is completed , a vacuum can be generated in the mold cavity via a connection with the evaluation arrangement 16 so that melt 11 is drawn into the casting chamber 8 via the suction pipe 10 . subsequently , the melt is moved from the casting chamber 8 into the mold cavity 7 by forward movement of the casting piston 9 .	1
fig1 illustrates in cross - section a typical prior art ferrule type connector which includes a ferrule 3 and first and second optical fibers 1 , 2 to be connected . since an outside diameter of an optical fiber can vary due to manufacturing tolerances , the size of the ferrule 3 necessarily needs to be larger than either one of the optical fibers 1 , 2 which allows for fiber misalignment area 4 to contribute significant optical losses . though these losses can be minimized by more tightly controlling the diameter tolerance of the fibers 1 , 2 , in many applications this tolerance variation is beyond the control of the end user . according to a first embodiment of the invention , an optical fiber having a noncircular cross - section which includes a throughput area and an add / drop area is provided as illustrated in fig2 . referring to this figure , optical fiber 11 includes a core 14 and a cladding 15 , the core 14 being non - circularly formed so as to form a throughput area 12 and an adjacent add / drop area 13 integrally formed therewith . specifically , a cross - section of an end of the fiber taken along a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the fiber which extends along an entire length of the fiber has a noncircular profile and includes a substantially circular region 16 adjacent a nub region 17 . a core 14 of the circular region 16 is contiguous with a core 18 of the nub region 17 and is made of one integral material . a cladding 15 is commonly associated with both the core 14 and 18 of the circular and nub regions , respectively . more specifically , the cladding 15 which envelopes both the cores 14 and 18 is a common cladding which does not entirely separate these cores and allows light from one core to mix with light from the other core . accordingly , a signal in the core 14 after a short distance of the fiber will be consistent and identical with a signal in the core 18 such that any signal tap from either the core 14 or 18 is representative of information within the fiber , and any signal injected into either the core 14 or 18 can be tapped thereafter from any other corresponding location along the fiber where the core 14 and 18 is so shaped . in some applications , it may be advantageous to utilize a fiber having a cross - sectional shape as illustrated in fig2 throughout a length thereof , or more preferably to simply utilize an optical fiber which is substantially circular in cross - section such that the cores 14 and 18 together are circular and surrounded by a circular or cylindrical cladding , with local regions of the fiber being deformed along short lengths thereof , e . g . about 25 mm or so so as to have the shape as illustrated so as to produce a throughput area and tap add / drop area as explained . fig3 illustrates a preferred embodiment for connectorizing a fiber of the type illustrated in fig2 . referring to this figure , first and second fibers 11 , 11 &# 39 ; are connected end - to - end such that the add / drop areas 13 , 13 &# 39 ; are out of phase , a preferred embodiment being 180 ° out of phase as illustrated such that the throughput areas 12 , 12 &# 39 ; overlap . in this case , light in one fiber will be coupled to the other fiber via the throughput areas 12 , 12 &# 39 ;. however , light can be extracted or injected through the add / drop areas 13 , 13 &# 39 ; as desired . in addition , the amount of attenuation of a connector caused by misalignment of the add / drop areas 13 , 13 &# 39 ; will be in proportion to a ratio of the area of the add / drop area to the throughput area . for example , in the case of a core having a 1 , 000 um diameter throughput area 12 and an add / drop area having a diameter of 250 microns , the attenuation caused by misalignment of the add / drop areas would thus be as follows : ## equ1 ## in other words , the connector will drop approximately 6 % of the available optical power from the add / drop area and the throughput will be approximately 94 %. in decibels ( db ), this translates to - 0 . 26 db throughput and - 12 . 3 db drop by the tap . moreover , the injection port or add / drop area 13 , 13 &# 39 ; of this tap structure is not 6 % efficient , but rather , if the source is small enough , it can be 100 % or nearly so efficient while the throughput loss remains at - 0 . 26 db . for most fiber optic emitters the power launched in a 250 micron spot is about the same as that launched in a 1 , 000 micron spot ; hence the write tap is highly asymmetrical to the read . fig4 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention wherein the noncircular optical fiber is predominantly square in cross - section with the add / drop area 23 being formed off of a corner of the fiber for maximum ease of access . reference numeral 22 denotes the throughput area . noncircular optical fiber shapes such as a square shape shown in fig4 are preferred since such fiber shapes cause light asymmetrically injected or removed to be evenly distributed throughout the core after traversing only a short length of the core , i . e . the fiber acts as a mixing rod along this length . with structures according to the invention , an architecture as illustrated in fig5 is possible whereby a plurality of read taps r can be disposed linearly along the optical fiber so as to result in an efficient read bus connected to a transmitter t . fig6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention whereby a plurality of transmitters can be disposed at each tap for transmitting information so as to form a write bus with write taps . fig7 illustrates yet a further embodiment of the invention whereby at each tap a receiver and a transmitter are connected , respectively , to the respective add / drop area 13 , 13 &# 39 ; so as to result in both a read and a write tap at each tap junction which accords a simple and efficient use of a bus and an easier protocol to implement . with this embodiment , each transmitter can regenerate the tapped signal read together with a new signal portion for equipment connected to the tap and hence emulate a ring architecture , or alternatively generate only the new signal portion and hence emulate a bus architecture . the invention is also advantageous for implementing sensor networks . the biggest problem with optical sensors are the cost of the sensors , the cost of read / write equipment , and the need to be all optical . with the invention , a network of sensors can be formed requiring only one transmit / receiver system pair thus lowering the cost of the read / write equipment so as to be independent of the number of elements being sensed . more specifically , a sensor utilizing a tap of the invention will extract light at the add / drop ratio ( e . g . 6 % in the example given ) but will write back the light at a nearly 100 % level . thus a sensor which works by modulating the amount of reflected light provides a very efficient implementation . specifically , referring to fig8 if a tuning fork which changes vibration frequency with changing temperature has a mirror on a front surface thereof and is disposed adjacent a drop area 13 of a tap of the invention , the tuning fork would alternatively reflect light down the fiber back through the drop area 13 at essentially a 100 % efficiency . accordingly , the use of such an implementation renders a network as illustrated in fig9 practical whereby only one transmitter / receiver pair is required , and s 1 , s 2 . . . represent multiple sensors disposed in series . the key point is that the entire modulated signal from the sensor can be placed back onto the fiber bus without significant losses , whereas the amount of optical power attenuated by each sensor is minimal ( e . g . 6 %). another preferred embodiment of the invention is the formation of fail - safe nodes . a fail - safe node in a ring or bus removes and overwrites the network bitstream with a regenerated data stream . the error rate is maintained since each node overwrites at at least 3 × the power of the passed through signal . on the other hand , if a node dies then the passed through signal is still strong enough to be received by the next downstream node . to make such a tap , the fiber of the embodiment of fig2 can be oriented as illustrated in fig1 such that &# 34 ; nubs &# 34 ; 13 , 13 &# 39 ; are aligned and accordingly they become the &# 34 ; throughput area &# 34 ; with the enlarged portions 12 , 12 &# 39 ; of the fibers being misaligned so as to constitute the &# 34 ; add / drop areas &# 34 ;. in this case , the throughput loss is large because of the misalignment of the relatively large areas 12 , 12 &# 39 ;. as is evident , the ability to have a regenerating node fail but not materially effect the network , except for loss of that node , is very valuable . in addition , such a node can be implemented using exactly the same fiber shape as has been previously described . with the arrangment of fig1 , the throughput loss can be made as high as desired so as to enable efficient overwriting with minimum to no bit error rates induced , but yet the throughput loss can be maintained low enough such that if the node fails the intensity of light which passes through the throughput areas 13 , 13 &# 39 ; is sufficiently large such that the next adjacent downstream node can be able to detect the light and hence the information and regenerate same . though the invention is implementable using any kind of multimode fiber , either glass or plastic , preferred embodiments of the invention utilize plastic optical fiber . if glass fiber is to be used , it is necessary to shape a glass preform into a shape resembling a final shape desired for the fiber . if plastic optical fiber is to be utilized , again the preform can be preshaped such that upon drawing the fiber from the preform the fiber then has its noncircular throughput cross - section area and an add / drop cross - section area as well . however , if plastic optical fiber is to be utilized , further preferred embodiments of the invention are possible since the plastic constituting the plastic optical fiber can be deformed using appropriate heat and pressure to reform is cross - section over short lengths . therefore , one can simply take a standard off - the - shelf plastic optical fiber which is generally circular in cross - section with a very poor tolerance on its outside diameter and reform it with a tool having different mold cavities to form any odd fiber shape as desired over a short length of the fiber which will then constitute a tap or coupling region thereof ( e . g . 25 mm in length ). in addition to transforming the fiber from a round to a desired new shape in the forming process , the forming process can also be utilized to form a smooth 90 ° perpendicular surface on the end of the plastic fiber as well as forming the future connector surface . limitations of the technique are that the circular cross - section cannot be infinitely deformed as the deformation will increase the circumference of the plastic optical fiber thus &# 34 ; thinning &# 34 ; the fiber cladding . generally the cladding can be thinned by 20 - 30 % without significant optical losses , and a preferred embodiment is to reshape the fiber end such that on average the cladding is thinned by less than 40 %, preferably less than 30 %, more preferably less than 25 %, but optimally more than 5 %, or more than 10 %. in addition , the mold cavity must be of good smoothness , though in general it does not need to have an optical smoothness texture . temperature and pressure need to be controlled as well . an additional advantage of the invention is that reforming a plastic optical fiber utilizing a mold as described can remove all tolerance related problems associated with plastic optical fiber connectors . this is accomplished by forming the throughput area or waveguide channel section of the fiber with precise precision and allowing any excess material to make a rather variably sized add / drop area or nub portion 13 . the process of reforming the fiber can form all desired taps as described , e . g . both read , write , sensors , and fail - safe node structures . in addition , the process can be used to mass produce numerous fiber connectors of predetermined lengths . a further preferred embodiment of the invention is to shape plastic optical fiber using shape memory metals or heat shrinkable polymers . specifically , referring to fig1 , fig1 a illustrates an optical fiber 35 disposed within a mode cavity 36 made of an appropriate material which is recoverable , preferably at or above a glass transition temperature tg of the plastic optical fiber 35 . upon heating the cavity to the temperature t g , the cavity 36 changes shape and recovers to its recoverable shape as illustrated in fig1 b , and accordingly reforms the fiber 35 so as to have the new shape as well since the temperature t g corresponds or is larger than the softening temperature of the fiber . according to the invention , any number of a variety of non - circular fiber shapes are preferred , a major limitation being that the aspect ratio of the final shape not be too significantly different from the aspect ratio of the original shape so as to minimize an amount of thinning of the cladding which results . an original circular geometry has several advantages since it results in the smallest circumferential change and achieves maximum symmetry for simpler tooling , machining or molding tools . in addition , cladding induced inefficiencies are minimized . having thus described presently preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will now be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . any disclosures and descriptions herein are intended to be illustrative and are not in any sense limiting of the invention , more preferably defined in scope by the following claims .	6
the present invention is directed to a wheel covering which improves the aerodynamic efficiency of a motor vehicle wheel . it is expected that the wheel covering of the present invention may be used on any type of wheel , particularly wheels having a tire mounted on a rigid rim . the present invention is particularly well suited for applications such as semitrailers , but may also be practiced with passenger cars , buses , trucks , airplanes , or any other motor vehicle having wheels . referring to fig1 a , shown is a cross - sectional view of a typical wheel ( 10 ) wherein a tire ( 12 ) is mounted on a rim ( 14 ). the wheel has an inner ( 16 ) and outer side ( 18 ) relative to the vehicle ( not shown ). a perspective view of this embodiment is also shown in fig2 a . a conventional automobile tire has a circular bead ( 32 ) that frictionally fits inside the lip of the rim ( 14 ), a sidewall ( 34 ), tread ( 36 ), and a shoulder ( 38 ) that transitions the sidewall into the tread . the tire sidewall comprises a convex annulus surface ( 40 ) having a crest at the apex ( 42 ) of the surface . the tire is constructed of conventional materials including , for example , synthetic rubber composites , nylon , and steel belts . the rim is constructed of steel , aluminum alloy , or any other suitable material . fig1 b and fig2 b show a wheel covering ( 20 ) according to present invention wherein the wheel covering ( 20 ) is rigidly fastened ( 22 ) to the rim ( 14 ) and also flexibly biased ( 24 ) against the outside sidewall ( 18 ) of the tire ( 12 ). in this embodiment , the cover comprises a convex ( with respect to the rim ), circular surface ( 26 ) that engages the air flowing around the wheel as the wheel is in linear motion . the air engaging surface ( 28 ) shown in fig1 b is smooth , but in other embodiments , the surface may be include dimple shaped impressions ( 44 ). for embodiments utilizing dimpled surfaces , the dimpled impressions may be an array of singular sized dimples or , more preferably , may be an array of dimples of multiple sizes . multiple sizes are preferred in order to fit more dimples onto the surface . the dimpled shaped impression provides two advantages , with the first being aerodynamic , and the second being structural . with respect to the aerodynamic advantages , the covering of dimples on the air engaging surface creates a thin layer of air next to the wheel , i . e ., the boundary layer . this boundary layer of air becomes turbulent in its flow patterns over the surface features of the air engaging surfaces . rather than flowing in smooth continuous layers over the air engaging surface , the dimples cause the air to have a microscopic pattern of fluctuations and randomized flow . this “ turbulence ” in the boundary layer enables the air flowing around the air engaging surface to better follow the surface of the air engaging surface , and enables the air to travel further along the air engaging surfaces of the wheel . this creates a much smaller wake at the “ down stream end ” of the wheel . this reduced wake results in a significant reduction in the aerodynamic drag of the wheel . in addition , the use of surface depressions , such as an array of dimpled depressions , can also provide structural advantages to the covering . the diameter of the cover is proximal to the diameter of the tire at the side wall . typically , tire sidewalls are constructed so as to form a “ bulge ” in cross - section . a crest exists at the outermost limit or apex of this bulge . in certain preferred embodiment , the wheel cover adheres to the sidewall at the crest in order to maximize the streamline effect of the cover . the means for fasting the wheel cover to the rim may be any means known in the art including , for example , clips and threaded fasteners . preferably the cover is rigidly and firmly attached to the rim so that the wheel cover turns in tandem with the rim . preferably , the wheel covering is also removably fastened to the rim so that the cover can be easily removed in order to perform maintenance on the wheel , such as a tire rotation or a tire change . the portion of the wheel cover that is secured to the rim is preferably constructed of a rigid material such as a rigid plastic or metal . the means for adhering the wheel cover to the tire may be any means known in the art , including for example , static charge , friction , chemical bonding , and elastic bias . preferably , the wheel cover is not rigidly attached to the tire so that the tire may flex and bend independently of the cover . instead , the cover preferably clings to the tire . the portion of the wheel covering that adheres to the tire can be constructed of either a flexible material or a rigid material . in certain embodiments , adhesion between the tire and covering is achieve via chemical bonding , such as the bonding produced from a weak adhesive . in other embodiments , adhesion is accomplished via a static charge that develops or is induced between the rubber of the tire and the portion of the cover that contacts the tire . in still other embodiments , adhesion is accomplished by an elastic bias of the wheel cover . for example , a cover may be constructed so that the portion of the cover that contacts the tire is elastic and is biased toward the tire . when the cover is sufficiently secured to the rim , tension is placed on the cover at the point of contact with the tire causing the cover to deform at that point . since the cover is elastically biased toward the tire , the cover will be held in place until the tension is removed . in still another embodiment , the wheel cover simply forms a friction fit with the tire sidewall . the air engaging surface may also comprise one or more ventilators to channel air through the wheel . in certain embodiments , the air is channeled from the outside of the wheel to underneath the vehicle , while in other embodiments , the air is channeled from underneath the vehicle to outside the wheel . this directional air flow is desirable in certain applications to cool brake pads and rotors or drums . having thus described a few particular embodiments of the invention , various alterations , modifications , and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art . such alterations , modifications , and improvements , as are made obvious by this disclosure , are intended to be part of this description though not expressly stated herein , and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is by way of example only , and not limiting . the invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and equivalents thereto .	1
referring , therefore to fig1 a data communication system 10 includes a pair of correspondents 12 , 14 connected by a communication link 16 . the link 16 may be a dedicated link , a multipurpose link such as a telephone connection or a wireless link depending on the particular applications . similarly , the correspondents 12 , 14 may be computer terminals , point - of - sale devices , automated teller machines , constrained devices such as pda &# 39 ; s , cellphones , pagers or any other device enabled for communication over a link 16 . each of the correspondents 12 , 14 includes a secure cryptographic function 20 including a secure memory 22 , an arithmetic processor 24 for performing finite field operations , a random number generator 26 and a cryptographic hash function 28 for performing a secure cryptographic hash such as sha − 1 . the output of the function 28 will be a bit string of predetermined length , typically 160 bits although other lengths such as 256 , 384 or 513 are being used more frequently . it will be appreciated that each of these functions is controlled by a processor executing instructions to provide functionality and inter - operability as is well known in the art . the secure memory 22 includes a register 30 for storing a long - term private key , d , and a register 32 for storing an ephemeral private key k . the contents of the registers 30 , 32 may be retrieved for use by the processor 24 for performing signatures , key exchange and key transport functions in accordance with the particular protocols to be executed under control of the processor . the long term private key , d , is generated and embedded at the time of manufacture or initialization of the cryptographic function and has a corresponding long - term public key α d . the long - term public key α d is stored in the memory 22 and is generally made available to other correspondents of the system 10 . the ephemeral key , k , is generated at each signature or other cryptographic exchange by one of the routines disclosed below with reference to fig2 to 9 . once the key , k , and corresponding public key α k is generated , it is stored in the register 32 for use in the cryptographic protocol , such as the dsa or ecdsa described above . referring , therefore , to fig2 a first method of generating a key , k , originates by obtaining a seed value ( sv ) from the random number generator 26 . for the purposes of an example , it will be assumed that the cryptographic function is performed over a group of order q , where q is a prime represented as a bit string of predetermined length 1 . by way of example only it will be assumed that the length l is 160 bits , although , of course , other orders of the field may be used . to provide a value of k of the appropriate order , the hash function 28 has an l bit output , e . g . a 160 bit output . the bit string generated by the random number generator 26 is greater than l bits and is therefore hashed by the function 28 to produce an output h ( seed ) of l bits . the resultant output h ( seed ) is tested against the value of q and a decision made based on the relative values . if h ( seed )& lt ; q then it is accepted for use as k . if not . the value is rejected and the random number generator is conditioned to generate a new value which is again hashed by the function 28 and tested . this loop continues until a satisfactory value is obtained . a further embodiment is shown in fig3 . in this embodiment , the output of the random number generator 26 is hashed by hash function 28 as before and tested against the value of q . if the h ( seed ) value is not accepted , the output of the random number generator 26 is incremented by a deterministic function and rehashed by function 28 . the resultant value h ( seed ) is again tested and the procedure repeated until a satisfactory value of k is obtained . the output may be incremented by adding a particular value to the seed value at each iteration , or may be incremented by applying a non - linear deterministic function to the seed value . for example , the output may be incremented by applying the function ƒ ( seed )= a . seed 2 + b mod 2 160 , where a and b are integer constants . a further embodiment is shown in fig4 which has particular applicability to an elliptic curve cryptosystem . by way of example it will be assumed that a 163 bit string is required and that the output of the hash function 28 is 160 bits . the random number generator 26 generates a seed value sv which is processed by the hash function 28 to obtain a first output h ( seed ). the seed value sv is incremented by a selected function to provide a seed value sv + which is further processed by the hash function 28 to provide a second output h ( seed +). the two outputs are then combined , typically by cocatenation , to produce a 320 bit string h ( seed )// h ( seed +). the excess bits , in this case 157 are rejected and the resultant value tested against the value of q . if the resultant value is less than q , it is accepted as the key k , if not the value is rejected . upon rejection , the random number generator may generate a new value as disclosed in fig2 or may increment the seed value as disclosed in fig3 . a further embodiment is shown in fig5 which is similar to that of fig4 . in the embodiment of fig5 the selection of the required l bit string is obtained by applying a l - bit wide masking window to the combined bit string . this is tested against the value of q and if acceptable is used as the value of k . if it is not acceptable it is rejected and the l bit window incremented along the combined bit string to obtain anew value . the values are tested and the window incremented until a satisfactory value is obtained . a similar procedure may be used directly on an extended output of the hash function 28 as shown in fig6 by applying a window to obtain the required i bit string . the bit string is tested against q and the window incremented until a satisfactory value of k is obtained . as shown in fig7 the value of k may be generated by utilizing a low hamming weight integer obtained by combine the output of the random number generator 26 to facilitate computation of an intermediate public key α k . the integer is masked by combination with predetermined precomputed value k ′ to obtain the requisite hamming weight for security . such a procedure is disclosed in copending canadian application 2 , 217 , 925 . this procedure is modified to generate the low hamming weight integer k as a bit string greater than l , for example a 180 bit string the masking value k ′ is distributed throughout the 180 bit string and the resultant value reduced mod q to obtain a 163 bit value k ″. note that the value α k ″ can be efficiently computed by combining the precomputed value α ′ with the efficiently computable value α k . a similar technique may be used by relying on multiplicative masking . in this embodiment the value of k is combined with a value β where β = α u . the value of u is a secret value that is used to mask the low hamming weight of k . again , the values of u and the low hamming weight number k can be chosen to have bit lengths greater than l , for example , bit lengths of 180 . the resultant value is k ″= u k mod q . it will be appreciated that α k ″ can be efficiently computed since β = α u is precomputed , and since k has low hamming weight . although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments , various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto .	7
the illustrated sections show only part of the cassette walls 5 , 6 of a 5 ″ cassette ( fig1 ) and a 6 ″ cassette ( fig2 ) which contain , at opposite walls , shelf - forming supports 1 , 2 for disk - shaped objects in the form of masks 3 , 4 . in order to fasten them to the cassette walls 5 , 6 , the supports 1 , 2 are constructed as elements which are bent in an l - shaped manner arranged at one end of a crosspiece 7 , 8 . lateral stops 9 , 10 prevent the objects from sliding . two measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 of laser light barriers which are directed parallel to one another and are arranged in a measurement plane e — e and in the region of a cassette wall 5 , 6 can be seen in rectangular cross section and pass through each of the cassettes for detecting the supports 1 , 2 and the objects . with respect to their extension in the measurement plane e — e , the cross sections correspond at least to those of the end sides of the supports 1 , 2 . in every case , they are sufficiently large that a lateral deviation in position of the supports 1 , 2 due to tolerances in the manufacture of the cassettes ensures complete detection of the supports 1 , 2 . vertical to the measurement plane e — e , the cross sections of the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 are smaller than the thickness d of the objects . as will be clear from fig1 and 2 , the supports 1 , 2 of different - sized cassettes in a centered arrangement can be distinguished by a lateral offset which is directed vertical to the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 in the measurement plane e — e . since the spacing of the two measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 essentially corresponds to the lateral offset of the supports 1 , 2 , each measurement beam bundle 11 , 12 covers only one of the types of supports that are differentiated by the offset . of course , distinguishing between the cassette types is not limited to the 5 ″ and 6 ″ cassettes described herein . cassettes of different sizes can be used and the quantity of these cassettes can also be increased . increasing the number of cassettes to be detected only requires a corresponding expansion or widening of the measurement beam bundles which are to be arranged again so as to be displaced relative to one another to the extent of offset between the supports . in fig3 whose elements , shown in a very simplified manner , are likewise aligned with those of fig1 and 2 , a frame 13 encloses a space 14 in which a cassette 15 , in this case the 6 ″ cassette shown in fig2 is displaceable in a vertical movement through the frame 13 and accordingly through the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 . each of the frame parts 16 , 17 which are located opposite one another carries radiation elements 18 , 19 and receivers 20 , 21 for the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 . in fig4 a frame 22 for receiving the radiation and reception elements for the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 is integrated in a cassette indexer . a supporting column 23 and a column - shaped panel 24 of an elevator drive are arranged at a distance from one another to form an air passage and serve as carriers for the frame 22 and a receiving plate 25 which is located above the latter and on which the cassette container 26 can be deposited . a receiving arm 27 which is movable vertically by means of the elevator drive 24 and which projects out of the panel 24 through a slit - shaped opening 28 is provided in order to remove and restore a cassette 29 located in the cassette container 26 . the elevator drive comprises a spindle which is driven by a stepper motor . a spindle nut coupled with the receiving arm 27 runs on the spindle in a guide that is fixed with respect to the frame . the step number of the motor , and accordingly the distance traveled , is determined by an encoder . the indexer is connected to external control electronics via a cable connection , not shown . removal , during which the cassette 29 is guided through the frame 22 , is carried out in that the unlocked bottom 30 of the cassette container 26 is lowered together with the cassette 29 and a closure element 31 in the receiving plate 25 . the defined cassette orientation necessary for the detection of different cassette types is ensured in that the cassette 29 is initially aligned with the bottom 30 and the latter fits , by way of suitable recesses , on pins 32 , 33 , 34 ( fig5 ) on the closure element 31 . according to fig5 the frame 22 carries radiation elements 35 , 36 for generating the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 . in order to make use of the limited available space , deflecting elements 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 are provided which direct the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 to receivers 41 , 42 . in fig5 in contrast to fig3 in which the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 are both situated in the region of a cassette wall , measurement beam bundle 11 is arranged in the region of one cassette wall and measurement beam bundle 12 is arranged in the region of the opposite cassette wall . within their area of arrangement , the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 are displaced relative to one another substantially by the distance of the lateral offset of the supports 1 , 2 , so that measurement beam bundle 11 strikes the supports 2 of the 6 ″ cassette and measurement beam bundle 12 strikes the supports 1 of the 5 ″ cassettes . the signal waveforms shown in fig6 and 7 occur when a cassette with its supports and objects deposited thereon is guided vertically through the measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 during an indexing process . in the present case , an object is inserted in only one shelf of the cassette in order to illustrate the detection process . the signal waveforms contain , as a function of the traveled distance ( step number of the stepper motor for driving the elevator ), the necessary distinguishing features for detecting the relevant elements whose positions are accordingly determined with respect to a reference plane . since the supports in a 5 ″ cassette are displaced toward the center of the space enclosed by the frame 13 or 22 in comparison to larger cassettes due to the smaller dimensions , the supports 1 and the objects are covered only by measurement beam bundle 12 . measurement beam bundle 11 strikes the crosspiece 7 . in the case of 6 ″ cassettes , the supports 2 pass through measurement beam bundle 11 and the objects pass through measurement beam bundle 12 . during a vertical downward movement , in both types of cassette , the bottoms 43 , 44 of the cassettes first move through measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 , so that both measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 are completely interrupted . after both measurement beam bundles 11 , 12 in the 5 ″ cassette have reached area a , measurement beam bundle 11 is received in its entirety by its receiver 41 , so that the signal which is converted to a voltage reaches its maximum . a first support 1 passes through measurement beam bundle 12 , so that , although there is a rise in the signal , the signal maximum is not yet reached initially . its level is not at a maximum again until position b . measurement beam bundle 11 is then completely interrupted by the second crosspiece 7 , whereas measurement beam bundle 12 is only partially interrupted . subsequently , the second support 1 moves through the measurement beam bundle 12 . the measured level corresponds to that with respect to the first support before the object reduces the measured signal to the base level gnd at position c . the 6 ″ cassette can be distinguished from the smaller 5 ″ cassette by the different signal waveform . in the case of the 6 ″ cassette , the signal pertaining to measurement beam bundle 12 first reaches its maximum . at position b , it is the signal of measurement beam bundle 11 that reaches its maximum proceeding from a medium level . a 6 ″ object allows both signals to drop to the base level , whereas a 5 ″ object only allows the signal of measurement beam bundle 12 to drop to base level . in the case of the 6 ″ cassette , the crosspieces 8 only influence the signal of measurement beam bundle 11 , whereas both signals are influenced in the case of the 5 ″ cassette . even if the evaluation of one of the signals already allows them to be distinguished , a parallel evaluation of both signals can prevent erroneous detection due to unfavorable geometric conditions with each type of cassette . in a wiring diagram shown in fig8 which is divided between the indexer and its control electronics , signals of the laser light barriers , designated by 47 and 48 , that are digitized by a / d converters 45 , 46 are supplied to a signal processor 49 which communicates with evaluating logic 50 of a computer 51 . by means of a control unit and step counter 52 which , like the computer 51 , is connected to a power supply 53 , signals obtained by means of the evaluating logic 50 are supplied as control signals to a stepper motor 54 for adjusting the elevator and to a device 55 for opening and closing the cassette container 26 . signals are sent as reports to the signal processor 49 from a step check - back unit 56 , an end position detector 57 , means for detecting the opening state 58 of the cassette container 26 and from further sensors 59 which , e . g ., signalize the placement of the cassette container 26 . while the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention .	7
embodiments of the present invention provide a method , system and computer program product for generating translatable and accessible multimedia presentations . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , a multimedia presentation can be defined in a master file for a base language . the master file can be translated into one or more language specific forms of the master file . subsequently , the master file and the language specific forms of the master file can be processed into corresponding text files containing language specific , delimiter separated text extracted from the master file and the language specific forms of the master file , and also into a variables file containing a listing of sets of multimedia elements and display parameters extracted from the master file and the language specific forms of the master file . finally , the master file and the language specific forms of the master file can be processed into corresponding , language specific markup , for instance , markup which conforms to the hypertext markup language ( html ). when loading the multimedia presentation , the language for the host platform can be identified . as such , language specific markup can be located for the presentation master file and the language specific forms . if assistive technology such as a screen reader is detected for the host platform , the language specific , presentation specific markup can be rendered in a content browser . otherwise , using the identified language of the host platform , a language specific text file and a variable file can be located . if assistive technology is not detected , a collection of slides can be generated for the language specific text file and the variables file . in this regard , for each slide , a text string from the text file can be selected for inclusion in the slide , for instance as a title or heading , and one of the sets of multimedia elements from the variable file can be selected for inclusion in the slide . also , the display parameters for the selected set of multimedia elements included in the slide can be applied to the slide so as to control the display of the slide during a slide show . in this way , a multimedia tool utilizing the foregoing structure and methodology can produce multimedia presentation which does not require multimedia development expertise and which can easily integrate with assistive technologies associated with a presentation tool processing the multimedia presentation . in further illustration , fig1 is a schematic illustration of a multimedia presentation generation data processing system configured to produce translatable and accessible multimedia presentation . as shown in fig1 , the data processing system can include a development platform 180 and a runtime platform 190 . a multimedia presentation including any combination of imagery 110 and audiovisual elements 120 , including animation and audio , can be defined by a presentation master file 130 within the development platform 180 . the presentation master file 130 can be a neutrally formatted specification of a multimedia presentation , for instance a specification of a multimedia presentation formatted according to the extensible markup language ( xml ). the presentation master file 130 can include both text strings associated with different slides , screens or views within the presentation , as well as a listing of sets of the imagery 110 and audiovisual elements 120 which are to be included with different slides , screens or views of a multimedia presentation . importantly , though the presentation master file 130 can include text strings for a specific , base language , the presentation master file 130 also can be translated to different translated master files 140 for different languages . each of the presentation master file 130 and the translated master files 140 can be transformed into translated text files 150 . each text file 150 corresponding to a master file 130 , 140 can include delimiter specified text strings for different slides in a multimedia presentation . the delimiter specified text strings in the text file 150 can be extracted from a corresponding master file 130 , 140 using well - known transformation logic , such as extensible style sheet transformations ( xslt ). in addition to the translated text files 150 , sets of the imagery 110 and audiovisual elements 120 which are to be included with different slides , screens or views of a multimedia presentation can be extracted from the master file 130 , 140 and placed in a variables file 160 . again , the extraction can be undertaken using well - known transformation logic . optionally , one or more visual markup language documents 170 , such as html formatted documents , can be generated for a corresponding one of the master files 130 , 140 . in this regard , each language specific one of the visual markup language documents 170 can include the presentable aspects of corresponding language specific ones of the master files 130 , 140 . the textual elements of the corresponding master file 130 , 140 , as well as the imagery 110 and audiovisual elements 120 can be formatted within one or more web pages for viewing in a content browser . subsequently , where an assistive technology in the runtime platform 190 is available , the multimedia presentation can be provided by rendering the appropriate language specific one of the visual markup language documents 170 . in further illustration , fig2 is block diagram of authoring format enabled for translation to a multimedia presentation in the system of fig1 . as shown in fig2 , a presentation master file 210 can specify text strings 260 for a multimedia presentation . the text strings can be organized according to slide order , for example . the presentation master file 210 further can specify one or more variables 250 for the multimedia presentation . the variables 250 can include sets of imagery and audiovisual elements to be included in different slides , as well , as presentation parameters for the imagery and audiovisual elements . examples include how long a slide is to remain visible , methods for transitioning between slides , the volume of audio for audio playback and the speed of animation , to name only a few parameters . the presentation master file 210 can be transformed into three separate files : a text file 220 , a variables file 230 , and a visual markup language file 240 . the text file 220 can include a delimiter specified set of text strings extracted from the text strings 260 of the presentation master file 210 . the variables file 230 can include a listing of the different sets of imagery and audiovisual elements extracted from the variables 250 of the presentation master file 210 . finally , the visual markup language file 240 can include a visual markup language specified document for the presentation defined by the presentation master file 210 . returning to fig1 , in operation , the multimedia engine 300 can preload a presentation by first identifying a language for the runtime platform 190 . based upon the identified language , a text file 150 can be loaded which is specific to the identified language . also , the variables file 160 can be loaded . the multimedia engine 300 can construct a slide show including one or more slides . each slide can include a text string from the translated text file 150 , and a set of imagery 110 and audiovisual elements 120 for the slide . also , one or more parameters for the slide can be associated with the slide such as the duration of presentation of the slide . once all of the slides have been constructed , the presentation can execute as a slide show . in more particular illustration , fig3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for generating translatable and accessible multimedia presentations in the system of fig1 . beginning in block 305 , a language can be identified for the runtime platform . in block 310 , a text file and a variables file can be loaded which corresponds to the identified language . in decision block 315 , it can be determined whether an assistive technology has been activated or is available for the runtime platform . if so , in block 320 the visual markup language form of the master presentation file can be loaded and rendered in a content browser . otherwise , the process can continue through block 325 . in block 325 , a first slide can be created for the presentation . subsequently , in block 330 a text string can be read in from the text file which corresponds to the first slide . likewise , in block 335 , one or more multimedia resources , such as imagery or audiovisual elements can be read in from the variables file which corresponds to the first slide . in block 340 , the read in text can be applied to the created slide , as can the read in resources in block 345 . finally , in block 350 , any variable parameters for the slide can be applied to the slide . in decision block 355 , if more text remains to be processed in the text file , in block 360 , another slide can be created and the process can repeat through block 330 . when no more slides are to be created , in block 365 the multimedia presentation can be launched . thus , the present invention provides a combination of tool and technologies that solve the problem of allowing the creation of accessible , translatable multimedia , even by those lacking software development skills . to produce such a presentation , one need only gather the images or animations for display , create a master presentation file containing display parameters and text string , and provide the master presentation file to the transformations to produce files able to be processed into a multimedia presentation at runtime . moreover , if an assistive technology is available , the presentation engine can defer to visual markup produced by the translations at development time . embodiments of the invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment , an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements . in a preferred embodiment , the invention is implemented in software , which includes but is not limited to firmware , resident software , microcode , and the like . furthermore , the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer - usable or computer - readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system . for the purposes of this description , a computer - usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain , store , communicate , propagate , or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . the medium can be an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system ( or apparatus or device ) or a propagation medium . examples of a computer - readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory , magnetic tape , a removable computer diskette , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk . current examples of optical disks include compact disk - read only memory ( cd - rom ), compact disk - read / write ( cd - r / w ) and dvd . a data processing system suitable for storing and / or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus . the memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code , bulk storage , and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution . input / output or i / o devices ( including but not limited to keyboards , displays , pointing devices , etc .) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening i / o controllers . network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks . modems , cable modem and ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters .	6
in order to effectively enhance the chip yields , it is necessary to make the best use of the redundant memory blocks already provided on a chip . to this end , the design of a switchable block connector becomes very important . the number of redundant blocks should carefully be determined in view of the chip layout , chip size , etc . however , this is not directly concerned with the present invention and will not be referred to in the instant disclosure . prior discussing a first embodiment of the present invention , a principle underlying the instant invention will first be discussed . it is not possible to predict the number of defective memory blocks before checking a chip . however , merely for the convenience of discussion , it is assumed that the maximum number of defective memory blocks is n . in this case , it is sufficient if each processor block is connectable to ( n + 1 ) memory blocks . in other words , even if the switchable block connector is designed such as to couple each processor block to more than n + 2 memory blocks , the chip saving ( viz ., the yield ) is not improved . it is assumed that the number of memory blocks is ( p + n ) wherein n depicts the number of redundant memory blocks as mentioned above . thus , the memory blocks are depicted by m1 , m2 , . . . , mp , m ( p + 1 ), m ( p + 2 ), . . . , m ( p + n ), while the processor blocks are depicted by p1 , p2 , . . . , pp . assume , for example , that the memory blocks m1 - mn ( n & lt ; p ) are perfect or non - defective . in such a case , the processor blocks p1 - pn are respectively connected to the memory blocks m1 - mn . on the other hand , if the memory block m ( n + 1 ) is found defective , the processor block p ( n + 1 ) is connected to the next memory block m ( n + 2 ) if it is perfect . similarly , if the two consecutive memory blocks m ( n + 1 ) and m ( n + 2 ) are defective , it is necessary to check if the processor block p ( n + 1 ) can be connected to the memory block m ( n + 3 ). it is understood that if the memory blocks m ( n + 1 )- m ( n + n ) are defective , the processor block p ( n + 1 ) is coupled to the memory block m ( n + n + 1 ) ( it is assumed that this memory block is perfect ). the number of defective memory blocks and the location thereof are not previously specified and thus , it is necessary that the switchable block connector should be designed such that the processor block pn can be connected to the memory block mn . from the foregoing it is appreciated that if a given processor block can be coupled to n redundant memory blocks besides to the memory block which is to be selected if no defective memory block exists , an arrangement for the block coupling is sufficient . in other words , it is ideal or most desirable if a given processor block pu can be coupled to one of the memory blocks mn - m ( n + n ). fig2 a shows one example of the above mentioned underlying principle of the present invention in the case of n = 4 . however , it is sometimes practically difficult to design an ic chip to satisfy the above mentioned ideal block coupling arrangement due to bus layout , increased hardware complexity of the switchable block connector , etc . thus , it is occasionally preferable to reduce the number of the memory blocks , to which one processor block is connectable , to less than ( n + 1 ) in consideration of competing requirements of hardware complexity and the yield of chips . fig2 b is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention . as shown , the processor blocks 10 are interconnected to the memory blocks 12 using a switchable block connector 16 . the number of redundant memory blocks ( n ) is four as in the prior art discussed in the opening paragraphs of the instant disclosure . in the first embodiment , each of the processor blocks p1 - p16 is connectable to n memory blocks via the switchable block connector 16 . in more specific terms , one of the processor blocks p1 - p11 , denoted by pn ( n = 1 , 2 , . . . 11 ), is connectable to the memory blocks mn - m ( n + 3 ), while one of the processor blocks p12 - p16 , denoted by pn ( n = 12 , . . . , 16 ), is connectable to the memory blocks m ( n + 1 )- m ( n + 4 ). in order to show the advantage of the first embodiment over the prior art shown in fig1 the following table is given . table______________________________________a b c d______________________________________0 1 0 01 20 0 02 190 19 03 1140 171 04 4845 969 17total 6169 1159 17______________________________________ in the above table , column &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; indicates the number of defective memory blocks , column &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; indicating the number of possible combinations of processor and memory blocks , column &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; indicating the number of combinations each of which is impossible to save a chip with the prior art shown in fig1 and column &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; indicating the number of combinations each of which is impossible to save a chip with the arrangement shown in fig2 b . as mentioned above , the number of the redundant memory blocks is four in the first embodiment and thus it is desirable to configure the block connector 16 such as to couple each of the processor blocks to &# 34 ; five &# 34 ; memory blocks . however , in order to meet practical requirements for reducing the space occupied by the block connector 16 and the fabrication complexity induced by increased buses in the connector 24 , the connector 24 is arranged such that each of the processor blocks is connectable to &# 34 ; four &# 34 ; memory blocks instead of &# 34 ; five &# 34 ;. thus , as shown in table , there are 17 block combinations wherein the chip is unable to be saved if four memory blocks are defective ( viz ., a = 4 ). however , according to the first embodiment , the number of such undesirable block combinations in the case of a = 4 is markedly reduced as compared with the prior art . that is , in the case of the four defective memory blocks , the prior art shown in fig1 inherently includes 969 possible block combinations wherein the chip is no longer saved . the circuit arrangement of the switchable block connector 16 will be described . fig3 is a block diagram showing part of the switchable block connector 16 . this circuit was devised by the inventor during working on the present invention . although the arrangement of fig3 has proven impractical as mentioned below , it is deemed preferable to discuss the same for a better understanding of the circuit of fig4 . the circuit shown in fig3 generally includes a switch section 18 and a switch control section 30 . the switch section 18 includes four switches 20a - 20d each of which consists of p - channel and n - channel mosfet ( metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor ) switches . the switches 20a - 20d are provided between the processor block pn and the memory blocks mn - m ( n + 3 ) when n ≦ 11 . on the other hand , although not shown in fig3 the switches 20a - 20d are provided between the processor block pn and the memory blocks m ( n + 1 )- m ( n + 4 ) when 12 & lt ; n ≦ 16 as clearly understood from fig2 . each of the switches 20a - 20d is rendered open when a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; ( viz ., high level voltage ) is applied to the gate electrodes thereof . on the other hand , each of the switches 20a - 20d is closed when a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; ( viz ., low level voltage ) is applied to the gate electrodes thereof . each of inverters 22a - 22d reverses a logic level applied to one gate of the corresponding switches 20a - 20d . the switch control section 30 includes two mosfets 32a and 32b , two fusible members ( or fuses ) 34a and 34b , four inverters 36a - 36d , and four nand gates 38a - 38d , all of which are coupled as shown . when both of the fusible members 34a and 34b are not fused or broken , a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; is applied to the inverters 36a and 36b . in this instance , the nand gate 38a outputs a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; while each of the remaining nand gates 38b , 38c and 38d issues a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. thus , the switch 20a is rendered closed whereby the processor block pn is connected to the memory block mn . on the other hand , when the fusible member 34a is fused using laser or other techniques while the other member 34b is not fused , only the nand gate 38d issues a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. therefore , the processor block pn is connected to the memory block m ( n + 3 ). further , when the fusible members 34a and 34b are both fused , only the nand gate 38c issues a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and thus , the processor block pn is connected to the memory block m ( n + 2 ) in this case . since the fusible member 34a ( or 34b ) is irrecoverably broken , it is not possible to connect the processor block pn to the memory block x ( n + 1 ) if the fusible member 34a is first fused . contrarily , in the event that the fusible member 34b is first fused , the nand gate 38b generates a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and thus , the processor block pn is connected to the memory block m ( n + 1 ) in this case . however , it will be readily appreciated that if the fusible member 34b is first fused , the nand gate 38d is in turn unable to issue a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. accordingly , the processor block pn is unable to be coupled to the memory block m ( n + 3 ). fig4 is a block diagram showing part of the switchable block connector 16 which is able to overcome the aforesaid problems . the arrangement of fig4 differs from that of fig3 in that the former arrangement includes an nor gate 50 in place of the inverter 36a . further , the circuit elements 36b - 36c and the nor gate 50 are coupled to the nand gates 38a - 38d in a manner which is different from the arrangement of fig3 . other than these , the arrangement of fig4 is the same as that of fig3 . in the event that the nor gate 50 is supplied with a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; via a test terminal 54 while the fusible members 34a and 34b are not fused , only the nand gate 38a issues a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. thus , the processor block pn is connected to the memory block mn . on the other hand , the nor gate 50 is supplied with a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; via the test terminal 54 while the fusible members 34a and 34b are not fused , only the nand gate 38d issues a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. thus , the processor block pn is connected to the memory block m ( n + 3 ). as mentioned above , fig4 shows part of the switchable block connector 16 by which the processor block pn is coupled to one of the memory blocks mn - m ( n + 3 ) when n ≦ 11 . on the other hand , although not shown in fig4 the switches 20a - 20d are provided between the processor block pn and the memory blocks m ( n + 1 )- m ( n + 4 ) when 12 & lt ; n ≦ 16 as clearly understood from fig2 . the overall arrangement of the connector 16 includes sixteen circuits each of which is identical with the circuit shown in fig4 . accordingly , if a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is applied to the test terminal 54 of each of the above mentioned sixteen circuits , the processor blocks p1 - p16 are respectively coupled to the memory blocks m1 - m16 at the same time . it is therefore possible to determine whether or not each of the memory blocks m1 - m16 is defective using a suitable test method which is irrelevant to the instant invention . on the other hand , if a logic &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; is applied to the test terminal 54 of each of the above mentioned sixteen circuits , the processor blocks p1 - p16 are respectively coupled to the memory blocks m4 - m20 at the same time . it is therefore possible to determine whether or not each of the memory blocks m4 - m20 is defective using the above mentioned suitable memory block test . this means that each of the memory blocks m1 - m20 can be checked as to whether or not it is defective before fusing any of the fusing members 34a and 34b . after specifying a defective memory block ( s ) ( if any ), each of the processor blocks p1 - p16 is permanently coupled to a non - defective memory block . this is implemented by fusing or non - fusing of either or both of the fusible elements 34a and 34b . in this case , the test terminal 54 may be connected to a reference voltage source such as to be constantly supplied with a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. it will be understood that the above disclosure is only representative of two possible embodiments of the present invention and that the concept on which the present invention is based is not specifically limited thereto .	6
the presently described invention relates generally to a baby carrier cover that is removable and provides protection from the elements ( such as the sun and other elements ) to a baby being carried in a body - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 490 ). the cover is referred to as the baby carrier cover ( 100 ). various aspects of specific embodiments of the baby carrier cover are disclosed in the following description and related drawings . alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the sprit or the scope of the present disclosure . additionally , well - known elements of exemplary embodiments will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure relevant details . the term “ embodiments ” is not exhaustive and does not require that all embodiments include the discussed feature , advantage or mode of operation . the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) can come in a variety of materials which are preferably machine - washable , including , but not limited to : cotton , polyester , broadcloth , fleece , twill , denim , poly - lin , poly - crepe and poly - satins . the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) has an outer shell ( 200 ) which can come in a variety of shapes and configurations including , but not limited to : animals ( dog , cat , panda , cow , lion , tiger , bear , shark , turtle , koala , kangaroo , dinosaur , etc . ), fantastical creatures ( dragons , unicorns , hobbits , etc ), video game characters , superheroes and princesses . the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) is removable and is able to fit onto an existing body - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ) by the use of elastic straps for attachment ( 310 and 320 ) at operative locations ( 410 and 420 ). a preferred embodiment of the baby carrier cover has an outer shell , an inner shell , an extension such as a hood for protection of the baby &# 39 ; s head from the sun and other elements , and a pair of upper attachment straps and a pair of lower attachment straps . the hood ( 210 ) is an integral part , of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) as most of the chest - mounted soft structured baby carriers ( 400 ) presently on the market do not include hoods , or if they do , the hoods on existing soft structured baby carriers ( 400 ) are primarily used to hold the baby &# 39 ; s head up when they are sleeping , but are made of light fabrics and do not provide adequate protection of the baby &# 39 ; s fragile skin from the sun or other elements . the hood ( 210 ) on the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) is preferably made of thick and durable fabric which are of an operative thickness to provide protection to the baby &# 39 ; s head from the sun and other elements . further , the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) does not inhibit functionality of the soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ) itself , including access to the hoodie or pocket of the soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ). fig1 is a side perspective view of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) when attached to the chest - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ) being worn by a person carrying a baby . fig2 is a top plan view of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) which is worn facing away from the wearer &# 39 ; s body . the outer shell ( 200 ) extends above the body - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ) to provide protection for the baby being carried . this protection may be in a configuration such as via a hood ( 210 ) for protection of the baby &# 39 ; s head from the sun and other elements . the hood can be tightened to fit securely around the baby being carried by use of a string or a plurality of strings ( 220 ). fig3 is a bottom plan view of the inner shell ( 300 ) of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) which is worn toward the wearer &# 39 ; s body . the inner shell ( 300 ) has an upper portion and a lower portion . attached to the inner shell ( 300 ) are upper elastic attachment straps ( 310 ) and lower elastic attachment straps ( 320 ). in the embodiment shown in fig3 , the upper elastic attachment straps ( 310 ) and lower elastic attachment straps ( 320 ) are each comprised of a single piece of fabric ( preferably elastic ), which is anchored ( such as by stitching ) to the inner shell ( 300 ). each of the upper elastic attachment straps ( 310 ) is anchored to the upper portion of the inner shell , and each of the lower elastic attachment straps ( 320 ) is anchored to the lower portion of the inner shell . the upper elastic attachment straps and lower elastic attachment straps may also be anchored to the outer shell ( 200 ), or in between the outer shell ( 200 ) and inner shell ( 300 ). fig4 is a top plan view of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) attached or secured to the body - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ). fig5 is a bottom plan view of the elastic attachment straps ( 310 and 320 ) of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) when attached or secured to the body - mounted soft structured baby carrier showing the inner shell of the body - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ). the lower elastic attachment straps ( 320 ) slide over the body - mounted soft structured baby carrier &# 39 ; s ( 400 ) lower securing straps ( 420 ). the upper elastic attachment straps ( 310 ) slide over the body - mounted soft - structured baby carrier &# 39 ; s ( 400 ) upper securing straps ( 410 ). fig6 shows how the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) is secured to the body - mounted soft - structured baby carrier . this shows an embodiment of the baby carrier cover assembly . as shown in fig6 , the upper elastic attachment strap ( 310 ) of the baby carrier cover slides over the upper securing strap ( 410 ) on each side of the body - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ), and the lower elastic attachment strap ( 320 ) of the baby carrier cover slides over the lower securing strap ( 420 ) on each side of the body - mounted soft structured baby carrier ( 400 ). fig7 shows an alternate embodiment of the upper and lower attachment straps ( 310 and 320 ) of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) using buttons or snaps ( 700 ) to secure the straps to the baby carrier , in lieu of a single elastic piece for each the upper attachment strap ( 310 ) and lower attachment strap ( 320 ). fig8 shows an alternate embodiment of the upper and lower attachment straps ( 310 and 320 ) of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) using hook and loop attachment ( 800 ) ( commonly known as “ velcro ®”) to secure the straps to the baby carrier , in lieu of a single elastic piece for each the upper attachment strap ( 310 ) and lower attachment strap ( 320 ). fig9 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a lamb or sheep . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby earner cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a cow . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a dinosaur . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a dragon . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a elephant . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a giraffe . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a lion . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a bear . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a fox . fig1 depicts the inner shell ( 300 ) when the configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover is in the general form of a dragon . fig1 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a horse . fig2 depicts the inner shell ( 300 ) when the configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) is in the general form of a horse . fig2 depicts a configuration of the outer shell ( 200 ) of the of the baby carrier cover ( 100 ) in the general form of a fantastical creature . although specific embodiments of the baby carrier cover have been described , various modifications , alterations , alternative constructions , and equivalents are also encompassed within the scope of these inventions . the specification and figures are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that additions , subtractions , deletions , and other modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the inventions as set forth in the claims .	0
for simplicity and illustrative purposes , the principles of the present invention are described by referring to various exemplary embodiments thereof . although the preferred embodiments of the invention are particularly disclosed herein , one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the same principles are equally applicable to , and can be implicated in other compositions and methods , and that any such variation would be within such modifications that do not part from the scope of the present invention . before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of any particular embodiment shown , since of course the invention is capable of other embodiments . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation . further , although certain methods are described with reference to certain steps that are presented herein in certain order , in many instances , these steps may be performed in any order as may be appreciated by one skilled in the art , and the methods are not limited to the particular arrangement of steps disclosed herein . the present invention contemplates a waterless preparation which quickly kills bacteria on the skin at a wound or surgical site ; a long acting ( days ) bacterial killing action ; a product that dries quickly to form a flexible barrier over the skin which is durable that can last up to 3 - 4 days ; a durable barrier that can be washed off with water with some effort ; a stable formulation which is stable for up to 3 years ; and a broad spectrum of activity against common bacteria and viruses found on the skin . additional attributes may be added individually or in combination to the preparation including : a . the amine type topical anesthetic lidocaine ( base or ionic forms such as hcl ) for rapid pain relief up to 5 % concentration ( prilocaine and other related amine compounds will also work ) with a preferred use level of 2 %. b . the ester type topical anesthetic benzocaine for rapid pain relief up to 5 % concentration ( tetracaine and other ester type compounds will also work ) with a preferred use level of 2 %. c . mixtures of amine type topical anesthetics such as the popular emla which is a mixture of 2 . 5 % lidocaine and 2 . 5 % prilocaine . f . pramoxine hcl for longer duration pain relief and antipruritic activity h . citronella as a natural insect repellant , bittering agent and olfactory repellent . i . denatonium benzoate as a bittering agent alone or in combination with sucrose octaacetate . j . sucrose octaacetate as a bittering agent alone or in combination with denatonium benzoate . k . emollients for skin integrity and to provide increased flexibility such as glycerin , aloe vera , lipid layer enhancer surfactants , etc . l . asaminoglycoside antibiotics , cephalosporins , carbapenems , quinolone ( fluoroquinolone ), macrolide antibiotics , penicillins , sulfonamides , tetracyclines , oxazolidinones , lipopeptides , gemifloxacin , ketolides , clindamycin , metronidazole , vancomycin , rifabutin , rifampin , nitrofurantoin , chloramphenicol . the compositions and methods of the present invention are useful in a wide variety of applications . for example , and not limiting in any way , the present invention may generally be used as a : 1 . flexible barrier sprayed over the top of stitches post operatively ; 2 . flexible barrier for use as a teat dip to prevent udder infections ; 3 . post trauma spray for wounds as a field treatment to reduce wound contamination and pain ; 4 . a flexible barrier when sprayed on the hands that acts like a disinfecting glove - continuously disinfecting over hours or days without an allergic or immune response ; 5 . can be sprayed on both skin and hair forming a coating that isolates the contamination from the wound . effective on traumatic wounds for reducing bacterial contamination for an extended period of hours to days ; 6 . military use for treating field wounds and providing pain relief and preventing insect attraction to the wound . particular applications of the present invention also include , but are not limited to : 2 . topically on castration , tail docking , dehorning and branding wounds in animals to control pain and infection ; 3 . topically post surgically to prevent chewing and biting , pain and infection in companion animals and livestock ; 5 . topical treatment for minor skin infections with pain and itch relief ; 7 . topical treatment for topical staphylococcal infections in pets and humans with pain and itch relief and anti - chewing / licking in animals ; one particular embodiment of the present invention provides a wound care spray with pain relief . the wound care spray may comprise 2 % titratable iodine that kills up to 99 % of surface germs that may cause an infection . the wound care spray may also include lidocaine to alleviate pain in wounds and surgical incisions . wound care sprays in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention may have a natural anti - biting / chewing agent to help prevent self - mutilation and / or cohort licking , biting and chewing . wound care sprays in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention typically dry in approximately 60 seconds and form a highly visible and durable coating . wound care sprays in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention may be packaged in bulk gallons and a 16 oz . bottle that comes with a trigger sprayer . to apply , hold the sprayer about 4 - 6 inches from the area to be treated and sprayed one or more times . for use in cattle , sheep and swine as an aid in reducing surface bacteria . barrier ® waterless surgical prep provides rapid antimicrobial kill of a broad spectrum of microorganisms , including antibiotic - resistant strains , with greater than 99 % microbial kill in 15 seconds or less . waterless surgical prep contains 2 % titratable iodine that kills up to 99 % of surface germs that may cause an infection . the composition dries quickly and forms a visible and durable coating and allows quick and effective surgical site preparation . the composition has the same effect on reducing bacteria at the surgical site as conventional iodine scrub with alcohol rinse procedures . yet the site remains dry . provides continuous disinfectant activity and a physical barrier on the skin and hair . the composition may be used to clean the area of wounds that are too difficult to clip dramatically reduces surgical prep time . the 16 oz . bottle is packaged with a trigger sprayer . to apply , hold sprayer about 4 - 6 inches from area to be treated and spray one or more times . repeat as needed . forms a highly visible coating that is durable . for use in cattle , sheep and swine . for use in animals as an aid in reducing chewing on wounds and surgical incisions . barrier ® livestock wound care , ingredients identified above , is a 2 % titratable iodine that kills up to 99 % of surface germs that may cause an infection . barrier ® livestock wound care has an anti - biting / chewing agent to help prevent self - mutilation and / or cohort licking , biting and chewing and dries in approximately 60 seconds and forms a highly visible and durable coating . the 16 oz . bottle comes with a trigger sprayer . hold sprayer about 4 - 6 inches from area to be treated . spray one or more times , allow to dry . repeat as needed . forms a highly visible coating that is durable . barrier ® wound care spray with pain relief 2 % available iodine with lidocaine for topical use on animals as an aid in reducing pain , licking and chewing on wounds and surgical incisions . kills up to 99 % of surface germs in 15 seconds or less that can potentially cause an infection . barrier ® wound care spray with pain relief , ingredients identified above , is a 2 % titratable iodine that kills up to 99 % of surface germs that may cause an infection . barrier ® wound care spray contains lidocaine to alleviate pain in wounds and surgical incisions . barrier ® wound care spray has a natural anti - biting / chewing agent to help prevent self - mutilation and / or cohort licking , biting and chewing and dries in approximately 60 seconds and forms a highly visible and durable coating . the 16 oz . bottle comes with a trigger sprayer ; pour gallon into a spray bottle dialed to spray pattern . hold sprayer about 4 - 6 inches from area to be treated . spray one or more times , allow to dry . repeat as needed . forms a highly visible coating that is durable . additional information on the stability of the formulation . this is accelerated data on a production batch , there is similar data showing at least 2 years of stability to date . first production batch of waterless surgical prep 035001c , 60 days stability ( r & amp ; d program ) samples tested : effect of application to hands of pvpi waterless surgical prep spray verses traditional hand scrub with betadine surgical scrub and water . these represent colony forming units post swab after wearing gloves for 60 minutes . gloves were applied at 5 minutes after completing the surgical scrub . this is an indication of duration of effect verses traditional standard methods used today . appears to be that as long as the waterless pvpi is coating the hand there is a positive effect of reducing skin bacteria . the product has been shown to persist experimentally for over 12 hours without losing integrity when covered by a surgical glove . it offers an effective barrier to bacterial contamination in the event of glove failure . it also provides a similar effect on reducing contamination from the skin around and in a wound environment which experimentally will last up to 24 hours after a single application . it can be washed off with water with moderate physical action . once dried it is resistant to moisture and will not wash off readily with a stream of water or the action of bleeding . it provides an effective long term physical and chemical barrier to re - colonization of the skin following application unlike traditional methods of scrubbing or water based antibacterial formulations . it also prevents the need to physically interact with the wound or skin around a surgical site reducing the potential for additional physical microbiological cross contamination . this same effect can be applied to inanimate objects also . it can be sprayed on instruments and allowed to dry to provide a bacteria free environment in a field setting and to reduce the potential for recontamination if working in contaminated wound setting study of barrier ® on mortality rate after castration and tail docking an initial study was completed in february 2011 on piglets looking at the effect barrier ® has on castration and tail docking in the farrowing crate . a summary of what we found verses controls are : 1 . reduced bleeding in the barrier ii treated piglets five minutes post application following the completion of the study , the study site has continued to purchase and use barrier ii routinely for castration and tail docking and their pig champ records are showing a marked reduction in preweaning mortality in day 8 and older piglets in the magnitude of five additional full value piglets at weaning per thousand pigs treated with barrier ii . most of this benefit related to less laid on piglets after 8 days of age most likely due to the reduction in post surgical infection rates that we saw in our initial study . see the chart in fig1 showing the percent of preweaning mortality by age with trend lines and total preweaning mortality for this farm . barrier with pain relief started being used the second week of february 2011 . prior to using barrier , this farm was routinely using 0 . 5 percent tincture of iodine . we believe based on this data , barrier ii — povidone iodine wound spray with pain relief — is a good way to lower preweaning mortality and address the needs of the piglet following these routine surgical procedures . barrier ® treatment and non - treatment groups were the same quality prior to treatment 34 % improved activity in treated piglets over 60 minutes 32 % reduced bleeding over 60 minutes 26 % reduced in average inflammation over 72 hour period 23 % reduction in abscessation over 72 hour period while the invention has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art may make various modifications to the described embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention . the terms and descriptions used herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations . in particular , although the present invention has been described by way of examples , a variety of compositions and methods would practice the inventive concepts described herein . although the invention has been described and disclosed in various terms and certain embodiments , the scope of the invention is not intended to be , nor should it be deemed to be , limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved , especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended . those skilled in the art will recognize that these and other variations are possible within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims and their equivalents .	0
[ 0019 ] fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a duplicate processing approach to peer router connection protection in a tcp environment , according to an embodiment of the present invention . tcp is a reliable connection oriented protocol , which means that once an application sends data over to this protocol , the underlying protocol by way of the operating system guarantees that the data will be received on the other end , or else the connection is closed . so in other words , it is not a lossy protocol in the sense that some data is received and some is not . this is complicated , because the networks that the protocol is using to transmit the data are lossy , i . e ., they lose data . one complication then is that every bit of data that is to be sent out must be stored in case it is not received by the peer router , and after a certain period of time , the peer either acknowledges it using conventional protocols , or the sender assumes that the data has been lost and it retransmits that data . [ 0020 ] fig1 illustrates a redundant master control processor ( mcp ) unit 10 containing an active mcp 11 and a backup mcp 12 . each mcp 11 , 12 contains a respective socket 13 , 14 for duplicate copies of the connection application and dynamic routing protocol ( drp ). active mcp 11 includes queues 23 , 24 , and 25 associated with application socket 13 , and backup mcp 12 includes queues 21 , 22 , 26 , and 27 associated with application socket 14 , which are used for storage of incoming and outgoing messages and for retransmission of messages if necessary . an input link 101 carries incoming control and configuration messages into backup mcp 12 . an output link 114 sends out control and configuration messages and response messages to peer routers across the network . queues 21 through 27 and application sockets 13 and 14 are interconnected through data links 102 through 113 . in some embodiments output queue 25 and retransmission queue 24 , both associated with application socket 13 , are combined into a single queue . similarly , in some embodiments queues 26 and 27 , both associated with application socket 14 , are combined with one another . it should be noted that data links 102 , 103 , 104 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 110 , and 111 each lying entirely within respective mcp 11 , 12 are typically not physical data links , but represent message flows only . nevertheless , for purposes of simplicity these are referred to herein as data links . to maintain a tcp connection across two router systems during mcp switch - over , a number of considerations are of importance . first , it is important to arrange that any data transmitted over a connection can be received by the peer router at the other end of the connection , independent of whether active application socket 13 is still functioning or whether a switch - over has occurred and backup application socket 14 has taken over . this means that the retransmission queues , for example queue 24 , maintained on active mcp 11 have to be replicated on backup mcp 12 . accordingly , outgoing packets from active drp application socket 13 flow out from that socket to a peer router along a path through data link 107 and queues 24 and 25 , and then through data links 109 and 110 into corresponding queues 26 and 27 of backup mcp 12 before going out through output link 114 to the peer router . outgoing packets are stored for retransmission in queue 24 on active mcp 11 , but they also flow through the backup system across data links 109 and 110 . outgoing packets are then also stored in backup mcp 12 on a retransmission queue 26 similar to retransmission queue 24 of active mcp 11 . thus outgoing packets can be retransmitted from either active or backup mcp 11 or 12 . the net result is that once the outgoing packets arrive in both queues , if the peer router did not receive the packet and if active mcp 11 is still alive , it can retransmit the packet from queue 24 . outgoing packets also flow from active mcp 11 through data link 109 directly into output queue 27 of backup mcp 12 , from which they are transmitted through output link 114 to the peer router . on the other hand , if active mcp 11 has failed for some reason and backup mcp 12 has taken over , then backup mcp 12 can retransmit the replicated packet from queue 26 through data link 111 and subsequently out through output data link 114 . unless backup mcp 12 becomes active , any data written by the backup application on application socket 14 is discarded through broken data link 103 , because the peer router is not aware of backup mcp 12 and does not communicate with it . if backup mcp 12 becomes active , then connection is established between backup application socket 14 and backup retransmission queue 26 through data link 103 . there are a number of ways familiar in the art , in which the application state can be maintained consistently between the active and backup applications . for example , the active application can send explicit messages to the backup copy of the application for each transaction , and the backup copy of the application can then update its own memory image regarding the transaction . alternatively , the backup copy of the application can maintain the transactions in a log that is replayed when it takes over . there are a number of known techniques for keeping the states in synchronism across the two copies of the application . a further requirement is to keep existing communication connections with peer routers open seamlessly across a switch - over between active and backup mcps 11 and 12 for any reason . when an incoming packet is received from a peer router , it is directed first to backup mcp 12 and is placed into queue 21 of application socket 14 in use by the backup routing application , such that the backup application can in effect eavesdrop all the incoming communication that is really being handled by the active routing application in active mcp 11 . an advantage of this particular topology is that backup mcp 12 can read all the messages that active mcp 11 receives . furthermore , since packets are routed through backup mcp 12 first , active mcp 11 can never process a message unless backup mcp 12 , as long as it stays alive , is guaranteed to receive that message also . this technique is important for keeping the two mcps 11 and 12 in synchronism , because active mcp 11 can then assume that backup mcp 12 received the same message and thus each mcp can independently take appropriate action on that message , for example updating its own route tables . queues 22 , 25 , and 27 are essentially output queues containing messages waiting for transmission . queues 21 and 23 are input queues where received messages are stored awaiting processing by the routing application , which receives the messages using sockets 14 and 13 . among incoming messages are acknowledgments associated with sequence numbers of outgoing messages that were previously sent . the tcp protocol numbers each byte sequentially in a stream of bytes flowing in one given direction between two applications , using a 32 - bit unsigned sequence number that wraps back around to zero after reaching a 32 maximum value of 2 32 − 1 . this sequence number is inserted in the tcp header of a message . an acknowledgment number , consisting of the sequence number plus one , is sent from the receiving application back to the transmitting application , identifying the next sequence number that the sender of the acknowledgment expects to receive . as an acknowledgment number is received , meaning that a message corresponding to that acknowledgment number has been received on the peer router , it is processed by backup mcp 12 , which then deletes messages that are no longer needed for retransmission from queue 26 on backup mcp 12 . dashed data link 112 from queue 21 to queue 26 represents the processing of acknowledgment numbers . similarly , the same incoming message is propagated over to active mcp 11 via output queue 22 through data link 105 and into input queue 23 . active mcp 11 notices at that point the acknowledgment numbers generated by the peer router indicating what the peer has received , and uses these acknowledgment numbers to delete any messages no longer needed for retransmission from queue 24 , as represented by dashed data link 113 between queues 23 and 24 . in the event of failure of backup mcp 12 , traffic is rerouted to flow through active mcp 11 only . fig2 is a schematic diagram representing rerouted message flows in the event of a failure of backup mcp 12 . messages are received from the peer router via input link 115 and placed into queue 23 for receipt and processing by active socket 13 . messages are transmitted from active socket 13 to the peer router by way of queues 24 and 25 and via output link 116 . similarly , in the event of loss of active mcp 11 , then traffic is rerouted to flow through backup mcp 12 only , which has now become the new active mcp . fig3 is a schematic diagram representing rerouted message flows in the event of loss of active mcp 11 and switch - over of active mcp functions to backup mcp 12 . messages are received from the peer router by way of input link 101 as in fig1 and are placed in queue 21 for receipt by new active socket 14 . the transmit path of new active socket 14 is connected to queue 26 by way of link 103 , which is completed . messages are transmitted from new active socket 14 to the peer router by way of queues 26 and 27 , link 111 , and output link 114 . failure of the gigabit ethernet link between the two mcps ( link 105 and / or 109 shown in fig1 ) results in active mcp 11 operating in a non - protected mode , as if backup mcp 12 had failed . backup mcp 12 goes offline until link 105 and / or 109 is repaired . thus , in the event of failure of gigabit ethernet link 105 , 109 between mcps 11 , 12 , or of either active or backup mcp 11 , 12 , message flow is essentially reconfigured so that the surviving active mcp is the sole receiver and sender of control and configuration traffic . rerouting of the traffic is implemented by either ip address changes , ip address aliasing , or reprogramming the media access controller ( mac ) address , all of which techniques are well known in the industry . [ 0032 ] fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the redundant communication paths that are used between mcps and packet forwarding modules ( pfms ) in some embodiments of the present invention . these redundant communication paths enable the mcp to communicate with peer routers and to distribute routing and control information to the pfms , such that the pfms once programmed can independently forward traffic to and from peer routers without direct intervention of the mcp until a subsequent programming update is needed . accordingly , in the present decentralized environment the router is not a monolithic entity , but rather a collection of distributed entities . on the inbound side , pfms relay incoming information that is to be used by the mcp to determine overall network topology . if a network topology change occurs , then considerable traffic will go through the network from one mcp on one router to a different mcp on a different router enabling them to communicate with one another , such that they all understand the new network topology . accordingly , traffic flows both from the pfms to the mcp and in the reverse direction from the mcp back to the pfms and eventually out to other routers within the overall network . links 101 and 114 on the backup mcp and links 115 and 116 on the active mcp as shown in fig1 and 2 are interconnected with peer routers through the intermediate components shown in fig4 . referring to fig4 each mcp 11 , 12 has redundant internal gigabit ethernet links 504 w and 504 p connected to redundant internal gige hubs 503 w and 503 p . each of these links is bi - directional and can be used by the mcp for both receiving and sending messages as depicted by links 101 and 114 or links 115 and 116 of fig1 and 2 . in operation , when a peer router ( not shown in fig4 ) sends a message to active mcp 11 , it first flows from the peer router through an external data link 401 to a packet forwarding module ( pfm ) 501 . pfm 501 determines that the message is to be routed to active mcp 11 , and sends it over one of redundant internal links 160 a , 160 s to one of redundant arb interface modules 31 - 1 a through 31 - 16 a and 31 - 1 s through 31 - 16 s . from the arb interface module the message is routed over one of redundant links 502 w and 502 p to one of redundant internal gige hubs 503 w and 503 p , where it is then routed to active mcp 11 ( using fig2 link 115 ) or if both mcps are operating in a protected configuration to backup mcp 12 ( using fig2 link 101 ). referring to fig1 - 3 , when an mcp 11 , 12 sends a message to a peer router , the message flows out through link 114 or 116 , and through one of redundant paired links depicted as links 504 w and 504 p in fig4 to one of redundant gige hubs 503 w , 504 p . from gige hub 503 w , 503 p the message is routed to an appropriate one of redundant arb interface modules 31 - 1 a through 31 - 16 a and 31 - 1 s through 31 - 16 s using one of redundant links 502 w or 502 p , and from there the message is passed back to pfm 501 using one of redundant links 160 a , 160 s , where it is sent to the peer router over external data link 401 . other elements represented in fig4 do not participate in message flows between mcps 11 , 12 and pfms 501 , and are therefore not discussed herein . a technical advantage of the present embodiment is that active mcp 11 transmits and receives the same amount of traffic in the protected mode as it would have in the unprotected mode . accordingly , for each transaction active mcp 11 effectively receives one message and sends out one message . backup mcp 12 , however , processes two messages , namely one received from the peer router via link 101 and sent to active mcp 11 via link 105 , and one received from active mcp 11 via link 109 and sent to the peer router via link 114 . this message flow topology minimizes the computation overhead on active mcp 11 , which often performs more processing than does backup mcp 12 . one consideration involves seamlessly splicing the output message stream transmitted to the peer router , which must see a logical sequence of complete messages , and which must not receive any partial messages . the output streams can be spliced only at a logical message boundary , such that only complete messages m , ., n − 1 are generated by active mcp 11 , and complete messages n , ., o are generated by backup mcp 12 , which is becoming the new active mcp . to do that requires a protocol in which the data flowing through mcp unit 10 is basically divisible into message records or transactions . tcp is a stream oriented protocol , but bgp protocol is transaction oriented and is thus a candidate to implement message splicing . [ 0039 ] fig5 is a flow diagram illustrating a protocol for seamless splicing of outgoing messages in the event of a switchover from active mcp 11 to backup mcp 12 , according to an embodiment of the present invention . at block 551 the routing application running on active mcp 11 identifies at what points the messages can be spliced , and at block 552 passes this information to active socket 13 . in the present embodiment , at block 553 active mcp 11 encapsulates messages with additional information and then transmits the encapsulated messages to backup mcp 12 . backup mcp 12 then interprets and strips the additional information at block 554 before forwarding the message to the peer router . included in this additional information is the identification of splice point boundaries . in the event of a switch - over , backup mcp 12 that is transitioning to active splices new messages at block 555 from new active socket 14 via data link 103 immediately after a completed message in queue 26 as indicated by the splice point information received from active mcp 11 at block 554 . the present embodiment does not provide for seamless switch - over of any application socket that is in the process of connecting . that is to say , a socket switch - over is not seamless until active mcp 11 has completed a connection and at some time slightly thereafter , when socket 13 is paired with socket 14 , and they have achieved consistent state between each other . at that point a seamless switch - over of the socket becomes possible . if the drp software is in the process of making a connection with a peer , that activity is lost during a switch - over . however , other peer routers that are already connected on other sockets paired for high availability are not lost . this does not present a problem , because the principal concern is with established connections where the routers have already invested substantially to exchange state information between one another , and where loss of that state information would mean that one router must reroute around the second router . when the connection is reestablished , the second router must retransfer all of those route tables , which can be very large . [ 0041 ] fig6 is a flow diagram illustrating seamless splicing of the input message stream received by the drp application in the event of a switch - over . active socket 13 is created at block 601 , and connection is established with the peer router at block 602 . then replica socket 14 is created at block 603 and begins eaves - dropping messages to and from active socket 13 and reconciling state at block 604 , such that replica socket 14 achieves a consistent state with active socket 13 . after replica socket 14 is created and readied for use , the first receive operation on replica socket 14 must return data from the beginning of a message and not start in the middle of a message . at block 605 the active drp application must recognize at which particular message boundary the backup drp application will begin to receive the duplicated messages on replica socket 14 . for example , messages having sequence numbers m , . . . , n − 1 are received only by the active drp application on socket 13 , but afterwards when sockets 13 and 14 are brought to a consistent state , messages having sequence numbers n , . . . , o are replicated and received by both sockets 13 and 14 . in the present embodiment , this is accomplished at block 605 by active drp application identifying message boundaries via active socket 13 to the operating system , which at block 606 forwards an explicit message to backup mcp 12 via queue 25 and link 110 , indicating the sequence number at which messages should start on replica socket 14 . at block 607 backup mcp 12 discards all messages received from input queue 21 prior to the indicated sequence number , but at block 608 messages received after the indicated sequence number are queued on input queue 21 for reception via replica socket 14 . additionally , the present embodiment is advantageous , even if it does not switch over seamlessly 100 percent of the time . if there are counter cases , rare states the system might reach , in which for short periods a transparent switch - over for a particular application socket is prohibited , as long as the vast majority of the tcp router connections are maintained on other sockets , for example with 90 percent or higher success , the present embodiment nevertheless provides a substantial advantage over existing routers . 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 invention as defined by the appended claims . moreover , the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process , machine , manufacture , composition of matter , means , methods and steps described in the specification . as one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention , processes , machines , manufacture , compositions of matter , means , methods , or steps , presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention . accordingly , the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes , machines , manufacture , compositions of matter , means , methods , or steps .	6
for purposes of this disclosure , an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute , classify , process , transmit , receive , retrieve , originate , switch , store , display , manifest , detect , record , reproduce , handle , or utilize any form of information , intelligence , or data for business , scientific , control , or other purposes . for example , an information handling system may be a person computer , a network storage device , or any other suitable device and may vary in size , shape , performance , functionality , and price . the information handling system may include random access memory ( ram ), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit ( cpu ) or hardware or software control logic , rom , and / or other types of nonvolatile memory . additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives , one or more network ports for communication with external devices as well as various input and output ( i / o ) devices , such as a keyboard , a mouse , and a video display . the information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components . fig1 is a pictorial view of four interlocking heat sinks , each of which rests on a single processor . the interlocking heat sinks are identified as heat sinks 10 and the processors are identified as processors 12 . each heat sinks includes a base 14 and a number of fins 16 . in the heat sinks of fig1 , the fins are positioned horizontally . the horizontal positioning of the fins is defined by the plane of the fins being parallel to the base of the heat sink and the top surface of the processor package . the shape of each heat sink is rectangular and offset , with each heat sink having extended offset portions 18 at its opposite ends . extended offset portions 18 are sized such that these offset portions allow the heat sinks to geometrically mate and fit together with adjacent heat sinks . because of the geometric mating of adjacent heat sinks , the gap between adjacent heat sinks does not allow the unimpeded flow of air between the gap between adjacent heat sinks . because of the shape and positioning of adjacent heat sinks , two gaps 20 a and 20 b exist between the heat sinks . these gaps 20 a and 20 b are offset from each other by a third transverse gap 20 c . because the fins of the heat sinks of fig1 are oriented in a horizontal direction , flowing air passes through the fins of the heat sinks irrespective of the direction of the source of the flowing air . shown in fig2 is a top view of heat sinks 10 of fig1 . as shown in fig2 , each sink 10 includes offset portions 18 that permit the spatial mating of adjacent heat sinks . offset gaps 20 a and 20 b and a transverse gap 20 c are formed between adjacent heat sinks . when viewed from a top view because of the spatial relationship between adjacent heat sinks , there is not an unimpeded path for air flow between adjacent heat sinks . the absence of an unimpeded path of air flow through the heat sinks results in an almost uniform air pressure drop across the length of the group of heat sinks . the length of the heat sink being defined as the dimension of the heat sink that is generally perpendicular to the gaps between adjacent heat sinks . due to the uniformity of the air pressure drop , flowing air passes through the fins of the group of heat sinks in a generally uniform manner and is not concentrated for passage through the gap between the heat sinks . because flowing air moves through the group of heat sinks without the concentration of air flow in a single air path through the group of heat sinks , the dissipation of heat across the group of heat sinks is improved as compared with a grouping of two more heat sinks that include a linear , or straight - line , path for flowing air between the pair of heat sinks . shown in fig3 is a pictorial view of a pair of adjacent heat sinks 30 , each of which rests on a microprocessor package 32 . like the heat sinks 10 of fig1 and 2 , each of the heat sinks includes offset portions 34 at its opposite ends . because of the offset portions of the heat sinks , the heat sinks mate or fit together with one another in a manner that defines two gaps 36 a and 36 b that are offset from one another by a transverse gap 36 c . the heat sinks are oriented together such that there is not a linear path for air flow between the adjacent heat sinks . the fins 38 of heat sinks 30 are in a vertical orientation . the fins are perpendicular to the top surface of the microprocessor package 32 . in the case of fins oriented in the vertical direction , maximum heat dissipation occurs when the flow of air occurs across the length of the fins . it should be recognized that other spatial relationship between adjacent heat sinks may achieve the objects of the interlocking heat sinks disclosed herein . the adjacent heat sinks need not interlock with one another according to a rectilinear geometry . rather , adjacent fins may interlock with geometries that are not rectilinear , including circular or triangular geometries . in accordance with the teachings of the present invention , adjacent heat sinks may interlock in any manner such that a direct path of unimpeded air flow does not exist and the pressure drop across the length of the group of heat sinks is relatively uniform . although the present disclosure has been described in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions , and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
it has now been discovered that in many circumstances , the fig2 approach to adjusting surface pad characteristic impedance is undesirable . the pad clearance is large enough to present both noise difficulties ( noise coupling from below the ground plane to the surface pad ) and routing difficulties , as any trace routed under the pad clearance in the ground plane not only loses its ground reference as it passes under the extended clearance , but also couples undesirably with the pad signals . the present embodiments disclose new approaches to adjusting surface pad characteristic impedance that allow a smaller clearance in the underlying ground plane , reduce crosstalk , and / or allow ground plane features that allow signals to be routed under the surface pad . in some embodiments , the pad impedance is reduced by patterning internal features into the pad . one such embodiment is illustrated in fig3 a - f , for a set of configuration option pads . fig3 a shows a configuration option pad set 300 after the surface conductive layer has been patterned . a conductive trace d 1 , plated through holes pth 1 and pth 2 , and three reticulated pads rp 1 , rp 2 , and rp 3 are shown . the reticulated pads take the same exterior shape and dimensions as the solid prior art pads , but have interior linear features where the conductive material has been removed . in the preferred embodiments , up to roughly half of the pad surface area is removed in this manner . several considerations drive the preferred directionality of the linear features in the reticulated pads . first , the remaining pad structure should effectively move current from an attached conductive trace to the location where the discrete package will electrically connect to the pad , without the current following a circuitous path . second , the remaining pad structure should allow bonding via reflow soldering — the linear features are believed to aid in establishing a proper reflow of the solder paste from the mounted component . because pad rp 1 can accept a discrete component in two different orthogonal positions , the linear features consist of intersecting orthogonal features , forming a gridded layout on the reticulated pad . in fig3 b , the gaps in the reticulated surface pads rp 1 , rp 2 , and rp 3 are filled with a dielectric material dk . the dielectric material can be , e . g ., a recured epoxy resin or a solder mask material . it is preferable that the dielectric material have a low dielectric constant and / or high loss factor at ghz frequencies to reduce coupling of signals from a component mounted over the material into the circuit board . the material preferably fills the gaps flush with the top surfaces of the pads , or slightly below . referring now to fig3 c , a discrete package dp is placed in a bridging configuration across rp 1 and rp 3 , with a small amount of solder paste ( not visible ) between each end of dp and the underlying pad . the solder paste temporarily holds the discrete package in place . other components , packages , and integrated circuits ( not shown ) can be similarly adhered to desired positions on the circuit board at this point . discrete package dp is reflow soldered by subjecting the circuit board to a controlled temperature profile that liquefies the solder paste and causes it to flow and bond the discrete package to the reticulated pads rp 1 and rp 3 . in fig3 d , solder rsl flows along the linear structures of rp 3 to form the approximate profile shown bonding the left end of dp to rp 3 . solder rsr flows along the left - to - right linear structures of rp 1 to form the approximate profile shown bonding the right end of dp to rp 1 . in the second configuration option , the discrete package dp is placed across rp 1 and rp 2 ( see fig3 e ), with solder paste temporarily holding the discrete package in place . a reflow solder process then bonds dp to rp 1 and rp 2 . in fig3 f , solder rsl flows along the linear structures of rp 2 to form the approximate profile shown bonding the left end of dp to rp 2 . solder rsr flows along the top - to - bottom linear structures of rp 1 to form the approximate profile shown bonding the right end of dp to rp 1 . two primary effects serve to decrease the capacitance of the active reticulated pad structures . first , in areas of an active pad that do not contain solder and consist of a reticulated opening , the effective area of the pad is decreased . second , in areas of an active pad that consist of a reticulated opening with overlying solder , the conductive “ plate ” of the capacitor has been elevated ( and preferably placed against a low - performance dielectric ), increasing the effective distance between the solder and any underlying conductive structures . fig4 shows , in perspective , an assembly 400 of circuit board components , with the vertical spacing between the layers accentuated for visibility . assembly 400 includes reticulated pad rp 3 on a surface layer ( the inter - layer dielectric material under the surface pad has been removed for clarity ), connected to plated through - hole pth 2 . the footprint of pad rp 3 is shown projected down onto underlying ground plane layer g 1 , where three rectangular openings pca , pcb , and pcc in g 1 are spaced across the central area underlying pad rp 3 . the three openings are separated by two conductive spokes gs 1 and gs 2 , oriented orthogonal to the linear features of pad rp 3 . the size of the openings and width of the spokes can be varied to adjust the impedance of the reticulated pad . fig4 also shows one differential pair routing path through the region underlying the openings pca , pcb , and pcc . a differential pair ds 2 +, ds 2 − is illustrated at the trace layer routed directly under g 1 ( separated by a dielectric layer , omitted for clarity ). each conductor is vertically aligned with one of the dielectric - filled openings in the surface pad rp 3 . this reduces crosstalk from the pad rp 3 to the differential pair and vice versa . fig5 illustrates an assembly 500 that is in all respects except for the routing of ds 2 + and ds 2 − identical to assembly 400 . in assembly 500 , ds 2 + and ds 2 − have been rotated 90 degrees in - plane , but still route below the surface pad rp 3 . to preserve the characteristic impedance of the differential pair in the region under surface pad rp 3 , each trace is vertically aligned with one of the ground plane spokes gs 1 , gs 2 . the spokes thus maintain a reference for the differential pair and shield the pair from the overlying surface pad . fig6 a contains a plan view of the top two layers of fig4 and 5 , showing the surface pad rp 3 in solid lines and the ground plane pad clearances pca , pcb , and pcc in hidden lines ( the pth clearance is also shown in hidden lines ). as can be seen in this view , in the center portion of the pad , only the double - hatched regions are open from a conductive area of pad rp 3 through the ground plane . also , only the single - hatched regions contribute capacitance between the pad and the ground plane . fig6 b contains a plan view of all three layers of fig4 , with the lower signal layer trace pair ds 2 + and ds 2 − shown in hidden lines and shaded . fig6 b shows one preferred routing alignment under pad rp 3 and the ground plane clearances for a differential pair . as can be seen , each conductor of the pair is aligned under with one of the linear openings in the pad rp 3 . fig6 c contains a plan view of all three layers of fig5 , with the lower signal layer trace pair ds 2 + and ds 2 − shown in hidden lines and shaded . fig6 c shows the preferred routing alignment for a differential pair crossing pad rp 3 side to side . as can be seen , each conductor of the pair is aligned under one of the ground plane spokes gs 1 , gs 2 . in the prior art , no attempt was made to add an inductive component to the coupling between a surface pad and a ground plane . it has now been discovered that an inductive component can be added to the ground plane under a surface pad and controlled to allow significant narrowing of the openings that are made in the ground plane under or near the pad . in the following embodiments , a large central reference pad on the ground plane under a surface pad connects to the remainder of the ground plane by one or more conductive spokes . a variety of possible conductive reference pad / spoke arrangements are presented herein , including those that attenuate the transmission of high - frequency noise from the ground plane to the reference pad ( and therefore to the surface pad ). by incorporating such features in a ground plane adjacent to a layer containing surface pads on a circuit board , the circuit board can be made to damp the coupling of undesirable high - frequency signals / noise from the ground plane to a surface pad and vice versa . fig7 illustrates , in plan view , a partial circuit board assembly 700 according to an embodiment . partial circuit board assembly 700 includes the same surface features as the assembly 200 of fig2 , including a trace d 1 +, three configuration option pads pp +, xfp +, and sfp +, and two through holes pth 1 + and pth 2 +. the features present on the ground plane under this structure are illustrated in hidden lines . these features include two through - hole clearances thc 1 + and thc 2 +, co - located with the position of the plated through - holes . the large pad clearances of the prior art have been replaced , however , with inductive spoke reference pads isr 1 , isr 2 and isr 3 . each of these reference pads is separated from the primary expanse of the ground plane by smaller clearances . a series of spokes ( see , e . g ., spoke ss 1 connected to reference pad isr 3 ) connect each reference pad to the adjacent regions of the ground plane . in operation , the capacitance between the reference pad and the overlying surface pad is considerable , compared to the capacitance of the large pad clearance of fig2 . consequently , at low frequency , the impedance of the surface pad does not match the impedance of the trace well , but effectively shields the surface pad and any traces running under the reference pad from each other . at ghz frequencies , however , the inductive impedance of the spokes begins to significantly affect the ability of the reference pad to couple signals from the surface pad to the ground plane . in other words , the reference pad cannot be quickly charged and discharged in response to potential changes in the surface pad , as the serial - path inductive spokes deter rapid changes in the rate of charge and discharge of the reference pad . this raises the overall characteristic impedance of the pad to an acceptable level through the primary signaling frequencies . the number , width , and length of the spokes , and size of the reference pad , can be varied to achieve different impedance characteristics . one approach to selecting a proper configuration for a given application involves building a test board with trace and pad geometries , dielectric material and material thickness , etc ., set to those that will be used in the application . different test paths are fabricated similar to each other , but with different ground plane reference pad geometries . each path is then tested to determine the one delivering the most desirable impedance vs . frequency characteristics . due to the small clearances between the reference pad and the adjacent portions of the ground plane , trace routing through the region under the surface pad is now easier . in general , traces can be routed freely under a ground pad such as isr 3 . alternately , routing paths can be designated under the inductive spokes , as shown in the reference pad / spoke embodiments of fig8 a - 8d . in each of fig8 a - 8d , a plan view of a surface pad sp is shown in hidden lines , and the clearance between a ground plane and the reference pad rp , as well as the connecting spokes , are shown in solid lines . in fig8 a , paired spokes connect the reference pad rp to the ground plane across the short dimension of the pad , with each pair arranged at the appropriate spacing for an underlying differential pair . this forms a differential pair routing path that crosses the region under the surface pad sp and reference pad rp by passing under and in alignment with the spokes . with the spokes set to approximately 110 % of the trace width , the traces are essentially shielded from interference from the surface pad , and properly reference the ground plane . alternately , the spokes can be narrower than the traces if needed to impart the appropriate inductance to the reference pad / ground plane coupling , while still at least partially shielding the differential pair . in fig8 b , paired spokes connect the reference pad rp to the ground plane across the long dimension of the pad , with each pair arranged at the appropriate spacing for an underlying differential pair , forming a differential pair routing path orthogonal to the path of fig8 a . in fig8 c , the reference pad rp is connected to the ground plane using the spokes of both fig8 a and fig8 b , allowing differential pair routing through the region in either direction . in one embodiment , the spoke arrangement is dependent on the alignment of a differential pair passing under the pads . the spokes can be shifted side to side or angled as necessary to shield the differential pair . it is possible that the spoke width and number desired to shield one or more underlying differential pairs do not provide the desired inductance . in such a case , the spokes can be lengthened , e . g ., as shown in fig8 d . in fig8 d , notches are created in the reference pad rp and in the adjacent portions of the ground plane , effectively lengthening the span of each spoke and increasing its inductive effect at high frequency . the notches are small enough to not significantly affect the size and shielding capability of the reference pad . when desired , a reticulated surface pad can be combined with an inductively - coupled ground reference pad in a shared configuration . fig9 illustrates such a configuration . surface pad sp is reticulated , with three dielectric - filled openings . reference pad rp connects through spokes to the adjacent portions of the underlying ground plane . the reference plane shields the surface pad and underlying board structure from each other . the spokes provide a routing path for a differential pair , and high - frequency impedance compensation . the dielectric - filled openings in the surface pad sp reduce the capacitance of the surface pad . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments and / or various features of the embodiments can be combined in other ways than those described . a small number of exemplary pad and pad / spoke arrangements are shown . the dimensions of these can be varied to achieve a desired effect , or other pad and pad / spoke arrangements can be made using the principles described herein . single - ended signals as well as differential signals can be routed under pads , or on signals that pass through pads . the embodiments are applicable to surface pads other than configuration option pads , which are intended to serve as an exemplary application . the pad layouts , number of ground and signal layers portrayed , etc ., are merely exemplary , and will vary by application . although the specification may refer to “ an ”, “ one ”, “ another ”, or “ some ” embodiment ( s ) in several locations , this does not necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment ( s ), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment .	8
turning in detail to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a niche light for swimming pools as it would be viewed from the pool . a lens 10 is illustrated to be surrounded by a bezel 12 . the construction of the light is better illustrated in fig2 as further including a nonconductive forming shell 14 and a nonconductive housing 16 . the forming shell 14 defines a niche 18 having a front opening lying substantially in a vertical plane as it is arranged in the pool . threaded ports 20 and 22 may be plugged or may include grommets for receipt of electrical conduit extending from the pool to a junction box . the front opening of the nonconductive forming shell 14 is generally circular . fig9 and 10 provide the details of a conductive ring 24 which is pressed into the inner periphery of the nonconductive forming shell 14 at the front opening . anchors 26 press outwardly against the nonmetallic shell and lock the conductive ring 24 in place . a strap 28 extends rearwardly into the shell 14 from the conductive ring 24 . a terminal 30 is bolted to the shell 14 for attachment to the grounded pool net . the nonconductive housing 16 is water tight but for a front opening also lying in a vertical plane as positioned in the pool . the housing 16 is spaced from the nonconductive forming shell 14 in order that water may fully surround the housing 16 and provide cooling thereto . the housing includes a foot 32 which extends downwardly from the bottom thereof . at the upper end of the housing 16 , a tab 33 having a hole therethrough provides for receipt of a fastening bolt 34 . the foot 32 and the bolt 34 engage a stop 36 and a threaded hole 38 , respectively , arranged on the conductive ring 24 . as the conductive ring 24 is securely positioned within the shell 14 by means of the anchors 26 , the stop 36 and hole 38 securely retain the housing 16 and yet allow the bolt 34 to be removed for relamping . the interior of the housing 16 includes a channel 40 extending partially about the cavity . at one end of the channel 40 , a potting cavity 42 is positioned to receive conductive elements from externally of the housing . two socket cavities 44 and 46 are provided on either side of the main cavity of the housing 16 . in a first socket cavity 44 , a retaining slot is defined by two inwardly extending flanges 48 and 50 spaced to receive a square positioning flange 51 on a socket 52 . the other socket cavity 46 also includes inwardly extending flanges 54 and 56 which are spaced further apart than the flanges 48 and 50 so as to receive a square positioning flange 59 on a socket 58 and a spring 60 . the spring 60 is placed in compression so as to bias the socket 58 inwardly within the housing 16 . the sockets 52 and 58 are aligned to define an axis therebetween for receipt of a double ended lamp 62 . the lamp is to be of sufficient length to place the spring 60 in added compression through movement of the socket 58 to accommodate the lamp . the sockets 52 and 58 are preferably designed so that the double ended lamp 62 is held in place by compression and does not have the ends of the lamp held in frictional engagement . in this way , if the lamp 62 is ever broken , the two or more fragments will fall from the sockets 52 and 58 so as to cease to conduct electricity under such a failure mode . within the housing 16 , a first conductor 64 extends from the socket 52 around the channel 40 to the potting cavity 42 . a second conductor 66 extends from the socket 58 into the potting cavity 42 . in the conductor 64 , a thermostat 67 is positioned which ceases to conduct above a selected temperature . consequently , if the lamp is on without water around the housing 16 , the accumulated heat will cause the thermostat to actuate and turn off the lamp . a conductive shield 68 is positioned within the housing 16 so as to shield the sockets 52 and 58 . the conductive shield may be considered as three portions with two outward portions 70 and 72 covering the sockets and a central , reflective portion 74 . the outward , socket portions 70 and 72 each extend over a socket and then extend inwardly within the housing 16 to meet the reflective portion 74 located behind the lamp 62 . holes 76 and 78 provide for placement of the double ended lamp 62 . the conductive shield 68 may conveniently be of highly reflective metal sheet so as to reflect a maximum amount of the light emanating from the lamp 62 outwardly into the pool . a connector 80 forming part of the conductive shield 68 extends to the potting cavity 42 where it is coupled with a ground conductor 82 . extending from the potting cavity 42 outwardly to the hole in the housing 16 for receiving the bolt 34 is a rigid ground conductor 84 . this rigid conductor 84 is connected at one end to the connector 80 . this connection in turn provides a ground to the ground conductor 82 extending to the junction box and , ultimately , to an electrical panel . at its other end , the rigid conductor 84 is associated with the bolt 34 that is threaded into the hole 38 of the conductive ring 34 . thus , a separate grounding to the pool net is provided . holes are provided through the wall of the housing 16 at the potting cavity 42 in order that the rigid conductor 84 may pass therethrough as well as a conduit containing the conductors 64 and 66 and the grounded conductor 82 . a potting body 86 is then poured and solidified into the potting cavity 42 as well as the channel 40 . the bezel 12 is best illustrated in fig4 and 5 . the bezel 12 includes a circular body 88 having a central hole 90 therethrough . a rearwardly extending flange 92 which is cylindrical in form defines a seat for the lens 10 . outwardly of the flange 92 are flange segments 94 which extend further rearwardly on the bezel 12 to further define the seat for the lens 10 which fits therein . in the circular body 88 , circulation holes 96 , as best seen in fig1 communicate with the interior of the shell 14 defining the niche . also extending rearwardly from the bezel 12 are clips 98 . each clip 98 is a resilient leg extending rearwardly on the bezel with an interlocking portion 100 . the housing 16 includes outwardly extending flanges 102 to which the interlocking portions 100 may resiliently pass over when the bezel 12 is pressed against the front of the housing 16 and come into interlocking engagement . the front of the housing 16 includes a sealing channel 104 which contains an o - ring 106 . the o - ring 106 is compressed by the lens 10 when the bezel and lens assembly is positioned and interlocked on the housing 16 . the lens 10 is preferably planar with means for further refracting light in other than on upward direction , e . g ., horizontally and downwardly to this end , vertically arranged dispersion ribs 108 are on the back side of the lens 10 . the vertically arranged ribs 108 spread light horizontally from the lamp 62 . a smooth circular rim 110 about the lens 10 provides a seat against the o - ring 106 . a strip of opaque material extends 180 ° about the junction between the main portion of the lens 10 and the rim 110 to prevent a vertical dispersion of light at that junction . turning to fig1 , an optical system is illustrated which prevents the light image from the wet niche light from directly being observed above the pool . the pool wall 112 is schematically illustrated as supporting a housing 16 . light from the lamp 62 is shown to be refracted through the lens 10 into the pool . the lamp 62 is positioned rearwardly in the housing 16 away from the lens 10 to an extent that the maximum upward angle of light exiting from the lens 10 is below the critical angle of total reflection at the water - to - air boundary 114 . the use of a planar lens and only vertical ribs allows for horizontal but not vertical dispersion of the light through the lens to insure further the appropriate angle . to further reduce creation of an image of the light on the surface , the lower portion 116 of the interior of the housing 16 may be painted black or otherwise configured such that light does not reflect directly from the lamp 62 onto the lower surface of the interior portion of the housing and through the lens . an angle of incidence is the angle a ray makes with a normal to the surface at the point of intersection of the ray with that surface . for a water - to - air boundary , an angle of incidence of 48 . 5 ° or more will cause total reflection of the light at that surface . to simply meet this critical angle of total reflection , light emanating from the lens 10 placed at 90 ° to the surface of the water is to have an upward angle of refraction , i . e ., the angle between a light path extending upwardly from the lens 10 and a horizontal plane including the point of exit of the light path from the lens 10 , which is no more than 41 . 5 °. because of the air - to - glass and glass - to - water boundaries at the lens 10 , the upward angle of incidence from the lamp 62 , i . e ., the angle between a light path extending upwardly from the lamp 62 and a horizontal plane including the source of light from the lamp 62 , to any portion of the lens 10 which can transmit light , is not to exceed slightly over 62 °. these angles assume a flat water surface . at the same time , the principal objective is to disperse light into the pool . with the vast majority of pools , light dispersion from a single pool light is virtually complete throughout the pool even with a maximum angle of incidence on the lens 10 from the lamp 62 of much less than the critical angle of 62 °. to reduce flashing of light from the pool resulting from waves and ripples , the upward angle of incidence by light from the lamp 62 against the lens which can pass through the lens 10 has been reduced to a maximum of approximately 42 °. a 42 ° maximum upward angle of incidence from the lamp 62 to the lens 10 results in a 30 ° maximum upward angle of refraction at the glass - to - water boundary . this gives a minimum angle of incidence at the water - to - air surface of the pool , when flat , of 60 °, 11 . 5 ° over the critical angle of total reflection . fixture misalignment and some waves are thereby accommodated . the maximum downward and lateral angles of refraction may intentionally far exceed the maximum upward angle to insure full illumination of the pool . this configuration has been found to provide adequate light dispersion in the conventional swimming pool , eliminate viewing of an image of the pool light from above the water surface and reduces flashing at surface ripples to an aesthetically pleasing effect . the effect generally appears to be light flashes at the surface rather than the image of a pool light below the surface . thus , an improved wet niche pool light is here described . while embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described , it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the invention , therefore is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims .	5
natural products that contain an inhibitor of the f3k enzyme and / or a 3dg inactivator may be used to advantage for treating or preventing conditions or disease states that are linked to 3dg which is produced as a by - product of f3k activity . the disease states that may be treated or prevented by the methods of the invention include inflammatory disorders , complications of diabetes , diseases of aging , hypertension , stroke , neurodegenerative disorders , circulatory disease , atherosclerosis , osteoarthritis and cataracts . the method described herein may also be used for the treatment or prophylaxis of skin conditions , particularly those associated with intrinsic or extrinsic aging . intrinsic aging of the skin is the gradual deterioration that results from the normal aging process , which produces change in the chemical structure of proteins , including collagen and elastin , due , in part , to the formation of ages . a number of extrinsic factors , often acting in conjunction with the normal aging process , cause premature aging of the skin . most extrinsic aging is brought about by sun exposure or “ photoaging ”; however , other factors , such as repetitive facial expressions and smoking can contribute to such premature aging . a variety of different natural products can be used for treating or preventing a condition or disease state that is alleviated by inhibiting the enzymatic conversion of fructoselysine to fructoselysine - 3 - phosphate and / or by inactivating 3dg in vivo . the term “ natural product ”, as used herein , refers to a chemical substance found in nature , such as a substance obtained from tissues of terrestrial plants , marine animals or plants , and other living organisms , as well as derivatives of such substances . representative examples of natural products ( and extracts thereof ) which may be used in the practice of this invention include materials of plant and animal origin , polypeptides , oligopeptides , vitamins , provitamins and the like . natural product extracts are commercially available from various sources and may be prepared using the extraction methods generally described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 485 , 756 to aust and wilmott . natural products suitable for practicing this invention can be identified using the f3k assay described hereinbelow . the results of performing this assay on a wide range of natural products are as set forth in tables 1 and 1a , below . alternative assays for determining f3k inhibitory activity , by direct measurement of fructoselysine - 3 - phosphate production , are described in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 004 , 958 . supplemental active agents may be administered in conjunction with the natural products described herein , if desired . suitable supplemental active agents include , by way of example , anesthetics , antibiotics , anti - allergenics , anti - fungals , antiseptics , anti - irritants , anti - inflammatory agents , anti - microbials , analgesics and anti - hypertensive agents , e . g ., ace inhibitors . the natural products described herein , along with any supplemental active agent ( s ), may be administered using any amount and any route of administration effective to inhibit enzymatic 3dg production . the exact amount to be administered may vary depending on the species , age , and general condition of the patient , the nature of the condition or disease state being treated , the specific natural product used and its mode of administration . as used herein , the term “ patient ” refers to animals , including mammals , preferably humans and domestic animals . the effectiveness of the amount of natural product administered to a patient can be assessed by feeding to the patient , either human or animal , a food rich in glycated lysine residues or fl and measuring the amount of 3dg and 3df in their urine , both before and after feeding . patients that have an effective inhibitory amount of f3k inhibitor in their systems will exhibit decreased secretion of both 3dg and / or 3df and increased urinary secretion of fl , as compared to levels secreted by the same patients prior to administration of the natural product ( s ). the natural products used in the practice of this invention are commonly available in powder form . as such , they may readily be formulated for topical or oral administration , topical administration being preferred . topical formulations including any of various dermatologically acceptable excipients may be prepared in the form of an emulsion , a cream , a balm , a gloss , a lotion , a salve , a mask , a serum , a toner , an ointment , an oil , a mousse , a gel , a pomade , a solution , a liquid spray , a wax - based stick or a towelette . such formulations may beneficially include any ingredient conventionally used in the cosmetics field . these ingredients include preservatives , aqueous phase thickeners , fatty - phase thickeners , fragrances , hydrophilic and lipophilic active agents , as well as pigments , fillers , oils , one or more waxes or gums , or mixtures of any of the foregoing . in addition , the aforementioned formulations may include one or more of the following : a skin penetration enhancer , a dermal delivery system , an emollient , a skin plumper , an optical diffuser , a sunscreen , an exfoliation promoter and an antioxidant . a dermal delivery system may be liposomes , nanosomes , phosopholipid - based non - liposome compositions ( e . g ., selected cochleates ), among others . details with respect to these and other suitable cosmetic ingredients can be found in the international cosmetic ingredient dictionary and handbook ( icid ), 10 th ed ., cosmetic , toiletry and fragrance association , at 2177 - 2299 ( 2004 ). these natural products can also be incorporated into a transdermal patch or similar delivery system . the transdermal patch can be of conventional construction , e . g ., of the type used to deliver sustained doses of estrogen , nitroglycerine , fentenyl , or the like . in other embodiments of the invention , the benefits of 3dg - containing natural products for use as food , cosmetic , pharmaceutical or dietary supplement ingredients can be enhanced by purifying or refining processes that reduce the 3dg content thereof . the 3dg concentration of natural products can be determined using the measurement technique described in example 2 , below . the purification or refining processing contemplated by the present invention involves admixture of the natural product with at least one 3dg inactivating agent . representative examples of suitable 3dg inactivating agents are listed in table 3 , below . arginine is a preferred 3dg inactivating agent for use in practicing this embodiment of the invention . in view of the potential harmful health effects of 3dg , any measurable reduction in the 3dg content of natural products used as food , cosmetic , pharmaceutical , or dietary supplement ingredients will provide a benefit . this same method can be utilized to reduce the 3dg content of foods , food additives or beverages , such as carbonated beverages , which may be fermented ( e . g ., beer , ale or the like ) or not ( e . g ., colas ), as well as non - carbonated beverages , which may be fermented ( e . g ., wine ) or not ( e . g ., fruit juice , fruit punch , vegetable juice or tea ). the following methodologies and experimental data are provided to describe the various embodiments of the invention in further detail . these methods and data are provided for illustrative purposes only and should in no way be construed as limiting the invention . fructosamine - 3 - kinase ( f3k ) phosphorylates fructoselysine to form fructoselysine - 3 - p , which spontaneously decomposes to give lysine , pi , and 3dg . the assay is performed in a 96 - well plate , with each well containing 100 μl of 50 mm hepes , ph 8 . 0 , 1 mm mg - atp , and 0 . 20 mm fructoselysine ( dynamis therapeutics ). five μl of test inhibitor sample was added and the reaction initiated with 120 nm human recombinant f3k enzyme ( dynamis therapeutics ). the plate was incubated at 37 ° c . for 24 hours to allow f3k to produce fl3p and then to decompose releasing pi and 3dg . 3dg was measured as in example 2 . aqueous extracts were prepared from various commercially available natural products . concentrations of the resulting extracts are given below on a weight - per - weight basis , unless otherwise indicated . lfk extract and powder is from lysed enterococcus faecalis fk - 23 . fresh fruits and vegetable extracts were made in a juicer machine ( juiceman automatic juice extractor ). strawberry leaf extract ( 50 % w / w in water ) was similarly made . samples were allowed to settle or were centrifuged ( 12 , 000 × g , 10 min ) before removing an aliquot of the supernatant for analysis . f3k activity was measured in the presence of various natural product extracts using the above - described assay . the percent inhibition is shown in tables 1 and 1a . extracts from chestnut skin , lychee seed , grapeseed , gooseberry , peanut skin , cat &# 39 ; s claw and rose inhibited f3k activity by more than 90 %. the results are set forth in table 3 . several chemicals and natural product extracts showed 3dg inactivating activity . samples with the most amount of 3dg inactivating activity were arginine , clam extract , chestnut skin extract , pig and fish collagens , pyridoxal - 5 ′- phosphate , grapeseed extract , lychee seed extract , peanut skin extract and cat &# 39 ; s claw extract . most of the chestnut skin 3dg inactivating activity was in the supernatant after centrifugation . some samples showed high intrinsic levels of 3dg including chitosan l , glucosamine , rafuma extract , broccoli extract and herb mixture . 3dg levels were measured in various brand name beverages and foods ; results are shown in table 4 . miso soup , soy sauce and all non - alcoholic beverages except diet soda and one brand of green tea contain high levels of 3dg (& gt ; 50 μm ). all beers contain & gt ; 300 μm 3dg and dark beers contain the highest levels of 3dg (& gt ; 600 μm ). plum wine contained high levels of 3dg and red wine had relatively low levels of 3dg . a number of patent and non - patent publications are cited in the foregoing specification in order to describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains . the entire disclosure of each of these publications is incorporated by reference herein . while certain of the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and specifically exemplified above , it is not intended that the invention be limited to such embodiments . various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention , as set forth in the following claims . furthermore , the transitional terms “ comprising ”, “ consisting essentially of ” and “ consisting of ” define the scope of the appended claims , in original and amended form , with respect to what unrecited additional claim elements or steps , if any , are excluded from the scope of the claims . the term “ comprising ” is intended to be inclusive or open - ended and does not exclude additional , unrecited elements , methods step or materials . the phrase “ consisting of ” excludes any element , step or material other than those specified in the claim , and , in the latter instance , impurities ordinarily associated with the specified materials . the phrase “ consisting essentially of ” limits the scope of a claim to the specified elements , steps or materials and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic ( s ) of the claimed invention . all compositions or formulations identified herein can , in alternate embodiments , be more specifically defined by any of the transitional phases “ comprising ”, “ consisting essentially of ” and “ consisting of ”.	0
the invention relates to a high strength alpha - beta alloy having an improved combination of strength , machinability and ballistic properties . titanium base alloys are used in applications requiring high strength - to - weight ratios , along with elevated temperature properties and corrosion resistance . these alloys may be characterized as alpha phase alloys , beta phase alloys , or alpha - beta alloys . the alpha - beta alloys contain one or more alpha stabilizing elements and one or more beta stabilizing elements . these alloys can be strengthened by heat treatment or thermo - mechanical processing . specifically , the alloys may be strengthened by rapid cooling from a high temperature in the alpha - beta range or above the beta transus temperature . this procedure , known as solution treatment , is followed by an intermediate - temperature treatment , termed aging , to result in a desired mixture of alpha and transformed beta phases as the principle phases in the microstructure of the alloy . it is desirable to use these alloys in applications requiring a combination of high strength , good machinability and ballistic properties . it is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an alpha - beta titanium - based alloy having this desired combination of properties . balance titanium and incidental elements and impurities with each being less than 0 . 1 wt % and 0 . 5 wt % total . the alloys in accordance with the invention have aluminum as an essential element within the composition limits of the invention . if aluminum is lower than 4 . 5 %, sufficient strength will not be obtained . likewise , if aluminum is higher than 5 . 5 %, machinability will be inferior . vanadium is an essential element as a beta stabilizer in the alpha - beta titanium alloys in accordance with the invention . if vanadium is less than 3 . 0 %, sufficient strength will not be obtained . likewise , if vanadium is higher than 5 . 0 %, the beta - stabilizer content of the alloy will be too high resulting in degradation of machinability . iron is present as an effective and less expensive beta stabilizing element . normally , approximately 0 . 1 % iron results from the sponge titanium and other recycle materials used in the production of the alloy in accordance with the invention . otherwise , iron may be added as steel or as ferro - molybdenum master alloy since the alloy of the invention has molybdenum as an essential element . if iron is higher than about 1 . 2 %, machinability will be adversely affected . molybdenum is an effective element to stabilize the beta phase , as well as providing for grain refinement of the microstructure . if molybdenum is less than 0 . 3 %, its desired effects will not be obtained . likewise , if molybdenum is higher than 1 . 8 %, machinability will be degraded . oxygen is a strengthening element in titanium and its alloys . if oxygen is lower than 0 . 12 %, sufficient strength will not be obtained , and if oxygen is higher than 0 . 25 %, brittleness will occur and machinability will be deteriorated . ten 8 inch diameter ingots including ti - 6al - 4v were made with double var ( vacuum arc remelting ) methods in a laboratory scale . the chemical compositions of these ingots are shown in table 1 . in the table , alloys a , b , c and e are invented alloys . alloys d and f through j are controlled alloys . alloy j is ti - 6al - 4v , which is the most common alpha - beta alloy . these ingots were forged and rolled to ¾ ″ square bars or ¾ ″ thick plates with alpha - beta processing . a part of the materials was mill annealed at 1300f for 1 hour followed by air cooling in order to examine basic characteristics of each alloy . in addition , solution treatment and aging ( sta ) was carried out for each bar , and then mechanical properties were evaluated to examine the hardenability of the alloys . table 2 shows tensile properties of the alloys after mill anneal . alloys a , b , c and e show equivalent strength ( uts or 0 . 2 % ps ) to ti - 6al - 4v . ductility ( ei and ra ) of a , b , c and e are better than that of ti - 6al - 4v . table 3 shows tensile properties of experimental alloys after sta together with ti - 6al - 4v . alloys a , b and c show higher strength ( uts or 0 . 2 % ps ) than that of ti - 6al - 4v by at least 10 ksi . the higher strength after sta is due primarily to the improved hardenability by addition of mo and / or fe . however , if mo and / or fe content is too high , ductility becomes low as seen in alloys g , h , and i . mill annealed plates with the thickness of ¾ ″ were machined to ⅝ ″ thickness plates . drill test was performed on these plates in order to evaluate the machinability of the alloys . high speed steel drills ( aisi m42 ) were used for the test . the following are the conditions of the drill test . drill life was determined when the drill could not drill any holes due to the damage of its tip . the results of the drill tests are set forth in table 4 . relative drill index in table 4 is an average of 2 to 3 tests . the drill test was terminated when its relative index became higher than about 4 . 0 . the drill test indicated that the invention alloys possess significantly superior machinability than ti - 6al - 4v and other alloys outside of the chemical composition of the alloy of the present invention . inferior machinability of alloy f is due to high content of oxygen . a plate with a thickness of approximately 0 . 43 ″ was produced by alpha - beta processing starting from a laboratory 8 inch diameter ingot . this plate was mill annealed followed by pickling . a 50 - caliber fsp ( fragment simulating projectile ) was used as a projectile . a v 50 , which is a velocity of projectile that gives a 50 % chance of complete penetration , was determined for each plate and compared with the specification . the results are shown in table 5 . the δv 50 in the table indicates the difference of v 50 between measured value and specification . therefore , a positive number indicates superiority against the specification . as shown in the table , alloy k exhibits a superior ballistic property to ti - 6al - 4v . other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims .	2
fig1 illustrates a scavenging medical hood 10 of the invention . as seen in fig1 a patient 12 , an infant , is undergoing respiratory therapy in conjunction with the hood 10 of the invention . the scavenging medical hood 10 can be broken down into several major components . these include a patient enclosure means or multi - sided hood 14 , a collar means or collar 16 attached to the hood 14 and a vacuum means consisting of vacuum tubing generally indicated with the numeral 18 and a vacuum and filter unit generally indicated at the numeral 20 . not shown in fig1 would be a suitable supply of respiratory breathing gas and a nebulizer for the introduction of an aerosolized medicinal agent into that respiratory gas . such units are common and are commercially available . a suitable respiratory gas containing an aerosolized medicinal agent is introduced into the hood 14 via a gas inlet conduit 22 . the hood 14 is composed of a top side 24 , a right side 26 , a left side 28 , a back side 30 , a front side 32 , and an open bottom side 34 ( see fig2 ). a bottom flange 36 extends around the periphery of the bottom side 34 . an air baffle means or baffle 38 is integrally formed with the front side 32 . the baffle 38 can be broken down into an arched shaped curving extensior 40 which has a flange 42 on its periphery distal from the wall 32 of the hood 14 . the hood 14 , including its component sides 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , and 32 ( excluding the open bottom side 34 , but including the bottom flange 36 ) as well as the baffle 38 are integrally formed from a single piece of material . particularly preferred for use to form the hood 14 is a clear , transparent polysulfone plastic . such material can be advantageously utilized within a hospital environment because it is impervious to detergents , can be disinfected with quaternary ammonium solutions , steam autoclaved ( to about 274 ° f .) or disinfected with ethylene oxide gas . located near the top of the back side 30 is a gas inlet port 44 which together with the conduit 22 comprise a gas inlet port means . this serves as a connection for the inlet conduit 22 to supply respiratory gas or a respiratory gas containing an aerosolized medicinal agent to the interior of the hood 14 . an arched insert 46 is sonic welded to the inside of a curving shoulder 48 at the juncture of the extension 40 to the front wall 32 . after sonic welding the arch insert 46 can thus be considered as being integral with the remainder of the hood 14 . the arch insert 46 includes an arch shaped patient opening 50 centrally located in the insert 46 . a plurality of stainless steel male snaps 52 are symmetrically located about the patient opening 50 . the patient collar 16 includes a like plurality of stainless steel female snaps 53 which engage and reversibly lock to the male snaps 52 . the patient collar 16 is preferably formed of a material sold under the trademark &# 34 ; gore - tex &# 34 ; available from w . l . gore and associates . this material is suitable to withstand the rigors of the above sterilization procedures noted for the hood 14 . additionally however , they are flexible and are compatible for skin contact with a patient . as is evident from fig2 once the insert 46 is sonic welded to the remainder of the hood 14 , the arch baffle 38 projects outwardly from the insert 46 with the flange 42 of the air baffle 38 projecting inwardly toward the patient opening 50 as seen in fig3 . with the hood 14 placed over the patient 12 the patient collar 16 is allowed to drape over the patient and contact , as for instance , the neck of the patient to form a gas seal which , while not perfectly gas tight , is a passive seal which tends to inhibit the gas flow adjacent to the body surface of the patient from the interior of the hood to the exterior . located on the left and right bottom edges of the insert 46 just outboard of the patient opening 50 are right and left gas outlets 54 and 56 respectively . the gas outlets 54 and 56 are positioned between the patient opening 50 and the arch baffle 38 . further , the gas outlet openings 54 and 56 are open to the ambient air . this is very important with respect to operation of the device . gas introduced within the interior of the hood 14 via the gas inlet port 44 is freely discharged from the interior of the hood 44 through the outlets 54 and 56 to the ambient air . gas flow through the hood 14 is therefore governed only by gas pressure at the inlet port 44 . the volume of gas discharged via the gas inlets 54 and 56 exactly equals volume of gas input to the hood 14 via the gas inlet port 44 . any fluctuation of the input flow rate via the inlet port 44 is automatically compensated by the gas outlet flow at the outlet orifices 54 and 56 . contrary to other prior attempts to scavenge exit gasses from respiratory hoods or tents there is no negative pressure at the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 . flow rates between the outlet orifices 54 and 56 and the inlet port 44 never have to be equalized , adjusted or compensated for . the scavenging medical hood 10 of the invention is therefore self regulating . operation personnel need only to set the flow rate of the inlet gas at the inlet port 44 in the manner they would normally use for a typical oxygen tent or oxygen hood . since the outlet orifices 54 and 56 are completely open to the ambient atmosphere external to the hood and are unencumbered in exhausting to the ambient atmosphere , they form an obstruction free gas passage between the interior of the enclosure and the ambient air exterior to the enclosure . further , the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 also serve as safety orifices for allowing for introduction of respiratory air to the interior of the hood 14 should the flow of respiratory gasses via the conduit 22 be blocked or in any other way be inhibited . thus , having the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 open to ambient air at ambient air pressure additionally serves as a further safety measure for the scavenging medical hood 10 of the invention . the hood 10 rests on a suitable surface , as for instance , crib surface 58 of fig1 to seal the open bottom side 34 of the hood 14 . before positioning of the device 10 over a patient the patient opening 50 is contiguous with the open bottom of this hood . positioning of the hood 14 over a patient resting on the surface 58 concurrently essentially seals the hood to the surface 58 and the patient . the seal formed between the bottom flange 36 and the surface 58 in conjunction with the seal between the collar 16 and the patient 12 is suitably formed simply and maintained by the pressure exerted by the mass of the hood 14 and the adherence of the collar 16 to the neck and / or trunk of the patient 12 . since the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 are completely open to atmospheric pressure little or no gas and aerosolized medicinal agent contained therein will escape around the bottom flange 36 or the patient collar 16 . the path of least resistance formed by directly venting the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 to the ambient air therefore further insures that residual aerosolized medicinal agent contained within the gas introduced into the hood 14 will exit via the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 and will not be forced under pressure underneath the bottom flange 36 or around the seal of the collar 16 to the patient 12 . located just external of and at a right angle to the right and left outlet orifices 54 and 56 are right and left vacuum ports 60 and 62 . each of the vacuum ports 60 and 62 includes a vacuum orifice collectively identified by the numeral 64 as , for instance seen in fig2 . the vacuum tubing 18 is split via a tee joint 66 such that it connects to both of the vacuum ports 60 and 62 . from the tubing tee 66 the vacuum tubing 18 leads to the vacuum and filter unit 20 . as seen in fig4 the vacuum and filter unit 20 includes an input port 68 integrally formed as part of a top 70 of a filter unit 72 . the filter unit 72 is formed from a glass fiber which is fan folded in radially extending flutes forming a multi pointed star pattern . this is connected using an appropriate glue to the top 70 as well as to a filter bottom plate 74 . the filter 72 rests inside the outer housing 76 of the vacuum unit directly over an interior baffle 78 having an opening in its center . the opening in the baffle 78 is directly over a vacuum impeller 80 connected to electric motor 82 . operation of the electric motor spins the impeller 80 creating a vacuum in the opening within the baffle 78 . this vacuum in turn pulls gas through the filter unit 72 from the input port 68 . vacuum is thus created at input port 68 which is transferred via the tubing 18 to the vacuum ports 60 and 62 on the hood 14 . upon application of vacuum to the orifices 64 in the vacuum ports 60 and 62 they draw or aspirate gas in to them . since these orifices are located in direct association with the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 leading to the interior of the hood 44 and are oriented at an angle to the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 , any gas and residual aerosolized medicinal agent contained therein which is expelled out of the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 is aspirated into the gas flow flowing into the gas ports 60 and 62 . from there any residual aerosolized medicinal agent is conducted downstream to the vacuum filter 72 . the vacuum ports 60 and 62 like the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 are open to the ambient air . because of this ambient air is incorporated into the aspirate gas which is aspirated into the vacuum ports 60 and 62 along with exhaust gas from the outlet orifices 54 and 56 and any residual medicinal agent located therein . the volume of flow of gas aspirated through the vacuum unit 20 is selected to be greater than the volume of flow of respiratory gas introduced via the conduit 22 and the inlet port 44 to the interior of the hood 14 . this insures that a sufficient volume of gas is aspirated into the vacuum filter unit 20 which exceeds any volume of gas which is exited to the ambient at the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 . typically the volume of gas aspirated into the vacuum and filter unit 20 would be a large multiple of the volume of gas which is output at the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 . for a scavenging medical unit 10 for use with infants as is shown in fig1 the volume of the aspirated gas vacuumed through the filter 72 would be selected to be at least ten times greater , preferably 12 to 15 times greater , than the volume of gas introduced into the hood 14 and thus discharged out of the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 . typically medical personnel may adjust the gas flow at the inlet port 44 of the device 10 to be about 15 liters per minute . use of a 185 liters per minute vacuum and filter unit 20 would thus insure at least 12 volumes of ambient air would be aspirated across the gas inlet orifices 54 and 56 to each volume of outlet gas which is expelled from the gas orifices 54 and 56 . this insures that all gas and any residual medicinal agent contained therein which is expelled out of the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 is incorporated into the gas stream which is aspirated through the filter 72 . typically medicinal agents are nebulized into suitable gas such that particle sizes of about 1 to 2 microns of the medicinal agent are suspended in the respiratory gas . gas filter elements suitable for the filter 72 are commercially available which are designed for filtering particles sizes of from 0 . 5 microns to 20 microns . such a filter is thus easily suitable for filtration of residual medicinal agent in particle sizes typically output by a typical commercial nebulizer . as particles are swept through the filter 22 they impact on the glass fibers of the filter impaling themselves thereon and thus are removed from the gas stream which is aspirated through the filter . gas exhausted at exhaust ports 84 of the filter 20 has thus been cleansed of any residual medicinal agent which was expelled from the hood 14 via the outlet orifices 54 and 56 . the filter is fabricated of disposable material . residual medicinal agent collected on the filter is conveniently and safely disposed of with the filter . since there is an overwhelming ratio of the aspirate gas flow through the vacuum and filter unit 20 compared to the outlet at the outlet orifices 54 and 56 , medical personnel are free to choose a variety of flow rates for respiratory gasses introduced into the interior of the hood 14 while still maintaining a high degree of safety and insure that any residual medicinal agent not utilized by the patient within the hood 14 is safely removed from the exhaust respiratory gasses which are aspirated at the outlet orifices 54 and 56 . other filtering membranes , as for instance , a hepa filter medium could be used for the medium for the filter 72 if desired . however , for purging of aerosolized medicinal agents a typical commercial glass filter is normally sufficient in removing such agents from the gas stream aspirated through the filter . fig6 shows a clip which is utilized to maintain the two arms of the tubing 18 adjacent to the sides 26 and 28 of the hood 14 during operation of the device 10 . a u shaped bracket 86 is sonic welded to the side panels 26 and 28 of the hood 14 . the bracket 86 is sized and shaped to accept a locking arm 88 of clip 90 . the locking arm 88 fits within the bracket 86 to fix the clip 90 to the hood 14 . the tubing 18 can then be wedged under slight pressure into the clip 90 to maintain the tube 18 neatly tucked to the sides of the hood 14 . fig5 illustrates a port through the walls of the hood 14 allowing for the introduction of tubes , wires and the like of other medical devices which might be desirable to use inside the hood 14 such devices might be oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration probes , temperature probes and the like . a square sided raised section 92 is formed in the bottom flange 36 on both the left and right side of the hood 14 . the material corresponding to the left and right sides 26 and 28 is absent in the center of the raised sections 92 . this forms two tunnels generally indicated by the numeral 94 through the bottoms of the right and left sides 26 and 28 . a small opening 96 is formed on the top of the raised section 92 . a silicone rubber sleeve 98 having a detent 100 on its bottom center fits over the raised section 92 with the detent 100 locking into the opening 96 . the back wall 102 of the sleeve 98 seals the tunnel 94 against ingress or egress of gas whether it be respiratory gas out of the device 10 or ambient air into the device 10 . the sleeve 98 is formed of a material as , for instance , a very flexible silicone rubber allowing it to deform slightly to allow for positioning of tubes , wires or the like through the tunnels 94 . the back wall 102 of the sleeve 98 deforms over such tubes or wires , however , this deformation is limited to simply that sufficient to allow for passage of the tube or wire through the tunnel 94 . alternately , the user of the hood 10 can cut a slit in the wall 102 and pass the tube or wire through the slit . since the hood 14 rests over the patient on the surface 58 it can easily be placed over or removed from the patient by simply lifting up of the same . it is preferable , at least for infants , to size the hood 14 such that it fits over the head , neck and possibly portions of the upper trunk of the patient . this allows for easy access to the lower trunk area of the patient for diaper changing and the like . the scavenging medical hood 10 of the invention is distinguished from prior known devices since all gasses from the interior of the hood 14 are expelled only to the ambient air and driven only by the pressure differential between the gas inlet pressure and the ambient pressure . in the device 10 no direct vacuum linkages to the interior of the hood 14 are necessary and consequently no adjustment of vacuum gas flows nor equalization of gas flows need be effected by the medical personnel utilizing the scavenging medical hood 10 of the invention . further , when aerosolized medication is not being delivered the scavenging hood 10 of the invention can be utilized as a conventional oxygen delivery hood . in such instance it may or may not be desirable to concurrently utilize the vacuum and filter unit 20 . when the vacuum and filter unit 20 are being utilized to scavenge residual aerosolized medicinal agent , the air baffle 38 serves to passivate air currents in the ambient air proximal to both the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 and the patient opening 50 . this increases the efficiency of aspiration of residual aerosolized medicinal agent contained in the gas discharged from the outlet orifices 54 and 56 or around an imperfect seal formed between the collar 16 and the patient 12 . by locating the vacuum ports 60 and 62 at an angle to the outlet orifices 54 and 56 aspirate efficiency is achieved . thus the flow of gas aspirated into the vacuum ports 60 and 62 is specifically drawn across the surfaces of the gas outlet orifices 54 and 56 to insure that all gas and any residual medicinal agent contained therein expelled from the hood 14 through the outlet orifices 54 and 56 is incorporated into the aspirate gas aspirated into the vacuum and filter unit 20 .	0
depicted in fig7 is a first embodiment of the invention according to which the bias circuit comprises a transistor m10 acting as an equivalent resistor and whose drain is connected to the output 10 of the circuit and also to a capacitor c . the source of this transistor m10 is linked to a source 11 of a bias voltage v polref and also to the source of another transistor m11 . the gate of the transistor m10 is connected both to that of the transistor m11 and to the drain of the latter . the transistor m10 conducts a current i and engenders a voltage drop δu between its source and drain terminals . the bias circuit also comprises a current source 12 sinking a bias current i pol into the transistor m11 . according to the invention , the circuit comprises means making it possible to impose the amplitude and shape of the ac voltage of the signal to be biased on at least one of the nodes of the circuit , or in other words to modulate the current i passing through the transistor m10 . in the circuit of fig7 these means are formed by a capacitive voltage divider 13 comprising two capacitors c1 and c2 in series . this divider is linked between the earth 14 of the circuit and its input 15 to which the ac voltage to be biased is applied . the node between the capacitors c1 and c2 is connected to the node between the current source 12 and the transistor m11 . according to a variant of this circuit , the capacitor c ( referenced ca and represented dashed in fig7 ), can be connected between the input terminal and the divider 13 , rather than between this divider and the output terminal 10 . in this case , the point common to the capacitor ca and to the capacitor c1 is connected to the terminal 10 . in the circuit just described , the ac voltages of all the nodes are fixed by the capacitances of the capacitors of the voltage divider 13 and especially that of the gate of the transistor m10 . these voltages are therefore not influenced by the conductances of the various components , such as those of the transistors m10 and m11 . thus , it is possible to use very weak dc bias currents creating likewise very weak conductances in the active elements . these components therefore only very lightly load not only dc but also ac voltage sources . by thus modulating the gate of the transistor m10 at the same time as its drain , a transfer characteristic of the transistor m10 is obtained , the shape of which results from fig8 . it can be seen that , as compared with the characteristic of fig4 this curve takes a dynamic form with very good symmetry in relation to the axes . it should be noted that in this respect there is no need to consider the capacitive components of the current i , since these are zero on average and are therefore not involved in developing the mean dc voltages . another noteworthy property of the circuit according to the invention consists in that , contrary to the prior art circuits described above , the proper operation of the circuit can be guaranteed upwards of a certain minimum frequency . the choice between the circuit configuration using the capacitor c and that using the capacitor ca depends on the stray capacitances associated with the functional capacitances of the circuit , on the relative magnitudes of these capacitances , on the allowable loads at the input 15 and at the output 10 and on the decay which can be tolerated at the level of the output 10 . the ratio of the voltage divider 13 can be chosen on the basis of requirements . advantageously , by using a network of capacitors in the integrated circuit , this ratio can be made adjustable by conventional programing techniques . consequently , the function d umean = f ( u ac ) becomes programable . the bias circuit according to the embodiment of the invention represented in fig9 is of the differential type . in this case , the circuit comprises a pair of n - type transistors m12 and m13 and another pair of p - type transistors m14 and m15 , the transistor m12 forming the equivalent resistor r . the current source 12 delivering the current i pol is connected to the sources of the transistors m12 and m13 , to which the middle point of the capacitive divider 13 is likewise linked . the source 11 of reference voltage v polref is connected to the gate of the transistor m13 . the two transistors m14 and m15 are connected respectively in series with the transistors m12 and m13 . the node between the transistors m12 and m14 constitutes the output terminal 10 of the circuit , whereas this output terminal is linked to the input terminal 15 by way of the capacitor c . the circuit of fig9 has the advantage of requiring a weaker supply voltage than in the case of fig7 for the same voltage v polref . the circuit of fig1 is a variant of the circuit of fig7 in which the node 16 between the transistors m10 and m11 is joined to the drain of a third transistor m16 which is also connected to the middle point of the voltage divider 13 . moreover , this transistor m16 is connected in series with the transistor m11 . this series arrangement is connected in parallel with a capacitor c4 . in this case , the bias voltage v polref is &# 34 ; implicit &# 34 ; and close to the threshold voltage of the n mos transistors . the bias circuit according to the embodiment of fig1 includes a current mirror composed of the transistors m17 and m18 . the transistor m19 acts as an equivalent resistor . the node between the transistors m18 and m19 is here connected to the middle point of the voltage divider 13 . each of the branches of the circuit comprises a current source , 17 and 18 resp . the current in the transistor m19 is determined by the current source i p1 . the current mirror serves to maintain the mean dc potential of the node 13 at a value close to zero . the bias circuit according to the embodiment of fig1 comprises a transistor m20 acting as an equivalent resistor and two other transistors m21 a m22 linked in series and whose gates form a common node 19 which is earthed via a capacitor c6 . this node 19 is also connected to a first current source 20 sinking into the series arrangement of the transistors m21 and m22 . the node 21 between the respective drain and respective source of the transistors m21 and m22 is linked to the middle point of the capacitive divider 13 . a second current source 23 sinks into the transistor m20 . fig1 shows another embodiment of the bias circuit in the context of its use in a quartz oscillator . this arrangement includes a quartz 23 connected to a transistor m23 . this arrangement likewise comprises a transistor m24 acting as an equivalent resistor . the gate of this transistor m24 is connected to the middle point of the capacitive divider 13 and also to a bias node 24 which is the junction point between a current source 25 and two bias transistors m25 and m26 which are arranged in series . the gate of the transistor m23 is connected to a node 26a situated between the capacitors c and c1 . this node is at a voltage which is in phase opposition with respect to the node 26b between the transistors m23 and m24 . moreover , capacitors c7 , c8 and c9 are connected between earth and the respective nodes 15 , 25 and 10 . by virtue of the invention , it is therefore possible to impose , with good accuracy , the value of the dc component of an ac voltage or of a difference of ac voltages , without having to use ohmic resistors for this purpose . for a given amplitude of the input voltage , the value of the equivalent resistor created in the circuits according to the invention can be determined by a current or a voltage . the bias circuit according to the invention can operate with very weak dc currents . by appropriately dimensioning the transistors of the circuit , it is possible to minimize the ohmic losses due to the real part of the admittance seen by the input voltage at the working frequency . this property is particularly attractive in the circuit of fig1 and more generally in quartz oscillators in which the losses may be particularly troublesome from the standpoint of consumption and frequency stability . given that , in the circuit according to the invention , the presence of an ohmic resistor of high value is avoided , a saving of space is obtained in the integrated circuit which is all the larger the smaller the resistivity in the circuit . furthermore , it has been possible to observe that the overall capacitance to earth of the circuit according to the invention , incorporated into an integrated circuit , can be smaller than the stray capacitance of a circuit which uses an ohmic resistor made in a resistive layer . it has also been seen that the shape of the transfer curve of the active component forming the equivalent resistor can be programed by appropriately modifying the values of the capacitances of the capacitive divider 13 . furthermore , the slope of this characteristic is hardly dependent on the currents present in the components of the arrangement . finally , the circuit has favourable behaviour in terms of frequency , since the offset in the dc level of the output voltage is independent of frequency in as much as the latter exceeds a predetermined lower limit .	7
in accordance with this invention , a novel substance is described , which is prepared by growing under controlled conditions , with , as a substrate avermectin bla , avermectin blb or 22 , 23 - dihydro avermectin bla , a known strain of microorganism , nocardia autotrophica sub . sp . canberrica ma - 6181 . the compounds are obtained by fermentation and recovered in substantially pure form as described herein . the culture designated ma - 6181 is in the culture collection of merck & amp ; co ., inc ., rahway , n . j . a sample of this culture , capable of producing the herein described compound , is available in the permanent culture collection of the american type culture collection at 12301 parklawn drive , rockville , md . 20852 , and has been assigned the accession number atcc 35203 . the instant compounds are produced from avermectin bla , avermectin blb or 22 , 23 - dihydro avermectin bla during the aerobic fermentation of suitable aqueous nutrient media under conditions described hereinafter , with a strain of nocardia autotrophica ma - 6181 . aqueous media such as those used for the production of many antibiotic substances are suitable for use in this process for the production of these macrocyclic compounds . such nutrient media contain sources of carbon and nitrogen assimilable by the microorganism and generally low levels of inorganic salts . in addition , the fermentation media may contain traces of metals necessary for the growth of the microorganisms , and production of the desired compounds . these are usually present in sufficient concentrations in the complex sources of carbon and nitrogen , which may be used as nutrient sources , but can , of course , be added separately to the medium if desired . in general , carbohydrates such as sugars , for example dextrose , sucrose , maltose , lactose , dextran , cerelose , corn meal , oat flour , and the like , and starches are suitable sources of assimilable carbon in the nutrient media . the exact quantity of the carbon source which is utilized in the medium will depend , in part , upon the other ingredients in the medium , but it is usually found that an amount of carbohydrate between 0 . 5 and 5 % by weight of the medium is satisfactory . these carbon sources can be used individually or several such carbon sources may be combined in the same medium . various nitrogen sources such as yeast hydrolysates , yeast autolysates , yeast cells , tomato paste , corn meal , oat flour , soybean meal , casein hydrolysates , yeast extracts , corn steep liquors , distillers solubles , cottonseed meal , meat extract and the like , are readily assimilable by nocardia autotrophica ma - 6181 in the production of the instant compounds . the various sources of nitrogen can be used alone or in combination in amounts ranging from 0 . 2 to 6 % by weight of the medium . among the nutrient inorganic salts , which can be incorporated in the culture media are the customary salts capable of yielding sodium , potassium , magnesium , ammonium , calcium , phosphate , sulfate , chloride , carbonate , and like ions . also included are trace metals such as cobalt , manganese , and the like . it should be noted that the media described hereinbelow and in the examples are merely illustrative of the wide variety of media , which may be employed , and not intended to be limitative . the following are examples of media suitable for growing strains of nocardia autotrophica ma - 6181 . ______________________________________dextrose 1 . 0 gdextrin ( fisher ) 10 . 0 gbeef extract ( difco ) 3 . 0 gyeast autolysate ( ardamine ph , 5 . 0 gyeast prod . ) nz amine type e ( sheffield ) 5 . 0 gmgso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 0 . 05 gphosphate buffer 2 mlcaco . sub . 3 0 . 5 gdh . sub . 2 o 1000 mlph 7 . 0 - 7 . 2______________________________________phosphate buffer : kh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 91 . 0 g na . sub . 2 hpo . sub . 4 95 . 0 g dh . sub . 2 o 1000 mlph 7 . 0______________________________________ ______________________________________yeast extract ( difco ) 4 . 0 gmalt extract ( difco ) 10 . 0 gdextrose 4 . 0 gdh . sub . 2 o 1000 mlagar 20 gph 7 . 2______________________________________ ______________________________________basal______________________________________sucrose 103 gk . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 0 . 25 gglucose 10 gl - asparagine 1 . 8 gcasamino acids ( difco ) 0 . 1 gmgcl . sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o 10 . 12 gtrace element mix a 2 mldh . sub . 2 o to 700 mlagar 22 . 0 g______________________________________post - sterilization additions , per 700 ml basal : ______________________________________100 ml of cacl . sub . 2 solution ( 29 . 5 g / 1000 ml dh . sub . 2 o ) 100 ml of kh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 solution ( 0 . 5 g / 1000 ml dh . sub . 2 o ) 100 ml of tes solution ( 0 . 3 g tris hcl + 0 . 1 g edta + 0 . 14 g nacl in 1000 ml dh . sub . 2 o , adjust to ph 8 . 0 ) ______________________________________trace element mix a composition : ______________________________________fe ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 3 . 7h . sub . 2 o 250 mgmncl . sub . 2 . 4h . sub . 2 o 500 mgcucl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 25 mgcacl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgh . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 50 mg ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 6 mo . sub . 7 o . sub . 24 . 4h . sub . 2 o 20 mgznso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 100 mgco ( no . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o 20 mg0 . 1 n hcl 1000 ml______________________________________ ______________________________________dextrin ( fisher ) 40 gdistillers solubles ( grain processing 7 gcorp . ) yeast extract ( oxoid ) 5 gcocl . sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o 50 mgdh . sub . 2 o 1000 mlph 7 . 3______________________________________ ______________________________________dextrose 45 gpeptonized milk ( sheffield ) 24 gardamine ph ( yeast products , inc .) 2 . 5 gpolyglycol 2000 ( dow ) 2 . 5 mld / h . sub . 2 o 1000 mlph 7 . 0______________________________________ ______________________________________dextrose 2 . 0 % yeast extract ( difco ) 2 . 0casamino acids ( difco ) 2 . 0kno . sub . 3 0 . 2mgso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 0 . 05nacl 0 . 05feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 0 . 0025cacl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 0 . 002znso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 0 . 001mnso . sub . 4 . h . sub . 2 o 0 . 0005d h . sub . 2 o 1000 mlph 7 . 0 with naoh______________________________________ ______________________________________dextrose 0 . 1 % soluble starch ( fisher ) 1 . 0beef extract ( difco ) 0 . 3yeast autolysate ( ardamine ph 0 . 5yeast products ) nz amine type e ( sheffield ) 0 . 5mgso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 0 . 005kh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 0 . 0182na . sub . 2 hpo . sub . 4 0 . 0190caco . sub . 3 * 0 . 05d h . sub . 2 o 1000 mlph 7 . 0 - 7 . 2 with naoh______________________________________ * added after ph adjustment the fermentation employing nocardia autotrophica ma - 6181 can be conducted at temperatures ranging from about 20 ° c . to about 40 ° c . for optimum results , it is most convenient to conduct these fermentations at a temperature in the range of from about 24 ° c . to about 30 ° c . temperatures of about 27 °- 28 ° c . are most preferred . the ph of the nutrient medium suitable for producing the instant compounds can vary from about 5 . 0 to 8 . 5 with a preferred range of from about 6 . 0 to 7 . 5 . small scale fermentations are conveniently carried out by placing suitable quantities of nutrient media in a flask employing known sterile techniques , inoculating the flask with either spores or vegetative cellular growth of nocardia autotrophica ma - 6181 loosely stoppering the flask with cotton and permitting the fermentation to proceed in a constant temperature room of about 28 ° c . on a rotary shaker at from 95 to 300 rpm for about 2 to 10 days . for larger scale work , it is preferable to conduct the fermentation in suitable tanks provided with an agitator and a means of aerating the fermentation medium . the nutrient medium is made up in the tank and after sterilization is inoculated with a source of vegetative cellular growth of nocardia autotrophica ma - 6181 . the fermentation is allowed to continue for from 1 to 8 days while agitating and / or aerating the nutrient medium at a temperature in the range of from about 24 ° to 37 ° c . the degree of aeration is dependent upon several factors such as the size of the fermentor , agitation speed , and the like . generally the larger scale fermentations are agitated at about 95 to 500 rpm and about 2 to 20 cubic feet per minute ( cfm ) of air . the separation of the novel compounds from the whole fermentation broth and the recovery of said compounds is carried out by solvent extraction and application of chromatographic fractionations with various chromatographic techniques and solvent systems . the instant compounds have slight solubility in water , but are soluble in organic solvents . this property may be conveniently employed to recover the compounds from the fermentation broth . thus , in one recovery method , the whole fermentation broth is combined with approximately an equal volume of an organic solvent . while any organic solvent may be employed , it is preferable to use a water immiscible solvent such as ethyl acetate , methylene chloride , chloroform and the like . generally several extractions are desirable to achieve maximum recovery . the solvent removes the instant compounds as well as other substances lacking the antiparasitic activity of the instant compounds . if the solvent is a water immiscible one , the layers are separated and the organic solvent is evaporated under reduced pressure . if the solvent is water miscible , it can be extracted with a water immiscible solvent to separate the entrained water . this solvent can then be concentrated under reduced pressure . the residue is placed onto a chromatography column containing preferably , silica gel . the column retains the desired products and some impurities , but lets many of the impurities , particularly the nonpolar impurities , pass through . the column is washed with a moderately polar organic solvent such as methylene chloride or chloroform to further remove impurities , and is then washed with a mixture of methylene chloride or chloroform and an organic solvent of which acetone , ethyl acetate , methanol , and ethanol and the like are preferred . the solvent is evaporated and the residue further chromatographed using column chromatography , thin layer chromatography , preparative layer chromatography , high pressure liquid chromatography preferably reverse phase , and the like , with silica gel , aluminum oxide , dextran gels and the like , as the chromatographic medium , with various solvents and combinations of solvents as the eluent . thin layer , high pressure , liquid and preparative layer chromatography may be employed to detect the presence of , and to isolate the instant compound . the use of the foregoing techniques as well as others known to those skilled in the art , will afford purified compositions containing the instant compound . the presence of the desired compound is determined by analyzing the various chromatographic fractions for biological activity against selected parasites , or physicochemical characteristics . the structure of the instant compounds has been determined by detailed analysis of the various spectral characteristics of the compounds , in particular their nuclear magnetic resonance , mass , ultraviolet and infrared spectra . fig1 and 3 attached hereto are the nuclear magnetic spectra of the compounds obtained in the instant invention identified below as compounds a , b and c respectively . based on these experimental data , the instant compounds are believed to have the following structural formula based upon the immediately preceding analytical data : the compounds are assigned the names : ( a ) 27 - hydroxy - 22 , 23 - dihydro avermectin bla ; ( b ) 27 - hydroxy avermectin bla ; and ( c ) 26 hydroxy avermectin blb . ______________________________________hr - ms found calculated for assignment______________________________________a 890 . 5023 890 . 5028 c . sub . 48 h . sub . 74 o . sub . 15 m . sup .+ b 870 . 4767 870 . 4766 c . sub . 48 h . sub . 70 o . sub . 14 m . sup .+ c 856 . 4606 856 . 4609 c . sub . 47 h . sub . 68 o . sub . 14 m . sup .+ ______________________________________ the structure is as follows : ## str1 ## wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and the broken line at the 22 , 23 - positions have the following meanings : a -- r 1 = h , r 2 = oh , r 3 = ch 3 , 22 , 23 - single bond b -- r 1 = h , r 2 = oh , r 3 = ch 3 , 22 , 23 - double bond the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum for these compounds are found in the attached fig1 - 3 respectively and were originally recorded in cdcl 3 at ambient temperature on a varian xl - 400 nmr spectrometer . chemical shifts are shown in ppm relative to tetramethylsilane as an internal standard at zero ppm . the novel compounds of this invention have significant parasiticidal activity as an anthelmintic , insecticide and acaricide , in human and animal health and in agriculture . the disease or group of diseases described generally as helminthiasis is due to infection of an animal host with parasitic worms known as helminths . helminthiasis is a prevalent and serious economic problem in domesticated animals such as swine , sheep , horses , cattle , goats , dogs , cats and poultry . among the helminths , the group of worms described as nematodes causes widespread and often times serious infection in various species of animals . the most common genera of nematodes infecting the animals referred to above are haemonchus , trichostrongylus , ostertagia , nematodirus , cooperia , ascaris , bunostomum , oesophagostomum , chabertia , trichuris , strongylus , trichonema , dictyocaulus , capillaria , heterakis , toxocara , ascaridia , oxyuris , ancylostoma , uncinaria , toxascaris and parascaris . certain of these , such as nematodirus , cooperia , and oesophagostomum attack primarily the intestinal tract while others , such as haemonchus and ostertagia , are more prevalent in the stomach while other such as dictyocaulus are found in the lungs . still other parasites may be located in other tissues and organs of the body such as the heart and blood vessels , subcutaneous and lymphatic tissue and the like . the parasitic infections known as helminthiasis lead to anemia , malnutrition , weakness , weight loss , severe damage to the walls of the intestinal tract and other tissues and organs and , if left untreated , may result in death of the infected host . the compounds of this invention have unexpectedly high activity against these parasites , and in addition are also active against dirofilaria in dogs , nematospiroides , syphacia , aspiculuris in rodents , arthropod ectoparasites of animals and birds such as ticks , mites , lice , fleas , blowfly , in sheep lucilia sp ., biting insects and such migrating dipterous larvae as hypoderma sp . in cattle , gastrophilus in horses , and cuterebra sp . in rodents . the instant compounds are also useful against parasites which infect humans . the most common genera of parasites of the gastro - intestinal tract of parasites of man are ancylostoma , necator , ascaris , strongyloides , trichinella , capillaria , trichuris , and enterobius . other medically important genera of parasites which are found in th blood or other tissues and organs outside the gastro - intestinal tract are the filiarial worms such as wuchereria , brugia , onchocerca and loa , dracunculus and extra intestinal stages of the intestinal worms strongyloides and trichinella . the compounds are also of value against arthropods parasitizing man , biting insects and other dipterous pests causing annoyance to man . the compounds are also active against household pests such as the cockroach , blatella sp ., clothes moth , tineola sp ., carpet beetle , attagenus sp . and the housefly musca domestica . the compounds are also useful against insect pests of stored grains such as tribolium sp ., tenebrio sp . and of agricultural plants such as spider mites , ( tetranychus sp . ), aphids ( acyrthiosiphon migratory orthopterans such as locusts and immature stages of insects living on plant tissue . the compounds are useful as a nematocide for the control of soil nematodes and plant parasites such as meloidogyne spp . which may be of importance in agriculture . these compounds may be administered orally in a unit dosage form such as a capsule , bolus or tablet , or as a liquid drench where used as an anthelmintic in mammals . the drench is normally a solution , suspension or dispersion of the active ingredient usually in water together with a suspending agent such as bentonite and a wetting agent or like excipient . generally , the drenches also contain an antifoaming agent . drench formulations generally contain from about 0 . 001 to 0 . 5 % by weight of the active compound . preferred drench formulations may contain from 0 . 01 to 0 . 1 % by weight . the capsules and boluses comprise the active ingredient admixed with a carrier vehicle such as starch , talc , magnesium stearate , or dicalcium phosphate . where it is desired to administer the instant compounds in a dry , solid unit dosage form , capsules , boluses or tablets containing the desired amount of active compound usually are employed . these dosage forms are prepared by intimately and uniformly mixing the active ingredient with suitable finely divided diluents , fillers , disintegrating agents and / or binders such as starch , lactose , talc , magnesium stearate , vegetable gums and the like . such unit dosage formulations may be varied widely with respect to their total weight and content of the antiparasitic agent depending upon factors such as the type of host animal to be treated , the severity and type of infection and the weight of the host . when the active compounds are to be administered via an animal feedstuff , they are intimately dispersed in the feed or used as a top dressing or in the form of pellets which may then be added to the finished feed or optionally fed separately . alternatively , the antiparasitic compounds of our invention may be administered to animals parenterally , for example , by intraruminal , intramuscular , intratracheal , or subcutaneous injection in which event the active ingredient is dissolved or dispersed in a liquid carrier vehicle . for parenteral administration , the active material is suitably admixed with an acceptable vehicle , preferably of the vegetable oil variety such as peanut oil , cotton seed oil and the like . other parenteral vehicles such as organic preparations using solketal , glycerol , formal and aqueous parenteral formulations are also used . the active compounds are dissolved or suspended in the parenteral formulation for administration ; such formulations generally contain from 0 . 005 to 5 % by weight of the active compound . although the antiparasitic agents of this invention finds its primary use in the treatment and / or prevention of helminthiasis , it is also useful in the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by other parasites , for example , arthropod parasites such as ticks , lice , fleas , mites and other biting insects in domesticated animals and poultry . they are also effective in treatment of parasitic diseases that occur in other animals including humans . the optimum amount to be employed for best results will , of course , depend upon the species of animal to be treated and the type and severity of parasitic infection or infestation . generally , good results are obtained with our novel compounds by the oral administration of from about 0 . 001 to 10 mg per kg of animal body weight , such total dose being given at one time or in divided doses over a relatively short period of time such as 1 - 5 days . with the preferred compounds of the invention , excellent control of such parasites is obtained in animals by administering from about 0 . 025 to 0 . 5 mg per kg of body weight in a single dose . repeat treatments are given as required to combat re - infections and are dependent upon the species of parasite and the husbandry techniques being employed . the techniques for administering these materials to animals are known to those skilled in the veterinary field . when the compounds described herein is administered as a component of the feed of the animals , or dissolved or suspended in the drinking water , compositions are provided in which the active compound is intimately dispersed in an inert carrier or diluent . by inert carrier is meant one that will not react with the antiparasitic agent and one that may be administered safely to animals . preferably , a carrier for feed administration is one that is , or may be , an ingredient of the animal ration . suitable compositions include feed premixes or supplements in which the active ingredient is present in relatively large amounts and which are suitable for direct feeding to the animal or for addition to the feed either directly or after an intermediate dilution or blending step . typical carriers or diluents suitable for such compositions include , for example , distillers &# 39 ; dried grains , corn meal , citrus meal , fermentation residues , ground oyster shells , wheat shorts , molasses solubles , corn cob meal , edible bean mill feed , soya grits , crushed limestone and the like . the active compound is intimately dispersed throughout the carrier by methods such as grinding , stirring , milling or tumbling . compositions containing from about 0 . 005 to 2 . 0 % by weight of the active compound are particularly suitable as feed premixes . feed supplements , which are fed directly to the animal , contain from about 0 . 0002 to 0 . 3 % by weight of the active compounds . such supplements are added to the animal feed in an amount to give the finished feed the concentration of active compound desired for the treatment and control of parasitic diseases . although the desired concentration of active compound will vary depending upon the factors previously mentioned , the compounds of this invention are usually fed at concentrations of between 0 . 00001 to 0 . 002 % in the feed in order to achieve the desired anti - parasitic result . in addition , where the instant compound is to be added to an animal &# 39 ; s feed , it is possible to utilize the dried mycelial cake from the fermentation broth . the mycelia contain a preponderance of the activity and since the level of the activity of the mycelia can be determined , it can be added directly to the animal &# 39 ; s feed . the compounds of this invention have a broad spectrum of activity against many internal parasites at low dosage levels and in many different animals . at levels of about 2 . 5 mg per kg of animal body weight , concentrated mixtures of the instant compounds are fully active in sheep against haemonchus contortus , ostertagia circumcincta , trichostrongylus axei , trichostrongylus colubriformis , cooperia spp ., and oesophagostomum columbianum . similarly in cattle at dosages as low as 0 . 043 mg / kg the instant compounds are fully active against ostertagia ostertage , trichostrongylus axei , trichostrongylus colubriformis , oesophagostomum radiatum and dictyocaulus viviparus . in addition , horses infected with bots ( gastrophilus intestinalis and gastrophilus haemorrhoidalis ), large and small strongylus and oxyuris are successfully treated with 10 mg / kg ( about 1 % active compound by weight ) of a mixed concentrate of the instant compounds , and dogs infected with the microfilarial stage of heartworm ( dirofilaria immitis ) are successfully treated with a single oral dose at 10 mg / kg ( about 1 % active compound by weight ) of a concentrate of the instant compound . in rodents , such as mice , infections of syphacia , nematospiroides and aspiculuris are successfully treated by the oral administration of the instant compound or of the concentrate obtained from the extraction of the mycelia . the compounds of this invention are also useful in combatting agricultural pests that inflict damage upon crops while they are growing or while in storage . the compounds are applied using known techniques as sprays , dusts , emulsions and the like , to the growing or stored crops to effect protection from such agricultural pests . the anthelmintic activity of the instant compounds may be determined by orally administering via the feed , a sample of the individual compound , a concentrated extract , and the like to a mouse which had been infected 3 days earlier with nematospiroides dubius . at 11 , 12 and 13 days afer the initiation of the medication , the feces of the mouse are examined for n . dubius eggs , and on the next day the mouse is sacrificed and the number of worms present in the proximal portion of the small intestine are determined . an active compound is observed when there is a significant reduction of egg and worm counts when compared to infected , unmedicated controls . the following examples are being provided in order that the instant invention may be more fully understood . such examples are not to be construed as being limitative of the invention . ______________________________________media : g / l______________________________________seed medium adextrose 4 . 0 gnutrient broth 4 . 0 gyeast extract 4 . 0 gmalt extract 10 . 0 g1000 ml distilled h . sub . 2 o ph 7 . 3slant medium bmedium a plus agar 20 . 0 gtransformation medium csame as medium a , plus 0 . 25 gsubstrate at______________________________________ a lyophile tube was aseptically opened and grown in seed medium a ( 20 ml in a 250 ml 3 - baffle erlenmyer flask ) for 48 hours on a rotary shaker ( 220 rpm ) at 27 ° c . this seed was then used to inoculate slants ( medium b ), transformation flasks ( medium c ), and to prepare frozen vials for future studies . the substrate was added post sterilization and prior to inoculation . methanol was used to solubilize the substrate for filter sterilization and addition . the transformation flasks ( 40 ml medium c in 250 ml 3 - baffle erlenmyer flask ) were incubated for 7 days with agitation ( 220 rpm ) at 27 ° c . following incubation , the whole broths were extracted as follows : a . 50 ml methylene chloride were added to 40 ml whole broth and mechanically agitated for 15 minutes . the emulsion was broken by centrifugation and methylene chloride separated . step &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; was repeated 3 times . b . the pooled methylene chloride extracts were taken to dryness under vacuum . c . the dried methylene chloride fraction was solubilized with 25 ml ( x3 ) ethanol / 0 . 1m k 2 hpo 4 , ph 7 . 0 ( 40 / 60 ). three extracts pooled . d . the phosphate buffer : ethanol fraction was extracted with 25 ml cyclohexane ( x3 ) to remove the residual substrate . the cyclohexane fractions were pooled and taken to dryness under vacuum . the residue was solubilized with a known volume of methanol , dried with anhydrous na 2 so 4 and , where appropriate , total radioactivity determined by scintillation counting . e . the phosphate buffer : ethanol fraction previously extracted with cyclohexane , was then extracted with 25 ml methylene chloride ( x3 ) to separate the altered substrate . the methylene chloride fractions were pooled and taken to dryness under vacuum . the residue was solubilized with a known volumn of methanol , dried with anhydrous na 2 so 4 and total , where appropriate , radioactivity determined by scintillation counting . f . all organic fractions were submitted for hplc analysis to determine and isolate non - substrate avermectins . substrate : 25 mg 22 , 23 , dihydro avermectin bla twenty five flasks pooled and extracted for product isolation and identification . the final methylene chloride extract residue , sample d from example 1b was dissolved in 400 microliters of 85 / 15 v / v methanol / water , filtered and the filtrate subjected to preparative hplc chromatography on a dupont zorbax ods reverse phase c 18 column 0 . 94 × 25 cm , at room temperature , using a solvent system of 85 / 15 v / v methanol / water at a flow rate of 4 ml / minute . the effluent stream was monitored at 243 nm using an ldc spectromonitor ii with a one mm path length cell at a setting of 0 . 64 aufs , and a spectra - physics sp4100 computing integrator . eleven fractions were collected . fraction ten , 22 . 5 minutes to 25 . 5 minutes , was concentrated to dryness . the residue was taken up in 1 ml of methanol and labeled sample e . the cyclohexane extract residue , sample c from example 1b was dissolved in 700 mcl of 85 / 15 v / v methanol / water , filtered and the filtrate subjected to preparative hplc chromatography on a dupont zorbax ods reverse phase c 18 column 0 . 94 × 25 cm , at room temperature using a solvent system of 85 / 15 v / v methanol / water at a flow rate of 4 ml / minute . the effluent stream was monitored at 243 nm using an ldc spectromonitor ii with a one mm path length cell at a setting of 0 . 32 aufs , and a spectra - physics sp4100 computing integrator . eleven fractions were collected . fraction three , 23 minutes to 25 . 5 minutes , was concentrated to dryness . the residue was taken up in one - half ml of methanol and labeled sample f . samples e and f were combined in 5 ml of methanol and labeled g . ultraviolet quantitation of solution carried out as follows : assaying at a dilution of 1 : 5 in methanol . ## equ1 ## sample g from example 3 was concentrated to dryness and the residue taken up in 200 mcl of methanol and subjected to preparative hplc chromatography on a dupont zorbax ods c 18 reverse phase column 0 . 94 × 25 cm at room temperature using a solvent system of 85 / 15 v / v methanol / water at a flow rate of 4 ml / minute for thirty - four minutes followed by a gradient of 85 % methanol to 100 % methanol over five minutes at 4 ml / minute and maintaining at 100 % methanol for seventy - six minutes . the effluent system was monitored at 243 nm using an ldc spectromonitor ii with a one mm path length cell at a setting of 0 . 32 aufs , and a spectraphysics sp4100 computing integrator . seven fractions were collected . fraction six , 27 minutes to 29 minutes was concentrated to dryness . the residue was taken up in 10 ml of methanol and diluted 1 : 5 with methanol for ultra - violet quantitation . sample labeled h . ## equ2 ## sample h assigned the structure 27 - hydroxy - 22 , 23 - dihydro avermectin bla . fig1 is the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum for this compound . the transformation and extraction methodology of example 1 was repeated for the following specific examples . substrate : 45 mg avermectin bla forty - five flasks pooled for product isolation and identification . substrate : 50 mg avermectin bla fifty flasks pooled for product isolation and identification sample e from specific example e was concentrated to 0 . 5 ml in methanol and filtered . the filter was washed with 0 . 1 ml of methanol and the filtrate and wash combined . the combined filtrate and wash was subjected to preparative hplc chromatography on a dupont zorbax ods c18 column 0 . 94 × 25 cm . maintained at room temperature . the chromatography was carried out using a solvent of 80 / 20 v / v methanol / water at a flow rate of 4 ml / minute . the effluent stream was monitored at 243 nm using an l . d . c . spectro - monitor - ii with a 1 mm path length cell and a setting of 0 . 64 aufs . thirty - one fractions were collected based on the ultra - violet trace . selected fractions were concentrated to dryness and taken up in 1 ml of methanol for quantitation . the samples were quantitated using an analytical hplc system of 80 / 20 v / v methanol / water at 1 ml / minute and a dupont zorbax ods c18 column 0 . 46 × 25 cm maintained at 27 ° c ., monitoring the effluent at 243 nm . the sample concentrations were calculated as follows : ## equ3 ## fractions 13 and 14 were found to contain 1 . 53 and 0 . 24 mg respectively of the desired compound . fractions 13 and 14 were combined and labeled sample e - 1 which was identified as 27 - hydroxy - avermectin - bla . fig2 is the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum for this compound . the transformation and extraction methodology of example 1 was repeated for the following specific examples : substrate : 45 mg avermectin blb forty - five flasks pooled for product isolation and identification . sample f from specific example i was concentrated to dryness and the residue taken up in 0 . 5 ml of methanol . this solution was filtered and the filtrate subjected to preparative hplc chromatography on a dupont zorbax ods c18 column 0 . 94 × 25 cm at room temperature . the chromatography was carried out at 4 ml / minute using the following gradient developed by an dupont 8800 gradient controller . gradient : 75 / 25 methanol / water for 68 minutes than a linear gradient over one minute to 77 / 23 methanol / water , hold for 23 minutes , then a linear gradient over one minute to 79 / 21 methanol water , hold for 30 minutes then linear gradient to 100 % methanol over 10 minutes , hold for 30 minutes . the effluent stream was monitored at 243 nm using an l . d . c . spectro - monitor - ii with a 1 mm path length cell and a setting of 1 . 28 aufs . thirty fractions were collected based on the ultra - violet trace . selected fractions were concentrated to dryness and taken up in 1 ml of methanol for quantitation . the selected fractions were quantitated using an analytical hplc system of 80 / 20 v / v methanol / water at 1 ml / minute and a dupont zorbax ods c18 column 0 . 46 × 25 cm maintained at 27 ° c ., monitoring the effluent at 243 nm . the sample concentrations were calculated as follows : ## equ4 ## fraction 10 contained 1 . 3 mg of 26 - hydroxy - avermectin - blb and fraction 23 contained 0 . 61 mg of 3 &# 34 ;-- o -- desmethyl - avermectin - blb . fig3 is the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum for 26 - hydroxy - avermectin blb .	2
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit application and uses . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or summary or the following detailed description . the motor vehicle schematically represented in fig1 is a passenger car by way of example . it comprises a body 1 and a passenger cell 2 that with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction ( x ) extends between a front wheel 5 and a rear wheel 6 . in fig1 , a floor structure 3 is represented in interrupted lines , which in the region of the rear wheel 6 merges into a rear frame structure 4 . in fig2 and fig3 , a support structure component 11 , which as an example is a cross member is shown in perspective or sectional representation . this support structure component 11 can for example be configured as a rear axle cross member , which structurally interconnects the side members of the floor structure of the motor vehicle body 1 substantially extending in vehicle longitudinal direction ( x ) in vehicle transverse direction ( y ). the support structure component 11 , as shown in fig2 and fig3 , comprises a support element 10 of sheet metal , into which a plastic fastening structure 30 is inserted . the support element 10 in this case comprises an approximately u - shaped cross - sectional profile which is almost completely filled out by the plastic fastening structure 30 . furthermore , the support structure component 11 in this case is connected to a base portion 16 projecting upwards of a floor panel 12 extending above the support structure components 11 , preferably welded . above the floor panel 12 , a u - profile - like or top - hat profile - like reinforcement profile 14 is provided . towards the front , facing in travelling direction , a profile portion 18 projecting downwards adjoins the base portion 16 and a connecting flange 15 of the support element 10 projecting towards the front , which in the embodiment according to fig2 provides a trough 20 , for example for receiving a starter battery . on the support structure component 11 provided with the plastic fastening structure 30 , a further motor vehicle component 22 is fastened . the latter in the configuration according to fig2 and fig3 comprises an approximately c - shaped profile , which at least in regions projects into the cross - sectional contour of the support element 10 . according to the geometrical configuration and the provided positioning and connection of the further motor vehicle components 22 , the plastic fastening structure 30 is recessed approximately l - shaped . the l - shaped recess 31 of the plastic fastening structure 30 makes possible an almost full area contact and bracing of the motor vehicle component 22 , which in this case can be designed for example as a fastening profile of a pull - out load carrier . for fastening the motor vehicle component 22 to the support structure component 11 , at least one fastening element 36 is provided in the region of the plastic fastening structure 30 , which can interact with a counter - fastening element 37 of the motor vehicle component 22 for fastening the latter to the support structure component 11 . for example , the plastic fastening structure 30 can be designed as a plastic molding , in particular as a plastic injection molding and comprise individual embedded fastening elements 36 enclosed by the plastic or embedded in and / or projecting there from , such as for example fastening screws or fastening nuts , clips , straps , bands or similar fastening device , with which the motor vehicle component 22 can be fastened to the support structure component 11 . the plastic fastening structure 30 is preferably connected to the support element 10 , in particular glued over the full area , i . e ., with almost all outer contours that come into contact with the support element 10 . the connection of plastic fastening structure 30 and support element 10 is preferably effected with a thermally activatable adhesive 42 , as is schematically indicated in fig5 a to fig5 c . with the help of the thermally activatable adhesive 42 , a mutual , preferably non - detachable connection of plastic fastening structure 30 and support element 10 can be effected within the course of a drying process following the painting process of the body . during the assembly of the support structure components 11 , the respective plastic fastening structure 30 adapted to the provided motor vehicle component 22 has to be selected and fixed to the support element 10 at least for the duration of the production process of the body 1 , for example , with the help of fixing elements 26 forming a positive connection . the further embodiment according to fig4 shows the connection of another motor vehicle component 24 , which is provided for example for fastening a liquefied gas tank below the floor panel 12 . compared with the motor vehicle component 22 shown in fig3 , the motor vehicle component 24 has a completely different type of geometrical configuration and requires a corresponding connection to the support structure component 11 . such a configuration - specific body - side connection can be effected in particular by selecting a plastic fastening structure 32 adapted to the motor vehicle component 24 provided here . similar to the plastic fastening structure 30 , this can be inserted into the support element 10 which compared with the embodiment according to fig3 is unchanged . compared with the plastic fastening structure 30 , the plastic fastening structure 32 provides an entirely different type of fastening structure with different or differently positioned fastening elements 36 . with the help of a fastening element 37 for example designed as a screw , the motor vehicle component 24 can be exclusively fastened to the support structure component 11 by way of the plastic fastening structure 32 . adapting the body 1 with respect to its sheet metal components to different vehicle configuration - specific motor vehicle components 22 , 24 can be advantageously omitted in this respect . the sheet metal body - in - white structure can always be formed substantially identically and invariable despite a high degree of the diversification of vehicle configurations , so that a corresponding cost and effort savings in the body - in - white construction can be achieved . the sequence of fig5 a , fig5 b and fig5 c illustrates in simplified and schematic representation different connection concepts , which can be provided with the help of different plastic fastening structures 30 , 32 , 34 each of which can be inserted in one and the same support element 10 and / or connected therewith . thus , the plastic fastening structure 30 according to fig5 a altogether comprises four fastening elements 36 of the same type , which for example can each be formed as a screw nut embedded in the plastic fastening structure 30 . as a modification thereof , the embodiment according to fig5 b shows a further plastic fastening structure 32 , in which comparable fastening elements 36 are provided in different positions compared with the embodiment according to fig5 a . in fig5 c , a variant is finally shown in which different types of fastening elements 38 , 40 are provided . for example , the fastening element 38 can provide an elongated hole guide for example in the form of a guide rail embedded in the plastic fastening structure 34 , by the fastening element 40 provides a standardized connection , for example for a strap tie or clamping tie for fastening a fuel tank . in all embodiments of the support structure component 11 according to fig5 a to fig5 c , one and the same support element 10 of sheet metal can be employed here . a mutual connection of the support element 10 to the likewise fiber - reinforced plastic fastening structure 30 , 32 , 34 formed as an injection molding can take place by means of a thermally activatable adhesive 42 , which advantageously can already be provided in a preassembled manner on the plastic fastening structure 30 , 32 , 34 in the form of an outer coating . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing summary and detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration in any way . rather , the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment , it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents .	8
referring to fig1 there is illustrated a portion of a spa 10 having a general tub enclosure shape with side wall 12 and a bottom wall 14 . the side wall has a customary lip 16 about its upper edge and a plurality of fluid jet nozzles generally indicated at 18 . each fluid jet nozzle includes a trim ring 20 on the inside surface of the wall 12 and a nozzle body 22 which communicates with a fluid distribution conduit 24 . there are various shapes and designs on the jet nozzles available ; typical of jet nozzles are those shown in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 297 , 025 ; 3 , 745 , 994 ; and 4 , 349 , 923 . regardless of the particular jet nozzle employed in the therapeutic spa , the typical therapeutic spa includes a fluid circulation system such as the water circulation system generally indicated as 26 in the figures . this includes a water return line 28 from a drain 30 or similar outlet port of the tub enclosure 10 which leads to a pump , typically a centrifugal pump 40 , having a suitable drive 42 , typically an electric motor drive . the pump discharge 34 is connected to the water distribution conduit 24 , previously described which is in open communication with each of the plurality of jet nozzles 18 . most of the modern therapeutic spas include a provision for induction of air into the pressure water line immediately prior to discharge of the water as a jet into the spa . this is illustrated in the figure where an air distributor conduit 36 is illustrated with a plurality of branch conduits 38 that extend into open communication with the nozzle portion 22 of the plurality of jet nozzles 18 . in some of these applications , the air introduction conduit is positioned at a low pressure point in the jet nozzle and the air is inducted into the nozzle which functions similar to a venturi . in alternative embodiments , the air is supplied with a blower 40 having a suitable motor drive 42 which supplies a pressured source of air for introduction into the nozzles immediately prior to discharge into the spa . the massage unit of the invention is generally indicated at 44 and comprises a casing 46 having a vibrating pad undersurface 48 and a dependent handle 50 . preferably , handle 50 also supports a operator 52 for a valve in the fluid supply line to casing 46 . the portable massager is interconnected to the spa system by sleeve 54 which can be detachably interconnected to one of the plurality of jet nozzles 18 . as illustrated , sleeve 54 has a slightly tapered or conical shape for insertion into the generally conical shape of jet nozzle 18 , thereby permitting secure insertion of sleeve 54 to a jet nozzle 18 . a flexible hose 56 interconnects sleeve 54 to handle 50 whereby the pressured fluid delivered from the jet nozzle 18 is transmitted to the interior of casing 46 for operation of the fluid motor therein , described hereinafter in greater detail . referring now to fig2 an alternative construction is provided for the connecting sleeve 55 . as there illustrated , hose 56 carries a sleeve 55 provided with external threads 57 . the latter are received within the internally threaded fitting 59 of the jet nozzle 18 . this construction is typical of that shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 349 , 923 and is a preferred construction because of the secure attachment of the sleeve and portable massage unit 44 . referring now to fig3 the massage unit 44 is illustrated in greater detail . as illustrated , casing 46 has a generally inverted cup - shape configuration with side walls such as 60 and a top wall 62 . the upper portion of the casing 46 has a fluid inlet port 64 which communicates with the hollow interior of handle 50 and with serially connected flexible hose 56 . a suitable shut - off valve ( not shown ) is also included in handle 50 with a button valve operator 52 whereby the fluid supply through handle 50 can be controlled by the user . the fluid under pressure is discharged through the inlet port 64 to impinge against a plurality of curvalinear radial blades 66 and 68 which are mounted on opposite sides of a disk 69 that is rotatably mounted in the casing by its dependent shaft 73 . disk 69 and the plurality of blades 66 and 68 thus provide a turbine blade in casing 46 and , together with the fluid pressure delivery system , provide a fluid motor for operation of the massager unit . a transverse partition 70 is provided at an intermediate elevation in the casing 44 . this partition is perforate , with apertures 72 , to permit discharge of the pressured fluid such as water from the motor chamber 74 . the shaft of the turbine blade is rotatably mounted in the transverse partition 70 , preferably by suitable bearing means 78 and 79 such as a lubricated bronze bushing and the like . shaft 73 distally supports a spur gear 80 which is meshed with driven gear 82 carried on shaft 84 . one end of shaft 84 is received in a suitable bearing 86 in transverse partition 70 and the opposite end supports spur gear 88 . a second transverse partition 90 , also with perforations 72 , is provided beneath transverse partition 70 to provide support for the shafts of the gear transmission means of the massager unit such as shaft 87 which is received in bearing 89 . the spur gear 88 is meshed with gear 91 which is rotatably mounted to transverse partition 90 by stub shaft 94 , which also can be supported in a bearing . cam wheel 92 has a cam follower 96 projecting downwardly from its undersurface . the follower 96 can be a pin or can be a roller 97 carried on a shaft that is secured to the cam wheel 92 . the lower end of the follower 96 is received in a straight , lateral or transverse slot 98 of the massage pad 100 . the massage pad 100 is mounted for reciprocating movement in the assembly between side rails 102 and 104 , each of which have a lateral groove 106 on their inside faces to receive a longitudinal tongue 108 on the mating or coacting edges of the massage pad 100 . in a preferred embodiment , massage pad 100 has an undersurface which supports a soft rubber pad 110 that can be formed of a suitable elastomer or , preferably , is formed of a sponge material . in operation , the release of pressured fluid through the inlet port of the massage unit imparts a high speed rotation to the turbine blade in the motor chamber 76 . this movement is transmitted through the transmission gears to the massage pad 110 which reciprocates to provide a suitable massaging action , the intensity of which can be controlled by valve operator 52 . as shown in fig4 the turbine blade 71 has a plurality of radial vanes or blades such as 66 having a slightly arcuate curvature . the inlet port 64 is provided with deflecting baffles 63 and 65 that direct the pressured fluid such as water and air into reaction against the blades 66 of the turbine fan 71 . preferably , baffles 63 and 65 converge slightly as shown to impart a suitable velocity to the fluid discharged against the turbine blades . referring now to fig5 the massage unit can be provided with a replacement massage pad generally indicated at 120 . this massage pad includes a plate 122 having longitudinal tongues 124 and 126 for reception in the longitudinal grooves 106 of the opposite side rails 102 and 104 mounted on the bottom edges of the casing 44 . the particular massage unit shown in fig5 includes a plurality of rollers 128 that are rotatably mounted on shafts 130 carried by downwardly dependent legs 132 which project from the undersurface of the plate 122 . fig5 also illustrates the transverse groove 98 in the plate 122 which receives the cam follower pin 96 as previously described . preferably , this groove 98 has a slightly curved portion 134 which serves to arrest the motion of the slide momentarily during its reciprocating movement and provides a smoother vibratory action . the cam and slot thus provide what is commonly known as an inverse cam drive relationship . referring now to fig6 there is illustrated an alternative massage pad 136 . this pad has a plate 138 similar to the plate 122 with a transverse cam groove 98 to receive the cam follower pin 96 . plate 136 also has similar longitudinal tongues 124 and 126 to adapt the plate for reciprocating movement mounting in the casing 44 . the undersurface of the plate 138 bears a plurality of bristles 140 whereby the massage unit can provide a brushing action . the invention has been described with reference to the illustrated and presently preferred embodiments . it is not intended that the invention be unduly limited by this disclosure of presently preferred embodiments . instead , it is intended that the invention be defined by the means , and their obvious equivalents , set forth in the following claims .	0
in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , a first projectile , for example , a proton projectile , is accelerated in the linear accelerator ( s 1 ). the projectile is emitted at a target , generating a first radioactive isotope ( s 2 ). in one exemplary embodiment , a carbon isotope 11 c is generated when a nitrogen target is used with the proton projectile , via the nuclear reaction 14 n ( p , α ) 11 c . radiopharmaceuticals and biomarkers for performing a pet examination are produced ( s 5 ). for example , the carbon isotope 11 c , which is a short - lived isotope , with a half - life of 20 minutes , is used to produce radiopharmaceuticals and biomarkers for performing a pet examination . in one embodiment , it is optional , as indicated by the dashed - line arrow , to make a change of the target ( s 6 ). in one exemplary embodiment , it is possible to optionally replace the nitrogen target with an oxygen target , so that via the nuclear reaction 16 o ( p , α ) 13 n , instead of the carbon isotope , a nitrogen isotope is generated . in this exemplary embodiment , a suitable radiopharmaceutical or biomarker can be produced using the nitrogen isotope . since the nitrogen isotope 13 n has a half - life of 10 minutes , the production of the radioactive isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals or biomarkers is suitably completed directly on - site , for example , in a hospital or a clinical device that performs the nuclear medicine examination . in one embodiment , any suitable nuclear reaction may used to produce any suitable radiopharmaceutical or biomarker . in one embodiment , a second projectile , for example , a deuteron projectile , is accelerated ( s 3 ). the linear accelerator that is used is suitable for accelerating a plurality of projectiles . in one embodiment , a second isotope is generated ( s 4 ). in one exemplary embodiment , the second isotope is generated using a nuclear reaction 20 ne ( d , α ) 18 f , in which the radioisotope 18 f , with a half - life of 110 minutes , is generated . the first isotope ( s 2 ) and the second isotope ( s 4 ) are used to produce radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers ( s 5 ). in one embodiment , a lightweight , compact linear accelerator is used . the minimal radiation protection requirements of the linear accelerator allow the linear accelerator to be operated without difficulties , for example , in hospitals , clinics and / or examination devices . in this embodiment , the suitable radiopharmaceuticals and biomarkers are flexibly available as needed . in one embodiment shown in fig2 , the clinical device 1 includes a linear accelerator 3 , which is operated as needed with different projectiles 4 . pet examinations may be performed in the clinical device 1 . the linear accelerator 3 that serves to produce radioactive isotopes for pet is operated as a function of specifications 5 . the specifications 5 include the quantity and type of radioactive isotopes 2 to be generated . in one embodiment , the linear accelerator 3 , which may be operated with the various projectiles 4 , generates various radioactive isotopes 2 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig2 , the radioactive isotopes 2 are processed in a processing device 6 either by , for example , one or more employees 7 , automatically , or semiautomatically , to make radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers 8 . the radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers 8 , depending on the type of projectile 4 or target used , include different radioactive isotopes . the radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers 8 may include radioactive isotopes with longer and / or shorter half - lives , which are each specifically suitable for specific diagnostic examinations . in one embodiment , the radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers 8 , which have thus been generated “ on demand ”, for example , on - site in the clinical device 1 , are sent to the examination sites 9 . the examination sites 9 include patients 10 that are examined in pet scanners 11 . in one embodiment , radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers 8 and the functional imaging of the pet makes early detection of tumors possible . in one embodiment , any suitable radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers 8 may be produced . for example , radiopharmaceuticals and / or biomarkers 8 may be especially produced for external pet scanners 12 , which utilize pet examination devices 13 , but that has an incidence of examination that is too low to justify operating a linear accelerator of its own . the transport to the external pet scanner 12 is completed by the transport device 14 , for example , an automobile . in one embodiment , the transport is limited to pet scanners 12 in the vicinity of the clinical system 1 . in this embodiment , the closeness , in terms of location , of the external pet scanner is better than in previous distribution centers because linear accelerators are more readily available . in this embodiment , a better supply of radioactive isotopes 2 , or radiopharmaceuticals and biomarkers 8 may be distributed to the external pet scanner because the transport time is reduced . in one embodiment , the linear accelerator 3 may be integrated without major effort or expense into clinical devices 1 because of its lightweight , compact construction and substantial avoidance of neutron flows because of the use of a plurality of projectiles . the particular suitable radiopharmaceutical and / or the suitable biomarker 8 is available on demand for performing a specific examination . the particular suitable radiopharmaceutical and / or the suitable biomarker 8 is not limited to one long - lived or short - lived isotope . in one embodiment , a long - lived and / or short - lived isotope may be used . in one embodiment , as shown in fig3 , the linear accelerator is operated with a plurality of different projectiles . the source 15 , which is operated with a plurality of different projectiles , is adjoined by the rfq region 16 . in the rfq region , the radiation loss is limited by the upper limit of 10 %. this rfq region is adjoined by the ih tank 17 . the ih tank 17 is limited by the upper limit for the radiation loss of 1 %. the abbreviations “ rfq ” and “ ih ” stand for “ radiofrequency quadrupole ” and “ interdigital h field ”, respectively . in one embodiment , alternatively to the ih tank , in another acceleration resonator operated in the h mode , any suitable tank is provided for example , a ch tank . in this embodiment , the resonator may be operated in the crossbar h mode . in one embodiment , effective radiation protection is achieved because of the limitations to the losses in the various sections downstream of the source . while the invention has been described above by reference to various embodiments , it should be understood that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . it is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting , and that it be understood that it is the following claims , including all equivalents , that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention .	6
selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . referring initially to fig1 – 7 , a front portion of a bicycle 10 is illustrated that is equipped with a front suspension fork 12 and a front dynamo hub 14 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention . a bicycle electrical cord 16 is installed in the front suspension fork 12 for interconnecting at least two electrical components . preferably , the bicycle electrical cord 16 is connected to the front dynamo hub 14 ( one electrical component ) by an electrical cord connector 18 for powering a bicycle lamp 20 ( another electrical component ) in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention . as seen in fig1 , the front portion of the bicycle 10 has an upper end of the front suspension fork 12 movably coupled to a main bicycle frame 22 and a lower end of the front suspension fork 12 coupled to the front dynamo hub 14 . the front dynamo hub 14 is part of a front wheel 26 , which is rotatably mounted to the front suspension fork 12 by the front dynamo hub 14 in conventional manner . a handlebar 28 is fixed to the front suspension fork 12 in a conventional manner to turn the front suspension fork 12 relative to the main bicycle frame 22 . the bicycle electrical cord 16 is arranged to extend through an internal area of the front suspension fork 12 as explained below . in the illustrated embodiment , as best seen in fig2 and 6 – 7 , the bicycle electrical cord 16 has a first cord portion 16 a and a second cord portion 16 b with a switch unit 30 electrically coupled between the first and second cord portions 16 a and 16 b . the first cord portion 16 a has a lower end electrically coupled to the front dynamo hub 14 via the electrical cord connector 18 and an upper end electrically coupled to the switch unit 30 . the second cord portion 16 b has one end electrically coupled to the lamp 20 and the other end electrically coupled to the switch unit 30 . the switch unit 30 is mounted on the top of a portion of the front suspension fork 12 as discussed below . the switch unit 30 is used to connect and disconnect electrical power electrically from the front dynamo hub 14 to the bicycle lamp 20 . the front suspension fork 12 basically includes a pair of telescoping struts 31 and 32 that are interconnected by an upper crown 33 which is coupled to a steerer tube 34 . the steerer tube 34 is coupled to the main bicycle frame 22 in a conventional manner and has the handlebar 28 coupled to its upper end in a conventional manner . as explained below , the basic constructions of the struts 31 and 32 are identical , except that the strut 31 is configured and arranged to act as a shock absorber and the strut 32 is configured and arranged to act as a protective conduit for protecting the first cord portion of the electrical cord 16 . as best seen in fig2 , 4 and 5 , the strut 31 includes an inner ( upper ) telescoping member or tube 36 and an outer ( lower ) telescoping member or tube 38 telescopically coupled to the inner telescoping tube 36 . the inner and outer telescoping tubes 36 and 38 are constructed of hard rigid materials that are conventionally used for struts . the inner and outer telescoping tubes 36 and 38 of the strut 31 are configured and arranged to form a variable volume chamber having a dampening unit 40 located therein . the dampening unit 40 is configured and arranged to absorb impacts on the front suspension fork 12 due to engagement with a rock , a hole , a bump or a like . the dampening unit 40 can be any conventional dampening unit such as one or more compression springs , a combination of dampening elements and / or the like . accordingly , the dampening unit 40 will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein . basically , the inner telescoping tube 36 includes an upper end portion 36 a and a lower end portion 36 b with an upper internal passage 36 c located between the upper and lower end portions 36 a and 36 b . the outer telescoping tube 38 includes an upper end portion 38 a , a lower end portion 38 b and a lower internal passage 38 c located between the upper and lower end portions 38 a and 38 b . the internal passages 36 c and 38 c form the variable volume chamber with the dampening unit 40 located therein . the upper end portion 36 a of the inner telescoping tube 36 is fixedly coupled to the upper crown 33 , while the lower end portion 36 b of the inner telescoping tube 36 is slideably coupled within the upper end portion 38 a of the outer telescoping tube 38 . a seal ( not shown ) is configured and arranged in a conventional manner between the lower end portion 36 b of the inner telescoping tube 36 and the upper end portion 38 a of the outer telescoping tube 38 to allow for the relative sliding movement of the inner and outer telescoping tubes 36 and 38 . the upper end portion 36 a of the inner telescoping tube 36 also has internal treads that adjustably secures an adjustment member 49 . the adjustment member seals the opening of the upper end portion 36 a of the inner telescoping tube 36 . thus , the variable volume chamber of the strut 31 is a closed chamber . the outer telescoping tube 38 includes an upper end portion 38 a , a lower end portion 38 b and a lower internal passage 38 c located between the upper and lower end portions 38 a and 38 b . the lower end portion 38 b has a wheel mount or dropout 38 d for attaching one end of the front dynamo hub 14 thereto . as best seen in fig2 , 3 and 5 , the strut 31 contract and expand together with the dampening unit 40 to act as a shock absorber for the entire structure of the front suspension fork 12 . more specifically , a telescoping motion occurs between the inner and outer tubes 36 and 38 to compress the dampening unit 40 , which is configured and arranged within the inner and outer tubes 36 and 38 to absorb impacts on the front suspension fork 12 due to engagement with a rock , a hole , a bump or a like . in other words , as the telescoping strut 31 is compressed to absorb a shock , the lower end portion 36 b of the inner telescoping tube 36 travels towards the lower end portion 38 b of the outer telescoping tube 38 , thus reducing the volume of the variable volume chamber formed between the inner and outer telescoping tubes 36 and 38 . similarly , when the telescoping strut 31 expands to return to its neutral position , the lower end portion 36 a of the inner telescoping tube 36 travels away from the lower end portion 38 b of the outer telescoping tube 38 to increase the volume of the variable volume chamber formed by the inner and outer telescoping tubes 36 and 38 . preferably , the strut 32 does not include a dampening unit , but rather has the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 running therethrough . of course , if needed and / or desired , a second dampening unit can be installed in the strut 32 that does not interfere with the electrical cord 16 . the strut 32 basically includes an inner ( upper ) telescoping member or tube 46 and an outer ( lower ) telescoping member or tube 48 telescopically coupled to the inner telescoping tube 46 . the inner and outer telescoping tubes 46 and 48 are constructed of hard rigid materials that are conventionally used for struts . the inner and outer telescoping tubes 46 and 48 of the strut 32 are configured and arranged to form a variable volume chamber having a majority of the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 located therein . the outer telescoping tubes 38 and 48 are interconnected by a bridge member 50 that is integrally formed with the outer telescoping tubes 38 and 48 . of course , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the bridge member 50 can be a separate member that is fixed to the outer telescoping tubes 38 and 48 . thus , the bridge member 50 interconnects the struts 31 and 32 together such that they act as a single unit . in other words , the struts 31 and 32 contract and expand together with the dampening unit 40 acting as a shock absorber for the entire structure of the front suspension fork 12 . more specifically , a telescoping motion occurs between the inner tubes 36 and 46 and the outer tubes 38 and 48 to compress the dampening unit 40 . accordingly , the dampening unit 40 is configured and arranged to absorb impacts on the front suspension fork 12 due to engagement with a rock , a hole , a bump or a like . basically , the inner telescoping tube 46 includes an open upper end portion 46 a and an open lower end portion 46 b with an upper internal passage 46 c located between the upper and lower end portions 46 a and 46 b . the outer telescoping tube 48 includes an upper end portion 48 a , a lower end portion 48 b and a lower internal passage 48 c located between the upper and lower end portions 48 a and 48 b . the internal passages 46 c and 48 c form an enclosed chamber with the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 extending therethrough . the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 is configured and arranged within the internal passages 46 c and 48 c of the telescoping tubes 46 and 48 such that sufficient slack is provided in the first cord portion 16 a to accommodate expansion and contraction of the inner and outer telescoping tubes 46 and 48 . the upper end portion 46 a of the inner telescoping tube 46 is fixedly coupled to the upper crown 33 , while the lower end portion 46 b of the inner telescoping tube 46 is slideably coupled within the upper end portion 48 a of the outer telescoping tube 48 . the inner telescoping tube 46 is open at its upper end such that an upper end portion of the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 extends outwardly therefrom for connection with the switch unit 30 as seen in fig1 . a seal ( not shown ) is provided between the lower end portion 46 b of the inner telescoping tube 46 and the upper end portion 48 a of the outer telescoping tube 48 in a conventional manner to allow the relative sliding movement of the inner and outer telescoping tubes 46 and 48 . the outer telescoping tube 48 includes an upper end portion 48 a , a lower end portion 48 b and a lower internal passage 48 c located between the upper and lower end portions 48 a and 48 b . the lower end portion 48 b has a wheel mount or dropout 48 d for attaching one end of the front dynamo hub 14 thereto . also as best seen in fig1 , the outer telescoping tube 48 is provided with a cord opening 48 e at its lower end such that a lower end portion of the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 extends outwardly from the lower internal passage 48 c of the outer telescoping tube 48 . referring now to fig8 – 11 , the upper crown 33 includes a top cover 52 that is fixedly coupled thereto for covering the upper open end of the inner telescoping tube 46 . preferably , the top cover 52 is secured to the upper crown 33 by a fastener such as a screw 53 that threads into an internally threaded hole 54 formed in the upper crown 33 . thus , the top cover 52 is configured and arranged to be selectively removed from a position covering the upper end opening of the inner telescoping tube 46 for accessing the switch unit 30 . the switch unit 30 is preferably fixedly coupled to the top cover 52 . the switch unit 30 includes a push button switch 55 that projects outwardly from an upper surface of the top cover 52 and an electrical connector 56 protruding downwardly from an inner surface of the top cover 52 . preferably , the electrical connector 56 of the switch unit 30 projects into partially into the upper end portion 46 a of the inner telescoping tube 46 . the electrical connector 56 is electrically coupled to the electrical cord 16 that is connected between the front dynamo hub 14 and the bicycle lamp 20 . the push button switch 55 is a conventional switch that is selectively pushed to connect and disconnect a pair of electrical contacts ( not shown ) in the electrical connector 56 . in other words , electrical power to the lamp 20 is interrupted by pushing the push button switch 55 when the push button switch 55 is in the contact closed position that supplies electrical power to the lamp 20 . the push button switch 55 is pushed again to disconnect electrical power to the lamp 20 when the push button switch 55 is in the contact open position that interrupts electrical power to the lamp 20 . referring now to fig1 – 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 10 – 12 and 16 – 19 , the electrical cord 16 is a conventional electrical cord with a pair of insulated conductor wires w 1 and w 2 having an outer elastomeric cover or sheath c . in the area of the switch unit 30 , the elastomeric cover or sheath c of the electrical cord 16 is split into two pieces that define the first and second cord portions 16 a and 16 b . as best seen in fig1 – 3 , the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 is located in the internal passages 46 c and 48 c of the inner and outer telescoping tubes 46 and 48 , and is arranged with sufficient slack to accommodate expansion and contraction of the inner and outer telescoping tubes 46 and 48 . thus , the first cord portion 16 a of the electrical cord 16 is protected and does not interfere with the normal operation of the bicycle 10 and its components . as seen in fig5 – 7 and 16 – 19 , the lower ends of the conductor wires w 1 and w 2 are electrically coupled to the electrical connector 18 as discussed below . the upper ends of the conductor wires w 1 and w 2 are electrically coupled to the lamp 20 using conventional push clips ( not shown ). the conductor wire w 1 is split into two pieces with the switch unit 30 electrically coupling the two pieces of conductor wire w 1 together . in particular , the electrical contacts ( not shown ) in the electrical connector 56 are connected to the two pieces of the conductor wire w 1 . referring now to fig1 , the front dynamo hub 14 is preferably a substantially conventional member , except for its electrical connector 60 . thus , the front dynamo hub 14 will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein . as seen in fig6 , 7 and 19 , the electrical connector 60 has an insulating body portion 60 a and a pair of electrical contacts 60 b that are electrically coupled to a dynamo portion of the front dynamo hub 14 in a conventional manner . the insulating body portion 60 a supports the electrical contacts 60 b in a protected manner for coupling with the electrical connector 18 as seen in fig1 . the electrical connector 60 is configured and arranged as a male connector . basically , the front dynamo hub 14 comprises an internal stator assembly 61 and an external rotor assembly 62 that form the dynamo portion of the front dynamo hub 14 . the internal stator assembly 61 comprises a hub axle 63 , a pair of stator yokes 64 , a bobbin 65 with a wound coil 66 , a cylindrical core yoke 67 and two separate disks 68 . the internal stator assembly 61 is fixed to the front suspension fork 12 by the hub axle 63 . the hub axle 63 is preferably a quick release hub axle having an adjustment nut 63 a coupled to one end and a cam lever 63 b coupled to the other end . the electrical connector 60 , the stator yokes 64 , the cylindrical core yoke 67 and the separation disks 68 are all fixed to this hub axle 63 so they do not rotate with the wheel 26 . the external rotor assembly 62 comprises a pair of frame portions 69 and a cap 70 integrated as shown in fig1 . the external rotor assembly 62 is rotatably fixed to the hub axle 63 with the aid of bearings b . the flanges formed on the outer peripheral portion of the frame portions 69 are attached to a plurality of spokes 26 a of the front wheel 26 . a permanent magnet m comprising four magnets spaced at equal intervals in the circumferential direction is fixed to the cap 70 . in this permanent magnet m , the north ( n ) and south ( s ) poles are intermittently formed at equally spaced intervals . a total of twenty - eight poles of each type face the stator yokes 64 . the operation of the front dynamo hub 14 is explained in more detail in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 409 , 197 ( assigned to shimano , inc .). referring now to fig1 – 19 , the electrical connector 18 is configured and arranged as a female connector . the electrical cord connector 18 includes an outer housing part 71 , an inner housing part 72 and a pair of electrical contacts 73 . preferably , each of the inner and outer housing parts 71 and 72 is constructed as a one - piece , unitary member from an insulating plastic material such that the outer and inner housing parts 71 and 72 insulate the contacts 73 from each other . preferably , the material of the inner and outer housing parts 71 and 72 is a rigid insulating material with limited flexibility . the inner and outer housing parts 71 and 72 are connected together by a snap fit as explained below with the electrical contacts retained between abutting surfaces of the inner and outer housing parts 71 and 72 . referring now to fig2 – 27 , the outer housing part 71 is preferably a one piece , unitary member that has a main body section 74 and a cord receiving section 75 that are integrally formed as a one piece , unitary member . the main body section 74 has a substantially rectangular outer cross - sectional shape with an internal space or cavity 76 that is sized to retain the inner housing part 72 therein . thus , the main body section 74 has first end wall 81 , a first side wall 82 , a second end wall 83 and a second side wall 84 that define the rectangular cavity 76 that receives and retains the inner housing part 72 . the end wall 81 is provided with a gripping tab 81 a and a retaining opening 81 b . the end wall 83 is provided with a gripping tab 83 a and a retaining opening 83 b . also , the interior surfaces of the end walls 81 and 83 are preferably step shaped to form two abutments 81 c and 83 c , respectively , which limit the movement of the inner housing part 72 when the inner housing part 72 is being snap fitted into the outer housing part 71 . the cord receiving section 75 has a substantially cylindrical cord receiving bore 85 that is in communication with the interior cavity 76 of the main body section 71 . the cord receiving bore 85 has a lower portion of the electrical cord 16 located therein . preferably , the interface between the cover c of time electrical cord 16 and cord receiving bore 85 is watertight . a cord retaining ring 86 is located on the lower portion of the electrical cord 16 that is located in the interior cavity 76 of the main body section 74 to prevent the electrical cord 16 from being pulled out of the electrical connector 18 . referring now to fig2 – 36 , the inner housing part 72 has a substantially rectangular overall exterior shape in cross - section that is dimensioned to be press - fitted into the interior cavity 76 of the outer housing part 71 by a snap fit . in particular , the inner housing part 72 has a first end wall 91 , a first side wall 92 , a second end wall 93 and a second side wall 94 that are sized slightly smaller than the interior cavity 76 of the outer housing part 71 . theses walls define a connector receiving recess or cavity 90 that is dimensioned to frictionally retain the connector 60 of the front dynamo hub 14 therein . the end wall 91 includes a retaining protrusion 95 that is a generally triangularly shaped member that include an abutment surface 95 a extending perpendicular to the end wall 91 and a ramp surface 95 b that is inclined to the end wall 91 . the end wall 93 includes a retaining protrusion 96 that is a generally triangularly shaped member that include an abutment surface 96 a extending perpendicular to the end wall 91 and a ramp surface 96 b that is inclined to the end wall 93 . the ramp surfaces 95 b and 96 b are designed to allow easier insertion of the inner housing part 72 into the internal cavity 76 of the outer housing part 71 . when the inner housing part 72 is inserted into the outer housing part 71 , the protrusions 95 and 96 are received in the retaining openings 81 b and 83 b of the outer housing part 71 . preferably , the protrusions 95 and 96 are attached in a cantilevered fashion to the end walls 91 and 93 such that the protrusions 95 and 96 are resiliently coupled to the end walls 91 and 93 to flex inwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the inner housing part 72 when the inner housing part 72 is inserted into the interior cavity 76 of the outer housing part 71 . the side wall 92 has a pair of contact receiving grooves 97 and a pair of through openings 98 . the contact receiving grooves 97 are configured and arranged to tightly receive the electrical contacts 73 therein . the through openings 98 are configured and arranged in the side wall 92 along center portions of the contact receiving grooves 97 . these openings 98 allow the electrical contacts 73 to be deformed for fixedly securing the electrical contacts 72 to the inner housing barn 72 as discussed below . referring now to fig1 – 19 and 37 – 39 , the electrical contacts 73 are preferably identical . thus , each of the contacts 73 has a wire connection end 73 a and an electrical contact end 73 b with a center section or fixing portion 73 c extending between the wire connection end 73 a and the electrical contact end 73 b . preferably , the electrical contacts 73 are constructed as a one - piece , unitary member from a metallic sheet material having good electrical conductive characteristics . the wire connection end 73 a is provided with a hole for receiving one of the conductors of the conductor wires w 1 and w 2 that is preferably soldered thereto . the connection end 73 a is also preferably provided with a reduced section so that the connection end 73 a can be deformed or bent out of the initial plane of a center section 73 c of the contact 73 of as shown in fig1 . the contact end 73 b is preferably part - shaped such that the free end of the contact end 73 b is cantilevered to be resiliently deflected towards the center section 73 c of the contact 73 when the electrical connector 18 is connected to the electrical connector 60 of the front dynamo hub 14 as seen in fig1 . in particular , when the contacts 73 are slide into the contact receiving grooves 97 of the inner housing part 72 , the contact ends 73 b extend around a front edge of the side wall 92 and then the free end of the contact ends 73 b extend rearwardly into the interior cavity 76 of the inner housing part 72 . the portions of the contact ends 73 b located in the interior cavity 76 of the inner housing part 72 are spaced from the interior surface of the side wall 92 of the inner housing part 72 . this arrangement allows the contact ends 73 b to be resiliently deflected towards the interior surface of the side wall 92 of the inner housing part 72 when the electrical connector 18 is connected to the electrical connector 60 of the front dynamo hub 14 as seen in fig1 . each electrical contact 73 is also provided with a cutout 73 d in the center section or fixing portion 73 c to form a retaining tab 73 e . the retaining tabs 73 e are designed to be bent or deformed into the openings 98 of the side wall 92 of the inner housing part 72 to secure the contacts 73 to the inner housing part 72 prior to the inner housing part 72 being coupled to the outer housing part 71 . the bicycle lamp 18 is a conventional bicycle lamp . thus , bicycle lamp 18 will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein . however , the bicycle lamp 18 is powered by the electrical energy generated by the front dynamo hub 14 . the bicycle 10 and its various components are well known in the prior art , except for those components that relate to the present invention . thus , the bicycle 10 and its various components will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein , except for those components that relate to the present invention . as used herein , the following directional terms “ forward , rearward , above , downward , vertical , horizontal , below and transverse ” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a bicycle equipped with the present invention . accordingly , these terms , as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a bicycle equipped with the present invention . the terms of degree such as “ substantially ”, “ about ” and “ approximately ” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed . these terms should be construed as including a deviation of at least ± 5 % of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies . while only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . furthermore , the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only , and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .	8
the present invention will be described in terms of complementary metal oxide semiconductor ( cmos ) technology . cmos is commonly used in integrated circuit technology . the invention , however , may be used in other integrated circuit technologies . cmos generally refers to an integrated circuit in which both n - channel and p - channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors ( mosfets ) are used in a complementary fashion . cmos integrated circuits are typically formed with a lightly doped p - type silicon substrate or a lightly doped n - type silicon substrate . the present invention will be described using lightly doped p - type silicon as the starting material , although the invention may be implemented with other substrate materials . if other substrate materials are used , then there may be corresponding differences in materials and structures of the device as is well known in the art . the formation of integrated circuits includes photolithographic masking and etching . this process consists of creating a photolithographic mask containing the pattern of the component to be formed , and coating the semiconductor substrate with a light - sensitive material called photoresist . the photoresist that coats the semiconductor substrate is then exposed to ultra - violet light or to standard i - line processing through the mask to soften or harden parts of the photoresist ( depending on whether positive or negative photoresist is used ). the softened parts of the photoresist are then removed , which is followed by etching to remove the materials left unprotected by the photoresist , and then stripping the remaining photoresist . this photolithographic masking and etching process is referred to herein as patterning and etching . in the following discussion , some well - known aspects of dram fabrication have been simplified . for example , the structure of the doped source / drain regions generally will be more complex than shown . in addition , the particular materials , structures and processes are intended only to illustrate the invention so that it can be fully understood . an embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to fig1 - 9 . referring to fig1 , a semiconductor substrate 10 comprises a silicon substrate 12 with a gate insulating layer 14 , field oxide regions 16 , active or source / drain regions 18 a and 18 b , and access transistors 20 . each access transistor 20 has a gate electrode 24 , one or more insulating protective layers 26 and 28 , and insulating spacers 30 that are formed on the sides thereof . a lower bulk insulator layer 36 is then deposited and if necessary , planarized . lower bulk insulator layer 36 is preferably made of a dielectric material such as borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ), phosphosilicate glass ( psg ), borosilicate glass ( bsg ), or spin on glass ( sog ). referring to fig2 , lower bulk insulator layer 36 is patterned and etched to define a volume 56 in which a capacitor is to be formed in lower bulk insulator layer 36 . volume 56 exposes portions of substrate 12 at source / drain regions 18 a . referring to fig3 , a storage plate 40 is deposited . storage plate 40 , which is substantially composed of an electrically conductive material , is preferably composed of doped polysilicon or doped rough textured polysilicon . referring to fig4 , storage plate 40 has been subjected to an planarizing process , such as chemical mechanical polishing , to form a storage node layer 42 . referring to fig5 , a capacitor cell dielectric layer 44 is deposited . capacitor cell dielectric layer 44 , which is intended to form a portion of dielectric material for a capacitor , is preferably made of si 3 n 4 or other electrically insulative suitable material such as ta 2 o 5 , or barium strontium titanate ( bst ). a cell plate layer 46 is then deposited . cell plate layer 46 is intended to form a cell plate portion of a capacitor in an integrated circuit . a cell plate insulating layer 48 is deposited over cell plate layer 46 so as to electrically insulate portions of cell plate layer 46 . cell plate insulating layer 48 is preferably substantially composed of si 3 n 4 , but may also be substantially composed of silicon dioxide or other suitable electrically insulative materials . preferably , etching processing , which may follow in the process flow , will be selective to the materials of which capacitor cell plate insulating layer 48 is composed . as such , cell plate insulating layer 48 need not necessarily be composed of silicon nitride , but can be composed of another dielectric that resists a bpsg etch or a dielectric etch that is selective to lower bulk insulator layer 36 . the method of forming a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is set forth below and illustrated in fig6 - 11 . fig6 is a section 100 taken from fig5 and expanded to illustrate greater detail . referring to fig6 , there is illustrated lower bulk insulator layer 36 , capacitor cell dielectric layer 44 , cell plate layer 46 , and cell plate insulating layer 48 which is deposited over cell plate layer 46 . referring to fig7 , there is illustrated a first etch step wherein a photoresist layer 60 is spun on , exposed , and selectively removed during development to expose a preferred bit line contact site . the first etch step etches cell plate layer 46 and may involve the use of an isotropic component , resulting in an undercut into capacitor cell dielectric layer 44 . the first etch step penetrates the noted conductive and insulative layers and partially penetrates into lower bulk insulator layer 36 . the first step , however , will preferably be anisotropic so as to form a contact hole 70 with no undercut into cell plate layer 46 or less than is illustrated in fig7 . similar to that which is illustrated in fig1 as an anisotropic etch extending through layers 36 , 44 , 46 , and 48 , it is preferable that an anisotropic etch be performed through layers 36 , 44 , 46 , and 48 seen in fig7 so as to form straight side walls of the etched contact hole 70 . the etch process through layers 36 , 44 , 46 , and 48 seen in fig7 , however , can performed so as to have an isotropic component so as to leave contact hole 70 without straight side walls , although such an isotropic etch is not preferred . referring to fig8 , the next step of the present invention method is carried out in which the remaining portions of photoresist layer 60 have been removed , and then a sleeve insulator layer 50 is deposited upon the uppermost surface of cell plate insulating layer 48 and also within the blcc . an ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process can be used to assist in lateral deposition of sleeve insulator layer 50 upon the sidewalls of the blcc . other methods , however , can be employed that are calculated to achieve suitably conformal depositions . a preferred cvd substance for sleeve insulator layer 50 is si 3 n 4 , sio 2 ( by decomposition of a tetraethylorthosilicate precursor ), ta 2 o 5 , or barium strontium titanate ( bst ), although the etchant used to etch lower bulk insulator layer 36 should be selective to the substance of sleeve insulator layer 50 . referring to fig9 , a second etch step , which is anisotropic , is carried out to remove substantially all of the horizontally exposed portions of sleeve insulator layer 50 from the bottom of the partially formed blcc . sleeve insulator layer 50 thus covers the exposed portions of capacitor cell dielectric layer 44 , cell plate layer 46 , and cell plate insulating layer 48 that are within contact hole 70 . the structure represented in fig9 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention wherein sleeve insulator layer 50 is formed into a hardened vertical sleeve and cell plate insulating layer 48 is formed into a horizontal plate . as such , sleeve insulator layer 50 with cell plate insulating layer 48 function as a self - aligning contact site that will resist being removed in a subsequent etch step that etches the remainder of lower bulk insulator layer 36 . such an etch of lower bulk insulator layer 36 will form a conduit from the upper surface of cell plate insulating layer 48 to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate , and will not expose cell plate layer 46 at the edges of the blcc . sleeve insulator layer 50 will thereby insulate cell plate layer 46 from the effects of errant charge leakage and from shorting once the blcc is filled with conductive material and put into service as a bit line contact . the embodiment of the invention seen in fig9 is not limited to bit line contact formation , but can be used where self - aligned contacts are desirable , such as contacts to an active region , a transistor gate , or to a contact plug . fig1 illustrates an example of a second embodiment of the present invention . cell plate layer 46 maximizes its capacitative effect upon storage node layer 42 by its being wrapped conformally around two opposing vertical faces of storage node layer 42 . in this embodiment , the cell - to - cell bridging of cell plate layer 46 is deeper in the structure . a cell plate insulating layer 48 is deposited upon an upper bulk insulator layer 51 . then , a partial etch is made through cell plate insulating layer 48 into upper bulk insulator layer 51 and stopping within a lower bulk insulator layer 36 so as to form a contact hole 70 . a secondary sleeve insulator layer 50 is then deposited upon cell plate insulating layer 48 and within contact hole 70 . an anisotropic etch removes secondary sleeve insulator layer 50 from the bottom of contact hole 70 and other laterally exposed portions thereof . the anisotropic etch stops on insulator layer 48 , leaving secondary sleeve insulator layer 50 as a liner on the sidewalls of contact hole 70 . a subsequent openings contact to active region 18 b and a contact plug is formed through secondary sleeve insulator layer 50 and in contact with active region 18 b . fig1 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention in which a cell plate structure is like the second embodiment , but also has a cell plate insulating layer 48 disposed on top of cell plate layer 46 . the upper surface of cell plate layer 46 is partially insulated by cell plate insulating layer 48 . this third embodiment may be preferred where a neighboring site requires cell plate insulating layer 48 , such as where cell plate insulating layer 48 is useful or convenient so as to avoid masking for deposition of cell plate insulating layer 48 . cell plate insulating layer 48 should be composed of a material different from capacitor cell dielectric layer 44 so as to best facilitate the partial etch into lower bulk insulator layer 36 . a primary insulator layer 49 is deposited a upper bulk insulator layer 51 . then , a partial etch is made through primary insulator layer 49 into upper bulk insulator layer 51 and stopping within a lower bulk insulator layer 36 so as to form a contact hole 70 . a secondary sleeve insulator layer 50 is then deposited upon primary insulator layer 49 and within contact hole 70 . an anisotropic etch removes secondary sleeve insulator layer 50 from the bottom of contact hole 70 and other laterally exposed portions thereof . the anisotropic etch stops on primary insulator layer 49 , leaving secondary sleeve insulator layer 50 as a liner on the sidewalls of contact hole 70 . a subsequent etch can be performed upon each of the structures seen in fig1 and 11 so as to open a contact to active area 18 b on silicon substrate 12 through contact hole 70 . a conductive plug ( not shown ) is then formed within contact hole 70 upon active area 18 b on silicon substrate 12 so as to be electrically insulated from cell plate layer 46 by sleeve insulator layer 50 . fig1 - 14 illustrate the function of the first embodiment of the present invention as it provides a self - aligning contact hole site for further processing . referring to fig1 - 14 , there are illustrated qualitative process flow examples of which both proper alignment and misalignment in the formation of a contact plug in a contact hole . the misalignment example is set forth to illustrate the self - alignment feature of the invention . fig1 shows large and small off - set alignment circles 82 , 86 that are meant to indicate an etching process through a layer of insulation material ( not shown ) above cell plate insulating layer 48 so as to form contact hole 70 defined within sleeve insulator layer 50 . a center line 83 represents the axis through the center of small off - set alignment circle 82 , and a center line 87 represents the axis through the center of large off - set alignment circle 86 . as seen in fig1 , center line 83 and center line 87 are off set one from the other . a center line 71 represents the axis of contact hole 70 . small off - set alignment circle 82 shows a misalignment distance δ 1 from center line 83 to center line 71 . large off - set alignment circle 86 shows a misalignment distance δ 2 from center line 87 to center line 71 . the self - alignment of the etch process to form contact hole 70 is due to the selectivity of the etchant in the etch process to both sleeve insulator layer 50 and cell plate insulating layer 48 as the etch process etches lower bulk insulator layer 36 , which defined the termination of contact hole 70 . fig1 shows that an upper bulk insulator layer 51 is deposited within the area defined by sleeve insulator layer 50 and upon cell plate insulating layer 48 . a patterned photoresist layer 60 has been formed upon upper bulk insulator layer 51 . the pattern in patterned photoresist layer 60 is intended to be aligned with respect to sleeve insulator layer 50 so that a subsequent etch will open a contact through upper bulk insulator layer 51 and lower bulk insulator layer 36 to expose a contact on active area 18 b . patterned photoresist layer 60 , however , maybe misaligned with respect to sleeve insulator layer 50 , as was illustrated by the foregoing discussion of fig1 . the etch through patterned photoresist layer 56 forms the blcc via contact hole 70 seen in fig1 - 15 . it is desirable that contact hole 70 , which extends to active area 18 b through sleeve insulator layer 50 , is formed such that the blcc is in alignment with contact hole 70 through cell plate layer 46 . when so aligned , the etch has a diameter d seen in fig1 which extends to the sidewall of sleeve insulator layer 50 , and the largest possible contact to active area 18 b is achieved . sleeve insulator layer 50 enables the inventive method to form sub - photolithography resolution limit critical dimensions , such as is seen in fig1 . referring to fig1 , a circle 80 illustrates in phantom a cross - section of an etch hole through upper bulk insulator layer 51 . a center line 81 represents an axis passing through the center of circle 80 . in fig1 , center line 71 represents the axis passing through the center of sleeve insulator layer 50 . the symbol δ 3 represent the misalignment from the center of circle 80 to the center of sleeve insulator layer 50 . fig1 demonstrates that , although the etch hole is misaligned with respect to sleeve insulator layer 50 , the etch is still self - aligned with sleeve insulator layer 50 due to the selectivity of the etch with respect to the material from which sleeve insulator layer 50 is composed and due to the etch selectivity to the material of which cell plate insulating layer 48 is composed . the self - alignment of the etch through sleeve insulator layer 50 and the stopping of the etch on cell plate insulating layer 48 in effect assures an electrical insulation of cell plate layer 46 that prevents an electrical short with an electrically conductive bit line contact 92 within the blcc . bit line contact 92 , which is preferably a conductive plug , can be formed by filling the blcc with tungsten deposited by chemical vapor deposition with germanium - doped aluminum reflowing , and with other materials and processes . additionally , a refractory metal silicide may be formed at the bottom of the blcc upon active area 18 b . after the material forming bit line contact 92 has been formed within contact hole 70 , a planarizing operation may be conducted to confine the material of bit line contact 92 within contact hole 70 as illustrated in fig1 - 15 . bit line contact 92 extends through contact hole 70 created by the prior etch process to make direct contact with active area 18 b . fig1 illustrates that , although the maximum contact size is not achieved when the etch is misaligned , electrical insulation protection is still provided by cell plate insulating layer 48 and sleeve insulator layer 50 so as to prevent shorting of cell plate layer 46 with bit line contact 92 . the process creating the structure seen in fig1 is substantially the same as that creating the structure seen in fig1 . in fig1 , a circle 90 illustrates in phantom a cross - section of an etch hole through upper bulk insulator layer 51 . the etch hole is aligned with respect to sleeve insulator layer 50 . also , the etch is self - aligned with sleeve insulator layer 50 due to the selectivity of the etch with respect to the material from which sleeve insulator layer 50 is substantially composed , and due to the etch selectivity to the material of which cell plate insulating layer 48 is composed . as was described with respect to fig1 , the self - alignment of the etch through sleeve insulator layer 50 in effect assures electrical insulation of cell plate layer 46 to prevent an electrical short with electrically conductive bit line contact 92 within the blcc . fig1 illustrates the maximum contact size on active area 18 b , as dictated by the diameter of the area defined within sleeve insulator layer 50 . electrical insulation protection of bit line contact 92 is provided by cell plate insulating layer 48 and sleeve insulator layer 50 so as to prevent shorting of cell plate layer 46 with bit line contact 92 . fig1 shows the divergent types of contacts that can be made using the invention , although all of the depicted contacts need not be present in the same structure nor be situated as depicted in fig1 . in fig1 , circle 90 illustrates in phantom a cross - section of an etch hole , made by conventional etch processes , through upper bulk insulator layer 51 . a contact plug 72 in upon source / drain region 18 b . electrically conductive bit line contact 92 is situated within contact hole 70 and passes through sleeve insulator layer 52 to terminate upon contact plug 72 . circle 94 illustrates in phantom a cross - section of a contact hole 98 , made by conventional etch processes , through upper bulk insulator layer 51 and into a transistor so as to stop on a gate electrode 24 beneath an insulating protective layer 28 of a transistor . electrically conductive contact 100 is situated within contact hole 98 and passes through a sleeve insulator layer 52 to make contact with gate electrode 24 . circle 104 illustrates in phantom a cross - section of a contact hole 106 , made by conventional etch processes , through upper bulk insulator layer 51 and into storage node layer 42 . electrically conductive contact 102 is situated within contact hole 106 and passes through a sleeve insulator layer 53 to make contact with storage node layer 42 . sleeve insulator layer 53 insulates electrically conductive contact 102 from cell plate layer 46 . the fabrication method steps of the self - aligning feature , which are illustrated in fig1 - 9 and described above , constitute a fourth embodiment of the present invention . the fifth and sixth embodiments of the present invention , illustrated respectively in fig1 and 11 , comprise a larger surface area deposition of cell plate layer 46 that requires a deeper penetrating partial etch to create the self - aligning feature . these embodiments vary from the fourth embodiment in that a selective etch step is required to remove most of lower bulk insulator layer 36 so as to expose external lateral surfaces of cell plate layer 46 . in the fifth embodiment seen in fig1 , upper bulk insulator layer 51 is deposited and planarized and then a sleeve insulator layer 50 is deposited upon upper bulk insulator layer 51 and within contact hole 70 . as was discussed above , a conductive plug ( not shown ) is formed within contact hole 70 once an etch exposes active area 18 b . the conductive plug is electrically insulated from cell plate layer 46 by sleeve insulator layer 50 and could also be so insulated by primary insulator layer 48 . the sixth embodiment , seen in fig1 differs from the fifth embodiment seen in fig1 in that a cell plate insulating layer 48 is over cell plate layer 46 for off - site coverage where it is useful or inconvenient to mask out deposition upon cell plate layer 46 . other materials , structures , and processes may be substituted for the particular ones described . for example , silicon nitride , preferably si 3 n 4 , may be used instead of silicon dioxide for insulating protective layer 28 and spacers 30 . spin - on glass ( sog ), polyamide insulator ( pi ), chemical vapor - deposited ( cvd ) oxide or other insulators such as boron silicate glass ( bsg ) or phosphosilicate glass ( psg ) may be used in place of borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) for lower bulk insulator layer 36 . other satisfactory materials may be substituted for any of the above . or , additional materials , structures , and processes may also be added to those disclosed . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrated and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the appended claims and their whole or partial combination rather than by the foregoing description . all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope .	7
the system of the present invention is a compact long lifetime power source which will enable the implementation of many applications , including but not limited to wireless network systems that will no longer require battery changes or replacement . the present invention preferably comprises several components including energy storage ( including but not limited to batteries and supercapacitors ), energy harvesting and / or generation sources ( including but not limited to vibrational ( piezoelectric , capacitive or inductive ), thermal ( thermoelectric ), radioisotope ( betavoltaic ), solar ( photovoltaic ), fuel cells , microcombustion , or biochemical sources ), and ultra - low power electronics for functions including but not limited to charging of energy storage devices , power conditioning , rectification , power management , monitoring state of charge , and / or voltage step - up . the present invention may be configured using different combinations of the above components depending on the intended application . the energy harvesting component will generate power from the ambient environment , which power is then preferably stored in the energy storage components . the ultra - low power electronics preferably control how this power is used or delivered . the present invention can be packaged in many common form factors ( battery sizes such as aa , aaa , c , d , 9v , etc ), as well as in custom sizes , and are preferably capable of plugging directly into a wireless system / component , just like a battery , in order to provide a long lifetime power source . the present invention preferably combines energy harvesting , energy storage in ( for example ) batteries and supercapacitors , and ultra - low power electronics to condition the output from the harvester and carefully charge the storage devices . batteries ( or microbatteries ) provide back - up energy to accommodate periods without ambient energy , while supercapacitors ( or microsupercapacitors ) provide excellent power delivery capabilities to handle high and / or pulsed loads . the electronics circuitry is preferably designed to draw only a very small portion of the harvested energy so that the remainder may be directed for storage , as described above , or for immediate use by the system it is powering . furthermore , once it is fully charged , the battery can be switched out of the circuit to serve as a back - up source , and the energy generated by the harvester is then preferably used to power the application load ( i . e ., sensor ) and accommodate any charge leakage in the supercapacitor . because it is harvesting energy from its environment , the present invention provides a long - lived energy source , far out - lasting conventional batteries . the system may be designed to have a custom form factor or to fit a standard battery configuration , including but not limited to aa , aaa , 9v , li123 , c , d , and others , so it can be used in systems already configured for these types of batteries with little to no modification . moreover , as advanced packaging and integration technologies deliver smaller sensor nodes , the present invention is also expected to evolve through similar miniaturization strategies and will , therefore , be compatible with future generations of miniaturized sensors . as used throughout the specification and claims , the term “ battery ” means battery , microbattery , thin film battery , and the like , whether planar or volumetric . as used throughout the specification and claims , the term “ supercapacitor ” means capacitor , supercapacitor , microsupercapacitor , microcapacitor , ultracapacitor , electric double layer capacitor ( edlc ), and the like . as used throughout the specification and claims , the term “ energy source ” means an energy harvester or energy generator , such as vibrational ( including piezoelectric , electrostatic and inductive methods ), thermal ( thermoelectric ), solar ( various forms of photovoltaics ), radioisotope , chemical , biochemical , fuel cell , microturbine , adenosine triphosphate ( atp ) converters ( atp is a biomolecule able to store and transport chemical energy within cells ), magnetic , electromagnetic ( or rf ) induction ( emi ), and microcombustion generators and the like . fig1 shows a broad schematic of the present system , which preferably comprises three sections : energy harvesting and / or generation ( e / h ), energy storage , and control electronics to rectify the input power ( if necessary ) and safely charge the storage devices . energy generation and / or harvesting may be accomplished using a hardware component which is capable of converting ambient energy into electrical energy . the present invention may contain one or more units of the same type of energy harvesting hardware ( for example , two vibration harvesters ), or contain a combination of two or more pieces of hardware capable of different types of energy harvesting ( for example one piece of hardware harvests vibrational energy while another piece of hardware harvests thermal energy ). using two or more energy harvesting components may provide higher levels of available power and / or may decrease the likelihood that the system will be subjected to periods of time with no available harvestable ambient energy . the electrical energy from the harvester ( s ) is stored , initially , in a supercapacitor ( or supercapacitors ), then in a rechargeable battery . these two energy storage devices provide complementary features : supercapacitors deliver energy efficiently ( high specific power ), while batteries store energy efficiently and so provide back - up power when the harvester is not providing enough power . the supercapacitors in the system of the present invention are preferably used as the first stage energy storage component because they can be discharged and recharged more efficiently and more often than batteries , and are also preferably used for energy delivery because of their low impedance . a low - power digital control module ( dcm ) preferably monitors the state of charge ( soc ) of both the battery and supercapacitor ( s ), and simultaneously dynamically adjusts the operation of the charging module to accommodate any fluctuations in the level of energy delivered by the harvester ( s ). the digital control module is preferably programmable and preferably comprises a microcontroller . as used throughout the specification and claims , the term “ control module ” means a dcm , an ultra - low power microcontroller , a low power field programmable gate array ( fpga ), a low power microprocessor , programmable logic designed into an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), and the like . the charging module in the present invention preferably comprises a charge pump , but could include other devices and architectures such as piezoelectric transformers , dc - dc converters and the like . should the incoming energy not be sufficient to recharge the supercapacitors , the control module preferably switches in the battery to maintain charge on the supercapacitor . because energy harvesters only produce very small amounts of power , this circuitry ( the charge pump , in particular ) preferably operates extremely efficiently to transfer as much of the available power as possible to the energy storage devices without wasting it in the charger . the use of a control module imparts capabilities to the system that conventional power sources such as batteries and other energy harvesting power supplies do not provide . for example , in addition to monitoring the soc and the input energy source , it can provide state of health monitoring for the whole system , as well as communication with the host sensor or application . for example , with appropriate sensor hardware , the control module may optionally detect a sharp temperature excursion or an unusual vibration pattern that may indicate a tamper event , optionally triggering power down . for sensors , communications with the host sensor mote could enable sophisticated system management capabilities not possible with other power solutions . for example , the complex interaction of soc and input energy variables may be used to determine whether the sensor should enter power conservation or power down modes . as discussed , energy storage is preferably accomplished using at least one secondary ( rechargeable ) battery ( including but not limited to lithium - ion , lithium polymer , thin film lithium ion , nickel metal hydride ( nimh ), and nickel / cadmium ( nicd )) preferably in combination with at least one supercapacitor ( also known as an ultracapacitor or electrochemical double layer capacitor ( edlc ), comprising , for example , aqueous or organic based electrolyte chemistries and symmetric or asymmetric types ). the energy storage components of the present invention preferably store the energy generated by the harvester components for use at a later time . the different characteristics of batteries and supercapacitors make them suitable for different functions of energy storage and delivery . if the energy must be stored for a long time , and released slowly , for example as back - up in case there is no harvestable ambient energy ( e . g ., at night when the energy harvester is a solar cell ), a battery would be the preferred energy storage device . if the energy must be delivered quickly , as in a pulse for a radio frequency ( rf ) communication module , but long term storage is not critical , use of a supercapacitor is preferable . the system can employ i ) a battery ( or several microbatteries ) alone , ii ) a supercapacitor ( or supercapacitors ) alone , or iii ) any combination of batteries , microbatteries and supercapacitors appropriate for the application of interest . improvements in materials , construction , etc . for lithium ion and some lithium polymer batteries are resulting in devices that are capable of delivering pulsed loads as well as steady state loads . these devices may be capable of fulfilling both back up and pulse load delivery functions which are currently preferably accomplished using a combination of microbatteries and supercapacitors . however , as shown in fig2 , in order to maximize the life of the battery , separate devices preferably fulfill these functions . fig2 shows pulsed load delivery from a cr2320 lithium coin cell ; the pulses are 105 mw with a 1 . 5 second pulsewidth and 5 second repetition rate . the lifetime of the battery when used with a supercapacitor is greatly increased over that of a battery when used alone . the present invention may use commercially available ( off - the - shelf ) batteries and supercapacitors or custom designed devices depending on the anticipated usage parameters of the system . parameters that may influence energy storage selection include the power profile , availability and consistency of ambient energy and environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity . moreover , some novel thin film batteries exist , both as research devices and commercial products ( e . g ., oak ridge micro and powerpaper ). these devices tend to have high discharge rate ( high power ) capability , but their capacity values on a per unit area basis are low , meaning that large footprint devices are needed to meet useful energy storage capabilities . for certain applications , these devices may prove to be appropriate . one embodiment of the present invention may combine a volumetric battery for energy back - up with a thin film battery in place of the supercapacitor to provide pulse power . fig3 shows a more detailed block diagram of the device . the circuitry will operate for both ac ( e . g ., vibration , rotational ) and dc ( e . g ., solar , thermal ) sources . an incoming ac signal is rectified preferably using low forward - bias - voltage diodes to minimize losses . these may comprise silicon schottky diodes , germanium p - n diodes or other specially engineered components . the control electronics circuitry primarily fulfills two functions : determining how the energy generated by the energy - harvesting component is to be directed ( to storage and / or directly to the load ) and safely and efficiently charging the energy storage devices without overloading , overcharging , or otherwise damaging them or the generator . it is preferred that the circuits consume very little of the incoming power . small scale energy harvesters that are of interest for use in wireless sensors and other microsystems generally deliver low levels of power ( typically on the order of a few hundred microwatts ). it is important that the charging and power management circuitry delivers as much of that power as possible to the energy storage or the sensor device rather than consuming it in its own operation . the circuitry preferably comprises a charge - switching module for charging a supercapacitor energy storage device and a battery charging circuit , controlled by the control module . energy for operation of the control module is preferably stored in an intermediate energy storage device , for example a conventional capacitor ( typically a few μf to a few hundred μf ). the charge switching module preferably prevents irreversible damage to the supercapacitors ( for example c 19 and c 21 in fig7 ) by carefully controlling their charging in order to avoid overcharging them past a desired threshold voltage , preferably approximately 3 . 3v . during charging , supercapacitor c 21 optionally provides low - voltage power to the load , or alternatively the control module may optionally switch output power off until the supercapacitors reach the desired charging threshold . connecting a supercapacitor directly to an energy source delivering voltage v will draw a current i equal to v / esr , where esr is the equivalent series resistance of the supercapacitor ( typically a few ohms , and ideally & lt ;& lt ; 1ω ). as a low esr is a desirable characteristic of supercapacitors for power delivery , the supercapacitor would draw a high instantaneous current , overloading the energy source . as the system of the present invention may sit on the shelf for some time before being deployed , it is not possible to store the supercapacitor in the charged state , and the charge - switching module preferably controls the current draw in order to prevent damaging the generator on initial deployment . once they are fully charged , the supercapacitors then preferably serve as an energy “ cache ” for charging the battery . this keeps the average current draw very low . before charging the battery , the parallel supercapacitors are preferably intermittently switched in series to increase the voltage . then the battery , for example a li - ion battery , is charged , preferably in two stages . first , a constant current charge increases the battery voltage until a target voltage ( for example 4 . 2v ), preferably monitored by the control module , is reached . this stage usually delivers about 70 % of the total capacity of the battery . the battery is then trickle - charged at a constant voltage . charging is typically terminated once the current level falls below 10 % of the initial charging current . by employing a control module that operates at extremely low power , various functions or conditions of the present system can be periodically monitored both during the charging cycles and during operation , including but not limited to the state of charge of both the battery and supercapacitor and whether or not the generator is producing power . once the battery is fully charged it may be removed from the circuit so that the present invention provides power to the sensor or other load via the energy source and supercapacitor ( s ) only . if the control module detects that the energy cell has ceased to provide power ( e . g . during periods of darkness in the case of a solar cell , or in the case that ambient vibrations cease ), then the control module preferably switches in the battery to provide back - up power . in this case , the battery preferably trickle charges the supercapacitor and provides quiescent power to the sensor until the ambient energy source is restored . the battery is preferably designed to be able to store sufficient energy to provide back - up power for the entire time the system is anticipated to be without ambient energy . this time would vary for different applications , but may range from a few hours to several days or weeks . in the event that the stored energy in the battery drops below a predetermined level , a low battery condition is preferably communicated to the sensor , allowing the sensor to shut down or go into a power conservation mode , for example . finally , current is preferably delivered to the load through the supercapacitor which can supply both steady state and high power pulse current , depending on the demand from the load . for steady state operation , the energy source ( or the battery if there is no energy from the generator or harvester ) preferably delivers energy to trickle charge the supercapacitor , and compensates for the energy delivered to the load or lost through the supercapacitor &# 39 ; s internal leakage . as discussed previously , the supercapacitors &# 39 ; low impedance makes them well suited for delivering high power bursts when needed by the load . thus , the present invention preferably utilizes one or more supercapacitors as primary energy storage devices , and one or more batteries as secondary energy storage devices , which are preferably used to recharge the supercapacitor ( s ). the primary energy storage device preferably provides a higher power output than the secondary storage device , while the secondary storage device provides a greater total energy storage than the primary device . that is , the load is preferably powered only from the supercapacitor ( s ), and not from the battery . the supercapacitors can deliver both pulsed and steady state power , depending on the requirements of the load , and have higher power delivery and lower equivalent series resistance than the battery , thereby increasing efficiency ( especially for pulsed power applications ). in the present invention , the battery ( secondary storage device ) is used to charge the supercapacitor ( s ) ( primary storage device ). this configuration also permits the use of supercapacitors with reduced capacitances , and thus reduced leakages , enabling charging from low power energy sources . preferred features , advantages and benefits of the present invention , listed in table 1 , address concerns that manufacturers and end users of wireless sensors and other applications have identified as potential barriers to adoption of this kind of technology . for example , while not having to change batteries periodically is desirable for many wireless sensor applications , the vulnerability of energy harvesting to a lack of ambient energy ( e . g ., darkness for solar cells ) is also concern for many users . the present invention addresses these concerns at low cost . electronics of the present invention preferably convert ultra - low power from environmental sources into higher voltage , high power output power with smart , programmable control . the present invention preferably accepts either ac or dc power input with voltages as low as approximately 1 . 5v , and current as low as approximately 5 - 15 μa , and preferably employ dynamic self - modification of the conversion control to efficiently convert and store the input energy in high energy density supercapacitors and backup batteries . the voltage regulation of the present invention is preferably not dependent on the maximum voltage supplied by the energy source used , and is preferably programmable to provide steady state dc output voltages up to 5vdc or greater with current output many orders of magnitude greater than that of the input after storage . the present invention is preferably programmable to provide any desired voltage ( not only one or two discrete voltages ), either at the time of delivery or in the field . thus the same system can be used for a wide range of loads and energy storage elements suitable for use in different applications . as shown in fig5 , the present invention preferably accepts and rectifies ac or dc current input into an initial charge storage capacitor . the present device also preferably uses a charge pump with dynamically self - modifying switch rates to very efficiently transfer the charge into one , two , or more high - energy - density capacitors ( or supercapacitors ) at up to about four times the highest input voltage . the dynamic switch rate of the charge pump is preferably controlled by the control module . the control module preferably measures the relevant voltages and controls the switching rate of the charge pump , the final voltage level of the stored energy , and the charging of the backup battery module . the control module preferably dynamically controls the operation of the charge pump to efficiently store very low power energy from the energy source ( s ). for dynamic control of the charge pump switch rate , the control module preferably periodically measures the supercapacitor voltage and computes the rate - of - change of the voltage . if the rate is above a specified level , the switch rate is preferably kept sufficiently high to pump as much charge as is available . if the voltage rate - of - change falls below that level , the switch rate is preferably correspondingly decreased so that the charge pump supercapacitors can maintain 90 % of the highest voltage level prior to switching . as the supercapacitor voltage increases , the potential differences in the charge pump decrease , and so the control module preferably further decreases the switch rate in order to accumulate as much charge as possible in the switching capacitors prior to the switch cycle . also , if the current available at the source increases , the control module preferably senses this as the voltage storage rate increases , and preferably increases the switch rate dynamically as before , in order to take advantage of the greater available quantity of charge flow . if more than one supercapacitor is used , the supercapacitors , when charged to the programmed final voltage level , may optionally be switched in series to provide twice the voltage for subsequent backup battery charging via the battery charging circuit , or for higher voltage output . power output ( on or off ) and battery charging is preferably controlled by the control module . when input power is unavailable , the control module may be programmed to turn off the output or recharge the supercapacitors from the backup battery module for continued operation . in general , the charge pump of the present invention stores low level charge obtained from the energy source ( s ) and boosts the voltage , enabling the supercapacitor to charge at the higher voltage level . in contrast , the charging voltage of many existing systems is limited to the output voltage of the energy source , whatever that may be . for low power energy sources , for example a solar cell exposed only to low light , this voltage may not be sufficient to charge the supercapacitor to its threshold voltage ( for example due to leakage of the supercapacitor ). thus these other systems simply won &# 39 ; t work with low voltage or low power energy sources . the charge pump preferably incorporates intermediate charge storage for increased efficiency , and preferably does not utilize resistors for signal control or limiting . other designs as described in the prior art use resistors or inductors for voltage control between the energy source ( s ) and the energy storage components , resulting in limited current flow and therefore lower efficiency , or use no voltage control at all . in addition , it is preferable that the charge pump comprises mosfets , which require voltage , not current , for switching . the embodiment of the high voltage capacitive charge pump pictured in fig6 preferably follows an input voltage rectifier . the operation of the charge pump is preferably dynamically controlled by the control module ( fig5 ), based on the voltage level of the supercapacitors c 19 and c 21 measured by the control module . the capacitors c 6 , c 8 , c 10 , c 11 in the charge pump preferably have a low capacitive value and low leakage , allowing the system to scavenge low charge levels presented by both high impedance , low power environmental generators such as piezoelectric vibration sources , as well as low impedance higher available charge generators such as photovoltaic cells under a high intensity source . in order to present the supercapacitors with a high charging voltage , the flux of current from the charge pump capacitors during switching is preferably controlled by the switching rate , which is preferably dynamically changed with time by the control module . for example , when little charge is available from the generators , the switch rate is preferably decreased . when there is ample charge available , the switch capacitors achieve their final value very quickly , and the switch rate is preferably increased . this dynamic control allows the system to take advantage of very low levels of ambient energy while maintaining a high charge voltage into the supercapacitors . if desired , the storage capacitors c 6 , c 8 , c 10 and c 11 in the charge pump are switched from parallel to series preferably by using low resistance , low gate - source voltage mosfets . to increase the efficiency of the transistors , the gate signals are preferably conditioned by ultra - low current op - amps u 15 and u 16 , thereby increasing transistor saturation and decreasing the channel resistance . when the control module determines that the desired system voltage level has been obtained , or conversely that no energy is available at the input , switching of the charge pump is preferably halted to conserve power . in greater detail , an embodiment of the voltage charge pump circuit of the present invention , shown in fig6 , is preferably operated by switching off fet q 45 and switching on fets q 36 and q 37 , thereby switching capacitors c 8 and c 6 from parallel into series and providing a current flow path to charge capacitors c 11 and c 10 in parallel with fet q 46 on and fets q 39 and q 38 off . the gates of q 36 , q 45 and q 37 are preferably exactly out of phase with the gates of q 39 , q 46 , and q 38 . after the charge is transferred into c 11 and c 10 at the higher voltage , the process is preferably reversed , with fets q 36 and q 37 turning off and q 45 turning on so that capacitors c 8 and c 6 are recharged in parallel , while simultaneously fet q 46 is turned off and q 39 and q 38 are turned on , thereby switching capacitors c 11 and c 10 from parallel into series and providing a current flow path discharging c 11 and c 10 into the supercapacitors through diode d 27 at the higher voltage . diodes d 22 and d 23 block the back - flow of charge from capacitors c 6 when in series with c 8 , and c 10 when in series with c 11 . diode d 21 blocks the back - flow of charge from capacitors c 8 and c 6 . an fet gate conditioner circuit is also depicted in fig6 . saturation of the charge pump switching fets is typically only possible with gate - source voltage levels that go as high as the highest levels seen by the sources of the respective transistors . this is preferably accomplished with gate voltage conditioning provided by the fet gate conditioner circuit . this circuit preferably takes the digital voltage switching signals provided by the control module , utilizing ultra - low - power operational amplifiers in the saturated or comparator mode , or alternatively transistors in a totem - pole configuration , to swing the signals to the positive rail provided by either ( 1 ) vcc when the supercapacitors are at low voltage and charging , or ( 2 ) the supercapacitor voltage when it exceeds vcc . this higher gate - source voltage differential preferably saturates the fets in the charge pump when switching , allowing for the low channel impedances necessary for highly efficient switching with very low current drain . this action preferably allows the charge pump to operate on very small quiescent current , enabling the pump to charge to higher voltages with less input power . when necessary , the control module may switch the energy storage supercapacitors into series , at least doubling the output voltage at high power levels . this action can drive higher voltage loads , or provide the higher voltage necessary for backup battery charging . in this case , a voltage output and doubling circuit , shown in fig7 , is preferably employed . the signal preferably drives low the gates of fets q 32 and q 43 , thereby switching the capacitors c 21 and c 19 into series . diode d 28 blocks the back - flow of current from c 19 to c 21 . an output signal from the control module preferably drives high the gate of fet q 44 , pulling low the gate of fet q 50 , turning on the output of power from c 19 to the output pin . fig8 depicts an embodiment of a backup battery charging module circuit , which preferably provides the voltages and currents necessary to charge the backup battery module as described above . unlike other implementations of charging circuits , which often use power hungry transformers , this circuit preferably comprises low power op - amps . although the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to these preferred embodiments , other embodiments can achieve the same results . variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover all such modifications and equivalents . the entire disclosures of all patents and publications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference .	7
as required , detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein ; however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention , which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate manner , including employing various features disclosed herein in combinations that might not be explicitly disclosed herein . in an embodiment of this approach as shown in fig1 through fig7 , miniature receptacle terminals , generally shown as 20 , have a connection section 30 for connection to a conductor such as a wire conductor ( not shown ) and an opposing box - shaped mating section 40 for mating with a complementary male terminal ( fig7 ). connection section 30 has sidewalls 32 for securely engaging , such as by crimping , to a conductor such as the conductor of an insulated wire . the connection section can have individual arms 34 which can wrap around the insulation of the insulated wire , for example . terminal 20 has a length ( l 1 ) suitable for a miniature receptacle terminal that can be , for example , between about 17 mm and about 23 mm , suitably between about 18 mm and about 20 mm . mating section 40 has a body portion , generally shown as 42 . body portion 42 has length ( l 2 ) which can be , for instance , between about 6 mm and about 12 mm , suitably between about 7 mm and about 10 mm . body portion 42 also has width ( w 1 ) that can be , for example , between about 3 mm and about 5 mm , typically between about 3 . 5 mm and about 4 . 5 mm . body portion 42 , in addition , has height ( h 1 ) that can be , for instance , between about 1 mm and about 5 mm , usually between about 2 mm and about 4 mm . in the illustrated embodiment shown in fig6 , unmated miniature receptacle terminal 20 has at least one primary contact beam 50 , typically two primary contact beams 50 positioned in parallel within body portion 42 . by in effect splitting primary beam in two ( or more ) narrower beams , insertion force can be reduced when suitable while maintaining advantageous mechanical advantage and angular relationships of the overall beam structure . primary contact beam or beams 50 are cantilevered from a first location on a support platform 44 . primary beam or beams 50 extend from a longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ b 1 .” a secondary beam 60 is positioned above primary contact beam or beams 50 . secondary beam 60 is cantilevered from a second location on support platform 44 , which can be formed by folding a metal blank to provide a first location 45 from which the primary beam extends and a second location 47 from which the secondary beam extends . secondary beam 60 extends from longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ a 1 .” in this embodiment , angle “ a 1 ” is larger than angle “ b 1 ” wherein a portion of secondary beam 60 makes contact with primary contact beam 50 in the unmated position . in a typical example , angle “ a 1 ” is between about 5 degrees and 30 degrees , while angle “ b 1 ” is between about 1 degree and 25 degrees . as shown , the respective end portions of the respective beams 50 and 60 are spaced apart from each other where these end portions connect to the support platform 44 by a selected distance 62 , while their respective free end portions engage each other . it will be noted the selected distance 62 corresponds to the spacing between first location 45 and second location 47 and defines the space or gap between the respective cantilever locations for the beams 50 and 60 . as shown in fig7 , contact beams 50 further have a contact surface 52 that engages a male pin 65 when mated within the receptacle terminal . each contact beam 50 has an upwardly extending tip portion 54 to aid in guiding male pin 65 during insertion and to protect the pin and contact beams 50 from damage . when it is desired to provide overstress protection , upwardly extending tip portion 54 can engage the interior surface of top wall 51 when male pin 65 is inserted , thereby preventing contact beam 50 and top beam 60 from overextending in the upward direction . this engagement between the interior surface and the tip portion can also help provide good contact force by stopping movement of the edge of the tip portion 54 while the curve adjacent thereto on the primary contact beam can provide flexure and bias against the inserted pin 65 . in the non - preloaded embodiment shown in fig6 and 7 , the body portion also has a protective flap 56 to further aid in guiding male pin 65 during insertion and to protect the pin and contact beam 50 from damage . in this illustrated embodiment , protective flap 56 is be sized and shaped to provide a gap 55 between upwardly extending tip 54 and protective flap 56 in the unmated position ( fig6 ) so that the tip portion 54 and flap 56 do not engage each other in normal operation . in the illustrated embodiment , body portion 42 further includes a wall 48 , considered a bottom wall , with one or more raised or inwardly extending bumps 46 a to aid in guiding male pin 65 and to bias the mating pin upwards . as male pin 65 is inserted into mating section 40 , male pin 65 is moved towards contact surfaces 52 by one or more bumps 46 . the height of each bump can be varied as desired as shown in fig6 b and 6c for example . varying the height of the bump can allow the force on contact beams 50 to be kept within a specific range while varying the thickness of male pin 65 for example . a lower height of each bump 46 b could be used when a thicker male pin 65 is used for example ( fig6 b ). a higher height of bump 46 c could be used when a thinner male pin 65 is used for example ( fig6 c ). alternatively , bottom wall 48 can be without any inwardly extending bumps as shown in fig6 a . as noted in fig7 , when male pin 65 is further inserted into mating section 40 , male pin 65 engages contact surfaces 52 that are urged to move in a direction considered upward . in the fully mated position , secondary beam 60 extends from support platform 44 at an angle “ a 2 ” and each primary contact beam 50 extends away from support platform 44 at an angle “ b 2 ,” wherein angle “ a 2 ” is larger than angle “ b 2 .” in a typical example , angle “ a 2 ” is between about 1 degree and 20 degrees , while angle “ b 2 ” is between about 0 degrees and 15 degrees . due to the features of the primary contact beam 50 and secondary beam 60 as generally discussed herein , the upward movement of primary contact beam 50 is resisted such that the contact engagement or holding force on the pin increases to levels similar to the pin contact engagement or holding force of larger conventional receptacle terminals that require more bulk to provide a contact engagement or holding force of this magnitude . in the illustrated embodiment , bottom wall 48 has a primary lock up surface 72 that can be used to secure the miniature receptacle terminal 20 to a connector housing 80 for example of a type shown in fig1 . top wall 51 has a polarizing projection 70 for proper mounting of receptacle terminal 20 in a connector housing or panel as shown in fig1 and 14 . polarizing projection 70 extends upward from only a portion of top wall 51 . a connector housing may be sized and shaped such that polarizing projection 70 can only be inserted into the connector housing in one particular orientation , thereby ensuring that the miniature receptacle terminal 20 cannot be inserted incorrectly . top wall 51 also has one or more secondary lock up surfaces 74 that can be used to further secure the miniature receptacle terminal 20 to a connector housing . a terminal front stop 73 is located on polarizing projection 70 as shown in fig1 . such a polarizing projection facilitates proper orientation of the receptacle terminal in a connector housing while the front stop helps to control receptacle terminal insertion . a terminal front stop 173 could be located on top wall 51 as shown in fig1 . either terminal front stop 73 , 173 engages a surface of connector housing 80 as receptacle terminal 20 is fully inserted into connector housing 80 , thereby preventing receptacle terminal 20 from being inserted any further into connector housing 80 . fig1 further shows an embodiment of a receptacle terminal 20 with a terminal position assurance member . after receptacle terminal 20 is fully inserted into connector housing 80 and primary locking member 82 engages with primary lock up surface 72 , a terminal position assurance member , generally designated 92 , can be inserted into connector housing 80 . in the illustrated embodiment , this terminal position assurance member 92 can be considered a front or an end terminal position assurance member . the illustrated member 92 includes a projecting portion 96 and a support portion 98 that allows for securement of the terminal position assurance member 92 to the assembly while the projecting portion 96 is within open space 97 adjacent the primary locking member 82 . in this way , the terminal position assurance member 92 restricts outward movement of the primary locking member 82 . any such movement is less than that needed to disengage the primary locking member 82 . more specifically , front terminal position assurance member 92 prevents primary locking member 82 from disengaging with primary lock up surface 72 . thus this front terminal positioning member can be considered a blocking member having a blocking surface 99 . alternatively , as shown in fig1 , an embodiment of receptacle terminal 20 has a secondary locking member that is a terminal position assurance member , generally designated 94 , that can be considered a side terminal position assurance member having blocking surface 199 . this member 94 is inserted into an opening 198 into the connector housing 80 that is generally adjacent to the secondary lock up surface 74 . after receptacle terminal 20 is fully inserted into connector housing 80 and primary locking member 82 engages with primary lock up surface 72 , the terminal position assurance member 94 is inserted through the opening 198 . insertion continues until the blocking surface 199 of terminal position assurance member 94 is in position to engage secondary lock up surface 74 . typically , such engagement occurs if force is put on receptacle terminal 20 in the opposite direction of the insertion direction , thereby preventing receptacle terminal 20 from substantial movement within connector housing 80 . body portion 42 has side walls 49 . a beam support 76 ( fig1 , 3 , 6 , 6 a and 7 - 11 ) projects from a housing side wall 49 to provide support to each primary contact beam 50 and the secondary beam 60 . in the illustrated embodiment , a flap support 78 ( fig1 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 6 a and 7 - 11 ) also projects from a housing side wall 49 to provide support to the protective flap 56 . a tab 58 ( fig2 ) extends down from a portion of top wall 51 to prevent deformation of top wall 51 from excessive force , such as terminal nose stubbing during insertion of the receptacle terminal into a housing for example . the bottom edge 59 of tab 58 engages with housing side wall 49 as top wall 51 is biased downward . in the illustrated embodiment shown in fig8 , unmated miniature receptacle terminal 120 has at least one primary contact beam 150 , typically two primary contact beams 150 positioned in parallel within body 42 . primary contact beam or beams 150 are cantilevered from a first location on support platform 44 . primary beam or beams 150 extend from a longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ d 1 .” a secondary beam 160 is positioned above primary contact beam or beams 150 . secondary beam 160 is cantilevered from a second location on support platform 44 . secondary beam 160 extends from longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ c 1 .” in this embodiment , angle “ c 1 ” is larger than angle “ d 1 ” wherein a portion of secondary beam 160 makes contact with primary contact beams 150 in the unmated position . in a typical example , angle “ c 1 ” is between about 5 and 30 degrees , while angle “ d 1 ” is between about 1 and 25 degrees . as shown , the respective end portions of the respective beams 150 and 160 are spaced apart from each other where these end portions connect to support platform 44 by a selected distance 62 between first and second locations 45 and 47 , while their respective free end lengths engage each other . as shown in fig8 , an upwardly extending tip portion 154 is engaged with a protective flap 156 such that upwardly extending tip 154 is biased upward in a preloaded condition prior to insertion of a male pin 165 ( fig9 ). such preloading of the primary contact beam or beams 150 may reduce the insertion force required to mate with male pin 165 due to the force component of the insertion load force of the beam or beams 150 that is taken up by the flap 156 as it engages the beam tip portion 154 . as shown in fig9 , contact beams 150 further have a contact surface 152 that engages male pin 165 when mating . the tip portion 154 of the contact beam 150 has an upwardly extending tip end to aid in guiding male pin 165 during insertion and to protect the pin and contact beams 150 from damage . to provide overstress protection , upwardly extending tip portion 154 can engage the interior surface of top wall 51 when male pin 165 is inserted , thereby preventing contact beams 150 and top beam 160 from overextending in the upward direction . this engagement can also improve connection integrity by providing flexure and bias against the inserted pin 165 that is generated by engagement between tip portion 154 and wall 51 . housing 42 also has a protective flap 156 to further aid in guiding male pin 165 during insertion and to protect the pin and contact beams 150 from damage . in the illustrated embodiment shown in fig1 , unmated miniature receptacle terminal 220 has at least one primary contact beam 250 , typically two primary contact beams 250 positioned in parallel within body 42 . primary contact beam or beams 250 are cantilevered from a first location on support platform 44 . primary beam or beams 250 extend from a longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ f 1 .” a secondary beam 260 is positioned above primary contact beam or beams 250 . secondary beam 260 is cantilevered from a second location on support platform 44 . secondary beam 260 extends from longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ e 1 .” in this embodiment , angle “ e 1 ” and angle “ f 1 ” are sized such that there is a beam gap 275 between secondary beam 260 and primary contact beam 250 in the unmated position . in the embodiment that is illustrated in fig1 , this gap 275 begins at the selected distance 62 and extends the full length of the secondary beam 260 . in a typical example , angle “ e 1 ” is between about 1 and 30 degrees , and angle “ f 1 ” is between about 1 and 30 degrees . in the illustrated embodiment shown in fig1 , unmated miniature receptacle terminal 320 has at least one primary contact beam 350 , typically two primary contact beams 350 positioned in parallel within body 42 . primary contact beam or beams 350 are cantilevered from a first location on support platform 44 . primary beam or beams 350 extend from a longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ h 1 .” a secondary beam 360 is positioned above primary contact beam or beams 350 . secondary beam 360 is cantilevered from a second location on support platform 44 . secondary beam 360 extends from longitudinal insertion axis 38 at an angle “ g 1 .” in this embodiment , angle “ g 1 ” and angle “ h 1 ” are sized such that there is a beam gap 375 between secondary beam 360 and primary contact beam or beams 350 in the unmated position . an upwardly extending tip portion 354 is engaged with a protective flap 356 such that upwardly extending tip portion 354 is biased upward in a preloaded condition prior to insertion of a male pin ( not shown ). such preloading of the primary contact beam or beams 350 may reduce the insertion force required to mate with a male pin ( not shown ) due to the force component of the insertion load force of the beam or beams 350 that is taken up by the flap 356 as it engages the beam tip portion 354 . in a typical example , angle “ g 1 ” is between about 1 and 30 degrees , and angle “ h 1 ” is between about 1 and 30 degrees . as shown in fig1 , unmated miniature receptacle terminal 20 is inserted into a connector housing 80 . a primary locking member 82 engages with primary lock up surface 72 to hold the miniature receptacle terminal 20 in place . other interactions between the miniature receptacle terminal 20 and the connector housing 80 also are shown . it will be appreciated that the connector housing 80 is insulative or of a dielectric material while the miniature receptacle terminal is conductive . it will be understood that there are numerous modifications of the illustrated embodiments described above which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art , such as many variations and modifications of the miniature receptacle terminals and / or its components including combinations of features disclosed herein that are individually disclosed or claimed herein , explicitly including additional combinations of such features , or alternatively other types of miniature receptacle terminals . also , there are many possible variations in the materials and configurations . these modifications and / or combinations fall within the art to which this approach relates and are intended to be within the scope of the claims , which follow .	7
the following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention . the description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention , since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims . various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features . broadly , embodiments of the present invention generally provides a portable outdoor motor control system for multi - station enclosed cabin boats so that a single motor control unit may be moved to and used at multiple stations both inside and outside a cabin of a boat . fig1 shows a schematic partial section view of a boat in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , a portable outboard motor control system 10 may allow a motor control unit 12 to be mounted at multiple stations within the boat 32 , such as near a wheel or helm station in a first inside position 26 inside a cabin 30 of the boat 32 , a wheel or helm station in a second outside position 28 outside of the cabin 30 of the boat 32 , or at a position on a bridge 36 on top of a roof 34 of the cabin 30 of the boat 32 . the motor control unit 12 may be mounted to a position on the boat 32 via a sliding bracket 14 , a motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , or 17 , and quick release mechanism or pin 18 . cables 24 may run from the motor of the boat 32 to the motor control unit 12 via rear wall opening 20 when the motor control unit 12 is positioned near the wheel or helm station in the second outside position 28 out side of the cabin 30 of the boat 32 , or via roof opening 38 when the motor control unit 12 is positioned on top of the bridge 36 . a cap 20 may be used to cover the rear wall opening 20 when not in use to route the cables 24 . fig2 shows a perspective view of a portable outboard motor control system showing how a sliding bracket attached to a motor control unit may slide into a mounting bracket and may be secured by a quick release mechanism or pin in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 , a portable outboard motor control system 10 may comprise a sliding bracket 14 , a motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , or 17 , and a quick release mechanism or pin 18 . the sliding bracket 14 may be attachable to a motor control unit 12 , and may comprise grooves along the top and bottom in order to slide into the motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , and 17 . the motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , or 17 may be mounted to a desired position for the motor control unit 12 on the boat 32 and may comprise corresponding rails that allow the sliding bracket 14 to slide and fit with the motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , and 17 . the sliding bracket 14 may be slid into the motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , or 17 and the sliding bracket 14 may be secured to the motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , or 17 via the quick release mechanism or pin 18 that slides through holes on the motor control mounting bracket 15 , 16 , or 17 and on the sliding bracket 14 , thus securing the motor control unit 12 to a position on the boat 32 . fig3 and 4 show views of the motor control unit 12 mounted at a second outside position of the boat 32 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the motor control unit 12 may be mounted near the wheel or helm station in the second outside position 28 via a sliding bracket 14 , a motor control mounting bracket 16 , and a quick release mechanism or pin 18 , with cables 24 routed from the boat motor through rear wall opening 20 of the cabin 30 . as can be seen , because the motor control unit 12 is mounted at the second outside position , the motor control mounting bracket 15 inside of the cabin 30 near the wheel or helm station in the first position 26 may be empty and not attached to a motor control unit 12 . the motor control unit 12 may be a unit manufactured by yamaha ™, evinrude ™, honda ™, or any other manufacturer . the first motor control mounting bracket 14 and the second motor control mounting bracket 16 may be manufactured to match the attachment points of the motor control unit 12 . the quick release mechanism or pin 18 may be operable to attach the motor control unit 12 to the first motor control mounting bracket 15 and the second motor control mounting bracket 16 . the first motor control mounting bracket 15 may be operable to receive the motor control unit 12 mounted to the sliding bracket 14 and may be mounted on a first inside position inside the cabin 30 at a standard motor control location . the second motor control mounting bracket 16 may be configured identically to the first motor control mounting bracket 15 , may also be operable to receive the motor control unit 12 mounted to the sliding bracket 14 , and may further be mounted on a second outside position outside of the cabin 30 close to the outside wheel or helm station 28 in the second outside position . the third motor control mounting bracket 17 may be configured identically to the first control mounting bracket 15 and second control mounting bracket 16 , and may further be mounted on a position on top of a bridge 36 on the boat 32 . in use , the motor control unit 12 may be moved from first inside position of the cabin 30 to the second outside position without disassembly . the motor control unit 12 may be released from the first motor control mounting bracket 15 via the quick release mechanism or pin 18 and sliding the sliding bracket 14 from the first motor control mounting bracket 15 , and then routed along with its attached cables 24 from the first inside position through the opening 20 in the rear wall of the cabin 30 to the second outside position . once the motor control unit 12 is at the desired location , the motor control unit 12 may be mounted to the second motor control mounting bracket 16 via the quick release mechanism or pins 18 by sliding the sliding bracket 14 into the second motor control mounting bracket 16 and securing the sliding bracket 14 to the second motor control mounting bracket 16 via the quick release mechanism or pin 18 at the second motor control mounting bracket . it should be understood , of course , that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .	1
in fig1 a nasal catheter 100 generally includes a proximal portion 110 , a distal portion 120 with a nub 122 at the end , a removable sheath 130 , and a nose clip 140 . the proximal portion 110 is a wire of satisfactory length , which is currently contemplated to include lengths sufficient to reach from the external nares to the posterior choanae . currently preferred lengths are 5 - 10 cm , with this and all ranges being inclusive of their endpoints unless the context clearly dictates the contrary . wire 110 can be made of any suitable material or materials , provided they are sufficiently flexible to be inserted in the nasal passageway of a typical human without causing substantial damage to the tissues , but also having sufficient column strength to enable proper insertion of the distal portion . the wire 110 should also be non - kinkable under ordinary operating conditions . wires 110 can be mono - or poly - filamentous , and in the later case can be twisted , wound , or woven . at present , the most preferred wires 110 are wound , comprise a nitinol or other shape - memory metal or alloy , and have an outside diameter of less than 6 fr . ( 2 mm ), and are coated with a terephthalate or other suitable bio - compatible polymer to reduce friction . the distal portion 120 can have any suitable dimensions , including for example a length of between 7 cm and 13 cm when in an expanded configuration , and more preferably between about 9 and 11 cm . preferred distal portions also have a maximum cross - section of no more than 10 mm 2 when in the non - expanded configuration , and no less than 75 mm 2 when in the expanded configuration . both length and diameter dimensions are derived from typical adult anatomy , and other sizes are also contemplated , such as to accommodate children and very large adults . distal portion 120 can advantageously comprise the same material ( s ) and coating ( s ) as the proximal portion , but could be also be quite different . where the distal portion comprises a mesh , it is important that the mesh defines spacing sufficient to accommodate both expected airflow and ordinary fluid drainage . in a currently preferred embodiment the spacing is approximately a square measuring about 2 mm on a side in the expanded configuration . in the expanded state the mesh would need to have sufficient radial force to part the pharyngeal tissue and provide a patent physiologic airway . but at the same time the radial force should advantageously be less than the tissue perfusion pressure to ensure adequate tissue oxygenation . it is important that the distal portion 120 is biased to the expanded configuration , but that the expansion can be manually reversed to a compressed configuration by sliding the sheath 130 over the expanded distal portion with a reasonable amount of effort . the distal portion 120 has a length in an expanded configuration that is at least 50 % less than in a contracted configuration , more preferably at least 20 % and most preferably at least 25 %. nub 122 is optional . one could alternatively leave the distal portion open at its distal end . in that case the end is preferably woven back or otherwise adapted to reduce injury to adjacent tissues . where nub 122 is present , it is preferably made of a plastic or other relatively soft material , and is preferably bull - nosed to allow for convenient insertion . it is also considered advantageous that the nub can be withdrawn into the mesh so that it does not irritate or tickle the vocal chords . this could be accomplished by inherent design of the mesh , so that when the mesh is expanded the nub is automatically pulled back . in the embodiment of fig2 , a nasal catheter 200 generally includes a proximal portion 210 , a distal portion 220 with a nub 222 at the end , a removable sheath 230 . but in this case the proximal portion 210 has an outer member having a lumen through which an inner member 215 slides . inner member 215 is coupled to nub 222 , and can be used to invaginate nub 222 back into the lumen of the mesh of distal portion 220 . in this instance nub 222 should be considered a functionally distal end of the distal portion 220 . removable sheath 130 , 230 is preferably similar to cardiovascular guide catheter in that it needs both considerable column strength and lateral bending flexibility , with a relatively thin wall . this can readily be accomplished using a plastic embedded with metal strands . at its distal end , the sheath 130 , 230 is preferably tapered to fit flush with the proximal end of the nub 122 , 222 . this expected to facilitate atraumatic insertion . sheaths 130 , 230 can be any convenient length , because it will likely not be left in the body . sheaths 130 , 230 can be split , so that they can be placed over the protrusion of the proximal portion out of the nose , which is likely continuous with the nose clip 140 . see fig1 . at the proximal end of the sheath 130 , 230 , one could have a handle , grip or other protuberance that facilitates gripping and manipulating of the sheath 130 , 230 by the user or his health care provider . in an alternative shown in fig3 , a nasal catheter 300 generally includes a proximal portion 310 , a distal portion 320 with a nub 322 at the end , a removable sheath 330 , and a nose clip 340 . here , however , the nose clip 340 is removably attached to the proximal portion 310 ( such as for example with a snap or a threaded connection ) and there is an extension arm 350 that is removably coupled to the proximal portion 310 . in practice one would insert the catheter 300 by sliding the sheath 330 over the distal portion 320 , inserting the catheter 300 into the nose of a user ( not shown ) an appropriate distance , connect the extension arm 350 to the proximal end of the proximal portion 310 , withdrawing the sheath 330 over the proximal portion 310 and then over the extension arm 350 , detach the extension arm 350 from the proximal portion 310 , and finally attach the nose clip 340 to the proximal portion 310 . when removing the catheter 300 , one reverses the steps above . extension arm 350 can , of course , be made of any suitable materials and have any suitable length . nose clip 140 , 340 , 440 primarily functions to prevent the proximal portion 110 , 210 , 310 from sliding further than intended into the nasal cavity , and in extreme situations , advancing to a point that it cannot be easily retrieved . in that light the term nose clip should be construed euphemistically as including any sort of position retaining device that can prevent such untoward events . thus , for example , a nose clip can be a simple bent wire 140 such as that shown in fig1 , or a combination plastic and metal piece such as that shown in fig3 . in still further alternative embodiments ( not shown ), the retaining device could be a flared segment , a band that can be positioned about the head , and so forth . another purpose for the nose clip is to act as a positioning guide , indicating that the device is appropriately inserted . the nose clip can also be rotated clock - wise or counter - clockwise by a few degrees , which would also tend to rotate the entire length of the device , and thereby reducing potential for repetitive contact injury and areas of ischemic tissue damage . users should in fact be encouraged to rotate the nose clip by a few degrees each day . in fig4 a and 4b , a nasal catheter 400 generally includes a proximal portion 410 , a distal portion 420 with a collection of wires 420 a , 420 b terminating at a nub 422 , a sheath 430 , and a nose clip 440 . one of the wires 420 a is slidable with respect to the sheath 430 , and the other wires 420 b are not slidable with respected to the sheath . in that arrangement , the distal and proximal portions 410 , 420 can be inserted through the nose , with the distal portion 420 being in a contracted configuration . retracting the slidable wire actuates the device by distorting the orientation of the remaining wires 420 b to form a whisk - shaped distribution shown in fig4 b . the motion is similar to that found in the guidewire system of cordis ™ angioguard xp ™, except that in the cordis device the guidewires go flush by pulling the ends apart , and in the embodiments of fig4 a , 4 b , the wires expand to the whisk - shaped distribution by bringing the ends towards one another ( i . e . bringing the nub 422 proximal ). catheter 400 preferably has between 8 - 20 wires 420 b . it is currently contemplated that operation at the lower end of the range and below would tend to allow excessive tissue prolapse between the wires , and operation at the higher end of that range and above would tend to have inadequate radial separation and cause inspisated mucus buildup . the wires 420 b can extend proximally any suitable distance . they could , for example , terminate at or approximately at the distal end 432 of the sheath 430 ( as shown in the figures ), pass all the way to the proximal end of the sheath 430 , or terminate anywhere in between . it should also be appreciated that wires 420 b need not have a round cross - section . they could , for example , be flattened into ribbons , or have ovoid cross - sections . in fig5 a , 5 b , 5 c the nub 422 is coupled to the wires 420 b at pivot points 423 . this is intended to reduce breakage of the wires 420 b and increase the lifespan of the device 400 . the nub 422 also preferably includes grooves 424 that allow the wires to become flush with the surface of the nub 422 , which is expected to facilitate insertion . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the fig5 a , 5 b , 5 c only depict two wires 420 b for the sake of clarity . a practical embodiment would likely have eight or more . thus , specific embodiments and applications of nasal catheters have been disclosed . it should be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the inventive subject matter , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims . moreover , in interpreting both the specification and the claims , all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context . in particular , the terms “ comprises ” and “ comprising ” should be interpreted as referring to elements , components , or steps in a non - exclusive manner , indicating that the referenced elements , components , or steps may be present , or utilized , or combined with other elements , components , or steps that are not expressly referenced . where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of a , b , c . . . and n , the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group , not a plus n , or b plus n , etc .	0
the novel copolymers preferably have from 0 . 1 to 40 wt % of a linear , branched , cyclic or bicyclic fluorine containing monomer with best results obtained with 10 to 25 wt % of ( a ). the fluoromonomers useful in this invention have the following structures : where r is selected from the class of hydrogen , methyl , fluoro and trifluoromethyl groups , &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; is an integer from 1 - 4 , &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; is an integer from 0 - 4 , r 1 is selected from the class of hydrogen , methyl and trifluoromethyl groups , and r f is a straight or branched fluoroalkyl group preferably having from 1 - 18 carbon atoms , fluoroaryl group , or fluoroarylene group having 1 - 24 fluorine atoms . where r and r f are as designated above , r 2 is selected from the class of fluoro or r f groups , and r 3 is selected from the class of hydrogen or fluoro groups . where &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; are integers from 1 to 150 , and r 4 is a substituent containing a polymerizable double bond . when fluoro macromonomers are used , they can be used in combination with conventional low molecular weight fluoromonomers to improve compatibilization . the macromonomers , if used , are preferably used at the low end of the 0 . 1 to 40 % range and most preferably about 1 to about 5 % by weight . where r , r f are designated as above , and r 5 is selected from the class of hydrogen , alkyl or aryl substituents . in addition to the above , it is also possible to use fluorinated itaconate esters . the fluoromonomers can either be used individually or in combination , with the fluoromethacrylates and the fluorostyrenes being the preferred materials . the hydroxyalkyl esters of acrylic and methacrylic acid , which are of use , are preferably derived from 2 - hydroxyethyl acrylate and methacrylate , 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl acrylate and methacrylate , 2 - hydroxypropyl acrylate and methacrylate . these materials can be used in conjunction with an alkylene oxide such as hydroxy or methoxy - terminated polyethylene glycol monoacrylate and monomethacrylate ( macromers ). such alkylene oxide acrylates or alkylene oxide methacrylates can be used without the above noted hydroxyalkyl esters so long as optical clarity is maintained . 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate being the preferred material in concentration of 2 - 85 wt %, and preferably between 10 - 35 %. for the n - vinyl lactam , the preferred compound is n - vinylpyrrolidone , although other substituted vinylamides can be employed . it is important that this class of molecule be present , in concentrations from 5 - 80 wt %, and preferably from 40 - 60 wt %, in order to allow for compatibility and optical clarity for bulk polymerized formulations which include a fluoromonomer and a hydroxyalkyl ester . outside of these limits it is usually difficult to obtain optically clear materials when the polymerization is conducted in the absence of solvent . normally 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate contains a small amount of the crosslinking agent ethylene glycol dimethacrylate . when this concentration is minimal , maximum swelling of the hydrogel is obtained in aqueous solution . however , such gels may have an inherently weak structure which allows facile rupturing or tearing . in such circumstances , an additional crosslinking agent can be employed , in concentrations of from 0 - 7 wt %, and preferably from 0 . 1 to 2 . 0 wt %. examples of crosslinking agents include polyfunctional derivatives of acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , acrylamide , methacrylamide and multi - vinyl substituted benzenes , including but not limited to the following : ethylene glycol diacrylate or dimethacrylate , diethylene glycol diacrylate or dimethacrylate , triethylene glycol diacrylate or dimethacrylate , tetraethylene glycol diacrylate or dimethacrylate , polyethylene glycol diacrylate or dimethacrylate , trimethylolpropane triacrylate or trimethacrylate , bisphenol a diacrylate or dimethacrylate , ethoxylated bisphenol a diacrylate or dimethacrylate , pentaerythritol tri - and tetraacrylate and methacrylate , tetramethylenediacrylate or dimethacrylate , methylenebisacrylamide or methacrylamide , hexamethylene bisacrylamide or methacrylamide , divinyl benzene , diallyl itaconate , allyl methacrylate , diallyl phthalate , polysiloxanylbisalkyl acrylates and methacrylates , polysiloxanylbisalkylglycerol acrylates and methacrylates . the additional hydrophilic monomers useful in the present invention include acrylic and methacrylic acid , acrylamide , methacrylamide , n , n - dimethylacrylamide , n , n - dimethylmethacrylamide , diacetone acrylamide , 2 acrylamido 2 - methylpropanesulfonic acid and its salts , vinylsulfonic acid and its salts , styrenesulfonic acid and its salts , 2 methacryloyloxyethyl sulfonic acid and its salts , 3 methacryloyloxypropyl sulfonic acid and its salts , allylsulfonic acid , 2 - phosphatoethyl methacrylate , di tri -, tetra -, penta - ... polyethyleneglycol monoacrylate or methacrylate , n , n dimethylaminoethyl acrylate and methacrylate , 2 - methacryloyloxyethyltrimethylammonium salts , 2 -, 4 - and 2 - methyl 5 - vinylpyridine and their quaternary salts , n -( 3 - methacrylamidopropyl ) - n , n - dimethylamine , n -( 3 - methacrylamidopropyl ) - n , n , n - trimethylammonium salts , 1 - vinyl - and 2 methyl 1 vinylimidazole and their quaternary salts , n ( 3 - acrylamido - 3 methylbutyl ) - n , n dimethylamine and its quaternary salts , n -( 3 methacryloyloxy 2 - hydroxypropyl ) n , n , n - trimethylammonium salts and diallyldimethylammonium salts . the triethanolammonium salt of 2 methacryloyloxyethane sulfonic acid is the preferred wetting agent . a uv absorbing material can be added to the above mixture of monomers if it is desired to reduce or eliminate uv radiation in the wavelength of 300 - 410 nm . of particular interest are the benzophenone and benzotriazole families , such as 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- dihydroxy - 4 - methacryloyloxybenzophenone , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- dihydroxy - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dimethacryloyloxybenzophenone , 2 - hydroxy - 4 -( 3 methacrylo - yloxy - 2 - hydroxypropoxy ) benzophenone , 2 , 2 &# 39 ; dihydroxy - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;-( 3 bismethacryloyloxy - 2 - hydroxypropoxy ) benzophenone , 1 -, 4 -, 5 -, 6 -, or 7 - vinylbenzotriazole 4 -, 5 -, 6 -, or 7 - methacryloyloxybenzotriazole , 1 - methacryloylbenzotriazole , 4 -, 5 -, 6 -, or 7 - methacryloyloxy 2 hydroxypropoxybenzotriazole and 1 -( methacryloyloxy - 2 hydroxypropoxy ) benzotriazole . the copolymers described in this invention are preferentially prepared by radical polymerization utilizing a free radical initiator . the initiators are preferably either azo or peroxide families . typical initiators include : 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobis ( 2 , 4 - dimethylpentanenitrile )( vazo 52 ), 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobisisobutyronitrile , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- azobis ( 4 cyanopentanoic acid ), 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobis ( 2 methylbutanenitrile ), 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobis ( 2 , 4 dimethyl 4 - methoxyvaleronitrile ), t - butyl peroctoate , benzoyl peroxide , lauroyl peroxide , methyl ethyl ketone peroxide , 2 , 4 - dichlorobenzoyl peroxide , p - chlorobenzoyl peroxide , and diisopropyl peroxycarbonate and 2 , 5 dimethyl - 2 , 5 - di ( 2 - ethylhexanoylperoxy ) hexane . typically , the monomer solutions containing 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 wt % initiator are flushed with either nitrogen or argon gas for two hours at room temperature . the samples , which are in plastic cups , plastic or glass tubes , are then heated at 35 ° c . for 24 hours , 50 ° c . for three hours , 70 ° c . for one hour and 90 ° c . for three hours . after this cycle is completed , the samples are cooled and the resulting polymer is removed from its vessel . if the vessel is a cast molding device , contact lenses can be prepared directly as in spin casting . otherwise , the material is prepared in button , rod , or disc form , or other desired shapes , which can then be machined . the resulting lenses are then hydrated in an isotonic buffered solution for one to two days at 35 ° c . prior to use . depending on the ratio of fluoromonomer to hydroxyalkyl methacrylate to n - vinylpyrrolidone , either optically clear , hazy , or opaque polymeric materials are obtained . under certain ratios , as described herein , optically clear , hard , machineable materials can be prepared . after the finished polymerized shaped article is immersed in water or in buffered isotonic saline solution , a hydrogel results , usually within 1 to 7 days . the hydrogels absorb between 30 wt .% to 93 wt .% of buffered isotonic saline solution . such materials can have dk values at 35 ° c . ranging from 9 to 83 . these oxygen permeabilities are , in some instances , higher than known values for all previously reported hydrogel soft contact lens materials . in addition to the high level of water contents and the exceptionally high oxygen permeabilities of the hydrogels , it has also been found that these fluorine containing hydrogel materials display significant protein and lipid repellency properties . thus , these combined properties provide a novel material for the preparation of soft , hydrogel contact lenses . furthermore , these hydrogels have application in other biological materials such as surgical implants , prosthetic devices , heart valves , hydrophilic catheter coverings , hydrophilic vascular grafts and hydrophilic burn dressings . the following examples are given to illustrate the invention and are not meant to be limiting : the desired materials for fluorine - containing hydrogel lenses are obtained by mixing the desired monomers and initiator , filtering the homogeneous comonomer solution , and pouring said solution into previously dried reaction vessels . the vessels are then placed in a heating block or bath and flushed with argon for a period of 5 minutes , after which the vessels are heated at 35 ° c . for 24 hours , 50 ° c . for three hours , 70 ° c . for one hour and 90 ° c . for three hours . following the completion of the heating cycle , the heating block is cooled to room temperature and the vessels are removed . the resulting buttons or rods are then removed from their respective vessels . the buttons are then cut into discs to determine water uptake by soaking in an isotonic buffered solution at ph 7 . 3 at 35 ° c . for at least 100 hours or until maximum swelling has occurred . the water contents were determined based on the disc &# 39 ; s dry weight and wet weight by the following relationships : ## equ1 ## the % of water of hydration based on the dry disc is determined after drying the hydrated disc at 50 ° c . under vacuum overnight . in determining oxygen permeability ( dk ), the following procedure was utilized : the hydrogel sample is covered on the tip of polarographic oxygen sensor and placed in buffer ( ph 7 . 3 ) solution at 35 ° c . a steady state is reached when the oxygen between the sample and sensor tip is exhausted and then the rate of oxygen diffusing through the sample becomes a constant . the constant rate of oxygen passing through is measured by an oxygen sensing electrode and converted to current , which is the equilibrium point from the plot of current vs . time . the equilibrium current values were determined for different samples of varying thickness . finally , from the slope of the plot of the inverse values of equilibrium current against the thicknesses of the samples used , the oxygen permeability ( dk ) was calculated by multiplying the cell constant with the inverse value of the slope obtained from the latter plot . the unit for dk is 10 - 11 ( cm 2 / sec )( ml 0 2 / ml mm hg ). except where indicated , measurements were obtained in a buffer at 207 milliosmolals ( mos ). in these cases , the dk data were converted to an isotonic buffer of 310 mos by use of the equation : the % wet hydration data were converted to an isotonic buffer by the equation : and the % dry hydration data were converted to an isotonic buffer by the equation : table 1 illustrates the effect of variation of the hexafluoroisopropyl methacrylate ( hfm ) and 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate contents ( hema ), with constant contents of n vinylpyrrolidone ( nvp ) and methacrylic acid ( ma ), on wet and dry hydration and permeability . also included are related analysis of two samples containing no hfm and one sample of 100 wt .% hfm . table 1__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________0 . 6 79 . 4 10 10 89 868 61 all buttons were clear1 79 10 10 91 1046 673 77 10 10 82 477 454 76 10 10 81 438 445 75 10 10 83 482 460 100 0 0 31 43 90 80 10 10 86 491 40100 0 0 0 -- -- 17__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 2 indicates the effect of varying the hema and ma contents , with constant contents of hfm and nvp . table 2__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________30 59 10 1 46 85 9 buttons had phase separation ; 30 57 10 3 58 136 21 after removal of top30 56 10 4 69 224 30 portion , hydrated discs were30 52 10 8 76 310 28 clear and homogeneous__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 3 illustrates the effect of varying the hema , nvp , and ma contents , with a constant content of hfm . table 3__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________30 50 20 0 36 53 9 all buttons had phase30 45 15 10 82 463 51 separation ; after removal of30 40 20 10 81 435 -- the top portion , all30 35 25 10 85 587 50 hydrated discs were clear and30 30 30 10 85 518 49 homogeneous . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 4 illustrates the effect of varying low content of hfm with varying contents of hema and ma at constant nvp content . table 4__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________0 . 4 83 . 6 10 6 76 336 58 all buttons were clear and homogeneous . 0 . 6 83 . 4 10 6 77 341 480 . 6 81 . 4 10 8 75 298 480 . 8 83 . 2 10 6 71 242 520 . 8 81 . 2 10 8 71 248 411 . 0 83 . 0 10 6 77 337 481 . 0 81 . 0 10 8 77 338 531 . 2 82 . 8 10 6 72 252 381 . 2 80 . 8 10 8 83 484 44__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 5 illustrates the effect of varying low content of pfs with varying contents of hema and ma at constant nvp content . table 5__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________0 . 4 83 . 6 10 6 80 396 56 all buttons were clear and homogeneous . 0 . 6 83 . 4 10 6 71 254 590 . 8 83 . 2 10 6 74 284 551 . 0 83 . 0 10 6 73 300 561 . 2 82 . 5 10 6 73 276 592 . 0 80 . 0 10 8 78 351 594 . 0 78 . 0 10 8 79 385 63__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 6 illustrates the effect of varying low content pfs with varying contents of hema , nvp , and ma . all measurements were obtained in a ph 7 . 3 buffer at 310 mos . table 6__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % pfs hema vp ma wet dry dk remarks__________________________________________________________________________4 26 60 10 91 1035 80 all rods were clear and colorless . 4 16 70 10 93 1260 83 after hydration , all discs were clear and colorless . __________________________________________________________________________ table 7 illustrates the effect of adding a styrenic derivative , t butyl styrene ( tbs ). table 7__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma tbs wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________30 45 10 10 5 69 316 36 buttons had phase separation ; after removal of top portion hydrated discs were clear . 30 40 10 10 10 53 113 18 bottom portion of phase separated buttons remained hazy after hydration . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 8 illustrates the effect of adding a crosslinking agent , tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate ( tegdm ). table 8__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma tedgma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________1 77 . 5 10 10 1 . 5 80 413 50 all buttons were clear and colorless . 2 76 . 5 10 10 1 . 5 80 405 28 all buttons were clear and colorless . 3 75 . 5 10 10 1 . 5 75 291 26 all buttons were clear and colorless . 30 44 10 15 1 82 449 42 buttons were slightly30 34 10 25 1 85 597 57 hazy . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 9 illustrates the effect of adding a strengthening monomer , methyl methacrylate ( mma ), to the hydrogel . table 9__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp ma mma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________30 45 10 10 5 80 399 45 buttons had hazy separation ; after30 40 10 10 10 84 526 34 hydration , discs were clear . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 10 illustrates the effect of variation of the pentafluorostyrene ( pfs ) and hema contents , with constant contents of nvp and ma . table 10__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % pfs hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________0 . 4 79 . 6 10 10 91 1170 66 all buttons were clear ; after0 . 6 79 . 4 10 10 91 1257 63 hydration , the discs were1 . 8 78 . 2 10 10 86 647 66 found to be strong . 2 78 10 10 91 1162 715 75 10 10 81 428 4510 70 10 10 80 395 4215 65 10 10 78 349 3920 60 10 10 81 422 3325 55 10 10 76 318 4130 50 10 10 72 242 31__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 11 illustrates the effect of combining different compositions of pfs and hfm , with varying content of hema and constant contents of nvp and ma . table 11__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm pfs hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________1 . 0 10 69 . 0 10 10 79 374 45 all buttons were clear ; after1 . 0 5 74 . 0 10 10 81 448 42 hydration , the discs were1 . 5 5 73 . 5 10 10 76 311 56 found to be strong . 1 . 0 2 . 5 76 . 5 10 10 81 427 652 . 0 25 53 10 10 69 218 374 . 0 25 51 10 10 69 203 28__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . the use of a fluorosulfonamide monomer of 2 -( n - ethylperfluorosulfonamido ethyl acrylate ) ( fx - 13 by 3m co .) is illustrated in table 12 . table 12__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % fx - 13 hema vp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________0 . 2 79 . 8 10 10 85 578 72 buttons were clear ; after hydration , the discs were clear . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . the use of a ultraviolet absorber ( uv ) of 2 - hydroxy - 4 -( 2 hydroxy - 3 - methacrylvloxy ) propoxybenzophenone ( permasorb ma , national starch and chemical corp .) in conjunction with pfs , hema , nvp and ma is illustrated in table 13 . table 13__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % pfs hema nvp ma uv wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________1 . 5 78 . 3 10 10 0 . 2 89 847 73 all buttons were clear . after hydration , all discs were clear . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 14 illustrates the use of a sulfonate monomer in its salt form as an added hydrophilic agent . in a typical procedure , hema , nvp and pfs , were weighed into a beaker . into this mixture sulfoethyl methacrylate ( sem ) was weighed accurately followed by equal molar concentration of triethanolamine ( tea ). after adding the required amount of initiator , the contents of the beaker were qently stirred for thorough mixing , with cooling . table 14__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % hfm hema nvp sem tea wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________4 71 . 0 10 8 . 5 6 . 5 64 177 31 all buttons were clear and4 66 . 0 10 11 . 3 8 . 7 75 308 52 yellow when dry ; after4 63 . 5 10 12 . 7 9 . 8 75 294 57 hydration the discs4 61 . 0 10 14 . 1 10 . 9 76 323 46 became colorless . __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . table 15 illustrates the use of p fluorostyrene ( pfs ) as the fluoromonomer in conjunction with hema , nvp , and ma . table 15__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % pfs hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________ 1 79 10 10 87 729 66 the hydrated discs were clear but 5 75 10 10 81 417 48 had less drape and less elasticity . 10 70 10 10 85 419 4915 65 10 10 67 206 2620 60 10 10 69 224 21__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos and converted to 310 mos . table 16 illustrates the use of glycerol as a solvent for the polymerization of pfs , hema , nvp , and ma . all reactions were thermally initiated with vazo - 52 . the total monomer concentration was 85 wt .% and the glycerol concentration was 15 wt .%. polymerization could be done in a stationary state or under spin casting conditions . table 16__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % pfs hema nvp ma wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________2 78 10 10 81 438 43 buttons became opaque after polymerization , 4 78 10 8 79 382 48 but discs turned clear in buffer solution . 25 55 10 10 66 200 29__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos and converted to 310 mos . table 17 illustrates the use of glycerol as a solvent for the polymerization of pfs , hema , nvp , and the potassium salt of 3 sulfopropyl methacrylate ( spm ). reactions were initiated either thermally with vazo 52 or by uv using benzoin methyl ether as the photoinitiator . the total monomer concentrations were varied as indicated in the table . table 17__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % monomer glycerol hydration % pfs hema nvp spm wt . % wt . % wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________4 81 10 5 85 . sup . b 15 52 109 30 all discs were clear . 4 76 10 10 85 . sup . b 15 68 206 474 76 10 10 85 . sup . b 15 78 364 564 66 10 20 80 . sup . 20 80 402 57__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos and converted to 310 mos . . sup . b uv photopolymerization table 18 illustrates the use of constant pfs with constant sem . tea as a function of increasing nvp and decreasing hema . all measurements were obtasined in a ph 7 . 3 buffer at 310 mos . table 18__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % hydration % pfs hema nvp sem tea wet dry dk remarks__________________________________________________________________________15 27 . 3 40 10 7 . 7 68 211 42 all rods were clear and slightly15 17 . 3 50 10 7 . 7 76 309 47 yellow . after hydration of discs , 20 22 . 3 40 10 7 . 7 67 206 29 all samples were clear and colorless . 20 12 . 3 50 10 7 . 7 69 225 4225 17 . 3 40 10 7 . 7 63 172 3710 37 . 5 30 12 . 7 9 . 8 76 316 5510 27 . 5 40 12 . 7 9 . 8 82 452 4310 17 . 5 50 12 . 7 9 . 8 88 711 7015 32 . 5 30 12 . 7 9 . 8 74 287 4315 22 . 5 40 12 . 7 9 . 8 79 376 4915 12 . 5 50 12 . 7 9 . 8 83 479 6320 17 . 5 40 12 . 7 9 . 8 75 306 5125 2 . 5 50 12 . 7 9 . 8 68 216 3715 29 . 6 20 20 15 . 4 83 475 5915 24 . 6 25 20 15 . 4 84 538 6615 19 . 6 30 20 15 . 4 87 672 66__________________________________________________________________________ table 19 illustrates the use of glycerol as a solvent for the polymerization of pentafluorobenzyl methacrylate ( pfmb ), hema , nvp , and spm . reactions were initiated either thermally with va70 - 52 or by uv using benzoin methyl ether as the photoinitiator . table 19__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % monomer glycerol hydration % pfbm hema nvp spm wt . % wt . % wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________4 74 10 12 85 . sup . 15 75 -- 49 all buttons were clear , as4 73 10 13 85 . sup . 15 80 -- 54 were discs after hydration . 4 72 10 14 85 . sup . b 15 77 -- 534 66 10 20 80 . sup . b 20 83 512 694 71 10 15 85 . sup . b 15 81 422 59__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . . sup . b uv photopolymerization table 20 illustrates the polymerization of pfbm , hema , nvp , and sem . tea . all reactions were photoinitiated using benzoin methyl ether as the photoinitiator , either in the presence or absence of glycerol . table 20__________________________________________________________________________composition , wt . % monomer glycerol hydration % pfbm hema nvp sem tea wt . % wt . % wet . sup . a dry . sup . a dk . sup . a remarks__________________________________________________________________________4 73 . 4 10 6 4 . 6 85 15 65 179 35 all buttons were clear , as4 63 . 5 10 12 . 7 9 . 8 100 -- 81 -- 54 were discs after__________________________________________________________________________ hydration . . sup . a obtained at 207 mos . and converted to 310 mos . the example illustrates the effect of protein absorption . an artificial tear solution was prepared : ______________________________________albumin 0 . 788 glysozyme 0 . 430 gγ - globulin 0 . 270 gmucin 0 . 400 gcalcium chloride 0 . 008 g______________________________________ the hydrogel discs including fluorinated and non - fluorinated lens materials were soaked in the artificial tear solution at 35 ° c . for two weeks . with fluorinated lens materials containing from 0 . 2 to 25 wt .% fluoromonomer in accordance with this invention , substantially less surface deposits were noted as compared to the non - fluorinated hydrogel lens materials , with the higher content fluoro material appearing to have less deposit formation . in addition , all fluoropolymer materials were readily cleaned by running water , a circumstance which was not possible with the non fluorinated polymers . with the use of an enzyme cleaner , the surface deposits were also removed . while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , many modifications and variations are possible . for example , while bulk polymerization of materials in rod or button form has been described it is possible to use conventional contact lens molding techniques such as cast molding and spin cast molding to directly form finished or near finished contact lenses . thus , the need for optically grinding lens surface and rear portions can be avoided by using such casting techniques . when spin casting by conventional techniques , polymerization can be carried out in a solvent such as glycerol often used in amounts of from 5 to 30 wt .% and preferably 15 wt .% with standard spin casting procedures . when contact lenses are to be made from the materials of this invention , buttons previously bulk polymerized can be ground to have optical front and rear surfaces by conventional , grinding and lathing operations known to the contact lens art . the useful materials of this invention , when formed into contact lenses , have high strength , i . e ., tear strength is at least as high as commonly existing commercial hydrogel contact lenses . in fact tear strength , tensile strength and modulus of elasticity are at least equivalent to generally acceptable commercial hydrogel contact lenses .	2
referring now to the drawings and in particular fig1 and 2 , there is shown mock bird or bumper launcher 10 . mock bird launcher 10 includes stand 12 comprised of first stand portion 14 and second stand portion 16 . first stand portion 14 includes legs 20 and 22 that have respective , pivotally attached stakes 24 and 26 at an end thereof . stakes 24 and 26 allow first stand portion 14 to be fixed into the ground . first stand portion 14 also includes center bar 28 that is disposed between side bar 30 and side bar 32 of second stand portion 16 . second stand portion 16 is pivotally coupled to first stand portion 14 by pivot pin 18 which extends through side bars 30 and 32 and center bar 28 . additionally , second stand portion 16 includes wheels of which only one wheel 34 is able to be shown . this allows launcher 10 to be portable . in accordance with an aspect of the present invention , pivot pin 18 is machined or formed with coupling 36 on its end , such as a male plug , which is adapted to receive a mating coupling ( not shown ), such as a female socket , of an air conduit or hose ( not shown ). the air conduit is in communication with an air storage tank or compressor ( not shown ) for supplying compressed air to launcher 10 . with additional reference to fig4 pivot pin 18 is in communication with electrically actuated valve 38 via conduit 40 which is disposed within side bar 30 . thus , compressed air from the air supply tank or compressor ( not shown ) is supplied to valve 38 upon receipt of an actuating signal . such an actuating signal is provided by receiver 44 as depicted in fig3 via communication line 46 that is coupled between receiver 44 and valve 38 . receiver 44 is mounted to launcher 10 , as schematically shown in fig1 - 15 . receiver 44 receives an actuation command signal via a radio frequency ( rf ) link from transmitter 48 . transmitter 48 is held by the user / trainer such that remote actuation of launcher 10 may be accomplished . referring back to fig1 and 2 , launcher 10 has carousel 50 defined by upper plate 52 and lower plate 54 . each plate 52 and 54 has corresponding holes each of which supports a mock bird or bumper cylinder 56 such that each bumper cylinder 56 is limitedly , axially slidable therein . each bumper cylinder 56 holds a mock bird or bumper 58 therein for launching . the mock birds are sized and shaped to fit snugly within the bumper cylinder yet allow ejection therefrom when actuated in accordance with the present invention . carousel 50 is rotatively supported on indexer drive tube or cylinder 60 and center post 62 which extends upwardly from second stand portion 16 . center post 62 extends through indexer drive tube 60 and rigid o - ring 64 in a center hole in upper plate 52 such that upper plate 52 is rotatively supported thereby . indexer drive tube 60 has lower end cap 66 that fits around and helps support indexer drive tube 60 on center post 62 . lower plate 54 is coupled to and rotated by indexer drive tube 60 as described below . indexer drive tube 60 is attached to accumulation cylinder 68 by two adjustment rods 70 and 72 such that indexer drive tube 60 is carried upward by motion of accumulation cylinder 68 . as described below , the upward motion of accumulation cylinder 68 is transferred as upward motion to indexer drive tube 60 which translates its upward motion to rotational motion thereby rotating carousel 50 . in this manner , a bumper cylinder 56 containing a bumper 58 is rotated into position for launching . with additional reference to fig4 - 7 , the operation and structure of accumulation cylinder 68 will now be described . upon actuation of valve 38 air flows into conduit 42 which passes through the hollow center of lifting rod core tube 76 of accumulation cylinder lifting structure 74 and is sealed against lifting rod piston 78 by eyelet or gasket 80 . as the air fills the interior of accumulation cylinder 68 , pressure is applied to lifting rod piston 78 generating a downward force proportional to the product of the piston area and the pressure . this force acts in opposition to the force applied by compression spring 82 that has one end in contact with the underside of lifting rod piston 78 . o - ring 84 is disposed about lifting rod piston 78 which provides an air seal against lifting rod cylinder 86 to prevent air leakage into lifting rod cylinder 86 . lifting rod cylinder 86 extends from base 88 of accumulation cylinder 68 . a boss on the underside of lifting rod piston 78 retains actuator sleeve 90 that is disposed about lifting rod core tube 76 and inside compression spring 82 . thus , the force applied to lifting rod piston 78 is applied to actuator sleeve 90 and in turn to four steel locking balls 92 disposed in annular notch 94 of lifting core tube 76 each of which protrudes from a bore in actuator sleeve 90 , with the four bores being mutually orthogonal . initially , balls 92 are forced outwardly by the action of the bores of actuator sleeve 90 pushing balls 92 against the angled walls of notch 94 . outward travel of each ball 92 is restricted by their confinement in notches 96 and in spring sleeve 98 . in this manner , relative upward motion of spring sleeve 98 with respect to lifting rod core tube 76 is prevented by action of balls 92 . any attempt to move spring sleeve 98 upwards drives balls 92 against notch 94 . when sufficient force is applied to lifting rod piston 78 by the air pressure inside accumulation cylinder 68 to overcome the upward bias force against lifting rod piston 78 by compression spring 82 , lifting rod piston 78 and attached actuator sleeve 90 begin to move downward . balls 92 are then no longer pressed by the bores in actuator sleeve 90 against the upper angled surface of notch 94 in lifting rod core tube 76 , but are free to move radially inward into notch 94 as actuator sleeve 90 moves downward relative to stationary core tube 76 . this allows balls 92 to fit within the confines of bores in spring sleeve 98 allowing relative movement between spring sleeve 98 and core tube 76 . balls 92 continue to move downward relative to core tube 76 until they contact the lower angled surface of notch 94 of core tube 76 and are again forced radially outward until they contact the walls of the bores of spring sleeve 98 . radial motion of balls 92 ceases and the upward linear motion of spring sleeve 98 and accumulation cylinder 68 , to which spring sleeve 98 is attached , continues relative to core tube 76 . when actuator sleeve 90 has traveled to the point where the bores through which the balls pass reach countersink 100 of bottom or support plate 88 , radial motion of balls 92 is no longer restricted by the bores of spring sleeve 98 . balls 92 move radially outward until they contact counterbore 100 of support plate 88 . in this position , balls 92 prevent any downward motion of support plate 88 and accumulation cylinder 68 to which it is attached , relative to stationary core tube 76 . with particular reference to fig6 core tube 76 is made stationary by attachment to side bars 30 and 32 through use of standard threaded nuts or the like attached to threads on core tube 76 . any attempt to move plate 88 downward drives balls 92 against the lower angles surface of notch 94 . disposed within accumulation cylinder 68 is second cylinder lifting structure 102 . at this point , it should be understood that cylinder lifting structure 102 is structurally and operationally the same as cylinder lifting structure 69 with the exception that cylinder lifting structure 102 does not have an air conduit like air conduit 42 for supplying compressed air , but instead includes safety relief valve structure 104 to allow the release of air through bore 108 in lifting rod piston 106 should the air pressure within accumulation cylinder 68 become too great . relief valve structure 104 comprises ball 110 sealed against a seat in lifting rod piston 106 by compression spring 112 that is contained in screw fitting 114 . in this manner , ball 110 normally closes bore 108 until sufficient pressure within accumulation cylinder 68 exerts a greater pressure against compression spring 112 thereby letting the air escape through bore 108 which extends through the inner core tube of lifting structure 102 . with additional reference to fig1 - 12 , indexer drive tube 60 and its operation will now be described . accumulation cylinder 68 is fixedly attached to indexer drive tube 60 by rods 70 and 72 such that as accumulation cylinder 68 axially moves when accumulation cylinder 68 axially moves . indexer drive tube 60 is supported by two end caps , end cap 66 seen in fig1 and 2 , and end cap 114 that are free to slide vertically on center post 62 . surrounding the top portion of indexer drive tube 60 is indexing sleeve 116 having bottom surface 118 that rests against two , diametrically opposed bearing wheels of which only one bearing wheel 120 may be seen . the bearing wheels 120 are free to rotate about bearing pin 122 which passes through diametrically opposed parallel vertical holes ( not seen ) in central post 62 , diametrically opposed parallel vertical slots , of which only one such slot 128 is seen , in indexer drive tube 60 , and two diametrically opposed holes in indexing housing 126 . bearing pin 122 is secured by clips , of which only one clip 124 is shown , on the outer surface of indexing housing 126 . balls 130 , here numbering eight , are disposed in circumferential slots 132 that pass through indexing sleeve 116 . balls 130 have a diameter that is approximately one and one - half ( 1½ ) times the wall thickness of indexing sleeve 116 . in this manner , balls 130 rest against the outer diameter of indexer drive tube 60 with the portion thereof that extends beyond the outer wall of indexing sleeve 116 constrained in two circumferential , parallel slots 134 and 136 that pass through indexing housing 126 . the width of slots 134 and 136 are chosen to be narrower than the diameter of balls 130 to prevent the balls 130 from passing through the slots and falling out of the assembly . indexer drive tube 60 further includes ring 138 that is disposed in an annular counterbore within indexer drive tube 60 and includes two diametrically opposed magnets , of which only one magnet 140 may be seen . each magnet 140 is positioned so as to be radially behind the uppermost portion of a diagonal slot , of which only one such diagonal slot 142 may be seen , extending through the wall of indexer drive tube 60 . the width of each slot 142 is chosen to be narrower than the diameter of balls 130 to prevent the balls from passing through the slot and falling from the assembly . balls 130 are made from a ferrous material so that magnets exert a pulling force thereon . during the rest state , as depicted in fig1 , a ball is positioned at the uppermost portion of each diagonal slot 142 and pulled radially inward by the pulling force of magnet 140 . the radial depth of slots 142 is chosen so that the extremities of a ball will fall within the inner diameter of indexing housing 126 when that ball has been pulled into the respective diagonal slot by the respective magnet . when indexer drive tube 60 is pulled upwardly by accumulation cylinder 68 after actuation of valve 38 and the filling of accumulation cylinder 68 with compressed air , indexing sleeve 116 will not move upwardly since indexing sleeve 116 is coupled to bottom plate 54 of carousel 50 by two dowel pins 144 and 146 . during this upward travel of indexer drive tube 60 . diagonal slots 142 exert a tangential force against the two balls 130 ( driven balls ) that have beer , pulled into the slots . this force causes each of the balls 130 to move tangentially in its respective slot 132 in indexing sleeve 116 . when the two driven balls 130 reach the limit of their respective slot 132 by continued upward motion of indexer drive tube 60 , they apply a tangential force to indexing sleeve 116 causing tangential sleeve 116 to rotate about the common axis of indexer drive tube 60 , indexing sleeve 116 , and indexing housing 126 ( see fig1 ). indexing sleeve 116 continues to rotate under the action of the two driven balls as indexer drive tube 60 continues its upward motion until the balls reach the end of diagonal slots 142 . the impingement of balls adjacent the driven balls upon indexing housing 126 provides a mechanical stop that prevent further rotation of indexing sleeve 116 . when the driven balls have reached the limit of diagonal slots 142 , two magnets , of which only one such magnet 148 may be seen , magnetically pull the driven balls radially outward out of the diagonal slot . this allows indexer drive tube 60 to continue its upward motion free from impediment by balls 130 against the limits of slots 132 . as indicated above , indexing sleeve 116 is coupled to bottom plate 54 of carousel 50 . bottom plate 54 is free to rotate about the mutual outer diameter of top - most end cap 114 and indexer drive tube 60 , while top plate 52 is supported by hub 150 ( see fig2 ) which is free to rotate about center post 62 and supported by o - ring 64 . plates 52 and 54 are coupled together by tie rods 152 that are fastened to plates 52 and 54 using standard mechanical fasteners . carousel 50 is shown with eight bumper cylinders 56 each containing a tight fitting bumper 58 . bumper cylinders 56 pass through aligned holes in plates 52 and 54 . the diameter of the holes in plates 52 and 54 is chosen to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the bumper cylinder to allow the bumper cylinders to slide vertically relative to plates 52 and 54 . the vertical range of motion of each bumper cylinder 56 is restricted by upper o - ring 153 and lower o - ring 154 . the depth of slots 134 of indexing housing 126 and diagonal slots 142 of indexer drive tube 60 are chosen to impart a precise angular rotation to indexing sleeve 116 to index each of the bumper cylinders 56 with accumulation cylinder 68 each time indexer drive tube 60 is moved upward by the action of accumulation cylinder 68 . with additional reference to fig6 when accumulation cylinder 68 continues its upward motion , accumulation cylinder 68 reaches the bottom of the bumper cylinder aligned with it by the rotation of indexing sleeve 116 . accumulation cylinder head 156 engages bottom 158 of bumper cylinder 56 . specifically , bottom 158 of bumper cylinder 56 contacts top 160 of accumulation cylinder head 156 and fits within annular rim or lip 162 . o - ring 164 is disposed on top 160 adjacent rim 162 to provide a seal between accumulation cylinder head 156 and bottom 158 of bumper cylinder 56 . as accumulation cylinder 56 continues its upward motion , bumper cylinder 56 is axially upwardly displaced . this causes the top of bumper cylinder 56 to engage the bottom of stationary barrel 166 . stationary barrel 166 provides a launching tube for the bumper and is attached to barrel support post 168 that is coupled to fastening plate assembly 170 which is in turn coupled to support post 62 . adjustment handle 172 is coupled thereto to provide adjustment to stationary barrel 166 . o - rings are provided in stationary barrel 166 and the top of the indexed bumper cylinder to seal the joints therebetween . now , with reference back to fig6 9 , as air continues to fill accumulation cylinder 68 , pressure is exerted against small release valve piston 174 and large release valve piston 176 , exerting an outward force against both pistons . large release valve piston 176 is free to translate within cylinder 178 which is secured to base 88 while o - ring 180 prevents air leakage around large release valve piston 176 . small release valve piston 174 is free to translate in bore 182 in top 160 of accumulation cylinder head 156 . o - ring 184 prevents air leakage around piston 174 and is centered in the gland of piston 174 by compressible foam ring 186 . the o - rings seals used to prevent air leakage around the pistons are preferably of the floating piston type . this type of seal design minimizes friction between the o - ring and bore by compressing only the outer diameter of the o - ring while allowing a slight clearance between the inner diameter of the o - ring and bottom of the o - ring gland . piston 174 is attached to piston coupling 188 by ball and socket assembly 190 while piston 176 is attached to piston coupling 192 by ball and socket assembly 194 . each ball and socket assembly 190 and 194 include a threaded ball stud confined in a counterbore in each piston with the shaft of the stud threaded into a bore in the coupling , and includes an o - ring compressed against the bottom of the counterbore by the spherical portion of the ball stud to prevent air leakage through the bore . a top retaining washer for each ball and socket assembly 190 and 194 prevents the ball stud from translating in the counterbore of the respective piston . piston coupling 188 is riveted to one end of tie strips 196 and 198 while piston coupling 192 is riveted to the other end of tie strips 196 and 198 to form a release valve assembly . ball and socket assemblies 190 and 194 allow for misalignment between the axes of pistons 174 and 176 respectively without causing binding of the assembly . the diameter , and corresponding area , of large release valve piston 176 is chosen to be greater than the diameter and area of small release valve piston 174 so that the net force applied to the release valve assembly by air pressure in accumulation cylinder 68 acts to move the release valve assembly downward . in a rest state , small release valve piston 174 is seated in bore 182 of top 160 while large release valve piston 176 is axially above bore 200 in base 88 . pin 202 passes through aligned holes in tie strips 196 and 198 and attaches the valve assembly to two release valve linkages 204 and 206 on the inside of tie strips 196 and 198 . two release valve bearing wheels 208 and 210 are supported by pin 202 on the outside of tie strips 196 and 198 and captured by retaining rings , of which only one such retaining ring 212 is shown , such that release valve bearing wheels 208 and 210 are free to rotate about pin 202 . bearing wheels 208 and 210 roll against track 214 which is retained onto adjustment rods 70 and 72 by retaining rings 216 and 218 respectively . in this manner , the release valve assembly is free to translate vertically but is prevented from outward horizontal motion by the action of bearing wheels 208 and 210 against track 214 . with particular reference to fig7 - 9 , extending through linkages 204 and 206 is pin 220 . pin 220 also extends through pressure adjustment wheel 222 and pressure adjustment rod 224 such that pressure adjustment wheel 222 is free to rotate about pin 222 . pressure adjustment wheel 222 is contained by the bifurcated end or slot of pressure adjustment rod 224 . dowel pin 230 provides a mechanical stop to restrict movement of rod 224 inward towards the center of accumulation cylinder 68 . partially compressed bias spring 232 is disposed within pressure adjustment housing 226 and at one end thereof , abuts push rod 224 to apply a force thereto . spring 232 is also disposed within a bore of pressure adjustment screw 234 which is disposed within pressure adjustment housing 226 . the other end of spring 232 abuts knob 240 . threaded engagement between pressure adjustment screw 234 and pressure adjustment housing 226 allows screw 232 to transverse along the longitudinal axis of pressure adjustment housing 236 as knob 240 is rotated . o - ring 236 precludes leakage of air from accumulation cylinder 68 from about screw 234 while retaining ring 238 provides a mechanical stop to limit the outward travel of screw 234 . horizontal force applied by bias spring 232 to rod 224 is converted by the linkages to an upward vertical force applied to the valve assembly . this force acts to oppose the net downward force applied to the valve assembly by air pressure acting on the differential area of valve pistons 174 and 176 . the amount of horizontal force applied by bias spring 232 can be increased or decreased by rotating knob 240 . when the air pressure acting on pistons 174 and 176 of the valve assembly reaches a level sufficient to cause the downward force acting on the valve assembly to surpass the upward force applied to the valve assembly by linkages 204 and 206 , the valve assembly begins to move downward . as the valve assembly moves downward , the angle from horizontal of linkages 204 and 206 decreases and rod 224 moves radially outward , further compressing bias spring 232 . as the angle from horizontal of linkages 204 and 206 decreases , the horizontal component of the force that linkages 204 and 206 apply against rod 224 increases proportionally to the reciprocal of the tangent of the angle . the opposing force that bias spring 232 exerts against rod 224 is proportional to the cosign of the angle . since the reciprocal tangent function exhibits a greater change in magnitude than the cosign function for a given change in angle , once the radial outward movement of rod 224 commences , rod 224 will continue to move requiring less and less force to be applied to linkages 204 and 206 by the valve assembly to sustain the movement . in this manner , the valve assembly , linkages 204 and 206 , bias spring 232 , rod 224 , adjustment screw 234 , adjustment housing 226 , and their associated parts form an adjustable force break - over mechanism that allows the pressure that the valve opens to be adjusted by turning adjustment screw 234 by knob 240 . in one form , it was found by the inventor that the initial and final angles for linkages 204 and 206 of 80 ° and 20 °, respectively , give acceptable performance . thus , as the valve assembly moves downward , o - ring 184 of small release valve piston 174 enters the radiused portion of bore 182 . the valve assembly continues to travel downwardly until the bottom face or surface of large release valve piston 176 abuts seat 242 to close or seal opening 200 wherein o - ring 180 is compressed and movement of the valve assembly is arrested ( see fig9 ). pressurized air that filled accumulation cylinder 68 now flows through bore 182 and fills the volume behind bumper 58 applying a force to the base of bumper 58 and to the upper surface of top 160 . the pressure against the upper surface of top 160 tries to drive accumulation cylinder 68 downwardly . however , accumulation chamber 68 is prevented from downward movement by action of locking balls 130 on indexer core tube 76 and base 88 as described above . the force from the air pressure acting on the base of bumper 58 propels bumper 58 up bumper cylinder 56 and stationary barrel 166 until bumper 58 reaches the end of stationary barrel 166 where bumper 58 exits stationary barrel 166 with appreciable velocity thereby launching bumper 58 into the air . the pressure within accumulation cylinder 68 continues to decrease as air continues to exit accumulation cylinder 68 via bore 182 . as the air pressure acting on pistons 174 and 176 decreases to approximately { fraction ( 1 / 20 )} th of its initial value , the downward force acting on the valve assembly becomes less than the upward force applied to the valve assembly by bias spring 232 acting against rod 224 and linkages 204 and 206 . the valve assembly moves upward to its original , rest position wherein small release valve piston 174 seats within bore 182 and large release valve piston 176 unseats to open bore 200 . o - ring 184 of piston 174 is kept centered by foam ring 186 to preclude twisting and binding of o - ring 184 as piston 174 enters the radiused portion of bore 182 and radial compression of o - ring 184 occurs . upward motion of the valve assembly is limited by a mechanical stop consisting of screw 244 threaded into coupling block 246 contacting o - ring 248 on dowel pin 250 at the end of adjustment rod 70 . coupling block 246 is riveted to tie rods 196 and 198 . when the force applied to lifting rod piston 78 by air pressure in accumulation cylinder 68 decreases to the level where it can no longer overcome the upward bias force against lifting rod piston 78 exerted by compression spring 82 , lifting rod piston 78 and attached actuator sleeve 90 are pushed upward by compression spring 82 . this allows the locking balls 92 to move radially inward and fit within the confines of notch 94 machined into core tube 76 , allowing relative movement between the spring sleeve 98 and core tube 76 . balls 92 continue to move upward relative to core tube 76 until they contact the upper angled surface of notch 94 and are again forced radially outward until they contact the wall of the thru - bore . radial motion of balls 92 ceases and the downward translation of spring sleeve 98 and accumulation cylinder 68 , under the influence of expanding spring 82 , continues relative to core tube 76 . when actuator sleeve 90 has traveled to the point where the bores through which balls 92 pass reach the end of the thru - bores of spring sleeve 98 , radial motion of balls 92 is no longer restricted by the thru - bores of spring sleeve 98 . balls 92 move radially outward until they contact the wall of notch 94 and spring sleeve 98 , and relative upward motion of spring sleeve 98 with respect to core tube 76 is once again prevented by action of balls 92 . of course , it should be understood that lifting assembly 102 experiences the same conditions and functions the same as lifting assembly 74 . at this point , accumulation cylinder 68 and attached indexer drive tube 60 continue their downward travel until base 88 contacts bumpers 252 and 254 ( see fig6 ). the force exerted on balls 130 by magnets 148 ( see fig1 - 12 ) prevents the balls from re - entering diagonal slots 142 in indexer drive tube 60 as they pass by the balls . magnets 148 thus prevent indexing sleeve 116 from rotating backwards . launcher 10 is ready to begin the sequence again when another bumper is to be launched . with reference to fig1 - 15 , a simplified version of the bumper launch sequence will be described . when the trainer inputs a command into transmitter 48 , receiver 44 receives a signal from transmitter 48 and sends a signal via line 46 to actuate valve 38 . actuation of valve 38 allows air to flow from an air compressor or tank ( not shown ), through valve 38 and into accumulation cylinder 68 . at the rest state , as depicted in fig1 , accumulation cylinder 68 and thus indexer drive tube 60 are in a downward position . as accumulation cylinder 68 fills with the compressed air as described above , accumulation cylinder 68 begins to travel upwardly as depicted in fig1 . upward motion of accumulation cylinder 68 causes upward motion of indexer drive tube 60 on center post 62 since indexer drive tube 60 is coupled to accumulation cylinder 68 by rods 70 and 72 . the upward motion of indexer drive tube 60 causes the indexer mechanism including indexing sleeve 116 to rotate carousel 50 in order to align a bumper cylinder 56 between accumulation cylinder 68 and barrel 166 for launching bumper 58 contained within bumper cylinder 56 . continued upward motion of accumulation cylinder 68 by compressed air entering therein causes accumulation head 156 of accumulation cylinder 68 to abut the underside of bumper cylinder 56 , which by this time has been rotated into position by indexer drive tube 60 as depicted in fig1 . accumulation cylinder 68 axially upwardly moves bumper cylinder 56 which , like all of the bumper cylinders , is loosely retained by upper and lower plates 52 and 54 and whose axial travel both in an upward and downward sense is limited by o - rings 153 and 154 . the top of bumper cylinder 56 engages the bottom of barrel 166 and is sealed by various o - rings as described above . at this point , the valve mechanism within accumulation cylinder 68 closes the bottom hole or port in accumulation cylinder 68 while opening the upper hole or port in accumulation cylinder 68 to allow the compressed air contained within accumulation cylinder 68 to escape into bumper cylinder 56 . the bumper contained within bumper cylinder 56 is launched into barrel 166 by the accumulating air pressure . the air pressure is adjustable through knob 240 as described above . after launching of the bumper , the air pressure within accumulation cylinder 68 is reduced allowing the valve mechanism therein to close the upper hole and open the lower hole . accumulation cylinder 68 thus travels downwardly , bringing indexer drive tube 60 downwardly indexer drive tube 60 does not further rotate carousel 50 until the next upward travel thereof . it should be understood that while carousel 50 is shown having eight ( 8 ) bumper cylinders , practically any number of bumper cylinders may be held by the carousel . further , multiple launching devices may be used wherein the transmitter can send signals to launch a bumper from any launching device . in this manner , one launching device may be set to launch a bumper to a particular distance and height , while another launching device may be set to launch a bumper to a different distance and height . the supply of compressed air may be coupled to all of the launching devices or each launching device may be coupled to its own source of compressed air . while this invention has been described as having a preferred design , the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims .	0
the arrangement shown in fig1 for delivering items of laundry 10 from a laundry hamper 11 to a mangle feeder 12 comprises a loading station 13 , a vertical conveying section 14 in the region of the loading station 13 , a gravity conveying section 15 , a vertical conveying section 16 and a removal station 17 in front of the mangle feeder . the items of laundry 10 are supplied by means of clamps 18 , which are moved and guided in circulation in the feeding arrangement in the direction of the arrow 19 . here the clamps 18 in the region of each vertical conveying section 14 , 16 are coupled with an endless conveying element , configured here as conveying chain 20 , which runs in a guide configured as a profiled rail 21 . the clamps 18 are each disposed on a carriage 22 that is moveable in the profiled rail 21 . the clamps 19 move via the carriages 22 along the conveying section 16 in the direction of arrow 19 . for feeding the items of laundry 10 , an operator 23 removes an item of laundry 10 from the laundry hamper 11 and feeds a section 24 of the item of laundry 10 to the clamp 18 . the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 is fixed in the clamp 18 and taken away along the conveying section 16 . at another end of the conveying section 16 another operator 25 removes the item of laundry 10 from the clamp 18 and introduces it to a further treatment station , for example , a mangle feeder 12 . this transfer to a further treatment station can also be carried out automatically . the present invention of a clamp for an item of laundry is not limited to the application example of the clamps 18 according to the invention in a feeding arrangement as illustrated in fig1 . instead , the clamps 18 according to the invention can be employed in any other kind of laundry installation . the clamps 18 for receiving an item of laundry 10 essentially exhibit a clamp housing 26 ( fig2 ). this clamp housing 26 has mounting means 27 for the attachment to a carriage 22 of a conveying chain 20 , for example . the mounting means 27 is attached , preferably displaceably attached , to the carriage 22 by means of fastening elements , for example ( not shown ). the clamp housing 26 has essentially a box - shaped configuration , with at least one side being open . the two opposing side walls 28 and 29 each have wedge - shaped or parabola - shaped slots 30 , 31 , which together form a clamp mouth 32 . the clamp mouth 32 has a vertical orientation and is open downwards . on a front side 33 of the clamp 18 the latter has a large - area opening 56 , thus forming , together with the slots 30 , 31 , two clamp mouth bridges 34 , 35 . the rear side 36 of the clamp 18 located opposite the front side 33 is essentially closed , but may also have openings for further elements of the clamp 18 . in the exemplary embodiment of the clamp 18 shown in fig2 , the clamp housing 26 is assigned two clamping levers 37 , 38 . the clamping levers 37 , 38 are connected to each other and to the housing 26 by means of a pivot axis 39 . the clamping levers 37 and 38 can be moved about the pivot axis jointly or individually . furthermore , the clamping levers 37 , 38 and the clamp housing 26 are associated via the pivot axis 39 with a common spring 40 or a leg spring . a preload is exerted by the spring 40 on the clamping levers 37 , 38 such that the clamping levers 37 , 38 are tensioned in an initial position or resting position . the clamping levers 37 , 38 have an elongated shape , with a first end 41 , 42 protruding into the clamp housing 26 or into the clamp mouth 32 and a second end 43 , 44 projecting out of the clamp housing 26 . positioned between the first end 41 , 42 and the second end 43 , 44 is the pivot axis 39 . the pivot axis 39 is arranged at a centered position between the ends 41 , 42 and 43 , 44 . but the invention also provides for positioning the pivot axis 39 closer to one end 41 , 42 or 43 , 44 for achieving better lever action . an underside 45 , 46 of the clamping levers 37 , 38 is configured as a guidance means or guideway 47 , 48 . this guideway 47 , 48 of the clamping levers 37 , 38 serves as an aid for inserting at least one section 24 of the item of laundry 10 into the clamp mouth 32 . here the underside 45 , 46 of the clamping levers 37 , 38 can have a skid - like configuration with a level or flat or curved surface . the guideway 47 , 48 between the second end 43 , 44 and the first end 41 , 42 is obliquely oriented relative to the clamp housing 26 or relative to a horizontal plane , with the result that the distance to an underside 49 of the clamp housing 26 continuously decreases in the direction of the first end 41 , 42 . here the guideway 47 , 48 has a straight - line configuration , or one that is slightly convex or concave . it is preferably provided that the guideway 47 , 48 leading to the first end 41 , 42 is similar or identical to the curvature or incline of the slot 30 , 31 or of the clamp mouth 32 . the first end 41 , 42 of the clamping lever 37 , 38 has a nose - like projection 50 , 51 . due to the preloading of the spring 40 , the clamping lever 37 , 38 presses against the clamp mouth bridge 34 , 35 with this projection 50 , 51 . when pressure is applied to the projection 50 , 51 , the clamping lever 37 , 38 pivots about the pivot axis 39 against the preload force of the spring 40 such that the first end 41 , 42 of the clamping lever 37 , 38 opens the clamping mouth 32 . as soon as no force is any longer exerted on the projection 50 , 51 of the first end 41 , 42 , the preloaded spring 40 causes the first end 41 , 42 to move back to its initial position in which the projection 50 , 51 is in contact with the clamp mouth bridge 34 , 35 . the second end 43 , 44 of the clamping lever 37 , 38 has a free upper side 52 , 53 . by exerting force on this upper side 52 , 53 the clamping lever 37 , 38 can likewise be pivoted from its resting position about the pivot axis 39 and thus open the clamping mouth 32 . the force exerted on the clamping lever 37 , 38 can be applied manually or automatically , or by machine . the second end 43 , 44 of the clamping lever 37 , 38 has an opening 54 , 55 for an actuating element ( not shown ) by means of which the clamping lever 37 , 38 can be moved about the pivot axis 39 . the width of the clamping levers 37 , 38 is dimensioned such it correspond to the width of the clamp mouth bridges 34 , 35 . this results in the opening 56 in the clamp mouth 32 at the front side 33 of the clamp housing 26 . the number of clamping levers 37 , 38 of a clamp 18 and their shape are not restricted to the exemplary embodiment shown in fig2 to 4 . in fact , provision can be made for the clamp 18 to have only one clamping lever or a plurality of parallel clamping levers . in addition , it is conceivable that the carriage 22 of the conveyor chain 20 has a plurality of clamps 18 aligned parallel to each other . it is also conceivable for the clamping levers to have a different form , for instance one that is more cuboid in shape . the clamp housing can be made of metal or synthetic material . the clamping levers 37 , 38 , in particular the guideway 47 , 48 , can be made of metal or synthetic material . it is preferably provided that the guideway 47 , 48 is made of a material having a low sliding resistance , such as teflon ® brand of synthetic material . when the item of laundry 10 is fed into the clamp 18 , the rear side 36 of the clamp 18 faces the operator 23 . for the transport of the item of laundry 10 by the clamp 18 , an operator 23 feeds a section 24 , in particular a corner , an edge or the like , of the item of laundry 10 into the clamp 18 . in the process the operator 23 grips the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 and guides it to contact any part of the guideway 47 , 48 . by virtue of the operator 23 exerting a slight pressure on the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 , while sliding it along the guideway 47 , 48 , the section 24 is guided along the obliquely directed underside 45 , 46 in the direction of the first end 41 , 42 of the clamping lever 37 , 38 . here it is of no consequence as to which position between the first end 41 , 42 and the second end 43 , 44 of the clamping lever 37 , 38 the operator 23 applies the section 24 . due to the aforementioned pressure exerted by the operator 23 , the part 24 is always directed along the guideway 47 , 48 in the direction of the clamp mouth or the first end 41 , 42 . since the guideway 47 , 48 has a linear configuration , the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 can be fed to the clamp mouth 32 in a flowing movement . when the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 presses against the projection 50 , 51 , the slight pressure exerted by the operator 23 overcomes the preload force of the spring 40 and the clamping lever 37 , 38 pivots back about the pivot axis 39 , thus causing the first end 41 , 42 to expose the clamping mouth 32 . as soon as the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 is located in the clamp mouth 32 , the operator 23 lets loose of the part 24 . since no force is further exerted on the clamping lever 37 , 38 , the latter moves back into its initial position due to the preload force of the spring 40 . in the process , the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 is pressed by the projection 50 , 51 against the clamp mouth 34 , 35 and thereby fixed in place . the item of laundry 10 is now fixed in the clamp 18 such that it can be carried away by a conveying system . for removing the item of laundry 10 from the clamp 18 , another operator 25 moves the second end 43 , 44 downwards , thus causing the first end 41 , 42 to open the clamp mouth 32 again and the section 24 of the item of laundry 10 to fall out of the clamp mouth 32 . however , it is preferably provided that the clamp 18 is automatically opened by exerting force or pressure on the upper side 52 , 53 of the second end 43 , 44 .	3
a few engine - roll control apparatuses embodying this invention may now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 show a power device 2 mounted on a chassis 1 . the power device 2 comprises an engine 3 and an automatic transmission 5 . the engine 3 is supported by first and second shock absorbers 7 , 8 , an engine mount 6 and an transmission mount 9 . the shock absorbers 7 and 8 are usually called &# 34 ; front rolling stopper &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; rear rolling stopper &# 34 ;, respectively . they have the same structure , but only the first shock absorber 7 will be described with reference to fig3 . as shown in fig3 the shock absorber 7 comprises a casing 20 made of elastic material . the casing 20 is divided by a partition 21 into two chambers a and b . the chambers a , b are filled with operation oil . the partition 21 has two through holes , or first and second orifices 22 , 23 . the first orifice 22 has an inner diameter much larger than that of the second orifice 23 . a rotary valve 24 is provided in the first orifice 22 . when a solenoid ( not shown ) is energized , the valve 24 is turned to an angle of 90 °, thereby closing the first orifice 22 . an arm 10 is connected at one end to the engine 3 and at the other to the housing of shock absorber 7 . it moves in the direction of arrow c when the engine 3 undesirably moves back and forth . the walls of the chambers a , b which face the partition 21 are secured to the housing of shock absorber 7 by screws 26 , 27 . when the engine 3 happens to move back and forth due to some shock , the partition 21 similarly moves back and forth in the direction of arrow d . if , in this case , the rotary valve 24 is rotated , thus closing the first orifice 22 , the operation oil will flow from the chamber a to the chamber b , and vice versa , only through the second orifice 23 . as a result , greater pressure is applied to the partition 21 . this lessens the motion of the partition wall 21 in the direction of arrow d . consequently , it is possible to suppress the similar motion of the engine 3 which is connected by the arm 10 to the partition 21 and thus moves interlockingly with the partition 21 . in contrast , when the rotary valve 24 is rotated , thus opening the first orifice 22 , the oil runs through both orifices 22 and 23 . in this case , the partition 21 undergoes no high pressure and therefore smoothly moves in conformity to the back - and - forth motion of the engine 3 . fig4 shows a control circuit used in a first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in this figure , an ignition coil 71 is connected at one end to an ignition plug 73 . the other end of the coil 71 is connected to a power source ( 12 v ). the connection point between the coil 71 and plug 73 is connected to a contact breaker 72 . the contact breaker 72 is repeatedly turned on and off as the engine shaft rotates . each time the breaker 72 is closed , high voltage is applied to the ignition plug 73 to produce sparks in the engine cylinder . as this voltage is applied to the plug 73 , a signal appears at the connection point between the coil 71 and breaker 72 . this signal is supplied to an engine speed detecting circuit 74 . the circuit 74 generates voltage proportional to the engine speed . it includes a wave - shaping circuit 75 , a pulse width - shaping circuit 76 , a low - pass filter 77 and a comparator 78 . the circuit 75 converts the input voltage to a pulse signal whose frequency corresponds to the engine speed , and also remove noise from the input voltage . the pulse width - shaping circuit 76 changes the pulse signal from the circuit 75 to a signal with a constant pulse width . the pulse signal from the circuit 76 is supplied to the low - pass filter 77 , which outputs voltage corresponding to the engine speed . this voltage is applied to the comparator 78 . the comparator 78 produces a high - level signal when the engine speed is below a reference value , i . g ., 3 , 000 rpm . a car speed sensor 79 generates a car speed pulse signal whose frequency corresponds to the detected car speed . this pulse signal is supplied to a vehicle speed detecting circuit 80 . the circuit 80 includes a wave - shaping circuit 81 , a frequency divider 82 , a pulse width - shaping circuit 83 , a timer 84 and a comparator 85 . the circuit 81 modifies the waveform of the car speed pulse signal . the pulsel signal from the circuit 81 is input to the frequency divider 82 , which divides the frequency of the input signal by two . the output signal of the frequency divider 82 is supplied to the circuit 83 , which produces a pulse signal with a constant width . this pulse signal is supplied via the timer 84 to the comparator 85 and compared with a reference frequency . when the car speed is 3 km / h or more , the comparator 85 outputs a high - level signal . when a power source is closed , a power source resetting circuit 86 supplies a reset signal to the clear terminal cl of a d - type flip - flop which is incorporated in the comparator 85 . a sensor 87 detects the opening of the throttle valve which is actuated when the accelerator pedal is depressed . the sensor generates a signal representing this speed , which is input to an accelerator depressing speed detecting circuit 88 . the detecting circuit 88 produces a high - level signal when the throttle opening speed is over a predetermined value as in case when the driver quickly depresses the accelerator pedal . the output signals of the detecting circuits 74 , 80 and 88 are supplied to an and gate 89 . the output of the and gate 89 is coupled to one of the two input terminals of an or gate 90 . a clutch switch 91 , which is closed when the clutch is coupled to the power device 2 , is connected at one end to the ground . voltage 8 v , is applied to the other end of the switch 91 through a resistor r1 . the connecting point between the resistor r1 and switch 91 is connected by an inverter 92 to the other input terminal of the or gate 90 . the output of the or gate 90 is coupled to a timer 93 . upon receipt of a high - level signal , the timer 93 outputs a signal at high level for a predetermined period of time . this signal is coupled to a solenoid drive circuit 94 . the circuit 94 supplies driving signals a and b to the shock absorbers 7 and 8 ( fig1 ), respectively , in response to a high - level input signal . the first embodiment operates in the following manner . as long as the engine speed is equal to , or higher than , the reference value , i . e ., 3 , 000 rpm , the output signal of the engine speed detecting circuit 74 is at low level . as long as the car speed is lower than the reference value , i . e ., 3 km / h , the output signal of the car speed detecting circuit 80 is at low level . as long as the throttle opening speed is lower than the predetermined value , the output signal of the detecting circuit 88 is at low level . when at least one of the output signals from the detecting circuits 74 , 80 and 88 is at low level , the and gate 89 outputs a low - level signal . in this case , the timer 93 also generates a low - level signal . thus , the solenoid drive circuit 94 is not actuated , producing neither a drive signal a nor a drive signal b . hence , both chambers a and b of either shock absorber communicate via both orifices 22 and 23 . the shock absorbers 7 and 8 provide small damping effects on the back - and - forth motion of the engine 3 . nonetheless , these forces are large enough to absorb the vibrations of the engine 3 which are relatively small since the car speed and accelerator pedal depressing speed are below the reference values . on the other hand , when the engine speed is below 3 , 000 rpm , the output signal of the engine speed detecting circuit 74 is at high level . when the car speed is 3 km / h or more , the output signal of the car speed detecting circuit 80 is at high level . when the throttle opening speed is equal to , or higher than , the predetermined value , the output signal of the detecting circuit 88 is at high level . when all output signals from these detecting circuits 74 , 80 and 88 are at high level , the and gate 89 outputs a high - level signal , which is supplied to the timer 93 . therefore , the timer 93 produces a high - level signal for a predetermined period of time . the solenoid drive circuit 94 produces drive signals a and b for this period . in response to the signals a and b , the rotary valve 24 of either shock absorber ( fig1 ) rotates 90 °. thus , the first orifice 22 is closed , so that the two chambers a and b can communicate only via the second orifice 23 . the shock absorbers 7 and 8 thus provide generator forces damping the back - and - forth motion of the engine 3 for the predetermined period of time . in short , when the engine speed is lower than 3 , 000 rpm , the car speed is 3 km / h or more and the throttle opening speed is equal to , or higher than , the predetermined value , the vibrations of the engine 3 are relatively large because the engine 3 creates a great torque , and yet the shock absorbers 7 and 8 can absorb these large vibrations . hence , the vibrations are not transmitted to the chassis 1 . when the clutch is not coupled to the power device 2 , the clutch switch 91 is off . in this case , voltage v1 , i . e ., a high - level signal , is applied to the inverter 92 . the inverter 92 supplies a low - level signal to the timer 93 . the timer 93 outputs a low - level signal to the solenoid drive circuit 94 . the circuit 94 thus produces neither a drive signal a nor a drive signal b . in this situation , with the clutch not coupled to the power device 2 , the chambers a and b of either shock absorber communicate via both orifices 22 and 23 . both shock absorbers 7 and 8 thus generates small forces to damp the back - and - forth motion of the engine 3 . these forces are strong enough to absorb the vibrations of the engine which are small since the engine is idling . the vibration are not transmitted to the chassis 1 . when the clutch is coupled to the power device 2 after a gear change has been effected , the clutch switch 91 is turned on , whereby a signal of ground level ( i . e ., low level ) is supplied to the inverter 92 . the inverter 92 outputs a high - level signal to the timer 93 . the timer 93 produces an high - level signal for a prescribed period of time . during this period , the solenoid driving circuit 94 generates drive signals a and b . thus , the first orifice 22 of either shock absorber ( fig1 ) is closed , so that the chambers a and b communicate via only the second orifice 23 . both shock absorbers 7 and 8 thus provide great forces to damp the back - and - forth motion of the engine 3 , for said period . in short , when the clutch is coupled subsequent to a gear change , the shock absorbers 7 and 8 create large forces to absorb the large vibrations of engine 3 . the vibrations of the engine 3 , which are large due to the large torque the power device 2 has made , are not transmitted to the chassis 1 . as described above , in the first embodiment , when the engine speed is lower than a reference value ( i . e ., 3 , 000 rpm ), the car speed is equal to , higher than , a reference value ( i . e ., 3 km / h ) and the throttle opening speed is equal to , or higher than , a predetermined value , subsequent to the coupling of the clutch , the rolling of the engine 3 , which is large due to the large torque of the power device 2 , can be effectively damped by the absorbers 7 and 8 for a predetermined period of time . fig5 shows a control circuit used in a second embodiment of the present invention . as shown in this figure , an ignition coil 71 is connected at one end to an ignition plug 73 . the other end of the coil 71 is connected to a power source ( 12 v ). the connection point between the coil 71 and plug 73 is connected to a contact breaker 72 . the contact breaker 72 is turned on and off repeatedly as the engine shaft rotates . each time the breaker 72 is closed , high voltage is applied to the ignition plug 73 to produce sparks in the engine cylinder . as this voltage is applied to the plug 73 , a signal appears at the connection point between the coil 71 and breaker 72 . this signal is supplied to an engine revolution detecting circuit 74 . the circuit 74 provides a voltage proportional to the engine speed . it includes a wave - shaping circuit 75 , a pulse width - shaping circuit 76 and a low - pass filter 77 . the circuit 75 converts the input voltage to a pulse signal whose frequency corresponds to the engine speed , and also remove noise from the input voltage . the pulse width - shaping circuit 76 changes the pulse signal from the circuit 75 to a signal with a constant pulse width . the pulse signal from the circuit 76 is supplied to the low - pass filter 77 , which outputs voltage corresponding to the engine speed . this voltage is applied to an engine revolution changing rate detecting circuit 100 . the circuit 100 provides an high - level signal to a timer 93 when the changing rate of the engine revolution exceeds a predetermined value . upon receipt of a high - level signal , the timer 93 outputs a signal at high level for a predetermined period of time . this signal is coupled to a solenoid drive circuit 94 . the circuit 94 supplies drive signals a and b to the shock absorbers 7 and 8 ( fig1 ), respectively , in response to a high - level input signal . the second embodiment operates in the following manner . the engine revolution detecting circuit 74 generates voltage proportional to the engine speed . this voltage is supplied to the engine revolution changing rate detecting circuit 100 , which detects a change in engine speed . when this change is below a predetermined value , the engine speed detecting circuit 100 outputs a low - level signal to the timer 93 . thus , the solenoid drive circuit 94 generates neither a drive signal a nor a drive signal b . hence , both chambers a and b of either shock absorber communicate with one another via both orifices 22 and 23 . the shock absorbers 7 and 8 provide small damping effects on the back - and - forth motion of the engine 3 . nonetheless , these forces are large enough to absorb the vibrations of the engine 3 which are relatively small since the change in engine speed is blow the predetermined value . on the other hand , when the change in engine speed exceeds the predetermined value , the engine revolution changing rate detecting circuit 100 outputs a high - level signal for a predetermined period of time . during this period , the solenoid drive circuit 94 produces drive signals a and b . in response to the signals a and b , the rotary valve 24 of either shock absorber ( fig1 ) rotates 90 °. thus , the first orifice 22 is closed , so that the two chambers a and b can communicate only via the second orifice 23 . the shock absorber 7 and 8 thus provide great forces to damp the back - and - forth motion of the engine 3 for the predetermined period of time . in short , when the change in engine speed exceeds the predetermined value , the vibrations of the engine 3 are relatively large because the power device 2 creates a great torque , and yet the shock absorbers 7 and 8 can absorb these large vibrations . hence , the vibrations are not transmitted to the chasis 1 . as mentioned above , in the second embodiment of the invention , when the change in engine speed exceeds the predetermined value , the rolling of the engine 3 , which is large due to the large torque of the engine 3 , can be effectively damped by the absorbers 7 and 8 for a predetermined period of time . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above . for instance , the accelerator pedal depressing speed detecting circuit 88 may be replaced by a circuit which detects the throttle opening speed .	5
referring now to the drawing , a digital fluidic output accelerometer in accordance with this invention includes a housing 10 which is schematically illustrated and has a cylindrical proof mass 12 mounted in chamber 14 of housing 10 . proof mass 12 is disposed for moving axially in chamber 14 and is rotatably mounted on an air bearing space 16 by cylindrical surfaces 18 of the housing and spaced surfaces 20 and 22 of proof mass 12 . proof mass 12 also has tapered ends 24 and 26 . housing 10 has supply passages 28 and 30 for supplying fluid under pressure to circumferential chambers 32 and 34 which supply fluid through a plurality of orifices 36 and 38 to air bearing space 16 . surface 20 has a plurality of grooves 40 therein and surface 26 has a plurality of grooves 42 therein . when fluid is supplied through orifices 36 and 38 into air bearing space 16 , the fluid is communicated through grooves 40 and 42 to cause proof mass 12 to be rotated . the fluid passing through grooves 40 and 42 is communicated into the central region around central portion 44 of proof mass 12 . fluid is exhausted through passage 46 and exhaust valve regulator 48 . the rotating speed of proof mass 12 is regulated and controlled by the supply pressure supplied to chambers 32 and 34 and by regulating the fluid flow across the bearing area 16 with the use of adjustable spring control exhaust valve regulator 48 . proof mass 12 is spun up to a relatively high speed of approximately 500 rpm and maintained at a substantially constant rate . proof mass 12 also has in center section 44 serrations 50 that run longitudely along the axis of the proof mass . the length of these serrations vary in a ramp function all the way around the circumference of the proof mass . the proof mass is also equipped with tapered ends 24 and 26 that provide a variable orifice with the chamber wall to increase or decrease the orifice to jet sensing ports 54 and 56 . sensing ports 54 and 56 are connected as illustrated to proportional fluid amplifier 58 . fluid amplifier 58 is provided with a pressure source 60 for providing pressurized fluid under constant pressure to the fluid amplifier . outputs 62 and 64 from fluid amplifier 58 are directed into chamber 14 at opposite ends of housing 10 and proof mass 12 . adjustable exhaust orifice throttles 66 and 68 are located at each end of housing 10 to exhaust fluid from the opposite ends of chamber 14 . exhaust orifice throttles 66 and 68 are adjusted to balance the end pressures and zero proof mass 12 with zero input acceleration . adjustment of throttles 66 and 68 together will adjust the dampening and the frequency response of the overall unit . a constant pressure source 70 supplies fluid through orifice 72 into conduits 74 and 76 . fluid flowing from source 70 to conduit 74 is communicated through jet nozzle 78 into the central area 44 of proof mass 12 . when raised portions 50 of the serrations are moved as a result of the proof mass responding to acceleration , the raised portions 50 pass under nozzle 78 and the flow of fluid such as air is partially restricted . this causes the pressure in conduit of air line 76 to rise and cause a corresponding increase at output 80 which has been communicated through restrictor 82 . as shown in the illustration of the drawing , raised portions 50 are illustrated in one direction only . therefore , this particular application responds to only one direction of movement of the unit . however , if the raised portions 50 were duplicated on each side of nozzle 78 , the device would work to produce a digital output when moved in either direction . furthermore , an optical pickoff could be used with this device if raised portions 50 were replaced by reflective strips and an electrical pickoff used to detect the reflective strips . in operation , with body 10 mounted on a missile , and with fluids such as air being provided to supply passages 28 , 30 , source 60 and source 70 , proof mass 12 will be centered in chamber 14 and rotating at the design speed for the proof mass . also , proof mass 12 will be mounted on the air bearing and the proof mass will be in a floating condition . when an acceleration is applied to housing 10 toward the right as illustrated in the drawing , proof mass 12 will lag behind the body translational acceleration . as proof mass 12 moves to the left due to acceleration , jet nozzle 78 will begin to be pulsed by the longest projections of raised portions 50 . as the proof mass moves further to the left , more raised portions 50 will come under jet nozzle 78 . since proof mass 12 is spinning at a constant rpm , the number of pulses produced at output 80 per revolution of proof mass 12 will be proportional to the distance proof mass 12 has moved in housing 10 . as the proof mass moves to the left , sensing port 56 detects a larger gap due to ramp 26 being moved to the left and a corresponding motion on the left side reduces the gap for port 54 . with the lower pressure in the portion of chamber 14 at the right end of proof mass 12 as opposed to the left end of proof mass 12 due to movement of proof mass 12 to the left relative to housing 10 in response to acceleration and due to a wider gap at port 56 , fluid amplifier 58 will be caused to provide a larger proportion of flow through passage 62 from supply 60 and cause this flow to be directed to the left end of chamber 14 . this flow will cause an increase in the chamber pressure at the left end and a corresponding lessening of the supply through passage 64 to the right end of chamber 14 . these unequal pressures at both ends of proof mass 12 creates a rebalance force to bring the proof mass back to a center position when the acceleration is removed . as can be seen , this invention includes a free floating proof mass 12 which is rotated on frictionless , hydrostatic bearings for axial motion of the proof mass and digital pulsing of output signals at 80 . the hydrostatic bearing is not equipped with thrust pads and is therefore constrained by differential pressure control . proof mass 12 is completely supported free of the case and there are no springs or wires attached to the proof mass to cause restraints and errors . since proof mass 12 is spinning at a relatively high speed , the case or housing 10 can be rotated around the proof mass spin axis without any spin sensitivity effects . proof mass 12 is built symmetrical and as temperture changes , the length of proof mass 12 will change but neither its weight nor any spring contacts normally associated with accelerometers of similar type will change since only the rebalance forces keep the mass centered . also , since proof mass 12 is spinning , all non - symmetrical imbalances of proof mass 12 are averaged over each revolution of the mass and do not contribute error signals .	6
referring now to fig1 which shows a cross section of the touch panel under an undepressed condition according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention , reference numeral 1 generally designates an upper sheet comprising a transparent film 2 formed of polyester or the like and an upper transparent electrode 3 such as ito formed at a predetermined position on a lower surface of the film 2 . reference numeral 4 generally designates a lower sheet comprising a transparent film 5 formed of polyester or the like and a lower transparent electrode 6 such as ito formed at a predetermined position on an upper surface of the film 5 . reference numeral 7 designates a spacer enclosed between the upper sheet 1 and the lower sheet 4 . the spacer 7 comprises a transparent insulating liquid material 8 such as silicone or epoxy oil or gel and a coloring agent 9 such as pigment or dyestuff uniformly dispersed in the liquid material 8 . the coloring agent 9 has such characteristics as to absorb a predetermined range of wavelength of an emission spectrum of a display device . color of the coloring agent is selected according to the emission spectrum of the display device to be used . in the case of desiring a blue filter effect , for example , lionel blue es , a pigment produced by toyo ink mfg . co ., ltd . is preferably used . reference numeral 10 designates a transparent support plate formed of acrylic resin . a laminate consisting of the upper sheet 1 , the spacer 7 and the lower sheet 4 is mounted and fixed onto the support plate 10 , thus forming the touch panel . the touch panel is formed in the following manner . first , the upper sheet 1 and the lower sheet 2 are laminated at their peripheral edges except an opening 11 to form a cell 12 as shown in fig3 ( a ). then , the cell 12 is put into a vacuum tank to be evacuated , and thereafter the opening 11 of the cell 12 is immersed into the liquid material 8 containing the coloring agent 9 as shown in fig3 ( b ). then , the reduced pressure in the vacuum tank is increased to an ordinary pressure . as a result , the liquid material 8 is filled into the cell 12 by a suction force due to the reduced pressure in the cell 12 and a capillarity . then , the opening 11 is sealed by an adhesive . the laminate thus obtained is laminated onto the support plate 10 , thereby obtaining the touch panel . in operation , the touch panel is mounted on a display surface of the display device such as crt , and the upper sheet 1 is depressed at a portion corresponding to an appropriate display position by means of a pen or a finger as viewed by an operator . at this time , the liquid material 8 at the depressed portion is migrated away from this portion . as a result , the upper electrode 3 is brought into contact with the lower electrode 6 at the depressed point to thereby allow a coordinate position to be detected . when such a depression force is removed , the upper sheet 1 is restored to its original condition owing to the flexibility of the transparent film 2 , and the spacer 7 is also restored to its original condition owing the the fluidity of the liquid material 8 as shown in fig1 . as a result , both the electrodes 3 and 6 are maintained separate from each other by the spacer 7 interposed therebetween . as mentioned above , since the coloring agent 9 as a filter is uniformly dispersed in the liquid material 8 , the coloring agent 9 acts to absorb a predetermined range of wavelength of the emission spectrum from the display device as a light source , thereby adjusting a color tone of the display device and improving a contrast at a displayed portion . referring next to fig4 and 5 which show another preferred embodiment of the present invention , wherein the same parts as those in the previous preferred embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals , reference numeral 7 &# 39 ; designates a transparent liquid material enclosed between the upper sheet 1 and the lower sheet 4 . the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; is formed of silicone or epoxy oil or gel , for example . transparent or opaque insulting fine powder 13 is uniformly dispersed in the liquid material 7 &# 39 ;. the insulating fine powder 13 has a size of several tens of micrometers substantially identical with a gap length required between the upper electrode 3 and the lower electrode 6 . a density of dispersion of the insulating fine powder 13 in the liquid material 13 can be moved in the liquid material 7 &# 39 ;. the insulating fine powder 13 is preferably a transparent spherical powder such as micropearl ( produced by sekisui fine chemical co ., ltd ) which is a cross - linking polymer composed primarily of divinyl benzene , or micro rod ( produced by nippon electric glass co ., ltd .) which is a glass with no alkali . the density of dispersion of the spherical powder in the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; is preferably 1 - 100 / cm 2 . in operation , when the transparent film 2 is depressed at an arbitrary position by a pen or a finger , the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; at the depressed portion is migrated away from this portion . as a result , the upper electrode 3 at the depressed point is brought into contact with the lower electrode 6 to thereby allow a coordinate position to be detected as shown in fig5 . since the insulating fine powder 13 is dispersed in the liquid material 7 &# 39 ;, it is moved together with the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; by the depresssion force . therefore , there is no possibility that the contact between both the electrodes 3 and 6 is hindered by the insulating fine powder 13 . in particular , when the insulating fine powder 13 is spherical as in this embodiment , it is rolled on the lower electrode 6 by the depression force , thereby making the movement of the fine powder 13 more effective . when the depression force is removed , the upper sheet 1 is restored to its original condition shown in fig4 quickly and reliably with the aid of the insulating fine powder 13 . at the same time , the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; is also restored to its original condition shown in fig4 owing to the fluidity thereof . as a result , both the electrodes 3 and 6 are maintained separate from each other by the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; and the insulating fine powder 13 interposed therebetween . as mentioned above , since both the electrodes 3 and 6 are maintained separate from each other owing to the particle size of the insulating fine powder 13 under the undepressed condition according to the preferred embodiment , they are prevented from erroneously contacting with each other during a long service life . furthermore , since the insulating fine powder 13 is moved by the depression force under the depressed condition , an input dead zone may be eliminated to thereby improve a resolution . moreover , since the transparent insulating liquid material 7 &# 39 ; instead of an air layer is enclosed between the upper and lower electrodes 3 and 6 , and the particle size of the insulating fine powder 8 dispersed in the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; is very small such as several tens of micrometers , the liquid material 7 &# 39 ; and the insulating fine powder 13 are almost not visually observed , thus improving the visibility of the touch panel . while the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , the description is illustrative and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention . various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	6
the present invention relates to a method for forming a composite product which comprises : ( a ) providing fibers coated with particles of an oxidizable metal containing powder ; and ( b ) pressing the powder coated fibers in a heated press so that the particles of the metal containing powder consolidate with the fibers to form the composite product . further the present invention relates to a method for forming a composite product which comprises : ( a ) introducing a tow of fibers coated with beads of a polymer into a closed chamber containing particles of an oxidizable metal containing powder to be coated onto the fibers in a controlled atmosphere which prevents uncontrolled oxidation of the metal containing powder ; ( b ) aerosolizing the powder in the chamber in the controlled atmosphere so as to coat the particles on the polymer and fiber ; ( c ) removing the particle coated tow of fibers from the chamber ; and ( d ) consolidating the particle coated tow of fibers in a heated press so that the metal powder sinters and flows together and forms a matrix around the fibers to provide the composite product . finally the present invention relates to a method for forming a composite product which comprises : ( a ) introducing a tow of fibers into a closed chamber containing particles of an oxidizable metal containing powder to be coated onto the fibers in a controlled atmosphere which prevents uncontrolled oxidation of the metal containing powder ; ( b ) aerosolizing the powder in the chamber in the non - reactive atmosphere so as to coat the particles on the fibers ; ( c ) removing the particle coated tow of fibers from the chamber ; and ( d ) consolidating the particle coated tow of fibers in a heated press so that the metal containing powder sinters together and forms a matrix around the fibers to provide the composite product . the fibers can be inorganic or organic so long as they can be consolidated with heating to form the metal matrix . such fibers are composed of for instance carbon , glass , ceramic , such as silicon carbide , aluminum oxide and boron , and metals . the metal powders are preferably al , ti , cu , be , mg and alloys thereof . preferred is aluminum and alloys thereof because of weight considerations . metal containing powders with polymer powders or ceramic powders can also be used so long as they aerosolize and consolidate . the controlled atmosphere for the aerosolization is usually provided by a non - reactive gas such as argon , helium , nitrogen and the like . argon is preferred since it is readily available . if a polymer coating is used as a binder for the metal particles it is removed . usually a vacuum furnace is used . the vacuum and the elevated temperature are first sufficient to remove the polymer coating and then to melt the metal to form the matrix . for aluminum powder and carbon fibers the temperature is between 500 °- 600 ° c . all of these variations will be obvious to one skilled in the art . aerosolized fine metal powders in a controlled atmosphere was used . one system 10 is shown in fig1 . in one method , the fibers are coated with sticky polymer in aerosolization apparatus 14 , enter the oven chamber 15 for adhering the polymer to the fibers and then enter a second coating apparatus 20 where they are then coated with fine metal powders ( matrix material ). this coated prepreg is the precursor of the cfmmc . the precursor is then cut into pieces and laid up for hot pressing into the cfmmc . the method of the present invention has many advantages compared with the existing cfmmc fabrication techniques : 1 ) it minimizes undesired interface reactions because the polymer coated precursor is produced at much lower temperatures ; 2 ) fibers are evenly distributed throughout the composite by the spreading operation . this reduces fiber damage usually caused by fiber - to - fiber contact ; 3 ) uniform distribution of the matrix around each fiber is achieved from the use of the aerosolizer and fine metal powder with smaller size ( 5 . 5 microns in diameter ) than the diameter of the fibers ( 8 . 0 microns ) as in examples 1 and 2 ; 4 ) high fiber volume fraction can be obtained due to the effective use of the spreader and fine metal powders ; 5 ) high quality composites can be made because of homogeneous fibers and matrix distribution , high fiber volume fraction , reduced interface reactions ; and 6 ) it is far less expensive than most of the existing cfmmc fabrication techniques because of its simplicity , continuity and provision for automation . the following are illustrative examples . example 1 uses a polymer coating on the fibers . example 2 does not use the polymer coating . as shown in fig2 and 2a , the outer tube 21 of apparatus 20 was made of plexi - glas material because the fluidization of the powders requires visual adjustments to determine the appropriate frequency of the speaker 22 . the speaker 22 was mounted in a wood box 23 . a glass tube 24 , was provided with membranes 25 at either end . an aluminum flange 26 at a lower end of tube 24 was connected to the speaker 22 and supports lower membrane 25 on the glass tube 24 . as shown in fig3 a , 3b and 3c , the outer tube 21 had two lids opposed 27 and 28 made of aluminum for the top and the bottom ( fig3 ). the lids 27 and 28 each had an o - ring 27a and 28a ( fig2 ) around the inside to assure sealing . the calculations show that the outer tube 2 - 1 and the lids 27 and 28 were strong enough to withstand an external pressure of one atmosphere . during experiments , the two lids 27 and 28 were held onto the chamber 21 by three elastic stretch cords between them ( not shown ) for safety . the stretch cords will give in the event of an explosion . as shown in detail in fig4 the inside tube 24 was a hollow where the actual coating occurs . half an inch from the top of tube 24 , a small indentation or groove 24a was provided on the outside for an o - ring 34 to hold the top membrane 25 . at three inches from the top , six tungsten pins 24b were mounted around the circumference to serve as electrical feedthroughs . two gas ports 29 and 30 were provided on the inside tube 24 open to the outer tube 21 . the inside tube 24 was set on the aluminum flange 26 which was fixed by the wood box 23 above the speaker 22 . the lower membrane 25 was held between the glass tube 24 and the aluminum flange 26 by a ring seal 33 in groove 26a of flange 26 . as shown in fig5 a flexible heater 31 was wound around a metal tube 31a , is hung on two of the tungsten pins 24b in the inside tube 24 . prepreg tapes 32 were fixed by spring clips ( not shown ) inside the metal tube 31a where the temperature was almost uniform . tables 1 and 2 show the distribution of the temperature inside the metal tube 31a . pins 24b were needed to pass a signal from the outside to the inside of the tube 21 without interfering with the vacuum level inside the tube 21 . the feedthroughs 72 to 75 ( fig6 ) were made of bulkhead unions that fit through the holes 28a of the top lid 28 . table 1______________________________________the distribution of the temperature inside the metal tube 31a . temperature temperature temperaturetime at bottom at middle at top ( min .) (° c .) (° c .) (° c . ) ______________________________________5 165 156 1676 177 168 1767 181 178 1868 189 186 1929 197 192 19710 198 198 201______________________________________ table 2______________________________________the temperature as a function of heating time inside metal tube 24 time temperature at ( min .) middle (° c . ) ______________________________________ 0 27 1 78 2 120 3 140 4 156 5 160 6 172 7 183 8 187 9 191 10 197______________________________________ the speaker 22 was mounted inside the wood box 23 which had a circular opening ( not shown ) on top to allow the upward propagation of the sound waves to inside tube 24 . the wood box 23 was painted with epoxy glue to avoid the release of volatile compounds that could interfere with the vacuum level . the box 23 was connected to the inside tube 24 through aluminum flange 26 whose circular base covered the opening of the wood box 23 . the aluminum flange 26 also had an outside indentation 26a for an o - ring to hold the lower rubber membrane 25 where the inside tube 24 is fitted . the speaker 22 was controlled by a frequency generator and a power amplifier located near the experimental apparatus 20 ( not shown ). as shown in fig6 the vacuum system 60 included a vacuum pump 61 connected to the inside tube 24 by thick wall flexible vacuum hoses 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 and 66 . ball valves 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 and 71 were used to control the gas flow in and out of the inside tube 24 . vacuum feedthroughs 72 , 73 , 74 and 75 were sealed in a similar way to the pins 27 . a supply 76 of gas ( argon ) was provided along with a vacuum gauge 77 and a pressure gauge 78 . filters 79 were provided for vacuum lines 64 and 75 . safe handling of aluminum powder is essential because of the potential risk of an explosion . aluminum reacts instantaneously with oxygen to form a thick film of aluminum oxide on the surface of the aluminum when exposed to the atmosphere . the oxide layer is stable in air and prevents further oxidation of underlying aluminum . however , if fine aluminum powder , usually less than 44 microns ( 325 mesh ), is suspended in air and heated to reach the ignition point , the burning extends from one particle to another with such rapidity ( rate of pressure rise in excess of 20 , 000 psi / sec ) that a violent explosion results ( aluminum association handout , &# 34 ; recommendation for storage and handling of aluminum powders and paste &# 34 ;, tr - 2 ). it has been reported that the proportion of aluminum powder required for an explosion is very small ( 45 g / m 3 ). aluminum dust will ignite with as little as 9 % oxygen present ( the balance being nitrogen ; or 10 % oxygen with the balance helium ; or 3 % oxygen with the remainder carbon dioxide . very small amounts of energy are required to ignite certain mixtures of aluminum powder and air . in some case energy as low as 25 millijoules can cause ignition . some basic safety rules of handling aluminum powder which are recommended by the aluminum association are : rule 1 : avoid any condition that will suspend or float powder particles in the air creating a dust cloud . the less dust suspended in the air , the better . 1 ) keep all containers closed and sealed . when a drum of aluminum powder is opened for loading or inspection , it should be closed and resealed as quickly as possible . 2 ) in transferring aluminum powder , dust clouds should be kept at an absolute minimum . powder should be transferred from one container to another using a non - sparking , conductive metal scoop with as little agitation as possible . handling should be slow and deliberate to hold dusting to a minimum . both containers should be bonded together and provided with a grounding strap . 3 ) in mixing aluminum powder with other dry ingredients , frictional heat should be avoided . the best type of mixer for a dry mixing operation is one that contains no moving parts , but rather affects a tumbling action , such as a conical blender . introduction of an inert atmosphere in the blender is highly recommended since dust clouds are generated . all equipment must be well - grounded . rule 2 : when possible , avoid actions that generate static electricity , create a spark or otherwise result in reaching the ignition energy or temperature . 1 ) locate electric motors and as much electrical equipment as possible outside processing rooms . only lighting and control circuits should be in operating rooms . all electrical equipment must meet national electrical codes for hazardous installations . this includes flash lights , hazardous portable power tools , and other devices . 2 ) use only conductive material for handling or containing aluminum powders . 3 ) no smoking , open flames , fire , or sparks should be allowed at operation and storage areas or dusty areas . 4 ) no matches , lighters , or any spark - producing equipment can be carried by an employee . 5 ) during transfer , powder should not be poured or slid on non - conductive surfaces . such actions build up static electricity . 6 ) powder should always be handled gently and never allowed to fall any distance because all movement of powder over powder tends to build up static charges . 7 ) work clothing should be made of smooth , hard - finished , closely woven fire resistant / fire retardant fabrics which tend not to accumulate static electric charges . trousers should have no cuffs where dust might accumulate . 8 ) bonding and grounding machinery to remove static electricity produced in powder operations are vital for safety . 9 ) all movable equipment , such as drums , containers , and scoops , must be bonded and grounded during powder transfer by use of clips and flexible ground leads . rule 3 : consider the use of an inert gas which can be valuable in minimizing the hazard of handling powder in air . however , in the three general rules , rule 3 is the most important safety precaution method for the process of aluminum powder coating on fibers , which is the key step in the fabrication of cfmmc , because the coating operation is preferably performed in aluminum cloud at 170 ° c . by pumping a vacuum and introducing argon repeatedly , oxygen can be reduced to the safe volume fraction . the amount of oxygen left inside the inside tube 24 can be determined by the ideal gas law : first , assume that after pulling a vacuum on the tube 24 of volume v at temperature t to decrease the pressure from one atmosphere to a pressure p o , only n o moles of o 2 and 4n o of n 2 are left in the tube 24 . applying the equation ( 5 - 1 ) gives : second , assume that n 1 moles of ar are introduced to the tube 24 to go back to atmospheric pressure . the total number of gas moles n is given by n = 5n o + n 1 . applying the equation ( 5 - 1 ) again to get : combining equation ( 5 - 2 ) and ( 5 - 3 ), and rearranging it gives the ar / o 2 ratio as : table 3 gives the ar / o 2 ratio and oxygen volume percentage for different vacuum levels . table 3______________________________________oxygen volume percentage as a function of different vacuum levels . vacuum number of oxygenlevel ar / o . sub . 2 o . sub . 2 volume ( torr ) ratio moles percentage______________________________________76 . 3 * 49 28 . 02 × 10 . sup .- 3 2 . 0 % 36 . 5 99 14 . 55 × 10 . sup .- 3 0 . 96 % 24 . 0 150 9 . 76 × 10 . sup .- 3 0 . 65 % 11 . 5 328 4 . 54 × 10 . sup .- 3 0 . 30 % 0 . 76 4995 0 . 30 × 10 . sup .- 3 0 . 02 % ______________________________________ * if pump twice to reach the vacuum level 76 . 3 torr again , then : ar / o . sub . 2 ratio : 499 number of o . sub . 2 moles : 3 . 03 × 10 . sup .- 3 oxygen volume percentage : 0 . 20 % as a conclusion , the oxygen amount present can be controlled by the vacuum level reached in the tube 24 before introducing argon to prevent the explosion of aluminum powder . on the positive side , argon adsorption to surface of aluminum powder is beneficial for a limited time following re - entry to air . in addition , worker protection must be used for handling aluminum powder . goggles and mask are strongly recommended . the matrix material used in this experiment is pure aluminum metallic powder ( atomized ) manufactured by valimet inc . ( stockton , calif .). the powder had a spherical shape with an average of 5 . 5 microns in diameter . the reinforced fiber was a continuous high - strength , pan - based carbon fiber manufactured by hercules inc . ( magna , utah ). the filament had a size of 8 microns in diameter with round shape . there were 3000 filaments per tow which had 3587 mpa in terms of tensile strength . the reinforced components used directly were prepreg tapes of nylon - coated carbon fibers produced by the powder prepregging system at the composite materials and structures center , east lansing , michigan ( cmsc ), rather than the loose tow fibers . type a prepreg was the regular product of cmsc for the production polymer matrix composites , which was processed at 170 ° c . to meet the polymer coating . type b prepreg was a special product for the production of c / al composite using the method of the present invention , which was processed at 165 ° c . to meet the polymer coating . the processing temperature of the polymer coated fiber prepreg would range from 150 ° c . to 250 ° c . depending on the polymer selected . the properties of the type a and type b prepregs are shown in table 4 . table 4______________________________________properties of materials used in the experimentmaterial / property value______________________________________hercules as - 4 carbon fibersdiameter ( microns ) 8 . 0specific gravity ( g / cm . sup . 3 ) 1 . 80tensile strength ( mpa ) 3 . 587tensile modulus ( gpa ) 235polyamideaverage particle size ( μm ) 10 . 0specific gravity ( g / cm . sup . 3 ) 1 . 02melting point (° c .) 175surface tension ( mj / m . sup . 2 ) 30 . 0aluminum powdersaverage particle size ( μm ) 5 . 5density ( g / cm . sup . 3 ) 2 . 69apparent density ( g / cm . sup . 3 ) 0 . 6chemical composition : aluminum 99 . 7 % iron 0 . 18 % silicon 0 . 2 % type a prepregsprocessing temperature (° c .) 170type b prepregsprocessing temperature (° c .) 165______________________________________ the procedures involved in production of aluminum powder coated prepreg precursors were 1 ) the polymer prepreg tapes were cut into 5 cm pieces . 2 ) the prepreg tapes were fixed inside the metal tube 31a with spring clips as shown in fig5 . 3 ) the metal tube 31a was hung on the pins 4b inside the glass tube . 4 ) 3 - 5 g of aluminum powder was deposited on the bottom membrane 25 . 5 ) the inside tube 24 was fitted on the top of the aluminum flange 26 . 6 ) the top membrane 25 was placed in position with the help of the o - ring . 7 ) all of the electric wires and vacuum hoses were connected properly . 8 ) the aluminum lid 28 was placed on the outer tube 21 . b 9 ) the vacuum pump 61 was operated until the pressure inside the tube 24 was reduced to below 3 in hg . 12 ) the heater 31 was turned on and heated for 6 minutes for type a prepreg 32 and 3 minutes for type b prepreg 32 . 13 ) the frequency generator or speaker 22 and the power amplifier was turned on to fluidize the aluminum powder for 3 minutes for type a prepreg 32 and minutes for type b prepreg 32 . 14 ) the heater 31 was turned off after heating 8 minutes . 15 ) the prepreg 32 was removed in reverse order of steps 1 - 8 after the powder settled down and the temperature cooled down . the aluminum - coated carbon fiber precursors then were consolidated by vacuum hot pressing in a conventional vacuum furnace such as furnace 40 using a mts - 810 material test system ( minneapolis , minn .). the procedures and processing parameters used were : 2 ) cut the aligned prepreg 32 into 2 cm long and 1 cm wide . 3 ) wrap the aligned and trimmed prepreg with two pieces of aluminum foils in transverse direction . 4 ) put a layer of boron nitride paste evenly on the outside of the aluminum foils . 5 ) place the wrapped and pasted precursors between two pieces of thin alumina plates . 8 ) press the top platen on the sample with pressure of a little more than zero . 9 ) close the furnace and pump vacuum to less than 2 × 10 - 5 torr . 11 ) keep the temperature at 420 ° c . for one hour to evaporate the binder material ( nylon ). 14 ) press the sample under 30 mpa at 570 ° c . for 30 minutes . 15 ) release the pressure and decrease the temperature to 400 ° c . in 5 minutes . the mechanical properties of the composite were measured using united testing system sfm - 20 . a three - point bending test was performed . the original composite was approximately a 1 mmthick × 12 mm wide × 21 mm long plate for the sample which was made from type a prepreg , and a 2 mm thick × 12 mm wide × 21 mm long plate for the sample which was made from the b prepreg . the plates were cut into 1 . 65 mm wide specimens by a low speed diamond saw after the composite plate was trimmed to eliminate unconsolidated materials at the edges , and cleaned to remove the stop - off materials . referring to fig7 the flexural strength and modulus of the composite was evaluated by following equations : the flexural strength of the composite from the three point bending test can be compared with the theoretical value calculated from equations ( 3 - 3 ) and ( 5 - 7 ) ( weeten , j . w ., et al ., engineers &# 39 ; guide to composite materials , carnes publication services , usa ( 1987 )) which is derived from the rule of mixtures and the contribution of the matrix is neglected . if s cf is not known , s cf = 0 . 9 s tf is a good approximation for graphite fiber / matrix composites . the broken specimens from the mechanical test then were mounted , polished and examined by olympus pme 3 metallograph . the fracture surfaces of the specimens were examined using hitachi s - 2500c scanning electron microscope ( sem ) ( japan ). the fiber volume fraction was determined by counting the fibers observed on a composite cross - section and using the relation : a f = the average cross - sectional area of a single fiber this work was done by optical numeric volume fraction analysis software ( michigan state university , east lansing , mich .). fig8 a and 8b and 9a and 9b show scanning electron microscope ( sem ) images of type a prepreg and type b prepreg 32 at different magnifications . the prepregs , which were produced by the composite materials and structures center at michigan state university , were used to make the cfmmc . for type a prepreg 32 , it is apparent from these micrographs that there is satisfactory coating with nylon on the carbon fibers in the prepreg although there are some droplets formed on the fibers . the fibers were almost spread uniformly while some fibers contacted together and some fibers crossed . for type b prepreg 32 , the nylon particles just begin sintering or even sintering had not occurred . so some nylon particles were lost during handling and the fibers were not held together by nylon to form tape . fig1 a and 10b and 11a and 11b show two types of sem images of c / al composite precursors at different magnifications . the precursor has a satisfactory aluminum powder pick - up . the successes include : 1 ) the amount of aluminum powder is large enough ; 2 ) the adhesion between the fiber and the powder is strong enough to survive handling ; 3 ) the distribution of the aluminum powder is uniform for type a precursors . for type b precursors , fiber coating is uneven because of the existence of some uncoated fibers . the disadvantage is that the fiber contacting and crossing can still be found , which is due to the fabrication of nylon coated fiber prepregs . the results of the mechanical test for the continuous high strength carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite materials are shown in table 5 and fig1 and 13 . the flexural strength of the composite is 335 mpa for sample a ( 343 mpa for sample al and 328 mpa sample a2 ) and 285 mpa for sample b as compared to 82 . 8 mpa for the unreinforced pure aluminum matrix . the flexural modulus of the composite is 108 gpa for sample a ( 122 gpa for sample al and 94 gpa for sample a2 ) and 74 gpa for sample b as compared to 69 gpa for the unreinforced pure aluminum matrix . fig1 a and 14b and 15a and 15b show the typical optical micrographs of the cross section of the c / al composites , which were used to determine the fiber volume fraction . it was found that the fiber volume fraction is 50 % for the sample from the type a prepreg and 20 % for the sample from the type b prepreg . using the above value of fiber volume fraction and the tensile strength and modulus value of carbon fibers and aluminum matrix from table 5 , the flexural strength of the rule of mixtures at these fiber volume fractions were calculated to be 2549 mpa for sample a and 1019 mpa for sample b . the flexural strength of the composite is 13 % of the rule of mixtures for type a and 28 % for type b . the modulus of the rule of mixtures at these fiber volume fractions was determined to be 151 gpa for type a and 112 gpa for sample b . the modulus of the composite is 71 % of the rule of mixtures for type a and 66 % for type b . table 5______________________________________mechanical properties of example 1 composites at room temperaturespecimens a1 a2 b1______________________________________span , mm 18 . 0 18 . 0 18 . 0 ( in .) ( 0 . 71 ) ( 0 . 71 ) ( 0 . 71 ) width , mm 1 . 65 1 . 65 1 . 65 ( in .) ( 0 . 065 ) ( 0 . 065 ) ( 0 . 065 ) thickness , mm 1 . 07 1 . 13 1 . 93 ( in .) ( 0 . 042 ) ( 0 . 0445 ) ( 0 . 076 ) yield load , n 0 . 08 0 . 54 0 . 11 ( lbs ) ( 0 . 0183 ) ( 0 . 122 ) ( 0 . 0244 ) peak load , n 23 . 84 25 . 61 64 . 90 ( lbs ) ( 5 . 359 ) ( 5 . 756 ) ( 14 . 587 ) yield str 1 . 2 0 . 7 0 . 5mpa ( psi ) ( 170 . 1 ) ( 101 . 1 ) ( 69 . 25 ) flexural str 343 328 285mpa ( psi ) ( 49775 ) ( 47622 ) ( 41380 ) fiber 50 50 20fraction (%)% rom 13 13 28strengthflexural 122 94 74modulus , gpa ( 17625 ) ( 13554 ) ( 10754 )( ksi )% rom 80 62 66modulusstrain at 0 . 6543 0 . 5548 1 . 044failure (%) ______________________________________ fig1 a and 16b and 17a and 17b show the optical micrographs of the longitudinal section of type a and type b . from these figures , it is obvious that the fiber - matrix interface is smooth with no discontinuities observed even at higher magnification . this implied that the fiber - matrix bonding is good with no excessive interface reaction and no fiber damage . however , these micrographs show that some carbon fibers contact together to form the fiber clusters , especially for type a . fig1 a and 18b and 19a and 19b show the sem fractographs of type a and type b . it can be seen that the dispersed fibers were not pulled out while the clustered fibers were pulled out . the fractographs show that the aluminum powders were sintered well generally while a few of unsintered aluminum powders can be found in type b in fig1 b at arrow . this could be due to the fact that these powders were located in a local void where the pressure could not reach them . the new fabrication process of composite precursors was capable of picking up the desired volume fraction of metal matrix . the distribution of fine metal powder around the reinforcing fibers was uniform . the precursor tapes with the aluminum powder were almost as flexible as the reinforcing fiber tow with good handling properties . the polymer worked well as the binder and hence no significant aluminum powder loss was found during the layup procedure prior to consolidation . this suggested that the adhesion of the aluminum powder to the carbon fibers was strong . for type a prepreg 32 , the formation of the fiber clusters played two roles . first , the aluminum precursors were easy to handle during the layup procedure because the fibers do not move relative to one another . secondly , it made the fibers distribute unevenly . there are four key factors which resulted in the success of composite precursor production . 1 ) the spreader 12 which worked on the principle of acoustic energy was able to spread collimated fiber tows into their individual filaments . it worked best at the natural frequency of the reinforcing fibers . 2 ) the apparatus 20 which utilized acoustics to provide a buoyant force to the powder was a stable entrainment system which provided an aerosol of constant aluminum powder concentration for extended periods of time . it operated best at its natural frequency . 3 ) the use of fine metal powder roughly of the order of dimensions of the reinforcing fibers made the distribution of the matrix around each fiber uniform . 4 ) polyamide polymer worked very well as a binder to adhere the aluminum powder on the carbon fibers at proper temperature . however , the presence of fiber clusters in the prepreg 32 was a remaining problem for the quality of the precursors . the impregnated fibers show a tendency to cluster in bundles in the heater . the preferred configuration of the prepreg 32 is the array of fiber - matrix cluster , each cluster diameter ranging from that of a single fiber to multiple fibers ( most cluster diameters are between 10 - 50 microns ). in the heater , the coalescence of the polymer on the fibers goes through three steps : the heating up of fibers and the particles ; interparticle sintering between adjacent particles until a film forms on the fiber surface ; and , finally , the formation of a stable configuration of axisymmetric or non - symmetric droplets . in the first step , the temperature of the powder - impregnated fiber tow is raised by convection and radiation to a value greater than the melting or softening point of the polymer particles . then , interparticle sintering begins with a neck formation between adjacent particles . the neck grows till the particles coalesce into one . interparticle sintering time ( defined to be the time when the interparticle bridge is equal to the particle diameter ) is primarily influenced by the temperature , the polymer viscosity and the particle size . the work required for a shape change is equal to a decrease in surface energy . interparticle sintering leads to the formation of a film which breaks up to form droplets on the fiber . the transition from a polymer film on the fiber surface to droplets is driven by the finite wetting abilities of most thermoplastics . these droplets are of varying shape and symmetry with respect to the fiber axis . the shape of these droplets changes with time to equilibrium configuration which can be axisymmetric or non - symmetric depending on droplet volume and the influence of gravitational forces . if in the case of a spread fiber tow in which the impregnated fibers are in intermittent contact with each other , capillary forces between adjacent fibers may make film formation thermodynamically favorable . the final configuration depends on interfiber distances and droplet sizes in addition to surface tension forces . therefore , there are three ways to improve the quality of prepregs 32 . 1 ) improve the spreader 20 operation . interfiber distances have to be larger to avoid the bonding of adjacent fibers by the droplets . it is advantageous to have good spreading so that individual fibers are exposed thereby reducing the average cluster diameter . 2 ) use a particular polymer as the binder for a given fiber . interparticle sintering and film formation are influenced by viscosity , surface tension and particle size of the polymer . surface tension of most polymers lies between 20 - 50 dynes / cm whereas viscosity can vary by orders of magnitude . hence there is an optimum polymer for a given fiber . 3 ) control the temperature of the heater 31 and the speed of the fiber motion . for a given fiber - polymer system and a given speed of the fiber motion , interparticle sintering and the film formation are influenced only by the temperature of the heater . if the temperature is too low , interparticle sintering will not occur and the prepreg tape cannot be formed . on the other hand , if the temperature is too high , the droplets and fiber clusters will form , which is not desired for the production of the aluminum precursors . however , there are proper temperatures at which the interparticle sintering has occurred but the film has not formed completely . in this case , it is possible to get high quality of prepreg 32 because the particle sintering can hold fibers as prepreg tape by periodic fiber - to - fiber contact . in the metal powder coating chamber 20 , a greater fraction of the fiber surface is exposed to the cloud of the fine metal powder before the sintering is completely finished . type b prepreg was an attempt to produce a better polymer dispersion . it is obvious that 165 ° c . is too low to be the best processing temperature because the sintering has not occurred for some nylon particles which will be lost during handling and the prepreg 32 cannot be formed . however , the mechanical property has shown the distinct improvement for type b prepreg 32 . flexural strength and modulus of 335 mpa and 108 gpa for type a , 285 mpa and 74 gpa for type b were obtained when the precursors were vacuum hot pressed at 570 ° c . for 30 minutes under 30 mpa pressure . it corresponds to a value of 13 % and 28 % of the rule of mixtures strength , 71 % and 66 % of the rule of mixtures modulus , respectively . the lower measured strength and modulus may be due to several factors . 1 ) the distribution of the fibers in the composite was not always uniform , and this affected the maximum fracture load . some areas had a high density of fibers and others had a low density . there are some fiber clusters ( fiber - to - fiber contact ) in the composite although type b prepreg 32 is better than type a prepreg 32 . fiber clusters in type b prepreg 32 were smaller than in type a prepreg 32 . thus a larger fraction of the fibers in type b prepreg 32 were completely surrounded by matrix . the micrographs of the fracture surface showed fiber pullout in the fiber cluster areas , which suggested that tow of fibers did not fully work as a reinforcement . the high magnification fractographs ( fig1 a and 19b ) showed that where fibers were in direct contact with each other , the fracture in fibers started at the fiber - fiber interface . this suggests that fibers in direct contact lead to premature fracture . this can explain why the strength of type a prepreg 32 is less than the strength of type b prepreg 32 in terms of the percentage of the rule of mixtures . so it is the poor distribution of the fibers that mainly cause the lower strength . 2 ) the fiber coating with aluminum powders is uneven for type b prepreg 32 , and this may affect the load transfer efficiency at the interface . as mentioned before , type b prepregs 32 were processed at 165 ° c . and some nylon powder particles were not as evenly distributed due to inadequate sintering at the lower processing temperature . this resulted in the existence of portions of the fibers without any coating . these uncoated regions resulted in some voids in the fiber - matrix interface , where the powder particles were not completely consolidated due to the fact that the pressure could not reach these regions during consolidation . the bonding in these regions is very poor because some unsintered aluminum powders can be found ( refer to fig1 b at arrow ). therefore , since some portions of the fibers cannot transfer elastic loading to the matrix , the stiffness of the composite is reduced . it is the uneven fiber coating that may cause the lower modulus of type b prepreg 32 than that of type a prepreg in terms of the percentage of the rule of mixtures . however , since the modulus values are close , they may also represent experimental variation . 3 ) the optimal consolidation parameters can be determined . higher temperatures and longer times give lower strength because of brittle carbide formation at the interface of the aluminum and the carbon fibers . lower temperatures and shorter times give lower strength due to poor bonding strength at the inter - aluminum matrix . the occurrence of low strength may be due to poor bonding strength of the aluminum matrix under higher pressures or damage of the reinforced fibers under high pressures . therefore , the optional processing parameters are selected to get the maximum in strength of composite . 4 ) the matrix metal and the characteristics of the reinforcing component have important influence to the strength of the composite . as mentioned earlier , most aluminum matrix composites are produced by aluminum alloy . so the use of pure aluminum could be a factor because pure aluminum has lower strength and is more reactive than aluminum alloys . regarding the reinforcing component , high modulus carbon fibers have a high content of crystallized carbon and good chemical stability but high cost because they were carbonized at 2000 °- 3000 ° c . in contrast high strength carbon fibers were carbonized at 1000 °- 1500 ° c ., so these fibers are cheaper but more reactive with aluminum than high modulus carbon fibers . in view of the lower costs , the use of high strength carbon fibers , as described in this investigation , should be significant in the production of these composites although the strength is lower . 5 ) increasing fiber volume fraction in the composite is a way to increase the strength of the composite . it is well established that the strength of composite is a function of fiber volume fraction in direct proportion . hence reducing the time of aluminum powder fluidizing can increase the fiber volume fraction and the strength of composite . 6 ) selecting a better polymer as the binder is another way to increase the strength of composite . the binder plays a very important role in the new fabrication method of cfmmc . a good binder improves the distribution of the fibers and the matrix powder during the production of the precursors . it is more important that the binder not promote interfacial reactions . therefore , the polymeric binder must fulfill a succession of requirements as it proceeds through the method steps . 1 ) it must be thermoplastic to be a binder at high temperature . 2 ) it must provide suitable viscosity and surface tension and flow properties . 3 ) it must be capable of being removed in vacuum furnace 40 by controlled pyrolysis without disrupting the particle arrangement . 4 ) it must have a suitable melting point temperature and be stable around the melting point temperature ( woodthorpe , j ., et al ., j . mater . sci . 24 1038 ( 1989 ). 5 ) it must not react with aluminum and carbon fibers at high temperature , so polymers without oxygen may be better . the mechanisms of the pyrolytic removal of binder must be understood in order to understand the last requirement . there are three mechanisms for the pyrolytic removal of binder , which are evaporation , thermal degradation and oxidative degradation ( wright , j . k ., et al ., j . am . ceram . soc . 72 ( 10 ) 1822 ( 1989 ); and edirishinghe , m . j ., british ceramic proceedings , 45 45 ( 1990 )). evaporation is the dominant mechanism when low molecular weight waxes are used as the binder . here the organic species do not undergo chain scission and are independent of the atmosphere used . thermal degradation of the binder is carried out in an inert atmosphere where oxygen is absent . the decomposition of the polymer takes place entirely by thermal degradation processes by a free - radical reaction . the predominant process is the formation of lower - molecular - weight substances by intramolecular transfer of radicals , resulting in random chain scission and a reduction in molecular weight . molecular fragments less than a critical size are lost by evaporation . the presence of oxygen during binder removal super impose on thermal degradation an additional reaction with polymer and metal powder . the reaction products may or may not be volatile substances . polyamide was used as the preferred binder , and it was believed to be removed completely by thermal degradation in the vacuum furnace . in fact , polyamide is not necessary the best choice as the binder for the c / al system because it contains oxygen . it was mentioned earlier that the presence of oxygen catalyzes the formation of aluminum carbide at carbon / aluminum interfaces . thermoplastic polymers such as polystyrene , polyethylene , polypropylene can be more suitable to be the binder because they fill the demand : thermoplastic , proper melting point , are removable , and are without oxygen . selecting a suitable binder can be an effective method to improve the quality of composite . 1 ) the method works well for the production of cfmmc . the spreading width is limited only by the length of the spreader over which the fiber tow passes and the spreader 12 width under a set of optimum conditions . however , the fibers tend to collapse to a narrow width after passing through the spreader , which needs to be corrected . 2 ) the fluidization of fine aluminum powder was successful by using the acoustic energy coming off a speaker 22 through rubber membranes 25 . the aerosolizer is efficient with the uniform distribution of aluminum powder around the fibers . 3 ) heating nylon - coated carbon fiber prepreg 32 to a temperature above the softening point of nylon created a sticky polymer host for fine aluminum powder . the perfect adhesion of aluminum powder to carbon fibers was achieved by making nylon serve as the binder . however , other polymers such as polystyrene , polyethylene , polypropylene can be more suitable binder for c / al system because these polymers do not contain oxygen and are more easily volatilized . 4 ) the strength of the c / al composite was lower than that expected from the rule of mixtures . it may be mainly attributed to the presence of fiber clusters due to imperfect fiber spreading . the binder may not play an important role as seen from the micrographs of the prepregs 32 and aluminum precursors . this implies that the binder is not necessary since the electrostatic forces can make the aluminum powder stick to the carbon fibers . without the binder , the fiber cluster does not form and the quality of composite can be improved . continuous processing of cfmmc by not using the polymer binder can also be accomplished . this is possible since metal powders form oxide coatings that can hold a static charge strong enough to attract the metal powder particle to the fiber and hold it in place long enough to be consolidated . this static attraction has been demonstrated in two ways : 1 ) powder aggregates are observed on the bottom of the aerosolizing chamber , indicating that the fine powder can hold a static charge and 2 ) as a result of hanging sections of bare carbon fiber tows in the aerosolizing chamber , the fibers were evenly coated with the powder . subsequently , sections of bare fiber tows coated in this way were laid up in a stack and consolidated with minimum handling . some layers that had lesser amounts of powder had additional powder sprinkled on top of the layer . these were consolidated in the conventional way by vacuum hot pressing . this sample had very evenly spaced fibers , with less than 2 % of the fibers being in contact with each other in any particular cross section investigated . some pullout of the fibers on the order of the fiber diameter was observed in the fracture surface of a bend specimen . the cfmmc cross - section is shown in fig2 . since the polymer binder is not required the processing is less complex , since no vacuum burnout of the polymer using furnace 40 is needed . the procedure involved in the production of aluminum powder coated prepreg precursors was 1 ) the prepreg tapes ( bare carbon tows ) were cut into 5 cm long pieces . 2 ) the prepreg tapes were suspended inside the metal tube 31a with spring clips as shown in fig5 . 3 ) the metal tube 31a was hung on the pins 24b inside the glass tube . 4 ) 5 - 8 gm of aluminum powder was deposited on the bottom membrane 25 . 5 ) the inside tube 24 was fitted on the top of the flange 26 . 6 ) the top membrane 25 was placed in position with the help of the o - ring . 7 ) all the electric wires and vacuum hoses were connected properly . 8 ) the aluminum lid 28 was placed on the outer tube 21 . 9 ) the vacuum pump 61 was operated until the pressure inside the tube 24 was reduced to below 3 in hg . 11 ) the frequency generator or speaker 22 and the power amplifier was turned on to fluidize the aluminum powder for approximately 5 minutes . additional powder was sprinkled on top of some layers that had lesser amounts of powder . the aluminum coated carbon fiber precursors were consolidated by vacuum hot pressing . the steps involved were : 2 ) chop off the aligned prepreg in 2 cm long and 1 cm wide pieces . 4 ) apply boron nitride paste evenly on the inner surface of the fixture . 7 ) press the top platen on the sample with pressure of a little more than zero . 8 ) close the furnace and pump vacuum to less than 2 × 10 - 5 torr . 10 ) press the sample under 30 mpa at 570 ° c . for 45 minutes . 11 ) release the pressure and decrease the temperature to 400 ° c . in 5 minutes . the density and coefficient of thermal expansion &# 34 ; α &# 34 ; of the composite were measured . &# 34 ; α &# 34 ; was measured using a dilatometer and archimedes principle was used to measure the density . mechanical properties of the example 2 composite were also measured by using united testing system . the results are given in table 6 . table 6______________________________________physical and mechanical properties of example 2 composite : 2 . 28 gm / cm . sup . 3coefficient of linear thermal expansion &# 34 ; α &# 34 ; - 1 . 793 × 10 . sup . 6 /° c . mecanical properties of the composite at room temperaturespecimen sample 1 * sample 2 * ______________________________________span , mm 18 . 0 18 . 0 ( in ) ( 0 . 71 ) ( 0 . 71 ) width , mm 2 . 90 3 . 12 ( in ) ( 0 . 114 ) ( 0 . 123 ) thickness , mm 0 . 57 0 . 025 ( in ) ( 0 . 022 ) ( 0 . 635 ) yield load , lb n / a n / apeak load , lb 4 . 731 4 . 598yield stress , psi n / a n / aflexural strength , 91324 63697psi 629 . 68 439 . 19 ( mpa ) flexural modulus , psi 14742630 12691180 ( gpa )* 101 . 65 87 . 51 % rom strength 78 . 55 67 . 63strain failure (%) 0 . 6554 n / a______________________________________ for bending tests of composites , the span - to - depth ratio is recommended to be at least 16 : 1 . this ratio shall be chosen such that failures occur in the outer fibers of the specimens , due only to the bending moment . for highly anisotropic composites , shear deflections can seriously reduce the modulus measurements . in this study , a ratio of 32 : 1 is a standard that should be adequate to obtain valid modulus measurements . the consolidated sample was approximately 30 mm × 12 mm × 3 mm plate , that was cut into 2 mm wide specimens by a low speed diamond saw after the composite plate was trimmed off to eliminate unconsolidated materials at the edges . for alpha measurements , the original sample was cut into 25 . 4 mm × 12 . 7 mm × 3 mm block . the alpha value determined from the dilatometer experiment is 1 . 793 × 10 - 6 /° c . and the density of the material is 2 . 28 gm / cm 3 . the porosity of the material is found to be less than 1 %. fiber volume fraction was measured by counting the fibers observed on a composite cross section and it was around 40 - 50 %. fig2 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 and 28 show the optical micrographs of the transverse and longitudinal sections of the composite at different magnifications . from the fig2 , it was clear that there was no matrix material in one part of the specimen . this may account for the porosity determined from the density measurement . fig2 shows the even distribution of fibers with very few fibers contacting each other . from these figures , it is obvious that the fiber -- matrix interface is smooth with no apparent discontinuity in the interface , even at higher magnifications . this implied that the fiber - matrix bonding is good with no interface reaction and no fiber damage . however , these micrographs show less than 2 % of the fibers being in contact with each other in any particular cross section investigated . in addition , some fiber pull out on the order of the fiber diameter was observed in the fracture surface of a bend specimen . fig2 and 28 show the sem fractographs of the composite of fig1 1 ) it was capable of picking up the desired volume fraction of metal matrix . 4 ) the processing is less complex since the polymer binder is not required and no vacuum burnout of the polymer using furnace 40 is needed . as shown in fig2 for system 80 , the fiber tow is spread in spreader 12 , coated in the apparatus 20 with metal powder and then immediately pressed between heated rolls 50 , such as rolls 50a , 50b and 50c , at the consolidation temperature in a condition that provides adequate pressure for sintering . the exit side of the rollers 50 provides a consolidated product , such as a foil or a wire or rod , as illustrated in fig2 , 21a to 21c . the system 80 is enclosed in enclosure 81 . the prepreg 101 is filled from spools 82 , 83 and 84 to provide composites 102a , 102b or 102c . with more complicated roller geometry , more complex beam shapes can be fabricated . thus the tows of fibers are coated simultaneously and guided to proper position at the consolidation rolls 50 , so that larger thicknesses can be built up , or more complex shapes can be fabricated as shown in fig2 . with a scalping operation on aluminum shapes occurring prior to the consolidating rolls , a thin coating of fiber reinforced material can be applied , as shown in fig2 . the system 90 is provided in an enclosure 91 . the core 92 is scraped by cutters 93 and then the metal coated precursor is compressed onto core 92 by rollers 96 . the prepreg 32 is fed from spools 94 and feed rolls 95 . the product is composite 103 . the continuous fiber tows coated with polymer and matrix powders could be subsequently chopped for consolidation in desired geometries , and thus provide coated chopped fibers with evenly distributed matrix . in addition consolidated continuous fiber products made using the above procedures could be chopped for subsequent consolidation in desired geometries . in addition , chopped fibers could be coated with polymer and / or matrix powders to provide chopped coated fibers for subsequent consolidation . it is intended that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present invention and the present invention is limited only by the hereinafter appended claims .	8
the invention is not limited by any particular structure or group of cetp inhibitors . rather , the invention has general applicability to cetp inhibitors as a class . compounds which may be the subject of the invention may be found in a number of patents and published applications , including de 19741400 a1 ; de 19741399 a1 ; wo 9914215 a1 ; wo 9914174 ; de 19709125 a1 ; de 19704244 a1 ; de 19704243 a1 ; ep 818448 a1 ; wo 9804528 a2 ; de 19627431 a1 ; de 19627430 a1 ; de 19627419 a1 ; ep 796846 a1 ; de 19832159 ; de 818197 ; de 19741051 ; wo 9941237 a1 ; wo 9914204 a1 ; wo 9835937 a1 ; jp 11049743 ; wo 200018721 ; wo 200018723 ; wo 200018724 ; wo 200017164 ; wo 200017165 ; wo 200017166 ; ep 992496 ; and ep 987251 , all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes . one class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of oxy substituted 4 - carboxyamino - 2 - methyl - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinolines having the formula i wherein r i - 1 , is hydrogen , y i , w i — x i , w i — y i ; wherein w i is a carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , sulfinyl or sulfonyl ; x i is — o — y i , — s — y i , — n ( h )— y , or — n —( y i ) 2 ; wherein y i for each occurrence is independently z i or a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to ten membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with z i ; wherein z i is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or , a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said z i substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n —( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein q i is a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v i ; wherein v i is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said v i substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carbamoyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylcarbamoyl , carboxyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituents are also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein q i - 1 is a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v i - 1 ; wherein v i - 1 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered ring optionally having one to two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen ; wherein said v i - 1 substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , amino , nitro , cyano , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein either r i - 3 must contain v 1 or r i - 4 must contain v i - 1 ; and r i - 5 , r i - 6 , r i - 7 and r i - 8 are each independently hydrogen , hydroxy or oxy wherein said oxy is substituted with t i or a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated one to twelve membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with t i ; wherein t i is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said t i substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines . compounds of formula i and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 140 , 342 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 362 , 198 , and european patent publication 987251 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from one of the following compounds of formula i : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of 4 - carboxyamino - 2 - methyl - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,- tetrahydroquinolines , having the formula ii wherein r ii - 1 , is hydrogen , y ii , w ii — x ii , w ii — y ii ; wherein w ii is a carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , sulfinyl or sulfonyl ; x ii is — o — y ii , — s — y ii — n ( h )— y ii or — n —( y ii ) 2 ; wherein y ii for each occurrence is independently z ii or a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to ten membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with z ii ; z ii is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to twelve membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said z ii substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n —( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein q ii is a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v ii ; wherein v ii is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to twelve membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or , a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said v ii substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxamoyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylcarboxamoyl , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino or said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituents are optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein q ii - 1 a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v ii - 1 ; wherein v ii - 1 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered ring optionally having one to two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen ; wherein said v ii - 1 substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , amino , nitro , cyano , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein either r ii - 3 must contain vi , or r ii - 4 must contain v ii - 1 ; and r ii - 5 , r ii - 6 , r ii - 7 and r ii - 8 are each independently hydrogen , a bond , nitro or halo wherein said bond is substituted with t ii or a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated ( c 1 - c 12 ) straight or branched carbon chain wherein carbon may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen wherein said carbon atoms are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with t ii ; wherein t ii is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to twelve membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or , a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said t ii substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; provided that at least one of substituents r ii - 5 , r ii - 6 , r ii - 7 and r ii - 8 is not hydrogen and is not linked to the quinoline moiety through oxy . compounds of formula ii and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 147 , 090 , u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 671 , 400 filed sep . 27 , 2000 , and pct publication no . wo00 / 17166 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from one of the following compounds of formula ii : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of annulated 4 - carboxyamino - 2 - methyl - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,- tetrahydroquinolines , having the formula iii wherein r iii - 1 is hydrogen , y iii , w iii — x iii , w iii — y iii ; wherein w iii is a carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , sulfinyl or sulfonyl ; x iii is — o — y iii , — s — y iii , — n ( h )— y iii or — n —( y iii ) 2 ; y iii for each occurrence is independently z iii or a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to ten membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with z iii ; wherein z iii is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to twelve membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said z iii substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein q iii is a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v iii ; wherein v iii is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to twelve membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said v iii substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxamoyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylcarboxamoyl , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino or said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl are optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein q iii - 1 a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v iii - 1 ; wherein v iii - 1 , is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered ring optionally having one to two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen ; wherein said v iii - 1 substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , amino , nitro , cyano , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent optionally having from one to nine fluorines ; wherein either r iii - 3 must contain v iii or r iii - 4 must contain v iii - 1 ; and r iii - 5 and r iii - 6 , or r iii - 6 and r iii - 7 , and / or r iii - 7 and r iii - 8 are taken together and form at least one four to eight membered ring that is partially saturated or fully unsaturated optionally having one to three heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said ring or rings formed by r iii - 5 and r iii - 6 , or r iii - 6 and r iii - 7 , and / or r iii - 7 and r iii - 8 are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylsulfonyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent optionally having from one to nine fluorines ; provided that the r iii - 5 , r iii - 6 , r iii - 7 and / or r iii - 8 , as the case may be , that do not form at least one ring are each independently hydrogen , halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy or ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl optionally having from one to nine fluorines . compounds of formula iii and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 147 , 089 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 310 , 075 , and european patent application no . 99307240 . 4 filed sep . 14 , 1999 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from one of the following compounds of formula iii : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of 4 - carboxyamino - 2 - substituted - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,- tetrahydroquinolines , having the formula iv wherein r iv - 1 is hydrogen , y iv , w iv — x iv or w iv — y iv ; wherein w iv is a carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , sulfinyl or sulfonyl ; x iv is — o — y iv , — s — y iv , — n ( h )— y iv or — n —( y iv ) 2 ; wherein y iv for each occurrence is independently z iv or a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to ten membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with z iv ; wherein z iv is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said z iv substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; r iv - 2 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen wherein said carbon atoms are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo ; or said r iv - 2 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to seven membered ring optionally having one to two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , wherein said r iv - 2 ring is optionally attached through ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkyl ; wherein said r iv - 2 ring is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , oxo or ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl ; with the proviso that r iv - 2 is not methyl ; r iv - 3 is hydrogen or q iv ; wherein q iv is a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v iv ; wherein v iv is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said v iv substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxamoyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylcarboxamoyl , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituents are also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein q iv - 1 a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v iv - 1 ; wherein v iv - 1 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered ring optionally having one to two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen ; wherein said v iv - 1 substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , amino , nitro , cyano , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein either r iv - 3 must contain v iv or r iv - 4 must contain v iv - 1 ; r iv - 5 , r iv - 6 , r iv - 7 and r iv - 8 are each independently hydrogen , a bond , nitro or halo wherein said bond is substituted with t v or a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated ( c 1 - c 12 ) straight or branched carbon chain wherein carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen wherein said carbon atoms are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with t iv ; wherein t iv is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or , a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said t iv substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; and wherein r iv - 5 and r iv - 6 , or r iv - 6 and r iv - 7 , and / or r iv - 7 and r iv - 8 may also be taken together and can form at least one four to eight membered ring that is partially saturated or fully unsaturated optionally having one to three heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said ring or rings formed by r iv - 5 and r iv - 6 , or r iv - 6 and r iv - 7 , and / or r iv - 7 and r iv - 8 are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylsulfonyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; with the proviso that when r iv - 2 is carboxyl or ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylcarboxyl , then r iv - 1 is not hydrogen . compounds of formula iv and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 197 , 786 , u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 685 , 3000 filed oct . 10 , 2000 , and pct publication no . wo 00 / 17164 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from one of the following compounds of formula iv : in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is [ 2r , 4s ]- 4 -[( 3 , 5 - bis - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methoxycarbonyl - amino ]- 2 - ethyl - 6 - trifluoromethyl - 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - quinoline - 1 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester also known as torcetrapib . torcetrapib is shown by the following formula cetp inhibitors , in particular torcetrapib , and methods for preparing such compounds are disclosed in detail in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 197 , 786 and 6 , 313 , 142 , in pct application nos . wo 01 / 40190a1 , wo 02 / 088085a2 , and wo 02 / 088069a2 , the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference . torcetrapib has an unusually low solubility in aqueous environments such as the lumenal fluid of the human gi tract . the aqueous solubility of torceptrapib is less than about 0 . 04 μg / ml . torcetrapib must be presented to the gi tract in a solubility - enhanced form in order to achieve a sufficient drug concentration in the gi tract in order to achieve sufficient absorption into the blood to elicit the desired therapeutic effect . another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of 4 - amino substituted - 2 - substituted - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,- tetrahydroquinolines , having the formula v wherein r v - 1 is y v , w v — x v or w v — y v ; wherein w v is a carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , sulfinyl or sulfonyl ; x v is — o — y v , — s — y v , — n ( h )— y v or — n —( y v ) 2 ; wherein y v for each occurrence is independently z v or a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to ten membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with z v ; wherein z v is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said z v substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n —( c 1 — c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; r v - 2 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen wherein said carbon atoms are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo ; or said r v - 2 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to seven membered ring optionally having one to two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , wherein said r v - 2 ring is optionally attached through ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkyl ; wherein said r v - 2 ring is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , oxo or ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl ; wherein q v is a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons , other than the connecting carbon , may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v v ; wherein v v is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to eight membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said v v substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxamoyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylcarboxamoyl , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl substituents are also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; r v - 4 is cyano , formyl , w v - 1 q v - 1 , w v - 1 v v - 1 , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylenev v - 1 or v v - 2 ; wherein w v - 1 is carbonyl , thiocarbonyl , so or so 2 , wherein q v - 1 a fully saturated , partially unsaturated or fully unsaturated one to six membered straight or branched carbon chain wherein the carbons may optionally be replaced with one heteroatom selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen and said carbon is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono -, or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with v v - 1 ; wherein v v - 1 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered ring optionally having one to two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said v v - 1 substituent is optionally mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , hydroxy , oxo , amino , nitro , cyano , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is also optionally substituted with from one to nine fluorines ; wherein v v - 2 is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated five to seven membered ring containing one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen ; wherein said v v - 2 substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 2 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 2 ) alkoxy , hydroxy , or oxo wherein said ( c 1 - c 2 ) alkyl optionally has from one to five fluorines ; and wherein r v - 4 does not include oxycarbonyl linked directly to the c 4 nitrogen ; wherein either r v - 3 must contain v v or r v - 4 must contain v v - 1 ; r v - 5 , r v - 6 , r v - 7 and r v - 8 are independently hydrogen , a bond , nitro or halo wherein said bond is substituted with t v or a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated ( c 1 - c 12 ) straight or branched carbon chain wherein carbon may optionally be replaced with one or two heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , wherein said carbon atoms are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with hydroxy , said carbon is optionally mono - substituted with oxo , said sulfur is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , said nitrogen is optionally mono - or di - substituted with oxo , and said carbon chain is optionally mono - substituted with t v ; wherein t v is a partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to twelve membered ring optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen , or a bicyclic ring consisting of two fused partially saturated , fully saturated or fully unsaturated three to six membered rings , taken independently , optionally having one to four heteroatoms selected independently from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said t v substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent also optionally has from one to nine fluorines ; wherein r v - 5 and r v - 6 , or r v - 6 and r v - 7 , and / or r v - 7 and r v - 8 may also be taken together and can form at least one ring that is a partially saturated or fully unsaturated four to eight membered ring optionally having one to three heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen , sulfur and oxygen ; wherein said rings formed by r v - 5 and r v - 6 , or r v - 6 and r v - 7 , and / or r v - 7 and r v - 8 are optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with halo , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylsulfonyl , ( c 2 - c 6 ) alkenyl , hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino wherein said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent is optionally mono -, di - or tri - substituted independently with hydroxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkoxy , ( c 1 - c 4 ) alkylthio , amino , nitro , cyano , oxo , carboxy , ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyloxycarbonyl , mono - n — or di - n , n -( c 1 - c 6 ) alkylamino , said ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl substituent also optionally has from one to nine fluorines . compounds of formula v and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 140 , 343 , u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 671 , 221 filed sep . 27 , 2000 , and pct publication no . wo 00 / 17165 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from one of the following compounds of formula v : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of cycloalkano - pyridines having the formula vi a vi denotes an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted with up to five identical or different substituents in the form of a halogen , nitro , hydroxyl , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or a straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , hydroxyalkyl or alkoxy containing up to 7 carbon atoms each , or in the form of a group according to the formula — bnr vi - 3 r v - 4 , wherein r vi - 3 and r vi - 4 are identical or different and denote a hydrogen , phenyl or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms , d vi denotes an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted with a phenyl , nitro , halogen , trifluoromethyl or trifluoromethoxy , or a radical according to the formula r vi - 5 — l vi —, r vi - 5 , r vi - 6 and r vi - 9 denote , independently from one another , a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 6 carbon atoms , or an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atom or a 5 - to 7 - membered , optionally benzo - condensed , saturated or unsaturated , mono -, bi - or tricyclic heterocycle containing up to 4 heteroatoms from the series of s , n and / or o , wherein the rings are optionally substituted , in the case of the nitrogen - containing rings also via the n function , with up to five identical or different substituents in the form of a halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro , hydroxyl , cyano , carboxyl , trifluoromethoxy , a straight - chain or branched acyl , alkyl , alkylthio , alkylalkoxy , alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms each , an aryl or trifluoromethyl - substituted aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms each , or an optionally benzo - condensed , aromatic 5 - to 7 - membered heterocycle containing up to 3 heteoatoms from the series of s , n and / or o , and / or in the form of a group according to the formula bor vi - 10 , — sr vi - 11 , — so 2 r vi - 12 or bnr vi - 13 r vi - 14 , wherein r vi - 10 , r vi - 11 and r vi - 12 denote , independently from one another , an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is in turn substituted with up to two identical or different substituents in the form of a phenyl , halogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms , r vi - 13 and r vi - 14 are identical or different and have the meaning of r vi - 3 and r vi - 4 given above , or r vi - 5 and / or r vi - 6 denote a radical according to the formula r vi - 8 denotes a hydrogen , halogen , azido , trifluoromethyl , hydroxyl , trifluoromethoxy , a straight - chain or branched alkoxy or alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms each , or a radical according to the formula r vi - 15 and r vi - 16 are identical or different and have the meaning of r vi - 3 and r vi - 7 and r vi - 8 together form a radical according to the formula ═ 0 or ═ nr vi - 7 , r vi - 17 denotes a hydrogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl , alkoxy or acyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms each , l vi denotes a straight - chain or branched alkylene or alkenylene chain containing up to 8 carbon atoms each , which are optionally substituted with up to two hydroxyl groups , t vi and x vi are identical or different and denote a straight - chain or branched alkylene chain containing up to 8 carbon atoms , or v vi denotes an oxygen or sulfur atom or an bnr vi - 18 group , wherein r vi - 18 denotes a hydrogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl , e vi denotes a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 8 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted with a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms or a hydroxyl , or a phenyl , which is optionally substituted with a halogen or trifluoromethyl , r vi - 1 and r vi - 2 together form a straight - chain or branched alkylene chain containing up to 7 carbon atoms , which must be substituted with a carbonyl group and / or a radical according to the formula a and b are identical or different and denote a number equaling 1 , 2 or 3 , r vi - 19 denotes a hydrogen atom , a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 7 carbon atoms , a straight - chain or branched silylalkyl containing up to 8 carbon atoms , or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 8 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted with a hydroxyl , a straight - chain or a branched alkoxy containing up to 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl , which may in turn be substituted with a halogen , nitro , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or phenyl or tetrazole - substituted phenyl , and an alkyl that is optionally substituted with a group according to the formula bor vi - 22 , wherein r vi - 22 denotes a straight - chain or branched acyl containing up to 4 carbon atoms or benzyl , or r vi - 19 denotes a straight - chain or branched acyl containing up to 20 carbon atoms or benzoyl , which is optionally substituted with a halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro or trifluoromethoxy , or a straight - chain or branched fluoroacyl containing up to 8 carbon atoms , r vi - 20 and r vi - 21 are identical or different and denote a hydrogen , phenyl or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms , or r vi - 20 and r vi - 21 together form a 3 - to 6 - membered carbocyclic ring , and a the carbocyclic rings formed are optionally substituted , optionally also geminally , with up to six identical or different substituents in the form of trifluoromethyl , hydroxyl , nitrile , halogen , carboxyl , nitro , azido , cyano , cycloalkyl or cycloalkyloxy containing 3 to 7 carbon atoms each , a straight - chain or branched alkoxycarbonyl , alkoxy or alkylthio containing up to 6 carbon atoms each , or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms , which is in turn substituted with up to two identical or different substituents in the form of a hydroxyl , benzyloxy , trifluoromethyl , benzoyl , a straight - chain or branched alkoxy , oxyacyl or carboxyl containing up to 4 carbon atoms each and / or a phenyl , which may in turn be substituted with a halogen , trifluoromethyl or trifluoromethoxy , and / or the carbocyclic rings formed are optionally substituted , also geminally , with up to five identical or different substituents in the form of a phenyl , benzoyl , thiophenyl or sulfonylbenzyl , which in turn are optionally substituted with a halogen , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or nitro , and / or optionally in the form of a radical according to the formula r vi - 23 and r vi - 24 are identical or different and denote a hydrogen , cycloalkyl containing 3 to 6 carbon atoms , a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms , benzyl or phenyl , which is optionally substituted with up to two identical or different substituents in the form of halogen , trifluoromethyl , cyano , phenyl or nitro , and / or the carbocyclic rings formed are optionally substituted with a spiro - linked radical according to the formula w vi denotes either an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom , y vi and y = vi together form a 2 - to 6 - membered straight - chain or branched alkylene chain , e is a number equaling 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 or 7 , r vi - 25 , r vi - 26 , r vi - 27 , r vi - 28 , r vi - 29 , r vi - 30 and r vi - 31 are identical or different and denote a hydrogen , trifluoromethyl , phenyl , halogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl or alkoxy containing up to 6 carbon atoms each , or r vi - 25 and r vi - 26 or r vi - 27 and r vi - 28 each together denote a straight - chain or branched alkyl chain containing up to 6 carbon atoms or r vi - 25 and r vi - 26 or r vi - 27 and r vi - 28 each together form a radical according to the formula g is a number equaling 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 or 7 , r vi - 32 and r vi - 33 together form a 3 - to 7 - membered heterocycle , which contains an oxygen or sulfur atom or a group according to the formula so , so 2 or bnr vi - 34 , r vi - 34 denotes a hydrogen atom , a phenyl , benzyl , or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 4 carbon atoms , and salts and n oxides thereof , with the exception of 5 ( 6h )- quinolones , 3 - benzoyl - 7 , 8 - dihydro - 2 , 7 , 7 - trimethyl - 4 - phenyl . compounds of formula vi and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in european patent application no . ep 818448 a1 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 207 , 671 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 069 , 148 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from one of the following compounds of formula vi : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of substituted - pyridines having the formula vii r vii - 2 and r vii - 6 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , alkyl , fluorinated alkyl , fluorinated aralkyl , chlorofluorinated alkyl , cycloalkyl , heterocyclyl , aryl , heteroaryl , alkoxy , alkoxyalkyl , and alkoxycarbonyl ; provided that at least one of r vii - 2 and r vii - 6 is fluorinated alkyl , chlorofluorinated alkyl or alkoxyalkyl ; r vii - 3 is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , amido , arylcarbonyl , heteroarylcarbonyl , hydroxymethyl — co 2 r vii - 7 , wherein r vii - 7 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl and cyanoalkyl ; and wherein r vii - 15a is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , hydrogen , halogen , alkylthio , alkenylthio , alkynylthio , arylthio , heteroarylthio , heterocyclylthio , alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy and heterocyclyloxy , and r vii - 16a is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , haloalkyl , alkenyl , haloalkenyl , alkynyl , haloalkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl , arylalkoxy , trialkylsilyloxy ; r vii - 4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , halogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkenyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , aralkyl , heteroarylalkyl , heterocyclylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkenyl , aralkenyl , hetereoarylalkenyl , heterocyclylalkenyl , alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , alkanoyloxy , alkenoyloxy , alkynoyloxy , aryloyloxy , heteroaroyloxy , heterocyclyloyloxy , alkoxycarbonyl , alkenoxycarbonyl , alkynoxycarbonyl , aryloxycarbonyl , heteroaryloxycarbonyl , heterocyclyloxycarbonyl , thio , alkylthio , alkenylthio , alkynylthio , arylthio , heteroarylthio , heterocyclylthio , cycloalkylthio , cycloalkenylthio , alkylthioalkyl , alkenylthioalkyl , alkynylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , heterocyclylthioalkyl , alkylthioalkenyl , alkenylthioalkenyl , alkynylthioalkenyl , arylthioalkenyl , heteroarylthioalkenyl , heterocyclythioalkenyl , alkylamino , alkenylamino , alkynylamino , arylamino , heteroarylamino , heterocyclylamino , aryldialkylamino , diarylamino , diheteroarylamino , alkylarylamino , alkylheteroarylamino , arylheteroarylamino , trialkylsilyl , trialkenylsilyl , triarylsilyl , — co ( o ) n ( r vii - 8a r viii - 8b ), wherein r vii - 8a and r vii - 8b are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl , — so 2 r vii - 9 , wherein r vii - 9 is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl , — op ( o )( or vii - 10a ) ( or vii - 10b ), wherein r vii - 10a and r vii - 10b are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl , and — op ( s ) ( or vii - 11a ) ( or vii - 11b ), wherein r vii - 11a and r vii - 11b are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl ; r vii - 5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , halogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkenyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , alkylcarbonyloxyalkyl , alkenylcarbonyloxyalkyl , alkynylcarbonyloxyalkyl , arylcarbonyloxyalkyl , heteroarylcarbonyloxyalkyl , heterocyclylcarbonyloxyalkyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , aralkyl , heteroarylalkyl , heterocyclylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkenyl , aralkenyl , heteroarylalkenyl , heterocyclylalkenyl , alkylthioalkyl , cycloalkylthioalkyl , alkenylthioalkyl , alkynylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , heterocyclylthioalkyl , alkylthioalkenyl , alkenylthioalkenyl , alkynylthioalkenyl , arylthioalkenyl , heteroarylthioalkenyl , heterocyclylthioalkenyl , alkoxyalkyl , alkenoxyalkyl , alkynoxylalkyl , aryloxyalkyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , heterocyclyloxyalkyl , alkoxyalkenyl , alkenoxyalkenyl , alkynoxyalkenyl , aryloxyalkenyl , heteroaryloxyalkenyl , heterocyclyloxyalkenyl , cyano , hydroxymethyl , — co 2 r vii - 14 , wherein r vii - 14 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 15b is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , hydrogen , halogen , alkylthio , alkenylthio , alkynylthio , arylthio , heteroarylthio , heterocyclylthio , alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , aroyloxy , and alkylsulfonyloxy , and r vii - 16b is selected form the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , arylalkoxy , and trialkylsilyloxy ; wherein r vii - 17 and r vii - 18 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 19 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , — sr vii - 20 , — or vii - 21 , and br vii - 22 co 2 r vii - 23 , r vii - 20 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , aminoalkyl , aminoalkenyl , aminoalkynyl , aminoaryl , aminoheteroaryl , aminoheterocyclyl , alkylheteroarylamino , arylheteroarylamino , r vii - 21 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl , r vii - 22 is selected from the group consisting of alkylene or arylene , and r vii - 23 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 24 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , aralkyl , aralkenyl , and aralkynyl ; wherein r vii - 26 and r vii - 27 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 28 and r vii - 29 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 30 and r vii - 31 are independently alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy , and heterocyclyloxy ; and wherein r vii - 32 and r vii - 33 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 36 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 37 and r vii - 38 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 39 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , alkylthio , alkenylthio , alkynylthio , arylthio , heteroarylthio and heterocyclylthio , and r vii - 40 is selected from the group consisting of haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkynyl , haloaryl , haloheteroaryl , haloheterocyclyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkenyl , heterocyclylalkoxy , heterocyclylalkenoxy , heterocyclylalkynoxy , alkylthio , alkenylthio , alkynylthio , arylthio , heteroarylthio and heterocyclylthio ; wherein r vii - 42 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , and heterocyclyl , and r vii - 43 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkenyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkynyl , haloaryl , haloheteroaryl , and haloheterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 44 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 45 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkynyl , haloaryl , haloheteroaryl , haloheterocyclyl , heterocyclyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , aralkyl , heteroarylalkyl , heterocyclylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkenyl , aralkenyl , heteroarylalkenyl , heterocyclylalkenyl , alkylthioalkyl , alkenylthioalkyl , alkynylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , heterocyclylthioalkyl , alkylthioalkenyl , alkenylthioalkenyl , alkynylthioalkenyl , arylthioalkenyl , heteroarylthioalkenyl , heterocyclylthioalkenyl , aminocarbonylalkyl , aminocarbonylalkenyl , aminocarbonylalkynyl , aminocarbonylaryl , aminocarbonylheteroaryl , and aminocarbonylheterocyclyl , wherein r vii - 46 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl , and r vii - 47 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl ; and wherein r vii - 48 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl , and r vii - 49 is selected from the group consisting of alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy , heterocyclyloxy , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkynyl , haloaryl , haloheteroaryl and haloheterocyclyl ; wherein r vii - 50 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , cycloalkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , alkoxy , alkenoxy , alkynoxy , aryloxy , heteroaryloxy and heterocyclyloxy ; wherein r vii - 51 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl , heterocyclyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkynyl , haloaryl , haloheteroaryl and haloheterocyclyl ; and wherein r vii - 53 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclyl ; provided that when r vii - 5 is selected from the group consisting of heterocyclylalkyl and heterocyclylalkenyl , the heterocyclyl radical of the corresponding heterocyclylalkyl or heterocyclylalkenyl is other than δ - lactone ; and provided that when r vii - 4 is aryl , heteroaryl or heterocyclyl , and one of r vii - 2 and r vii - 6 is trifluoromethyl , then the other of r vii - 2 and r vii - 6 is difluoromethyl . compounds of formula vii and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 9941237 - a1 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor of formula vii is dimethyl 5 , 5 - dithiobis [ 2 - difluoromethyl - 4 -( 2 - methylpropyl )- 6 -( trifluoromethyl )- 3 - pyridine - carboxylate ]. another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of substituted biphenyls having the formula viii a viii stands for aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted up to 3 times in an identical manner or differently by halogen , hydroxy , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , or by straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , or alkoxy with up to 7 carbon atoms each , or by a group of the formula r viii - 1 and r viii - 2 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , phenyl , or straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , d viii stands for straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , which is substituted by hydroxy , e viii and l viii are either identical or different and stand for straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted by cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or stands for cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or l viii in this case stands for aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted up to 3 times in an identical manner or differently by halogen , hydroxy , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , or by straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , or alkoxy with up to 7 carbon atoms each , or by a group of the formula r viii - 3 and r vii - 4 are identical or different and have the meaning given above for r vii - 1 and r viii - 2 , or e viii stands for straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , or stands for aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted up to 3 times in an identical manner or differently by halogen , hydroxy , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , or by straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , or alkoxy with up to 7 carbon atoms each , or by a group of the formula r viii - 5 and r viii - 6 are identical or different and have the meaning given above for r viii - 1 and r viii - 2 , and l viii in this case stands for straight - chain or branched alkoxy with up to 8 carbon atoms or for cycloalkyloxy with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , t viii stands for a radical of the formula r viii - 7 and r viii - 8 are identical or different and denote cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , or denote a 5 - to 7 - member aromatic , optionally benzo - condensed , heterocyclic compound with up to 3 heteroatoms from the series s , n and / or o , which are optionally substituted up to 3 times in an identical manner or differently by trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , halogen , hydroxy , carboxyl , by straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , alkoxy , or alkoxycarbonyl with up to 6 carbon atoms each , or by phenyl , phenoxy , or thiophenyl , which can in turn be substituted by halogen , trifluoromethyl , or trifluoromethoxy , and / or the rings are substituted by a group of the formula r viii - 11 and r viii - 12 are identical or different and have the meaning given above for r vii - 11 and r vii - 12 , x vii denotes a straight or branched alkyl chain or alkenyl chain with 2 to 10 carbon atoms each , which are optionally substituted up to 2 times by hydroxy , r viii - 10 denotes hydrogen , halogen , azido , trifluoromethyl , hydroxy , mercapto , trifluoromethoxy , straight - chain or branched alkoxy with up to 5 carbon atoms , or a radical of the formula r viii - 13 and r viii - 14 are identical or different and have the meaning given above for r vii - 1 , and r viii - 2 , or r viii - 9 and r viii - 10 form a carbonyl group together with the carbon atom . compounds of formula viii are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 9804528 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of substituted 1 , 2 , 4 - triazoles having the formula ix wherein r ix - 1 is selected from higher alkyl , higher alkenyl , higher alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , aryloxyalkyl , alkoxyalkyl , alkylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , and cycloalkylalkyl ; wherein r ix - 2 is selected from aryl , heteroaryl , cycloalkyl , and cycloalkenyl , r ix - 2 is optionally substituted at a substitutable position with one or more radicals independently selected from alkyl , haloalkyl , alkylthio , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , alkoxy , halo , aryloxy , aralkyloxy , aryl , aralkyl , aminosulfonyl , amino , monoalkylamino and dialkylamino ; and wherein r ix - 3 is selected from hydrido , — sh and halo ; provided r ix - 2 cannot be phenyl or 4 - methylphenyl when r ix - 1 is higher alkyl and when r ix - 3 is bsh . compounds of formula ix and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 9914204 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from the following compounds of formula ix : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of hetero - tetrahydroquinolines having the formula x and pharmaceutically acceptable salts , enantiomers , or stereoisomers or n - oxides of said compounds ; a x represents cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms or a 5 to 7 - membered , saturated , partially saturated or unsaturated , optionally benzo - condensed heterocyclic ring containing up to 3 heteroatoms from the series comprising s , n and / or o , that in case of a saturated heterocyclic ring is bonded to a nitrogen function , optionally bridged over it , and in which the aromatic systems mentioned above are optionally substituted up to 5 - times in an identical or different substituents in the form of halogen , nitro , hydroxy , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or by a straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , hydroxyalkyl or alkoxy each having up to 7 carbon atoms or by a group of the formula bnr x - 3 r x - 4 , r x - 3 and r x - 4 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , phenyl or straight - chain or branched alkyl having up to 6 carbon atoms , d x represents an aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms , that is optionally substituted by phenyl , nitro , halogen , trifluormethyl or trifluormethoxy , or it represents a radical of the formula r x - 5 , r x - 6 and r x - 9 independently of one another denote cycloalkyl having 3 to 6 carbon atoms , or an aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms or a 5 - to 7 - membered aromatic , optionally benzo - condensed saturated or unsaturated , mono -, bi -, or tricyclic heterocyclic ring from the series consisting of s , n and / or o , in which the rings are substituted , optionally , in case of the nitrogen containing aromatic rings via the n function , with up to 5 identical or different substituents in the form of halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro , hydroxy , cyano , carbonyl , trifluoromethoxy , straight straight - chain or branched acyl , alkyl , alkylthio , alkylalkoxy , alkoxy , or alkoxycarbonyl each having up to 6 carbon atoms , by aryl or trifluoromethyl - substituted aryl each having 6 to 10 carbon atoms or by an , optionally benzo - condensed , aromatic 5 - to 7 - membered heterocyclic ring having up to 3 heteroatoms from the series consisting of s , n , and / or o , and / or substituted by a group of the formula bor x - 10 , — sr x - 11 , so 2 r x - 12 or bnr x - 13 r x - 14 , r x - 10 , r x - 11 and r x - 12 independently from each other denote aryl having 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is in turn substituted with up to 2 identical or different substituents in the form of phenyl , halogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl having up to 6 carbon atoms , r x - 13 and r x - 14 are identical or different and have the meaning of r x - 3 and r x - 4 indicated above , r x - 5 and / or r x - 6 denote a radical of the formula r x - 8 denotes hydrogen , halogen , azido , trifluoromethyl , hydroxy , trifluoromethoxy , straight - chain or branched alkoxy or alkyl having up to 6 carbon atoms or a radical of the formula r x - 15 and r x - 16 are identical or different and have the meaning of r x - 3 and r x - 4 indicated above , r x - 7 and r x - 8 together form a radical of the formula ═ o or ═ nr x - 17 , r x - 17 denotes hydrogen or straight chain or branched alkyl , alkoxy or acyl having up to 6 carbon atoms , l x denotes a straight chain or branched alkylene or alkenylene chain having up to 8 carbon atoms , that are optionally substituted with up to 2 hydroxy groups , t x and x x are identical or different and denote a straight chain or branched alkylene chain with up to 8 carbon atoms v x represents an oxygen or sulfur atom or an bnr x - 18 - group , in which r x - 18 denotes hydrogen or straight chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms or phenyl , e x represents cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or straight chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , that is optionally substituted by cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms or hydroxy , or represents a phenyl , that is optionally substituted by halogen or trifluoromethyl , r x - 1 and r x - 2 together form a straight - chain or branched alkylene chain with up to 7 carbon atoms , that must be substituted by carbonyl group and / or by a radical with the formula in which a and b are identical or different and denote a number equaling 1 , 2 , or 3 , r x - 19 denotes hydrogen , cycloalkyl with 3 up to 7 carbon atoms , straight chain or branched silylalkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms or straight chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , that are optionally substituted by hydroxyl , straight chain or branched alkoxy with up to 6 carbon atoms or by phenyl , which in turn might be substituted by halogen , nitro , trifluormethyl , trifluoromethoxy or by phenyl or by tetrazole - substituted phenyl , and alkyl , optionally be substituted by a group with the formula bor x - 22 , r x - 22 denotes a straight chain or branched acyl with up to 4 carbon atoms or benzyl , r x - 19 denotes straight chain or branched acyl with up to 20 carbon atoms or benzoyl , that is optionally substituted by halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro or trifluoromethoxy , or it denotes straight chain or branched fluoroacyl with up to 8 carbon atoms and 9 fluorine atoms , r x - 20 and r x - 21 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , phenyl or straight chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , r x - 20 and r x - 21 together form a 3 - to 6 - membered carbocyclic ring , and the carbocyclic rings formed are optionally substituted , optionally also geminally , with up to six identical or different substituents in the form of triflouromethyl , hydroxy , nitrile , halogen , carboxyl , nitro , azido , cyano , cycloalkyl or cycloalkyloxy with 3 to 7 carbon atoms each , by straight chain or branched alkoxycarbonyl , alkoxy or alkylthio with up to 6 carbon atoms each or by straight chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , which in turn is substituted with up to 2 identically or differently by hydroxyl , benzyloxy , trifluoromethyl , benzoyl , straight chain or branched alkoxy , oxyacyl or carbonyl with up to 4 carbon atoms each and / or phenyl , which may in turn be substituted with a halogen , trifuoromethyl or trifluoromethoxy , and / or the formed carbocyclic rings are optionally substituted , also geminally , with up to 5 identical or different substituents in the form of phenyl , benzoyl , thiophenyl or sulfonylbenzyl , which in turn are optionally substituted by halogen , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or nitro , and / or optionally are substituted by a radical with the formula r x - 23 and r x - 24 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , cycloalkyl with 3 to 6 carbon atoms , straight chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , benzyl or phenyl , that is optionally substituted with up to 2 identically or differently by halogen , trifluoromethyl , cyano , phenyl or nitro , and / or the formed carbocyclic rings are substituted optionally by a spiro - linked radical with the formula w x denotes either an oxygen or a sulfur atom y x and y ′ x together form a 2 to 6 membered straight chain or branched alkylene chain , e denotes a number equaling 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , or 7 , r x - 25 , r x - 26 , r x - 27 , r x - 28 , r x - 29 , r x - 30 and r x - 31 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , trifluoromethyl , phenyl , halogen or straight chain or branched alkyl or alkoxy with up to 6 carbon atoms each , r x - 25 and r x - 26 or r x - 27 and r x - 28 respectively form together a straight chain or branched alkyl chain with up to 6 carbon atoms , r x - 25 and r x - 26 or r x - 27 and r x - 28 each together form a radical with the formula g denotes a number equaling 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , or 7 , r x - 32 and r x - 33 form together a 3 - to 7 - membered heterocycle , which contains an oxygen or sulfur atom or a group with the formula so , so 2 or — nr x - 34 , r x - 34 denotes hydrogen , phenyl , benzyl or straight or branched alkyl with up to 4 carbon atoms . compounds of formula x and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 9914215 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from the following compounds of formula x : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of substituted tetrahydro naphthalines and analogous compound having the formula xi a xi stands for cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or stands for aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , or stands for a 5 - to 7 - membered , saturated , partially unsaturated or unsaturated , possibly benzocondensated , heterocycle with up to 4 heteroatoms from the series s , n and / or o , where aryl and the heterocyclic ring systems mentioned above are substituted up to 5 - fold , identical or different , by cyano , halogen , nitro , carboxyl , hydroxy , trifluoromethyl , trifluoro - methoxy , or by straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , hydroxyalkyl , alkylthio , alkoxycarbonyl , oxyalkoxycarbonyl or alkoxy each with up to 7 carbon atoms , or by a group of the formula r xi - 3 and r xi - 4 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , phenyl , or straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms r xi - 5 , r xi - 6 and r xi - 9 , independent of each other , denote cycloalkyl with 3 to 6 carbon atoms , or denote aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , or denote a 5 - to 7 - membered , possibly benzocondensated , saturated or unsaturated , mono -, bi - or tricyclic heterocycle with up to 4 heteroatoms of the series s , n and / or o , where the cycles are possibly substitutedcin the case of the nitrogen - containing rings also via the n - functioncup to 5 - fold , identical or different , by halogen , trifluoromethyl nitro , hydroxy , cyano , carboxyl , trifluoromethoxy , straight - chain or branched acyl , alkyl , alkylthio , alkylalkoxy , alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl with up to 6 carbon atoms each by aryl or trifluoromethyl substituted aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms each , or by a possibly benzocondensated aromatic 5 - to 7 - membered heterocycle with up to 3 heteroatoms of the series s , n and / or o , and / or are substituted by a group of the formula — or xi - 10 , — sr xi - 11 , — so 2 r xi - 12 or — nr xi - 13 r xi - 14 , in which r xi - 10 , r x - 11 and r xi - 12 , independent of each other , denote aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which itself is substituted up to 2 - fold , identical or different , by phenyl , halogen . or by straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , r xi - 13 and r x - 1 - 14 are identical or different and have the meaning given above for r xi - 3 and r xi - 4 , r xi - 5 and / or r xi - 6 denote a radical of the formula r x - 18 denotes hydrogen , halogen , azido , trifluoromethyl , hydroxy , trifluoromethoxy , straight - chain or branched alkoxy or alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms each , or a radical of the formula — nr xi - 15 r x - 16 , r xi - 15 and r xi - 16 are identical or different and have the meaning given above for r x - 13 and r x - 14 , r xi - 7 and r xi - 8 together form a radical of the formula ═ o or ═ nr xi - 17 , in which r xi - 17 denotes hydrogen or straight - chain or branched alkyl , alkoxy or acyl with up to 6 carbon atoms each , l xi denotes a straight - chain or branched alkylene - or alkenylene chain with up to 8 carbon atoms each , which is possibly substituted up to 2 - fold by hydroxy , t xi and x xi are identical or different and denote a straight - chain or branched alkylene chain with up to 8 carbon atoms , v xi stands for an oxygen - or sulfur atom or for an — nr xi - 18 group , r xi - 18 denotes hydrogen or straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , or phenyl , e xi stands for cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or stands for straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , which is possibly substituted by cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms or hydroxy , or stands for phenyl , which is possibly substituted by halogen or trifluoromethyl , r xi - 1 and r xi - 2 together form a straight - chain or branched alkylene chain with up to 7 carbon atoms , which must be substituted by a carbonyl group and / or by a radical of the formula a and b are identical or different and denote a number 1 , 2 or 3 r xi - 19 denotes hydrogen , cycloalkyl with 3 to 7 carbon atoms , straight - chain or branched silylalkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , or straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , which is possibly substituted by hydroxy , straight - chain or branched alkoxy with up to 6 carbon atoms , or by phenyl , which itself can be substituted by halogen , nitro , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or by phenyl substituted by phenyl or tetrazol , and alkyl is possibly substituted by a group of the formula — or ii - 22 , r xi - 22 denotes straight - chain or branched acyl with up to 4 carbon atoms , or benzyl , r xi - 19 denotes straight - chain or branched acyl with up to 20 carbon atoms or benzoyl , which is possibly substituted by halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro or trifluoromethoxy , or denotes straight - chain or branched fluoroacyl with up to 8 carbon atoms and 9 fluorine atoms , r xi - 20 and r xi - 21 are identical or different , denoting hydrogen , phenyl or straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , r xi - 20 and r xi - 21 together form a 3 - to 6 - membered carbocycle , and , possibly also geminally , the alkylene chain formed by r xi - 1 and r xi - 2 , is possibly substituted up to 6 - fold , identical or different , by trifluoromethyl , hydroxy , nitrile , halogen , carboxyl , nitro , azido , cyano , cycloalkyl or cycloalkyloxy with 3 to 7 carbon atoms each , by straight - chain or branched alkoxycarbonyl , alkoxy or alkoxythio with up to 6 carbon atoms each , or by straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , which itself is substituted up to 2 - fold , identical or different by hydroxyl , benzyloxy , trifluoromethyl , benzoyl , straight - chain or branched alkoxy , oxyacyl or carboxyl with up to 4 carbon atoms each , and / or phenyl - which itself can be substituted by halogen , trifluoromethyl or trifluoromethoxy , and / or the alkylene chain formed by r xi - 1 and r xi - 2 is substituted , also geminally , possibly up to 5 - fold , identical or different , by phenyl , benzoyl , thiophenyl or sulfobenzyl - which themselves are possibly substituted by halogen , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or nitro , and / or the alkylene chain formed by r xi - 1 and r xi - 2 is possibly substituted by a radical of the formula r xi - 23 and r xi - 24 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , cycloalkyl with 3 to 6 carbon atoms , straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , benzyl or phenyl , which is possibly substituted up to 2 - fold identical or different , by halogen , trifluoromethyl , cyano , phenyl or nitro , and / or the alkylene chain formed by r xi - 1 and r xi - 2 is possibly substituted by a spiro - jointed radical of the formula w xi denotes either an oxygen or a sulfur atom , y xi and y ′ xi together form a 2 - to 6 - membered straight - chain or branched alkylene chain , e is a number 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 or 7 , r xi - 25 , r xi - 26 , r xi - 27 , r xi - 28 , r xi - 29 , r xi - 30 and r xi - 31 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , trifluoromethyl , phenyl , halogen , or straight - chain or branched alkyl or alkoxy with up to 6 carbon atoms each , r xi - 25 and r xi - 26 or r xi - 27 and r xi - 28 together form a straight - chain or branched alkyl chain with up to 6 carbon atoms , r xi - 25 and r xi - 26 or r xi - 27 and r xi - 28 together form a radical of the formula g is a number 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 or 7 , r xi - 32 and r xi - 33 together form a 3 - to 7 - membered heterocycle that contains an oxygen - or sulfur atom or a group of the formula so , so 2 or — nr xi - 34 , r xi - 34 denotes hydrogen , phenyl , benzyl , or straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 4 carbon atoms . compounds of formula xi and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 9914174 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of 2 - aryl - substituted pyridines having the formula ( xii ) a xii and e xii are identical or different and stand for aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms which is possibly substituted , up to 5 - fold identical or different , by halogen , hydroxy , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , nitro or by straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , hydroxy alkyl or alkoxy with up to 7 carbon atoms each , or by a group of the formula — nr xii - 1 r xii - 2 , r xi - 1 and r xi - 2 are identical or different and are meant to be hydrogen , phenyl or straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , d xii stands for straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , which is substituted by hydroxy , l xii stands for cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms or for straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms , which is possibly substituted by cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or by hydroxy , t xii stands for a radical of the formula r xii - 3 - x xii — or r xii - 3 and r xii - 4 are identical or different and are meant to be cycloalkyl with 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or aryl with 6 to 10 carbon atoms , or a 5 - to 7 - membered aromatic , possibly benzocondensated heterocycle with up to 3 heteroatoms from the series s , n and / or o , which are possibly substituted up to 3 - fold identical or different , by trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , halogen , hydroxy , carboxyl , nitro , by straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl with up to 6 carbon atoms each or by phenyl , phenoxy or phenylthio which in turn can be substituted by halogen trifluoromethyl or trifluoromethoxy , and / or where the cycles are possibly substituted by a group of the formula — nr xii - 7 r xii - 8 , r xii - 7 and r xii - 8 are identical or different and have the meaning of r xii - 1 and r xii - 2 given above , x xii is a straight - chain or branched alkyl or alkenyl with 2 to 10 carbon atoms each , possibly substituted up to 2 - fold by hydroxy or halogen , r xii - 6 means to be hydrogen , halogen , mercapto , azido , trifluoromethyl , hydroxy , trifluoromethoxy , straight - chain or branched alkoxy with up to 5 carbon atoms , or a radical of the formula bnr xii - 9 r xii - 10 , r xii - 9 and r xii - 10 are identical or different and have the meaning of r xii - 1 and r xii - 2 given above , r xii - 5 and r xii - 6 , together with the carbon atom , form a carbonyl group . compounds of formula xii and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in ep 796846 - a1 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 127 , 383 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 925 , 645 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from the following compounds of formula xii : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of compounds having the formula ( xiii ) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts , enantiomers , stereoisomers , hydrates , or solvates of said compounds , in which r xiii is a straight chain or branched c 1 - 10 alkyl ; straight chain or branched c 2 - 10 alkenyl ; halogenated c 14 lower alkyl ; c 3 - 10 cycloalkyl that may be substituted ; c 5 - 8 cycloalkenyl that may be substituted ; c 3 - 10 cycloalkyl c 1 - 10 alkyl that may be substituted ; aryl that may be substituted ; aralkyl that may be substituted ; or a 5 - or 6 - membered heterocyclic group having 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms , oxygen atoms or sulfur atoms that may be substituted , x xiii - 1 , x xiii - 2 , x xiii - 3 , x xiii - 4 may be the same or different and are a hydrogen atom ; halogen atom ; c 1 - 4 lower alkyl ; halogenated c 1 - 4 lower alkyl ; c 1 - 4 lower alkoxy ; cyano group ; nitro group ; acyl ; or aryl , respectively ; z xiii is a hydrogen atom ; or mercapto protective group . compounds of formula xiii and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 98 / 35937 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from the following compounds of formula xiii : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of polycyclic aryl and heteroaryl tertiary - heteroalkylamines having the formula xiv n xiv is an integer selected from 0 through 5 ; r xiv - 1 is selected from the group consisting of haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkoxyalkyl , and haloalkenyloxyalkyl ; x xiv is selected from the group consisting of o , h , f , s , s ( o ), nh , n ( oh ), n ( alkyl ), and n ( alkoxy ); r xiv - 16 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , aryloxyalkyl , alkoxyalkyl , alkenyloxyalkyl , alkylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , aralkoxyalkyl , heteroaralkoxyalkyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl , heteroaryl , heteroarylalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , monocarboalkoxy , dicarboalkoxyalkyl , monocarboxamido , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , acyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , dialkoxyphosphonoalkyl , trialkylsilyl , and a spacer selected from the group consisting of a covalent single bond and a linear spacer moiety having from 1 through 4 contiguous atoms linked to the point of bonding of an aromatic substituent selected from the group consisting of r xiv - 4 , r xiv - 8 , r xiv - 9 , and r xiv - 13 to form a heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 10 contiguous members with the provisos that said spacer moiety is other than a covalent single bond when r xiv - 2 is alkyl and there is no r xiv - 16 wherein x is h or f ; d xiv - 1 , d xiv - 2 , j xiv - 1 , j xiv - 2 and k xiv - 1 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , n , o , s and a covalent bond with the provisos that no more than one of d xiv - 1 , d xiv - 2 , j xiv - 1 , j xiv - 2 and k xiv - 1 is a covalent bond , no more than one of d xiv - 1 , d xiv - 2 , j xiv - 1 , j xiv - 2 and k xiv - 1 is o , no more than one of d xiv - 1 , d xiv - 2 , j xiv - 1 , j xiv - 2 and k xiv - 1 is s , one of d xiv - 1 , d xiv - 2 , j xiv - 1 , j xiv - 2 and k xiv - 1 must be a covalent bond when two of d xiv - 1 , d xiv - 2 , j xiv - 1 , j xiv - 2 and k xiv - 1 are o and s , and no more than four of d xiv - 1 , d xiv - 2 , j xiv - 1 , j xiv - 2 and k xiv - 1 are n ; d xiv - 3 , d xiv - 4 , j xiv - 3 , j xiv - 4 and k xiv - 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , n , o , s and a covalent bond with the provisos that no more than one of d xiv - 3 , d xiv - 4 j xiv - 3 , j xiv - 4 and k xiv - 2 is a covalent bond , no more than one of d xiv - 3 , d xiv - 4 , j xiv - 3 , j xiv - 4 and k xiv - 2 is o , no more than one of d xiv - 3 , d xiv - 4 , j xiv - 3 , j xiv - 4 and k xiv - 2 is s , one of d xiv - 3 , d xiv - 4 , j xiv - 3 , j xiv - 4 and k xiv - 2 must be a covalent bond when two of d xiv - 3 , d xiv - 4 j xiv - 3 , j xiv - 4 and k xiv - 2 are o and s , and no more than four of d d xiv - 4 , j xiv - 3 , j xiv - 4 and k xiv - 2 and k xiv - 2 are n ; r xiv - 2 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrido , hydroxy , hydroxyalkyl , amino , aminoalkyl , alkylamino , dialkylamino , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , aralkoxyalkyl , aryloxyalkyl , alkoxyalkyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , alkenyloxyalkyl , alkylthioalkyl , aralkylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , aloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl , heteroaryl , heteroarylalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , heteroaralkylthioalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , dicarboalkoxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , haloalkylsulfinyl , haloalkylsulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsufonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , carboxy , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , carboxamide , carboxamidoalkyl , carboaralkoxy , dialkoxyphosphono , diaralkoxyphosphono , dialkoxyphosphonoalkyl , and diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl ; r xiv - 2 and r xiv - 3 are taken together to form a linear spacer moiety selected from the group consisting of a covalent single bond and a moiety having from 1 through 6 contiguous atoms to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkyl having from 3 through 8 contiguous members , a cycloalkenyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , and a heterocyclyl having from 4 through 8 contiguous members ; r xiv - 3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , hydroxy , halo , cyano , aryloxy , hydroxyalkyl , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , acyl , sulfhydryl , acylamido , alkoxy , alkylthio , arylthio , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , aryloxyalkyl , alkoxyalkyl , heteroarylthio , aralkylthio , aralkoxyalkyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , aralkylthioalkyl , heteroaralkylthioalkyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , alkenyloxyalkyl , alkylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl , heteroaryl , heteroarylalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , dicarboalkoxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , haloalkylsulfinyl , haloalkylsulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsufonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , carboxy , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , carboxamide , carboxamidoalkyl , carboaralkoxy , dialkoxyphosphono , diaralkoxyphosphono , dialkoxyphosphonoalkyl , and diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl ; y xiv is selected from a group consisting of a covalent single bond ,( c ( r xiv - 14 ) 2 ) qxiv wherein qxiv is an integer selected from 1 and 2 and ( ch ( r xiv - 14 )) gxiv - w xiv —( ch ( r xiv - 14 )) pxiv wherein gxiv and pxiv are integers independently selected from 0 and 1 ; r xiv - 14 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrido , hydroxy , halo , cyano , aryloxy , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , hydroxyalkyl , acyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , sulfhydryl , acylamido , alkoxy , alkylthio , arylthio , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , aryloxyalkyl , aralkoxyalkylalkoxy , alkylsulfinylalkyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylthioalkyl , heteroaralkoxythioalkyl , alkoxyalkyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , alkenyloxyalkyl , alkylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl , heteroaryl , heteroarylalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , heteroaralkylthioalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , dicarboalkoxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , haloalkylsulfinyl , haloalkylsulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsufonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , carboxy , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , carboxamide , carboxamidoalkyl , carboaralkoxy , dialkoxyphosphono , diaralkoxyphosphono , dialkoxyphosphonoalkyl , diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl , a spacer selected from a moiety having a chain length of 3 to 6 atoms connected to the point of bonding selected from the group consisting of r xiv - 9 and r xiv - 13 to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkenyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members and a heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members and a spacer selected from a moiety having a chain length of 2 to 5 atoms connected to the point of bonding selected from the group consisting of r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 8 to form a heterocyclyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members with the proviso that , when y xiv is a covalent bond , an r xiv - 14 substituent is not attached to y xiv ; r xiv - 14 and r xiv - 14 , when bonded to the different atoms , are taken together to form a group selected from the group consisting of a covalent bond , alkylene , haloalkylene , and a spacer selected from a group consisting of a moiety having a chain length of 2 to 5 atoms connected to form a ring selected from the group of a saturated cycloalkyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , a cycloalkenyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , and a heterocyclyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members ; r xiv - 14 and r xiv - 14 , when bonded to the same atom are taken together to form a group selected from the group consisting of oxo , thiono , alkylene , haloalkylene , and a spacer selected from the group consisting of a moiety having a chain length of 3 to 7 atoms connected to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkyl having from 4 through 8 contiguous members , a cycloalkenyl having from 4 through 8 contiguous members , and a heterocyclyl having from 4 through 8 contiguous members ; w xiv is selected from the group consisting of o , c ( o ), c ( s ), c ( o ) n ( r xiv - 14 ), c ( s ) n ( r xiv - 14 ), ( r xiv - 14 ) nc ( o ), ( r xiv - 14 ) nc ( s ), si s ( o ), s ( o ) 2 , s ( o ) 2 n ( r xiv - 14 ), ( r xiv - 14 ) ns ( o ) 2 , and n ( r xiv - 14 ) with the proviso that r xiv - 14 is selected from other than halo and cyano ; z xiv is independently selected from a group consisting of a covalent single bond , ( c ( r xiv - 15 ) 2 ) qxiv - 2 wherein qxiv - 2 is an integer selected from 1 and 2 , ( ch ( r xiv - 15 )) jxiv — w —( ch ( r xiv - 15 )) kxiv wherein jxiv and kxiv are integers independently selected from 0 and 1 with the proviso that , when z xiv is a covalent single bond , an r xiv - 15 substituent is not attached to z xiv ; r xiv - 15 is independently selected , when z xiv - is ( c ( r xiv - 15 ) 2 ) qxiv wherein qxiv is an integer selected from 1 and 2 , from the group consisting of hydrido , hydroxy , halo , cyano , aryloxy , amino , alkylamino , dialkylamino , hydroxyalkyl , acyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , sulfhydryl , acylamido , alkoxy , alkylthio , arylthio , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , aryloxyalkyl , aralkoxyalkyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylthioalkyl , heteroaralkylthioalkyl , alkoxyalkyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , alkenyloxyalkyl , alkylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl , heteroaryl , heteroarylalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , heteroaralkylthioalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , dicarboalkoxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , haloalkylsulfinyl , haloalkylsulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsufonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , carboxy , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , carboxamide , carboxamidoalkyl , carboaralkoxy , dialkoxyphosphono , diaralkoxyphosphono , dialkoxyphosphonoalkyl , diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl , a spacer selected from a moiety having a chain length of 3 to 6 atoms connected to the point of bonding selected from the group consisting of r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 8 to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkenyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members and a heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , and a spacer selected from a moiety having a chain length of 2 to 5 atoms connected to the point of bonding selected from the group consisting of r xiv - 9 and r xiv - 13 to form a heterocyclyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members ; r xiv - 15 and r xiv - 15 , when bonded to the different atoms , are taken together to form a group selected from the group consisting of a covalent bond , alkylene , haloalkylene , and a spacer selected from a group consisting of a moiety having a chain length of 2 to 5 atoms connected to form a ring selected from the group of a saturated cycloalkyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , a cycloalkenyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , and a heterocyclyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members ; r xiv - 15 and r xiv - 15 , when bonded to the same atom are taken together to form a group selected from the group consisting of oxo , thiono , alkylene , haloalkylene , and a spacer selected from the group consisting of a moiety having a chain length of 3 to 7 atoms connected to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkyl having from 4 through 8 contiguous members , a cycloalkenyl having from 4 through 8 contiguous members , and a heterocyclyl having from 4 through 8 contiguous members ; r xiv - 15 is independently selected , when z xiv is ( ch ( r xiv - 15 )) jxiv — w —( ch ( r xiv - 15 )) kxiv wherein jxiv and kxiv are integers independently selected from 0 and 1 , from the group consisting of hydrido , halo , cyano , aryloxy , carboxyl , acyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , hydroxyalkyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , acylamido , alkoxy , alkylthio , arylthio , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , aryl , aralkyl , aryloxyalkyl , alkoxyalkyl , heteroaryloxyalkyl , aralkoxyalkyl , heteroaralkoxyalkyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , alkenyloxyalkyl , alkylthioalkyl , arylthioalkyl , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkyl , cycloalkylalkenyl , cycloalkenyl , cycloalkenylalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl , heteroaryl , heteroarylalkyl , heteroarylthioalkyl , heteroaralkylthioalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , dicarboalkoxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfonyl , haloalkylsulfinyl , haloalkylsulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsufonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , carboxamide , carboxamidoalkyl , carboaralkoxy , dialkoxyphosphonoalkyl , diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl , a spacer selected from a linear moiety having a chain length of 3 to 6 atoms connected to the point of bonding selected from the group consisting of r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 8 to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkenyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members and a heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , and a spacer selected from a linear moiety having a chain length of 2 to 5 atoms connected to the point of bonding selected from the group consisting of r xiv - 9 and r xiv - 13 to form a heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members ; r xiv - 4 , r xv - 5 , r xiv - 6 r xiv - 7 , r xiv - 8 r xv - 9 , r xiv - 10 , r xiv - 11 , r xiv - 12 , and r xiv - 13 are independently selected from the group consisting of perhaloaryloxy , alkanoylalkyl , alkanoylalkoxy , alkanoyloxy , n - aryl - n - alkylamino , heterocyclylalkoxy , heterocyclylthio , hydroxyalkoxy , carboxamidoalkoxy , alkoxycarbonylalkoxy , alkoxycarbonylalkenyloxy , aralkanoylalkoxy , aralkenoyl , n - alkylcarboxamido , n - haloalkylcarboxamido , n - cycloalkylcarboxamido , n - arylcarboxamidoalkoxy , cycloalkylcarbonyl , cyanoalkoxy , heterocyclylcarbonyl , hydrido , carboxy , heteroaralkylthio , heteroaralkoxy , cycloalkylamino , acylalkyl , acylalkoxy , aroylalkoxy , heterocyclyloxy , aralkylaryl , aralkyl , aralkenyl , aralkynyl , heterocyclyl , perhaloaralkyl , aralkylsulfonyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylamino , n - heteroarylamino - n - alkylamino , heteroarylaminoalkyl , haloalkylthio , alkanoyloxy , alkoxy , alkoxyalkyl , haloalkoxylalkyl , heteroaralkoxy , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkenyloxy , cycloalkoxyalkyl , cycloalkylalkoxy , cycloalkenyloxyalkyl , cycloalkylenedioxy , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxy , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , hydroxy , amino , thio , nitro , lower alkylamino , alkylthio , alkylthioalkyl , arylamino , aralkylamino , arylthio , arylthioalkyl , heteroaralkoxyalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , alkylsulfonyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , haloalkylsulfinylalkyl , haloalkylsulfonylalkyl , alkylsulfonamido , alkylaminosulfonyl , amidosulfonyl , monoalkylamidosulfonyl , dialkyl amidosulfonyl , monoarylamidosulfonyl , arylsulfonamido , diarylamidosulfonyl , monoalkyl monoaryl amidosulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfonyl , heteroarylthio , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heterocyclylsulfonyl , heterocyclylthio , alkanoyl , alkenoyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , aralkanoyl , heteroaralkanoyl , haloalkanoyl , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkenyloxy , alkenyloxyalky , alkylenedioxy , haloalkylenedioxy , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkanoyl , cycloalkenyl , lower cycloalkylalkyl , lower cycloalkenylalkyl , halo , haloalkyl ; haloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , hydroxyhaloalkyl , hydroxyaralkyl , hydroxyalkyl , hydoxyheteroaralkyl , haloalkoxyalkyl , aryl , heteroaralkynyl , aryloxy , aralkoxy , aryloxyalkyl , saturated heterocyclyl , partially saturated heterocyclyl , heteroaryl , heteroaryloxy , heteroaryloxyalkyl , arylalkenyl , heteroarylalkenyl , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , alkoxycarboxamido , alkylamidocarbonylamido , arylamidocarbonylamido , carboalkoxyalkyl , carboalkoxyalkenyl , carboaralkoxy , carboxamido , carboxamidoalkyl , cyano , carbohaloalkoxy , phosphono , phosphonoalkyl , diaralkoxyphosphono , and diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl with the proviso that there are one to five non - hydrido ring substituents r xiv - 4 , r xiv - 5 , r xiv - 6 , r xiv - 7 , and r xiv - 8 present , that there are one to five non - hydrido ring substituents r xiv - 9 , r xiv - 10 , r xv - 11 r xiv - 12 , and r xiv - 13 present , and r xiv - 4 , r xiv - 51 r xiv - 6 r xv - 7 , r xv - 8 , r xv - 9 , r xiv - 10 , r xiv - 11 , r xiv - 12 , and r xiv - 13 are each independently selected to maintain the tetravalent nature of carbon , trivalent nature of nitrogen , the divalent nature of sulfur , and the divalent nature of oxygen ; r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 5 , r xiv - 5 and r xiv - 6 , r xiv - 6 and r xiv - 7 r xiv - 7 and r xiv - 8 , r xiv - 8 and r xiv - 9 r xiv - 9 and r xiv - 10 , r xiv - 10 and r xiv - 11 , r xiv - 11 and r xiv - 12 , and r xiv - 12 and r xiv - 13 are independently selected to form spacer pairs wherein a spacer pair is taken together to form a linear moiety having from 3 through 6 contiguous atoms connecting the points of bonding of said spacer pair members to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkenyl ring having 5 through 8 contiguous members , a partially saturated heterocyclyl ring having 5 through 8 contiguous members , a heteroaryl ring having 5 through 6 contiguous members , and an aryl with the provisos that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 5 , r xiv - 5 and r xiv - 6 , r xiv - 6 and r xiv - 7 , and r xiv - 7 and r xiv - 8 are used at the same time and that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xiv - 9 and r xiv - 10 , r xiv - 10 and r xiv - 11 , r xiv - 11 and r xiv - 12 , and r xiv - 12 and r xiv - 13 are used at the same time ; r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 9 , r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 13 , r xiv - 8 and r xiv - 9 , and r xiv - 8 and r xiv - 13 are independently selected to form a spacer pair wherein said spacer pair is taken together to form a linear moiety wherein said linear moiety forms a ring selected from the group consisting of a partially saturated heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members and a heteroaryl ring having from 5 through 6 contiguous members with the proviso that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 9 , r xiv - 4 and r xiv - 13 , r xiv - 8 and r xiv - 9 , and r xiv - 8 and r xiv - 13 is used at the same time . compounds of formula xiv and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 00 / 18721 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from the following compounds of formula xiv : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of substitued n - aliphatic - n - aromatic tertiary - heteroalkylamines having the formula xv n xv is an integer selected from 1 through 2 ; a xv and q xv are independently selected from the group consisting of — ch 2 ( cr xv - 37 r xv - 38 ) vxi -( cr xv - 33 r xv - 34 ) uxv — t xv —( cr xv - 35 r xv - 36 ) wxv h . with the provisos that one of a xv and q xv must be aq - 1 and that one of a xv and q xv must be selected from the group consisting of aq - 2 and — ch 2 ( cr xv - 37 r xv - 38 ) vxv —( cr xv - 33 r xv - 34 ) uxv — t xv —( cr xv - 35 r xv - 36 ) wxv — h ; t xv is selected from the group consisting of a single covalent bond , o , s , s ( o ), s ( o ) 2 , c ( r xv - 33 )= c ( r xv - 35 ), and [ 0787 ] vxv is an integer selected from 0 through 1 with the proviso that vxv is 1 when any one of r xv - 33 , r xv - 34 , r xv - 35 , and r xv - 36 is aryl or heteroaryl ; [ 0788 ] uxv and wxv are integers independently selected from 0 through 6 ; d xv - 1 , d xv - 2 , j xv - 1 , j xv - 2 , and k xv - 1 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , n , o , s and a covalent bond with the provisos that no more than one of d xv - 1 , d xv - 2 , j xv - 1 , j xv - 2 , and k xv - 1 is a covalent bond , no more than one of d xv - 1 , d xv - 2 , j xv - 1 , j xv - 2 , and k xv - 1 is 0 , no more than one of d xv - 1 , d xv - 2 , j xv - 1 , j xv - 2 , and k xv - 1 is s , one of d xv - 1 , d xv - 2 , j xv - 1 , j xv - 2 , and k xv - 1 must be a covalent bond when two of d xv - 1 , d xv - 2 , j xv - 1 , j xv - 2 , and k xv - 1 are o and s , and no more than four of d xv - 1 , d xv - 2 , j xv - 1 , j xv - 2 , and k xv - 1 are n ; b xv - 1 , b xv - 2 , d xv - 3 , d xv - 4 , j xv - 3 , j xv - 4 , and k xv - 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , c ( r xv - 30 ), n , o , s and a covalent bond with the provisos that no more than 5 of b xv - 1 , b xv - 2 , d xv - 3 , d xv - 4 , j xv - 3 , j xv - 4 , and k xv - 2 are a covalent bond , no more than two of b xv - 1 , b xv - 2 , d xv - 3 , d xv - 4 , j xv - 3 , j xv - 4 , and k xv - 2 are 0 , no more than two of b xv - 1 , b xv - 2 , d xv - 31 d xv - 4 , j xv - 3 , j xv - 4 , and k xv - 2 are s , no more than two of b xv - 1 , b xv - 2 , d xv - 3 d xv - 4 , j xv - 3 , j xv - 4 , and k xv - 2 are simultaneously o and s , and no more than two of b xv - 1 , b xv - 2 , d xv - 3 , d xv - 4 , j xv - 3 , j xv - 4 , and k xv - 2 are n ; b xv - 1 and d xv - 3 d xv - 3 and j xv - 3 , j xv - 3 and k xv - 2 , k xv - 2 and j xv - 4 , j xv - 4 and d xv - 4 , and d xv - 4 and b xv - 2 are independently selected to form an in - ring spacer pair wherein said spacer pair is selected from the group consisting of c ( r xv - 33 )= c ( r xv - 35 ) and n ═ n with the provisos that aq - 2 must be a ring of at least five contiguous members , that no more than two of the group of said spacer pairs are simultaneously c ( r xv - 33 )= c ( r xv - 35 ) and that no more than one of the group of said spacer pairs can be n ═ n unless the other spacer pairs are other than c ( r xv - 33 )= c ( r xv - 35 ), o , n , and s ; r xv - 1 is selected from the group consisting of haloalkyl and haloalkoxymethyl ; r xv - 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , aryl , alkyl , alkenyl , haloalkyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl and heteroaryl ; r xv - 3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , aryl , alkyl , alkenyl , haloalkyl , and haloalkoxyalkyl ; y xv is selected from the group consisting of a covalent single bond , ( ch2 ) q wherein q is an integer selected from 1 through 2 and ( ch 2 ) j — o —( ch 2 ) k wherein j and k are integers independently selected from 0 through 1 ; z xv is selected from the group consisting of covalent single bond , ( ch 2 ) q wherein q is an integer selected from 1 through 2 , and ( ch 2 ) j — o —( ch 2 ) k wherein j and k are integers independently selected from 0 through 1 ; r 14 , r 18 , r 19 and r 13 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrido , halo , haloalkyl , and alkyl ; r xv - 30 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , alkoxy , alkoxyalkyl , halo , haloalkyl , alkylamino , alkylthio , alkylthioalkyl , alkyl , alkenyl , haloalkoxy , and haloalkoxyalkyl with the proviso that r xi - 30 is selected to maintain the tetravalent nature of carbon , trivalent nature of nitrogen , the divalent nature of sulfur , and the divalent nature of oxygen ; r xv - 30 , when bonded to a xv - 1 , is taken together to form an intra - ring linear spacer connecting the a xv - 1 - carbon at the point of attachment of r xv - 30 to the point of bonding of a group selected from the group consisting of r xv - 10 , r xv - 11 , r 12 , r xv - 31 and r xv - 32 wherein said intra - ring linear spacer is selected from the group consisting of a covalent single bond and a spacer moiety having from 1 through 6 contiguous atoms to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkyl having from 3 through 10 contiguous members , a cycloalkenyl having from 5 through 10 contiguous members , and a heterocyclyl having from 5 through 10 contiguous members ; r xv - 30 , when bonded to a xv - 1 , is taken together to form an intra - ring branched spacer connecting the a xv - 1 - carbon at the point of attachment of r xv - 30 to the points of bonding of each member of any one of substituent pairs selected from the group consisting of subsitituent pairs r xv - 10 and r xv - 11 , r xv - 1 and r xv - 31 , r xv - 31 and r xv - 32 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 12 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 31 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 32 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 12 , r xv - 31 and r xv - 32 , r xv - 31 and r xv - 12 , and r xv - 32 and r xv - 12 and wherein said intra - ring branched spacer is selected to form two rings selected from the group consisting of cycloalkyl having from 3 through 10 contiguous members , cycloalkenyl having from 5 through 10 contiguous members , and heterocyclyl having from 5 through 10 contiguous members ; r xv - 4 , r xv - 5 , r xv - 6 , r xv - 7 , r xv - 8 , r xv - 9 , r xv - 10 , r xv - 11 , r xv - 12 , r xv - 13 , r xv - 31 , r xv - 32 , r xv - 33 , r xv - 34 , r xv - 35 , and r xv - 36 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrido , carboxy , heteroaralkylthio , heteroaralkoxy , cycloalkylamino , acylalkyl , acylalkoxy , aroylalkoxy , heterocyclyloxy , aralkylaryl , aralkyl , aralkenyl , aralkynyl , heterocyclyl , perhaloaralkyl , aralkylsulfonyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylamino , n - heteroarylamino - n - alkylamino , heteroarylamino - n - alkylamino , heteroarylaminoalkyl , haloalkylthio , alkanoyloxy , alkoxy , alkoxyalkyl , haloalkoxylalkyl , heteroaralkoxy , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkenyloxy , cycloalkoxyalkyl , cycloalkylalkoxy , cycloalkenyloxyalkyl , cycloalkylenedioxy , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxy , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , hydroxy , amino , thio , nitro , lower alkylamino , alkylthio , alkylthioalkyl , arylamino , aralkylamino , arylthio , arylthioalkyl , heteroaralkoxyalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , alkylsulfonyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , haloalkylsulfinylalkyl , haloalkylsulfonylalkyl , alkylsulfonamido , alkylaminosulfonyl , amidosulfonyl , monoalkylamidosulfonyl , dialkyl amidosulfonyl , monoarylamidosulfonyl , arylsulfonamido , diarylamidosulfonyl , monoalkyl monoaryl amidosulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfonyl , heteroarylthio , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heterocyclylsulfonyl , heterocyclylthio , alkanoyl , alkenoyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , aralkanoyl , heteroaralkanoyl , haloalkanoyl , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkenyloxy , alkenyloxyalky , alkylenedioxy , haloalkylenedioxy , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkanoyl , cycloalkenyl , lower cycloalkylalkyl , lower cycloalkenylalkyl , halo , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , hydroxyhaloalkyl , hydroxyaralkyl , hydroxyalkyl , hydoxyheteroaralkyl , haloalkoxyalkyl , aryl , heteroaralkynyl , aryloxy , aralkoxy , aryloxyalkyl , saturated heterocyclyl , partially saturated heterocyclyl , heteroaryl , heteroaryloxy , heteroaryloxyalkyl , arylalkenyl , heteroarylalkenyl , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , alkoxycarboxamido , alkylamidocarbonylamido , alkylamidocarbonylamido , carboalkoxyalkyl , carboalkoxyalkenyl , carboaralkoxy , carboxamido , carboxamidoalkyl , cyano , carbohaloalkoxy , phosphono , phosphonoalkyl , diaralkoxyphosphono , and diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl with the provisos that r xv - 4 , r xv - 5 , r xv - 6 , r xv - 7 , r xv - 8 , r xv - 9 , r xv - 10 , r xv - 11 , r xv - 12 , r xv - 13 r xv - 31 r xv - 329 r xv - 33 r xv - 34 , r xv - 35 , and r xv - 36 are each independently selected to maintain the tetravalent nature of carbon , trivalent nature of nitrogen , the divalent nature of sulfur , and the divalent nature of oxygen , that no more than three of the r xv - 33 and r xv - 34 substituents are simultaneously selected from other than the group consisting of hydrido and halo , and that no more than three of the r xv - 35 and r xv - 36 substituents are simultaneously selected from other than the group consisting of hydrido and halo ; r xv - 91 r xv - 10 , r xv - 11 , r xv - 12 , r xv - 13 , r xv - 31 and r xv - 32 are independently selected to be oxo with the provisos that b xv - 1 , b xv - 2 , d xv - 3 , d xv - 4 , j xv - 3 , j xv - 4 , and k xv - 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of c and s , no more than two of r xv - 9 , r xv - 10 , r xv - 11 , r xv - 12 , r xv - 13 , r xv - 31 and r xv - 32 are simultaneously oxo , and that r xv - 9 , r xv - 10 , r xv - 11 , r xv - 12 , r xv - 13 r xv - 31 , and r xv - 32 are each independently selected to maintain the tetravalent nature of carbon , trivalent nature of nitrogen , the divalent nature of sulfur , and the divalent nature of oxygen ; r xv - 4 and r xv - 5 , r xv - 5 and r xv - 6 r xv - 6 and r xv - 7 , r xv - 7 and r xv - 8 r xv - 9 and r xv - 10 , r xv - 10 and r xv - 11 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 31 , r xv - 31 and r xv - 32 , r xv - 32 and r xv - 12 , and r xv - 12 and r xv - 13 are independently selected to form spacer pairs wherein a spacer pair is taken together to form a linear moiety having from 3 through 6 contiguous atoms connecting the points of bonding of said spacer pair members to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkenyl ring having 5 through 8 contiguous members , a partially saturated heterocyclyl ring having 5 through 8 contiguous members , a heteroaryl ring having 5 through 6 contiguous members , and an aryl with the provisos that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xv - 4 and r xv - 5 , r xv - 5 and r xv - 6 , r xv - 6 and r xv - 7 , r xv - 7 and r xv - 8 is used at the same time and that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xv - 9 and r xv - 10 , r xv - 10 and r xv - 11 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 31 , r xv - 3 1 and r xv - 32 , r xv - 32 and r xv - 12 , and r xv - 12 and r xv - 13 are used at the same time ; r xv - 9 and r xv - 11 , r xv - 9 and r xv - 12 , r xv - 9 and r xv - 13 r xv - 9 and r xv - 31 , r xv - 9 and r xv - 32 , r xv - 10 and r xv - 12 , r xv - 10 and r xv - 13 , r xv - 10 and r xv - 31 , r xv - 10 and r xv - 32 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 12 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 13 , r xv - 11 and r xv - 2 , r xv - 12 and r xv - 31 , r xv - 13 and r xv - 31 , and r xv - 13 and r xv - 32 are independently selected to form a spacer pair wherein said spacer pair is taken together to form a linear spacer moiety selected from the group consisting of a covalent single bond and a moiety having from 1 through 3 contiguous atoms to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkyl having from 3 through 8 contiguous members , a cycloalkenyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members , a saturated heterocyclyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members and a partially saturated heterocyclyl having from 5 through 8 contiguous members with the provisos that no more than one of said group of spacer pairs is used at the same time ; r xv - 37 and r xv - 38 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrido , alkoxy , alkoxyalkyl , hydroxy , amino , thio , halo , haloalkyl , alkylamino , alkylthio , alkylthioalkyl , cyano , alkyl , alkenyl , haloalkoxy , and haloalkoxyalkyl . compounds of formula xv and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 00 / 18723 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from the following compounds of formula xv : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of ( r )- chiral halogenated 1 - substituted amino -( n + 1 )- alkanols having the formula xvi n xvi is an integer selected from 1 through 4 ; r xvi - 1 is selected from the group consisting of haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkoxymethyl , and haloalkenyloxymethyl with the proviso that r xv - 11 has a higher cahn - ingold - prelog stereochemical system ranking than both r xvi - 2 and ( chr xvi - 3 ) n — n ( a xvi ) q xvi wherein a xvi is formula xvi -( ii ) and q is formula xvi -( iii ); r xvi - 16 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , alkyl , acyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , trialkylsilyl , and a spacer selected from the group consisting of a covalent single bond and a linear spacer moiety having a chain length of 1 to 4 atoms linked to the point of bonding of any aromatic substituent selected from the group consisting of r xvi - 4 , r xvi - 8 , r xvi - 9 , and r xvi - 13 to form a heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 10 contiguous members ; d xvi - 1 , d xvi - 2 , j xvi - 1 , j xvi - 2 and k xvi - 1 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , n , o , s and covalent bond with the provisos that no more than one of d xvi - 1 , d xvi - 2 , j xvi - 1 , j xvi - 2 and k xvi - 1 , is a covalent bond , no more than one d xvi - 1 d xvi - 2 , j xvi - 1 , j xvi - 2 and k xvi - 1 is be o , no more than one of d xvi - 1 , d xvi - 2 j xvi - 1 , j xvi - 2 and k xvi - 1 is s , one of d xvi - 1 , d xvi - 2 , j xvi - 1 , j xvi - 2 and k xvi - 1 must be a covalent bond when two of d xvi - 1 , d xvi - 2 , j xvi - 1 , j xvi - 2 and k xvi - 1 are o and s , and no more than four of d xvi - 1 , d xvi - 2 , j xvi - 1 , j xvi - 2 and k xvi - 11 is n ; d xvi - 3 , d xvi - 4 , j xvi - 3 , j xvi - 4 and k xvi - 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of c , n , o , s and covalent bond with the provisos that no more than one is a covalent bond , no more than one of d xvi - 3 , d xvi - 4 , j xvi - 3 , j xvi - 4 and k xvi - 2 is o , no more than one of d xvi - 3 d xvi - 4 j xvi - 3 , j xvi - 4 and k xvi - 2 is s , no more than two of d xvi - 3 , d xvi - 4 ) j xvi - 3 , j xvi - 4 and k xvi - 2 is o and s , one of d xvi - 3 d xvi - 4 , j xvi - 3 , j xvi - 4 and k xvi - 2 must be a covalent bond when two of d xvi - 3 , d xvi - 4 , j xvi - 3 , j xvi - 4 and k xvi - 2 are o and s , and no more than four of d xvi - 3 , d xvi - 4 , j xvi - 3 , j xvi - 4 and k xvi - 2 are n ; r xvi - 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , aryl , aralkyl , alkyl , alkenyl , alkenyloxyalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , halocycloalkyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , perhaloaryl , perhaloaralkyl , perhaloaryloxyalkyl , heteroaryl , dicyanoalkyl , and carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , with the proviso that r xvi - 2 has a lower cahn - ingold - prelog system ranking than both r xv - 1 and ( chr xvi - 3 ) n — n ( a xvi ) q xvi ; r xvi - 3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , hydroxy , cyano , aryl , aralkyl , acyl , alkoxy , alkyl , alkenyl , alkoxyalkyl , heteroaryl , alkenyloxyalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboxamide , and carboxamidoalkyl , with the provisos that ( chr xv - 13 ) n - n ( a xvi ) q xvi has a lower cahn - ingold - prelog stereochemical system ranking than r xvi - 1 and a higher cahn - ingold - prelog stereochemical system ranking than r xvi - 2 ; y xvi is selected from a group consisting of a covalent single bond , ( c ( r xvi - 14 ) 2 ) q wherein q is an integer selected from 1 and 2 and ( ch ( r xv - 14 )) g - w xvi ( ch ( r xvi - 14 )) p wherein g and p are integers independently selected from 0 and 1 ; r xvi - 14 is selected from the group consisting of hydrido , hydroxy , cyano , hydroxyalkyl , acyl , alkoxy , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkoxyalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , carboalkoxy , carboxamide , and carboxamidoalkyl ; z xvi is selected from a group consisting of a covalent single bond , ( c ( r xvi - 15 ) 2 ) q , wherein q is an integer selected from 1 and 2 , and ( ch ( r xvi - 15 )) j - w xvi —( ch ( r xvi - 15 )) k wherein j and k are integers independently selected from 0 and 1 ; w xvi is selected from the group consisting of o , c ( o ), c ( s ), c ( o ) n ( r xvi - 14 ), c ( s ) n ( r xvi - 14 ),( r xvi - 14 ) nc ( o ), ( r xvi - 14 ) nc ( s ), s , s ( o ), s ( o ) 2 , s ( o ) 2 n ( r xvi - 14 ), ( r xvi - 14 ) ns ( o ) 2 , and n ( r xvi - 14 ) with the proviso that r xvi - 14 is other than cyano ; r xvi - 15 is selected , from the group consisting of hydrido , cyano , hydroxyalkyl , acyl , alkoxy , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkoxyalkyl , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , haloalkoxyalkyl , haloalkenyloxyalkyl , monocarboalkoxyalkyl , monocyanoalkyl , dicyanoalkyl , carboalkoxycyanoalkyl , carboalkoxy , carboxamide , and carboxamidoalkyl ; r xvi - 4 , r xvi - 5 , r xvi - 6 , r xv - 7 , r xvi - 8 , r xvi - 9 , r xvi - 10 , r xvi - 11 r xvi - 12 , and r xvi - 13 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrido , carboxy , heteroaralkylthio , heteroaralkoxy , cycloalkylamino , acylalkyl , acylalkoxy , aroylalkoxy , heterocyclyloxy , aralkylaryl , aralkyl , aralkenyl , aralkynyl , heterocyclyl , perhaloaralkyl , aralkylsulfonyl , aralkylsulfonylalkyl , aralkylsulfinyl , aralkylsulfinylalkyl , halocycloalkyl , halocycloalkenyl , cycloalkylsulfinyl , cycloalkylsulfinylalkyl , cycloalkylsulfonyl , cycloalkylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylamino , n - heteroarylamino - n - alkylamino , heteroaralkyl , heteroarylaminoalkyl , haloalkylthio , alkanoyloxy , alkoxy , alkoxyalkyl , haloalkoxylalkyl , heteroaralkoxy , cycloalkoxy , cycloalkenyloxy , cycloalkoxyalkyl , cycloalkylalkoxy , cycloalkenyloxyalkyl , cycloalkylenedioxy , halocycloalkoxy , halocycloalkoxyalkyl , halocycloalkenyloxy , halocycloalkenyloxyalkyl , hydroxy , amino , thio , nitro , lower alkylamino , alkylthio , alkylthioalkyl , arylamino , aralkylamino , arylthio , arylthioalkyl , heteroaralkoxyalkyl , alkylsulfinyl , alkylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfinylalkyl , arylsulfonylalkyl , heteroarylsulfinylalkyl , heteroarylsulfonylalkyl , alkylsulfonyl , alkylsulfonylalkyl , haloalkylsulfinylalkyl , haloalkylsulfonylalkyl , alkylsulfonamido , alkylaminosulfonyl , amidosulfonyl , monoalkyl amidosulfonyl , dialkyl , amidosulfonyl , monoarylamidosulfonyl , arylsulfonamido , diarylamidosulfonyl , monoalkyl monoaryl amidosulfonyl , arylsulfinyl , arylsulfonyl , heteroarylthio , heteroarylsulfinyl , heteroarylsulfonyl , heterocyclylsulfonyl , heterocyclylthio , alkanoyl , alkenoyl , aroyl , heteroaroyl , aralkanoyl , heteroaralkanoyl , haloalkanoyl , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , alkenyloxy , alkenyloxyalky , alkylenedioxy , haloalkylenedioxy , cycloalkyl , cycloalkylalkanoyl , cycloalkenyl , lower cycloalkylalkyl , lower cycloalkenylalkyl , halo , haloalkyl , haloalkenyl , haloalkoxy , hydroxyhaloalkyl , hydroxyaralkyl , hydroxyalkyl , hydoxyheteroaralkyl , haloalkoxyalkyl , aryl , heteroaralkynyl , aryloxy , aralkoxy , aryloxyalkyl , saturated heterocyclyl , partially saturated heterocyclyl , heteroaryl , heteroaryloxy , heteroaryloxyalkyl , arylalkenyl , heteroarylalkenyl , carboxyalkyl , carboalkoxy , alkoxycarboxamido , alkylamidocarbonylamido , arylamidocarbonylamido , carboalkoxyalkyl , carboalkoxyalkenyl , carboaralkoxy , carboxamido , carboxamidoalkyl , cyano , carbohaloalkoxy , phosphono , phosphonoalkyl , diaralkoxyphosphono , and diaralkoxyphosphonoalkyl with the proviso that r xvi - 4 , r xvi - 5 , r xvi - 6 , r xvi - 7 , r xvi - 8 , r xvi - 9 , r xvi - 10 , r xvi - 11 , r xvi - 12 , and r xv - 13 are each independently selected to maintain the tetravalent nature of carbon , trivalent nature of nitrogen , the divalent nature of sulfur , and the divalent nature of oxygen ; r xvi - 4 and r xvi - 5 , r xvi - 5 and r xvi - 6 , r xvi - 6 and r xvi - 7 , r xvi - 7 and r xvi - 8 , r xvi - 9 and r xvi - 10 , r xvi - 11 and r xvi - 11 , r xvi - 11 and r xvi - 12 , and r xvi - 12 and r xiv - 13 are independently selected to form spacer pairs wherein a spacer pair is taken together to form a linear moiety having from 3 through 6 contiguous atoms connecting the points of bonding of said spacer pair members to form a ring selected from the group consisting of a cycloalkenyl ring having 5 through 8 contiguous members , a partially saturated heterocyclyl ring having 5 through 8 contiguous members , a heteroaryl ring having 5 through 6 contiguous members , and an aryl with the provisos that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xv - 14 and r xvi - 5 , r xvi - 5 and r xvi - 6 r xv - 16 and r xvi - 7 , and r xvi - 7 and r xvi - 8 is used at the same time and that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xiv - 9 and r xvi - 10 , r xvi - 10 and r xvi - 11 , r xv - 11 and r xvi - 12 , and r xvi - 12 and r xvi - 13 can be used at the same time ; r xvi - 4 and r xvi - 9 , r xvi - 4 and r xvi - 13 , r xvi - 8 and r xvi - 9 , and r xvi - 8 and r xvi - 13 is independently selected to form a spacer pair wherein said spacer pair is taken together to form a linear moiety wherein said linear moiety forms a ring selected from the group consisting of a partially saturated heterocyclyl ring having from 5 through 8 contiguous members and a heteroaryl ring having from 5 through 6 contiguous members with the proviso that no more than one of the group consisting of spacer pairs r xvi - 4 and r xvi - 9 , r xvi - 4 and r xvi - 13 , r xvi - 8 and r xvi - 9 , and r xvi - 8 and r xvi - 13 is used at the same time . compounds of formula xvi and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 00 / 18724 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . in a preferred embodiment , the cetp inhibitor is selected from the following compounds of formula xvi : another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of quinolines of formula xvii a xvii denotes an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted with up to five identical or different substituents in the form of a halogen , nitro , hydroxyl , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy or a straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , hydroxyalkyl or alkoxy containing up to 7 carbon atoms each , or in the form of a group according to the formula — nr xvii - 4 r xvii - 5 wherein r xvii - 4 and r xvi - 5 are identical or different and denote a hydrogen , phenyl or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms , d xvii denotes an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted with a phenyl , nitro , halogen , trifluoromethyl or trifluoromethoxy , or a radical according to the formula r xvi - 6 , r xvii - 7 , r xvii - 10 denote , independently from one another , a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 6 carbon atoms , or an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atom or a 5 - to 7 - membered , optionally benzo - condensed , saturated or unsaturated , mono -, bi - or tricyclic heterocycle containing up to 4 heteroatoms from the series of s , n and / or o , wherein the rings are optionally substituted , in the case of the nitrogen - containing rings also via the n function , with up to five identical or different substituents in the form of a halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro , hydroxyl , cyano , carboxyl , trifluoromethoxy , a straight - chain or branched acyl , alkyl , alkylthio , alkylalkoxy , alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms each , an aryl or trifluoromethyl - substituted aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms each , or an optionally benzo - condensed , aromatic 5 - to 7 - membered heterocycle containing up to 3 heteoatoms from the series of s , n and / or o , and / or in the form of a group according to the formula — or xvii - 11 , — sr xvii - 12 , — so 2 r xvi - 13 , or — nr xvi - 14 , r xvii - 15 ; r xvii - 11 , r xvi - 12 , and r xvii - 13 denote , independently from one another , an aryl containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms , which is in turn substituted with up to two identical or different substituents in the form of a phenyl , halogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms , r xvii - 14 and r xvii - 15 are identical or different and have the meaning of r xvii - 14 and r xvii - 5 given above , or r xvii - 6 and / or r xvii - 7 denote a radical according to the formula r xvii - 9 denotes a hydrogen , halogen , azido , trifluoromethyl , hydroxyl , trifluoromethoxy , a straight - chain or branched alkoxy or alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms each , or a radical according to the formula nr xvii - 16 r xvii - 17 ; rx vii - 16 and r xvii - 17 are identical or different and have the meaning of r xvii - 4 and r xvii - 5 above ; or r xvii - 8 and r xvii - 9 together form a radical according to the formula ═ o or ═ nr xvii - 18 ; r xvii - 18 denotes a hydrogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl , alkoxy or acyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms each ; l xvii denotes a straight - chain or branched alkylene or alkenylene chain containing up to 8 carbon atoms each , which are optionally substituted with up to two hydroxyl groups ; t xvii and x xvii are identical or different and denote a straight - chain or branched alkylene chain containing up to 8 carbon atoms ; or v xvii denotes an oxygen or sulfur atom or — nr xvii - 19 ; r xvii - 19 denotes a hydrogen or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl ; e xvii denotes a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms , or a straight - chain or branched alkyl containing up to 8 carbon atoms , which is optionally substituted with a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms or a hydroxyl , or a phenyl , which is optionally substituted with a halogen or trifluoromethyl ; r xvii - 1 and r xvii - 2 are identical or different and denote a cycloalkyl containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms , hydrogen , nitro , halogen , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , carboxy , hydroxy , cyano , a straight - chain or branched acyl , alkoxycarbonyl or alkoxy with up to 6 carbon atoms , or nr xvii - 20 r xvii - 21 ; r xvii - 20 and r xvii - 21 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , phenyl , or a straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms ; and or r xvii - 1 and / or r xvii - 2 are straight - chain or branched alkyl with up to 6 carbon atoms , optionally substituted with halogen , trifluoromethoxy , hydroxy , or a straight - chain or branched alkoxy with up to 4 carbon atoms , aryl containing 6 - 10 carbon atoms optionally substituted with up to five of the same or different substituents selected from halogen , cyano , hydroxy , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , nitro , straight - chain or branched alkyl , acyl , hydroxyalkyl , alkoxy with up to 7 carbon atoms and nr xvii - 22 r xvii - 23 ; r xvii - 22 and r xvii - 23 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , phenyl or a straight - chain or branched akyl up to 6 carbon atoms ; and / or r xvii - 1 and r xvii - 2 taken together form a straight - chain or branched alkene or alkane with up to 6 carbon atoms optionally substituted with halogen , trifluoromethyl , hydroxy or straight - chain or branched alkoxy with up to 5 carbon atoms ; r xvii - 3 denotes hydrogen , a straight - chain or branched acyl with up to 20 carbon atoms , a benzoyl optionally substituted with halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro or trifluoromethoxy , a straight - chained or branched fluoroacyl with up to 8 carbon atoms and 7 fluoro atoms , a cycloalkyl with 3 to 7 carbon atoms , a straight chained or branched alkyl with up to 8 carbon atoms optionally substituted with hydroxyl , a straight - chained or branched alkoxy with up to 6 carbon atoms optionally substituted with phenyl which may in turn be substituted with halogen , nitro , trifluoromethyl , trifluoromethoxy , or phenyl or a tetrazol substitued phenyl , and / or an alkyl that is optionally substituted with a group according to the formula — or xvi - 24 ; r xvii - 24 is a straight - chained or branched acyl with up to 4 carbon atoms or benzyl . compounds of formula xvii and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 98 / 39299 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes . another class of cetp inhibitors that finds utility with the present invention consists of 4 - phenyltetrahydroquinolines of formula xviii a xviii denotes a phenyl optionally substituted with up to two identical or different substituents in the form of halogen , trifluoromethyl or a straight - chain or branched alkyl or alkoxy containing up to three carbon atoms ; r xviii - 5 and r xvii - 6 are taken together to form ═ o ; or r xviii - 5 denotes hydrogen and r xv - 1 μl - 6 denotes halogen or hydrogen ; or r xv - 111 - 7 and r xviii - 8 are identical or different and denote phenyl , naphthyl , benzothiazolyl , quinolinyl , pyrimidyl or pyridyl with up to four identical or different substituents in the form of halogen , trifluoromethyl , nitro , cyano , trifluoromethoxy , — so 2 — ch 3 or nr xviii - 9 r xvii - 10 ; r xviii - 9 and r xviii - 10 are identical or different and denote hydrogen or a straight - chained or branched alkyl of up to three carbon atoms ; e xvii denotes a cycloalkyl of from three to six carbon atoms or a straight - chained or branched alkyl of up to eight carbon atoms ; r xviii - 3 and r xviii - 4 are identical or different and denote straight - chained or branched alkyl of up to three carbon atoms ; or r xvii - 3 and r xviii - 4 taken together form an alkenylene made up of between two and four carbon atoms . compounds of formula xviii and their methods of manufacture are disclosed in pct publication no . wo 99 / 15504 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 291 , 477 , both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes . amlodipine and related dihydropyridine compounds are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 572 , 909 , which is incorporated herein by reference , as potent anti - ischemic and antihypertensive agents . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 879 , 303 , which is incorporated herein by reference , discloses amlodipine benzenesulfonate salt ( also termed amlodipine besylate ). amlodipine and amlodipine besylate are potent and long lasting calcium channel blockers . as such , amlodipine , amlodipine besylate and other pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of amlodipine have utility as antihypertensive agents and as antiischemic agents . amlodipine and its pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts are also disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 155 , 120 as having utility in the treatment of congestive heart failure . amlodipine besylate is currently sold as norvasc ®. amlodipine has the formula calcium channel blockers which are within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : bepridil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 962 , 238 or u . s . reissue no . 30 , 577 ; clentiazem , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 567 , 175 ; diltiazem , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 562 , fendiline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 262 , 977 ; gallopamil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 261 , 859 ; mibefradil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 808 , 605 ; prenylamine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 152 , 173 ; semotiadil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 786 , 635 ; terodiline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 371 , 014 ; verapamil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 261 , 859 ; aranipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 572 , 909 ; barnidipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 220 , 649 ; benidipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in european patent application publication no . 106 , 275 ; cilnidipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 672 , 068 ; efonidipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 885 , 284 ; elgodipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 952 , 592 ; felodipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 264 , 611 ; isradipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 466 , 972 ; lacidipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 801 , 599 ; lercanidipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 705 , 797 ; manidipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 892 , 875 ; nicardipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 985 , 758 ; nifedipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 485 , 847 ; nilvadipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 338 , 322 ; nimodipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 799 , 934 ; nisoldipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 154 , 839 ; nitrendipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 799 , 934 ; cinnarizine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 882 , 271 ; flunarizine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 773 , 939 ; lidoflazine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 267 , 104 ; lomerizine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 663 , 325 ; bencyclane , which may be prepared as disclosed in hungarian patent no . 151 , 865 ; etafenone , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 1 , 265 , 758 ; and perhexiline , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 1 , 025 , 578 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors ( ace - inhibitors ) which are within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : alacepril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 248 , 883 ; benazepril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 410 , 520 ; captopril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 046 , 889 and 4 , 105 , 776 ; ceronapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 452 , 790 ; delapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 385 , 051 ; enalapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 374 , 829 ; fosinopril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 337 , 201 ; imadapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 508 , 727 ; lisinopril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 555 , 502 ; moveltopril , which may be prepared as disclosed in belgian patent no . 893 , 553 ; perindopril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 508 , 729 ; quinapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 344 , 949 ; ramipril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 587 , 258 ; spirapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 470 , 972 ; temocapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 699 , 905 ; and trandolapril , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 933 , 361 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . angiotensin - ii receptor antagonists ( a - ii antagonists ) which are within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : candesartan , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 196 , 444 ; eprosartan , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 185 , 351 ; irbesartan , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 270 , 317 ; losartan , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 138 , 069 ; and valsartan , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 399 , 578 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . beta - adrenergic receptor blockers ( beta - or β - blockers ) which are within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : acebutolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 857 , 952 ; alprenolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in netherlands patent application no . 6 , 605 , 692 ; amosulalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 217 , 305 ; arotinolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 932 , 400 ; atenolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 663 , 607 or 3 , 836 , 671 ; befunolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 853 , 923 ; betaxolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 984 ; bevantolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 857 , 981 ; bisoprolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 171 , 370 ; bopindolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 340 , 541 ; bucumolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 663 , 570 ; bufetolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 723 , 476 ; bufuralol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 929 , 836 ; bunitrolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 940 , 489 and 3 , 961 , 071 ; buprandolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 309 , 406 ; butiridine hydrochloride , which may be prepared as disclosed in french patent no . 1 , 390 , 056 ; butofilolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 825 ; carazolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 2 , 240 , 599 ; carteolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 910 , 924 ; carvedilol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 503 , 067 ; celiprolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 034 , 009 ; cetamolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 059 , 622 ; cloranolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 2 , 213 , 044 ; dilevalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in clifton et al ., journal of medicinal chemistry , 1982 , 25 , 670 ; epanolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in european patent publication application no . 41 , 491 ; indenolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 045 , 482 ; labetalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 012 , 444 ; levobunolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 463 , 176 ; mepindolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in seeman et al ., helv . chim . acta , 1971 , 54 , 241 ; metipranolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in czechoslovakian patent application no . 128 , 471 ; metoprolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 873 , 600 ; moprolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 501 , 7691 ; nadolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 935 , 267 ; nadoxolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 819 , 702 ; nebivalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 654 , 362 ; nipradilol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 394 , 382 ; oxprenolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 1 , 077 , 603 ; perbutolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 551 , 493 ; pindolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in swiss patent nos . 469 , 002 and 472 , 404 ; practolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 408 , 387 ; pronethalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 909 , 357 ; propranolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 337 , 628 and 3 , 520 , 919 ; sotalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in uloth et al ., journal of medicinal chemistry , 1966 , 9 , 88 ; sufinalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 2 , 728 , 641 ; talindol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 935 , 259 and 4 , 038 , 313 ; tertatolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 960 , 891 ; tilisolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 129 , 565 ; timolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 655 , 663 ; toliprolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 432 , 545 ; and xibenolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 018 , 824 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . alpha - adrenergic receptor blockers ( alpha - or α - blockers ) which are within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : amosulalol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 217 , 307 ; arotinolol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 932 , 400 ; dapiprazole , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 252 , 721 ; doxazosin , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 188 , 390 ; fenspiride , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 399 , 192 ; indoramin , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 527 , 761 ; labetolol , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; naftopidil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 997 , 666 ; nicergoline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 228 , 943 ; prazosin , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 511 , 836 ; tamsulosin , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 703 , 063 ; tolazoline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 161 , 938 ; trimazosin , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 669 , 968 ; and yohimbine , which may be isolated from natural sources according to methods well known to those skilled in the art . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . the term “ vasodilator ,” where used herein , is meant to include cerebral vasodilators , coronary vasodilators and peripheral vasodilators . cerebral vasodilators within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : bencyclane , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; cinnarizine , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; citicoline , which may be isolated from natural sources as disclosed in kennedy et al ., journal of the american chemical society , 1955 , 77 , 250 or synthesized as disclosed in kennedy , journal of biological chemistry , 1956 , 222 , 185 ; cyclandelate , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 663 , 597 ; ciclonicate , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 1 , 910 , 481 ; diisopropylamine dichloroacetate , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 862 , 248 ; eburnamonine , which may be prepared as disclosed in hermann et al ., journal of the american chemical society , 1979 , 101 , 1540 ; fasudil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 678 , 783 ; fenoxedil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 818 , 021 ; flunarizine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 773 , 939 ; ibudilast , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 850 , 941 ; ifenprodil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 509 , 164 ; lomerizine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 663 , 325 ; nafronyl , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 334 , 096 ; nicametate , which may be prepared as disclosed in blicke et al ., journal of the american chemical society , 1942 , 64 , 1722 ; nicergoline , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; nimodipine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 799 , 934 ; papaverine , which may be prepared as reviewed in goldberg , chem . prod . chem . news , 1954 , 17 , 371 ; pentifylline , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 860 , 217 ; tinofedrine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 563 , 997 ; vincamine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 770 , 724 ; vinpocetine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 035 , 750 ; and viquidil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 500 , 444 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . coronary vasodilators within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : amotriphene , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 010 , 965 ; bendazol , which may be prepared as disclosed in j . chem . soc . 1958 , 2426 ; benfurodil hemisuccinate , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 355 , 463 ; benziodarone , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 012 , 042 ; chloracizine , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 740 , 932 ; chromonar , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 282 , 938 ; clobenfural , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 1 , 160 , 925 ; clonitrate , which may be prepared from propanediol according to methods well known to those skilled in the art , e . g ., see annalen , 1870 , 155 , 165 ; cloricromen , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 452 , 811 ; dilazep , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 532 , 685 ; dipyridamole , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 807 , 826 ; droprenilamine , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 2 , 521 , 113 ; efloxate , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent nos . 803 , 372 and 824 , 547 ; erythrityl tetranitrate , which may be prepared by nitration of erythritol according to methods well - known to those skilled in the art ; etafenone , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 1 , 265 , 758 ; fendiline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 262 , 977 ; floredil , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 2 , 020 , 464 ; ganglefene , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . s . r . patent no . 115 , 905 ; hexestrol , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 357 , 985 ; hexobendine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 267 , 103 ; itramin tosylate , which may be prepared as disclosed in swedish patent no . 168 , 308 ; khellin , which may be prepared as disclosed in baxter et al ., journal of the chemical society , 1949 , s 30 ; lidoflazine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 267 , 104 ; mannitol hexanitrate , which may be prepared by the nitration of mannitol according to methods well - known to those skilled in the art ; medibazine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 119 , 826 ; nitroglycerin ; pentaerythritol tetranitrate , which may be prepared by the nitration of pentaerythritol according to methods well - known to those skilled in the art ; pentrinitrol , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 638 , 422 - 3 ; perhexilline , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; pimefylline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 350 , 400 ; prenylamine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 152 , 173 ; propatyl nitrate , which may be prepared as disclosed in french patent no . 1 , 103 , 113 ; trapidil , which may be prepared as disclosed in east german patent no . 55 , 956 ; tricromyl , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 769 , 015 ; trimetazidine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 262 , 852 ; trolnitrate phosphate , which may be prepared by nitration of triethanolamine followed by precipitation with phosphoric acid according to methods well - known to those skilled in the art ; visnadine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 816 , 118 and 2 , 980 , 699 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . peripheral vasodilators within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : aluminum nicotinate , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 970 , 082 ; bamethan , which may be prepared as disclosed in corrigan et al ., journal of the american chemical society , 1945 , 67 , 1894 ; bencyclane , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; betahistine , which may be prepared as disclosed in walter et al . ; journal of the american chemical society , 1941 , 63 , 2771 ; bradykinin , which may be prepared as disclosed in hamburg et al ., arch . biochem . biophys ., 1958 , 76 , 252 ; brovincamine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 146 , 643 ; bufeniode , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 542 , 870 ; buflomedil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 895 , 030 ; butalamine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 338 , 899 ; cetiedil , which may be prepared as disclosed in french patent nos . 1 , 460 , 571 ; ciclonicate , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 1 , 910 , 481 ; cinepazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in belgian patent no . 730 , 345 ; cinnarizine , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; cyclandelate , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; diisopropylamine dichloroacetate , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; eledoisin , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 984 , 810 ; fenoxedil , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; flunarizine , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; hepronicate , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 384 , 642 ; ifenprodil , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; iloprost , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 692 , 464 ; inositol niacinate , which may be prepared as disclosed in badgett et al ., journal of the american chemical society , 1947 , 69 , 2907 ; isoxsuprine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 056 , 836 ; kallidin , which may be prepared as disclosed in biochem . biophys . res . commun ., 1961 , 6 , 210 ; kallikrein , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 1 , 102 , 973 ; moxisylyte , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 905 , 738 ; nafronyl , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; nicametate , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; nicergoline , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; nicofuranose , which may be prepared as disclosed in swiss patent no . 366 , 523 ; nylidrin , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 661 , 372 and 2 , 661 , 373 ; pentifylline , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; pentoxifylline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 422 , 107 ; piribedil , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 299 , 067 ; prostaglandin e 1 , which may be prepared by any of the methods referenced in the merck index , twelfth edition , budaveri , ed ., new jersey , 1996 , p . 1353 ; suloctidil , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 2 , 334 , 404 ; tolazoline , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 161 , 938 ; and xanthinol niacinate , which may be prepared as disclosed in german patent no . 1 , 102 , 750 or korbonits et al ., acta . pharm . hung ., 1968 , 38 , 98 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . the term “ diuretic ,” within the scope of this invention , is meant to include diuretic benzothiadiazine derivatives , diuretic organomercurials , diuretic purines , diuretic steroids , diuretic sulfonamide derivatives , diuretic uracils and other diuretics such as amanozine , which may be prepared as disclosed in austrian patent no . 168 , 063 ; amiloride , which may be prepared as disclosed in belgian patent no . 639 , 386 ; arbutin , which may be prepared as disclosed in tschitschibabin , annalen , 1930 , 479 , 303 ; chlorazanil , which may be prepared as disclosed in austrian patent no . 168 , 063 ; ethacrynic acid , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 255 , 241 ; etozolin , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 072 , 653 ; hydracarbazine , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 856 , 409 ; isosorbide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 160 , 641 ; mannitol ; metochalcone , which may be prepared as disclosed in freudenberg et al ., ber ., 1957 , 90 , 957 ; muzolimine , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 018 , 890 ; perhexiline , which may be prepared as disclosed above ; ticrynafen , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 758 , 506 ; triamterene which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 081 , 230 ; and urea . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . diuretic benzothiadiazine derivatives within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : althiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 902 , 658 ; bendroflumethiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 265 , 573 ; benzthiazide , mcmanus et al ., 136th am . soc . meeting ( atlantic city , september 1959 ), abstract of papers , pp 13 - 0 ; benzylhydrochlorothiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 108 , 097 ; buthiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent nos . 861 , 367 and 885 , 078 ; chlorothiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 809 , 194 and 2 , 937 , 169 ; chlorthalidone , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 055 , 904 ; cyclopenthiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in belgian patent no . 587 , 225 ; cyclothiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in whitehead et al ., journal of organic chemistry , 1961 , 26 , 2814 ; epithiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 009 , 911 ; ethiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 861 , 367 ; fenquizone , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 870 , 720 ; indapamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 565 , 911 ; hydrochlorothiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 164 , 588 ; hydroflumethiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 254 , 076 ; methyclothiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in close et al ., journal of the american chemical society , 1960 , 82 , 1132 ; meticrane , which may be prepared as disclosed in french patent nos . m2790 and 1 , 365 , 504 ; metolazone , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 360 , 518 ; paraflutizide , which may be prepared as disclosed in belgian patent no . 620 , 829 ; polythiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 009 , 911 ; quinethazone , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 976 , 289 ; teclothiazide , which may be prepared as disclosed in close et al ., journal of the american chemical society , 1960 , 82 , 1132 ; and trichlormethiazide , which may be prepared as dislcosed in destevens et al ., experientia , 1960 , 16 , 113 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . diuretic sulfonamide derivatives within the scope of this invention include , but are not limited to : acetazolamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 980 , 679 ; ambuside , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 188 , 329 ; azosemide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 665 , 002 ; bumetamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 634 , 583 ; butazolamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 769 , 757 ; chloraminophenamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 809 , 194 , 2 , 965 , 655 and 2 , 965 , 656 ; clofenamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in olivier , rec . trav . chim ., 1918 , 37 , 307 ; clopamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 459 , 756 ; clorexolone , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 183 , 243 ; disulfamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 851 , 287 ; ethoxolamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in british patent no . 795 , 174 ; furosemide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 058 , 882 ; mefruside , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 356 , 692 ; methazolamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 783 , 241 ; piretamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 010 , 273 ; torasemide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 018 , 929 ; tripamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in japanese patent no . 73 , 05 , 585 ; and xipamide , which may be prepared as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 567 , 777 . the disclosures of all such u . s . patents are incorporated herein by reference . the conversion of 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methylglutaryl - coenzyme a ( hmg - coa ) to mevalonate is an early and rate - limiting step in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway . this step is catalyzed by the enzyme hmg - coa reductase . statins inhibit hmg - coa reductase from catalyzing this conversion . atorvastatin calcium ( i . e ., atorvastatin hemicalcium ), disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 273 , 995 , which is incorporated herein by reference , is currently sold as lipitor ® and has the formula atorvastatin calcium is a selective , competitive inhibitor of hmg - coa . as such , atorvastatin calcium is a potent lipid lowering compound . the free carboxylic acid form of atorvastatin exists predominantly as the lactone of the formula and is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 681 , 893 , which is incorporated herein by reference . statins include such compounds as simvastatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 444 , 784 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; pravastatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 346 , 227 which is incorporated herein by reference ; cerivastatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 502 , 199 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; mevastatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 983 , 140 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; velostatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 448 , 784 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 450 , 171 , both of which are incorporated herein by reference ; fluvastatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 739 , 073 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; compactin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 804 , 770 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; lovastatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 231 , 938 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; dalvastatin , disclosed in european patent application publication no . 738510 a2 ; fluindostatin , disclosed in european patent application publication no . 363934 a1 ; atorvastatin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 681 , 893 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; atorvastatin calcium , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 273 , 995 , which is incorporated herein by reference ; and dihydrocompactin , disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 450 , 171 , which is incorporated herein by reference . given the positive correlation between lipid modulation and lipid fraction modulation in blood with the development of various disease / conditions such as cardiovascular and cerebral vascular diseases , the compounds / combinations of this invention and the salts of such compounds , by virtue of their pharmacologic action , are useful for the prevention , arrestment and / or treatment of disease states / conditions as described above . these include cardiovascular disorders and complications due to cardiovascular disease . in particular , given the correlation between hdl modulation and the disease / conditions described above the cetp compounds described herein and combinations thereof by virtue of their hdl modulating pharmacologic action ( e . g ., hdl elevation ) are useful for the prevention , arrestment and / or treatment of the disease states / conditions as described above . the utility of the compounds / combinations of the invention and the salts of such compounds as medical agents in the treatment of the above described disease / conditions in mammals ( e . g . humans , male or female ) is demonstrated by the activity of the compounds of this invention in conventional assays ( e . g ., in vivo assays , in vitro assays ) known to those skilled in the art including those described herein . in particular , the plasma lipids assay described below may be used to determine the level of hdl modulation for a given compound / combination and thus its therapeutic impact for the disease / conditions described above . such assays also provide a means whereby the activities of the compounds / combinations of this invention and the salts of such compounds ( or the other agents described herein ) can be compared to each other and with the activities of other known compounds . the results of these comparisons are useful for determining dosage levels in mammals , including humans , for the treatment of such diseases . for example , the characterization of the impact of of the compounds / combinations of this invention and the salts of such compounds ( or the other agents described herein ) on various lipid fractions can be determined by methods known in the art as are described in methods in enzymology , vol . 129 : plasma lipoproteins , pt . b : characterization , cell biology , and metabolism . albers , john j . ; segrest , jere p . ; editors . usa . ( 1986 ), ( academic press , orlando , fla .) and methods in enzymology , vol . 128 : plasma lipoproteins , pt . a : preparation , structure , and molecular biology . segrest , jere p . ; albers , john j . ; editors . usa . ( 1986 ), 992 pp . ( academic press , orlando , fla .). in particular , the plasma lipids assay described below may be used to determine the level of hdl modulation for a given compound / combination and thus its therapeutic impact for the disease / conditions described above . the following is a brief description of the assay of cholesteryl ester transfer in human plasma ( in vitro ) and animal plasma ( ex vivo ): cetp activity in the presence or absence of drug is assayed by determining the transfer of 3 h - labeled cholesteryl oleate ( co ) from exogenous tracer hdl to the nonhdl lipoprotein fraction in human plasma , or from 3 h - labeled ldl to the hdl fraction in transgenic mouse plasma . labeled human lipoprotein substrates are prepared similarly to the method described by morton in which the endogenous cetp activity in plasma is employed to transfer 3 h — co from phospholipid liposomes to all the lipoprotein fractions in plasma . 3 h - labeled ldl and hdl are subsequently isolated by sequential ultracentrifugation at the density cuts of 1 . 019 - 1 . 063 and 1 . 10 - 1 . 21 g / ml , respectively . for the activity assay , 3 h - labeled lipoprotein is added to plasma at 10 - 25 nmoles co / ml and the samples incubated at 370 c for 2 . 5 - 3 hrs . non - hdl lipoproteins are then precipitated by the addition of an equal volume of 20 % ( wt / vol ) polyethylene glycol 8000 ( dias ). the samples are centrifuged 750 g x 20 minutes and the radioactivity contained in the hdl containing supernatant determined by liquid scintillation . introducing varying quantities of the compounds of this invention as a solution in dimethylsulfoxide to human plasma , before addition of the radiolabeled cholesteryl oleate , and comparing the relative amounts of radiolabel transferred allows relative cholesteryl ester transfer inhibitory activities to be determined . activity of these compounds in vivo can be determined by the amount of agent required to be administered , relative to control , to inhibit cholesteryl ester transfer activity by 50 % at various time points ex vivo or to elevate hdl cholesterol by a given percentage in a cetp - containing animal species . transgenic mice expressing both human cetp and human apolipoprotein ai ( charles river , boston , mass .) may be used to assess compounds in vivo . the compounds to be examined are administered by oral gavage in an emulsion vehicle containing olive oil and sodium taurocholate . blood is taken from mice retroorbitally before dosing . at various times after dosing , ranging from 4 h to 24 h , the animals are sacrificed , blood obtained by heart puncture , and lipid parameters measured , including total cholesterol , hdl and ldl cholesterol , and triglycerides . cetp activity is determined by a method similar to that described above except that 3 h - cholesteryl oleate containing ldl is used as the donor source as opposed to hdl . the values obtained for lipids and transfer activity are compared to those obtained prior to dosing and / or to those from mice receiving vehicle alone . the activity of these compounds may also be demonstrated by determining the amount of agent required to alter plasma lipid levels , for example hdl cholesterol levels , ldl cholesterol levels , vldl cholesterol levels or triglycerides , in the plasma of certain mammals , for example marmosets that possess cetp activity and a plasma lipoprotein profile similar to that of humans ( crook et al . arteriosclerosis 10 , 625 , 1990 ). adult marmosets are assigned to treatment groups so that each group has a similar mean ± sd for total , hdl , and / or ldl plasma cholesterol concentrations . after group assignment , marmosets are dosed daily with compound as a dietary admix or by intragastric intubation for from one to eight days . control marmosets receive only the dosing vehicle . plasma total , ldl , vldl and hdl cholesterol values can be determined at any point during the study by obtaining blood from an antecubital vein and separating plasma lipoproteins into their individual subclasses by density gradient centrifugation , and by measuring cholesterol concentration as previously described ( crook et al . arteriosclerosis 10 , 625 , 1990 ). conventional clinical designs and methods of modifying those clinical protocols to facilitate the testing of the compounds / combinations of this invention and the salts of such compounds ( or the other agents described herein ) for the various disease / conditions described above are known to those skilled in the art . for example , in such clinical studies levels of atherosclerotic plaque can be measured by various imaging techniques e . g ., intracardiac ultrasound ( ice ), quantitative coronary angiography , intravascular ultrasound ( ivus ) including coronary intravascular ultrasound , corotid intimal medial thickness ( cimt ) measurement , magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ), magnetic resonance coronary angiography , flow - mediated dilatation , positron emission tomography , multislice computed tomography , electron beam computed tomography ( ebt ), mechanical multi - slice spiral ct ( msct ), echo cardiography , coronary angiography , radiography and radionucleotide imaging . these imaging techniques and the interpretation of them are known and are further described in for example , “ measurement of subclinical atherosclerosis : beyond risk factor assessment ”, current opinion in lipidology 13 , 595 - 603 ( 2002 ); “ a comparison of intravascular , ultrasound with coronary angiography for evaluation of transplant coronary disease in pediatric heart transplant recipients ”, journal of heart & amp ; lung transplantation 22 , 44 - 49 ( 2003 ); and “ assessment of calcium scoring performance in cardiac computed tomography ”, european radiology 13 , 484 - 97 ( 2003 ). the compounds of the present invention are generally administered in the form of a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one of the compounds of this invention together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent . thus , the compounds of this invention can be administered either individually or together in any conventional oral , parenteral or transdermal dosage form . for oral administration a pharmaceutical composition can take the form of solutions , suspensions , tablets , pills , capsules , powders , and the like . tablets containing various excipients such as sodium citrate , calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate are employed along with various disintegrants such as starch and preferably potato or tapioca starch and certain complex silicates , together with binding agents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone , sucrose , gelatin and acacia . additionally , lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate , sodium lauryl sulfate and talc are often very useful for tabletting purposes . solid compositions of a similar type are also employed as fillers in soft and hard - filled gelatin capsules ; preferred materials in this connection also include lactose or milk sugar as well as high molecular weight polyethylene glycols . when aqueous suspensions and / or elixirs are desired for oral administration , the compounds of this invention can be combined with various sweetening agents , flavoring agents , coloring agents , emulsifying agents and / or suspending agents , as well as such diluents as water , ethanol , propylene glycol , glycerin and various like combinations thereof . the combinations of this invention may also be adminstered in a controlled release formulation such as a slow release or a fast release formulation . such controlled release formulations of the combination of this invention may be prepared using methods well known to those skilled in the art . the method of adminstration will be determined by the attendant physician or other person skilled in the art after an evaluation of the subject &# 39 ; s condition and requirements . the generally preferred formulation of amlodipine is norvasc ®. many of the cetp inhibitors of this invention are poorly soluble and a dosage form that increases solubility facilitates the administration of such compounds . one such dosage form is a dosage form comprising ( 1 ) a solid amorphous dispersion comprising a cholesteryl ester transfer protein ( cetp ) inhibitor and an acidic concentration - enhancing polymer ; and ( 2 ) an acid - sensitive hmg - coa reductase inhibitor . this dosage form is more fully described in u . s . provisional application serial no . 60 / 435 , 345 filed on dec . 20 , 2002 and entitled “ dosage forms comprising a cetp inhibitor and an hmg - coa reductase inhibitor ” the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the compounds of this invention either alone or in combination with each other or other compounds generally will be administered in a convenient formulation . the following formulation examples only are illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . combination tablets of amlodipine besylate , torcetrapib , and atorvastatin hemicalcium were prepared at a scale of ˜ 1 kg according to the procedure immediately following the table . the doses prepared and the composition of the tablets are detailed in the following table . table strength individual 30 / 5 / 2 . 5 90 / 40 / 10 120 / 80 / 10 component w / w mg / tab w / w mg / tab w / w mg / tab w / w 1 . cp - 529 , 515 25 % sdd 60 . 00 % 120 . 000 35 . 37 % 360 . 000 27 . 40 % 480 . 000 26 . 26 % 2 . microcrystalline cellulose 14 . 75 % 29 . 500 8 . 70 % 88 . 500 6 . 74 % 118 . 000 6 . 46 % 3 . crospovidone 10 . 00 % 20 . 000 5 . 90 % 60 . 000 4 . 57 % 80 . 000 4 . 38 % 4 . magnesium stearate . 25 % 0 . 500 0 . 15 % 1 . 500 0 . 11 % 2 . 000 0 . 11 % 5 . calcium phosphate , dibasic , anhydrious 14 . 75 % 29 . 500 8 . 70 % 88 . 500 6 . 74 % 118 . 000 6 . 46 % 6 . magnesium stearate 0 . 250 % 0 . 500 0 . 15 % 1 . 500 0 . 11 % 2 . 000 0 . 11 % subtotal 100 . 00 % 200 . 000 58 . 96 % 600 . 000 45 . 67 % 800 . 000 43 . 77 % 7 . atorvastatin calcium 13 . 836 % 5 . 427 1 . 60 % 43 . 415 3 . 30 % 86 . 829 4 . 75 % 8 . calcium carbonate 42 . 253 % 16 . 573 4 . 89 % 132 . 583 10 . 09 % 265 . 163 14 . 51 % 9 . croscarmellose sodium 3 . 819 % 1 . 498 0 . 44 % 11 . 983 0 . 91 % 23 . 967 1 . 31 % 10 . microcrystalline cellulose 17 . 656 % 6 . 925 2 . 04 % 55 . 402 4 . 22 % 110 . 802 6 . 06 % 11 . polysorbate 80 0 . 510 % 0 . 200 0 . 06 % 1 . 600 0 . 12 % 3 . 201 0 . 18 % 12 . hydroxypropyl cellulose 2 . 555 % 1 . 002 0 . 30 % 8 . 017 0 . 61 % 16 . 034 0 . 88 % 13 . starch , pregelatinized , 1500 corn 19 . 121 % 7 . 500 2 . 21 % 59 . 999 4 . 57 % 119 . 996 6 . 57 % 14 . magnesium stearate 0 . 250 % 0 . 098 0 . 03 % 0 . 784 0 . 06 % 1 . 569 0 . 09 % subtotal 100 . 000 % 39 . 223 11 . 56 % 313 . 784 23 . 88 % 627 . 560 34 . 34 % 15 . amlodipine besylate 3 . 47 % 3 . 470 1 . 02 % 13 . 880 1 . 06 % 13 . 880 0 . 76 % 16 . microcrystalline cellulose 62 . 03 % 62 . 030 18 . 29 % 248 . 120 18 . 89 % 248 . 120 13 . 58 % 17 . sodium starch glycolate 2 . 00 % 2 . 000 0 . 59 % 8 . 000 0 . 61 % 8 . 000 0 . 44 % 18 . calcium phosphate , dibasic , anhydrous 31 . 50 % 31 . 500 9 . 29 % 126 . 000 9 . 59 % 126 . 000 6 . 89 % 19 . magnesium stearate 1 . 00 % 1 . 000 0 . 29 % 4 . 000 0 . 30 % 4 . 000 0 . 22 % subtotal 100 . 00 % 100 . 000 29 . 48 % 400 . 000 30 . 45 % 400 . 000 21 . 89 % total 339 . 223 100 . 00 % 1313 . 784 100 . 00 % 1827 . 560 100 . 00 % a separate granulation or blend of each active component was prepared initially and these three powder mixtures were combined in different proportions to provide the desired dose combinations . the atorvastatin hemicalcium granulation was prepared by making a solution of the hydroxypropyl cellulose and polysorbate 80 in water . the remaining components ( except magnesium stearate ) were then charged to a fluid bed granulator and wet - granulated with the binder solution by fluidizing them in a warm air stream ( 30 - 60c ) while spraying the binder solution onto the powders in the granulator . after all the binder solution had been sprayed the granules were dried in the fluidized bed , and milled to remove any large (& gt ; 1 mm ) agglomerates . the granules were lubricated by blending them with magnesium stearate . a dispersion of torcetrapib in the polymer hypromellose ( hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ) acetate succinate was made by dissolving both components in acetone and spray drying ( see u . s . provisional application serial no . 60 / 435 , 345 ) the resulting solution in conventional spray drying equipment . the torcetrapib granulation was made by blending the resulting spray dried dispersion , microcrystalline cellulose , crospovidone , and magnesium stearate together and dry granulating the powder blend by roller compaction . standard pharmaceutical roller compaction equipment and operating conditions were used . the resulting compacted ribbons were milled to produce granules suitable for further processing . the calcium phosphate and magnesium stearate were added and blended with the granules to create the final lubricated torcetrapib blend . the amlodipine besylate was simply blended with its excipients to produce a lubricated amlodipine powder blend . the three active granulations / blends were blended together in the desired proportions using a low - shear twin - shell blender and tableted using a single punch eccentric tablet press . administration of the compounds of this invention can be via any method which delivers a compound of this invention systemically and / or locally . these methods include oral routes , parenteral , intraduodenal routes , etc . generally , the compounds of this invention are administered orally , but parenteral administration ( e . g ., intraveneous , intramuscular , subcutaneous or intramedullary ) may be utilized , for example , where oral administration is inappropriate for the target or where the patient is unable to ingest the drug . these methods and combinations are useful depending on the indication / condition to treat mammals including humans . in addition , they are useful to advantageously and / or selectively treat a variety of patient subgroups including males , females , the elderly (& gt ; 60 ), infants (& lt ; 2 ), pediatrics , diabetics ( type i and / or ii ), patients without a history of coronary events ( i . e . primary prevention ), patients who have had at least one coronary event ( i . e ., secondary prevention ), patients who have had a cerebrovascular event ( e . g ., stroke or transient ischemic event ), patients with total cholesterol above 250 , patients with total cholesterol above 200 , patients with total cholesterol below 200 , patients with hdl & lt ; 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 , patients with high hdl , different ethnic subpopulations ( africans , turkish , hispanics , asians ), woman + hrt ( pre / post menopausal ), smokers , patients with low hdl due to diet , patients with secondary reductions in hdl due to other medications ( e . g ., androgen agonists ), patients with peripheral vascular disease , patients with normal hdl - c e . g ., between 40 and 60 mg / dec , stroke patients without a history of coronary heart disease ( with or without abnormal cholesterol levels ), patients with metabolic syndrome , patients with the apo - e4 allele , patients with bmi greater than 30 , and obese patients . in general an amount of a compound ( s )/ combination ( s ) of this invention is used that is sufficient to achieve the therapeutic effect desired ( e . g ., hdl elevation ). the amount will , of course , be dependent on the subject being treated , on the severity of the affliction , on the manner of administration and on the judgement of the prescribing physician . in general an effective dosage for the cetp inhibitors of this invention , their prodrugs and the salts of such compounds and progrugs is in the range of about 0 . 01 to about 100 mg / kg / day , preferably about 0 . 1 to about 5 mg / kg / day . an especially preferred dosage of [ 2r , 4s ]- 4 -[( 3 , 5 - bis - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methoxycarbonyl - amino ]- 2 - ethyl - 6 - trifluoromethyl - 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - quinoline - 1 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( torcetrapib ) is about 15 mg per day to about 240 mg per day , preferably about 30 mg per day to about 120 mg per day . the dosage may be administered in single or multiple dosages ( e . g ., bid ). a dosage of the combination pharmaceutical agents ( e . g ., antihypertensive agents , statins ) to be used in conjunction with the cetp inhibitors is used that is effective for the indication being treated . for example , typically an effective dosage for hmg - coa reductase inhibitors is in the range of about 0 . 01 to about 100 mg / kg / day . for example , typically an effective dosage for atorvastatin calcium ( known as atorvastatin hemicalcium or lipitor ) or other salts of atorvastatin is about 10 mg to about 80 mg per day ( e . g ., 10 mg , 20 mg , 40 mg 80 mg ). for example , typically an effective dosage for antihypertensives is in the range of about 0 . 01 to about 100 mg / kg / day . for example , typically an effective dosage of amlodipine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ( e . g ., amlodipine besylate , amlodipine mesylate ) is in the range of about 5 mg to about 10 mg per day . an exemplary dosage for the triple combination of amlodipine and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ( e . g ., amlodipine besylate )/ atorvastatin and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ( e . g ., atorvastatin hemicalcium )/ and [ 2r , 4s ]- 4 -[( 3 , 5 - b is - trifluoromethyl - benzyl )- methoxycarbonyl - amino ]- 2 - ethyl - 6 - trifluoromethyl - 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - quinoline - 1 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( torcetrapib ) is in the range of 5 - 10 mg per day / 10 - 80 mg per day / 30 - 120 mg per day . for purposes of parenteral administration , solutions in sesame or peariut oil or in aqueous propylene glycol can be employed , as well as sterile aqueous solutions of the corresponding water - soluble salts . such aqueous solutions may be suitably buffered , if necessary , and the liquid diluent first rendered isotonic with sufficient saline or glucose . these aqueous solutions are especially suitable for intravenous , intramuscular , subcutaneous and intraperitoneal injection purposes . in this connection , the sterile aqueous media employed are all readily obtainable by standard techniques well - known to those skilled in the art . methods of preparing various pharmaceutical compositions with a certain amount of active ingredient are known , or will be apparent in light of this disclosure , to those skilled in this art . for examples , see remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , mack publishing company , easter , pa ., 15th edition ( 1975 ). pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention may contain 0 . 1 %- 95 % of the compound ( s ) of this invention , preferably 1 %- 70 %. in any event , the composition or formulation to be administered will contain a quantity of a compound ( s ) according to the invention in an amount effective to treat the condition or disease of the subject being treated . since the present invention relates to the treatment of diseases and conditions with a combination of active ingredients which may be administered separately , the invention also relates to combining separate pharmaceutical compositions in kit form . the kit includes two separate pharmaceutical compositions : amlodipine or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof and a statin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof . the kit includes container means for containing the separate compositions such as a divided bottle or a divided foil packet , however , the separate compositions may also be contained within a single , undivided container . typically the kit includes directions for the administration of the separate components . the kit form is particularly advantageous when the separate components are preferably administered in different dosage forms ( e . g ., oral and parenteral ), are administered at different dosage intervals , or when titration of the individual components of the combination is desired by the prescribing physician . it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein , but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this novel concept as defined by the following claims .	0
fig1 a is a view for illustrating members used in the first embodiment of the present invention , the present invention comprises a hollow inner housing 20 , a first outer housing 40 located on an outer circumference of an upper portion of the inner housing 20 and a second outer housing 60 fixed to an outer circumference of a lower portion of the inner housing 20 . the present invention further comprises a power transmission part 30 fixed in the inner housing 20 , a head part 10 fixed to an upper portion of the first outer housing 40 and a moving part 50 received slidably in the second outer housing 60 . the first an outer housing 40 located on outer circumference of the inner housing 20 can be moved upwardly or downwardly along the inner housing 20 . on an inner circumference of lower end of the first outer housing 40 , a protrusion 40a is formed inwardly , and a protrusion 20a is formed outwardly on an outer circumference of upper end of the inner housing 20 . thus , although the first outer housing 40 is removed excessively upward , the first outer housing 40 can not be separated from the inner housing 20 . the power transmission part 30 is fixed to an inside of the inner housing 20 , and a detailed structure of the power transmission part 30 is shown in fig1 a and fig1 b . the power transmission part 30 comprises a body 31 and a pinion 32 mounted in the body 31 . a pinion receiving channel 32a is formed at a lower portion of the body 31 and the pinion 32 is mounted rotatably in the pinion receiving channel 32a by a pin 32b . on the other hand , first and second grooves 31a and 31b are formed at opposite sides of the body 31 along the whole height . the first and second grooves 31a and 31b are corresponded to both ends of the pinion receiving channel 32a , both sides of the pinion 32 mounted in the pinion receiving channel 32a are thus exposed through the first and second grooves 31a and 31b as shown in fig1 b . the head part 10 fixed to the upper end of the first outer housing 40 comprises a head 11 and a rack 12 fixed to the head 11 . when the first outer housing 40 to which the head part 10 is fixed is combined with the inner housing 20 , the rack 12 is located in the first outer housing 40 and received in the first groove 31a formed at a side of body 31 of the power transmission part 30 . in the first groove 31a , the rack 12 of the head part 10 is meshed with the pinion 32 received in the pinion receiving channel 32a . the second outer housing 60 in which the moving part 50 is received is fixed to the lower end of the inner housing 20 . the moving part 50 is consisted of a brush fixture 51 to which a brush 53 is fixed and a rack 52 fixed to top end of the brush fixture 51 . when the second outer housing 60 in which a moving part 50 is received is fixed to an outer circumference of a lower end of the inner housing 20 , the rack 52 is received in the second groove 31b formed at another side of body 31 of the power transmission part 30 . in the second groove 31b , the rack 52 of the moving part 50 is meshed with the pinion 32 received in the pinion receiving channel 32a . fig2 is a sectional view for illustrating a state before use of the first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 a and fig2 the rack 12 fixed to the head 11 of the head part 10 and the rack 52 fixed to the brush fixture 51 of the moving part 50 are meshed with both sides of the pinion 32 , respectively . therefore , when the pinion 32 is rotated , the rack 12 of the head part 10 and the rack 52 of the moving par , 50 are moved in opposite directions from each other . also , since the rack 12 of the head part 10 and the rack 52 of the moving part 50 are received in the first and second grooves 31a and 31b , respectively , it is possible to make linear movement of the racks 12 and 52 without deviation from the pinion 32 . operation of the first embodiment having a structure as described above will be described with reference to fig1 fig2 fig3 and fig4 . fig3 is a sectional view for illustrating a state in use of the first embodiment of the present invention and fig4 is a detailed sectional view of &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; portion in fig3 . for convenience , the body of the power transmission part is not shown in fig2 fig3 and fig4 . after combining the first outer housing 40 to which the head part 10 is fixed , the inner housing 20 in which the power transmission part 30 is received and the second outer housing 60 in which the moving part 50 is received , the head 11 of the head section 10 is pulled up to upward ( based on fig2 ), the first outer housing 40 is then moved upward along the inner housing 20 . meanwhile , as described above , on an inner circumference of lower end of the first outer housing 40 , the protrusion 40a is formed inwardly , and the protrusion 20a is formed outwardly on an outer circumference of upper end of the inner housing 20 . if the first outer housing 40 is moved excessively to upward , the first outer housing 40 can not be separated from the inner housing 20 due to a contact of the protrusion 40a of the first outer housing 40 with the protrusion 20a of the inner housing 20 . when the rack 12 fixed on the head 11 is moved upwardly , the pinion 32 meshed with the rack 12 is rotated about the pin 32b in direction indicated by an arrow 4a in fig4 . therefore , the rack 52 of the moving part 50 , which is meshed with the pinion 32 at opposite side to the rack gear 12 of the head part 10 , is moved in downwardly ( that is , opposite direction to the rack 12 of the head part 10 ). accordingly , the moving part 50 is moved to downward in the second outer housing 60 , and some portion of the brush fixture 51 and the brush 53 of the moving part 50 are exposed to outside of the second outer housing 60 . such operation is performed before engagement between the pinion 32 and the racks 12 and 52 is released . in fig3 a moving distance of each of the racks 12 and or 52 from an initial position of fig2 to a final position of fig3 is indicated as d1 . as shown in fig3 after such operation is completed , a length of the applicator is increased as much as feeding distances of the racks 12 and 52 , that is , a length of the applicator is further increased as much as the length 2d1 which is a moving distance d1 of the first outer housing 40 added to the exposed length d1 of the brush fixture 51 and the brush 52 of the moving part 50 . after using the applicator , the head 11 of the head part 10 is pushed - down ( based on fig3 ) to receive the exposed brush fixture 51 and the brush 53 in the second outer housing 60 , therefore , the first outer housing 40 is moved downwardly along the inner housing 20 and the rack 12 fixed to the head 11 is moved to downward . therefore , the pinion 32 meshed with the rack 12 is rotated to a direction indicated by the arrow 4b in fig4 . as a result , the rack 52 of the moving part 50 , meshed with the pinion gear 32 , is moved to upward , that is , to the opposite direction to the rack 12 on the head section 10 , and the exposed brush fixture 51 and the brush 52 are received in the second outer housing 60 . fig5 is a sectional view for illustrating a state before use the second embodiment of the present invention , fig6 is a sectional view for illustrating a state in use of the second embodiment of the present invention and fig7 is a detailed sectional view of &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; portion in fig6 . the most important characteristic of the second embodiment is structure of a power transmission part 300 . the power transmission part 300 comprises a body ( 31 as shown in fig1 a ,) and three pinions 301 , 302 and 303 mounted in the pinion receiving channel ( 32a as shown in fig1 b ). the first , second and third pinions 301 , 302 and 303 are mounted rotatably in the pinion receiving channel by the pins ( not shown ) and meshed with from each other . therefore , the first and third pinions 301 and 303 are rotated in same direction as shown in fig7 also , a diameter of each of the first and third pinions 301 and 303 is longer than that of the second pinion 302 located between the first and third pinions 301 and 303 . in combining the first outer housing 40 to which the head part 10 is fixed , the inner housing 20 in which the power transmission part 300 is received and the second outer housing 60 in which the moving part 50 is received , as shown in fig5 the rack 12 fixed to the head 11 and received in the first groove ( 31a of the body 31 as shown in fig1 a ) are meshed with the first pinion 301 as upper pinion and the third pinion 303 as a lower pinion , simultaneously . also , the rack 52 fixed to the brush fixture 51 and received in the second groove ( 31b of the body 31 as shown in fig1 a ) opposite to the first groove ( 31a of fig1 a ) are meshed with the first pinion 301 and the third pinion 303 , simultaneously . the second pinion 302 is not meshed with the racks 12 and 51 , and is rotated in response to the rotation of the first and third pinions 301 or 303 . although the only three pinions 301 , 302 and 303 are shown and described in fig5 fig6 and fig7 the number of the pinions may be at least 3 ( three ) and should be odd so that the upper - most pinion and lower - most pinion are rotated in same direction . also , a diameter of upper - most and lower most pinions is longer than those of the pinions located between the upper - most and lower most pinions . operation of the second embodiment having a structure as described above will be described with reference to fig5 fig6 and fig7 . after combing the first outer housing 40 to which the head part 10 is fixed , the inner housing 20 in which the power transmission part 300 is received , and the second outer housing 60 in which the moving part 50 is received , the head 11 of the head section 10 is pulled up to upward ( based on fig5 ), the first outer housing 40 is then moved upward along the inner housing 20 . when the rack 12 fixed to the head 11 is moved upwardly , the first and third pinions 301 and 303 meshed with the rack 12 are rotated in same direction indicated by an arrow e in fig7 . therefore , the rack 52 of the moving part 50 , which is meshed with the first and third pinions 301 and 303 at an opposite side of the rack 12 of the head part 10 , is moved downwardly ( that is , opposite direction to the rack 12 of the head part 10 ). accordingly , the moving part 50 is moved to downward in the second outer housing 60 , and some portion of the brush fixture 51 and the brush 53 of the moving part 50 are exposed to outside of the second outer housing 60 . meanwhile , as shown in fig6 even though an engagement between the rack 12 and the third ( lower - most ) pinion 303 is released , an engagement between the rack 12 and the first ( upper - most ) pinion 301 maintains . also , even if an engagement between the rack 52 and the first ( upper - most ) pinion 301 is released , an engagerrient between the rack 52 and the third ( lower - most ) pinion 303 maintains . therefor , although the engagement between the rack 12 and the third pinion 303 and the engagement between the rack 52 and the first pinion 301 are released , if the rack 12 of the head part 10 is moved continuously upward , the first pinion 301 is rotated continuously . the second pinion 302 is rotated in response to a rotation of the first pinion 301 and the third pinion 303 is rotated in response to a rotation of the second pinion 302 . consequently , the movement of the moving part 50 is performed after engagement between the third pinion 303 and the rack 12 of the head part 10 and after engagement between the first pinion 301 and the rack 52 of the moving part 50 are released . in fig6 a moving distance of each of the racks 12 and 52 from an initial position of fig5 to a final position of fig6 is indicated as d2 . as shown in fig6 after such operation is completed , a length of the pencil is increased as much as moving distances of the racks 12 and 52 , that is , a length of the pencil is increased as much as the length 2d2 which is a moving distance d2 of the first outer housing 40 added to the exposed length d2 of the brush fixture 51 and the brush 53 of the moving part 50 . after using the applicator , the head 11 of the head part 10 is pushed - down ( based on fig6 ) to receive the exposed brush fixture 51 and the brush 53 in the second outer housing 60 , the first outer housing 40 is moved downwardly along the inner housing 20 and the rack 12 fixed to the head 11 is moved to downward . therefore , the first pinion 301 meshed with the rack 12 is rotated to a direction indicated by the arrow f in fig7 . as a result , the second pinion 302 is rotated in opposite direction to rotation direction of the first pinion 301 and the third pinion 303 is rotated in same direction with the first pinion 301 . the rack 52 of the moving part 50 , which is meshed with the third pinion 303 , is moved to upward , that is , to the opposite direction to the rack 12 of the head section 10 , and the exposed brush fixture 51 and the brush 55 are received in the second outer housing 60 . ( a reference numeral 51a not mentioned is groove formed on the brush fixture 51 to receive a lower portion of the rack 12 of the head part 10 at initial position of fig5 ) if the same racks 12 and 52 used in the first embodiment are used in the second embodiment , the exposed length d2 of the moving part 50 can be maximized by the plurality of pinions 301 , 302 and 303 . that is , the racks 12 and 52 must be meshed with the pinion 32 continuously in the first embodiment . however , in the second embodiment , the moving part 50 can be moved downward before engagement between the third pinion 303 and the rack 12 of the head part 10 and before engagement between the first pinion 301 and the rack 52 of the moving part 50 therefore , the maximum moving distance of the moving part 50 is increased relatively . as a result , the entire length of pencil in the second embodiment in use is longer than that of the pencil in first embodiment in use . fig8 is a view to for illustrating members used in the third embodiment of the present invention , fig9 is a sectional view for illustrating a state before use of the third embodiment of the present invention , fig1 is an enlarged view of &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; portion in fig9 and fig1 is a sectional view for illustrating a state in use of the third embodiment of the present invention . the third embodiment of the present invention also comprises a hollow inner housing 20 , a first outer housing 40 located on an outer circumference of upper portion of the inner housing 20 and a second outer housing 60 fixed to a circumference of lower portion of the inner housing 20 , a head part 10 fixed to an upper portion of the first outer housing 40 and a moving part 50 received slidably in the second outer housing 60 . the first outer housing 40 located on outer circumference of the inner housing 20 can be moved upwardly or downwardly along the inner housing 20 . on an inner circumference of lower end of the first outer housing 40 , a protrusion 40a is formed inwardly , and a protrusion 20a is formed outwardly on an outer circumference of upper end of the inner housing 20 . thus , although the first outer housing 40 is moved excessively to upward , the first outer housing 40 can not be separated from the inner housing 20 . the most important characteristic of the third embodiment is structure of a power transmission part 400 located in the inner housing 20 . the power transmission part 400 comprises an upper and lower rollers 401 and 402 mounted in the inner housing . each of the rollers 401 and 402 can be rotated about each of pins 401a , and 402a , respectively . both ends of the pins 401a and 402a are fixed to the inner housing 20 and both pins 401a and 402a are spaced from each other . the power transmission part 400 further comprises a belt 403 of which a first and second protrusions 403a and 403b are formed on outer surface . the first and second protrusions 403a and 403b are opposite from each other . the upper and lower rollers 401 and 402 are connected by the belt 403 . the head part 10 fixed to the upper end of the first outer housing 40 comprises a head 11 and a rod 102 fixed to a lower end of the head 11 . when the first outer housing 40 to which the head part 10 is fixed is combined with the inner housing 20 , the rod 102 is received in the first outer housing 40 . a recess 102a is formed at a side of lower portion of the rod 102a . the second outer housing 60 in which the moving part 50 is received is fixed to the lower portion of the inner housing 20 . the moving part 50 is consisted of a brush fixture 51 and a brush 53 fixed to the lower end of the brush fixture 51 . a rod 502 is fixed to top end of the brush fixture 51 . a recess 502b is formed at a side of upper portion of the rod 502 . when the first outer housing 40 to which the head part 10 is fixed , and the inner housing 20 in which the power transmission part 400 is mounted and the second outer housing 60 in which the moving part 50 is received is are assembled as shown in fig9 the recess 102a of the rod 102 of the head part 10 receives the first protrusion 403a of the belt 403 and the recess 502b of the rod 502 of the moving part 10 receives the second protrusion 403b of the belt 403 . to draw - out the brush 53 of the moving part 50 from the second outer housing 60 , the head 11 is pulled - up as shown in fig9 and the rod 12 is then moved upwardly . since the first protrusion 403a formed on the belt 403 is received in the recess 102a of the rod 102 , the belt 403 is moved in direction indicated by an arrow i in fig1 in response to the movement of the rod 102 . therefore , the rod 502 of the moving part 50 is moved downwardly by the movement of the belt 403 since the recess 502b of the moving part 50 receives the second protrusion 403b formed on the belt 403 . as a result , the moving part 50 is moved downwardly in the second outer housing 60 and the brish 53 is exposed to outside of the second outer housing 60 as shown in fig1 . meanwhile , at initial position , that is , the first outer housing 40 and the second outer housing 60 are contacted from each other on the inner housing 20 as shown in fig9 the first protrusion 403a received in the recess 102a of the rod 102 is adjacent to the lower roller 402 and the second protrusion 403b received in the recess 502b of the rod 502 is adjacent to the upper roller 401 . therefore , a moving distance of the head part 10 and the moving part 50 can be maximized when a distance between the upper and lower rollers 401 and 402 is limited . although the rods 102 and 502 have the only one recess , respectively , and the belt 403 has the two protrusion 403a and 403b received in the recesses 102a and 502b , respectively , however , the number of the protrusion and recess is not limited . to transmit a power applied to the head 11 to the moving part 50 exactly , a plurality of recesses are formed on surface of the rods 102 and 502 at regular interval and a plurality of protrusions , which will be received in the recesses one by one , are formed on outer surface of the belt 403 at regular interval such as a timing belt . as shown in fig1 , after a drawn - out operation is completed as described above , an entire length of the pencil is further increased as much as twice of a maximum moving distance d1 ( distance between the pins 401a and 402a ) of the each protrusion 403a and 403b , that is , a length 2d1 which is a moving distance d1 of the first outer housing 40 added an exposed length d1 of the brush 53 of the moving part 50 . to receive the exposed brush 53 into the second outer housing 60 after the applicator is used , the head 11 of the head part 10 is pushed down , the first outer housing 40 is then moved downwardly along the inner housing 20 . at same time , the first protrusion 403a received in the recess 102a of the rod 102 is moved downwardly , therefore , the belt 403 is fed in a direction by arrow j of fig1 . as a result , the rod 502 whose the recess 502b receives the second protrusion 403b of the belt 403 is moved to upward and the moving part 50 is moved upwardly so that the exposed brush 53 is received in the second outer housing 60 . fig1 is a sectional view taken along line d -- d of fig1 and shows the belt 403 wrapped on the upper roller 401 which is mounted rotatably in the inner housing 20 by the pin 401a . also , fig1 shows the relation between the rod 102 of the head part 10 and the belt 403 and between the rod 502 of the moving part 50 and the belt 403 . in the present invention as described above , the brush is exposed to outside of the outer housing and an entire length of the applicator is increased by a pulling the head simply . also , the exposed brush is received in the outer housing and an entire length of the applicator is decreased by a pushing the head simply so that user can achieve the convenience for using the applicator . the above embodiments take example by a applicator for makeup , but may apply to writing tools such as ballpoint pens , of course . the foregoing description , although described in its preferred embodiments with a certain degree of particularity , is only illustrative of the principle of the present invention . it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the preferred embodiments disclosed and illustrated herein . accordingly , all expedient variations that may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention are to be encompassed as further embodiments of the present invention .	1
the present invention is directed to devices and methods for treatment of a patient &# 39 ; s body cavity , particularly to deliver asymmetrical radiation into a body cavity such as a cavity left after removal of tissue from the site . while the detailed description is directed to a device configured for treating a patient &# 39 ; breast after tissue removal such as in a lumpectomy , other body sites may also be treated with the device . fig1 - 8 illustrate a brachytherapy catheter device 10 embodying features of the invention which has an elongated shaft 11 , a distal tip 12 , a treatment location 13 in a distal shaft portion 14 proximal to the distal tip . the device 10 has a balloon 15 on the distal shaft portion 14 which surrounds the treatment location 13 . a hub 16 is mounted on the proximal end of the shaft 11 which has an inflation line 17 with leur connection 18 , a vacuum line 19 with a leur connection 20 and four outer delivery tubes 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 for delivery of a radiation source through the lumens thereof to the treatment location 13 off set from a centrally location longitudinal axis 25 to provide asymmetrical radiation of tissue surrounding the balloon 15 . the leur connections 18 and 20 are provided with threaded caps 26 and 27 respectively to close off the connections . each of the delivery tubes has a removable cap 28 , 29 , 30 , and 31 respectively to close of the delivery tubes until use . a centrally located delivery tube 32 is provided for radiation source delivery along the central longitudinal axis within the treatment location which also has a removable cap 33 . the hub 16 has a ridge 34 which is aligned with marker line 35 to provide the physician or other professional the orientation of the treatment location 13 . the elongated shaft 11 may also be provided with depth markings to help in the placement of the balloon 15 within the cavity . as shown best in fig2 , the elongated shaft 11 has eight lumens , four lumens 36 , 37 , 38 and 39 equally spaced about the longitudinal axis 25 for radiation source delivery as described above and four equally spaced additional lumens 40 , 41 , 42 and 43 , lumen 40 for vacuum application and lumen 42 for inflation fluid delivery to the interior of balloon 15 . lumens 41 and 44 are not used in this embodiment , but may be used for a variety of functions . a proximal vacuum port 44 is provided in fluid communication with lumen 40 and distal vacuum port 45 ( shown best in fig5 and 7 - 8 ) is provided in the distal tip 12 which is in fluid communication with lumen 40 through the annular space 46 between the central delivery tube 32 and center lumen 47 of support member 48 shown in fig2 - 4 . the support member 48 , which is best shown in fig6 . as shown in fig1 , 3 and 4 , the distal shaft portion 14 is split into four separate longitudinal wall segments 49 , 50 , 51 and 52 , with each wall segment having one of the radiation source lumens 36 - 39 and being disposed within one of the recesses 53 - 56 in the exterior surface of support member 48 . recesses 55 - 56 are not shown in fig6 but are on the opposite side of support member 48 . the longitudinal wall segments 49 - 52 are slit through the lumens 40 - 43 as best shown in fig3 - 5 . lumens 40 - 43 are plugged off proximal to the split of the wall segments 49 - 52 . this wall segment structure facilitates the manufacture of the catheter . the elongated shaft may be extruded with all eight lumens 36 - 43 in place and the distal shaft portion 14 is segmented by cutting through lumens 40 - 43 by a cutting blade or other suitable cutting element . the support member 48 may be slid over the central delivery tube 32 with the proximal end of the support member secured within the central lumen of the shaft 11 . the free ends of the slit wall segments 49 - 52 are secured to the distal end of the support member 48 . the balloon 15 may then be secured to the shaft 11 with wound sutures 57 and 58 further securing the ends of the balloon to the shaft . the outer delivery tubes 21 - 24 may extend through lumens 36 - 39 to the distal ends of the wall segments 49 - 52 . inflation line 17 and vacuum line 19 may likewise extend through lumens 40 and 41 to a location ( not shown ) proximal to the split of the wall segments 49 - 52 . as best shown in fig5 , 7 and 8 , the distal tip 12 has the distal vacuum port 45 which is in fluid communication with the annular space 46 between central delivery tube 32 and lumen 47 of support member 48 . the distal tip 12 is provided with outer source lumen plugs 60 - 63 for plugging lumens 36 - 39 and center source lumen plug 64 for plugging the distal end of central tube 32 . the brachytherapy catheter device 10 is readily manufactured . the elongated shaft 11 is extruded , preferably with the lumens 36 - 43 within the wall and the central lumen 46 . the distal shaft portion 14 is cut by a suitable cutting member such as a razor or knife like member to form the plurality of separated longitudinal wall segments 49 - 52 . the support member 48 is preferably machined from an extruded tubular polymeric product to form the recesses 53 - 56 and overall shape and centrally placed within the separated longitudinal wall segments . a tubular member 32 is positioned within the inner lumen of the elongated shaft 11 and may continue to the distal end of the shaft through the inner lumen of the support member 48 . the distal tip 12 is secured to the distal end of the shaft 11 and support member 48 with plug members 60 - 63 inserted into the lumens within the wall segments 49 - 52 and central plug member 64 within the lumen of the centrally disposed tubular member 32 . the distal tip 12 is preferably preformed with the vacuum ports 45 . the distal ends of the separated longitudinal wall segments are secured to the distal end of the device , preferably to the distal end of the support member . the balloon 15 is mounted about the wall segments 49 - 52 and support member 48 with the distal end of the balloon secured to the distal end of the wall segments and support member and the proximal end of the balloon is secured to the elongated shaft proximal to the separated longitudinal wall segments . preferably , strands or sutures are wrapped around each of the mounted ends of the balloon 15 to provide further support to the ends . the proximal end of the device 10 is similar to the brachytherapy devices previously described in copending application ser . nos . 11 / 593 , 784 and 11 / 593 , 789 previously referred to herein . a body cavity within a patient may be treated with the device 10 by inserting the distal shaft portion 13 into the desired body cavity , inflating the balloon 15 with inflation fluid to secure the device within the patient and applying a vacuum to either the distal or proximal vacuum ports or both to conform the tissue lining the cavity to the exterior of balloon 15 . a radiation source is advanced through one or more of the source delivery lumens until the radiation source is properly positioned within the treatment location 13 ( or prepositioned therein ). the radiation source ( not shown ) is maintained at the treatment location 13 for a prescribe period of time , usually less than 30 minutes and typically a few ( 5 - 10 ) minutes . the radiation source may be placed at several places within the treatment location with in one or multiple source lumens . at the end of the treatment time , the radiation source may be removed from device 10 or the entire device may be withdrawn from the patient . preferably , the device is left in place so that further radiation treatments may be performed . the radiation source for the brachytherapy device 10 can include a solid , liquid or slurried radiation source . suitable liquid radiation sources include , for example , a liquid containing a radioactive iodine isotope ( e . g ., i 125 or i 131 ), a slurry of a solid isotope , for example , 198 au or 169 yb , or a gel containing a radioactive isotope . liquid radiation sources are also commercially available ( e . g ., iotrex ®, proxima therapeutics , inc ., alpharetta , ga .). the solid radiation source may be a radioactive microsphere available from 3m company of st . paul , minn . a micro miniature x - ray source may also be utilized . the radiation source may be either preloaded into the device 10 at the time of manufacture or may be loaded into the device 10 before or after placement into a body cavity or other site of a patient . solid radionuclides suitable for use with a device 10 embodying features of the present invention are currently generally available as brachytherapy radiation sources ( e . g ., i - plant ™ med - tec , orange city , iowa .). radiation may also be delivered by a device such as the x - ray tube of u . s . pat . no . 6 , 319 , 188 . the x - ray tubes are small , flexible and are believed to be capable of being maneuverable enough to reach the desired location within a patient &# 39 ; s body . the source delivery lumens of brachytherapy device 10 having features of the invention can be provided with a lubricious coating , such as a hydrophilic material . the lubricious coating preferably is applied to the elongate shaft 12 or to the cavity filling member , if one is present or both to reduce sticking and friction during insertion of a device 10 . hydrophilic coatings such as those provided by ast , surmodics , tua systems , hydromer , or sts biopolymers are suitable . a device 10 having features of the invention may also include an antimicrobial coating that covers all or a portion of the device 10 to minimize the risk of introducing of an infection during extended treatments . the antimicrobial coating preferably is comprised of silver ions impregnated into a hydrophilic carrier . alternatively the silver ions are implanted onto the surface of the device 10 by ion beam deposition . the antimicrobial coating preferably is comprised of an antiseptic or disinfectant such as chlorhexadiene , benzyl chloride or other suitable biocompatible antimicrobial materials impregnated into hydrophilic coatings . antimicrobial coatings such as those provided by spire , ast , algon , surfacine , ion fusion , or bacterin international would be suitable . alternatively a cuff member covered with the antimicrobial coating is provided on the elongated shaft of the delivery device 10 at the point where the device 10 enters the skin . fig9 illustrates a modified support member 48 which is provided with a heating coil 70 to raise the temperature of tissue in the cavity lining either simultaneously with or sequentially to irradiation of the cavity lining as previously described . while fig9 depicts a heating 70 on one raised portion of the support member 48 , a heating element may be provided on a plurality of raised portions of the support member . preferably , the heating coils are powered by rf energy and are connected to a suitable high frequency generator . voltage , current , frequency and duty factor may be adjusted to provide a suitable thermal treatment to tissue lining the cavity to augment the irradiation thereof . other means may include heating the inflation fluid within the balloon 15 . the heating of the inflation fluid may be exterior to the device 10 . while particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , it will be apparent that various modifications and improvements can be made to the invention . additional details of the brachytherapy catheter devices may be found in the patents and applications incorporated herein . to the extent not otherwise disclosed herein , materials and structure may be of conventional design . moreover , individual features of embodiments of the invention may be shown in some drawings and not in others , but those skilled in the art will recognize that individual features of one embodiment of the invention can be combined with any or all the features of another embodiment . accordingly , it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated . it is therefore intended that this invention be defined by the scope of the appended claims as broadly as the prior art will permit . terms such as “ element ”, “ member ”, “ component ”, “ device ”, “ means ”, “ portion ”, “ section ”, “ steps ” and words of similar import when used herein shall not be construed as invoking the provisions of 35 u . s . c § 112 ( 6 ) unless the following claims expressly use the terms “ means for ” or “ step for ” followed by a particular function without reference to a specific structure or a specific action . all patents and all patent applications referred to above are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety .	0
referring now to fig1 and 2 , a diatonic harmonica 2 is shown including a body or “ comb ” depicted generally at 10 . the comb 10 is preferably fabricated of a wood , resinous plastic or metal material . the comb 10 is sandwiched between two reed plates 11 , 12 which include a blow reed plate shown generally at 11 - and a draw reed plate shown generally at 12 . the plates 11 , 12 are further sandwiched within a housing comprising an upper cover 13 and a mating cover 14 . the plates 11 , 12 are preferably composed of brass or another similar material suitable for use in a harmonica . it can be appreciated that the harmonica 2 can be assembled by use of conventional mechanical fasteners such as screws , bolts and the like . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the blow reed plate 11 contains a plurality of blow reed slots 30 - 39 , that each accommodate a blow reed such as reed 15 ( shown slightly flexed ) in each blow reed slot , such as slot 30 . the blow reeds 15 are mounted on the blow reed plate 11 such that when the blow reed plate 11 is positioned next to the comb 10 during assembly , the blow reeds 15 seat inside the cells such as cell 17 formed within the comb 10 . these cells 17 allow air passage into and out of the harmonica 2 by the actions of blowing and drawing , respectively . referring again to fig1 and 2 , the draw reed plate 12 has within it a series of draw reed slots , 40 - 49 , each including a draw reed such as draw reed 20 therein . the draw reeds 20 are mounted on the outside of the draw reed plate 12 relative to the comb 10 . the draw reeds 20 naturally vibrate when the harmonica player draws air out of the harmonica . each blow reed 15 , such as the blow reed 15 in position 30 , has a corresponding draw reed 20 , such as the draw reed 20 in position 40 , positioned substantially opposite the blow reed 15 , such that the matched pair of reeds 15 , 20 share a common cell 17 . during harmonica play , each cell 17 communicates with a blow reed 15 and a draw reed 20 as a matched pair of reeds 15 , 20 . referring again to fig1 and 2 , the draw reeds 20 in positions 40 - 49 normally sound only when air is drawn out of the harmonica 2 . this is how the diatonic harmonica 2 is designed to operate during normal play . however , it has been established that during certain procedures , known as “ bends ,” “ overblows ,” and “ overdraws ,” wherein the resonance of the vocal tract is critically altered , both the draw reeds 20 and the blow reeds 15 can be caused to vibrate sympathetically . referring again to fig1 and 2 , reeds 15 and 20 are normally attached by a rivet or another suitable mechanical fastener to the reed plates 11 , 12 so that each reed , in its detent or resting position , is in a substantially parallel position with respect to the reed plate but is also substantially outside respective reed slots , 30 and 40 . in normal functioning of the harmonica 2 , the reeds are caused to vibrate by positive or negative air pressure applied to the cells 17 by the player . during a blowing action , the blow reed 15 is caused to close while draw reed 20 is caused to open . the closing action of the blow reed 15 normally results in a sustained oscillation due to the inverse relationship between the air pressure and the aerodynamic resistance across the reed slot 30 . that is , additional instantaneous air pressure causes the reed 15 to close further , thereby decreasing the clearance between the reed 15 and the blow reed plate 11 , and thereby increasing the aerodynamic drag . this , in turn , causes a reduction of airflow that inevitably allows the normal elasticity of the reed 15 to reopen the slot 30 . by contrast , the draw reed 20 is moved to an open position during a blowing operation , thereby decreasing its aerodynamic resistance . as such , the draw reed 20 does not support oscillation , but instead accounts for unwanted loss of air pressure . likewise , when the player draws through passage 17 , the roles of the reeds are reversed . under certain situations , both reeds can be caused to oscillate . this generally occurs when the player is drawing through the first six cells 21 - 26 of the harmonica 2 or blowing through the last four cells 27 - 30 of the harmonica . in each of these situations , the opening reed is tuned to a frequency lower than the closing reed in the shared , corresponding cell , such as cell 17 for the reeds 15 , 20 . likewise , during a draw bend or blow bend procedure , the vibration of the lower - pitched opening reed increases while the vibration of the closing reed decreases . referring now to fig3 through 5 , a reed plate 52 is shown having a reed 54 attached thereto such as by a mechanical fastener or rivet 56 . in a closed position 55 of the reed 54 as it vibrates in position over the slot 58 formed in the reed plate 52 , lateral gaps 60 , 62 are formed between the reed 54 and the reed plate 52 . during harmonica play , these gaps 60 , 62 disadvantageously permit air to escape or enter the slot 58 between the reed 54 and the reed plate 52 . as shown more particularly in fig6 and 7 , during harmonica play air flow can pass through lateral gaps 60 , 62 during a closing action or by relative motion of the reed 54 in the direction of the slot 58 of the reed plate 52 ( as shown in fig6 ). the closing action of the reed 54 is caused by the negative air pressure − ap . in addition , the air flow can pass through lateral gaps 60 , 62 during an opening action or by relative movement of the reed 54 away from the reed plate 52 and the slot 58 ( as shown in fig7 ). the opening action of the reed 54 is caused by the positive air pressure + ap . referring now to fig8 through 12 , the harmonica of the present invention includes a reed comb 72 having a plurality of integrally formed reeds such as reeds 74 , 76 , 78 extending from a common bridge 80 . the reed comb 72 is adapted to be received and connected by mechanical attachment such as by rivet 82 onto a reed plate 84 having a plurality of reed slots such as reed slot 79 formed therein . the reed plate 84 has a first portion 86 positioned within a first plane 88 and a second portion 90 extending through a second plane 92 . the first plane 88 is substantially parallel to the second plane 92 as shown . the second portion 90 of the reed plate 84 also has a stepped portion 91 on a surface of the first portion 86 of the reed plate 84 . the root 77 of the reed 76 rests on this stepped portion 91 and is mechanically connected as previously discussed to the reed plate 84 by the rivet 82 . a counterbore 96 is formed within the second portion 90 of the reed plate 84 . it is therefore the function of the stepped portion 91 to permit substantial encasement of the reed 76 within the reed slot 79 . the counterbores 96 , 98 can extend distances 100 , 102 , respectively beyond the tips 104 , 106 of the reeds 76 , 74 . it can be appreciated that the reed plates and reed combs can be fabricated in any of several ways including conventional milling , die stamping , electron discharge machining , laser cutting , electroforming or photo - etching to promote reed dimensions and alignment relative to the common bridge . furthermore , an integrally formed and single - piece reed comb is relatively easier to assemble to the reed plate than a conventional harmonica design typically wherein ten individual reeds are assembled to a reed plate . in addition , in the harmonica of the present invention , the rotational alignment of the reed with respect to the reed comb is assured by the integral association of the reeds with the common bridge of the reed comb . this invention therefore features a novel configuration of reeds within the reed slots of a given reed plate . unlike the stacked arrangement of reeds on top of a conventional reed plate slot , the reeds of this invention are situated partially or substantially within a counterbore . the counterbore proves a small clearance at the tip of the reed near the second portion of the reed plate . however the flanks of the reed are positioned substantially within the slot of the reed plate when the reed moves toward the reed plate slot during play . this structure thereby substantially interrupts the leakage of air characterized by conventional harmonica play . this interruption of airflow also reduces the edge tones responsible for undesirable whistling and squealing while playing a harmonica . the reeds of the present invention are composed of a material selected from the group of elastic metals including phosphor bronze , beryllium copper , brass , and nickel - titanium alloy . nickel - titanium alloy is characterized by relatively high elasticity and durability , and is therefore a preferred material for the reeds of the present invention . this alloy also addresses the problems associated with relatively softer materials , namely the problem of detuning of the harmonica due to strain hardening and fatigue . in addition , a material that is too yielding can result in dislocation of harmonica components such as the reeds . it should be appreciated that although the embodiment of the present invention depicted in fig8 through 12 shows a reed plate having material removed near the tip and near the base of the reed , substantially similar properties can be achieved if material is added along the flanks of the reeds . referring now to fig1 a , 13b and 13 c , it is shown that material can be removed from the area adjacent to the root 107 of the reed 108 . material can also be removed from the reed plate in the vicinity of the tip 109 of the reed 108 . as shown in fig1 b , material 110 can be positioned adjacent to the reed 108 to resist leakage of air between the reed plate and the flanks of the reed 108 during harmonica play . material removed from the vicinity of the tip 109 of the reed 108 can form a substantially ramped surface , as shown in fig1 c . referring now to fig1 , the reed plate 112 of the present invention can include two stepped portions 114 , 116 in conjunction with assembly of a reed comb 118 with the reed plate 112 . the stepped portion 116 extends along substantially the entire length of the reed plate 112 . in the form of the invention shown , a plurality of recesses such as recesses 120 , 122 , 124 are also formed in the reed plate 112 . referring now to fig1 , in another embodiment of the present invention , the reeds 125 , 126 , 127 are formed integrally with the reed plate 128 of the harmonica by cutting along three sides 129 , 130 , 131 of the perimeter of each reed . this permits each reed to cantilever from the fourth , uncut side 132 of each reed when the reed vibrates during harmonica play . referring now to fig1 through 19 , fig1 shows an aspect of the present invention wherein the recess 142 at the tip 144 of the reed 146 positioned in the slot 148 of the reed plate 150 is a substantially circular counterbore . fig1 shows an aspect wherein the recess 152 at the tip 154 of the reed 156 is a rectangular counterbore located primarily forward of the tip 154 of the reed 156 on the reed plate 150 . fig1 shows an aspect wherein the recess 162 at the tip 164 of the reed 166 is a rectangular counterbore located primarily behind the tip 164 of the reed 166 on the reed plate 150 . fig1 shows an aspect wherein the recess 172 at the tip 174 of the reed 176 is a rectangular counterbore located both in front of the tip 174 of the reed 176 a distance l 1 and behind the tip 174 of the reed 176 a distance l 2 . referring now to fig2 and 21 , the acoustic performance of reeds in a harmonica can be characterized by their acoustic admittance , defined as the first derivative of acoustic flow with respect to pressure . this is typically a complex quantity , containing a real part and an imaginary part . vibration theory prescribes that when the real part of the complex admittance is negative , the reed exhibits sustained vibration . when plotted as a function of frequency and pressure , the typical response of a pair of reeds such as those found in a harmonica is shown as a solid - line plotted in fig2 and 21 . [ 0078 ] fig2 depicts the admittance of a reed pair wherein the higher - pitched reed is operating as a closing reed and the lower - pitched reed is operating in its opening mode . for example , this admittance is provided when a harmonica player is drawing holes 1 to 6 or blowing holes 7 to 10 of a standard 10 - hole diatonic harmonica . the fundamental frequencies of the lower - pitched reed and the higher - pitched reed are shown as f lp and f hp , respectively . [ 0079 ] fig2 depicts the admittance of a reed pair wherein the lower - pitched reed is operating as a closing reed and the higher - pitched reed is operating in its opening mode . this admittance characteristic is provided when the player is blowing through holes 1 to 6 or drawing through holes 7 to 10 of the 10 - hole diatonic harmonica . the second “ dip ” seen in fig2 corresponds to the overblow or overdraw note which is distinct from the respective blow and draw notes . in the context of fig2 and 21 , an object of the present invention is to increase the range ( bandwidth ) of the unstable frequencies and to increase the range of acoustic admittance for which the reed is unstable . this , in turn , enlarges the range of oral geometries that a player may achieve a desired tone . it can also have the effect of lowering the pressure at which instability occurs . this is shown more particularly by the dashed curves in fig2 and 21 . these acoustic admittance curves of reed pairs are adapted and shown herein for illustrative purposes from johnston , r . b ., “ pitch control in harmonica playing ,” acoust . aust . 15 ( 3 ), 69 - 75 ( 1987 ). referring now to fig2 , in another embodiment of the present invention , a cross - section of a reed 202 of the present invention is shown partially positioned within its respective reed slot 204 in a reed plate 205 . the radii 206 , 208 , 210 , 212 , 214 , 216 are provided along the reed 202 and the upper and lower portions of the flanks 218 , 220 of the reed 202 to improve the aerodynamics of the airflow traveling between the reed 202 and the reed plate 205 during harmonica play . these radii are preferably in the range of about 0 . 001 to 0 . 0025 inches . an advantage of these radii is reducing undesirable edge tones usually causing discordant “ whistle ” sounds emanating from the closing action of the reed 202 . referring now to fig2 , in another aspect of the present invention , the comb 232 of the harmonica is principally a wedge - shaped structure having a top surface 234 sloped at an angle a with respect to vertical and a bottom surface 236 angled at an angle β with respect to vertical . this aspect of the present invention alters the acoustic properties of the air space 238 within the comb 232 and thereby affects the timbre of the sound produced . the angles α and β can each be in the range of approximately 75 to 105 degrees . referring now to fig2 , in another aspect of the present invention , the comb 252 of the harmonica can be reduced to a height h 1 . the advantages of this configuration are twofold . first , the relatively close distance d 1 of the reeds 254 , 256 in the cell 258 improves their interaction during harmonica play . accordingly , blow bends and draw bends are more readily performed by the harmonica player . this feature is particularly desirable on the first four and last four holes of a conventional ten - hole diatonic harmonica . second , the volume of the cavity 258 , being reduced from a typical volume , resists the player from reducing his / her mouth cavity to such a considerable degree than is conventionally needed for blow bending , overblowing , and overdrawing procedures . this feature is most desirably utilized on the last four holes of a conventional ten - hole diatonic harmonica . the height h 1 is preferably in the range of 3 . 5 to 4 . 5 mm or most preferably about 4 . 0 mm as compared to the typical height dimension of about 6 . 2 mm . in order to maintain a normal opening at the lips of the player , outward flares 260 , 262 are provided , respectively , at the front edge of the reed plates 264 , 266 . referring now to fig2 , another aspect of the present invention is shown wherein the comb 272 is increased to a height h 2 . the advantages of this configuration are twofold . first , the increased distance d 2 between the two reeds 274 , 276 in the cell 278 reduces their interaction . accordingly , dissonant overblows and overdraws can be avoided . this feature is most desirable on the last seven holes of a ten - hole diatonic harmonica . second , the volume of the cavity 278 , being increased from its normal volume , resists the player from increasing his / her mouth cavity to a point greater than currently required for a draw bending procedure . this feature is most desirable on the first four holes of a diatonic harmonica . the height h 2 is preferably in the range of about 7 . 0 to 8 . 5 mm or most preferably 8 . 0 mm as compared to the typical height dimension of about 6 . 2 mm . to maintain a normal opening for the lips of the player ( not shown ), inward flares 280 , 282 are provided , respectively , at the front edge of the reed plates 284 , 286 . referring now to fig2 , a conventional comb 312 is shown having all cells of substantially the same width or approximately 4 . 2 mm . referring next to fig2 , in accordance with an aspect of the present invention , the volume of each of the lower three cells 334 , 335 , 336 is increased and the volume of the upper two cells 342 , 343 is decreased by comparable enlargement or reduction of the widths of these cells . the range for the width of these cells with reduced or enlarged widths is preferably from about 3 mm to 6 mm . referring now to fig2 , in another aspect of the present invention , the reeds 362 , 364 of the harmonica can be mounted on their respective reed plates 368 , 370 ) so that their respective roots 369 , 371 are positioned in a substantially axial alignment with respect to each other . this provides the benefit of increasing the interaction between the reeds , thereby providing the improved play benefits previously described for other aspects of the present invention . referring now to fig2 and 30 , in another aspect of the present invention , the thickness t of the reed plate 382 can be in the range from about 1 . 5 to 2 mm . in contrast , a conventional harmonica has reed plates with thicknesses typically in the range of about 0 . 9 to 1 . 0 mm . this provides the advantage of increasing the amount of time the reed 386 spends within the slot 387 , and thereby avoids leakage that occurs when the tip 388 of the reed 386 passes completely through the slot 387 . fig3 presents an enlarged view of section 30 - 30 of fig2 that shows the detail of the reed plate 384 near the tip 392 of the reed 390 . an additional feature of this reed plate 384 is a taper angle θ , corresponding to the arc of the reed 390 during its flexion . the inclusion of this taper angle θ also serves to reduce the leakage created by a gap 394 formed between the tip 392 of the reed 390 and the internal surface 396 of the reed slot 391 , which gap 394 widens as the reed 390 flexes into the reed slot 391 . the taper angle θ is typically in the range of approximately one to seven degrees . referring now to fig3 , in another aspect of the present invention , a flexible member 402 is affixed at one end of the flexible member 402 to a surface 403 of the reed plate 404 . the length and width of this member 402 are each slightly larger than the reed slot . therefore , when air pressure is provided that causes the reed 406 to open , this normally resiliently biased member 402 is forced against the reed slot thereby substantially closing off air leakage . when air pressure is applied causing this reed 406 to close , the flexible member 402 is deflected from the source of air pressure , thereby not substantially affecting the function of the associated reed 406 . this feature is beneficial for the draw reeds of the first three holes of a conventional diatonic harmonica , wherein excessive loss of air pressure is experienced when the player attempts to play a blow note , and also wherein overblows are not performed , thus the draw reed is not required to operate in the opening fashion . in the preferred embodiment , the flexible member is made from about 0 . 004 ″ thick polyethylene , but any suitable material of equivalent thickness and stiffness may be used . it can be appreciated that the improvements described herein need not be applied to all 20 reeds , but could be applied to only one reed , or some other reasonable combination of reeds of a harmonica . whereas certain terms of relative orientation such as “ upper ” and “ lower ” have been used herein to describe the invention , these terms are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . in addition , while specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure . accordingly , the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof .	6
referring to fig1 and 2 , a revolver 10 with a muzzle end shown to the left in fig1 and a rear end to the right , includes a barrel 12 having a bore 13 and received in a barrel shroud 14 mounted on a frame 16 . the frame 16 has a generally rectangular opening 18 therethrough which receives a cylinder 20 rotationally hung on a yoke 21 that swings at a right angle to the frame 16 . a trigger 220 is pivotally supported on the frame 16 by a pivot pin , while a ratchet arm is pivotally attached to the trigger 220 and configured conventionally to index a plurality of cylinder chambers 24 into axial alignment with the bore 13 in a known manner . for a discussion of the function and purpose of the yoke , cylinder , and ratchet , reference is made to u . s . pat . no . 517 , 152 , issued to daniel b . wesson on mar . 27 , 1894 , for a “ swinging cylinder and trigger lock for revolvers ”, which is hereby incorporated as part of the present disclosure . the right side of the frame 16 defines an inner cavity 26 which mounts and protects an arrangement of mechanical components which cock and fire the revolver 10 , collectively referred to as a firing mechanism 27 . conventional screws are used to attach a side plate 28 to the frame 16 to enclose the cavity 26 and prevent entry of debris into the cavity 26 . all subsequent references to left , right , rearward and forward directions are to be interpreted hereafter according to the coordinates established above . therefore , as the revolver is held in its sighting position , the left side of the revolver is that shown in fig1 and the right side shown as disassembled in fig2 . the revolver 10 of the present invention includes many mechanical components having functions understood well in the industry . however , as the revolver 10 is configured to discharge electrically - fired ammunition , such as developed by remington arms company and referred to as the conductive primer mix described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 646 , 367 , many of the well - known mechanical components have been modified , eliminated , or replaced as needed . a backstrap module 30 is configured to contain and protect most of the electronics , including a battery 31 , and the module 30 mates with the rear end of the revolver 10 in a direction indicated by arrow 32 . an ergonomically - designed finger grip attachment 34 is moved in a direction generally indicated by arrow 36 to engage the backstrap module 30 and a frame post 37 , thereby forming a conventional handgrip 38 which depends from the rear of the frame 16 . the frame post 37 has parallel , opposed side surfaces 39 and a contoured front surface 40 which are contacted by complimentary surfaces of the finger grip attachment 34 during assembly of the revolver 10 . once the backstrap module 30 and finger grip attachment 34 are positioned onto the frame 16 , a lower mount screw 41 is inserted through the finger grip attachment 34 to secure the handgrip 38 . a sight assembly 42 is received within a top edge 46 of the frame 16 and the barrel shroud 14 , and includes a lower housing 48 and a pair of longitudinal dovetails 50 which are oriented parallel to the top edge 46 when installed on the revolver 10 . the frame 16 has a dovetail receiver 52 concealed within the top edge 46 of the frame 16 and shroud 14 to engage the dovetails 50 . during assembly , the dovetails 50 are moved forwardly into the shroud 14 until the lower housing 48 of the slide assembly 42 is positioned over an associated housing receiver 54 in the frame 16 . the lower housing 48 is then pressed downwardly into the housing receiver 54 of the frame 16 and secured with a sight assembly mount screw 58 . referring to fig3 - 6 , the backstrap module 30 includes upper and lower keys 60 , 62 which face forwardly to engage upper and lower key slots 64 , 66 of the frame 16 . the finger grip attachment 34 has parallel edges 68 , which engage associated slots 72 of the backstrap module 30 , preventing the frame 16 from releasing or disengaging from the lower portion of the module 30 . a u - shaped channel with parallel sides 78 and a forward face 80 mates against the parallel sides 39 and front surface 40 of the frame post 37 to prevent lateral movement of the finger grip attachment 34 on the frame 16 . the backstrap module 30 includes left and right housing halves 86 , 88 which are molded from plastic and sealed together after the electronic components are arranged and mounted within the housing . the housing halves 86 , 88 are preferably injection molded from a rigid dielectric material such as nylon or plastic which is capable of enduring the hostile environment of the revolver during normal use . the halves 86 , 88 include known types of interior features , which effectively retain and mount the electronic components . an outer seal 90 is molded from soft - touch plastic and includes five buttons 91 configured to actuate a complimentary array of dome switches positioned underneath . as discussed in detail below , the dome switches are used by the operator to perform various operational functions prior to firing the revolver 10 , as discussed in detail below . a metallic firing probe 95 is insert molded in position during fabrication of the housing halves 86 , 88 in an orientation which will be discussed below . two transfer bar guides 96 are located and configured to engage , support , and guide the firing mechanism 27 during later stages of its actuation . a battery holder 97 defines a generally - cylindrical , elongated blind bore sized to receive the battery 31 which energizes the circuitry in the revolver . the battery is a model dl123abu manufactured by duracell , but other comparable battery types are readily available . referring to fig7 - 8 , a circuitboard arrangement 100 is configured for mounting within the backstrap module 30 to organize and mount the electronic components collectively referred to as a circuit assembly 101 . the circuit assembly 101 receives electronic and mechanical inputs from the operator and produces a firing signal having a minimum of 130 - volt once the firing mechanism 27 has been successfully actuated . the circuit assembly 101 is divided into two collections of components , which are referred to as a security apparatus and a firing apparatus . each apparatus has distinct function in the overall operation of the revolver 10 . the security apparatus has the broadly defined function of authorizing the firing apparatus to produce the firing signal . before the security apparatus authorizes the firing apparatus to produce the firing signal , a plurality of input signals must be received by the security apparatus , which are indicative of compliance with operational parameters of the revolver . the operational parameters include : a properly entered personal identification number of a firearm operator ; a signal indicating the firearm is being held properly ; a signal from the firing mechanism indicating its movement toward its firing position ; and a signal indicative of the firing probe contacting a properly - loaded ammunition cartridge . each of the signals , and the specific sequence in which they are produced , is discussed in detail below . once the required plurality of operational parameters is received by the security apparatus , a discharge authorization signal is produced and sent to the firing apparatus . the high - voltage firing signal is produced by the firing apparatus and transmitted to the cartridge via hardware discussed in detail below . the firing apparatus includes a fly - back circuit which uses energy from the 3 - volt battery to generate the high - volt firing signal using known capacitive discharge techniques . a rigid main circuitboard 102 mounts a majority of the components , which comprise the circuit assembly 101 , and is of the general type known in the electronics industry for surface - mounting or post - mounting components . an arrangement of flexible circuitboard portions is integrated with the rigid circuitboard 102 and are configured to arrange various components in specific orientations which efficiently utilize space which is available within the module . each flexible circuitboard portion is merely an extension of the main circuitboard but imbedded in flexible resin to maintain a flexibility that allows components to be manipulated into desired configurations and / or orientations within the backstrap module . the circuitboard arrangement 100 includes : the main circuitboard 102 ; a first flexible portion 104 , second and third flexible portions 106 , 108 ; an input device 110 ; a high voltage mountboard 112 ; and a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) mountboard 114 . the first flexible portion 104 extends between the main circuitboard 102 and the input device 110 . the second flexible portion 106 extends between the main circuitboard 102 and the high - voltage mountboard 112 , and the third flexible portion 108 extends between the high - voltage mountboard 112 and the lcd mountboard 114 . a ground strap 118 extends forwardly from the main circuitboard 102 and through the backstrap module housing to engage and electrically ground the frame 16 to the circuitboard arrangement 100 . the input device 110 is incorporated directly into the conductive elements of the arrangement 100 , and includes the dome switches 120 which are located in the handgrip 38 so that a high percentage of users are able to actuate any of the switches 120 while gripping the revolver 10 under normal operating conditions . the high - voltage mountboard 112 mounts an arrangement of inductors , one of which is indicated by numeral 126 , a capacitor 128 , the firing probe 95 , a three - volt battery 131 , and a hammer terminal 132 . the inductor 126 is included in a “ fly - back ” circuit , which is energized by the battery to produce the firing signal , or energy pulse , that is stored temporarily in the capacitor 128 . the firing probe 95 includes an anchor post 134 , which is used to solder the probe 95 to the high - voltage mountboard 112 . the hammer terminal 132 is utilized as an actuator sensor and is a flexible metal strip that is contacted by the firing mechanism to close an electrical input circuit in the processor 101 . the third flexible portion 108 extends between the high - voltage mountboard 112 and a lcd mountboard 114 . a lcd 140 is mounted to the lcd mountboard 114 and is positioned centrally between the backstrap module housing halves 86 . 88 to display electronic information for the operator in the form of readable text and / or symbols . a plurality of signals and / or information can be programmed for display on the lcd 140 , including whether or not the firearm has been authorized for use or is in the condition to be fired , and whether or not the hand grip is being grasped properly by the user . additional information , which can be displayed includes the level of energy stored within the battery , and whether the firearm is on or is in a standby mode . a light emitting diode ( led ) 144 and photosensor circuitboard 146 are attached to the lcd mountboard 114 via a mount post 150 , and configured for use with the sight assembly 42 ( seen in fig2 ) to illuminate the front and rear sights for the revolver operator . a photosensitive cell 152 is incorporated into the photosensor circuitboard 146 to receive ambient light received from the sight assembly 42 and produce an electronic signal for the ciruitboard 146 which corresponds to the level of ambient light surrounding the revolver at any given time . details of the circuitry within the circuitboard 146 are considered within the grasp of an individual skilled in the applicable art and will not be discussed further . the photosensitive cell 152 is a cadmium sulfide ambient light cell manufactured by clairex and is capable of measuring levels of ambient light and translating the levels into light corresponding signals for transmission to the processor . a high - intensity led that has been used successfully in the revolver is a model tlge160 manufactured by toshiba . an external terminal connection 156 is positioned in the handgrip 38 to receive a complimentary connector of an external device ( not shown ) used to communicate with the processor . the external device can be one of any number of components used for tasks such as entering an authorization code using a separate biometric or other similar device , interrogating and / or changing programmed code in the processor , changing an authorization code and / or factory serial code , determining and / or changing control parameters of certain components . referring to fig9 a firing probe assembly 160 is assembled and engaged between the frame 16 and backstrap module 30 , and includes the firing probe 95 and a probe tip 162 biased forwardly by a probe spring 164 . an actuator bushing 168 defines a tip bore 167 with a countersunk rear end that slidably receives the probe tip 162 , the probe spring 164 , and the firing probe 95 . the actuator bushing 168 is slidably disposed within a frame bore 170 defined on the bore axis . an actuator spring 169 is captured within an annular space formed between the actuator bushing 168 and the frame bore 170 . the firing probe 95 includes the anchor post 134 , a shank portion 172 and a tube 173 . as shown in fig8 the anchor post 134 is soldered to the high voltage mountboard 112 in the backstrap module 30 . the tube 173 defines a blind bore 174 that loosely receives the probe spring 164 . the probe tip 162 is pressed forward by the probe spring 164 into electrical contact with a cartridge in the cylinder , and includes a rounded front end and a conical rear lip 176 . the contour of the front end compliments a dimple in the primer of the cartridge so that the probe tip 162 consistently centers itself against the cartridge . the rear lip 176 is configured to be captured by a complimentary conical seat 178 defined in the tip bore 167 of the actuator bushing 168 . the probe tip 162 has a flat rear surface which bears rearwardly against the probe spring 164 at all times and against the tube 173 when the firing mechanism is recovered . once firing probe assembly 160 is installed in the frame 16 , the probe tip 162 protrudes through the bore 167 of the actuator bushing 168 , and the rear lip 176 is captured between the conical seat 178 of the actuator bushing 168 and the tube 173 of the firing probe 95 . the probe spring 164 is selected to provide a force that is able to move the probe tip rapidly in response to actuation of the firing mechanism 27 . the actuator bushing 168 is defined by cylindrical front and rear portions 186 , 188 having dissimilar outer diameters that form a step 190 therebetween . the counterbored tip bore 167 slidably receives the firing probe 95 , and the seat 178 retains the lip 176 of the probe tip 162 . thus , once assembled , axial movement of the probe tip 162 in the forward direction is governed by the axial location of the seat 178 of the actuator bushing 168 . the bushing 168 has an annular drive surface 196 facing rearwardly , which is contacted by the firing mechanism as discussed in detail below . the rear end of the frame bore 170 is double - counterbored and the front end of the bore 170 has a single counterbore 206 . the double rear counterbore forms first and second annular seats 202 , 204 which receive , respectively , the step 190 of the actuator bushing 168 and the actuator spring 169 . the actuator spring 169 fits over the front cylindrical portion 186 of the actuator bushing 168 and bears rearwardly against the step 190 of the bushing 168 and forwardly against the second seat 204 of the bore 170 . the first seat 202 of the bore 170 governs maximum forward travel of the actuator bushing 168 by engaging the step 190 of the bushing 168 . the front counterbore 206 of the bore 170 has a diameter and depth which are selected to tightly receive an annular recoil plate bushing 210 which , with the frame 16 , forms a recoil plate 212 . the recoil plate bushing 210 defines a probe tip bore 214 aligned on the barrel axis which is configured to slidably receive the probe tip 162 that moves into and out of electrical engagement with the cartridge on the barrel axis . the bushing 210 is molded from a high - strength zirconia ceramic material to withstand highly repetitive revolver firing forces and electrically insulate the frame 16 from the probe tip 162 . the bushing 210 has a front surface with a slightly convexed or crowned shape so that cartridges are smoothly indexed into their firing positions and axial play of any cartridge in the cylinder is taken up by the bushing 210 . in operation , when the firing mechanism 27 is actuated with an intent to fire the revolver 10 , the drive surface 196 of the transfer bar is impacted by the firing mechanism , thereby driving the actuator bushing 168 in the forward direction . forward movement of the actuator bushing 168 compresses the actuator spring 169 against the second seat 204 of the frame bore 170 . accordingly , the conical seat 178 of the actuator bushing 168 is also moved forward , thereby allowing the probe tip 162 to move forward under force of the probe spring 164 . the probe tip 162 has a low mass compared to the spring constant of the probe spring 164 , and the probe spring 164 is therefore able to move the probe tip 162 in rapid response to the axial movement of the actuator bushing 168 . when the firing mechanism is recovered , rearward displacement of the actuator bushing , and hence the probe tip 162 , is governed or limited by the axial location of the tube 173 of the firing probe 95 . the tube 173 is located to allow the probe tip to retract at least an approximate distance of 0 . 002 inches , and preferably approximately 0 . 003 inches ( three thousandths of an inch ), within the front surface of the bushing 210 . now turning to fig1 and 11 , the firing mechanism 27 of the present invention differs substantially from known revolvers in both function and design , and the individual components will therefore be introduced in detail before discussing the mechanical cooperation which ultimately fires the revolver . the firing mechanism includes a trigger 220 , a hammer 222 , a sear 224 , a transfer bar 226 , a rebound 228 , a main spring 229 , a stirrup 230 , and a link 232 . a connector link 233 is coupled between the trigger 220 and the rebound 228 to compress the main spring 229 . a rotator arm 234 , or ratchet arm , has a configuration and function known well in the industry to index the cylinder and its assembly and operation with the trigger 220 are described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 520 , 468 , issued to daniel b . wesson for “ a revolver lock mechanism ”, and hereby incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure . movement of the entire firing mechanism 27 is governed predominantly by three pivot pins which mount and secure the firing mechanism 27 in the cavity of the frame 16 . the stirrup 230 is pivotally mounted by a stirrup pin 235 , the hammer 222 is pivotally mounted by a hammer pin 236 , and the trigger is pivotally mounted by a trigger pin 237 . the frame 16 has a contoured cam surface 238 located and shaped within the cavity 26 to guide the transfer bar 226 during early stages of firing mechanism 27 actuation described below . the trigger 220 includes a trigger post 239 with a flat upper surface , which bears generally vertically against the sear 224 during early stages of firing mechanism actuation . the trigger post 239 partially defines a trigger pocket 240 that receives the transfer bar 226 throughout the entire cycle of firing mechanism 27 actuation . the connector link 233 has a forward end pivotally attached to the trigger 220 , and a ball 241 at its rear end , which is received in a socket 242 of the rebound 228 . the rebound 228 has an underside and lateral outer surfaces which are generally flat to allow the rebound 228 to slide freely within the cavity of the frame 16 during actuation of the firing mechanism 27 . accordingly , the frame 16 and the side plate 28 have associated inner surfaces , which slidably retain the rebound 228 . a hammer stop 243 extends upwardly from the top side of the rebound 228 to engage the hammer 222 during recovery of the firing mechanism 27 . the rear end of the rebound 228 defines a blind bore 244 , which receives the front end of the main spring 229 . the rear end of the main spring 229 is captured within the stirrup 230 . referring to fig1 - 12 , the hammer 222 includes a central core 245 , and upper and lower narrowed portions 246 , 247 straddled by upper and lower pairs of contoured cam surfaces 248 , 250 . the core 245 defines a transverse bore 252 through the hammer 222 , which receives the hammer pin 237 . the upper narrowed portion 246 has a thickness , which is less than the distance between the transfer bar guides 96 of the backstrap module 30 ( shown in fig6 ), so that movement of the hammer 222 is not obstructed by the backstrap module 30 . a substantially flat striker surface 256 functions as the modem counterpart to the pointed hammer portion , or firing pin , of a conventional hammer which uses inertia to ignite a conventional percussion cartridge . an upper abutment 258 extends perpendicularly from the right side of the hammer 222 and is configured to contact , or electrically engage , the hammer terminal 132 mounted to the backstrap module 30 ( shown in fig8 ) during actuation of the firing mechanism 27 . the upper cam surfaces 248 are configured to cooperate with two parallel spring members 259 of the transfer bar 226 in maintaining proper alignment and position of the transfer bar 226 with respect to the firing axis during actuation of the firing mechanism 27 . the lower narrowed portion 247 corresponds in thickness to the upper narrowed portion 246 , and includes the lower cam surfaces 250 , a rebound abutment 262 and a hammer foot 264 . the rebound abutment 262 extends downwardly to rest against the rebound 228 when the firing mechanism is recovered . the cam surfaces 250 are configured , spaced apart , and oriented to function as rearward bearing surfaces for a pair of heels 268 of the transfer bar 226 during early stages of firing mechanism actuation . the hammer foot 264 extends generally forwardly and is configured to engage within the trigger pocket 240 of the trigger 220 during the later stages of firing mechanism actuation . the hammer 222 also defines a sear pocket 270 configured to retain and control movement of the sear 224 . a pivot point 272 of the sear 224 rests in a corner 276 of the sear pocket 270 , and a lip 278 of the sear 224 engages a complimentary edge 280 of the sear pocket 270 , thereby effectively defining the range of angular motion of the sear 224 within the sear pocket 270 . a sear spring 284 is disposed between the sear 224 and sear pocket 270 to bias the sear 224 outwardly into engagement with the hammer trigger post 239 . a link pocket 288 is defined on the underside of the hammer 222 to receive and pivotally retain a forward hook 290 of the link 232 . the link pocket 288 is partially enclosed on its left and right sides so that the link 232 remains centered within the link pocket 288 during firing mechanism actuation . the link 232 includes a rear hook 294 configured with a shape similar to that of the forward hook 290 to pivotally engage the stirrup 230 . the front side of the stirrup 230 defines a blind , tapered bore 298 , and a transverse link pin 299 is molded into an upper end of the stirrup during fabrication . the link pin 299 pivotally receives the rear hook 294 of the link 232 , and the blind bore 298 receives the main spring 229 . the aforementioned taper in the bore 298 prevents the stirrup 230 from binding the main spring 229 during firing mechanism actuation . the transfer bar 226 is configured to be moved by the trigger 220 into and out of engagement with the actuator bushing 168 , and includes the spring members 259 , left and right legs 310 , and a forked upper end 312 . the legs 310 are spaced apart from one another to loosely straddle the sear 224 and lower narrowed portion 247 of the hammer 222 , and each leg 310 includes a heel 268 and a foot 314 . each foot 314 extends forwardly into the trigger pocket 240 of the trigger 220 , and each heel 268 bears rearwardly against one of the lower cam surfaces 250 of the hammer 222 during initial stages of firing mechanism actuation . the forked upper end 312 includes left and right driver surfaces 315 , which straddle the firing probe assembly and rest against the actuator bushing when the transfer bar is in its firing position . a flat yoke 316 faces rearwardly to receive a hammer blow when the firing mechanism is actuation . in other words , when the transfer bar is in its firing position , the yoke 316 is aligned in the rotational path of the striker surface 256 of the hammer 222 . in the firing position , the front side of the upper end 312 rests against the annular drive surface 196 of the actuator bushing 168 on diametrically opposed sides of the bore 167 . the transfer bar 226 is molded from nylon or other dielectric material capable of withstanding highly repetitive impact forces from the hammer 222 during normal use of the revolver . during initial stages of firing mechanism 27 actuation , the transfer bar 226 bears against the contoured cam surface 238 of the frame 16 while moving upwardly in the aforementioned camming action toward the firing probe assembly 160 . when moved further toward the firing position by the trigger 220 , the upper end 312 of the transfer bar 226 bears rearwardly against the transfer bar guides 96 of the backstrap module 30 . the guides 96 ensure that the transfer bar 226 is aligned properly with the actuator bushing 168 before being struck by the hammer 222 . proper transfer bar alignment ensures that the impact force of the hammer 222 is transmitted properly and smoothly along the barrel axis without jamming or cocking the actuator bushing 168 in the frame 16 . the spring members 259 extend from the rear side of the transfer bar 226 generally in the downward direction to straddle the upper narrowed portion 246 of the hammer 222 and bear against the upper cam surfaces 248 during initial actuation stages of the firing mechanism 27 . the spring members 259 act in unison to assist alignment between the transfer bar 226 and the firing probe assembly 160 . operation of the firing mechanism 27 is best explained with reference to several known stages of actuation , including : a recovered position shown in fig1 ; a partially - cocked position shown in fig1 , where the trigger is being pulled by the operator ; a “ let - off ” position shown in fig1 , beyond which point the trigger disengages from the sear and allows the hammer to fall ; a fired position shown in fig1 , where the hammer has fallen and impacted the actuator bushing ; and a partially - recovered position shown in fig1 , where the operator has partially released the trigger toward the recovered position to complete a cycle of the firing mechanism . referring back to fig1 , the trigger post 239 of the trigger 220 is not loaded against the sear 224 when the firing mechanism is in the recovered position . instead , the hammer 222 is resting against the hammer stop 243 of the rebound 228 . the foot 210 of the transfer bar 226 is captured within the trigger pocket 240 , and the spring members 259 of the transfer bar 226 are unloaded by the hammer 222 . when the trigger 220 is pulled , as shown in fig1 , the trigger post 239 rotates upwardly into contact with the sear 224 and the sear 224 forces the hammer 222 into a counterclockwise rotation . rotation of the hammer 222 forces the stirrup 230 , via the link 232 , to rotate in a clockwise direction . it is apparent , then , that when the trigger 220 is pulled , the rebound 228 is pushed rearwardly and compresses the main spring 229 . simultaneously , however , because the trigger 220 rotates the stirrup 230 via the hammer and link , the mainspring 229 is compressed further from the rear . in this early stage of actuation , the spring members 259 bear against the upper cam surface of the hammer 222 . accordingly , the transfer bar 226 is pushed generally forwardly and into the camming action against the contoured surface 238 of the frame 16 . as the hammer 222 is rotated by the sear 224 , the contour of the upper cam surfaces 248 effectively moves the cam surfaces 248 away from the spring members 259 as the hammer rotates . the transfer bar 226 is simultaneously pushed upwardly and engaged against the transfer bar guides 96 of the backstrap module 30 ( seen in fig3 ). eventually , the sear 224 reaches a point where it can no longer remain engaged with the trigger post 239 of the trigger 220 . at this point , the foot 264 of the hammer 222 is configured to engage itself within the trigger pocket 240 of the trigger 220 . accordingly , the hammer 222 is rotated further in the counterclockwise direction and the main spring 229 is compressed further at its front and rear ends . referring to fig1 , the “ let - off ” point ( point just prior to let - off is indicated by arrow 255 ) is reached when the foot 264 of the hammer 222 can no longer remain engaged within the trigger pocket 240 with continued rotation of the trigger 220 . at this point , the main spring 229 is fully compressed and the transfer bar 226 has reached the firing position at rest against the annular drive surface 196 actuator bushing 168 ( the forked upper end 266 is seen from its side in the reference figure ). once the hammer 222 disengages from the trigger 220 , as seen in fig1 , the hammer rotates immediately toward the transfer bar 226 under force of the compressed main spring 229 . just before striking the transfer bar 226 , the hammer 222 engages the hammer terminal 132 hanging from the backstrap module 30 , thereby closing an input circuit in the processor . the closed firing circuit signals the processor that let - off has occurred and that the hammer is about to strike the transfer bar 226 . referring to fig1 , as the trigger 220 is released , or recovered , by the operator , counterclockwise rotation of the trigger moves the trigger post 239 downwardly along the sear 224 . the sear 224 is forced to pivot within the sear pocket of the hammer 222 and against the sear spring until the trigger post 239 is rotated beyond mechanical engagement with the sear 224 . the sear is then pushed outwardly away from the hammer 222 by the sear spring and is therefore prepared to be engaged by the trigger post 239 in a subsequent actuation of the firing mechanism 27 . forward movement of the connector link 232 allows the rebound 228 to be pushed by the main spring 229 in a forward direction within the frame 16 , thereby moving the hammer stop 243 into engagement with the lower abutment 262 of the hammer 222 . once the rebound 228 engages the lower abutment 262 of the hammer 222 , the hammer 222 is forced to rotate slightly in the counterclockwise direction , until the trigger reaches the fully - recovered position . throughout the recovery action , the transfer bar 226 remains engaged within the trigger pocket 240 of the trigger 220 and is pulled downwardly with counterclockwise trigger rotation . referring to fig1 - 19 , the sight assembly 42 is configured with front and rear sights , which illuminate according to the level of ambient light surrounding the revolver . in particular , the sight assembly gathers and projects the ambient light toward the photosensitive cell 152 of the backstrap module 30 ( seen in fig8 ) and , in turn , receives and projects toward the firearm operator an amount of high intensity light emitted from the led 144 . the sight assembly 42 includes a molded plastic sight frame 340 , a single front optical fiber 342 , a pair of rear optical fibers 344 and front and rear ambient light guides 346 , 347 . the sight frame 340 includes the pair of parallel dovetails 50 introduced in fig2 and front and rear sight housings 348 , 350 formed at opposite ends of an elongated , flexible body portion 352 . the dovetails 50 ( only one of the two is shown in fig1 ) extend rearwardly from the front end of the sight frame 340 and are short enough to be concealed entirely within the shroud 14 when the revolver 10 is assembled . a front fiber channel 354 secures and protects the front fiber 342 and is configured to aim a terminal end 356 of the front optical fiber 342 toward the rear of the revolver 10 . a pair of rear fiber channels 360 secure and protect the rear fibers 344 , and aim terminal ends 364 of the rear optical fiber 344 toward the rear of the revolver 10 . the three channels 354 , 360 meet and join together at a rearwardly facing interface panel 366 depending from the underside of the rear sight housing 350 . the interface panel 366 defines an aperture 370 , which bundles the optical fibers 342 , 344 in the channel 354 , 360 and aims the fibers toward the led 144 of the backstrap module 30 . the rear sight housing 350 defines a notch 374 between the terminal ends 364 of the rear sight fibers 344 to provide the operator with a line of sight of the front optical fiber 342 when the revolver is held in a normal sighting position . therefore , if desired during use , the operator can visually align the front fiber 342 between the two rear optical fibers 344 . in other words , the notch 374 prevents the rear sight housing 350 from obstructing the view of the front fiber 342 . the front and rear ambient light gathering guides 346 , 347 are insert - molded into the rear sight housing 350 of the sight frame 340 to receive ambient light , respectively , from areas generally fore and aft of the revolver 10 . the guides 346 , 347 curve downwardly and join together at a horizontal interface 382 to project the gathered light collectively upon the photosensor 152 introduced in fig8 . the interface 382 defines an aperture 383 , which is configured to bundle and aim the front and rear ambient light guides 346 , 347 downwardly at the photosensor 152 in the backstrap module 30 . the horizontal interface 382 is purposely oriented perpendicular to the interface panel 366 so that light emitted from the led does not inadvertently enter the photosensor 152 and adversely effect operation of the sight assembly . as seen in fig1 , the lower housing 48 of the sight frame 340 is formed by the interface panel 366 and opposed side walls 384 , 386 . each side wall has an laterally - facing key 388 which is received within the receiver 54 of the frame 16 ( seen in fig3 ). a metallic cylindrical sleeve 391 is insert molded into the frame 340 to receive the mount screw 58 ( seen in fig2 ) without damaging the material of the sight frame 340 . the interior of the lower housing 48 is filled with a potting material such as silicon rubber after the light fibers are installed . the sight assembly 42 cooperates with electronics within the backstrap module to illuminate the front and rear sights and assist the operator in sighting the revolver under various lighting conditions . the sights are configured so that the light emitted from them can be detected by a firearm operator holding the revolver in a normal sighting position . the brightness with which the sights are illuminated varies automatically depending on the level of ambient light surrounding the revolver 10 . for instance , in certain ambient conditions where the front and rear sights are not easily discerned by the operator , the sights are illuminated brightly to improve contrast between the sights and the surrounding environment . on the other hand , brightly illuminated sights are not required , and may in fact hinder the sighting process , in a dark environment . the sight assembly operates by projecting gathered light upon the photosensor 152 mounted in the backstrap module 30 . the photosensor 152 converts the light to an associated signal , and circuitry within the photosensor circuitboard 146 uses the signal to calculate an appropriate level of illumination for the front and rear sights . the led is then provided with enough energy to illuminate the front and rear sights . turning now to a discussion of details of operation of the revolver shown in fig1 - 19 , the security apparatus is programmed with three operational modes : a sleep mode , an awake mode , and an authorized or “ intent - to - fire ” mode . there is no “ on / off ” switch for the revolver , so one of the three operational modes is always active . the least active of the modes is the sleep mode , which deactivates the lcd when the revolver is left alone for more than three ( 3 ) minutes . this mode is related to a feature known as a “ slow grip ,” where the security apparatus automatically reverts to the sleep mode from any other mode to save battery energy when the revolver has not been handled for the predetermined amount of time . the slow grip also deactivates the revolver an prevents unauthorized use in the event that the operator neglects to deactivate the revolver himself or herself . the awake mode is activated by actuating any of the input switches on the hand grip . hence , the first method in which the input switches can be used is to wake the revolver from the sleep mode . once the awake mode has been activated , the security apparatus is prepared to receive entry of an authorization code from the operator . additionally , the awake mode activates the lcd screen , which indicates the various forms of information discussed above . the input switches on the handgrip are used by the operator to enter his or her authorization code by depressing a personalized sequence of switches . however , when the revolver is initially purchased from a dealership or the factory , the operator must enter a manufacturing code set at the factory which corresponds to the serial number of the revolver frame . once the operator enters the proper manufacturing code , the security apparatus will then accept entry of his or her own personalized authorization code . after the manufacturing code has been changed , the personalized authorization code is the only code needed to operate the revolver . it is apparent that the security apparatus can be programmed with an algorithm , which allows the operator to change the authorization code if desired . the security apparatus uses two mechanisms to inform the operator when the authorization code has been properly entered . a signal is displayed on the lcd , and the front and rear sights are “ blinked on ”, or illuminated , for a time period of 300 milliseconds . proper entry of the authorization code activates the “ intent - to - fire ” mode in the security apparatus and the revolver is capable of being discharged provided the remainder of the input signals are received by the security apparatus . the input switches provide one of the remaining input signals by signaling the security apparatus when the revolver is being gripped by the operator in a manner deemed sufficient and consistent with an intent to fire the revolver . experiments have shown that the average operator can consistently and simultaneously depress any two of the five input switches . accordingly , the security apparatus will not authorize a discharge of the revolver unless at least two of the five input switches are depressed . the lcd can include a signal , which informs the operator that the handgrip is being grasped properly . the proper grip is also the mechanism which activates the illuminated sight assembly . as long as the proper grip is maintained , the front and rear sights are illuminated automatically at an intensity level which corresponds to the level of ambient light . in the event that the operator wishes to deactivate the intent - to - fire mode , the input switches can be used to enter a cancellation code , which re - activates the awake mode of the security apparatus . without the cancellation code , the revolver could be fired , for instance , by an unauthorized individual after being put down by the authorized operator for a time period that is less than that associated with the slow grip feature discussed above . the cancellation code is obviously a function , which can be personalized , but a representative code is three consecutive actuations of the bottom input switch . once the security apparatus receives a valid authorization code and senses that the revolver is being gripped properly , the security apparatus signals the firing apparatus to provide the firing probe with a low - voltage check signal . because the probe tip does not contact the cartridge until the firing mechanism has been actuated , the check signal is not conducted further than the probe tip and is not registered by the security apparatus . when the probe tip contacts the cartridge after the firing mechanism has been actuated , the check signal from the firing apparatus is sensed by the security apparatus , thereby informing the security apparatus that a cartridge is positioned properly for discharge . once the operator is properly authorized , the revolver can be discharged by cycling the firing mechanism , or pulling the trigger beyond the let - off position , provided the security apparatus receives the last two signals : the check signal and the firing mechanism signal . when the hammer falls after cycling the firing mechanism , the hammer strap is contacted by the hammer , thereby signaling the security apparatus that the firing mechanism has been actuated . almost instantaneously after the hammer strap is contacted , the probe tip is moved into contact with the cartridge , thereby signaling the security apparatus that a cartridge is properly loaded . if so , the security apparatus authorizes the firing apparatus to produce and communicate the 150 - volt firing signal to firing probe to discharge the cartridge . the revolver cannot be discharged successively without cycling the firing mechanism beyond the let - off position . first , the security apparatus is programmed with circuitry that can only be reset by releasing the hammer from engagement with the hammer strap . the hammer can only be reset by recovering the trigger after firearm discharge , and cycling the firing mechanism again . another feature of the revolver which precludes inadvertent discharges results from the configuration of the firing mechanism and transfer bar . after the firearm is discharged , the transfer bar remains at its firing position until the trigger is recovered , thereby pulling the transfer bar out of contact with the actuator bushing . the transfer bar cannot be returned to its firing position against the actuator bushing unless the firing mechanism is cycled to the let - off position . therefore , even assuming an unfired cartridge is positioned for discharge , a firing signal will not be authorized , much less produced , for instance by dropping the revolver , because the transfer bar is not in the position to move the probe tip into contact with the cartridge . referring to fig2 , a revolver 10 ′ is configured to discharge conventional , percussively primed cartridges , and includes a backstrap module 30 ′ and means 31 ′ adapted to actuate a mechanical firing pin such as that shown and disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 793 , 085 , which is hereby incorporated by reference into the present invention . it is considered within the grasp of a person skilled in the art to adapt the security apparatus of the present invention to supply an electronic signal which is utilized to initiate movement of a solenoid or similar device to convert the electrical signal into mechanical movement which is sufficient to detonate a conventional percussive cartridge primer . while preferred embodiments have been shown and described above , various modifications and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , various other forms of information can be displayed on the lcd display screen for the operator , including an indication of cartridges in any of the cylinder chambers . in addition , different arrangements of electronics within the backstrap module is considered within the scope of the present invention to accommodate various revolver configurations . for instance , smaller revolver sizes may require different component arrangements to avoid effecting operator comfort . still further , it is considered within the scope of the present invention to replace the mechanically - actuated trigger with other known types of switches for releasing the firing mechanism . still even further , the backstrap module may assume various other configurations which allow for modifications or improvements to manufacturing procedures , such as forming the backstrap module from front and rear housing halves instead of left and right housing halves . with such a configuration , it may be found more advantageous and economical to assemble and mount the circuitboards to a front housing half and permanently mate the front and rear housing halves once circuitry is secured . it is also considered within the scope of the present invention to provide alternate configurations of the firing probe assembly , which facilitate and economize production and assembly procedures . for instance , the firing probe may include a hollow bore adapted to receive an elongated wire extending from the rear of the probe spring . the elongated wire is inserted through the firing probe and soldered directly to the high - voltage mountboard , thereby obviating the need to solder the firing probe to the mountboard while ensuring proper alignment of the probe , actuator bushing , and probe tip . still even further , it is considered within the scope of a person skilled in the art of electromechanical design to adapt the security apparatus for use in firing percussively discharged cartridges . such an integration would involve fitting apparatus to a conventional firing pin which would accept an electronic signal from the security apparatus which is indicative of an intent to fire the revolver . for instance , the security apparatus can provide an appropriate signal to a solenoid of sorts , which solenoid can release the firing pin to impact the cartridge . yet even further , it is considered within the scope of the present invention to provide a security apparatus which utilizes an alternate method of authorizing an operator , such as with a system which recognizes the voice or biometrics of the operator , a specific sound , or even a certain radio signal . accordingly , it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not by way of limitation .	5
with reference to the aforesaid figures , overall with 1 there has been indicated an apparatus for the manufacture of devices for storing electric energy comprising a stack of cathodes c and anodes a that alternate and face one another with an interposed separator . with 2 the magazines have been indicated where the electrodes ( cathodes c and anodes a ) are arranged that will form the stack of the storage device . with 3 there has been indicated a conveying device ( of known type ) of the ( flat ) electrodes which may comprise , as in the specific case , a closed - loop flexible member ( for example a conveyor belt ). it is possible that , as in the specific case , the conveying device is provided with pneumatic means for keeping the electrodes in position ( via suction ), such as , for example , a conveyor belt with suction means to make the electrodes adhere to the belt . with 4 there has been indicated a loading device ( of known type ) to remove the electrodes from the magazines ( also two or more electrodes at a time , in the specific case four electrodes at a time ) and transfer the electrodes to the conveying device . the loading device 4 may comprise , as in the specific case , a transferring device of the “ pick - and - place ” type , which may operate , for example , with suction cup means to take the electrodes from the magazines and deposit the electrodes on the conveyor belt . with 5 a continuous strip has been indicated , which is made of dielectric material ( of known type ), which will act as a separator interposed between the electrodes inside the stack . the strip 5 is unwound , in a known manner , from a reel 6 . with 7 there has been indicated an inserting device ( of known type , for example of the gripper type ) configured for removing the electrodes ( cathodes c and anodes a ) that advance supplied by the conveying device 3 and for placing the electrodes ( cathodes c and anodes a ) on the continuous separating strip 5 whilst the latter is unwound continuously from the reel 6 . the inserting device 7 can be configured for transferring the electrodes one at a time by a reciprocating forward and backward movement ( coordinated with an opening and closing movement of the gripping means that grasps the electrode ) between a position of withdrawing the electrode ( from the conveying device 3 ) and a releasing position ( to enable the electrode to be inserted and laminated on the strip 5 ). with 8 there has been indicated a sensor ( of known type ) for detecting the position of the electrodes to be placed on the strip 5 . the sensor 8 may comprise , as in the specific case , a sensor of optical type , for example a viewing system , that operates in an ( end ) zone of the conveying device 3 . the sensor 8 and the inserting device 7 are connected to a control unit configured for controlling ( in a known manner ) the inserting device 7 on the basis of a signal emitted by the sensor 8 , in such a way as to correct possible positioning errors of the electrodes . with 9 there have been indicated rollers between which the continuous strip 5 is passed and between which the electrodes are also inserted ( one by one ). with 10 there has been indicated a protective film ( made of plastics ) for protecting the electrodes arranged on the upper side of the advancing strip 5 . the protective film 10 is unwound continuously from a reel 11 . with 12 there has been indicated a supporting device of the continuous separating strip 5 that advances by bearing on the upper side the electrodes ( cathodes c and anodes a according to a set sequence ). the supporting device may comprise a movable element that will define a ( horizontal ) movable supporting plane for supporting the strip 5 . in particular , the supporting device 12 may comprise , as in the specific case , a closed - loop flexible member ( for example a slidable supporting belt ) having driving means for sliding the flexible member . the flexible member can have a ( horizontal ) upper branch configured for defining the ( slidable ) conveying plane on which the strip 5 bearing the electrodes can advance . with 13 there has been indicated a stabilising device that stabilises the electrodes carried by the continuous separating strip 5 . this stabilising device operates , amongst other things , to enable undesired air to be evacuated that may remain interposed between the electrodes and the separating strip 5 . the stabilising device 13 may comprise a sliding element that will define a ( horizontal ) plane parallel to and superimposed on the supporting plane defined by the supporting device 12 . the stabilising device may comprise , as in the specific case , a closed - loop flexible member ( for example of the slidable belt type ) having driving means for sliding the flexible member . the flexible member may have a lower ( horizontal ) slidable branch that is configured for cooperating with the ( slidable ) conveying plane in such a way as to exert slight stabilising ( and air evacuating ) pressure on the electrodes carried by the strip 5 . this stabilising pressure can enable possible air bubbles between the electrodes and the separating strip 5 to be eliminated . between the electrodes on the strip 5 and the stabilising device 13 the protective film 10 is interposed , which is also slidable . with 14 there has been indicated a sensor for detecting the position of the electrodes arranged on the separating strip 5 . in particular , the sensor 14 is configured for measuring the distance between two consecutive electrodes . the sensor 14 may comprise , as in the specific case , a sensor of optical type , for example a viewing system , that operates on the advancing strip 5 bearing the electrodes . with 15 there has been indicated a reel for rewinding the protective film 10 . with 16 there has been indicated a winding device for forming the electrode stack ( cathodes c and anodes a ) from the product ( supplied in the advancing direction x ) formed by the strip 5 and by the electrodes c and a carried by the strip . the winding device 16 performs a series of overturnings of a stack p during the assembly step in such a manner as to wind the separating strip 5 around the electrodes c and a . at the start of stack assembly operations , the stack under construction will consist of a sole electrode ( the first electrode of the arrangement of electrodes ), which will be the first to be overturned . at the first overturning the first electrode will be overturned on an empty strip region ( having dimensions that are such as to be able to receive an electrode , but are initially not occupied by any electrode ). at the end of each successive overturning ( performed , like the first , by performing a 180 ° rotation in the direction f around a movable rotation axis , still in the same overturning direction f , as will be better explained below ), the stack under construction will be imposed on the subsequent electrode ( cathode c or anode a ) that will then be added to the stack under construction , which will then be overturned in the subsequent 180 ° rotation . as said , the winding device 16 and the operation thereof will be disclosed in greater detail below . the sensor 14 and the winding device 16 can be connected to a control unit configured for controlling the winding device 16 on the basis of a signal emitted by the sensor 14 , in such a manner as to take account of possible positioning errors of the electrodes , in particular of errors in the distance between two consecutive electrodes . with 17 there has been indicated a cutting device , of known type , for separating the already assembled stack from the rest of the continuous separating strip 5 . the cutting device 17 may comprise , as in the specific case , a blade and a counter blade that are movable in relation to one another and cooperate together for the transverse cut of the strip 5 to enable the already assembled stack to be detached and subsequently removed and the subsequent stack to be formed . with 18 there has been indicated a transferring device ( of known type ) for transferring the stack that has already been assembled ( and separated from the strip 5 ) to the subsequent work stations . the transferring device 18 may comprise a gripping member ( for example of the gripper type ) to grasp the stack . the gripping member can be movable ( for example carried by an element rotating around a horizontal axis ) in such a manner as to adopt a stack withdrawal position ( for example immediately downstream of the cutting device 17 ) and a position of delivery of the stack to a conveying system . the delivery position can be , as in the specific case , rotated by 180 ° with respect to the withdrawal position . the conveying system can be configured for supplying the stacks that have already been assembled through a preset path along which possible further work stations are arranged , such as , for example , a welding station 19 of the separator , a station 20 for running an electric test , a station 21 for running a dimensional test , as far as an outlet 22 . in fig4 a and 4 b there are illustrated two possible manners of arranging the electrodes ( cathodes c and anodes a ) on the continuous separating strip 5 ( which is not illustrated for the sake of clarity ). in fig4 a , the first electrode of the row of electrodes with which the electrode stack will be formed is a cathode , followed by an empty space that is not occupied by an electrode , which is in turn followed by a succession of two anodes and two cathodes . in fig4 b , the first electrode of the row is an anode , followed by an empty space that is not occupied by an electrode , which is in turn followed by a succession of two cathodes and two anodes . in the specific case the electrodes are flat and rectangular . between each electrode and the next electrode , a strip folding line is provided ( only between the first and the second electrode are two folding lines provided that bound the empty strip space that is not occupied by an electrode ). the distance between the electrodes is chosen in such a manner as to take account of the fact that , continuing with winding , the stack increases thickness , so this distance will increase progressively from the first to the last electrode of the sequence of electrodes . each electrode has an electric terminal ( or collector ), for example in the shape of a tab protruding from a ( short ) side of the electrode . the arrangement of the electrodes on the strip 5 is made in such a way that , once the stack has been constructed , each anode a faces and alternates with a cathode c ( with the interposition of a single layer of the separating strip ), and in such a way that ( in the examples of fig4 a and 4 b ) the electric terminals of the anodes a are all aligned on one another on one part of a side of the stack , whilst the electric terminals of the cathodes c are aligned on one another and arranged on an opposite part of the side of the stack at a certain distance from the terminals of the anodes a . in the examples of fig4 c and 4 d , once the stack is assembled , the electric terminals of the anodes a will be aligned on one another on a side of the electrode , whilst the electric terminals of the cathodes c will be aligned on one another and arranged on the opposite side of the stack . it is possible to provide other manners of arranging the electrodes . in particular , it is possible to provide that between the first electrode and the second electrode there is no empty strip 5 portion , in which case the first electrode will already be supplied with a separating layer ( for example a sheet of dielectric material ), applied to the upper face of the electrode ( this upper separating layer can be applied before placing of the electrodes on the strip 5 , in the apparatus 1 or outside the apparatus 1 , or can be applied by folding on the first electrode a front end portion of the strip 5 that is not occupied by an electrode ). the winding device 16 is illustrated in greater detail in fig5 to 16 . the winding device 16 comprises a rotating support s ( rotated during winding always in the same rotation direction indicated by the arrow f ) around a ( horizontal ) rotation axis z - z that is perpendicular to the advancing direction of the strip 5 on the supporting device 12 ( this rotation axis z - z being movable , as will be explained below ). the rotating support s rotates two pressure devices that operate reciprocally on the stack p during assembly thereof . each pressure device is configured for applying slight stabilising pressure to a side of the stack p during the assembly step ( in particular the side where the last electrode is located that is added to the stack under construction during winding ). substantially , the pressure devices exert slight pressure to ensure adhesion and compaction between the separating strip 5 and the stack p being formed , so that the most advanced part of the strip is rotated during winding . the first pressure device comprises a first pair of pressure elements 23 and the second pressure device comprises a second pair of pressure elements 24 . each pair of pressure elements is configured for operating on side portions opposite the stack under construction p ( fig1 ). the rotating support s further rotates a gripping device which is configured for taking the first electrode of the arrangement of electrodes on the strip 5 . the gripping device can operate , as in the specific case , with a gripping mechanism of the gripper type . the gripping device may comprise a pair of gripping elements 25 operating on side portions opposite the first electrode ( i . e . operating on opposite sides of the first electrode with reference to the advancing direction x of the strip 5 ). each gripping element 25 may comprise , as in the specific case , two active portions 25 a and 25 b that operate on front and back end portions ( with reference to the advancing direction x of the strip 5 ), of the respective side portion of the first electrode . the gripping elements 25 collaborate together to grasp the first electrode ( together with the strip 5 portion below the first electrode ) and to rotatingly drive the first electrode ( together with the strip 5 ) during formation of the stack ( i . e . during the various overturnings ). as said , the strip 5 that advances carrying the electrodes c and a is transformed in the stack p of electrodes by means of a series of overturnings ( in direction f ) of the stack under construction p . the stack p is assembled in the most advanced portion of the strip 5 . in fig5 and 7 ( with greater clarity in fig8 ) there is illustrated the sequence of the positions ( numbered with roman numerals from i to x ) adopted by the first electrode , at the start of assembly of the stack , during overturning thereof by 180 °. the first electrode ( together with the strip 5 ) is then grasped laterally by the gripping elements 25 , whilst the pressure elements 23 press the strip 5 against the first electrode in such a manner as to ensure the compactness of the electrode - strip assembly . both the gripping elements 25 and the pressure elements 23 are rotated in the direction f ( and are carried by the support s ). with r ( fig8 ) there are indicated the various positions adopted in sequence by the median axis of the first electrode during overturning from position i to position x . with t there are indicated the corresponding positions adopted in sequence , during overturning by 180 °, by the end of the first electrode around which folding of the separating strip 5 occurs . the positions t correspond , substantially , to the positions adopted by the folding line of the strip 5 during overturning of the first electrode and , substantially , also for the subsequent electrodes , i . e . in the course of each subsequent overturning until the end of assembly of the stack . each successive overturning will comprise a folding ( in the same folding direction ) of the strip 5 around a respective folding line arranged between the stack p being assembled and the immediately subsequent electrode ( i . e . the electrode that will be the lower electrode of the stack at the start of the subsequent overturning ). at the end of each overturning in fact the stack being assembled p will be superimposed on the immediately subsequent electrode that will thus be part of the stack being assembled in the subsequent overturning . as said , folding of the strip 5 has a folding direction ( shown by arrow f ) that is the same for each overturning . it is seen clearly from fig8 that during overturning the folding line ( corresponding to position t ) advances in the advancing direction of the strip 5 , remaining substantially in the ( horizontal ) advancing plane defined by the product ( strip 5 bearing the electrodes c and a ) which advances , in such a manner as to avoid irregular movements ( jolts ) of the strip 5 that could modify the correct position of the electrodes c and a . the rotating support s that rotates the gripping elements 25 and the pressure elements 23 and 24 can rotate by varying the position of the rotation axis z - z thereof , in particular in such a manner that the folding line ( position t ) of the strip 5 remains , at each overturning of the stack being formed , substantially in the strip 5 advancing direction x or in the advancing plane of the strip 5 ( for example with the aim that the preset position of the electrodes arranged on the moving strip is not lost through irregular movements of the strip ). in particular , the rotation axis z - z of the rotating support s will be able to perform a trajectory ( orbit or at least partial orbit ) having at least one of the trajectory portions with an ascending and descending vertical motion ( transverse to the advancing direction x of the strip 5 ) and / or trajectory portions with horizontal motion ( parallel to the advancing direction x of the strip ) forwards and backwards ( where forwards and backwards is defined with reference to the advancing direction x of the strip 5 ). as said , during winding ( i . e . the various overturnings by 180 ° of the stack under construction around the subsequent folding lines of the strip 5 ) the first electrode ( i . e . the electrode that has been overturned first at the start of formation of the stack ) is maintained grasped by the gripping device ( comprising in this case the lateral gripping elements 25 ). the gripping elements 25 are provided with the possibility of disengaging from the stack assembled at the end of winding . the disengagement may comprise opening the gripping elements ( for example in the case of gripping elements of the gripper type ), with a slight movement in order not to damage the stack that has just been assembled in which the gripping elements are located , followed by a removal movement that may comprise , as in the specific case , reciprocal moving away of the two gripping elements 25 in a horizontal direction ( in fig9 there is indicated by a dashed line the position of reciprocal moving away of the two opposite rotating semi - elements that comprise the support s and support the gripping elements 25 and , also , the pressure elements 23 and 24 ). in fig1 to 16 there is illustrated schematically the operation of the pressure elements 23 and ( in these figures the separating strip that advances in the advancing direction x has not been illustrated for the sake of greater clarity ). at the start of overturning , one of the pairs of pressure elements ( in the illustrated example the pair indicated by 23 ) operates on the front portion ( with reference to the advancing direction x ) of the stack p being assembled , by pressing from the bottom up . the first pressure elements 23 are commanded to adopt an active locking position ( see fig1 or 12 ) in which they can interact in contact with the stack p being assembled , whilst the second pressure elements 24 are in an inactive non - interference position ( see fig1 or 12 ) in which they do not interfere with the stack and can rotate without interfering with the separating strip . in fig1 , after rotation by a set amount ( greater than 90 °, the same as , for example , approximately 145 ° as in the specific example ), the first pressure elements 23 start to move towards the inactive non - interference position in which they do not interfere with the stack . in fig1 , after rotation by a set amount ( greater than 90 °, equal , for example , to about 172 ° as in the specific example ), the second pressure elements 24 start to move towards the active or locking position in which they can interact in contact with the stack p under construction . after which , after a 180 ° rotation has terminated , it starts another overturning with the pressure elements 23 and 24 that operate reciprocally . the closing movement ( towards locking ) of a pressure element may be commanded after the opening movement ( towards non interference ) of the other pressure element , as in the specific example . the opening and closing movements of the pressure elements 23 and 24 can be driven mechanically , for example by a cam mechanism 26 having a cam guiding profile with a circular base that is coaxial with the rotation axis z - z . in fig1 to 16 the movement is clearly visible of the ( horizontal ) rotation axis z - z of the winding device in a ( vertical ) direction that is perpendicular to the ( horizontal ) advancing direction x of the separating strip 5 . in greater detail , each pressure element 23 or 24 comprises , in the specific example illustrated here , a carriage 27 , an arm 28 and a contact member 29 . the carriage 27 is coupled with the rotating support s and is movable ( for example may comprise a slide that is slidable along sliding guides ) in a direction that is parallel to the rotation axis z - z of the rotating support ( to enable the rotating support to move towards or away from the side of the stack p ). the arm 28 is pivoted on the carriage 27 around a rotation pivot ( with an axis that is horizontal and transverse to the rotation axis z - z ) with the possibility of moving towards or away from a ( flat ) face of the stack . the contact member 29 is an end element of the arm 28 , configured for contact with the stack p being assembled . the contact member 29 can be coupled with the arm 28 by a rotation pivot . each gripping element 25 may comprise a gripper carried by a further carriage 30 coupled with the rotating support s ( for example a slide that is slidable along sliding guides ). the further carriage 30 is movable in a direction that is parallel to the rotation axis z - z of the rotating support s , to enable , at the end of the formation of the stack , the removal of the gripper from the stack by moving away from the side of the stack . in fig1 there is illustrated the stack of electrodes c and a made with the apparatus and the method disclosed above . the various electrodes face one another . the cathodes c and the anodes a are arranged alternately . the dielectric separator comprises a single strip 5 wound around the electrodes , in which the initial end strip ( shown with 51 ) of the strip is situated in the centre of the stack ( near or interposed between the two most central electrodes inside the stack ), and the final end strip ( indicated by 52 ) of the strip is located outside the stack . the separating strip 5 is wound , from the initial end to the outside of the stack , always in the same winding direction .	8
a first exemplary embodiment of the lock ring mounting arrangement for a blow head of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 through 38 , while a second exemplary embodiment of the lock ring mounting arrangement for a blow head of the present invention is illustrated in fig3 through 74 . referring first to the first embodiment , and specifically to fig1 , a blow head arm assembly 100 is mounted on a vertical post 102 and is raised and lowered with respect to blow molds ( not shown in the figures ). extending from the bottom of the blow head arm assembly 100 are three blow head assemblies 104 that in operation will be lowered respectively onto the top of three blow molds . although the present invention relates to the apparatus and method for installing and removing the blow head assemblies 104 onto the apparatus of the blow head arm assembly 100 , as background a brief description of the construction of the blow head arm assembly 100 will be provided in conjunction with fig2 . the various components of the blow head arm assembly 100 are assembled onto an upper blow head arm member 110 having three cylindrical interiors 112 ( which have various passages located therein which are not pertinent to the present invention ). three cylindrical sleeves 114 ( which also have passages not pertinent to the present invention located therein ) are respectively mounted into the three cylindrical interiors 112 , where they are maintained by bolts 116 that are screwed into the upper blow head arm member 110 . three slider assemblies 118 each have a cylindrical upper portion 120 which will extend into a respective one of the cylindrical sleeves 114 and an upper lock ring segment 122 located at the bottom of each of the cylindrical upper portions 120 . a pair of piston rings 124 are respectively mounted on grooves located on the cylindrical upper portion 120 of the slider assembly 118 . a pin 126 extends between each of the slider assemblies 118 and its respective cylindrical sleeve 114 to prevent the slider assemblies 118 from rotating , but allowing them some degree of linear movement with respect to their respective cylindrical sleeves 114 . a washer 128 having multiple apertures about its periphery is mounted onto the top end of each of the cylindrical upper portions 120 of the slider assembly 118 using a bolt 130 . the washers 128 are sized to fit into the cylindrical interiors 112 , but are stopped from further downward movement by the tops of the cylindrical sleeves 114 . a spring 132 is located above each of the washers 128 in each respective cylindrical interior 112 , with a retaining cap 134 being screwed into the top of each of the cylindrical interiors 112 to compress the springs 130 to bias the slider assembly 118 downwardly , as limited by the washers 128 . this bias will be used by the blow head arm assembly 100 to place downward pressure on the blow head assemblies 104 to maintain them in position on blow molds ( not shown herein ). the upper lock ring segments 122 are each inserted into a lower lock ring assembly 136 . located around the cylindrical upper portion 120 of each of the slider assemblies 118 and inserted into the top ends of the lower lock ring assemblies 136 above the upper lock ring segments 122 are ( from bottom to top ) a spring 138 , a ring 140 , and a retaining ring 142 . the function of each of these components will become apparent below in conjunction with the description of the upper lock ring segment 122 and the lower lock ring assembly 136 . referring now to fig3 through 7 , the construction of the upper lock ring segment 122 of the slider assembly 118 will be described . the upper lock ring segment 122 includes a smaller diameter upper portion 150 and a larger diameter lower portion 152 . the smaller diameter portion 150 includes an aperture 154 located therein into which the pin 126 ( shown in fig2 ) will be inserted . the larger diameter lower portion 152 is hollow on the inside thereof as best seen in fig5 and 7 , and its outer wall includes two opposed notches 156 and 158 on the bottom thereof . the cylindrical upper portion 120 of the slider assembly 118 has two annular grooves 160 and 162 located therein into which the piston rings 124 ( shown in fig2 ) will be located . a central passage 164 extends through the slider assembly 118 , from the top of the cylindrical upper portion 120 to the interior of the upper lock ring segment 122 , and will be used to supply blow air . multiple passages 166 extend through the cylindrical upper portion 120 and are arrayed around the central passage 164 into the interior of the upper lock ring segment 122 , and will be used to supply cooling air . referring now to fig8 through 13 , the construction of the lower lock ring assembly 136 will be described . the lower lock ring assembly 136 is largely a hollow cylinder completely open on the top side thereof to facilitate it being installed onto the larger diameter lower portion 152 of the upper lock ring segment 122 ( best shown in fig3 , 6 , and 7 . located on the bottom side of the lower lock ring assembly 136 are two opposed inwardly - extending arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 which define between them two opposed notches 174 and 176 on the bottom portion of the outer wall of the lower lock ring assembly 136 . located on the top surfaces of the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 at a central location thereof are two detent recesses 178 and 180 . finally , an annular recess 182 is located on the inner surface of the lower lock ring assembly 136 near the top thereof . referring next to fig1 through 19 , the construction of the relevant portions of the blow head assembly 104 will be described . the blow head assembly 104 has three segments , which include , from the bottom to the top , a blow head portion 190 , a cylindrical blow head neck portion 192 , and a blow head mounting portion 194 . the blow head portion 190 includes a cylindrical recess 196 that is open at the bottom of the blow head assembly 104 ( and that will engage the finish portion of a parison , which is not shown herein ). the blow head neck portion 192 is sized to fit between the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 ( best shown in fig1 ). the blow head mounting portion 194 has opposed locking flanges 196 and 198 extending laterally therefrom on opposite sides thereof . the outer diameters defined by the locking flanges 196 and 198 are sized to fit within the inner diameter of the lower lock ring assembly 136 , and the widths of the locking flanges 196 and 198 are defined to fit within the areas defined between the ends of the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 . further , the widths of the locking flanges 196 and 198 are designed to respectively fit within the detent recesses 178 and 180 , which locking flanges 196 and 198 and detent recesses 178 and 180 can be collectively thought of as engageable retaining mechanisms . the sides of the locking flanges 196 and 198 are preferably angled on the bottom sides as best shown in fig1 . a central passage 200 extends through the blow head assembly 104 , from the top of the blow head mounting portion 194 to the interior of the blow head portion 190 , and will be used to supply blow air . multiple passages 202 extend through the blow head mounting portion 194 , the blow head neck portion 192 , and the blow head portion 190 and are arrayed around the central passage 200 in the interior of the blow head assembly 104 , and will be used to supply cooling air . referring now to fig2 through 26 , the assembly of the lower lock ring assembly 136 onto the upper lock ring segment 122 of the slider assembly 118 is shown . while fig2 through 24 show the external appearance of the completed lock ring assembly , fig2 and 26 show particular details of the interior of the lock ring assembly , and are helpful to an understanding of the operation of the lock ring assembly . the upper lock ring segment 122 is inserted completely into the interior of the lower lock ring assembly 136 . the notches 156 and 158 of the larger diameter lower portion 152 of the upper lock ring segment 122 sit on the top side of the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 of the lower lock ring assembly 136 . the upper lock ring segment 122 and the lower lock ring assembly 136 together define a hollow interior portion open only at the bottom thereof intermediate the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 , which opening is best shown in fig2 . it will be appreciated that this opening is configured to have a contour that will closely admit the blow head mounting portion 194 of the blow head assembly 104 ( as best shown in fig1 and 15 ). a spring 210 fits around the smaller diameter portion 150 of the upper lock ring segment 122 and rests on top of the larger diameter lower portion 152 of the upper lock ring segment 122 . a flat ring 212 also fits around the smaller diameter portion 150 of the upper lock ring segment 122 and is located on top of the spring 210 . a retaining ring 214 also fits around the smaller diameter portion 150 of the upper lock ring segment 122 and is located both on top of the retaining ring 214 and in the annular recess 182 in the lower lock ring assembly 136 . it will thus be appreciated that the larger diameter lower portion 152 of the upper lock ring segment 122 is urged downwardly by the spring 210 with respect to the lower lock ring assembly 136 . the completed lock ring assembly thus consists of the upper lock ring segment 122 , the lower lock ring assembly 136 , the spring 210 , the ring 212 , and the retaining ring 214 . referring next to fig2 through 29 , the insertion of the blow head mounting portion 194 of the blow head assembly 104 into the lock ring assembly is shown . the blow head mounting portion 194 including the locking flanges 196 and 198 are inserted through the opening between the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 in the larger diameter lower portion 152 of the upper lock ring segment 122 and into the interior thereof . the opening between the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 are configured to admit the blow head mounting portion 194 therebetween . referring now to fig3 through 33 , the rotation of the blow head mounting portion 194 of the blow head assembly 104 within the lock ring assembly from the inserted position that it is in following the process illustrated in fig2 through 29 is shown . the edges of the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 in the larger diameter lower portion 152 of the upper lock ring segment 122 and / or the locking flanges 196 and 198 of the blow head mounting portion 194 are angled to allow the blow head mounting portion 194 to begin to be rotated in contact with the top surfaces of the locking flanges 196 and 198 . this action will draw the lower lock ring assembly 136 downwardly , compressing the spring 210 . referring next to fig3 through 37 , the installed and locked position of the blow head mounting portion 194 of the blow head assembly 104 on the lock ring assembly is shown . the blow head mounting portion 194 of the blow head assembly 104 continues to be rotated with the locking flanges 196 and 198 of the blow head mounting portion 194 located on top of the arcuate engagement flanges 170 and 172 in the larger diameter lower portion 152 of the upper lock ring segment 122 . when the blow head mounting portion 194 of the blow head assembly 104 has been rotated 90 degrees following its insertion into the interior of the lock ring , the locking flanges 196 and 198 of the blow head mounting portion 194 are aligned with the detent recesses 178 and 180 , and the force of the spring 210 urge the lower lock ring assembly 136 upwardly , thereby retaining the locking flanges 196 and 198 of the blow head mounting portion 194 in the detent recesses 178 and 180 . this will retain the blow head assembly 104 in place on the blow head arm assembly 100 . it will be appreciated that the installation of the blow head assembly 104 on the blow head arm assembly 100 can be performed with one hand of an operator , and that no tools are required to install the blow head assembly 104 . removal of the blow head assembly 104 can be accomplished in similar fashion , since the detent recesses 178 and 180 are also angled to allow the blow head assembly 104 to be rotated , with sufficient force to pull the lower lock ring assembly 136 downwardly against the force exerted by the spring 210 . referring now to the second embodiment of the lock ring mounting arrangement for a blow head of the present invention is illustrated in fig3 through 73 , and specifically to fig3 , a blow head arm assembly 300 is mounted on a vertical post 302 and is raised and lowered with respect to blow molds ( not shown in the figures ). extending from the bottom of the blow head arm assembly 300 are four blow head assemblies 304 that in operation will be lowered respectively onto the top of three blow molds . a brief description of the construction of the blow head arm assembly 300 will be provided in conjunction with fig3 . the various components of the blow head arm assembly 300 are assembled onto an upper blow head arm member 310 having four cylindrical interiors 312 ( which have various passages located therein which are not pertinent to the present invention ). four cylindrical sleeves 314 ( which also have passages not pertinent to the present invention located therein ) are respectively mounted into the four cylindrical interiors 312 , where they are maintained by bolts 316 that are screwed into the upper blow head arm member 310 . each of the cylindrical sleeve 314 has a tab 315 extending downwardly which tabs 315 will be used to prevent the lock rings 322 from rotating , as will become apparent below . four slider assemblies 318 each have a cylindrical upper portion 320 which will extend into a respective one of the cylindrical sleeves 314 and a lock ring 322 located at the bottom of each of the cylindrical upper portions 320 . a pair of piston rings 324 are respectively mounted on grooves located on the cylindrical upper portion 320 of the slider assembly 318 . a roll pin 326 extends between each of the slider assemblies 318 and its respective cylindrical sleeve 314 to prevent the slider assemblies 318 from rotating , but allowing them some degree of linear movement with respect to their respective cylindrical sleeves 314 . a washer 328 having multiple apertures about its periphery is mounted onto the top end of each of the cylindrical upper portions 320 of the slider assembly 318 using a bolt 330 . the washers 328 are sized to fit into the cylindrical interiors 312 , but are stopped from further downward movement by the tops of the cylindrical sleeves 314 . a spring 332 is located above each of the washers 328 in each respective cylindrical interior 312 , with a retaining cap 334 being screwed into the top of each of the cylindrical interiors 312 to compress the springs 130 to bias the slider assembly 318 downwardly , as limited by the washers 328 . this bias will be used by the blow head arm assembly 300 to place downward pressure on the blow head assemblies 304 to maintain them in position on blow molds ( not shown herein ). two identical locking mechanisms will be inserted into the top of the lock ring 322 on opposite sides thereof . each of these locking mechanisms includes ( from bottom to top ) a detent ball 338 , a spring 340 , and a retaining screw 342 . the function of each of these components will become apparent below in conjunction with the full and complete description of the lock ring 322 . while not directly relevant to the present invention , it may also be seen that the blow head assembly 104 consists of a main blow head segment 344 and a blow head sleeve 346 that will be installed onto the main blow head segment 344 . referring now to fig4 through 45 , the construction of the lock ring 322 of the slider assembly 318 will be described . the lock ring 322 is fundamentally cylindrical , with a pair of the detent recesses 350 and 352 located on the top side thereof adjacent opposite sides of the lock ring 322 . as may be seen particularly in fig4 , the detent recesses 350 and 352 extend into the interior of the lock ring 322 . the top surface of the lock ring 322 also includes an aperture 354 located therein into which the roll pin 326 ( shown in fig3 ) will be inserted . the outer wall of the lock ring 322 includes two opposed notches 356 and 358 located on the bottom thereof , with a large vertical slot 359 located in the outer wall of the lock ring 322 above the notch 356 . the tab 315 extending from the cylindrical sleeve 314 ( both shown in fig3 ) will extend into the vertical slot 359 to prevent the lock ring 322 from rotating during operation . the cylindrical upper portion 320 of the slider assembly 318 has two annular grooves 360 and 362 located therein into which the piston rings 324 ( shown in fig3 ) will be located . a central passage 364 extends through the slider assembly 318 , from the top of the cylindrical upper portion 320 to the interior of the lock ring 322 , and will be used to supply blow air . multiple passages 366 extend through the cylindrical upper portion 320 and are arrayed around the central passage 364 into the interior of the lock ring 322 , and will be used to supply cooling air . the lock ring 322 has a hollow interior as best shown in fig4 and 45 , and is also partially open on the bottom thereof . it will be appreciated that this opening is configured to have a contour that will closely admit the blow head mounting portion 394 of the main blow head segment 344 ( as best shown in fig4 and 50 the details of which are described below ). located on the bottom side of the lock ring 322 are two opposed inwardly - extending arcuate engagement flanges 370 and 372 which have the two opposed notches 356 and 358 extending therebetween on the bottom portion of the outer wall of the lock ring 322 . an aperture 384 is located in the arcuate engagement flange 372 and is axially aligned with the aperture 354 in the top of the lock ring 322 . finally , referring to fig4 , it may be seen that the detent recesses 350 and 352 are open at the bottoms thereof into the hollow interior of the lock ring 322 respectively above the arcuate engagement flanges 370 and 372 . referring next to fig4 through 48 , the blow head sleeve 346 is shown to be of hollow cylindrical construction . it has four angularly equally spaced apertures 380 located therein near the bottom end thereof . the blow head sleeve 346 is sized appropriately to fit on the bottom portion of the main blow head segment 344 . referring now to fig4 through 54 , the construction of the relevant portions of the main blow head segment 344 will be described . the main blow head segment 344 has three segments , which include , from the bottom to the top , a blow head portion 390 , a cylindrical blow head neck portion 392 , and a blow head mounting portion 394 . the blow head portion 390 includes a cylindrical recess 396 that is open at the bottom of the main blow head segment 344 as shown in fig4 ( and that will engage the finish portion of a parison , which is not shown herein ). the blow head neck portion 392 is sized to fit between the arcuate engagement flanges 370 and 372 ( best shown in fig4 ). the blow head mounting portion 394 has opposed locking flanges 396 and 398 extending laterally therefrom on opposite sides thereof . the outer diameters defined by the locking flanges 396 and 398 are sized to fit within the inner diameter of the interior of the lock ring 322 , and the widths of the flanges 396 and 398 are defined to fit within the areas defined between the ends of the arcuate engagement flanges 370 and 372 . the sides of the locking flanges 396 and 398 are angled on the top sides as best shown in fig4 and 50 . a central passage 400 extends through the main blow head segment 344 , from the top of the blow head mounting portion 394 to the interior of the blow head portion 390 , and will be used to supply blow air . multiple passages 402 extend through the blow head mounting portion 394 , the blow head neck portion 392 , and exit at the outside of the blow head portion 390 and are arrayed around the central passage 400 in the interior of the main blow head segment 344 , and will be used to supply cooling air . multiple passages 404 extend through the blow head portion 390 from the outside to the inside thereof . it will be appreciated that when the blow head sleeve 346 ( shown in fig4 through 48 ) is mounted onto the blow head portion 390 , 402 and the passages 404 will supply blow air from the top of the blow head mounting portion 394 to the interior of the blow head portion 390 . respectively centrally located on the top sides of the locking flanges 396 and 398 at the distal ends thereof are detent recesses 404 and 406 . located about the circumference of the blow head portion 390 are four apertures 410 that will be aligned with the four apertures 380 in the blow head sleeve 346 when the blow head sleeve 346 is mounted on the main blow head segment 344 . four venting screws 412 ( best shown in fig3 and 72 ) are screwed through the apertures 380 in the blow head sleeve 346 and into the apertures 410 in 390 of the main blow head segment 344 , and function both to retain the blow head sleeve 346 on the main blow head segment 344 as well as to allow cooling air to be vented out of the blow head 304 . referring next to fig5 through 59 , the slider assembly 318 is shown with the detent ball apparatus installed and with the retaining screws 342 being visible ( the detent ball 338 and the spring 340 shown in fig3 are not visible in these figures ). additionally , the blow head sleeve 346 illustrated in fig4 through 48 is shown installed onto the main blow head segment 344 shown in fig5 through 54 , with the venting screws 412 being clearly visible . further , the blow head 304 ( which includes the main blow head segment 344 and the blow head sleeve 346 ) is installed into the lock ring 322 of the slider assembly 318 . referring now to fig6 , the roll pin 326 is shown installed in the apertures 354 and 384 of the slider assembly 318 . the function of the roll pin 326 is to limit the rotation of the locking flange 396 of the blow head 304 to 90 degrees once it has been inserted into the lock ring 322 of the slider assembly 318 . referring next to fig6 through 63 , the insertion of the blow head mounting portion 394 of the blow head assembly 304 into the lock ring 322 of the slider assembly 318 is shown . the blow head mounting portion 394 including the locking flanges 396 and 398 are inserted through the opening between the arcuate engagement flanges 370 and 372 in the lock ring 322 of the slider assembly 318 and into the interior thereof . the opening between the arcuate engagement flanges 370 and 372 are configured to admit the blow head mounting portion 394 therebetween . referring now to fig6 through 66 , the rotation of the blow head mounting portion 394 of the blow head assembly 304 within the lock ring 322 of the slider assembly 318 from the inserted position that it is in following the process illustrated in fig6 through 63 is shown . as the blow head 304 is rotated , the angled corners on top of the locking flanges 396 and 398 at the edges thereof come into contact with the detent balls 338 , as shown in detail in fig6 . as the blow head 304 continues to be rotated , the angled corners on top of the locking flanges 396 and 398 will force the detent balls 338 upwardly against the force exerted by the springs 340 . referring next to fig6 through 71 , the installed and locked position of the blow head mounting portion 394 of the blow head assembly 304 within the lock ring 322 of the slider assembly 318 is shown . the blow head mounting portion 394 of the blow head assembly 304 continues to be rotated with the locking flanges 396 and 398 of the blow head mounting portion 394 located on top of the arcuate engagement flanges 370 and 372 in the lock ring segment 322 . when the blow head mounting portion 394 of the blow head assembly 304 has been rotated 90 degrees following its insertion into the interior of the lock ring 322 , the detent recesses 406 and 408 of the locking flanges 396 and 398 , respectively , of the blow head mounting portion 394 are aligned with the detent balls 338 , which are urged by the spring 340 into the detent recesses 406 and 408 , thereby retaining the locking flanges 396 and 398 of the blow head mounting portion 394 in the position in which it is shown in fig6 through 71 . in this regard , the detent balls 338 and the detent recesses 406 and 408 can be collectively thought of as engageable retaining mechanisms . this will retain the blow head assembly 304 in place on the blow head arm assembly 300 . in fact , rotation of the blow head mounting portion 394 of the blow head assembly 304 more than 90 degrees is prevented by the roll pin 326 blocking the locking flange 398 , as best shown in fig6 . it will be appreciated that the installation of the blow head assembly 304 on the blow head arm assembly 300 can be performed with one hand of an operator , and that no tools are required to install the blow head assembly 304 . removal of the blow head assembly 304 can be accomplished in similar fashion , since the detent recesses 406 and 408 are also angled to allow the blow head assembly 304 to be rotated , with sufficient force to push the detent balls 338 upwardly against the force of the springs 340 . referring finally to fig7 , additional detail is provided showing the venting screws 412 used to exhaust cooling air from the blow head 304 . in order to vary the amount of cooling air vented from the blow head 304 , venting screws 412 having different inner diameters can be exchanged to vary to cooling air flow therethrough . alternately , a valving arrangement could be included in the design of the venting screws 412 and / or the apertures 410 in the blow head mounting portion 394 that would vary the cooling air flow therethrough by rotating the venting screws 412 . it may therefore be appreciated from the above detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention that it provides apparatus and a related method to facilitate the installation and removal of blow heads onto their respective blow head mounting members . in this regard , the lock ring mounting arrangement apparatus and method of the present invention does not require tools to remove and replace the blow heads , and further facilitates the removal and installation of blow heads using only a single hand . additionally , the lock ring mounting arrangement apparatus and method also provides a preload to prevent slackness in the blow heads with respect to the blow head mounting members , thereby preventing vibration during oscillation of the blow heads as well as reducing wear on the blow heads . finally , the lock ring mounting arrangement apparatus and method of the present invention achieves numerous advantages without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage . although the foregoing description of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof , it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed . it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes , modifications , variations , or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made , none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention . the particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . all such changes , modifications , variations , and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly , legally , and equitably entitled . while the current application recites particular combinations of features in the claims appended hereto , various embodiments of the invention relate to any combination of any of the features described herein whether or not such combination is currently claimed , and any such combination of features may be claimed in this or future applications . any of the features , elements , or components of any of the exemplary embodiments discussed above may be claimed alone or in combination with any of the features , elements , or components of any of the other embodiments discussed above .	2
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its embodiments , its application , or its uses . following is a description of an exemplary embodiment of a hybrid absorbing element 10 of the computer - implemented apparatus 20 and method 100 for finite element explicit time difference calculations leveraging the hybrid absorbing element 10 described by modeling parameters comprised of perfectly matched layers and infinite elements to create a hybrid configuration having the performance characteristics desired . now referring to fig1 a and 1b , a simplified two - dimensional illustration of a hybrid absorbing element 10 used in the apparatus 20 and method 100 herein is described . a hybrid absorbing element 10 , as defined more fully herein , is comprised of a single finite - sized base facet 17 and a plurality of semi - infinite facets 14 . for example , a quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 ( fig1 a and 10b ) consists of a finite quadrilateral base facet 67 and four semi - infinite facets 14 ; a triangular hybrid absorbing element 70 ( fig1 a and 11b ) consists of a finite triangular base facet 77 and three semi - infinite facets 14 . other hybrid absorbing element configurations consisting of more than four semi - infinite facets 14 based upon base facets having more than four sides are supported by the apparatus 20 and method 100 . the finite element structure , also known as the mesh , is comprised of a plurality of finite elements , each of which consists of base facets of shell - type geometry . for simplicity , the structure of each element is first described in the context of a two - dimensional view of the hybrid absorbing element 10 having semi - infinite facet 14 illustrated in fig1 a and 1b . as illustrated in fig1 a and 1b , from a two - dimensional perspective , a semi - infinite facet 14 of the hybrid absorbing element 10 according to an aspect of the invention is defined by an interior point 11 and a boundary or base facet 17 defined by nodes 12 . infinite - direction bounding rays 15 , 16 emanate from the single interior point 11 common to all infinite elements in a set . the bounding rays 15 , 16 are defined from the interior point 11 , through each infinite element node 12 . alternative definitions of the bounding rays 15 , 16 at nodes 12 are permissible , as long as the hybrid absorbing elements 10 which share a node 12 share the bounding ray emanating from that node 12 . for example , in an alternative embodiment , not shown here , each single interior point 11 may be replaced with a pair of user - defined points , allowing prolate - spheroidal or oblate - spheroidal geometry to be used to define bounding rays 15 , 16 shared between adjacent hybrid absorbing elements 10 . this ensures that the volumes of the hybrid absorbing elements 10 will in entirety fill the exterior volume of the model . the hybrid absorbing element 10 comprises a semi - infinite volume 19 defined by the base facet boundary 17 , and the infinite - direction bounding rays 15 , 16 . additional detail addressing the configuration and use of hybrid absorbing elements 10 based upon the semi - infinite facet 14 is subsequently provided to more fully explain the use of the semi - infinite facet 14 for modeling according to various embodiments of the apparatus 20 and method 100 . referring to fig2 , we describe an exemplary basic configuration of the apparatus 20 associated with the method 100 herein . the apparatus 20 includes a processor 30 with access to electronic data storage 40 , wherein the processor 30 and associated operations are accessed via a user interface 50 . processor 30 orchestrates functionality of various modules to generate an ultimate solution . modules that operate on processor 30 include hybrid element module 31 , decay function module 32 , mapping module 33 , derivation module 34 , mass matrix module 35 , and compute element module 36 . modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , and 36 may be implemented in software , hardware , firmware , some combination of software , hardware , and firmware , or otherwise implemented . it should be appreciated that although modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 and 36 are illustrated in fig2 as being co - located within a single processing unit . for implementations in which processor 30 includes and supports multiple processing units , modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , and / or 36 may be located remotely from the other modules and associated with additional individual processors 30 . further , the description of the functionality provided by the different modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 and 36 described below is for illustrative purposes , and is not intended to be limiting , as any of modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 and / or 36 may provide more or less functionality than is described . for example , one or more of modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , and 36 may be eliminated , and some or all of the functionality may be provided by other ones of modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , and 36 . as another example , processor 30 may support one or more additional modules that may perform some or all of the functionality attributed below to one of modules 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , and 36 . the various aspects and embodiments of the apparatus 20 and method 100 leverage features of the finite element method . fig3 is a top - level structural flowchart of fundamental modules and processes associated with the apparatus 20 and method 100 herein . more particularly , the computer - implemented method 100 implements the finite element method ( fem ), performed with assistance of one or more computers or computer processors , for predicting behavior of a physical system by obtaining numerical solutions to mathematical equations that describe the system and its loading conditions . referring to the flowchart of fig3 , the use of the fem as taught by the method 100 may be thought of as comprising three primary compute phases : preprocessing 110 , solution 120 , and post - processing 130 . now , in still greater detail , referring to fig2 and fig4 , the apparatus 20 and method 100 according to various aspects and embodiments of the invention is described . hybrid element module 31 drives hybrid element shape function definition process 310 to support one or more subsequent interpolation functions wherein element shapes are defined in two and three spatial dimensions . decay function module 32 applies and drives decay functions 320 to specify the pml - like function governing the rate of decay of an acoustic wave field inside the hybrid infinite element domain . the decay functions 320 also affect the variation of the acoustic wave field in directions tangent to the terminating surface or base facet : the decay function must specify zero added damping so that the field impedance at the surface of the hybrid absorbing element 10 is matched to that of the adjacent finite element . mapping module 33 drives a mapping process 330 wherein a coordinate map is associated with the hybrid absorbing element model and described in part by the base facet shape functions , in part in an isoparametric manner , and in part by a singular function . together , the isoparametric and singular functions map the true , semi - infinite domain onto the parent element quadrilateral . to specify a map for a given element , distances are defined between each infinite element node on a base facet and the element &# 39 ; s reference node . intermediate points in the infinite direction are defined as offset replicas of the nodes on the terminating surface . with reference to fig3 , in a preprocessing phase 110 , at step 111 , the physical domain of the problem is partitioned into a pattern of subdomains of simple geometry , referred to as “ elements .” the resulting pattern associated with the geometric configuration of the elements is referred to as a “ mesh .” in addition , problem data such as physical properties , loads , and boundary conditions are specified . in a solution phase 120 , a system of equations which governs the wave propagation of the problem of interest is addressed and solved . the solution phase 120 of fig3 is carried out in a programmed computer / data processor 30 . in step 122 of solution phase 120 , an element system of equations is first derived . the element system of equations comprises a set of numerically computable mathematical formulas that are derived theoretically and implemented into the computer code that forms the fem program . at step 123 , numerical values are computed for the coefficients in the “ element equations ” associated with each element in the mesh . during computer implementation of the fem program , the code for these formulas associated with the element equation is accessed by each element in the mesh . numerical values are computed for the coefficients in the formulas using the geometric and physical data associated with each individual element . at step 122 , derivation of the element equations embodies the following aspects . the unknown field variable ( s ), for which the finite - element analysis is seeking a solution , is represented approximately within each element as a finite sum of known functions , referred to as “ shape ” functions . these shape functions are chosen to be polynomials , typically , although alternative functions may be used . unknown parameters , referred to as “ degrees of freedom ” ( dof ), become the new unknowns for which the finite - element analysis finds values by solving the global system of equations . the dof values that the unknown field variable takes at specific points in the element , are referred to as “ nodes .” when values for the dof are subsequently computed in step 128 , the approximate fem solution will then be known everywhere , continuously , throughout each element . both the shape functions and the parameters will be known , and these , together , define the complete solution in the entire problem domain at step 123 , coefficients in the element equations are evaluated and numerical values for those coefficients are generated . these coefficients are stored in electronic storage 40 such as digital memory . the representation of the unknown field variable in terms of shape functions is inserted into the governing physics equations . the physics equations are differential or integral equations that express the physical laws to which the physical system is subject . these differential equations reduce to a system of algebraic equations which describe the element equation . the expressions for the coefficients in the element equation are manipulated to support optimized computing . at step 124 , the element equations for all the elements associated with the analysis are combined or assembled into one global system of equations . the equations associated with all the elements that share nodes in the mesh will contribute terms to the equations governing the dof at that node , thereby establishing continuity in the field variable from element to element . the system of equations grows larger and larger as element equations are aggregated , resulting in one global system of equations . element coefficients are assembled to form a system of equations wherein system equation coefficients are maintained in electronic storage 40 . for clarity , further aspects of the method 100 will be described in association with the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 illustrated in fig1 a and 10b . however , the following descriptions will be applicable to other forms of hybrid absorbing elements 10 , such as the triangular hybrid absorbing element 70 illustrated in fig1 a and 11b . with continuing reference to fig4 , the equations defining the hybrid absorbing element 60 are derived and likewise incorporated within the global system of equations at step 124 . subsequently , in step 126 , the global system of equations is modified to consider boundary and loading conditions applicable to the physical system being modeled . in step 128 , the system of equations is solved , using any of a variety of numerical analysis techniques . since there are thousands , or even millions of unknown dof , depending on the problem to be solved , the solution of the system of equations is preferably distributed across one or more computers or processors . the result of the solution phase 120 is a description of the values assumed by a field variable throughout the mesh . this result is then subjected to post - processing 130 in a processor 30 , and output to a storage device 40 or user interface 50 such as a display device . the result may also be exported to other software systems and processors for further analysis . in the post - processing phase 130 , at step 132 , the final solution to the system of equations is processed for presentation or display to a user analyst in a plurality of different meaningful forms . in the post - processing phase 130 , other useful information may be derived from the solution and likewise displayed to a user . it is a general property of the solution phase 120 that as the physical wave frequency increases , the computational burden increases significantly . consequently , it is advantageous to use , for data processor 30 , a parallel processor , such as a massively parallel processor or a scalable parallel processor . in addition , data processor 30 can likewise be comprised of a plurality of cloud - based computing resources to support elasticity of demand for use and to address significantly larger modeling requirements driven by either the physical size of the model , required accuracy , and / or wave frequency . the solution for an acoustic problem according to an embodiment of the method 100 in an unbounded exterior space is assumed to be linear and governed by the same equations as the finite acoustic region . a parameter is used to denote velocity - dependent “ volumetric drag ” ( material damping / loss ) which may exist in fluid associated with the acoustic medium . where the infinite exterior of a region of acoustic fluid is bounded by a convex surface and a conventional finite element mesh defined on the surface , each facet of the surface mesh , together with the normal vectors at the nodes , defines a subdivision of the infinite exterior , referred to as the infinite element . further derivation according to one embodiment of the method establishes values for other dependent variables . a diagonal mass matrix ensures that the implementation of the underlying algorithm is efficient for explicit transient dynamic simulations . in finite elements , low - polynomial - order element mass matrices are lumped into diagonal entries . in an embodiment of the hybrid absorbing element , infinite direction functions are handled differently and selected such that they are orthogonal with respect to the mass integral , so that the contributions are naturally diagonal . in one embodiment of the invention , the element shape and test functions for the hybrid absorbing element 60 consist of conventional low - order isoparametric finite element functions defined on the base facet 67 , multiplied by a set of high - order polynomials in the infinite direction . by carefully selecting polynomials to be used in the infinite direction , only the degrees of freedom at the base of the hybrid absorbing element 60 are coupled to the finite element mesh , avoiding the need to transform the element &# 39 ; s diagonal mass into a non - diagonal form in order to couple to the mesh . many different sets of orthogonal functions may be derived to achieve this property . each of the functions are normalized so that the first function has unitary value at the finite element mesh , like the finite element neighbors , and the higher functions are normalized with respect to the mass integral . once corresponding weight functions are completed , the functions are presented such the element may be computed conventionally . referring now to fig4 , the hybrid absorbing element definition process 300 , hereinafter the haed process 300 , is described in greater detail . the process 300 of defining the hybrid absorbing element 60 comprises several steps including hybrid absorbing element shape function definition 310 , decay function 320 , mapping 330 , derivation 340 , mass matrix construction 350 , and compute element function 360 . these steps will be described in further detail for the simplest embodiment of the invention , linear acoustic wave propagation . referring now to fig5 , additional details associated with hybrid absorbing element shape function definition 310 are described . first , in step 311 , the hybrid absorbing element geometry is defined . the hybrid absorbing element geometry includes definition of the base facet 67 in step 312 , definition of the rays 65 emanating from the base facet 67 in step 314 , definition the semi - infinite facets 14 in step 316 , and definition of the semi - infinite volume 69 of the hybrid absorbing element 60 in step 318 . referring now to fig6 , the haed process 300 includes functions and implementation steps to support a decay function module 320 . first , in step 322 , hybrid absorbing element shape functions are defined as follows : in three spatial dimensions . the shape functions serve to specify the minimum rate of decay of an acoustic field inside the infinite element domain . the subindex α ranges over the n nodes of the base facet 67 of the infinite element , while the subindex β ranges over the number of functions used in the infinite direction . the function index i is equal to the subindex α for the first n functions , i = n + α for the second n functions , and so on . the functions b α ( g , h ) are conventional two - dimensional shape functions ( in three dimensions ) or , with h = 0 , one - dimensional shape functions for axisymmetric or two - dimensional elements . the role of these functions is to specify the variation of the acoustic field in directions tangent to the terminating surface in step 324 where the terminating surface is congruent with the base facet 67 . the variation of the acoustic field in the infinite direction is given by the functions b β ( ξ ), which are members of a set of polynomials in the infinite - direction coordinate ξ ( see below ). the first member of this set of polynomials corresponds to the value of the acoustic pressures on the terminating surface ; the other functions are generalized degrees of freedom . specifically , we choose where g β ( ξ ) are chosen to be orthogonal with respect to the mass matrix integral ( see below ). all of the b β ( ξ ) are equal to zero at the terminating surface , except for b 1 ( ξ ). this ensures that the degrees of freedom on the base facet 67 are defined in step 326 in terms of the first - order terms only . referring now to fig7 , the haed process 300 includes functions and implementation steps to support a mapping module 330 . the coordinate map for each model is described in part by the base facet shape functions , in the usual isoparametric manner , and in part by a singular function . together , the functions map the true , semi - infinite domain onto the parent element square or cube . to specify the map for a given element , we first define in step 332 the distances r α between each infinite element node a on the base facet 67 and the element &# 39 ; s reference node , located at x 0 : intermediate points in the infinite direction are defined as offset replicas of the nodes on the terminating surface : in step 334 , we use the interpolated reference distance on the terminating surface , in the definition of the parent coordinate , ξ , corresponding to the infinite direction : where r is the distance between an arbitrary point in the semi - infinite volume and the reference point , x 0 . with these definitions , the geometric map can be specified in step 336 as the infinite elements are not isoparametric as such , since the map uses a lower - order function of the parent coordinates than the interpolation scheme does . however , this singular mapping is convenient and invertible . referring now to fig8 , the haed process 300 includes functions and implementations steps to support a derivation module 340 . the solution in the unbounded acoustic medium is assumed linear and governed by the same equations as the finite acoustic region : the parameter γ is used to denote velocity - dependent ‘ volumetric drag ’ ( material damping / loss ) which may exist in the fluid . consider the infinite exterior of a region of acoustic fluid bounded by a convex surface and a conventional finite element mesh defined on this surface . each facet of this surface mesh , together with the normal vectors at the nodes , defines a subdivision of the infinite exterior that will be referred to as the ‘ infinite element ’, v e . application of the method of weighted residuals in step 342 results in a weak form of this equation over the infinite element volume : this equation is formally identical to that used in the finite element region ; however , the choice of functions for the weight , δp , and for the solution field , p , will be different . to continue with the derivation , we transform the weighted residual statement into the frequency domain in step 344 as follows : φ j are the shape functions , d is the physical dimension ( 2 or 3 ), and p j are element degrees of freedom . the shape functions will be described below . the factor f is the astley - leis factor , which ensures integrability for the element terms . inserting the shape and weight functions and integrating by parts , we obtain the equation for a single element in the frequency domain in step 346 , as follows : in step 348 , using the mapping defined above , the element equation is written explicitly in terms of the “ tangential ” variables g and h , and the “ infinite ” variable ξ . referring now to fig9 , the haed process 300 includes functions and implementations steps to support a mass matrix construction module 350 . for explicit finite element applications , a diagonal mass matrix ensures that the algorithm is efficient . low - order finite element mass matrices are typically “ lumped ” into diagonal entries . however , the method 100 herein handles the presence of the infinite direction functions differently . here , in step 351 , we select a set of infinite - direction functions in ξ , which are orthogonal with respect to the mass integral , so that these contributions are naturally diagonal . as described above , the element shape and test functions consist of conventional low - order isoparametric finite element functions defined on the base facet 67 , multiplied by a set of high - order polynomials in the infinite direction . consequently , when the appropriate substitutions are made in step 353 , the mass matrix consists of terms of the form here , we write using the physical r instead of ξ , at the outset ; d is the physical dimension ( 2 or 3 ). the first part of the integral is akin to a conventional finite element mass matrix in two dimensions , so it may be lumped using standard techniques to obtain an operator diagonal in the indices α 1 and α 2 . the latter term simplifies to which , after applying the physical - parent transformations in step 355 : in step 357 , orthogonal functions are derived . three functions that are orthogonal with respect to this integral are : the ( 1 − ξ ) factors are required for integrability . the ( 1 + ξ ) factors are included in the higher functions to ensure that the field at the interior face of the element is dependent only on the first function ; i . e ., that only a single nodal degree of freedom in the element is coupled to the finite element mesh . this coupling avoids having to transform the element &# 39 ; s diagonal mass into a non - diagonal form in order to couple to the mesh . more orthogonal functions may be derived if higher - order elements are desired . the functions above are normalized in step 359 so that the first function has unitary value at the finite element mesh , like the finite element neighbors , and the higher functions are normalized with respect to the mass integral . these functions are now in a form that allows the element to be computed conventionally in step 360 . for illustrative purposes , in practice and use , referring to fig1 a and 10b , we describe aspects of the use of a quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 wherein the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 uniquely blends features of the perfectly matched layer ( pml ) concept with the infinite element concept . leveraging the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 , the method 100 is able to accurately model wave propagation , absorb short - wavelength waves at all angles of incidence and devolve to a correct low - frequency limit . devolving to a correct low - frequency limit is typically unachievable using pml alone , since pml are usually implemented using stacks of the usual domain operator ( finite elements or finite differences ) which terminate at some fixed layer thickness . such an approach does not work well at very low frequency , because the pml damping is nearly zero , and the underlying code therefore perceives a finite domain size . an infinite element formulation is known to work well at the low frequency limit of acoustics and elasticity . combining the infinite element and pml concepts according to method 100 to form the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 addresses limitations associated with singular use of the two approaches . by creating the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 , the method 100 allows underlying algorithms to be used spatially local to minimize storage and communication requirements and associated costs . it also ensures that second - order time derivatives are compatible with the explicit central difference time integration schema . it also ensures that method 100 converges to the appropriate low - frequency limits . the method 100 according to the invention is intended to work well in an explicit time - domain finite element code , and hence , the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 includes a finite ( i . e . non - zero ) and lump - able ( diagonal ) mass operator . in the tangential directions , this requirement is satisfied by linear finite element basis functions ; in the infinite direction , the basic functions are orthogonalized with respect to the mass integral . in practice , pml formulations require smooth variation of the damping parameter as a function of the infinite direction . consequently , the method 100 supports inclusion of one or more infinite - direction basis functions . the set of functions contain only one member with nonzero value at the inner “ finite ” boundary . using such a member set in the infinite direction , together with linear finite element shape functions in the tangential directions , allows the mass operator of the hybrid absorbing element 60 to be diagonal , ensuring that the coefficients for the second - order derivatives are diagonal for inclusion as a lumped mass . in modeling associated with finite element techniques , the simpler the elemental structure , the easier it is for a user to configure their desired model using fundamental descriptive elements properly . in the method 100 , the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 may be used according to common practice in infinite elements wherein : the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 is defined using two nodal layers : an inner node 61 at a finite boundary , and a second base facet 67 defined by nodes 62 whose positions define the infinite - direction rays 65 bounding each quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 . the user need only define the inner set of nodes 62 , as if the element were a shell or membrane , and define the infinite - direction bounding rays 65 using a single interior point 61 common to all the infinite elements in a member set . the bounding rays 65 are defined from the interior point 61 , through each infinite element node 62 . this approach ensures that the elements 60 fill the exterior volume . the single interior point 61 may be replaced with a pair of user - defined points , allowing prolate - spheroidal or oblate - spheroidal geometry to be used to define the rays . temporal stability and accuracy requirements are driven by the eigenvalues of the hybrid absorbing element 60 . the imaginary parts of the eigenvalues lie in the upper half of the complex plane ( when the positive sign convention for the fourier transform is used ). this property is tested and designed by applying the proposed element formulation to a spherical exterior , and using legendre modes in place of finite element tangential discretization . in this manner , the impedance curves of the element formulation , which depend on the pml damping parameter , can be compared to classical results for the sphere across a range of frequencies . the variation of the pml damping parameter in the infinite direction is driven by similar testing and comparison to classical results . in practice , the number of semi - infinite facets 14 associated with a hybrid absorbing element may vary . in one embodiment , shown in fig1 a and 10b , a quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 comprises four semi - infinite facets 14 . in another embodiment , shown in fig1 a and 11b , a triangular hybrid absorbing element 70 comprises three semi - infinite facets 14 . use of other polygons for the base facet is foreseen . referring now to fig1 a and 10b , the structure of a hybrid absorbing element 60 having a quadrilateral configuration is described in further detail . the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 is comprised of a semi - infinite portion 69 . the entirety of the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 is defined by four semi - infinite facets 14 and the base quadrilateral facet 67 . the base quadrilateral facet 67 is defined by four nodes 62 . bounding rays 65 extend from the interior origin point 61 and through each of the nodes 62 of the base facet 67 , extending to infinity to define the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 . the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 blends a perfectly matched layer ( pml ) model with an infinite element model . thus configured , the apparatus 20 and method 100 according to the invention supports simultaneous absorption of short - wavelength waves at all angles of incidence while also causing the model to devolve to a correct low - frequency limit . devolution to a correct low - frequency limit substantially complements pml formulations alone , since pml is implemented using stacks of the domain operator ( finite elements or finite differences ) which terminate at some fixed layer thickness . pml formulations alone do not work well at very low frequency , because the pml damping is nearly zero at low frequency , and the underlying code will incorrectly perceive a finite domain size . the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 is functionally efficient within explicit time - domain finite element code , having a finite ( i . e . non - zero ) and lumpable mass operator . in the tangential directions , this requirement is satisfied by linear finite element basis functions ; in the infinite direction , the basic functions are orthogonalized with respect to the mass integral . the pml formulations preferably include smooth variation of a damping parameter as a function of the infinite direction . consequently , the apparatus 20 and method 100 driven by application of the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 provides for application of one or more infinite - direction basis functions . as a matter of convenience , each function contains only one member with nonzero value at the inner finite boundary . since modeling of different phenomena and devices can include complex geometry and operational requirements , the apparatus 20 and method 100 leverages the novel features of the quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 applied within the context of various practices associated with infinite elements . the apparatus and method 100 will likewise leverage the novel features of hybrid absorbing elements having different base facet geometries . temporal stability and accuracy requirements of the apparatus 20 and method 100 are dependent on the eigenvalues of each quadrilateral hybrid absorbing element 60 . the imaginary parts of the eigenvalues lie in the upper half of the complex plane when the positive sign convention for the fourier transform is used . this requirement is addressed by applying the proposed element formulation to a spherical exterior , and using legendre modes in place of finite element tangential discretization . in this manner , impedance curves of the hybrid element formulation , which depend on the pml damping parameter , can be compared to classical results for the sphere across a range of frequencies . the variation of the pml damping parameter in the infinite direction is determined with iterative computing analysis to coincide with real - world results and resulting empirical data . referring now to fig1 a and 11b , another embodiment of a hybrid absorbing element 70 having a triangular configuration is described . the triangular hybrid absorbing element 70 is comprised of a semi - infinite portion 79 . the entirety of the triangular hybrid absorbing element 70 is defined by three semi - infinite facets 14 and the base triangular facet 77 . the base triangular facet 77 is defined by three nodes 72 . bounding rays 75 extend from the interior origin point 71 and through each of the nodes 72 of the base facet 77 , extending to infinity to define the triangular hybrid absorbing element 70 . now referring to fig1 and fig1 , the apparatus 20 and method 100 is implemented on a computer in software or firmware aiding in the pre - and post - processing of finite element models for presentation on a display device . referring to fig1 in further detail , a top view of a three - dimensional representation 400 is an illustrative schematic of determining the radiation from an acoustic source 410 into an infinite medium 470 . in practice , a simplified finite element model generated by a finite element software program on a computer will generate a viable computer model according to various approximations . for the theoretical unbounded model , which does not lend itself to computational simulation , the acoustic source 410 is surrounded by the infinite medium 470 . the acoustic source 410 generates an acoustic wave 475 that propagates throughout the infinite medium 470 until its energy is dissipated and no returns of energy occur . in a first approximation , an absorbing boundary condition 450 is established to truncate the computational model sufficiently to allow the computation and display of results . the absorbing boundary condition 450 is set a distance from the source 410 sufficient to minimize returns from the modeled acoustic wave 455 wherein the size of the computer model extends the distance of the absorbing boundary condition 450 . the absorbing boundary condition 450 represents a first approximation of the behavior of a signal 455 emanating from the acoustic source 410 . the size of the resulting computing model using conventional methods is driven by the volume 440 within the truncation established by the absorbing boundary condition 450 . according to one embodiment , the computational model required is a function of the hybrid condition 430 established at a distance from the acoustic source 410 to accommodate the distance associated with the wave length 435 . consequently , the required computational model size , driven by the hybrid condition volume 420 is reduced significantly from the conventional implementation using absorbing boundary condition 450 versus that of the apparatus 20 and method 100 of the invention , which uses the hybrid perfectly matched layer 430 . for further clarification and now referring to fig1 , a three - dimensional representation of the illustration in fig1 is shown . a three - dimensional acoustic source 410 is represented by a sphere and may be , for example , a tonpilz transducer consisting of an active ( piezoelectric or magnorestrictive ) material placed between a light , stiff radiating head mass and a heavy tail mass designed to create an unbalanced load in sonar applications . the infinite volume 470 extending beyond the three - dimensional outer border 450 models an acoustic wave 475 propagating through the infinite volume 470 . the three - dimensional model 400 includes an absorbing boundary condition represented by the surface 450 , which establishes the size of the computational model associated with a conventional method of finite element analysis using only the absorbing boundary condition 450 for truncation of the model at a distance established by requirements for the acoustic signal wave 455 . for exemplary purposes , a typical model may consist of approximately twenty million elements whose interactions and signal propagations must be computed . in an embodiment of the apparatus 20 and method 100 , a further approach for truncating the computational model comprises a hybrid absorbing boundary condition that establishes the outer surface 430 penetrated by an acoustic wave 435 , which is efficiently absorbed at the outer surface 430 to minimize returns . the number of elements required by the model according to an embodiment of the invention is significantly reduced to approximately one million elements , saving significant compute time and compute resources after application of one embodiment of the apparatus 20 and method 100 described herein . now referring to fig1 , the apparatus 20 and method 100 is implemented across a global network , generally supported by the internet and the world wide web . fig1 illustrates a computer network or similar digital processing environment 1000 in which the apparatus 20 and method 100 may be implemented . client computer ( s )/ devices 1050 and server computer ( s ) 1060 provide processing , storage , and input / output devices executing application programs and the like . client computer ( s )/ devices 1050 can also be linked through communications network 1070 to other computing devices , including other client devices / processes 1050 and server computer ( s ) 1060 . communications network 1070 can be part of a remote access network , a global network ( e . g ., the internet ), a worldwide collection of computers , local area or wide area networks , and gateways that currently use respective protocols ( tcp / ip , bluetooth , etc .) to communicate with one another . other electronic device / computer network architectures are suitable . fig1 is a diagram of the internal structure of a representative computer ( e . g ., client processor / device 1050 or server computers 1060 ) in the computer system of fig1 . each computer 1050 , 1060 contains system bus 1179 , where a bus is a set of hardware lines used for data transfer among the components of a computer or processing system . bus 1179 is essentially a shared conduit that connects different elements of a computer system ( e . g ., processor , disk storage , memory , input / output ports , network ports , etc .) that enables the transfer of information between the elements . attached to system bus 1179 is an input / output ( i / o ) device interface 1182 for connecting various input and output devices ( e . g ., keyboard , mouse , displays , printers , speakers , etc .) to the computer 1050 , 1060 . network interface 1186 allows the computer to connect to various other devices attached to a network ( e . g ., network 1070 of fig1 ). memory 1190 provides volatile storage for computer software instructions 1192 and data 1194 used to implement an embodiment ( e . g ., object models , codec and object model library discussed above ). disk storage 1195 provides non - volatile storage for computer software instructions 1192 and data 1194 used to implement an embodiment . central processor unit 1184 is attached to system bus 1179 . central processor unit 1184 provides for the execution of computer instructions . in one aspect , the processor routines 1192 and data 1194 are a computer program product , including a computer readable medium ( e . g ., a removable storage medium , such as one or more dvd - roms , cd - roms , diskettes , tapes , hard drives , etc .) that provides at least a portion of the software instructions for the apparatus 20 and method 100 . computer program product can be installed by any suitable software installation procedure , as is well known in the art . in another embodiment , at least a portion of the software instructions may also be downloaded over a cable , communication and / or wireless connection . in other embodiments , the apparatus 20 and method 100 programs are a computer program propagated signal product embodied on a propagated signal on a propagation medium 1007 ( e . g ., a radio wave , an infrared wave , a laser wave , a sound wave , or an electrical wave propagated over a global network , such as the internet , or other network ( s )). such carrier medium or signals provide at least a portion of the software instructions for the routines / program 1192 . in alternate aspects , the propagated signal is an analog carrier wave or digital signal carried on the propagated medium . for example , the propagated signal may be a digitized signal propagated over a global network ( e . g ., the internet ), a telecommunications network , or other network . in one embodiment , the propagated signal is a signal that is transmitted over the propagation medium over a certain time period , such as the instructions for a software application sent in packets over a network over a period of milliseconds , seconds , minutes , or longer . in another embodiment , the computer readable medium of computer program product is a propagation medium that the computer system may receive and read , such as by receiving the propagation medium and identifying a propagated signal embodied in the propagation medium , as described above for computer program propagated signal product . the term “ carrier medium ” or transient carrier encompasses the foregoing transient signals , propagated signals , propagated medium , storage medium and the like . aspects of the invention have been particularly shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments and features thereof . however , it should be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions as set forth in the appended claims . for example , the apparatus 20 and method 100 may be implemented in a variety of computer architectures . the computer network of fig1 and compute elements of fig1 are for purposes of illustration and not limitation of the inventive subject matter . as contemplated herein , various aspects and embodiments of the inventive subject matter can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment , an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements . in one embodiment , the inventive subject matter is implemented in software , which includes but is not limited to firmware , resident software , microcode , and other forms . furthermore , embodiments of the inventive subject matter can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer - usable or computer - readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system . for the purposes of this description , a computer - usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain , store , communicate , propagate , or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . the medium can be an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system ( or apparatus or device ) or a propagation medium . examples of a computer - readable medium include a semiconductor or solid - state memory , magnetic tape , a removable computer diskette , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk . some examples of optical disks include compact disc - read only memory ( cd - rom ), compact disc read / write ( cd - r / w ) and dvd . a data processing system suitable for storing and / or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus . the memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code , bulk storage , and cache memories , which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code are retrieved from bulk storage during execution . input / output or i / o devices ( including but not limited to keyboards , displays , pointing devices , etc .) can be coupled to the apparatus 20 either directly or through intervening i / o controllers . network adapters may also be coupled to the apparatus 20 to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks . modems , cable modem and ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters . thus , specific compositions and methods of the computer - implemented apparatus 20 and method 100 have been disclosed . it should be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein . the inventive subject matter , therefore , is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the disclosure . moreover , in interpreting the disclosure , all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context . in particular , the terms “ comprises ” and “ comprising ” should be interpreted as referring to elements , components , or steps in a non - exclusive manner , indicating that the referenced elements , components , or steps may be present , or utilized , or combined with other elements , components , or steps that are not expressly referenced .	6
the following detailed description , which references and incorporates fig1 - 3b , describes and illustrates specific embodiments of the invention . these embodiments , offered not to limit but only to exemplify and teach the invention , are shown and described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention . thus , where appropriate to avoid obscuring the invention , the description may omit certain information known to those of skill in the art . fig1 shows an information handling system comprising a convergence ( or pc - tv ) system 100 in accord with the invention . specifically , pc - tv system 100 , which in a preferred embodiment , incorporates features of the destination pc - tv system from gateway , inc ., includes a monitor 110 , a tuner - receiver 120 , a personal computer 130 , and a detector 140 . monitor 110 , the heart of the system from a user perspective , plays or displays video programming from the tuner - receiver 120 and / or personal computer 130 . monitor 110 includes an epg display 110 a for displaying epg information . monitor 110 also includes built - in audio speakers ( not shown ) for outputting audible signals , including audible epg signals . to facilitate audible epg signals , the system includes a toggle or mixing circuit ( not shown ) to allow for output of epg audio over , or in place of , normal program audio . tuner - receiver 120 receives analog or digital channel signals via direct connection or wireless coupling to a multi - channel programming source . the signals for a given channel carry a scheduled or unscheduled sequence of programs , or programming events . in an exemplary embodiment , tuner - receiver 120 accepts digital or analog cable television signals , local over - the - air broadcast signals , and direct satellite television signals . exemplary signals that tuner - receiver 120 can receive include a program or channel signal 10 with embedded markers 10 a and 10 b and / or a parallel channel signal 20 with embedded markers 20 a and 20 b . in an exemplary embodiment , markers 10 a and 10 b and markers 20 a and 20 b identify the respective beginning and end of a program on channel signal 10 and 20 respectively . computer 130 , operatively coupled to monitor 110 and tuner - receiver 120 , includes a processor 131 , a local memory 132 , mass data storage devices 133 and 134 , a modem 135 , a clock 136 , and a set of user interface devices 137 . modem 135 , and other available means of communication , are capable of supporting apparatus and / or software ( not shown ), such as streaming - media players for any current or future format . interface devices 137 include a keyboard or keypad 137 a , a mouse or other pointing device 137 b , and a microphone 137 c , all of which support user interaction with a graphical user interface , such as the windows operating system from microsoft . in some embodiments , one or more of the interface devices 137 may be wireless . mass data storage device 133 , for example a computer - controllable video cassette recorder ( vcr ), a hard drive , or other recording device , records audio , video , or digital data on a read - write , data - storage medium , such as a magnetic recording tape . however , the invention encompasses any device capable of recording data , whether in analog or digital form . mass data storage device 134 may include one or more hard drives , and store an electronic program guide ( epg ) software 134 a and related database 134 b , as well as recording - device - control software 134 c . epg software 134 a and recording - control software 134 c cooperate with detector 140 to respectively control epg display 110 a and mass storage device 133 . detector 140 , which is operatively coupled to receive a version of channel signal 10 and / or channel signal 20 from tuner - receiver 120 or modem 135 , identifies and decodes markers 10 a and 10 b and / or markers 20 a and 20 b . in one embodiment , these markers are contained in vertical blanking intervals ( vbis ) of a television channel signal . in another , they are contained in digital data packets of a digital television signal or a digital media stream received via modem 135 , which is coupled through a local or wide area network to a provider of programming marked in accord with the invention . in still other embodiments , the markers are carried by a digital or analog communication channel , such as signal 20 , that is distinct from channel signal 10 , but that provides markers synchronized with the programs of channel signal 10 . in general operation , system 100 receives channel signal 10 and / or channel signal 20 via tuner - receiver 120 or modem 135 . detector 140 identifies a marker 10 a , using identification information embedded within the marker and / or using logical or contextual inference based on the channel and time information within epg database 134 b , as a start marker for a given program . once a marker is identified and / or decoded , detector 140 sends a signal to computer 130 , which directs epg software to output epg data to epg display 10 a and / or directs mass storage device 133 to start or stop recording a program scheduled for recording . more particularly , fig2 shows an exemplary method of operation in at least a portion of epg software 134 a . the method begins at block 202 with receipt of channel signals 10 and / or 20 . channel signal 20 , which is generally unnecessary if channel signal 10 includes markers 10 a and 10 b , is a shadow signal that provides markers for programs on channel signal 10 . execution of the exemplary method then proceeds to process block 204 . process block 204 determines whether detector 140 has identified any markers associated with channel signals 10 and 20 . if no markers have been detected , then the method loops back to block 202 . however , if a marker has been detected , execution proceeds to decision block 206 . in decision block 206 , the system determines whether the detected marker is a program start marker . the exemplary embodiment assumes the marker is either a program start marker or a program stop marker . however , other embodiments check for alternative types of markers , such as commercial start and stop markers , which would bracket a commercial occurring during a program . embodiments that check for commercial markers can mark the location of commercials on recording media and / or skip initial recording of the commercials , or provide a commercial - only recording mode . embodiments that accept streaming media check for a wide variety of markers consistent with the format of the a given media stream , one or more of which can be validly interpreted to control operation of an epg or a recording device . the streaming media can assume any available or future streaming media format . media formatted according to hypertext mark - up language ( html ), a virtual hypertext markup language ( vhtml ), or x mark - up language ( xml ) can also be processed in alternative embodiments of the invention . in any case , if the detected marker is a program start marker , execution branches to decision block 208 . decision block 208 determines whether the current program associated with the start marker is scheduled for recording . in an exemplary embodiment , this entails consulting a scheduling database associated with recording - device - control software 134 c , for example , epg database 134 b . if the program associated with the start marker is scheduled for recording , execution proceeds to process block 210 , which starts the recording . in some embodiments , the start marker precedes actual starting of the program by some predetermined time period , such as 5 or 10 seconds , or by a time period indicated in the marker itself . if the marker does proceed the start in this fashion , these embodiments queue the recording device to start at an appropriate time to capture at least the actual start of the program . after block 210 , execution returns to block 202 . if decision block 208 determines that the program associated with the detected start marker is not scheduled for recording , execution proceeds to process block 212 , which outputs at , least a portion of any epg data for the program associated with program start marker . in an exemplary embodiment , this specifically entails searching epg database 134 b ( or a remote database on another network accessible computer ) based on available channel and time information , or based on other information provided in or with the program start marker , such as a program identifier . in any event , once the appropriate data ( which can take a wide variety of forms , such as text , audio , and / or video information ) is located , the epg software directs its output at one or more appropriate portions on the monitor 110 , such as epg display 110 a . execution then returns to block 202 . at block 206 , if the detected marker is determined not to be a start marker , but instead to be a program stop marker for its associated program , execution branches or proceeds to decision block 214 . at this decision block , the exemplary embodiment determines whether the program associated with the detected stop marker is currently being recorded by the system . one way of determining this is to check the status of mass storage device 133 or any other recording devices coupled to system 100 . if the program associated with the program start is currently being recorded , execution proceeds to block 216 to stop the recording . in some embodiments , the stop marker precedes actual stopping of its associated program by some predetermined time period , such as 5 or 10 seconds , or by a time period indicated in the marker itself . if the marker does proceed the stop in this fashion , these embodiments queue the recording device to stop at an appropriate time to ensure capture of at least the end of the program . if the program ( or programs ) associated with the stop marker are being recorded , and after execution of block 216 , the exemplary method continues with execution of process block 218 . block 218 outputs the next epg data , i . e ., outputs at least a portion of any epg associated with the program following the program associated with the program stop marker on the current channel . fig3 a and 3b show respective examples of first epg display 300 a for a current program which the system outputs upon detection of a program start marker , and a second epg display 300 b which the system displays after detection of a program stop marker for the current program . displays 300 a and 300 b , which also function as graphical user interfaces to epg data , include respective affiliated data areas 302 a and 302 b , media area 304 a and 304 b , preview selection areas 306 a and 306 b , and back - channel access areas 308 a and 308 b . affiliated data areas 302 a and 302 b display data provided by local network affiliates or cable providers , such as local weather conditions or promotional information . media areas 304 a and 304 b display video information , such as program trailers contained within epg database 134 b or imported in real time as streaming media via modem 135 . notably , media area 304 a displays a media clip , such a program trailer , for dateline nbc , the current program , upon detection of a program start marker . on the other hand , media area 304 b which is displayed automatically ( that is , without user initiation ) upon detection of program stop marker for dateline nbc , displays a media clip for homicide , which is the program indicated as following after dateline nbc in fig3 b . selection areas 306 a and 306 b permit selection of specific epg data , and back - channel access areas 308 a and 308 b facilitate access to internet sites related to specific channels or programs . the preferred embodiments described above are intended only to illustrate and teach one or more ways of practicing or implementing the present invention , not to restrict its breadth or scope . the scope of the invention , intended to encompass all ways of practicing or implementing the principles of the invention , is defined only by the following claims and their equivalents .	7
the conveying unit 1 , 21 according to the fig1 to 6 includes a plate - like base body 2 as well as a plate - like inclining body 3 a , which , together with a two - part encompassing frame 10 , forms a conveying member 3 . the plate - like inclining body 3 a forms the rest element 9 of the conveying member 3 . the rest element 9 forms a plane rest ( support ) surface c for the conveyed object 11 . the encompassing frame 10 forms a lateral limitation for the object 11 to be conveyed , so that this cannot slip from the rest surface c during the conveying , e . g . by way of braking or accelerating the conveying unit 1 . the conveying unit 1 moreover includes an inclining mechanism with a first inclining joint 6 a , which forms a first pivot axis s 1 , and with a second inclining joint 7 a , which forms a second pivot axis s 2 . the two inclining joints 6 a , 7 a are rigidly connected to one another via a connecting plate 5 a . the first inclining joint 6 a is arranged towards the first delivery side a and connects the inclining body 3 a to the connecting plate 5 a . in this manner the inclining body 3 a is pivotable relative to the connecting plate 5 a and also relative to the base plate 2 about the first pivot axis s 1 towards the first delivery side a into an inclined position . the second inclining joint 7 a is arranged towards a second delivery side b opposite to the first delivery side a and connects the base body 2 to the connecting plate 5 a . in this manner , the inclining body 3 a together with the connecting plate 5 a is pivotable relative to the base plate 2 towards the second delivery side b about the second pivot axis s 2 , likewise into an inclined position . the inclining mechanism moreover includes a third inclining joint 6 b with a third pivot axis s 3 likewise for pivoting the inclining body 3 a towards the first delivery side a , and a fourth inclining joint 7 b with a fourth pivot axis s 4 likewise for pivoting the inclining body 3 a towards the second delivery side b . the third and the fourth inclining joint 6 b , 7 b are rigidly connected to one another via a second connecting plate 5 b . the third inclining joint 6 b is arranged at the side of the first inclining joint 6 a but fastened to the base body 2 . the fourth inclining joint 7 b is arranged at the side of the second inclining joint 7 a but is fastened to the inclining body 3 a . accordingly , the second connecting plate 5 b runs counter to the first connecting plate 5 a . the stability of the design can be increased by way of this . the first and the third pivot axis s 1 , s 3 of the first and third inclining joint 6 a , 6 b lie on a common axis during the pivoting of the inclining body 3 a about these pivot axes s 1 , s 3 . the second and fourth geometric pivot axis s 2 , s 4 of the second and fourth inclining joint 7 a , 7 b lie on a common axis during the pivoting of the inclining body 3 a about the mentioned pivot axes s 2 , s 4 . the inclining joints 6 a , 7 a ; 6 b , 7 b are arranged on the base body 2 and the inclining body 3 a respectively , in particular on a lateral edge termination to the delivery side a , b . accordingly , the pivot axes s 1 , s 2 , s 3 , s 4 are also arranged on the lateral edge termination . in particular , this permits a practically complete lowering of the inclining body 3 a onto the base body 2 in the neutral conveying position . according to the inventive solution for ensuring a sufficient pivoting radius , the inclining body 3 a does not therefore need to be spaced from the base body 2 , as would otherwise be the case for example with a pivot axis arranged centrally between the base body and the inclining body . the rest surface c of the rest element 9 can therefore be selectively pivoted to the first delivery side a by way of pivoting the inclining body 3 a about the pivot axis s 1 , s 3 of the first and third inclining joint 6 a , 6 b , and to the opposite , second delivery side b by way of pivoting the inclining body 3 a about the pivot axis s 2 , s 4 of the second and fourth inclining joint 7 a , 7 b . the first and the second inclining joint 6 a , 7 a with the connecting plate 5 a , as well as the third and fourth inclining joint 6 b , 7 b with the second connecting plate 5 b are each arranged in pairs . this increases the stability of the design , in particular on pivoting . the first and the second inclining joint 6 a , 7 a with the connecting plate 5 a , as well as the third and the fourth inclining joint 6 b , 7 b with the second connecting plate 5 b however can also be each arranged individually . in a modified embodiment , the third and fourth inclining joint 6 b , 7 b with the second connecting plate 5 b can also be omitted . a cam roller 16 a , 16 b for the positive actuation of the inclination of the inclining body 3 a is arranged on the inclining body 3 a towards both delivery sides a , b . the cam rollers 16 a , 16 b interact with a cam guide 56 of the conveying device 51 by way of at least one cam roller 16 a , 16 b rolling on a running surface of the cam guide 56 at least for inclining the inclining body 3 a . the cam roller 16 a , 16 b rolling on the running surface and , with this , the inclining body 3 a , are lifted at the side of this cam roller 16 a , 16 b by way of an ascent of the mentioned running surface . the lifting of the inclining body 3 a at one side effects an inclining of this ( see fig4 ). the two - part encompassing frame 10 includes two u - shaped part - frames 10 a , 10 b each with two arm sections 15 a , 15 b . the part - frames 10 a , 10 b with the frame section are each aligned to one of oppositely lying delivery slides a , b and thus form a lateral limitation to the delivery sides a , b . accordingly , the u - shaped part - frames 10 a , 10 b lie opposite one another , wherein these are directed towards one another with their arm sections 15 a , 15 b . the arm sections 15 a , 15 b of the part - frames 10 a , 10 b are mounted on the rest element 9 via a common frame pivot axis rs of a frame joint and are pivotable relative to the rest element 9 as well as independently of one another . the two part - frames 10 a , 10 b are moreover each connected to the base body 2 via an articulately attached actuation rod 12 , 13 ; 22 , 23 . the actuation rod 12 , 13 ; 22 , 23 is articulately fastened to an arm section 15 a , 15 b of the part - frame 10 a , 10 b in each case via a first rotation axis d 1 and is pivotable relative to this arm section about the first rotation axis d 1 . the first rotation axis d 1 runs parallel to the frame pivot axis rs . the actuation rod 12 , 13 , 22 , 23 is moreover articulately fastened to the base body 2 via a second rotation axis d 2 and is pivotable relative to this about the second rotation axis d 2 . the fastening is effected via a fastening tab on the base body 2 . according to a first embodiment according to fig1 to 4 , the actuating rod 12 , 13 is fastened to a free arm section 15 a , 15 b of the part - frame 10 a , 10 b . the first rotation axis d 1 is arranged offset to the frame pivot axis rs towards the end of the free arm section 15 a , 15 b . the actuation rod 12 , 13 is moreover fastened to the base body 2 in each case towards the oppositely lying delivery side a , b , to which the free arm sections 15 a , 15 b of the respective part - frame 10 a , 10 b are directed . accordingly , departing from the first rotation axis d 1 , the actuation rod 12 , 13 runs obliquely downwards towards the second rotation axis d 2 in the direction of the opposite delivery side a , b . if the rest element 9 is now pivoted to one of the two delivery sides a , b via one of the two pivot axis pairs s 1 , s 3 ; s 2 , s 4 of the inclining joints 6 a , 6 b ; 7 a , 7 b , then by way of the coupling of the part - frames 10 a , 10 b onto the base body 2 via an actuation rod 12 , 13 , the part - frame 10 a , 10 b , which is directed to the delivery side a , b , to which the inclining body 3 a is pivoted is lifted to above the rest surface c of the rest element 9 amid the formation of a delivery opening 14 . this is effected by way of the actuation rod 12 , 13 pressing the arm section 15 a , 15 b downwards in the region of the first rotation axis d 1 by way of the relative movement between the inclining body 3 a and the base plate 2 . the frame pivot axis rs thereby acts in the manner of a rocker , which has the effect that the part - frame section , which is arranged on the other side of the frame pivot axis rs , is pivoted upwards . according to a second embodiment according to fig5 and 6 , the first rotation axis d 1 of the actuation rod 22 , 23 is arranged offset to the frame pivot axis rs towards the delivery side , at which the encompassing frame 10 is to be lowered . the actuation rod 22 , 23 is moreover fastened to the base body 2 towards the delivery side a , b , to which the arm sections 15 a , 15 b of the respective part - frame 10 a , 10 b are directed . the second rotation axis d 2 is thereby arranged below the frame pivot axis rs . accordingly , departing from the first rotation axis d 1 , the actuation rod 22 , 23 runs obliquely downwards in the direction of the opposite delivery side a , b towards the second rotation axis d 2 . if the rest element 9 is now pivoted to one of the two delivery sides a , b via one of the two pivot axis pairs s 1 , s 3 ; s 2 , s 4 of the inclining joints 6 a , 6 b , 7 a , 7 b , then by way of the coupling of the part - frame 10 a , 10 b onto the base body 2 via an actuation rod 22 , 23 , the part - frame 10 a , 10 b , which is directed to the delivery side a , b , towards which the inclination body 3 a is pivoted is lowered to below the rest surface c of the rest element 9 amid the formation of a delivery opening 14 . this is effected by way of the actuation rod 22 , 23 pressing the arm section 15 a , 15 b downwards in the region of the first rotation axis d 1 due to the relative movement between the inclining body 3 a and the base plate 2 . the conveyed object 11 can slide in the indicated arrow direction through the delivery opening 14 away from the inclined rest surface c due to gravity by way of lifting or lowering the encompassing frame 10 in the manner described above . fig1 shows a conveying device 51 with a plurality of conveying units 1 according to the invention , which are arranged successively in the conveying direction f . the rest surfaces c of the conveying units 3 , as also in fig2 , are situated in the horizontal position in the neutral conveying position . the conveying units 3 are each arranged on conveying vehicles 53 and with these form a conveying module . the conveying vehicles 53 of the conveying modules are connected to one another into a conveying chain via suitable joint connections . the conveying vehicles 53 include runner rollers 54 , via which these are moved along a guide rail 55 . the runner rollers 54 run along the guide rail 55 during the movement of the conveying vehicles 53 in the conveying direction f . the guide rail 55 accordingly sets the movement path of the conveying units 1 . a transfer device 70 , e . g ., in the form of a take - over table can be arranged laterally of the guide rail 55 , to which take - over device the conveyed objects 11 can be transferred by way of sliding - away from the inclined rest surface c of the conveying unit 1 . a take - over conveyor can also be present instead of the take - over table .	1
referring to fig1 the single - tube pressurised hydraulic damper comprises a tube 1 fixed at its lower end by a lug 2 . a gas / liquid separator piston 3 mounted to slide freely in the lower part of the tube 1 has a seal 4 and separates the tube into two closed compartments . the lower compartment 5 contains a pressurised gas and the upper compartment 6 is filled with a liquid which is usually an incompressible oil . a second piston 7 is fixed to the lower end of a piston rod 8 , displacement of which inside the tube 1 is guided by an obturator device 9 fixed to the upper part of the tube 1 . the upper end of the piston rod 8 of the piston 7 is fastened to a fixing pin . the damper can be completed by a generally tubular protector 14 fastened to the upper part of the piston rod 8 and capping the top of the tube 1 . to act as a damper the piston 7 has permanent passages 15 for the oil of the damper to pass through . these passages 15 cooperate with a floating valve 16 to define two active hydraulic chambers on respective opposite sides of the piston 7 . a conventional obturator device 9 comprises a seal 10 , a expansion abutment member 11 made from a metal flange and a guide plug 12 against the inside of which the seal 10 is pressed by the oil pressure , being held in place by the expansion abutment member 11 . the assembly is fixed to the inside of the tube 1 at the top of the latter by two circlips 13 . axial displacement of the piston rod 8 of the piston 7 is guided by the guide plug 12 . the expansion abutment member 11 has a central opening through which the piston rod 8 passes with radial clearance and supports the seal 10 . the seal 10 has two complementary parts : a static washer - like first part providing a seal between the guide plug 12 and the inside wall of the tube 1 , and a dynamic second part fitting around the piston rod 8 by virtue of elastic deformation to provide a seal between the guide plug 12 and the piston rod 8 of the piston 7 . the seal 10 is made from an elastomer material or two different elastomer materials . given that the seal 10 prevents the damper oil penetrating between the surfaces in contact with the guide plug 12 and the piston rod 8 , there is virtually no lubrication of these contacting surfaces . repeated operation of the damper then causes wear by friction of the surfaces of contact between the metal piston rod 8 and the guide plug 12 , which is often made of metal . this friction can cause localised heating which damages the dynamic part of the elastomer seal 10 . if the damper is subject to loads which are not strictly axial impacts occur between the guide plug 12 and the piston rod 8 , which bends , and this can cause noise which is unpleasant for the driver of the vehicle to which the damper is fitted . as shown in fig2 through 7 the obturator device of the invention comprises a seal 10 with two concentric parts assembled together : a static part 10a in the form of a washer and a dynamic part 10b which is also annular and centered relative to the static part 10a . the seal 10 can instead be in one piece ( fig3 ). the dynamic part 10b of the seal is forcibly radially expanded by the piston rod 8 of the piston 7 which passes through it and acts as an oil scraper around the piston rod 8 . the outside edge of the static part 10a of the seal is in contact with an inside peripheral surface of a circular housing of a guide 18 described below . the obturator device also includes an annular plug 17 whose outside diameter is substantially equal to or slightly less than the inside diameter of a peripheral surface of the circular housing in the guide 18 and the inside diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the piston rod 8 , so that there is a radial clearance to prevent direct contact between the plug 17 and the piston rod 8 during operation of the damper . the obturator device further comprises a cylindrical lubricated guide 18 with a base 18a whose outside diameter is substantially equal to the inside diameter of the damper tube 1 and whose inside diameter is very slightly greater than the diameter of the piston rod 8 , so that it is able to guide axial movement of the piston . the guide base 18a is extended upwardly by an axial peripheral wall 18b whose cylindrical outside surface mates with the inside wall of the damper tube 1 . the peripheral wall 18b defines with the guide base 18a a circular housing open at the top which receives and centers the seal 10 and the plug 17 . the seal 10 is sandwiched between the plug 17 and the guide base 18a around the piston rod 8 at the bottom of the circular housing of the guide 18 near the upper end of the damper tube 1 . this assembly can be fixed into the tube 1 in the axial direction by means of a circlip 19 constituting an axial abutment for the plug 17 in the circular housing of the lubricated guide 18 and a radial contraction 20 of the tube 1 cooperating with a peripheral groove 21 on the lubricated guide 18 to constitute an axial abutment for the guide ( see fig2 to 4 ) or by crimping the upper end of the tube 1 to the plug 17 at 22 and a radial contraction 20 of the tube 1 cooperating with a peripheral groove 21 on the lubricated guide 18 ( or with the lower end of the guide with no such peripheral groove ) to constitute an axial abutment for the lubricated guide 18 ( see fig5 to 7 ). as shown in fig2 to 5 a cylindrical lubricated guide 18 can have on the base 18a an annular groove 23 concentric with the central opening 18c providing an axial guide for the piston rod 8 . the annular groove 23 has a substantially trapezoidal or v - shape cross - section widening towards its open side . at the bottom of the annular groove 23 one or more axial perforations 24 through the guide 18 are regularly distributed along the annular groove 23 . the annular groove 23 thus defines an expansion volume for the oil between the seal 10 and the guide 18 , this expansion volume communicating with the oil in the damper through the perforations 24 . in practice , the diameter of the central opening 18c of the lubricated guide 18 is greater than the diameter of the piston rod 8 by a few hundredths of a millimeter , preferably less than one tenth of a millimeter , to enable proper guidance of movement of the piston rod 8 . this difference in diameter is sufficient to allow an oil film to remain at all times between the guide 18 and the piston rod 8 , given that the guide 18 is entirely immersed in the oil in the damper and the guide surfaces between the guide 18 and the piston rod 8 are constantly supplied with oil by capillary action and by virtue of the axial movement of the piston rod 8 which draws oil into this guide space . the guide 18 is therefore lubricated at all times , which reduces wear between the piston rod 8 and the guide 18 and so increases the service life of these components . the oil film on the guide surfaces also reduces heating of the components , and especially of the guide 18 which is immersed in the oil and cooled thereby . the seal 10 is made from an elastomer material . the static and dynamic parts 10a , 10b can have different chemical compositions . to enable deformation of the seal 10 around the piston rod 8 , an annular housing 17b is provided on the bottom of the plug 17 . the diameter of the central opening 17a of the plug 17 is greater than the diameter of the piston rod 8 by a few tenths of a millimeter , preferably less than one millimeter . excessive radial clearance between the plug 17 and the piston rod 8 could allow excessive elastic deformation of the seal 10 , which could cause oil to leak past the seal 10b around the piston rod 8 , the oil pressure in the damper possibly being as much as 250 bars during operation of the damper . the seal 10 is preferably mechanically sandwiched between the plug 17 and the guide base 18a by two concentric surfaces 18d and 18e of the base 18a separated radially by the annular groove 23 which defines the oil expansion volume between the seal 10 and the guide 18 . the seal 10 is then exposed to the oil pressure over a great part of its lower surface , which allows good deformation of the seal assembly to provide the seal function . it is possible to increase the surface area of the seal 10 in permanent contact with the oil in the damper by recessing the inside annular surface 18e of the guide 18 relative to the outside annular surface 18d of the guide 18 , said annular surfaces facing the lower surface of the seal 10 . it is then advantageous to provide a ring 10c projecting axially from the lower surface of the seal 10 and bearing axially against the recessed inside annular surface 18e of the guide 18 . in this way the seal 10 is better controlled by the oil in the damper . variation in the oil pressure when the damper operates does not affect the lubricated guide 18 as both sides of the base 18a are exposed to the same hydraulic pressure because of the perforations 24 . it is important to provide an expansion volume for the oil between the guide 18 and the seal 10 which is at the same pressure as the oil in the damper tube 1 , to prevent any increase in pressure at the dynamic part 10b of the seal which could cause oil to leak out . fig6 and 7 show two other embodiments of the invention providing an expansion volume for the oil . rather than providing an annular groove 23 on the lubricated guide 18 , it is possible to form the static part 10a of the seal 10 with an annular groove 10d axially facing the perforations 24 in the guide 18 ( fig6 ) or to provide a concave slightly conical surface 18g on the top of the base 18a of the guide 18 and facing the seal 10 ( fig6 ). the piston rod 8 is usually made from hard chromium - plated steel for wear and corrosion resistance . the guide 18 can be made from sintered iron impregnated with oil , from sintered iron steam treated to harden the surface or from hard anodised aluminium . instead of being in one piece , the lubricated guide 18 can be in two separate parts ( fig4 ): a body 18 having a circular central bore and a tubular sleeve 18f inside the central bore of the guide body 18 providing the surface against which the piston rod rubs and by which the latter is guided . the sleeve 18f can have its inside surface coated with ptfe . to prevent ingress of polluting particles , dust or sand into the radial clearance between the piston rod 8 and the plug 17 the obturator device of the invention preferably comprises scraper means around the piston rod 8 above the plug 17 . one possible solution is to provide an annular plastics material scraper 25 fixed to the top of the plug 17 ( fig4 ), for example by means of an annular flange that is not shown . the scraper 25 has an inside circumferential lip bearing against the piston rod 8 all around it . the scraper means 25 can of course be used in the other embodiments of the invention . to improve the seal between the guide 18 and the damper tube 1 a peripheral groove 18h can be provided around the guide to receive a rubber o - ring 26 which is compressed radially in the groove 18h by the inside wall of the tube 1 . the circular housing of the guide 18 can have a uniformly cylindrical inside peripheral surface 18i ( fig2 to 4 ) or a cylindrical inside surface with a radial constriction at the bottom ( fig5 to 7 ) to center the seal 10 . the outside diameter of the plug 17 can be made very slightly greater than the diameter of the inside peripheral surface 18i of the guide 18 so that the plug is a force fit in the circular housing of the guide . the upper end of the tube 1 can be crimped to the plug 17 to immobilise the obturator device axially in the damper tube 1 . if the damper is often expanded , i . e . if the piston rises in the tube , or the suspension is eccentric in the upward direction , which is equivalent to being constantly at the end of the damper travel , to brake the movement of the piston it is then necessary to have a damper law varying from a few tens of dan to a few tons over a very short travel . a hydraulic brake can provide this deceleration without excessively violent impact . in the embodiments now to be described in detail , the lower part of the guide base 18a is shaped to cooperate with a predetermined upper part of the piston as it slides . the resulting guide base and said predetermined upper part of the piston together form a hydraulic abutment . the guide base 18a includes a skirt at the bottom into which the predetermined upper part of the piston can penetrate at least in part during its sliding movement at the end of the expansion phase . a predefined clearance with a cross - section of a few mm 2 , typically 5 mm 2 to 50 mm 2 , is provided between the inside of the skirt and the outside lateral surface of the predetermined upper part of the piston . to reduce the load at the start of the compression phase following the expansion phase , the predetermined upper part of the piston includes at least one through - passage whose upper end can be shut off by a flexible top valve . during the expansion phase and during penetration of the predetermined part of the piston into the skirt at the bottom of the guide , the valve shuts off the through - passage ; at the start of downward movement of the piston at the beginning of the compression phase the flexible valve readily opens to expose the opening at the top of the through - passage . in the embodiment shown in fig8 said predetermined upper part of the piston in the standard top bearing washer 50 of the piston . the flexible valve 51 which shuts off the through - passages 53 during the expansion phase is disposed between the top surface of the bearing washer and a fixing washer 52 . the cylindrical skirt 18j at the bottom of the guide base 18a is a few millimetres thick , typically 1 mm to 5 mm , and 3 mm in this example . in this embodiment the clearance 54 between the outside lateral surface 50a of the bearing washer 50 and the inside lateral surface 18k of the cylindrical skirt 18j provides the restriction to the flow of fluid procuring the hydraulic abutment effect over the last 2 mm to 5 mm travel of the piston . in fig9 to 11 components similar to or having functions similar to those in fig8 have the same reference numbers as in fig8 increased by 100 , 200 and 300 , respectively . only the differences between these figures are described . referring to fig9 the predetermined upper part of the piston 155 is here an expansion on top of the top bearing washer 150 of the piston . this expansion 155 has a cylindrical outside lateral surface 157 parallel to the cylindrical inside lateral surface 118k of the cylindrical skirt 118j at the bottom of the guide base . although in this figure the outside cylindrical part 157 is shown as virtually in contact with the cylindrical skirt 118j , there is naturally clearance between these two surfaces to provide the hydraulic abutment effect . also , the lateral surface 157 of the extension 155 is joined to the bottom and top surfaces of the extension 155 by respective bevels 156 and 158 . the skirt 118j is longer than the skirt 18j in fig8 to provide a hydraulic abutment with travel of 5 mm to 25 mm , 15 mm in this example , with the thickness of the skirt 118j still a few millimetres . although the skirt 118j is shown here in the form of a cylinder with a constant inside diameter providing a non - progressive hydraulic abutment , it is possible to obtain a continually progressive abutment by providing a conical skirt 118j with a cone angle of 2 ° ( for example ) over the 15 mm of travel or a stepped progressive hydraulic abutment by providing a skirt 118j having three sections of different diameter each with a height of 5 mm . the embodiment shown in fig1 is substantially analogous to that shown in fig8 in the sense that it is the standard bearing washer of the piston 250 which provides the hydraulic effect in combination with the bottom skirt 218j . however , it can be particularly advantageous in some applications to have the benefit of both types of abutment , a speed - proportional hydraulic abutment and a displacement - proportional elastic abutment . to this end an auxiliary elastic abutment member 260 made from rubber or polyurethane is fastened to the piston rod and bears against the inside surface 218m of the guide base . in the embodiment shown in fig1 the predetermined upper part of the piston contributing to the hydraulic abutment effect is also an extension 355 on top of the top bearing washer 350 of the piston 307 . however , whereas in the embodiment shown in fig9 the top surface of the extension 155 is plane and parallel to the plane bottom surface of the guide base , in the embodiment shown in fig1 the lower surface of the guide base includes a plane central part 318r and an annular recess 318p defining with the inside surface 318k of the bottom cylindrical skirt a cavity 365 . the top surface of the extension 355 of the piston has a plane central part 359 to which is joined a projecting annular lug 358 adapted to enter at least partially into the cavity 365 during sliding of the piston at the end of the expansion phase . this embodiment enables nesting of the piston and the guide to gain a travel of 2 mm to 8 mm , typically 5 mm , without excessive lengthening of the cylindrical skirt . all embodiments of the invention utilise a one - piece part to provide the piston rod guide function and the hydraulic abutment function . accurate centering of the piston by the guide and the piston rod is obtained , together with an accurate coaxial relationship between the inside diameter of the skirt and the piston rod bore of the guide . finally , to reduce the cost of machining the part , it is possible to sleeve , glue or weld the cylindrical skirt to a shoulder on the guide . nevertheless , each of these two parts is then made in one piece so that assembly can be automated .	5
fig1 and 3 apply to this portion of the description . a preferred use of the microcomputer system 10 is for controlling the energization of a three phase motor 13 . the motor is energized by a two - conductor dc bus 52 that is coupled across the motor windings by an inverter circuit 11 ( fig2 ). a prior art inverter circuit having switching transistors that are selectively rendered conductive by application of control inputs to the inverter is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 371 , 824 to david j . gritter . the patent is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated herein by reference . in fig1 a representative digital waveform 14 presented at the phase a output pha from the high speed output block 12 is seen to include a series of on / off pulses . the microcomputer system 10 includes software for programming the duration of these pulses . in particular , in an application used in energizing a three - phase motor , the output on phase a is a repetitive waveform whose shape is programmed to approximate a sine wave having a desired frequency . the digital outputs at the phase b and phase c interface outputs phb , phc are also programmed to approximate sine waves , which are phase - shifted with respect to the phase a output . the three digital outputs from the high speed output 12 are coupled to a programmable logic array 20 having logic circuitry ( fig2 ) that modulates or adjusts the digital outputs from the microcomputer output 12 . were it not for the modulation effects of the programmable logic array 20 , the three phase - shifted outputs from the high speed output 12 would , in conjunction with the inverter circuit 11 , drive a three - phase motor at a constant frequency and maximum voltage . the microcomputer system 10 incorporates an intel 8096 microprocessor that includes a high speed output that can be programmed to generate the phase a , phase b and phase c output signals . these signals are interrupt - driven based on a time base from an external clock signal at a clock input 22 ( fig1 ). a timer 24 is clocked by the clock signal 22 . a time output 24a is coupled to the high speed output 12 which produces programmed transitions at the phase a , b and c outputs whenever the timer output 24a equals the programmed transition time . fig3 are additional circuit diagrams that are part of the inverter and may be of interest , but whose details need not be described in order to understand the present dc braking invention . fig4 and 5 apply to this portion of the description . the present invention uses the same current limit signal as is employed in normal drive operation , to implement dc braking . two modes of braking operation are described herein , both of which are preferably utilized at different times in the same apparatus . in the first mode of operation a clock signal ( or the equivalent software implementation ) causes , for example , two &# 34 ; upper &# 34 ; inverter power switches 100 , 104 , and one &# 34 ; lower &# 34 ; inverter switch 106 to be latched on , applying bus voltage to the motor terminals a , b , c ( as drawn in fig4 ). the current , shown by the solid arrows 100a , 104a , 106a , increases until the current limit comparator 62 , ( fig3 ), senses an overcurrent condition and clears the latch . this causes all three power switches 100 , 104 , 106 to be turned off , forcing the motor current to be commutated to the opposite inverse parallel diodes , as shown by the dashed arrows 101a , 105a , 107a . as long as motor current continues to flow , the negative of bus voltage , which is always larger in magnitude than the motor &# 39 ; s speed voltage , is available to cause the current to decrease . the rate of decrease continues to be a function of back emf , so the rate of decrease exhibits periodic variations . in order to maintain adequate control of current it is necessary to allow motor current to become discontinuous over part of the speed voltage cycle , and thus to suffer a high peak - to - average braking current ratio and thus to lower the average braking torque in this first mode . furthermore , this first mode recovers energy from the motor and places it on the bus whenever the back emf is of the proper polarity to assist in increasing current . excessive braking currents could therefore cause the dc bus current to increase to the high bus trip level . an alternative method would use a second current comparator to set the latch when the magnitude of bus current decreases below a predetermined level and thus re - enable the power switches . ( this method would add to circuit complexity and require inverter switching frequencies much higher than normal , but may nevertheless be desirable for some applications .) this first mode is employed repeatedly until the speed voltage is reduced to a level which will not force excessive currents through the motor &# 39 ; s winding impedance . in practice , this means that the peak of the speed voltage must be equal to or less than the drop caused in the sum of the stator and rotor resistances by a current equal to the maximum allowable transistor current . this will typically be 5 to 10 percent of rated motor voltage . the speed voltage magnitude is proportional to the product of rotor speed and rotor flux . rotor flux decays at the time constant of the motor , which is typically about 1 / 2 second . the second mode of operation proceeds identically to the first in that it latches on , for example , two upper devices 100 , 104 , and one lower device 106 ( fig5 solid arrows ). however , when the current limit signal occurs , instead of turning all devices off , it turns off only the lower device 106 . the upper diode 108 in this phase then conducts , shorting all three motor terminals , and allowing the motor currents to freewheel toward zero ( dashed arrows of fig5 ). because only the semiconductor devices and the motor resistances are providing voltage drops to force current to fall , the rate of fall is quite slow and a low peak - to - average current ratio is established , allowing higher braking torques in the motor . ( a higher average current can be tolerated without incurring peaks that are dangerously high .) in both modes , the peak transistor current is controlled and the inverter is fully utilized without any need to &# 34 ; tune &# 34 ; the dc braking voltage to the particular motor being used . fig6 , and 8 apply to this portion of the description . in the upper left - hand corner of fig6 input 1 , 110 , is a clock signal . it drives all of the flip - flops of fig8 . the a , b and c terminals 112 , 114 , 116 are the gating signals for the inverter , preferably generated in the microprocessor . they are normal - operation gating signals . the reverse input 118 at lower left and the first set of and gates 120 combine signals to go into the first set of or gates 122 . together they can interchange the gating signals of two of the phases to reverse the phase rotation . three conductors 124 from these or gates 122 go down to the exclusive or gates 126 in the middle of fig7 . those exclusive or gates pick out which gating signal is different from the other two . in the present example there are one signal in the lower group of switches and two ( turned on ) at that time in the upper group . input 128 , labeled &# 34 ; current limit &# 34 ; on the left - hand side of fig7 is supplied with a signal from a current limit comparator 62 ( fig1 ), whenever bus current exceeds a programmable reference signal 62b . the bus current signal fed to comparator 62 can be derived from either the positive or negative dc bus 52 of the inverter by means of a shunt resistor 54 and a differential amplifier 56 of fig1 . ( alternatively , any of a number of commercially available wide - bandwidth dc current transformers can be used to obtain the comparator signal .) a nonlinear circuit is used to extend the peaks of the actual bus current as described in the above - mentioned patent application . in normal operation of the drive , &# 34 ; dc - brake &# 34 ; input 136 and &# 34 ; dc - brake - start &# 34 ; input 138 are held low , and input 128 signal is gated through an and gate 130b and an or gate 132 ( fig7 ) along line 140a to an output pin 12 ( 134 ) of fig8 . this pine 134 simply serves as a node to allow the current limit signal to be fed back to other gates in the logic circuit . this feedback signal is applied along line 140 through an inverter 142 to a group of three nor gates 144 ( fig7 ). if , as was previously assumed , the gating signal of c phase is for a different bus than the other two , the output of a gate 144a will be the only nor gate output to go high . its output signal , 144b , is brought to exclusive or gate 146 of fig6 . this causes the exclusive or gate 146 to invert the c phase signal , causing zero voltage to be applied to the motor for the entire time interval in which input 128 is active . further details of the normal current limit action can be found in the above - mentioned patent application . the group of gates labeled 130 in fig7 allow the operation of the current limit circuitry to be changed to enable the two modes of dc braking . whenever the dc brake input 136 is active , the current limit feedback signal 140 is gated through an and gate 130 and an or gate 132 to lines 140 and 140a . this path closes a positive feedback loop , effectively turning signal 140 into a latched current limit signal . thus when signal 136 is made active , the current limit signal 128 is latched . mode 1 dc braking is enabled by bringing both inputs 136 and 138 high after freezing the a , b , c gating inputs 112 , 114 , 116 into one of six possible states . this causes a pin 1 on nand gate 156 to become active . then the current limit signal 140 is latched active in response to a current - limit input 128 , the output of 156 becomes inactive , prohibiting gate - enable signal 141 ( fig7 ) from making gate - out output 160a active ( fig8 ). external circuitry requires signal 160a to be active before any of the six inverter switches are gated . the latch may be cleared by bringing signal 136 inactive and signal 138 active . thus , in the mode 1 configuration a cycle of dc braking is initiated by bringing signal 136 inactive to clear the latch 140 while holding signal 138 high . at this point three inverter switches are gated , applying voltage to the motor , and causing current to increase . when bus current builds to a predetermined programmed level , input 128 becomes active , and signal 140 is latched , causing the inverter switches to turn off until signal 136 is again brought inactive and 138 brought active to clear the latch 140 . mode 2 dc braking operates similarly to mode 1 except that the signal 138 is inactive while 136 is active . in this mode the latched current limit signal 140 is not able to affect the gate - out signal 160a . instead , latched signal 140 is directed through the not gate 142 and nor gates 144 ( fig7 ) to cause the one gating signal which is different from the other two to change polarity as it would in a normal current limit action . when dc - brake is commanded ( block 164 of fig9 ), the waveform generator stops the pwm waveform at a position 90 electrical degrees behind the peak of the normal stator voltage and where the phase commands to the logic circuit are not all the same . ( throughout dc braking these phase command inputs to the logic circuit remain the same ). after the last pwm command has been executed the waveform generator switches to the first mode of dc braking ( block 166 , fig9 ). this is done by setting to active both the dc - brake 136 input and the dc - brake - start 138 input to the logic circuit . this condition is held until current limit is reached , at which time all phase commands from the logic circuit are turned off ( this is done by clearing the gate - out signal 160a ( fig8 ) which turns off all phase commands ). as stated above , this is the difference between mode 1 and mode 2 . when current limit is reached in mode 2 the odd output phase command is switched to the same state as the other ( instead of turning them all off ). this current limit condition is latched , so even if the drive current decreases so as to come out of current limit , the phase commands will remain in this current limit state . this current limit latch 140 is cleared by clearing the dc - brake input and setting the dc - brake - start input to the logic circuits ( fig7 ). this clear command is executed at a predefined frequency so that the switching of the phase commands occurs at this predefined rate . after this clear command is executed the output phase commands return to the previous state in which two phases are the same and one is opposite . usually mode 1 operation continues for a user defined number of switching periods at which time mode 2 is entered . this is done by setting the dc - brake command and clearing the dc - brake - start command . there is an exception to the above sequence that occurs at low speeds . mode 1 is not needed at low speeds and causes undesired &# 34 ; backup &# 34 ; when the apparatus starts dc braking . to avoid this problem mode 1 is disabled if dc braking is entered below a user - preselected speed . in addition to the above sequence of events the current limit setting is adjusted , 62b , fig3 . when dc braking is entered , a user - selected current - limit setting is used . the current - limit setting is &# 34 ; ramped up &# 34 ; to the user &# 39 ; s preselected setting . this ramping up of the current limit setting has helped to resolve problems where the dc bus has overcharged in mode 1 . then , at a user - defined time after dc braking started , another user - selected current limit setting is used . the first current - limit setting is used as a stopping limit while the second setting is a holding limit . the stopping limit is set to give additional stopping torque , which in turn causes greater motor heating . then the holding limit is set to give sufficient current to hold the drive without the undesirable excessive heating of the motor . fig9 which is a flow chart of the braking operations , shows at the top a block 162 labeled &# 34 ; run mode &# 34 ;. a description of this chart serves as a recapitulation of the operation description above . any time that the motor is being run , the algorithm polls for a dc braking command , block 164 . there are several ways in which this command can occur , as in the following examples : ( 1 ) releasing the jog key and decelerating to a user - definable speed . ( 2 ) pressing the stop key / pushbutton , and decelerating to a user - definable speed . ( 4 ) setting the current speed reference to 0 . 00 and decelerating to 0 . 8 hz . the next block , 166 , in the flow sequence of fig9 is labeled &# 34 ; waveform correct ?&# 34 ;. the system is looking for a spot in the waveform that is suitable for braking . this is more critical at lower speeds . an example would be when using the &# 34 ; jog &# 34 ; function to index the shaft into a desired position . when jogging at low speeds , if dc braking starts at a wrong place in the waveform , backlash tends to occur in the motor . when the waveform is correct the system prepares to start dc braking . &# 34 ; start dcb switching period &# 34 ; block 168 , is a time reference which occurs every 0 . 6 milliseconds . the flow chart is merely defining it as a reference for the beginning of the switching period . next in the sequence is block 170 , &# 34 ; mode - 1 - flag = true &# 34 ;, which sets up the dc braking algorithm to start mode 1 . the flag remains &# 34 ; true &# 34 ; until mode 1 times out , then it switches to &# 34 ; false &# 34 ;. at the next switching time thereafter the system switches to mode 2 . the lower half of the diagram of fig9 is for both modes 1 and 2 . here the flow of events encounters a block 172 &# 34 ; stop dcb command ?&# 34 ;. when either the dc braking times out or the operator physically stops it , the system drops out of the dc braking mode , and the waveform starts up , at a point in the waveform 90 electrical degrees ahead of where it had stopped with the given phase commands . this is important when going from dc braking directly back to a run condition , and gives bumpless starting from dc braking . if &# 34 ; mode 1 - flag &# 34 ; is true ( block 174 ), the system is in mode 1 , and appropriate conditions described above are set up as the inputs to the logic circuits of fig6 - 8 . the system sets both the dc - brake input 136 and the dc - brake start input 138 to high , which tells the logic circuits that the system is in mode 1 . after the first mode times out the system goes to the second mode of dc braking . the dc - brake input signal at 136 is set high and the dc - brake - start input signal at 138 is set low . the timing out of mode 1 sets the mode 1 flag to &# 34 ; false &# 34 ;. when the system reaches the &# 34 ; end of switching period ?&# 34 ; block , 176 , it waits until the switching period is complete , which is 0 . 6 millisecond , and clears the current limit latch 140 . the system is in mode 2 . to clear the latch 140 the system has set dc - brake 136 to zero and dc - brake start 138 to 1 . that tells the logic circuits to clear the current limit latch 140 , which puts the system back into the normal mode of having two transistors of one bus and the other one phase &# 39 ; s opposite transistor turned on . the system then repeats the entire process above . during braking , the system repeats the procedure of mode 1 for a predetermined length of time . after expiration of that preset time the mode 1 flag is removed and the system goes into mode 2 . it then repeats mode 2 for a preset time interval . although the invention has been described with the aid of an example , which is the best embodiment , it is usable in many other forms . the scope of the invention is determined by the claims .	7
referring now in greater detail to the drawings , in which like numerals represent like components throughout the several views , fig1 is an exterior , perspective view of a parts washer apparatus ( the “ parts washer ”) 10 , in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the parts washer 10 includes a tank 12 and a basin 14 . the basin 14 includes a sink member 16 that defines a basin cavity 18 . the sink member includes a sink ledge 20 around the periphery of the inlet to the basin cavity 18 . a back - splash 22 extends upward from a rear portion of the sink ledge 20 , and a flexible faucet 24 penetrates the rear portion of the sink ledge 20 and terminates in the form of a nozzle 26 . an optional work light ( not shown ) extends upward from the basin and illuminates the basin cavity 18 . the tank 12 preferably includes a level indicator 28 and a control panel 30 . the level indicator 28 is depicted as comprising a temperature sensitive , liquid crystal display . tile control panel 30 includes an off / on switch 32 , a power indicator light 34 , a low fluid warning light 36 , and a timer switch 38 . fig2 is a cut - away , perspective , exploded view of certain components ( mentioned below ) of the parts washer 10 , in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention . a lower portion of the tank 12 is cut - away , and the faucet 24 and components associated with tile lower portion of the tank 12 are not shown in fig2 . the tank 12 includes tank walls 42 that define a tank cavity 44 therebetween . the tank 12 further includes a tank lip 46 that extends around the periphery of the inlet to the tank cavity 44 . the sink member 16 includes sink walls 48 extending downward from the sink ledge 20 to a bottom panel 50 that defines a drain hole 52 therethrough . the sink walls 48 and bottom panel 50 define the basin cavity 18 . the sink walls 48 further define an upper ledge 54 and a lower ledge 56 . each of the ledges 54 , 56 encircle the basin cavity 18 and include four segments that together define a rectangular shape . each edge of a planar , rectangular support grid 58 rest upon a segment of the lower ledge 56 such that the support grid 58 partitions the basin cavity . a rectangular filter pad 60 rests upon and covers ( lie support grid 58 . each edge of a generally planar , rectangular false bottom member 62 rests upon a segment of tile upper ledge 54 such that the false bottom member 62 also partitions the basin cavity 18 and is disposed above the support grid 58 . the false bottom member 62 is preferably unitary , defines a drain hole 64 therethrough and includes an upwardly protruding lip 66 around the periphery thereof a strainer ( not shown ) is defined within the drain hole 64 . a pair of supplemental drain holes 70 are defined through the rear sink wall 48 just above the filter pad 60 . fig3 is a front , vertical cross - sectional , cut - away view of the parts washer 10 , wherein certain portions of the parts washer are , for explanatory purposes , not cross - sectioned or cut - away . fig3 represents each of the mechanical component ( i . e ., the hardware , or “ parts washer ” 10 , as herein described ), the fluid component ( represented by a cleaning fluid 72 ), and the biological component ( not seen ) living within the cleaning fluid 72 . as depicted in fig3 the periphery of the false bottom member 62 preferably snugly contacts the sink walls 48 . the tank cavity 44 is preferably partially filled with a cleaning fluid 72 . a submersible pump 73 is disposed within the tank cavity 44 . when the pump 73 is operating , it draws the cleaning fluid 72 from the bottom region of the tank cavity 44 and discharges the cleaning fluid 72 into a conduit 74 . the conduit 74 is connected to and discharges into a base ( not shown ) of the faucet 24 , whereby the fluid discharges from the nozzle 26 . the parts washer 10 is preferably further equipped with optional cleaning accessories ( not shown ) such as a fountain brush ( not shown ) that is in fluid communication with the conduit 74 . a heater 76 , that is controlled by a thermostat 75 , selectively heats the cleaning fluid 72 , and tile heater 76 is acceptably in the form of an electric heating element that extends from the control panel 30 into the depths of the tank cavity 44 . a level probe monitors the depth of the cleaning fluid 72 , and the level probe is acceptably in the form of a float actuated electric switch 78 that includes a magnet equipped float 80 . a lip 82 extends around the periphery of the sink ledge 20 forward of the back - splash 22 . the lip 82 and back - splash 22 seek to keep cleaning fluid 72 from dripping over the edges of the sink ledge 20 . in accordance with the presently preferred construction of the present invention , much of the parts washer 10 is acceptably constructed from high density polyethylene . in addition , the sink walls 48 , bottom panel 50 , upper ledge 54 , lower ledge 56 , sink ledge 20 , and backsplash 22 , are , in accordance with the presently preferred construction , formed as a single , molded , unitary piece . the biological component is preferably in the form of microorganisms that biodegrade organic compounds such as , for example and not limitation , hydrocarbons , oils , greases , petroleum by - products , creolates , polychlorinated biphenols , and other carbon based compositions . for example , the microorganisms convert hydrocarbon compounds into elements of water , carbon dioxide , and other digestion products . the microorganisms employed preferably not only , have the capability of biodegrading organic waste , but further are resistant to environmental shock and have metabolic versatility . additionally , the microorganisms are preferably nonpathogenic . acceptable microorganisms , for example and not limitation , are those from the genera bacillus , pseudomonas , and flavobacterium . suitable species are well known and reported in the art . the microorganisms preferably range in size from approximately three to five microns , whereby they readily pass through the filter pad 60 . the microorganisms are preferably employed in combination with nitrifying or denitrifying bacteria , phosphate solubilizing strains of microorganisms , bio - emulsifer producing strains of microorganisms , and strains of microorganisms which produce growth factors such as , for example and not limitation , b - vitamins . the microorganisms are preferably subjected to a preservation technique in an effort to ensure their viability in the field , their viability while remaining in spore form for extended periods , and their resistance to environmental shock . for example , nutrient and buffer components such as , for example and not limitation , agar , and water soluble adhesives such as , for example and not limitation , gum , are preferably mixed with the microorganisms to promote stability of the microorganisms prior to mixing the microorganisms with a carrier . the carrier is , for example and not limitation , acceptably an inert and nutrient organic material such as , but not limited to , heat treated , expanded , cellulose material . the carrier preferably preserves and protects the microorganisms in spore form during storage and transportation . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of tile present invention , an acceptable example of tile microorganisms is available from the louisiana remediation company , located in motaire , la ., as part number lrc - 1 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of tile present invention , the filter pad 60 functions as a vehicle for bringing the microorganisms in spore form into contact with the cleaning fluid 72 . the filter pad 60 is acceptably constructed , for example and not limitation , from cotton , cellulose , polyolefin fibers , polyester fibers , fiberglass , or the like . additionally , the filter pad 60 is acceptably constructed from combinations of such components . further , the filter pad 60 is acceptably a ten micron filter or larger . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , microorganisms in spore form are attached to the filter pad 60 with an adhering agent 84 ( fig4 ) that is water soluble and releases the microorganisms when the cleaning fluid 72 is introduced to tile filter pad 60 , as discussed below . referring to fig4 which is a perspective , cut - away view of the filter pad 60 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the filter pad 60 includes a layer 86 of inert material that is disposed below a layer 88 of micron - rated media . the inert material is acceptably fiberglass . the micron - rated media is preferably a material that does not have an affinity for hydrocarbons such as , for example and not limitation , polyester . the microorganisms in spore form , the components mixed therewith as discussed above , and the adhering agent 84 are preferably sandwiched between the layers 86 , 88 of the filter pad 60 . a portion of the layer 88 is cut - away for explanatory purposes in fig4 such that the adhering agent 84 is seen . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , an acceptable adhering agent 84 is “ super 77 spray adhesive ”, which is available from the 3m corporation of st . paul , minn . once the microorganisms in spore form are attached to the filter pad 60 , the filter pad 60 is acceptably stored until its usage within the parts washer 10 is desired . in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention , the microorganisms are added directly to the cleaning fluid 72 without being initially attached to the filter pad 60 . thus , the filter pad 60 functions , in accordance with the preferred embodiment , as both a mechanical filter ( i . e ., straining particulate matter from the fluid 72 ) and as an initial transport medium for the microorganisms and in an alternate embodiment , the filter pad 60 functions solely as a mechanical filter . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the cleaning fluid 72 is compatible with ( i . e ., is non - toxic to ) the microorganisms such that the microorganisms are capable of living within the cleaning fluid 72 . additionally , the cleaning fluid 72 tends to remove organic waste from parts washed in the basin 14 , as will be discussed in greater detail below . an acceptable cleaning fluid 72 , for example and not limitation , is a mixture of ph neutral emulsifiers and surfactants containing no volatile organic compounds , phosphates , formaldehyde , biocides , or other toxic materials . t he emulsifier and surfactants are blended in liquid form to produce a biodegradable , non - toxic , non - caustic , non - flammable oil dispersant cleaner and degreaser . further , and for example and not limitation , the exemplary acceptable cleaning fluid 72 contains no known carcinogens , no osha ( occupational health and safety act ) or dot ( united states department of transportation ) regulated chemicals , no ingredients requiring sara ( superfund amendments and reauthorization act ) title iii reporting , no rcra ( solid waste disposal act as amended by the resources and conservation recovery act of 1976 as amended ), hazardous waste chemicals , and no items on the cercla ( comprehensive environmental response , compensation and liability act ) hazardous substance list ( based upon the relevant regulations at the time this application was filed ). additionally , and for example and not limitation , the exemplary cleaning fluid 72 is a freely flowing liquid with a specific gravity of 1 . 083 , a slight pleasant odor , no flash point , a boiling point of 210 ° fahrenheit , a ph of approximately seven , and which is infinitely soluble in water . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , an acceptable example of the cleaning fluid 72 is available from warren chemical corporation of robert , la ., as part number sea wash 7 . referring further to fig3 in operation , the pump 73 , conduit 74 , and faucet 24 circulate cleaning fluid 72 from the depths of the tank cavity 44 to the basin cavity 18 where parts cleaning takes place . the false bottom member 62 is preferably sufficiently sturdy and well supported such that a variety of parts are capable of being placed thereon for cleaning . in accordance with one method of the present invention , cleaning fluid 72 flows out of the nozzle 26 and the part being washed is oriented within the stream of cleaning fluid 72 exiting the nozzle 26 . the cleaning fluid 72 removes organic waste from the part being washed , and then the cleaning fluid 72 , along with the organic waste and any small particulate washed from the part , flows by gravity through the drain hole 64 and the strainer ( not shown ) associated therewith . the strainer will , of course , keep certain objects from passing through the drain hole 64 . the cleaning fluid 72 , organic waste , and remaining particulate matter then encounter the filter pad 60 . subsequently , the fluid 72 and organic contaminants pass through the support grid 58 , and drain hole 52 to deposit into the tank cavity 44 . should flow through the filter pad 60 become obstructed , flow will divert through the pair of supplemental drain holes 70 defined through the rear sink wall 48 just above the filter pad 60 . the filter pad 60 preferably functions to trap the particulate matter and allow the organic contaminants and cleaning fluid 72 to pass therethrough . because the filter pad 60 does not collect tile organic contaminant , it is capable of being disposed of as a solid waste . if the filter pad 60 is new or relatively new such that all of the microorganisms in spore form have not been previously released therefrom , the cleaning fluid 72 releases dormant microorganisms attached to the filter pad 60 , and the released microorganisms flow with the cleaning fluid 72 and organic contaminants through the drain hole 52 into the tank cavity 44 . within the tank cavity 44 , a large percentage of the microorganisms and organic contaminants will tend to accumulate proximate to the surface of the cleaning fluid 72 such that a large portion of the biodegradation takes place proximate to the surface of the cleaning fluid 72 . in theory , this forms a sort of vapor barrier that tends to minimize the evaporation of the cleaning fluid 72 . if living microorganisms are not present in the parts washer 10 , increasing amounts of organic waste will accumulate toward the surface of the cleaning fluid 72 in the tank cavity 44 , and this condition is indicative of tile need to replenish the microorganisms . in theory , however , if the parts washer 10 is used for normal parts cleaning , new microorganisms should never need to be added to the cleaning fluid 72 of the parts washer 10 . nonetheless , by virtue of the fact that the filter pad 60 is the vehicle for adding the microorganisms to the cleaning fluid 72 , as discussed above , microorganisms are added to tile cleaning fluid 72 each time a new filter pad 60 is added to the parts washer 10 , as discussed in greater detail below . by virtue of the microorganisms digesting the organic waste within the tank 12 , the cleaning fluid 72 is “ recycled ” within the parts washer 10 , whereby the cleaning fluid 72 has the potential to last for extended periods of time . it is likely , however , that some cleaning fluid 72 replenishment will be required , however , to make up for evaporative and “ drag - out ” losses incurred as parts are removed from the basin cavity 18 in wet condition . furthermore , by virtue of the cooperative effect of the filter pad 60 ( removing particulate matter ) and the microorganisms ( digesting organic waste ), the tank is , potentially , seldom in need of “ dredging ” to remove waste . the pump 73 is preferably proximate to the bottom of the tank 12 such that any sludge that might tend to accumulate at the bottom of the tank cavity 44 is circulated through the filter pad 60 . referring back to fig1 and 3 , when the off / on switch 32 is in the “ on ” position electricity is supplied to circuitry ( not shown ) which is housed within the control panel 30 by way of a conventional power cord ( not shown ), and the indicator light 34 is illuminated . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , once the off / on switch 32 is in the “ on ” position , the circuitry , in combination with the thermostat 75 , will activate and deactivate the heater 76 . while the thermostat 75 senses that the temperature of the cleaning fluid 72 within the tank cavity 44 is below a desired temperature , the heater 76 is on , and while the thermostat 75 senses that the temperature of the cleaning fluid 72 is at or above the desired temperature , the heater 76 is off , the cleaning fluid 72 is preferably maintained in a temperature range which supports the lives of the particular microorganisms employed within the parts washer 10 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the temperature is acceptably maintained in the range of approximately 110 ° to 115 ° degrees fahrenheit . the float actuated electric switch 78 also controls the operation of heater 76 . when the magnet equipped float 80 drops downward due to a low level of cleaning fluid 72 , the switch 78 is actuated which , in combination with the circuitry , disables the heater 76 and causes the low level warning light 36 to illuminate . operation of the pump 73 is controlled by the timer switch 38 . a user can manually actuate the timer switch 38 which , in combination with the circuitry , causes the pump 73 to operate and automatically cut off after a certain period of time . in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention , an additional switch ( not shown ) is provided that overrides the timer switch 38 such that the pump 73 will remain running as long as the additional switch is “ on ” referring back to fig2 and 3 , the parts washer 10 is designed to provide easy access to the filter pad 60 . access is obtained by simply lifting the false bottom member 62 out of the basin cavity 18 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention there is no restrictive engagement between any of the components that are depicted as exploded away from each other in fig2 whereby the components of the parts washer 10 are readily accessible . while certain of the preferred and alternate embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed herein , other embodiments of the apparatus and methods of tile present invention will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art in view of this disclosure . therefore , it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention and that the scope of the present invention should only be limited by the claims below . additionally , while it is intended that the scope of the present invention also include various alternate embodiments , it should be understood that each of the embodiments disclosed herein , including the preferred embodiment , includes features and characteristics which are considered independently inventive . accordingly the disclosure of variations and alterations expressed in alternate embodiments is intended only to reflect on the breadth of the scope of the present invention without suggesting that any of the specific features and characteristics of the preferred embodiment are in any way obvious or unimportant .	2
turning first to fig1 , a side view of a support arm 10 is shown . in a first embodiment two curved lengths of the arm 10 form two concave resting positions 12 where bottles ( not shown ) may rest . these resting positions 12 may be nearly any size , diameter , or shape without departing from the spirit of the invention , so long as they are capable of supporting a bottle . it is understood that the depressions are of a uniform size , requiring only a single arm style to fully support a bottle . although two depressions or resting positions 12 are shown in this embodiment , the invention is not so limited . one , two , three , or even more depressions or resting positions 12 may be included on a support arm 10 , so long as the arm 10 is capable of supporting the weight of the equivalent number of full bottles . for example , fig2 shows an arm with only one depression and fig3 shows an arm with three depressions . additionally , the cross sectional shape of the supporting arm 10 may be a circle , square , oval , or virtually any other shape without departing from the essence of the invention . to facilitate the support of a large number of bottles , alternative embodiments of the support arm may include integrated supports . for example , fig5 illustrates an arm with an under hanging support arm . fig6 demonstrates an arm and support constructed from one continuous material , with depressions simply cut out of the top of the material . fig7 details an alternative embodiment of a support arm 20 . the arm 20 may be composed of wood , metal , plastic , or any other material suitable for supporting the weight of full bottles . in this embodiment , the support arm 20 is constructed from , for example , a sheet of metal . a metal arm is bent to form multiple resting positions 22 for bottles . fig8 illustrates yet another alternative embodiment of a support arm 24 . in this embodiment the resting positions 26 are specifically adapted to receive either the body or neck of a bottle . as in other embodiments of the invention , only one arm style is required to fully support a bottle . a first arm 24 can support the neck of a bottle in the small indentation of the resting position 26 while a second arm 24 can support the body of a bottle in the main resting position 26 . fig9 is an isometric view of the support arm 10 depicted in fig1 . at the end of the support arm 10 are mounting means , in this embodiment , a plate 30 . the plate 30 can be utilized with mounting systems that provide a horizontal slot ( not shown ) to accommodate product dispensers . using this mounting system allows the user to easily configure a rack to individual tastes . the user can configure a rack to support bottles ( not shown ) substantially horizontally by spacing two identical support arms 10 relatively close together so that the body of the bottle is supported in resting positions 12 . conversely , the user can configure the rack to support bottles angled substantially downward by spacing the support arms 10 further apart , so that the neck of the bottle rests in one of the resting positions 12 . an alternative embodiment is depicted in fig1 . in this embodiment , the plate 30 of fig8 is replaced with a hook 40 suitable for insertion into a peg board ( not shown ) or similar mounting structure . similar to the prior embodiment , this mounting also provides the user with an opportunity to personalize how wine is stored by spacing support arms 42 to a preferred distance , as well as by vertical separation . fig1 demonstrates yet another method of mounting support arms 50 . in this embodiment , a plurality of support arms 50 are vertically integrated into a mounting frame 52 . the mounting frame 52 may be composed of wood , metal , plastic , or any other suitable material . the mounting frame 52 can then be mounted on a wall or on a freestanding base pedestal with a second similar mounting frame 52 to form a complete rack . as disclosed above , the user can modify the orientation of stored bottles merely by varying the space between mounting frames 52 . it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the mounting frame 52 may be any height , and include any number of support arms 50 without varying from the spirit of the invention . the methods of attaching the support arms 50 to the mounting frame 52 , and the mounting frame 52 to the wall or freestanding base pedestal are well know in the art , and thus are not described here . the mounting means of the present invention are not limited to the preceding examples , and may be virtually any means capable of mounting support arms to a wall or frame . for example , an alternative embodiment of the mounting means is illustrated in fig3 and 12 . in fig3 , a small ball 60 at the end of a support arm 62 is sized such that it fits through the wide top portion of a keyhole slot shown in fig1 . fig1 is a reverse view of the keyhole slot ; the ball 60 located at the end of the arm 62 has entered the slot . the ball 60 will be locked into place , securing the arm 62 , when it slides downward into the narrower part of the slot . yet another mounting means is shown in fig4 . one end of a support arm is threaded like a wood screw 80 . it is then screwed into a corresponding hole in a wall or frame . other suitable mounting means will be apparent to one skilled in the art .	0
according to the invention , long sector processing ( lsp ) advances the apparent real - time queue position of a data block . an lsp circuit 10 operates in a control unit device interface ( cudi ) environment with a microprocessor based system control unit ( scu ) 12 . the scu 12 supervises a disk drive such as the model 7350 disk storage drive developed by iss sperry - univac of cupertino , california and cooperates with the lsp circuit 10 to implement selected data block priority servicing . long sector processing is useful in any multiplexed data access environment where data locations are accessible serially . however , for simplicity , the description herein is limited to applications in connection with a rotational position sensing ( rsp ) disk drive environment . in the disk drive environment of fig1 the scu 12 interfaces a computer mainframe or central processing unit ( cpu ) 14 via data and control buses 16 and 18 with a plurality of disk drives 20 ( numbered 0 through 7 ). a common signal bus 22 connects all drives 20 to the scu 12 . the lsp circuit 10 is incorporated into each disk drive 20 . the scu 12 is provided with instruction capability for communicating with each lsp circuit - equipped disk drive 20 . the capability may comprise circuitry or microcode internal to the scu 12 . each drive 20 is connected through dedicated read / write cables 24 to scu 12 . in the computer data storage system herein described , the data is serially arranged in time - referenced units ( herein called sectors ) on tracks of a storage medium . at least two independently operating mass storage devices are coupled to a common controller . in a disk operating system , each disk drive 20 is designed to read data into and write data off of rotating disks 24 ( fig1 a ), the data being arranged in periodic tracks 26 figuratively illustrated on upper and lower surfaces of a parallel stack of disks 24 sharing a common spindle 28 . the collection of tracks of a disk stack is referred to as a cylinder , a cylinder being defined relative to a set of vertically aligned read / write heads 30 positioned over a selected track 26 on all disk surfaces . the manner in which the tracks 26 of the same disk are distinguished from one another is not important to this invention . each track 26 ( or cylinder ) is subdivided into a plurality of sectors 32 . in fig2 a diagram of track 26 ( or cylinder ) of all disk drives 20 is illustrated as they might be in relation to one another at a selected window in time . in a typical architecture 2 7 = 128 equally spaced sectors are provided in each track 26 . for simplicity , only 2 4 = 16 sectors are shown in fig2 . each sector 32 is referenced by its relation in terms of the number of clock units ( or sector counter units ) to a fixed physical location on the track 26 called an &# 34 ; index &# 34 ; 34 ( shown figuratively in fig1 and 2 ). blocks of data , called data records 36 , are stored in the serially arranged sectors 32 , the locations of which are defined as a &# 34 ; relative displacement &# 34 ; with reference to the index 34 of each disk drive . for convenience , data records 36 may be labeled sequentially x 0 to x 15 . each data record may require one or more sectors 32 of sequential storage space of one track ( or cylinder ) 26 . the data records 36 cyclically pass the read / write head 30 of each disk drive as the disk 24 spins . therefore , data records are available for access only during short periods or windows of time . the location of the read / write head 30 can therefore be visualized as advancing sequentially relative to the data sectors 32 at the increment or sector count of a master clock . actual data recording may be by means of variable length records uniquely identified physically by a previous label ( id .) the sector location or address is a means of relatively locating the id field . in the examples of fig2 the sum of control unit connection / disconnection times normal rps connection , data transfer time , and lag factors is assumed to require six sectors . this assumption simplifies the examples hereinbelow , since it permits instantaneous scu - drive interaction to be used for illustrative purposes of demonstrating efficiency . the initial environment defined in the examples shows all eight disks with requests from the controller outstanding . it is assumed that when a disk completes transfer of data , no new request is issued to that disk . this is not normal behavior in a real operating environment , but it does maintain the simplicity of the examples of fig2 . all disks 24 rotate at approximately the same velocity , although rotation is actually asynchronous . for short periods of time a dynamic map or catalog of data storage locations can be constructed based on the relative displacement of each data record 36 from the index 34 of each disk drive and the number of sector counter clock units the disk 24 has advanced since the index 34 on the disk 24 crossed the read / write head 30 of the disk drive 20 . in a normal command sequence or command chain , the scu 12 issues a request to transfer data to selected drives 20 , then it scans the disk drives 20 looking for a report of readiness to perform a data transfer , as indicated by a sector interrupt signal . this condition indicates that the next available sector 32 is in position to read or write data . if the scu 12 can obtain access to the main frame of the computer ( the cpu 14 and its main memory ) during the pendency of a sector interrupt , then the scu 12 issues a second command which transfers system control to the designated disk drive 20 . the likelihood that a particular disk drive will be issued the second command by the scu 12 is related to the duration of its sector interrupt signal . according to the invention , the likelihood of early access to a chosen data block is enhanced by increasing the duration of the interrupt signal indicating the availability of a priority data block and by advancing the apparent initial location or address of the data block in a data location catalog . the invention is best understood in terms of an explanation of operation of the scu 12 relating to the access of data blocks having been assigned a priority . the scu 12 , however , performs other operations whose exact nature is not important to an understanding of the invention . these functions can include directing the selection of tracks to be accessed , calculating data locations by the relative sector and communicating with the cpu 14 . the operation of invention is illustrated by fig2 and the table of fig2 a . the scu 12 defines locations with reference to sliced clock units , in fig2 consecutively designated a through r , corresponding to the number of sectors 36 of each periodic track . only sixteen are shown , as explained above . the table of fig2 a illustrates system operation . each row represents a track of a different disk drive . beginning with data block x 2 ( row 1 ), it will be noted that a two - sector clock unit priority or long sector assignment 39 has been assigned to the data block . therefore data block x 2 is advanced in queue position over data blocks x 5 and x 12 . data block x 2 is thus accessed first . servicing data block x 2 requires eight sectors ( including the long sector priority assignment 39 ). at the end of servicing , at sector 11 , the scu looks for the next available data block . in this case , the next available data block is x 1 , which has also been assigned a priority 39 . after the servicing of x 1 , x 5 ( of row 2 ) is the next available data block . the service cycle continues until all data blocks have been attended to or until otherwise interrupted . in the example illustrated ( fig2 a ), the demand or priority requests are serviced in 82 clock units . computation of outcome of queue positioning according to the standard processing would require 106 clock units to service the demand requests . the improvement in demand requests occurs with some decrease in the efficiency of throughput . in this example , standard rps processing requires 113 clock units to complete while long sector processing requires 124 clock units to complete all servicing . another way of viewing the improvement in demand request processing for this example is to recognize that the average access to any demand data block improves from 1 . 26 rotations to 0 . 96 rotations of the periodic track . in fig3 a and 3b an lsp circuit 10 block diagram is shown , together with selected interface circuitry and rps control logic of scu 12 . the pertinent functional elements of lsp circuit 10 are a storage register 38 , coupled to a down counter 40 which is coupled to an interrupt control latch 42 . these elements are together operative to receive a long sector interval value and to issue a sector interrupt for a designated duration . the sector interrupt is typically provided through an or gate 57 , where other drive interrupt conditions are fed into the signal line , and thence to interface control logic 53 . an output bus of interface control logic 53 is supplied to drivers 55 which drive the drive / controller cable 22 &# 39 ; coupled to the scu 12 ( fig1 ). the circuit of fig3 a and 3b is reasonably self - explanatory in conjunction with the timing diagrams fig4 through 6 . however , the following explanation will assist in an understanding of the novel features of the circuitry . each signal line is labeled with either a command or a coupling designation . a plus (+) sign before a label indicates the designated condition is enabled or true with a &# 34 ; positive &# 34 ; sense . a negative (-) sign indicates the converse . a circle (°) at an input or an output terminal indicates a signal inversion . referring particulary to fig3 a and 3b , storage register 38 may be a type 74174 storage register operative with seven input terminals , namely , four variable data terminals 1d through 4d , a clock terminal clk and a clear terminal . a further input terminal 5d is tied to a true reference for reasons hereinafter explained . five output terminals 1q through 5q are provided , corresponding to 1d through 5d . decoders and buffers 44 , from cudi receivers 46 , couple a parallel four bit digital signal to terminals 1d through 4d of register 38 , as provided by a data channel from scu 12 . ( fig1 ). the four corresponding data signal lines are designated + bus out 7 through 4 , respectively . the four - bit signal on lines + bus out 7 through 4 identifies the value or length ( in sector clock units ) of the long sector interval . the interval is externally assigned . within the scu 12 the catalog is modified such that the interval represented by the four - bit signals is appended to the beginning of each selected data block to advance the queue position of the data block . the interval may be from zero ( one clock interval ) to fifteen units ( sixteen clock intervals ). the output of an and gate 48 is coupled to the clock input clk of storage register 38 via a control line labeled + load interrupt duration register . the and gate 48 is for comparing two control signals from decoders and buffers 44 labeled + bus out 0 and + tag 1 ( also called + bus out 0 ). tag 1 is the set sector command of the rps command set . the coincidence of bus out 0 = true and tag 1 = true at and gate 48 causes storage of the data at data inputs 1d through 4d , the contents of register 38 being made available at outputs 1q through 5q . output 5a is operative to issue a command to one input of an and gate 50 indicating a special interrupt duration request , overriding the normal rps + sector interrupt signal . in order to clear the register 38 , an + rps reset command , externally generated , is issued to the clear terminal of register 38 . the rps reset command also has the effect of generating a false signal via the special interrupt duration requested line to and gate 50 . the consequence of this signal is explained hereinafter in conjunction with example 3 . down counter 40 may be a type 74193 up - down counter wired to decrement . counter 40 receives the four - bit long sector interval value at parallel inputs a0 through a3 upon an externally generated - record ready signal inverted and provided to its counter load terminal . the counter 40 is operative to decrement the value of the long sector interval with each positive transition of an external clock signal provided at a count down clock terminal . counter 40 issues a - borrow output signal at zero . this signal , when provided to the other input of and gate 50 causes a - clear interrupt latch command to be generated . latch 42 is a conventional d - type bistable multivibrator ( or flip - flop ) with the d input tied to a true value and the preset input tied via inversion of the true level to a false value . the externally generated record ready signal line is coupled to the clock input . the clear input is coupled via inversion to the output of and gate 50 , i . e ., the - clear interrupt latch line . only the q output of latch 42 is used . the q output and - record ready signal lines are coupled to the input terminals of a dual input nand gate 52 ( such as a type 7400 ), shown here as a negated or gate . nand gate 52 issues a + sector interrupt signal in all states except when both q is true ( high ) and - record ready is false . the persistence of the + sector interrupt signal indicates the continued availability of the data block of the referenced drive for access . the longer the + sector interrupt signal is enabled the higher the likelihood that control will be transferred to the referenced drive since the period of its indicated availability comprises a greater percentage of the polling or scanning cycle of the scu 12 . the exact sequence of operation under various conditions is explained hereinafter below in connection with the diagrams of fig4 - 6 . in order to understand the interaction of the lsp circuit 10 with an rps system , it is helpful to understand how the - record ready signal is generated . reference is made to rps control logic 54 of fig3 a . the rps control logic 54 of particular interest comprises a sector register 56 , a sector counter 58 , which may be a ring counter or the like , a sector control clock generator ( clock ) 60 , a comparator 62 and a dual input and gate 64 with an inverter 66 at one input . data lines + bus out 1 through 7 are coupled to sector register 56 . data line + tag 1 is coupled to the first input of dual input and gate 64 and data line + bus out 0 is coupled through inverter 66 to the other gate input . clock generator 60 is coupled via a + sector counter advance control line to a clock input of sector counter 58 and provides one pulse per sector to sector counter 58 . in addition , a control line labeled - byte 16 is coupled to the count down clock input of down counter 40 , which is operative to provide a pulse per sector slightly delayed relative to the sector counter advance . the encoded outputs of sector register 56 and sector counter 58 are provided to comparator 62 . at coincidence , comparator 62 issues a - record ready signal , indicating that a designated sector is in the correct location for issuance of the - record ready signal . the scu 12 issues tag 1 = true and bus out 0 = false to load sector register 56 with the data of bus out 7 through 1 . these data define the sector at which the - record ready signal is issued . the scu 12 also issues tag 1 = true and bus out 0 = true to load the value of the long sector interval into register 38 . the drive 20 immediately commences to search for the requested sector , identified by the data in sector register 56 . sector counter 58 tallys with the clock pulses . the - record ready signal issues at coincidence of the value in sector register 56 and sector connector 58 and each periodic cycle thereafter of the sector counter 58 until the system is otherwise reset . fig4 illustrates a normal search for a data block . the normal search is initiated by the tag 1 command which triggers the load sector register command . in the example , bus out 6 is true . this is equivalent to a request for a sector interrupt signal starting at sector number 2 . the sector queuing is not affected by this sequence . instead , the - record ready signal issues at the commencement of sector number 2 and the + sector interrupt signal follows immediately thereafter through nand gate 52 . latch 42 has no effect because it is disabled by the persistence of - clear interrupt latch = true from and gate 50 . in other words , a clear command is issued to latch 42 except when both the special interrupt duration requested signal is true ( high ) and the - borrow output signal is true ( low ). in the example of fig5 the lsp circuit 10 is activated . data line bus out 4 through 7 reads 0010 2 at sector counter unit = 0 which indicates requested data coupling must commence with the sector location corresponding to sector counter unit = 2 . at sector counter unit = 1 , data lines bus out 4 through 7 read 0001 2 . the coincidence of bus out 0 = true and tag 1 = true initiates the load interrupt duration register command , which issues a sustained special interrupt request signal to and gate 50 . the - clear interrupt latch command is also thereupon disabled (= false ) thereby activating latch 42 . the - record ready signal issues at the commencement of sector 2 for one sector duration . the sector interrupt signal issues immediately following the issuance of the - record ready signal . at the end of one sector the trailing edge of the record ready signal triggers the latch 42 output q which maintains the sector interrupt signal enabled as the - record ready signal drops to its disabled state . in other words , the sector interrupt signal is not disabled as in example 1 . the effect is to append an extended duration or long sector interrupt signal to a normal duration sector interrupt signal . the condition is maintained until down counter 40 at the clock signal issues its - borrow output = true ( low ) signal to and gate 50 . thereupon the and gate 50 initiates the - clear interrupt latch = true ( low ) command , which in turn disables the interrupt duration control latch command at the input of nand gate 52 terminating the sector interrupt signal . the cycle repeats with each issuance of the record ready signal , as outlined above , for each revolution of the disk . in fig6 the same sequence is followed as in example 2 . however , an external reset command is issued at a random time , which resets the lsp circuit 10 to its initial conditions . the command - rps reset clears the interrupt duration logic in preparation for a subsequent cycle or transfer of control to another peripheral device . the lsp circuit 10 , herein described operates in connection with a multiplexed data transfer system utilizing an rps - based controller ( scu 12 ) which is adapted to provide a processing preference to data blocks identified by a priority assignment . the priority assignment of the scu 12 is implemented as follows : each data block to be read is identified by a label or id and its sector location is calculated ( based on the location of this id ) relative to the index of its disk . selected data blocks are externally designated as priority data blocks , indicating processing preference is to be given . the priority assignment is expressed as a code which is included in the command from the scu to the disk . the priority code may be an externally selected value chosen to correspond to a desired extension in the apparent length of the data block and is measured in sector units . the variable priority code can also represent a variable duration long sector interrupt signal value . each of the priority designated data blocks is assigned a &# 34 ; look - ahead &# 34 ; advantage , that is , the address of each such data block location is advanced toward the index location although the actual location of the data is not changed . a &# 34 ; spacer &# 34 ; is effectively created between the indicated location and the actual location of the data block . the spacer may be an internal bookkeeping operation similar to the compensation for lag factors wherein the difference value between the actual and apparent address location is registered to account for overlap in apparent locations of data . in the illustration of fig2 each of the designated priority data blocks , namely x 2 , x 1 , x 10 , x 13 , and x 6 , has been assigned a uniform two sector look - ahead advantage , or long sector interval 39 , over the actual data location . prior to a transfer of data , a map may be created of the position of each disk relative to the read / write head , based on sensed locations of the disk indexes . a queue may be set up by comparing the initial address of each data block . data blocks are then accessed according to queue location relative to the read / write heads of each drive . a sequence of real time operation may be as follows : a request for data is transmitted by the cpu 14 to the scu 12 . if priority status is desired , the request includes a long sector interrupt indicator . the request is directed by the scu 12 over the control channel 24 to the particular peripheral disk drive 20 addressed . the scu 12 scans or polls the peripheral disk drives 20 to ascertain if any are in position to respond with data , i . e ., if any data blocks are within the data access window and available for immediate data transfer . those disk drives having data within the window issue the + sector interrupt signal as explained above . if the scu 12 is active with another disk drive 20 or another cpu 14 request , a disk drive sector interrupt signal will not be responded to by the scu 12 . in this case , once the window has passed , the + sector interrupt signal is dropped by the disk drive . during the period when either the + sector interrupt signal of one disk drive is not being acted on or the scu 14 is otherwise not occupied , the first subsequently occurring + sector interrupt signal will be responded to by the scu 14 . if the scu 12 can respond to a + sector interrupt signal a connection is made to allow data transfer to begin from the disk drive to the scu 12 and through to the cpu 14 memory . this sequence is constantly repeated with all of the disk drives 20 interacting with the scu 12 to effect data transfer requests made by the cpu 14 . the invention has now been explained with reference to specific preferred embodiments . further embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of this disclosure . for example , long sector processing works especially well in any system where data storage locations are arranged to be periodically accessible , that is , where data blocks are disposed in a closed loop and serially accessible on a cyclic or periodic basis . rotating drums , flexible disk drive systems , charge coupled devices , bubble memories , shift registers and the like are examples of storage media system according to the invention . in addition , the invention can be adapted for use where data blocks are serially accessible generally , such as tapes , storage cylinders and the like , where access time is substantially slower than in conventional disk drive or periodic data storage systems . however , for simplicity the detailed description has been limited to a description of the preferred embodiment in a multiplexed disk drive system operating with an intelligent peripheral input / output ( i / o ) controller , such as an iss sperry - univac model 7835 controller coupled to model 7350 disk drives . therefore , it is not intended that the invention be limited , except as set forth in the appended claims .	6
the disclosure of the above - referenced u . s . pat . no . 5 , 448 , 582 , issued sep . 5 , 1995 , entitled &# 34 ; optical sources having a strongly scattering gain medium providing laser - like action &# 34 ;, by nabil m . lawandy is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . also incorporated by reference herein in its entirety is the disclosure of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 434 , 878 , issued jul . 18 , 1995 , entitled &# 34 ; optical gain medium having doped nanocrystals of semiconductors and also optical scatterers &# 34 ;, by nabil m . lawandy . reference is first made to fig2 a and 2b for showing an embodiment of a catheter 10 that is suitable for use in photo - dynamic therapy applications . it should be realized , however , that the various methods and apparatus of this invention are not limited for use with only this one , albeit important , application . the catheter 10 includes an optical fiber 12 or other suitable conduit of electromagnetic radiation , and a protective covering or sheath 12a made from , by example , a non - reactive material such as teflon ™. a first end of the catheter 10 is coupled to a laser source such as a frequency doubled or frequency tripled nd : yag laser 2 . in the illustrated example the laser 2 provides light at a first wavelength ( λ 1 ), such as 532 nm . the light is conveyed to a terminal end of the catheter 12 where a scattering region 15 having a mirror 14 is provided . the scattering region 15 may be comprised of silicone containing titania or other suitable scattering particles . the purpose of the region 15 is to direct the incident light out of the optical fiber 12 or light conduit and into a surrounding sheath or structure 16 that includes a gain medium as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 488 , 582 . that is , the sheath or structure 16 includes , by example , a selected dye molecule or molecules 13a in combination with scattering sites 13b which provide in combination a laser like emission when stimulated by the light from the laser 2 . the structure 16 outputs light with a second , desired wavelength ( λ 2 ). in this embodiment of this invention the gain medium may be contained in a transparent polymer of a type that contracts or shrinks when heated , such as heat shrinkable tubing . the output wavelength ( λ 2 ) is selected in accordance with the activation requirements of a photosensitive drug or substance used in a given pdt treatment . fig3 shows an embodiment wherein a dichroic mirror 20 is provided in combination with a substrate 22 that contains the gain medium . by example , the dichroic mirror 20 is transparent at the pump wavelength ( e . g . 532 nm ) and is reflective at the wavelength ( e . g . 650 nm ) that is emitted by the gain medium within the substrate 22 . the substrate 22 may be a polymer , a glass , or any suitable material for containing the gain medium ( e . g . dye molecules and scattering sites , such as particles of tio 2 or alumina ). two known photo - sensitive drugs that are activated by 650 nm light are mpth and photofrin . the embodiment of fig3 is well suited for treating external or exposed tissue , whereas the embodiment of fig2 a and 2b is well suited for treating internal tissue . in general , it is desirable to position the gain medium in close proximity to the tissue to be treated in order to maximize the amount of light that can be delivered to the photo - sensitive drug or drugs that are being used . fig4 a shows an embodiment wherein the substrate 22 is curved , and may represent a cross - section through a hemisphere or dome . fig4 b illustrates an embodiment wherein a plurality of the curved substrates 22a and 22b are employed to provide at least first and second wavelengths ( λ 2 , λ 3 ). as can be seen , the substrates 22a and 22b can have a generally concave inner surface , and one may be nested or contained within the other . in both of these embodiments the substrate shape leads to an integrating sphere effect for providing a more uniform illumination of the tissue being treated . in the embodiment of fig4 b it is assumed that the substrate 22a is substantially transparent at λ 2 , and that the substrate 22b is substantially transparent at λ 2 . fig5 a and 5b illustrate embodiments wherein a plurality of the structures 16 ( e . g ., sub - structures 16a - 16c ) are arranged circumferentially or longitudinally , respectively , about the terminal end of the optical fiber 12 . each substructure 16a - 16c has an associated emission wavelength λ 2 - λ 4 , respectively . the result is the simultaneous presence of a plurality of wavelengths for simultaneously activating a plurality of photo - sensitive drugs during a pdt treatment . more or less than three sub - structures can be provided . fig6 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein a gain medium - containing substrate 23 is given a predetermined three - dimensional shape for conforming the substrate to a shape of a region of tissue to be treated . by example , a mold of a region of tissue to be treated ( e . g , a tumor ) is made , and the substrate 23 , such as polymeric material containing the gain medium , is formed from the mold . alternatively , a three dimensional surface profile or map of the region of tissue can be obtained from a medical imaging technique ( e . g ., cat scan or nmr image ), and the shape of the substrate 23 conformed to the profile . this embodiment of the invention is useful in providing an intimate fit between the substrate 23 and the region of tissue to be treated , thereby maximizing an amount of photo - sensitive drug or drugs that are activated . it should be realized that the dichroic mirror 20 can also be used with the embodiment of fig6 as well as the embodiment of fig4 b . fig7 illustrates a further embodiment of this invention wherein the terminal end of the optical fiber 12 is wrapped with one or more polymer filaments 26 that contain the gain medium . preferably adjacent wraps of the filaments 26 touch one another to prevent any leakage of the light at λ 1 . a plurality of different filaments can be used for providing a plurality of different wavelengths of light for activating a plurality of photo - sensitive drugs . a suitable laser system for driving this and other embodiments of this invention is a 15 mj , 1000 hz prr , 532 nm laser available from continuum . in general , a diode pumped nd : yag laser can be employed to provide a compact and relatively low cost source . in other embodiments a pure silica fiber 12 can be used with an ultraviolet ( uv ) source operating at , by example , 400 nm , and can provide an emission of , by example , 1 . 7 micrometers , depending on the characteristics of the selected gain medium . it can be realized that the teaching of this invention provides the ability to readily provide a number of different wavelengths of therapeutic light , while avoiding the problems inherent in providing , operating , and maintaining a conventional tuneable light source , such as a dye laser . in a further embodiment of this invention the dye molecules that comprise a portion of the gain medium may be replaced by semiconductor nanocrystals selected for their emission wavelength ( s ) ( e . g ., gan for blue , znse for green , cdse for red ). in this case the semiconductor nanocrystals may also function as scattering sites for the stimulated emission , either alone or in combination with the scattering particles . in a still further embodiment of this invention the polymer structure or substrate itself may provide the stimulated emission , such as a polymer comprised of ppv or mehppv . although described above in the context of specific materials , dimensions and the like , it should be appreciated that the teaching of this invention is not intended to be limited to only these disclosed exemplary embodiments and values . neither is the teaching of this invention intended to be limited to only the specific catheter and other embodiments described above . as such , while the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .	6
various embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for delivering content . in particular , various embodiments relate to delivering advertising content to a client via a communications network such as the internet . in addition , various embodiments provide for systems and methods of transmitting content over a communication network to a client without the need to run code from the destination ( e . g ., website ) selections of that client . according to one embodiment , a system and method of transmitting content over a communications network that is capable of use and exploitation by an isp , enterprise , and / or the like may be provided . according to one embodiment , a method may include one or more of the following steps : 1 ) intercepting a data transfer protocol request and / or response ; 2 ) analyzing information contained within the intercepted data transfer protocol request / response ; 3 ) selecting advertising content to send to the requesting / intended client ; and 4 ) sending the selected content to the client . in one embodiment , the content may be selected based on information contained within the communication protocol request and / or response , such as information indicative of the client ( e . g ., an ip address used alone or as an index or key to retrieve a profile associated with the client ), information indicative of the destination ( e . g ., an ip address used alone or as an index or key to retrieve a profile associated with the destination ), the request - uri in the http request method , the host field in the http request header , the content in the response , such as the webpage content ( e . g ., keywords in the page ). according to various embodiments of the present invention , the systems and methods may be used at an enterprise level in order to intercept communication protocol requests / responses and deliver content , such as advertisements . for example , a hotel may provide internet service to its customers . according to one embodiment , a hotel may intercept the communication protocol requests originated by those clients using the hotel &# 39 ; s internet service or the communication protocol responses destined for those clients using the hotel &# 39 ; s internet service , analyze information contained within the intercepted communication protocol request / response , select advertising content to send to the client , and send the selected content to the client . according to one embodiment , a hotel may create a client profile . for example , an enterprise , such as a hotel may create a client profile by collecting and storing information about a client through a membership program , optional questionnaires , and / or the like . this information may then be accessed using the information contained within the data transfer protocol request . then , an appropriate advertising choice may be based on the client profile . in some embodiments , no client profile is used . in this case , an enterprise , such as a hotel , may send advertisements as they become available , or on a pre - allocated basis . in one embodiment , pre - allocating an advertisement refers to determining the percentage one advertisement will be delivered in relation to other advertisements . in one embodiment , the advertising content may be delivered via the same communications methodology used to make the request or provide the response . for example , if a client is making an http request , then advertising content may be delivered via http . in some embodiments , additional information is known about the client and advertisements can be delivered via another communication method . for example , when an http session is detected as active , an advertising system may send a message to the client &# 39 ; s instant messenger while the http session continues without interference . in the following description , for the purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details . embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a computer program product which may include a machine - readable medium having stored thereon instructions which may be used to program a computer ( or other electronic devices ) to perform a process . the machine - readable medium may include , but is not limited to , floppy diskettes , optical disks , compact disc read - only memories ( cd - roms ), and magneto - optical disks , roms , random access memories ( rams ), erasable programmable read - only memories ( eproms ), electrically erasable programmable read - only memories ( eeproms ), magnetic or optical cards , flash memory , or other type of media / machine - readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions . moreover , embodiments of the present invention may also be downloaded as a computer program product , wherein the program may be transferred from a remote computer to a requesting computer by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link ( e . g ., a modem or network connection ). for the sake of illustration , various embodiments of the present invention have herein been described in the context of computer programs , physical components , and logical interactions within modern computer networks . specifically , for convenience , embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to detecting an active session or connection by intercepting or observing tcp / ip requests over the internet originated by clients . however , embodiments of the present invention are equally applicable to detecting an active communication protocol session or connection by intercepting or observing tcp / ip responses intended for clients . additionally , embodiments of the present invention are equally applicable to various other transport protocols , systems , devices , and networks as one skilled in the art will appreciate . for example , various embodiments may be used in conjunction with communications networks , such as wans , lans , other computer networks , telephone systems , and / or the like . more specifically , embodiments are applicable to multiple levels of implementation . for example , communication systems , services , enterprises , and devices such as cell phone networks and compatible devices . in addition , embodiments are applicable to all levels of computing from the personal computer to large network mainframes and servers . additionally , monitoring and / or proxying of other transport communication protocol connection requests and / or responses , such as user datagram protocol ( udp ), datagram congestion control protocol ( dccp ), stream control transmission protocol ( sctp ), il , reliable user datagram protocol ( rudp ), appletalk echo protocol ( aep ), appletalk transaction protocol ( atp ), cyclic udp ( cudp ), name binding protocol ( nbp ), netbios extended user interface ( netbeui ), routing table maintenance protocol ( rtmp ), sequenced packet exchange ( spx ) protocol , network news transport protocol ( nntp ), real - time transport protocol ( rtp ) and / or the like , may be used in accordance with the specific communications network as known to those skilled in the art . terminology brief definitions of terms , abbreviations , and phrases used throughout this application are given below . the phrase “ advertising content ” generally refers to the promotion of products , services , brands , ideas , companies , and / or the like . advertising content may be delivered in a variety of formats . examples include , but are not limited to , pop - up advertisements , pop - under advertisements , voice advertisements , various text advertisements , and / or the like . the phrase “ communication network ” or term “ network ” generally refers to a group of interconnected devices capable of exchanging information . a communication network may be as few as several personal computers on a local area network ( lan ) or as large as the internet , a worldwide network of computers . as used herein “ communication network ” is intended to encompass any network capable of transmitting information from one entity to another . in one particular case , a communication network is a voice over internet protocol ( voip ) network . in some cases , a communication network may be comprised of multiple networks , even multiple heterogeneous networks , such as one or more border networks , voice networks , broadband networks , service provider networks , internet service provider ( isp ) networks , and / or public switched telephone networks ( pstns ), interconnected via gateways operable to facilitate communications between and among the various networks . the phrase “ communication protocol ” generally refers to any type of communication protocol used to facilitate the exchange of information between two devices connected to a communication network . for example , a communication protocol may include any data transfer protocol request . in one embodiment , a communication protocol may be an application protocol including , but not limited to dns , ftp , http , imap , irc , nntp , pop3 , sip , smtp , snmp , ssh , telnet , bittorrent , and the like . in one embodiment , a communication protocol may be a transport protocol including , but not limited to dccp , sctp , tcp , rtp , udp , il , rudp , and the like . still yet in another embodiment , a communication protocol may be a network protocol including , but not limited to ipv4 , ipv6 , and the like . in accordance with one embodiment , a communication protocol may include an ethernet protocol including , but not limited to wi - fi , token ring , mpls , ppp , and the like . importantly , this definition is meant to be exemplary rather than limiting . as such , other protocols known to those skilled in the art are within the scope of this definition . the terms “ connected ” or “ coupled ” and related terms are used in an operational sense and are not necessarily limited to a direct physical connection or coupling . thus , for example , two devices may be couple directly , or via one or more intermediary media or devices . as another example , devices may be coupled in such a way that information can be passed there between , while not sharing any physical connection one with another . based on the disclosure provided herein , one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate a variety of ways in which connection or coupling exists in accordance with the aforementioned definition . the phrases “ in one embodiment ,” “ according to one embodiment ,” and the like generally mean the particular feature , structure , or characteristic following the phrase is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention , and may be included in more than one embodiment of the present invention . importantly , such phases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment . if the specification states a component or feature “ may ”, “ can ”, “ could ”, or “ might ” be included or have a characteristic , that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic . fig1 illustrates a block diagram showing the connection between a client and the internet in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . however , the choice of the internet is for illustrative purposes and embodiments of the present invention are applicable to any type of communication network . as shown in fig1 , a client 10 , which according to one embodiment , may be a single computer or a computer network consisting of one or more computers . in the embodiment depicted , the computer ( s ) may be connected to the internet 14 through an internet service provider ( isp ) 12 . the isp 12 is typically a cable or telephone company that provides the infrastructure for the internet 14 . this infrastructure consists of various elements of computer hardware and software , including physical cable connections , routers for connecting multiple connections , and computers for directing traffic , identifying users and authorizing access to the system . according to one embodiment , communication between the client 10 and the internet 14 uses tcp / ip (“ transfer control protocol over internet protocol ”). while a variety of different protocols are contained within tcp / ip , the most commonly used for retrieving webpages is the hypertext transfer protocol ( http ). as such , when the client 10 wishes to access the internet 14 using http , the process shown in fig2 is followed . specifically , fig2 illustrates a flowchart describing a process of interpreting a client http request in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . a request is sent ( 20 ) to retrieve a desired webpage . the request is interpreted ( 22 ) and the webpage is retrieved ( 24 ) and sent to the client ( 26 ), where the webpage code is run on the client computer to produce the webpage ( 28 ). it is at this last step 28 where conventional methods of advertising over the internet take place . code for the desired advertisement may be placed within the webpage code and run at the same time the code for the webpage is run . alternatively , the code for the desired advertisement may be placed as a separate webpage code . the resulting advertisement is then produced according to the extra code . typical advertisement code may include scripts that retrieve advertisements from other web servers ( i . e . separate from the server which hosts the webpage code ), that open new windows on the client computer to display advertisements , or that even temporarily display an advertising webpage prior to allowing the client to view the desired webpage . regardless of the method of advertising used , each method is initiated within the code for the webpage . in other words , it is the client &# 39 ; s selection of webpage and running of the code for that webpage that determines both whether advertising will be displayed and the types of advertisements shown . according to various embodiments of the present invention , additional computer software and / or hardware may provided by the isp 12 ( as seen in fig1 ), enterprise , or by the end user . as a result , advertising content can be selected and delivered at the interpreting step 22 ( see fig2 ) as opposed to the code running step 28 ( also in fig2 ). alternatively , advertising content may be selected and delivered based on the http response at step 26 ( see fig2 ). according one embodiment of the present invention , the content delivery system may include three components provided by the isp 12 as shown in fig3 . content server 30 may be configured to store the content , such as advertisements , advertising content or other informational content , that is to be delivered to the client 10 . insertion server 32 may be configured to monitor client traffic and act to detect a client &# 39 ; s communication protocol request , e . g ., a http request , and / or a destination &# 39 ; s communication protocol response , e . g ., a http response , and substitute content from the content server 30 for the requested content or supplement the requested content with content from the content server 30 . alternatively , upon determining the existence of an active communication protocol connection or session between a destination and a client , the insertion server 32 may deliver content via another communication method by sending a message to the client &# 39 ; s instant messenger , for example , while the http session continues without interference . in one embodiment , the insertion server 32 is implemented as a proxy server , transparent or not . the insertion server 32 may intercept all connections and connection with the destination on behalf of the client for all connections , whether needed to insert content or not . alternatively , the insertion server 32 may only intercept connections when content insertion is desired as determined by the policy server 34 . policy server 34 may be configured to determine when insertion server 32 detects a request or response , what content is delivered from content server 30 , and how long the content is displayed to the client 10 , e . g ., the duration until the client &# 39 ; s original http request is fulfilled . while in the embodiment depicted , insertion server 32 is shown connected to the isp 12 , for example , as part of a firewall between the client 10 and the internet 14 , it may also be located between the client 10 and the isp 12 . in this arrangement , rather than content hosted and provided by the isp 12 at its level of the internet infrastructure , the content may hosted at the network level of the client 10 . for example , a location that provides internet access to multiple clients , such as an enterprise , library or an internet cafe , may set up its own content delivery system at its network connection to the isp 12 in order to transmit selected content to clients on its network . in this configuration , the system may be set up as part of a network firewall to minimize overhead . fig4 and fig5 . illustrate how the tcp / ip process may be modified in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention . specifically , fig4 illustrates a flowchart representative of a process of detecting and intercepting a client tcp / ip request in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . those skilled in the art will appreciate similar modifications may be made to the tcp / ip process when detecting and / or intercepting tcp / ip responses destined for a client . fig4 , illustrates a “ pass - through ” method whereby the http request is intercepted before reaching its intended destination . according to this embodiment , when the system is active , it waits for a client tcp / ip request to be detected 40 . if there is no request , the system waits for one to be detected 60 . this detection step 40 may be incorporated as part of existing firewall monitoring processes , such as the process used by a firewall to monitor for viruses and unauthorized network access attempts , for example . once a tcp / ip request is detected 40 , it is intercepted 41 and the desired content is selected 42 , retrieved 44 from the content server and sent 46 to the client . in one embodiment , the content may be selected based on information contained within the communication protocol request and / or response , such as information indicative of the client ( e . g ., an ip address used alone or as an index or key to retrieve a profile associated with the client ), information indicative of the destination ( e . g ., an ip address used alone or as an index or key to retrieve a profile associated with the destination ), the request - uri in the http request method , the host field in the http request header , the content in the response , such as the webpage content ( e . g ., keywords in the page ). after the content is sent 46 , the process delays 48 thereby displaying the content to the client for a fixed amount of time before processing the original tcp / ip request 50 . in this embodiment , the insertion server 32 acts as a proxy server handling the original tcp / ip request . alternatively , content may be delivered via a different communication method than used to detect the client / destination connection , concurrently with or completely in lieu of the requested content via the same communication method used to detect the client / destination connection . according to yet another alternative embodiment , the insertion server 32 may determine the need for and / or select appropriate content to be delivered to the client based upon a “ pass - through ” method involving intercepting of http responses before they reach the client . fig5 illustrates a flowchart describing a process of detecting and inserting content into a tcp connection in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . according to the embodiment shown in fig5 , a “ pass - by ” methodology may be used . in this embodiment , network packets are examined 70 as they pass by on the network . when a tcp / ip request is detected 72 , it is checked 76 against the policy for content insertion to determine if the packet should be intercepted . if the tcp / ip request is not to be intercepted , no action is taken and the tcp / ip request proceeds to its intended destination 78 . if no tcp / ip request is detected , or the request is allowed to proceed the system resumes examining packets 74 . according to one embodiment , if the tcp / ip request is to be intercepted , then two actions may be taken . first , a canceling message may be sent 80 to the destination to negate the tcp / ip request . second , the desired substitute or supplemental content may be selected 42 , retrieved 44 and sent 46 to the client in lieu of or in addition to the content requested by the intercepted tcp / ip request . according to one embodiment , the timing of the canceling message is such that it reaches the destination and the substitute or supplemental content is sent to the client before the destination can respond to the tcp / ip request . the system then delays 48 for a period of time to allow the substitute or supplemental content to be displayed at the client before resuming 74 the packet examination process . in one embodiment , the original tcp / ip request may need to be re - sent by the client after the delay period 48 for displaying the content . if the canceling message 80 fails to reach the destination before it responds to the original tcp / ip request , the response will be ignored by the client as long as the content is sent 46 to the client before the response from the destination as the tcp connection has effectively been hijacked . according to one embodiment , policy server 34 may require a limited number of instructions to execute the desired method of content insertion . in one embodiment , the instructions may specify the timing of detecting and intercepting ( if required ) a client &# 39 ; s tcp / ip request and the duration of sending the advertisement to that client and completing ( if necessary ) the tcp / ip request . for example , a list of instructions for the pass - through method might include : 1 ) every hour , begin the detection process on the insertion server 32 ; 2 ) for the next two minutes , intercept each tcp / ip request and send advertising content in addition to or in lieu of the content requested by the tcp / ip request ; 3 ) for each intercepted tcp / ip request , complete that request ten seconds after sending the advertising content . the last step of completing the original tcp / ip request is preferable , but optional according to various embodiments . alternatively , according to one embodiment , the client may be required to re - send the tcp / ip request in the same manner that existing webpage - based interrupt advertising works . in accordance with one embodiment , during the advertising delay , the client cannot re - send the tcp / ip request until the time specified for the delay ( ten seconds in the above example ) has expired . this latter method may be preferable for certain types of non - advertising content which are discussed below . according to various embodiments , more complex selection algorithms may be used . according to one embodiment , a selection algorithm may include identifying clients for advertising , thus allowing for more targeted advertising to clients and selective delivery of advertising content . this algorithm may also use certain content in the http request ( e . g . the domain or ip information ) to select content suitable for the client . also , according to one embodiment , multiple insertion servers 32 can be used . when multiple insertion servers 32 are provided , a reduction on the load on each individual server may result as well as the ability to differentiate clients based on the server . according to one embodiment , this system may create different advertising system potentials for the isp . for example , a system with multiple insertion servers 32 may ( i ) allow clients who pay a premium to have reduced or no advertising content , ( ii ) facilitate setting different advertising rates for regions which use more or less bandwidth , and / or ( iii ) allow individual servers to be provided for isp clients which have their own large internal computer networks ( large companies , universities , etc .). while the above embodiments describe the use of advertising content , it is contemplated that the systems and methods described here in may be easily adapted for use with other types of suitable content . for example , a corporation may use the system to provide employees with daily updates and other information , with the assurance that the information is more likely to be read than if the information were transmitted via email alone . according to one embodiment , the systems and methods may be used by governments to provide emergency and disaster information , much in the same way that the emergency broadcasting system is used on television and radio . accordingly , while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments , such as the internet and http , this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . importantly , applications of various embodiments of the present invention are applicable to a wide variety of communication networks and communication protocols . various modifications of the illustrative embodiments , as well as other embodiments of the invention , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description . embodiments of the present invention include various steps , which will be described in more detail below . a variety of these steps may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine - executable instructions , which may be used to cause a general - purpose or special - purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps . alternatively , the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware , software , and / or firmware . as such , fig6 is an example of a computer system 60 , such as a client or server ( e . g ., web server , content server , insertion server or policy server ) with which embodiments of the present invention may be utilized . according to the present example , the computer system includes a bus 61 , at least one processor 62 , at least one communication port 63 , a main memory 64 , a removable storage media 65 a read only memory 66 , and a mass storage 67 . processor ( s ) 62 can be any know processor , such as , but not limited to , an intel ® itanium ® or itanium2 ® processor ( s ), or amd opteron ® or athlon mp ® processor ( s ), or motorola ® lines of processors . communication port ( s ) 63 can be any of an rs - 232 port for use with a modem based dialup connection , a 10 / 100 ethernet port , or a gigabit port using copper or fiber . communication port ( s ) 63 may be chosen depending on a network such a local area network ( lan ), wide area network ( wan ), or any network to which the computer system 60 connects . main memory 64 can be random access memory ( ram ), or any other dynamic storage device ( s ) commonly known in the art . read only memory 66 can be any static storage device ( s ) such as programmable read only memory ( prom ) chips for storing static information such as instructions for processor 62 . mass storage 67 can be used to store information and instructions . for example , hard disks such as the adaptec ® family of scsi drives , an optical disc , an array of disks such as raid , such as the adaptec family of raid drives , or any other mass storage devices may be used . bus 61 communicatively couples processor ( s ) 62 with the other memory , storage and communication blocks . bus 61 can be a pci / pci - x or scsi based system bus depending on the storage devices used . removable storage media 65 can be any kind of external hard - drives , floppy drives , iomega ® zip drives , compact disc - read only memory ( cd - rom ), compact disc - re - writable ( cd - rw ), digital video disk - read only memory ( dvd - rom ). optionally , operator and administrative interfaces ( not shown ), such as a display , keyboard , and a cursor control device , may also be coupled to bus 61 to support direct operator interaction with computer system 60 . other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through communication ports 63 . the components described above are meant to exemplify some types of possibilities . in no way should the aforementioned examples limit the scope of the invention , as they are only exemplary embodiments . in conclusion , the present invention provides novel systems , methods and arrangements for delivering advertising content to client systems . while detailed descriptions of one or more embodiments of the invention have been given above , various alternatives , modifications , and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art without varying from the spirit of the invention . therefore , the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention , which is defined by the appended claims .	7
referring now to the drawings , fig1 is a schematic illustration of an internal combustion , reciprocal engine of the two - cycle type designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . the two - cycle engine includes a cylinder 12 , a piston 14 reciprocal in the cylinder and a piston head 16 . around the perimeter of the cylinder 12 is a series of air intake ports 18 which are exposed when the piston 14 is at the bottom of its power stroke as shown in fig1 . poppet valves 20 provide for timed exhaust of combusted gases through exhaust ports 22 leading to an exhaust conduit 24 . conventional fuel such as diesel oil , is injected through fuel line 26 by fuel injector 28 into the combustion chamber 30 formed by the cylinder head 16 , the cylinder 12 and the piston head 31 . compressed air is delivered through the intake ports 18 by a positive displacement , rotary compressor 32 which includes a sealing system in part illustrated by end seals 34 for delivering high pressure air to the engine cylinder 12 for further compression by the piston 14 . the rotary compressor 32 is of a wankel - type and includes two compression chambers 36 and 38 , one of which is shown communicating with cylinder 12 . the other compression chamber 38 can be coupled to an adjacent cylinder of a multi - cylinder engine . the compression chamber outlet 40 is protected by flap valve 42 to prevent any back flow of combusted gases before the gases are exhausted through exhaust ports 22 . once the pressure in the compression chamber exceeds that of the remaining combusted gas in the cylinder the flap valve permits the compressed air to scavenge remaining combustion gases and charge the cylinder with fresh compressed air . in the preferred embodiment , the rotary compressor 32 is supplied precompressed air by a conventional turbocharger 43 . the turbo - charger 43 has an air compression side 44 and a gas expansion side 46 . the gas expansion side 46 is connected to the exhaust conduit 24 such that the turbo - charger is driven by the exhaust gases from the combustion chamber . in the preferred embodiment , the rotary compressor 32 is driven by a geared shaft 48 connected to a crank shaft 50 of the engine . the crank shaft 50 is of course connected to the piston 14 by a conventional connecting rod 52 . in an alternate embodiment , the rotary compressor can comprise a rotorcharger that is constructed in wankel - type configuration , but with a gas expansion side and an air compression side as described in our patent entitled , regenerative thermal engine , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 791 , 787 , issued , dec . 20 , 1988 . while the positive displacement rotary compressor 32 can deliver a substantially greater quantity of air to the cylinder than a conventional supercharger , the use of the coupled turbocharger 43 and an intermediate intercooler 54 enables the desired excess charge to be delivered to the cylinder for insuring a lean mixture under all operating conditions . charged air in the range between 5 and 20 atmospheres is preferred and achievable with the systems described . in addition to the standard fuel injector 28 for injecting a conventional fuel into the engine , the engine includes an auxiliary fuel delivery system 57 which includes a fuel supply 58 for an alternative fuel such as methanol , ethanol , hydroammonia or liquid natural gas . the system 57 also includes a fuel pump 60 which forces fuel through a filter 62 to a fuel injector 64 , which is preferably electronically controlled , a cooling line 66 which passes around the valve seats 68 and a fuel injector nozzle 70 for injecting the preheated fuel into the intake ports 18 once the exhaust valves 20 have closed and the rotary compressor 32 is delivering its air charge to the cylinder 12 . in this manner according to the operation and timing of the injector pump 64 , auxiliary fuel can be supplied into the air intake stream entering a combustion chamber 30 . the auxiliary fuel charge is kept on the lean side to prevent premature detonation . detonation is caused by a final injection of conventional fuel through the fuel injector 28 during the period of peak compression . because of the substantial supercharging of the air charge , over scavenging of the cylinder and loss of the air charge is prevented by a throttle valve 72 in the exhaust conduit 24 . the throttle valve 72 impedes the exhaust flow creating a controlled , back - pressure which effectively enables regulation of air and gas flow through the engine . the throttle valve 72 and the injector pump 64 are electronically controlled by a microprocessor 74 . the microprocessor is of a conventional type that is commonly used in modern engine and includes various sensors for sensing engine load , exhaust temperature operating demands and other factors . when a separate auxiliary fuel system is employed , substantially the entire existing fuel injection system can be utilized without modification . in a microprocessor controlled system , however , it is preferred that at least the electronic feed pump 76 be coupled to the fuel injector 28 such that the fuel allocation and quantities can be regulated by a connection microprocessor 74 . in operation , the engine can be operated using the conventional fuel injection system alone , for example during long haulage cross country , and incorporate the combined fuel system during operation in urban areas . up to approximately 95 % of the fuel by volume can be supplied by the auxiliary system . improved anti - pollution benefits result as the percentage of the auxiliary fuel increases over the conventional fuel . it is recognized that the auxiliary fuel has a substantially reduced btu content over conventional diesel oils and gasolines . the hybrid systems disclosed , however , provides a substantially improved system over conventional engines where the vehicle is operated in urban areas or in areas where pollution control is a substantial consideration . where fuel capacity is not of critical importance , such as in short hauls or in strictly urban use , blended fuels can be used in the conventional fuel engine system . this would allow the existing fuel injection system to be operated at full fluid capacity while the combustion cycle is supplemented by induction of the supplementary auxiliary fuel for appropriate thermodynamic operation . the combined fuel system can be adapted to four cycle engines as well . referring to fig2 a portion of an engine designated generally by the reference numeral 80 is shown with an engine head 82 , a piston head 84 and a combustion chamber 86 . the piston head 82 includes an intake valve 87 and an exhaust valve 88 mounted on each side of a centrally located fuel injector 90 . the fuel injector 90 provides fuel , such as gasoline or diesel oil to the combustion chamber 86 through a supply line 92 . an auxiliary fuel supply 94 for the low polluting , high hydrogen content fuel , such as methanol , ethanol , hydroammonia or liquid natural gas is delivered through an auxiliary system 96 to the engine 80 . the auxiliary system 96 includes a fuel pump 98 , fuel line filter 100 and an electronically controlled injection pump 102 that delivers the auxiliary fuel through a cooling circuit 104 that passes through a cooling jacket 106 in a valve seat collar 108 , passes through connecting passage 110 to a cooling chamber 112 around the injector nozzle 90 before being delivered to a series of outlet passages 114 in the intake port 116 for the intake valve 186 . the preheated fuel after cooling the hot areas of the engine head 82 , are inducted into the combustion chamber with the intake air for compression and combustion with the fuel injected through the injection nozzle 90 . the engine 80 of fig2 can preferably be operated with the various auxiliary components shown in connection with the engines of fig1 . as previously noted , the engines can be operated either in a conventional mode where pollution is not of a substantial concern or in a mode that provides up to 95 % of the engine fuel from the auxiliary fuel system . final injection of a quantity of the conventional fuel is required to initiate detonation . the engine is designed to operate with an excess quantity of air such that nitrogen oxide formation are inhibited . preferably , in both systems , excess air is delivered by a positive displacement , rotary compressor in combination with a throttle valve in the exhaust conduit to maximize the pressure and quantity of air delivered through the cylinder . while in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of the invention , it may be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such detail without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention .	5
the numeral 10 refers generally to the frame assembly for eyeglasses of the present invention , as shown generally in fig1 - 4 . the frame assembly 10 is preferably provided with a lense frame 12 . it will be clear to those of skill in the art that nearly any shape or style of lense frame 12 can be incorporated with the present invention without departing from the spirit of the same . accordingly , the general shape and style of the lense frame 12 depicted in the accompanying figures is provided for example purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . the lense frame 12 should be provided with at least one , but preferably two or more , mounting holes 14 . the mounting holes 14 are preferably formed in the opposite end portions of the lense frame 12 , as depicted in fig1 . the frame assembly 10 is preferably provided with a securement member for positioning the lense frame 12 closely adjacent the eyes of the user . in one embodiment , an elongated cord 16 provides a securement member that generally wraps around the user &# 39 ; s head and is coupled to the lense frame 12 at its mounting holes 14 using a pair of mounting pins 18 . the mounting pins 18 are secured to the opposite ends of the cord 16 and then disposed within the mounting holes 14 . in one embodiment , the mounting pins 18 are provided with an open recess 21 that is formed at the free end of the shaft 22 . it is preferred that the open recess 21 be provided with threaded mating members 24 to securely engage the free end of the securement member . where the cord 16 is used as the securement member , it is preferred that the cord be formed from a flexible material , such as plastic , rubber , nylon or other similar material . such materials not only provide for the desired flexibility of the cord 16 but also allow the mating threads 24 of the mounting pins 18 to “ bite ” into the opposite ends of the cord 16 as the mounting pins 18 are threaded thereon . where a mounting pin 18 is not provided with mating threads 24 within the open recess 21 , it will be preferred that the cord 16 have a sufficient diameter to press - fit or frictionally engage within the open recess 21 . while it is envisioned that the cord 16 could be permanently secured within the open recess 21 of the mounting pin 18 using an adhesive or the like , it is preferred that the same be releasably coupled to one another . in still another embodiment , the shaft 22 of the mounting pin 18 could be provided with a narrow diameter and mounting threads on its exterior surface so that the mounting pin 18 could be threaded into the end of cord 16 . the cord 16 can be coupled with the lense frame 12 in a number of different ways . in a preferred embodiment , the two opposite ends of the cord 16 are first disposed through the mounting holes 14 of the lense frame 12 from the rear of lense frame 12 . the mounting pins 18 are then coupled to the opposite ends of cord 16 . the mounting pins 18 can then be press - fit or frictionally engaged with the inner diameter of the mounting holes 14 . to the extent that this mounting option is desired , the diameters of the shaft 22 and the diameter of mounting hole 14 should be apportioned accordingly . it is also contemplated that the inner diameter of mounting hole 14 as well as the outer surface of the shaft 22 of mounting pin 18 could be provided with mounting threads to threadably secure the structures to one another . although it is contemplated that the mounting pin 18 could be permanently set within the mounting hole 14 using an adhesive or other such method , it is preferred that the mounting pin 18 be releasably secured within the mounting hole 14 . in an altemate method of mounting the cord 16 , a single mounting pin 18 is secured to one end of the cord 16 . the remaining free end of the cord 16 is then threaded through one of the mounting holes 14 from the forward the side of the lense frame 12 . the free end of the cord 16 can then be disposed through the remaining mounting hole 14 and the mounting pin 18 secured to the cord 16 and the mounting hole 14 as described previously . the mounting cord 16 provides not only the necessary support for the user to wear the eyeglasses but also provides a means for temporary non - use . where the user desires to remove the eyeglasses , but use an again in the near future , the lense frame 12 can be moved downwardly in front of the user &# 39 ; s face and the cord 16 can be moved over the user &# 39 ; s ears and down around the user &# 39 ; s neck . in this position , the frame assembly 10 can remain around the user &# 39 ; s neck , much like a necklace , until the time for future use has arrived . for storage , the cord 16 can be removed from the lens frame 12 . however , the flexible nature of the cord 16 permits the same to be bent and folded anywhere along its length so that the frame assembly 10 assumes a slim profile to be disposed within a pocket , glasses case , etc . this embodiment clearly provides a benefit over the prior art , having hinges and rigid hinge mounting structures , which are frequently broken or otherwise damaged during non - use . the elongated securement member of the present invention may also be provided in the form of a pair of arm members 20 . although a pair of arm members is preferred , it is contemplated that a single arm member 20 could be used to support the lense frame 12 closely adjacent the use &# 39 ; s face . the arm member 20 is preferably comprised of a semi - flexible material , which permits the shaping of the arm member by the user to better conform the arm member with the user &# 39 ; s physical features . it is further preferred , however , that the material used to form the arm member be sufficiently rigid to substantially retain the shape that the user has formed . many lightweight materials from copper , aluminum , tin and various blends thereof , as well as several plastics and nylon plastic blends , would suffice for these purposes . the rearward end of the arm member 20 is preferably shaped to engage the upper and rearward surfaces of the user &# 39 ; s ear when the eyeglasses are being worn . however , any shape , including one which is straight , are contemplated . the forward end of the arm member 20 is shaped to be secured to the mounting pin 18 , much in the same manner as the ends of cord 16 . accordingly , where a mounting pin 18 is provided with an open recess 21 having mating threads 24 , the forward end of the arm member 20 should be appropriately threaded to engage the mounting pin 18 . however , where no mating threads 24 are provided , the diameter of the forward end of the arm member 20 should be formed to appropriately press - fit or frictionally engage within the open recess 20 . it is also contemplated that , where a narrow diameter shaft 22 is provided on the mounting pin 18 and mating threads are provided on the surface thereof , an open - threaded recess could be formed within the forward end of the arm member 20 to threadably receive the mounting pin 18 accordingly . the arm members 20 can be coupled to the lense frame 12 in several different ways . preferably , the mounting pin 18 is secured to the forward end of the arm member 20 as described hereinabove . the rearward end of the mounting arm 20 can then be “ threaded ” through the mounting hole 14 from the forward side of the lense frame 12 until the mounting pin 18 is secured within the mounting hole 14 . it is also contemplated that the forward end of the mounting arm 20 could be inserted though the mounting hole 14 from the rearward side of the lense frame 12 , where the mounting pin 18 could be secured thereto and then secured within the mounting hole 14 . as discussed hereinabove , the mounting pin 18 is preferably press - fit or frictionally engaged within the mounting hole 14 to retain the removable nature of the structure . this could also be accomplished using mating threads or other such securement structures . for a desired application , the mounting pin 18 could be permanently secured within the mounting hole 14 using an adhesive or the like . when the arm members 20 are to be moved from their use position to a collapsed position , the mounting pin 18 is uncoupled from mounting hole 14 , and the arm members 20 are moved in a forward direction out of the mounting holes 14 . in this collapsed position , the frame assembly 10 can be easily stored in a pocket or carrying case . as with the previously described embodiment , this embodiment provides an assembly that is less likely to be broken than those prior art frame assemblies having hinges and hinge mounting structures . moreover , the reduction of the number of such complex component parts greatly reduces the cost as well as the complexity of manufacture . moreover , the coaxial mounting nature of the mounting pin 18 to either of the elongated securement members provides for a mechanically strong structure that is easy to manufacture when compared to the “ wrap - around ” hinge mounting structure of the prior art . in the drawings and in the specification , there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention ; and although specific items are employed , these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation . changes in the form and proportion of parts , as well as substitute of equivalents , are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims . thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives .	6
referring now to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 and 2 , the preferred embodiment of the omni - directional position and orientation adjusting apparatus of the invention is shown generally at numeral 10 for use in placement of seedings for treating prostate cancer . the apparatus 10 includes first , second , third and fourth descendingly spaced and somewhat coextensive plate members 12 , 14 , 36 , and 54 . the first or upper plate member 12 is structured as best seen in fig3 for supportive connection with a stepping device 80 ( not shown in fig1 and 2 ) which is commercially available for receiving a transrectal ultrasound imaging probe and other similar precision medical instrumentation . generally positioned between the second or intermediate plate 14 and the upper plate 12 is an arrangement which effects rotational positioning about a longitudinal and a transverse axis therebetween . the upper and second plates 12 and 14 , respectively , are pivotally connected one to another by universal cross members 16 and 18 which are themselves connected together centrally and connected at each end thereof into support blocks 20 and 22 , respectively , blocks 20 being connected atop second plate 14 while blocks 22 are connected to the lower surface of upper plate 12 . by this arrangement , upper plate 12 is rotatable about the orthogonal longitudinal and transverse axes of cross members 18 and 16 in the direction of arrows a 1 in fig1 and a 2 in fig4 respectively . two upright compression springs 24 oriented at 90 ° to one another about upright axis g with respect to the axes of cross members 16 and 18 are positioned between aligned end portions of plates 12 and 14 . a guide pin 26 connected to second plate 14 within each spring 24 maintains the stable configuration of each spring 24 under compression . two adjusting members 30 which are threadably engaged onto threaded shafts 28 mounted and upwardly extending from the opposite ends of second plate 14 from springs 24 . a spherical ball 32 positioned between upper plate 12 and the upper end of each adjusting member 30 provides for minimal frictional contact at that point so that , as adjusting members 30 are each rotated about their respective threaded shafts 28 , movement in the direction of arrows c and d effects the angular orientation a 1 and a 2 . instead of the spherical ball , a conical or triangular shaped point can be used to achieve low friction contact with the plate . a plastic spacer block 34 is positioned between second plate 14 and third plate 36 , spacer block 34 being slideably positioned therebetween . two fully threaded shafts 40 and 46 are threadably engaged in orthogonal fashion through block 34 . threaded shaft 40 slideably engages through end support blocks 38 which are connected near each longitudinal end of second plate 14 , while threaded shaft 46 is slideably engaged through end support blocks 42 connected adjacent each lateral end of third plate 36 . adjusting knob 44 at one end of the threaded shaft 40 is provided to effect linear movement of second plate 14 in the direction of arrow b with respect to block 34 and third plate 36 . adjusting knobs 48 at each end of threaded shaft 46 facilitate lateral movement in the direction of arrow h of second plate 14 with respect to block 34 and third plate 36 . angular orientation about the upright longitudinal axis g of this apparatus 10 is effected by rotation of adjusting knob 68 and threaded shaft 58 ( not shown in fig1 ). threaded shaft 58 is threadably engaged into plastic block 60 which , in turn , is held for pivotal movement only about pin 62 , the lower end of pin 62 being connected to one end 54 a of fourth or lower plate 54 . frictional tensioning and positioning of knob 68 against bracket 56 connected to third plate 36 is accomplished by threaded nut 66 against spring 64 . by suitable rotation of adjusting knob 68 , movement of flange 56 in the direction of arrow f effects rotational movement of third plate 36 and , consequently second plate 14 and upper plate 12 , about the vertical axis g . referring now to fig3 and 5 , the apparatus 10 also includes a support tube 50 which slideably engages within an outer support tube 52 connected and downwardly extending from lower plate 54 . by this arrangement , in combination with the structure and function associated with adjusting knob 86 previously described , only vertical movement in the direction of arrow e between third plate 36 and lower plate 54 is provided . to achieve fine vertical adjustment in the direction of arrow e , a threaded shaft 85 seen in fig5 which is connected to , and extends downwardly from support tube 50 , threadably engages into plastic adjusting wheel 86 . the plastic adjusting wheel 86 is held for rotational movement only with respect to outer support tube 52 by block 84 . the vertical movement adjusting wheel 86 and associated cooperating members at the lower end of outer tube 52 of fig1 is best seen in fig3 . referring now to fig6 to 8 , the entire system of the present invention is shown generally at numeral 150 and includes the apparatus 10 previously described , articulating lockable arms 120 and 120 a and a portable floor stand 100 . the floor stand 100 seen best in fig7 is structure to facilitate both easy rolling during transport and quick stationary lockability during use . a rolling frame 104 includes an upright rectangular tubular member 102 and radially extending legs having rolling wheels downwardly disposed at each end . a lockdown frame 108 also includes an upwardly extending rectangular tubular member 106 which slideably engages within tubular member 102 . disposed at the lower end of tubular member 106 is a stabilizing base which includes radially extending arms and non - skid floor contact members . an eccentric adjusting cam 110 is pivotally connected to tubular member 106 such that the periphery of the adjusting member 110 contacts one upper margin of tubular member 102 . by rotation of the adjusting member 110 , the lockdown member 108 is either placed in contact with the floor or elevated to place the wheels in contact with the floor . by this arrangement , once the entire system 150 is generally positioned as desired , the floor stand 100 may be quickly locked in place to secure that overall positioning . in this system embodiment 150 , two articulating lockable arm members 120 and 120 a are provided . each of these arm members 120 and 120 a include two separate arm segments 90 / 116 and 88 / 117 , respectively which are each pivotally connected one to another at locking knobs 118 and 98 , respectively . each of the ends 92 , 94 , 114 and 122 of these articulating arm members 120 and 120 a include universally movable support shafts 62 , 73 , 112 and 119 , respectively . the lockable articulating arms 120 and 120 a are thus angularly orientable at three locations when locking handles 98 and 118 are released and simultaneously lockable after being selectively positioned . these lockable articulating arms 120 and 120 a are commercially available and are called three - link locking lever mechanisms . such devices are included in the prior art martin immobilization device described in the background . connected to shaft 119 is a table clamp 124 which is quickly engagable onto an edge of a table t by locking handle 126 . while shaft 112 of articulating arm 120 is shown threadably engaged into the upper end of floor stand 100 , a similar self - locking member 124 may be substituted therefor as will be described in fig9 . by this arrangement , after floor stand 100 has been generally positioned with respect to a patient or an operating table and locked in that position as previously described , a precision medical instrument such as an ultrasound imaging probe which has been mounted in stepping member 80 may be manually positioned while articulating arm members 120 and 120 a are in the unlocked position . thereafter , by simply rotating locking knobs 98 and 118 , the manually selected position and orientation of the precision instrument is fully maintained . referring to fig9 a schematic of the preferred embodiment of the invention in use for radioactive seed implantation in a diseased prostate p of a patient is shown at numeral 150 a . the omni - directional adjusting apparatus 10 has the stepping member 80 mounted thereatop . mounted within the stepping member 80 is the transrectal ultrasound imaging probe 130 which is initially positioned manually for having probe 132 inserted into the rectal area of the patient . during the surgical procedure , one articulating arm 120 a is connected to table t ′ while the other articulating arm 120 a is connected to an upper support member 113 of floor stand 100 a . floor stand 100 a is otherwise identical to the floor stand 100 previously shown and described in fig7 . in one embodiment of method of use , to initially manually position the ultrasound probe 130 , the locking knobs 118 of each articulating arm 120 a are released . a surgeon or medical practitioner may than manually manipulate the ultrasound probe 130 by grasping shaft 52 or as may be otherwise convenient . by monitoring the image output of the ultrasound probe 130 with a conventional crt monitor or the like , the surgeon may carefully place the probe 132 into the rectal area for optimal initial alignment . while still holding this initial alignment , locking knobs 118 of each of the articulating arm assemblies 120 a are then quickly locked to secure the manually selected initial alignment and orientation of the probe 132 . should floor stand 100 a be inconveniently positioned , lock member 124 may be released to remove floor stand 100 a and then reconnected to another fixed or stationary object such as an edge of table t . in a preferred method of use , only a single articulating arm assembly 120 a which is connected to floor stand 100 a or table , is used as above described to establish the manually selected initial placement of the ultrasound probe 130 . thereafter , the other articulating arm 120 a is connected between lower plate 54 and another stationary or fixed in place object such as the edge of table t ′. this preferred sequence of use minimizes obstacles that might be in the way of the surgeon performing the initial instrument placement during the procedure . after the ultrasound image probe 130 is thus positioned and secured in the manually selected initial orientation by either of the above methods , each of the omni - directional fine adjusting mechanisms of the apparatus 10 as best shown in fig1 and 2 and as previously described may be carefully adjusted to fine tune the positioning of the probe 132 . note that each of the six adjustments for linear positioning in all three orthogonal directions and rotational orientation about all three orthogonal axes are accomplished individually and without affecting any of the other adjusted positions . a preferred use of the system 150 a is depicted in fig9 in conjunction with the implantation of radioactive seeds into a diseased prostate p . this procedure is also depicted in conjunction with promotional brochures for the martin immobilization device . a template 134 is connected to the stepping device 80 and generally orthogonally oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ultrasound transducer 130 . the transparent template 134 includes a plurality of evenly spaced small holes 140 formed therethrough to receive an implant needle 138 of a seed implant device 136 . assisted . by crt images provided by the ultrasound probe assembly 130 , exact positioning of implant needle 138 and the radioactive seeds within the prostate p is achieved . in general , the invention thus provides an instrument platform for facilitating omni - directional freehand positioning of the instrument during perineal surgery , for immediate securement of the chosen freehanded instrument positioning to at least one and preferably two fixed objects and , finally , for fine omni - directional micro - adjustment of the instrument position and angular orientation about all three linear axes and about all three axes of rotation of the platform . perineal surgery includes surgery of the rectal , vaginal , urethral and perineal areas . fig9 shows another embodiment of the apparatus 160 of the invention . this device is essentially the same as that shown in the previous drawings , with the exception that stepping device 80 is not present . where the same components are present as in the other figures , the same numerals have been used . in place of stepper so , the apparatus of fig9 includes a simple support plate 165 which can be secured to plate member 12 by screws and bolts or the like . upon this support plate 165 can be mounted any one of a wide variety of probes , biopsy guides , needles , needle guides , or other instruments for use in surgical or diagnostic procedures . one of ordinary skill in the art can easily provide the necessary adapters , supports or grips for these instruments so that they can be securely mounted to support plate 165 . the apparatus 160 can then be used to enhance the accuracy and security of the procedure . for example , for percutaneous biopsy , it is easy to image the biopsy line with all necessary equipment lined up in position . this provides a positive confirmation of accuracy before and during the actual biopsy by standard imaging techniques and avoids the uncertainties and variables associated with manual manipulation . for certain procedures , fine adjustment in only three rather than four planes provides sufficient precision . four planes would be used for the most critical procedures for best results . thus , the present device is useful for guided biopsy of the breasts , thyroid or kidney as well as for other intra - abdominal or retroperitoneal organs or areas . this device is designed to hold needle biopsy guides in a precise way to allow intermittent imaging and use of a variety of modalities to confirm position before advancing the needle to biopsy the tissue of concern . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of a positioning apparatus 210 according to the present invention includes a side to side adjustment knob 212 which provides for translational movement along an x axis . a vertical adjust knob 214 provides for translational movement along ay axis . a plastic threaded knob 216 can be tightened to limit the vertical adjustment and the unit &# 39 ; s travel . the plastic knob 216 cooperates with a milled flat 217 as shown in fig1 for guiding the vertical limits of adjustment . the plastic threaded knob 216 sits on the milled flat 217 to lock the vertical adjustment and eliminate tolerance in the system or apparatus . another knob 218 provides for front to back adjustment along az axis of translational movement . in addition to the three translational adjustments along the above - identified x , y and z axes , the apparatus 210 also provides for one rotational adjustment along a predetermined axis . this rotational adjustment is obtained by knob 220 which allows for a tilt control of about plus or minus 7 degrees about a rotational z axis . the rotational adjustment obtained by knob 220 works against the compression of spring 222 as shown on the opposite side in fig1 . the spring 222 holds the top plate in position . the apparatus 210 also includes a handle 224 as well as universal jointed arms 226 and 228 which have clamps 230 and 232 , respectively . if desired , arm 226 can be detached so that the remaining arm 228 can be used to connect the apparatus 210 to a table . the apparatus 210 does not require a wheeled base . as shown in fig1 , the components of the apparatus 210 include lead screws 234 and 236 which have knobs 212 and 218 on one end thereof . a plastic block 238 has threaded passages 240 for the lead screws 234 and 236 . the apparatus 210 also includes a top 242 , a second plate 248 and two tilt members 244 and 246 which are attached to the top plate 242 . these tilt members 244 , 246 have one surface that is flat and an opposing surface that is arcuate , so that they provide substantial tilt control adjustment about the rotational z axis . also included is a centering piece attached to the second plate 248 to prevent the top plate 243 from sliding along the z axis . while the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what are conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is recognized that departures may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art , and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such departures and modifications to the extent that they fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention .	0
the focus calibration embodiments are described herein primarily in the context of movie cameras . however , nothing limits the claims or the invention to movie cameras . the disclosure is also applicable to any camera including emulsion film and digital moving image or still image cameras — or , indeed in any optical instrument — for which it is desirable to obtain a fine - tuned focus adjustment . fig1 depicts a simplified movie camera incorporating a focus calibration apparatus 105 . a camera lens 110 connects to a camera body 100 . the focus calibration apparatus 105 comprises a rotatable ring 130 and a first threaded disc 140 . the focus calibration apparatus 105 additionally comprises a second threaded disc — not visible in this figure — that is positioned between the first threaded disc 140 and an image plane on the camera . the second threaded disc mounts the focus calibration apparatus 105 to the camera body 100 at a mounting point 120 . the camera lens 110 is mounted onto the first threaded disc 140 . the “ mountings ” carried by the focus calibration apparatus 105 for mounting to the camera and to the lens may be any of a variety of conventional connections known to persons skilled in the art . the mounts may include fixed mounts , like screws , pins , rivets , welds , or solder joints . or , the mounts may include detachable mounts , like clasps , snaps , bayonet , breach , friction , tabbed , or threaded mounts . detachable mounts will often be suitable for the camera lens mount . however , focus calibration apparatuses of the present disclosure might also be suitable for a fixed lens , where environmental factors like thermal expansion make fine adjustments to the focal length between lens and sensor advantageous . the focus calibration apparatus may be integral with either the camera body 100 or the camera lens 110 . fig2 depicts a movie camera with an exploded view of one implementation of a focus calibration apparatus . a camera body 200 connects to a camera lens 210 . the focus calibration apparatus connects to a mount point 220 on the camera body 200 . a camera - mount disc 242 has a plurality of pins or holes 251 that mesh with complementary mounting structures such as holes 252 on the camera such as on the camera body 200 . pins , rivets , screws , or other fasteners are all appropriate mechanisms to connect the camera - amount disc 242 to the camera body 200 . alternatively , the camera - mount disc 242 is secured onto the camera body 200 such as by welding or adhesives , or formed integral with the camera body 200 . as described herein , the mounting to the “ camera body ” refers to mounting in a manner that fixes the camera mounting such as camera mount disc 242 with respect to the image sensor . this may be achieved by direct mounting to the camera housing , or to a mounting surface on the camera that is distinct from the housing . the camera - mount disc 242 has threads 244 on its outer perimeter that mate with a rotatable ring 230 . a rotatable ring 230 threadably engages the threads 244 of the camera - mount disc 242 with threads 234 on the interior of the ring 230 . the rotatable ring 230 has a second set of internal threads 233 into which a lens - mount disc 241 is screwed . the lens - mount disc 241 has exterior threads 243 that mate with the internal threads 233 of the rotatable ring 230 . one or two or more pins 261 ( e . g . four ) rotationally link the lens - mount disc 241 with the camera - mount disc 242 . the pins 261 are inserted through a first plurality of pin holes 262 in the lens - mount disc 241 and a second plurality of pin holes 263 in the camera - mount disc . the pins 261 maintain the lens - mount disc 241 in the same rotational orientation as the camera - mount disc 242 , but are slideably engaged with at least one of the discs 241 and 242 to permit axial adjustment along the optical path . the camera lens 210 mounts to the lens - mount disc 241 . because the camera - mount disc 242 is fixedly attached to the camera , the lens - mount disc 241 and also the lens 210 are maintained in the same rotational orientation as the camera body 200 . in this embodiment , the pitch of the rotating ring &# 39 ; s first set of internal threads 233 and second set of internal threads 234 are oriented in opposite directions . one set of threads are right - handed , and the other set of threads are left - handed . thus , when the rotating ring 230 is turned by an operator in a first direction , the lens - mount disc 241 and camera - mount disc 242 move longitudinally away from one another , relative to the rotating ring 230 , along the optical axis . the change in the focal length between lens and sensor is the sum of the longitudinal movement along the first set of internal threads 233 and the second set of internal threads 234 . thus , the precision of the adjustments that can be made in this embodiment depends , among other things , on the size of the threads as will be discussed further below . fig3 depicts an assembled focus calibration apparatus . a rotatable ring 330 encloses a lens - mount disc 341 . the lens - mount disc 341 connects to a camera - mount disc , behind the lens - mount disc , with four pins 361 . the four pins 361 are inserted into a plurality of holes 362 in the lens - mount disc 341 . the rotatable ring 330 may be provided with any of a variety of surface structures or features to facilitate gripping and rotating the ring 330 to accomplish the fine calibration described herein . for example , ridges , grooves , knurling , or other friction enhancing surface structures or textures may be utilized . fig4 depicts a focus calibration apparatus as in fig3 , illustrating rotational movement 471 of a focus ring 430 to make fine adjustments to the focal length between a camera lens and sensor . the focus ring 430 has two sets of internal , opposed threads . one set of internal threads mates with the threads 443 on the perimeter of a lens - mount disc 441 . the other set of internal threads on the focus ring 430 mates with the threads 444 on the perimeter of a camera - mount disc 442 . the lens - mount disc 441 and the camera - mount disc 442 maintain their rotational relationship to one another with four pins 461 that are placed through holes in each disc . in this figure , the pins 461 are inserted through a first set of holes 462 in the lens - mount disc 441 and a second set of holes 463 in the camera - mount disc . as the focus ring is rotated 471 , the opposed threads of the ring push the two threaded discs longitudinally apart 472 , or pull them together if the ring 430 is rotated in a second , opposite direction , without rotational movement of the discs themselves . the pitch on the threads 443 of the lens - mount disc 441 and the threads 444 on the camera - mount disc 442 are generally no more than about 3 mm , often no more than about 2 mm , and , in one embodiment , no more than about 1 mm . one revolution of the focus ring 430 having a 1 mm pitch on each end produces 2 mm of longitudinal lens travel — 1 mm of travel by the lens - mount disc 441 and 1 mm of travel by the camera - mount disc 442 . of course , grosser or finer pitches may be suitable , depending on the particular application . the rotatable ring 330 may be provided with any of a variety of visual or tactile indicium of the amount of adjustment that has been accomplished . for example , a calibration scale such as a plurality of lines may be provided on the rotatable ring 330 or a non - rotatable adjacent component , with a line or marker on the other of the rotatable ring or non - rotatable structure . the calibration scale may be calibrated to allow a user to make adjustments in the axial length of the optical path either continuously or in increments of 0 . 001 inches , 0 . 0005 inches , or other distance . tactile feedback may be provided by including a plurality of detents between the rotatable ring and a non - rotatable component so that the user may hear and / or feel as the rotatable ring 330 clicks or snaps in predetermined increments as the ring is rotated . in general , the focus calibration apparatus will be calibrated to allow changes in the axial length along the optical path between the lens and the sensor in a controllable fashion as low as 0 . 002 inches , preferably as low as 0 . 001 inches , and , in some embodiments , as low as 0 . 0005 inches or less . the total adjustment range for the change in length is generally no greater than about 0 . 10 inches , and in many applications , the adjustment length will be no more than about 0 . 020 inches or 0 . 010 inches or less . thus , the calibration adjustment achieved by the present invention is not intended as a substitute for conventional focus adjustment achieved by the lens . a user calibrates focus by adjusting the focus ring and comparing the focus level to a visual pattern placed at a known distance . alternatively , the focus calibration apparatus has indices indicated on the barrel , such that the user can determine an objectively correct focus calibration . indices of this sort are useful , for instance , if the user has a set of lenses used on the same camera , and knows to which index the focus calibration apparatus was set the last time a lens was used . in other embodiments , it is possible to double the resolution of the focus ring for a given thread pitch by using only one threaded disc . the simplest way of accomplishing this is to axially fix either the lens - mount disc or camera - mount disc in the focus ring while continuing to permit relative rotation . either the lens - mount disc or camera mount disc may rotatably travel in one or a plurality of annular grooves , rather than on threads . thus , the focus ring merely spins about the disc , with no longitudinal travel , as the user adjusts the focus ring . fig5 depicts an exploded view of a focus calibration apparatus similar to the one shown in fig4 , but with twice the sensitivity for a given thread pitch . a focus ring 530 has a first set of internal threads 533 that mate with the threads 543 on the perimeter of a lens - mount disc 541 , as has been discussed . the focus ring 530 has a second set of internal annular ridges and grooves 534 which are parallel to each other and mate with corresponding ridges and grooves 544 on the perimeter of a camera - mount disc 542 . the lens - mount disc 541 and the camera - mount disc 542 are connected with four pins 561 . the pins 561 are inserted through a first set of holes 562 in the lens - mount disc 541 and a second , parallel set of holes 563 in the camera - mount disc 542 . the pins 561 maintain the lens - mount disc 541 and the camera - mount disc 542 in the same rotational relationship even as the user rotates the focus ring 530 . because the camera - mount disc 542 is fixedly attached to the camera at a plurality of attachment points 551 , the lens - mount disc 541 will maintain its relative rotational orientation to the camera , even as rotation of the ring 530 causes the disc to travel longitudinally . since the internal annular ridges and grooves 534 on the focus ring 530 are parallel with each other , the focus calibration apparatus of this embodiment cannot be assembled by threading the focus calibration ring 530 over the camera - mount disc 542 . thus , the ring 530 is provided with one or two or more part lines 536 at which the ring is separable into two or more components . in this manner , the ring may be partially or completely opened and mounted over the annular ridges and grooves 544 and thereafter reclosed into an annular structure and bonded such as by welding or other technique at part line 536 . fig6 a and 6b depict two cross - sectional views of a focus calibration apparatus such as that illustrated in fig3 . a focus ring 630 has a first set of internal threads 643 that mate with the threads on the perimeter of a lens - mount disc 641 . the focus ring 630 also has a second set of internal threads 644 that mate with the threads on a camera - mount disc 642 . the lens - mount disc 641 and the camera - mount disc 642 are maintained in the same rotational relationship with a plurality of axially slidable pins 661 . the pins 661 fit through holes 662 in the lens - mount disc 641 and another set of holes 663 in the camera - mount disc 642 . fig7 depicts an embodiment of a focus calibration apparatus that includes a lock such as a clamp for retaining a desired adjustment . a focus ring 730 has two sets of internal threads — each opposed to the other — that mate with the threads on a lens - mount disc 741 and the threads on a camera - mount disc 742 . the lens - mount disc 741 and the camera - mount disc 742 are maintained in the same rotational relationship with four pins 761 . the pins 761 are inserted through a set of holes 762 in the lens - mount disc 641 and another set of holes in the camera - mount disc 742 that are not visible in this figure . in addition to these features , which are similar to those present in other embodiments described herein , the focus ring 730 has a clamping mechanism . the focus ring 730 in this embodiment is not complete circle , but has a gap 784 . on one side of the gap are one or two or more receivers 782 that accept corresponding screws 783 . on the other side of the gap are corresponding sockets 781 into which the screws 783 are screwed to tighten the gap 784 in the focus ring 730 . as the screws 783 are tightened , the ring 730 tightens around the lens - mount disc 741 and the camera - mount disc 742 . this tightening action prevents the ring 730 from being inadvertently turned by the user or anything else , causing unintended longitudinal movement of the lens - mount disc 741 and the camera - mount disc 742 . other examples of locking features , besides the clamp depicted in fig7 , include clasps , locking pins , or switches . indeed , any of a variety of mechanisms that lock the focus calibration ring in place , such that it cannot be inadvertently adjusted , may be utilized . in other embodiments , no locking feature is built onto the ring , but the ring turning mechanism has high friction , or is detented , such that the ring is unlikely to move without an intentional application of force . various embodiments have been described above . although described with reference to these specific embodiments , the descriptions are intended to be illustrative and are not intended to be limiting . various modifications and applications may occur to those skilled in the art .	6
with reference to fig1 device 10 is the device of the claimed invention . the basic components of device 10 include ribs 11 - 17 , collar 18 and a clear flexible single - piece cover 20 . collar 18 is a thin circular structure having a circular aperture 22 in its center . the diameter of circular aperture 22 is about one - half that of the outer diameter of circular collar 18 . integrally connected to collar 18 is an arm 24 having the same thickness as collar 18 and having a length approximately equal to the inside diameter of collar 18 . attached to opposite portions of collar ribs 11 - 17 . as shown in fig . 6 each rib 11 - 17 has an arcuate portion 26 and a pair of linear segments 28 . linear segments 28 are constructed so that a first end 30 of each linear segment 28 is integrally attached to the arcuate portion of an associated rib . the second ends 32 and 33 of the pair of linear segments 28 of each rib face each other , and with the linear segments 28 of an associated rib , lie in a plane that includes the arcuate portion of the rib . the ribs may be constructed of metal and may be of a gauge similar to the wire used to construct clotheshangers . ends 32 and 33 of each linear segment 28 of ribs 11 - 17 are hingedly attached to diametric points on the periphery of the collar . for instance the collar may have attached to its surface a first series of knuckles ( not shown ) and a second series of knuckles ( not shown ). the second series of knuckles are diametrically positioned on the collar relative to the first . the ends 32 and 33 of ribs 11 - 17 are used as pintles . ends 32 of ribs 11 - 17 are inserted into the first series of knuckles and ends 33 of ribs 11 - 17 are inserted into the second series of knuckles , and the ends 32 and 33 are rotatable within the knuckles , and hingedly connect ribs 11 - 17 to collar 18 . alternatively , sockets may be drilled into the sides of the collar and ends 32 and 33 of ribs 11 - 17 may be rotatably seated within the sockets . as seen in fig . 1 rib 14 is located on the collar so that its apex 36 lies approximately above the center of aperture 22 of collar 18 . in this position linear segments 28 , of rib 14 , have their ends 32 and 33 attached approximately on or near a diameter of circular collar 18 and a folding hinge line 19 . ribs 13 and 15 have their linear segments 28 attached to collar 18 so that these linear segments are parallel to , and positioned on either side of the linear segments of ribs 14 ; linear segments 13 and 15 are spaced an equal linear distance from the linear segment of rib 14 . although the linear segments of ribs 13 and 15 are parallel to one another the planes defined by the linear segments , and the arcuate portions of each of these ribs are not parallel as apexes 36 of ribs 13 and 15 are spaced a greater distance from one another than are their respective linear segments . ribs 16 and 12 are fastened to the collar on either side of rib 14 at points which lie approximately two times the linear distance from the linear segments of rib 14 than do the linear segments of ribs 13 and 15 . the planes defined by the linear segments and the arcuate portions of ribs 12 and 16 are not parallel to one another as apexes 36 of these ribs are also spaced a greater linear distance from one another than their respective linear segments . ribs 11 and 17 also have linear segments with ends 32 and 33 attached to the periphery of collar 18 . the ends 32 and 33 of ribs 11 and 17 are positioned at an equal distance from either side of the linear segments of rib 14 at points which are spaced approximately three times the linear distance from linear segments 28 of rib 14 than are the linear segments of ribs 13 and 15 . the apexes of ribs 11 and 17 lie at about a forty - five degree angle relative to the apex of rib 14 and therefore these two ribs lie in approximately the same substantially horizontal plane perpendiucular to the plane defined by rib 14 . the collar 18 and the ribs 11 - 17 form a supporting substructure or a framework for single - piece cover 20 which is transparent and flexible . the cover may be a laminate composed of different plastics or of the same plastic . alternatively , the cover may be formed of only one sheet of plastic . plastic such as polyethylene , polypropylene or polyethylene terephthalate may be used . the cover lies over the supporting ribs and may be attached , for example by staples , velcro fasteners , or snap fasteners to the underside of collar 18 . as seen from fig . 1 , the structure described is a semi - circular structure having a cavity 38 . access is permitted to the cavity through aperture 22 , and two bottom slits 53 and two tops slits 55 . bottom slits 53 are used by the individual within cavity 38 . these slits allow one to perform self - grooming services . bottom slits 53 have overlapping rubber flaps ( not shown ) to seal the slits when the individual within cavity 38 withdrawals his hands from cavity 38 . top slits 55 may be parallel neighboring slits formed in a midportion of single - piece cover 20 located between any of ribs 11 - 17 . a barber gains access to cavity 38 by placing his hands through top slits 55 as shown in fig . 1 and 2 . on the outside surface of cover 20 , positioned over top slits 55 , as shown in fig . 2 , are a plurality of overlapping rubber flaps 65 . rubber flaps 65 seal slits 55 to maintain a slight vacuum in cavity 38 when the barber removes his arms from cavity 38 . although not deoicted , the overlapping flaps may form a structure that resembles the iris of diaphram in a single lens reflex camera . collar 18 , as discussed above , has an arm 24 integrally connected thereto . the arm 24 is a support for vacuum hose 40 ( fig1 and 2 ) and for air filter 42 and breathing tube 44 . vacuum hose 40 as seen more clearly in fig2 is attached at a first end to the vacuum side of a vacuum pump 45 . a portion of vacuum hose 40 is supported by passing it through a hole in arm 24 , and an open end of the hose is positioned in cavity 38 defined by collar 18 , ribs 11 through 17 and cover 20 . the section or open area of arm 24 between vacuum hose 40 and arm 24 may be packed with suitable material to seal the area where the hose protrudes therethrough to help maintain a slight vacuum within cavity 38 . the air filter 42 is composed of a perforated plastic structure having a porous - cover , for example a cloth cover . the filter is tapered at its neck for positioning the filter through a hole in arm 24 as shown . breathing tube 44 is fastened to the neck of the filter which secures air filter 42 to arm 24 . breathing tube 44 includes mouth piece 46 to be used as shown in fig2 . although not depicted , the overlapping flaps may form a structure that resembles the iris diaphram in a single lens reflex camera . as seen in fig4 the collar may be formed of two half sections 54 and 56 , wherein arm 24 is integrally connected at a midpoint of the collar about one quarter the circumferential distance of the collar from the linear segments 28 of rib 14 . in a first embodiment the two half sections 54 and 56 are connected to one another by hinges . these hinges are constructed of material similar to the material sold under the trademark velcro , and therefore the hinge pieces can be quickly and easily disconnected from one another . the hinges ( not shown ) are positioned on the underside of collar 18 across hinge line 19 . in a second embodiment , the two half sections 54 and 56 of collar 18 are connected by a pivot pin 58 . by this construction a first end of half section 56 of collar 18 lies above a first end of half section 54 . when the collar sections are brought together to form aperture 22 , the second end of half section 56 also lies above the second end of half section 54 . the half sections at their non - pivotally connected ends may be connected by a pin or other fastener device ( not shown ). in order to gain access to device 10 to cut hair , in accordance with the first embodiment , ribs 15 - 17 are folded in one direction as shown in fig4 and ribs 11 - 14 are folded in an opposing direction , relative to ribs 15 - 17 . the two velcro type hinges are released and the astronaut receiving the hair cut positions his neck between collar half sections 54 and 56 which are then rejoined by the velcro type fasteners . to gain access to device 10 to cut hair , the velcro hinges , in accordance with the first embodiment are removed or the pin connecting the second ends of the collar halves , in accordance with the second embodiment , is removed . as shown in fig4 the collar is opened by rotating collar half section 54 in the direction of arrow 60 . cover 20 is constructed of a sufficient amount of material to accommodate such movement . the astronaut positions his neck within the opening of the collar , under the cover , and then the collar half sections are closed about his neck . the hinges are replaced or the removed pin is then replaced to connect the second ends of half sections 54 and 56 . thereafter the ribs are unfolded returning them to their position shown in fig1 . in embodiments one and two the astronaut &# 39 ; s head is positioned within cavity 38 as shown in fig2 and 3 . in embodiments one or two the device 10 has a flexible circular seal flap 62 ( e . g ., a rubber flap ) attached to the circumference of the inside diameter of collar 18 . seal flap 62 as shown in fig4 has two half sections , each section being secured to an associated collar half section . when the half sections of the collar , 54 and 56 are closed about the astronauts neck seal flap 62 conforms to the contour of the astronauts neck maintaining the slight vacuum cavity 38 . alternatively , the astronaut receiving the hair cut may be fitted with a separate flexible plastic or rubber cylindrically - shaped collar ( not shown ). this collar is fastened about the neck of the astronaut and is attached at its top portion to the top or bottom portion of collar 18 and secured thereto . a bottom portion of the cylindrically shaped collar is draped around the persons neck and the cylindrically shaped collar has a skirt with a drawstring . the string is tightened in a comfortable manner to seal the aperture and to help maintain the slight vacuum within cavity 38 relative to the cabin . to cut the barber or groomer places his arms through top slits 55 in cover 20 parting overlapping rubber flaps 65 ; the astronaut places the mouthpiece 46 of the breathing tube 44 in his mouth , and the barber , by manipulating scissors and a comb , is able to cut the astronaut . the astronaut can cut his own hair , or shave his facial hair by putting his own arms through bottom slits 53 ( fig1 ) in the bottom of single - piece cover 20 . as hair clippings are produced the vacuum hose 40 , connected to the vacuum pump , which is operating to create a reduced pressure atmosphere within the cavity relative to the cabin , quickly and cleanly disposes of the clippings . in view of reduced gravity in space the device is easily rotated about the astronauts neck so that the device essentially follows the muscle movements of the baber as shown in fig2 and 3 . both astronaut and barber can be completely secured within the cabin by placing their feet through stirrups 67 shown in fig2 and 3 . the astronaut is also preferably restrained in a seated position . the device may also be used to collect the aerosol droplets of hair spray or small powder residue and the residue of other cosmetics which otherwise would float freely throughout the cabin if applied to an individual not using the present invention . a manicure can be conducted using the device of the invention . to recieve such a service the astronaut places his hands through aperture 22 of the collar 18 parting seal flap 62 , and the manicurist , by placing his hands through top slits 55 of flexible cover 20 , can clip the nails and cuticles of an astronaut . the nail and cuticle clippings thus produced can be quickly disposed of via vacuum hose 40 within cavity 38 . when the device is used as a manicure station , the air filter can be removed and an appropiate support can be inserted in place of the air filter to elevate the device or support the device so the astronaut receiving the manicure can rest comfortably . hair cutting tools and / or manicure tools may be releasably attached , for example by magnets , or velcro type fasteners , to the top surface of collar 18 as illustrated by scissors 63 in fig1 . the device 10 of the invention has low mass and is portable and can be easily and quickly stored within the crew cabin . for instance , after grooming activities are concluded , and the astronaut is removed from the device , ribs 11 - 17 are folded in the direction of arrow 61 of fig5 and collar half section 54 is folded along hinge line 19 , to collapse device 10 . vacuum hose 40 is disconnected from the collapsed device aand the device is then placed in container 62 and stored in cabinet 64 as shown in fig5 . while the device of the instant invention has been described and illustrated , it should be apparent that many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the disclosed invention is not limited by the foregoing description , but is only limited by the scope of the claims appended hereto .	1
as used herein , the term “ macromer ” refers to a large molecule containing at least one active polymerization site or binding site . macromers have a larger molecular weight than monomers . for example , an acrylamide monomer has a molecular weight of about 71 . 08 grams / mole whereas a poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide macromer may have a molecular weight of about 400 grams / mole or greater . preferred macromers are non - ionic , i . e . they are uncharged at all phs . as used herein , the term “ environmentally responsive ” refers to a material ( e . g ., a hydrogel ) that is sensitive to changes in environment including but not limited to ph , temperature , and pressure . many of the expansile materials suitable for use in the present invention are environmentally responsive at physiological conditions . as used herein , the term “ non - resorbable ” refers to a material ( e . g ., a hydrogel ) that cannot be readily and / or substantially degraded and / or absorbed by bodily tissues . as used herein , the term “ unexpanded ” refers to the state at which a hydrogel is substantially not hydrated and , therefore , not expanded . as used herein , the term “ ethylenically unsaturated ” refers to a chemical entity ( e . g ., a macromer , monomer or polymer ) containing at least one carbon - carbon double bond . as used herein , the term “ bending resistance ” refers to the resistance exhibited by a sample ( e . g ., an unexpanded hydrogel ) as it steadily and evenly is moved across a resistance - providing arm or vane . the maximum displacement of the resistance - providing arm or vane is measured at the point the sample bends and releases the resistance - providing arm or vane . that maximum displacement is converted to bending “ resistance ” or “ stiffness ” using conversions appropriate to the machine , its calibration , and the amount of resistance ( e . g ., weight ), if any , associated with the resistance - providing arm or vane . herein , the units of measure for bending resistance will be milligrams ( mg ) and essentially is the amount of force required to bend the sample . referring to fig1 - 8 , the invention is a device comprising an expansile element 1 and a carrier member 2 . the expansile element 1 may be made from a variety of suitable biocompatible polymers . in one embodiment , the expansile element 1 is made of a bioabsorbable or biodegradable polymer , such as those described in u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 070 , 607 and 6 , 684 , 884 , the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . in another embodiment , the expansile element 1 is made of a soft conformal material , and more preferably of an expansile material such as a hydrogel . in one embodiment , the material forming the expansile element 1 is an environmentally responsive hydrogel , such as that described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 878 , 384 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . specifically , the hydrogels described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 878 , 384 are of a type that undergoes controlled volumetric expansion in response to changes in such environmental parameters as ph or temperature . these hydrogels are prepared by forming a liquid mixture that contains ( a ) at least one monomer and / or polymer , at least a portion of which is sensitive to changes in an environmental parameter ; ( b ) a cross - linking agent ; and ( c ) a polymerization initiator . if desired , a porosigen ( e . g ., nacl , ice crystals , or sucrose ) may be added to the mixture , and then removed from the resultant solid hydrogel to provide a hydrogel with sufficient porosity to permit cellular ingrowth . the controlled rate of expansion is provided through the incorporation of ethylenically unsaturated monomers with ionizable functional groups ( e . g ., amines , carboxylic acids ). for example , if acrylic acid is incorporated into the crosslinked network , the hydrogel is incubated in a low ph solution to protonate the carboxylic acid groups . after the excess low ph solution is rinsed away and the hydrogel dried , the hydrogel can be introduced through a microcatheter filled with saline at physiological ph or with blood . the hydrogel cannot expand until the carboxylic acid groups deprotonate . conversely , if an amine - containing monomer is incorporated into the crosslinked network , the hydrogel is incubated in a high ph solution to deprotonate amines . after the excess high ph solution is rinsed away and the hydrogel dried , the hydrogel can be introduced through a microcatheter filled with saline at physiological ph or with blood . the hydrogel cannot expand until the amine groups protonate . in another embodiment , the material forming the expansile element 1 is may be an environmentally responsive hydrogel , similar to those described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 878 , 384 ; however , an ethylenically unsaturated , and preferably non - ionic , macromer replaces or augments at least one monomer or polymer . the applicants surprisingly have discovered that hydrogels prepared in accordance with this embodiment can be softer and / or more flexible in their unexpanded state than those prepared in accordance with u . s . pat . no . 6 , 878 , 384 . indeed , hydrogels prepared in accordance with this embodiment may have an unexpanded bending resistance of from about 0 . 1 mg to about 85 mg , about 0 . 1 mg to about 50 mg , about 0 . 1 mg to about 25 mg , about 0 . 5 mg to about 10 mg , or about 0 . 5 mg to about 5 mg . the applicants also have discovered that ethylenically unsaturated and non - ionic macromers ( e . g ., poly ( ethylene glycol ) and derivatives thereof ) may be used not only to prepare a softer unexpanded hydrogel ; but , in combination with monomers or polymers containing ionizable groups , one that also may be treated to be made environmentally responsive . the surprising increase in unexpanded flexibility enables the hydrogels to be , for example , more easily deployed in an animal or deployed with reduced or no damage to bodily tissues , conduits , cavities , etceteras . the hydrogels prepared from non - ionic macromers in combination with monomers or polymers with ionizable functional groups still are capable of undergoing controlled volumetric expansion in response to changes in environmental parameters . these hydrogels may be prepared by combining in the presence of a solvent : ( a ) at least one , preferably non - ionic , macromer with a plurality of ethylenically unsaturated moieties ; ( b ) a macromer or polymer or monomer having at least one ionizable functional group and at least one ethylenically unsaturated moiety ; and ( c ) a polymerization initiator . it is worthwhile to note that with this type of hydrogel , a cross - linking agent may not be necessary for cross - linking since , in certain embodiments , the components selected may be sufficient to form the hydrogel . as hereinbefore described , a porosigen may be added to the mixture and then removed from the resultant hydrogel to provide a hydrogel with sufficient porosity to permit cellular ingrowth . the non - ionic macromer - containing hydrogels &# 39 ; controlled rate of expansion may be provided through the incorporation of at least one macromer or polymer or monomer having at least one ionizable functional group ( e . g ., amine , carboxylic acid ). as discussed above , if the functional group is an acid , the hydrogel is incubated in a low ph solution to protonate the group . after the excess low ph solution is rinsed away and the hydrogel dried , the hydrogel can be introduced through a microcatheter , preferably filled with saline . the hydrogel cannot expand until the acid group ( s ) deprotonates . conversely , if the functional group is an amine , the hydrogel is incubated in a high ph solution to deprotonate the group . after the excess high ph solution is rinsed away and the hydrogel dried , the hydrogel can be introduced through a microcatheter , preferably filled with saline . the hydrogel cannot expand until the amine ( s ) protonates . more specifically , in one embodiment , the hydrogel is prepared by combining at least one non - ionic macromer having at least one unsaturated moiety , at least one macromer or monomer or polymer having at least one ionizable functional group and at least one ethylenically unsaturated moiety , at least one polymerization initiator , and a solvent . optionally , an ethylenically unsaturated crosslinking agent and / or a porosigen also may be incorporated . preferred concentrations of the non - ionic macromers in the solvent range from about 5 % to about 40 % ( w / w ), more preferably about 20 % to about 30 % ( w / w ). a preferred non - ionic macromer is poly ( ethylene glycol ), its derivatives , and combinations thereof . derivatives include , but are not limited to , poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide , poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylate , and poly ( ethylene glycol ) dimethacrylate . poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide is a preferred derivative of poly ( ethylene glycol ) and has a molecular weight ranging from about 8 , 500 to about 12 , 000 . the macromer may have less than 20 polymerization sites , more preferably less than 10 polymerization sites , more preferably about five or less polymerization sites , and more preferably from about two to about four polymerization sites . poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide has two polymerization sites . preferred macromers or polymers or monomers having at least one ionizable functional group include , but are not limited to compounds having carboxylic acid or amino moieties or , derivatives thereof , or combinations thereof . sodium acrylate is a preferred ionizable functional group - containing compound and has a molecular weight of 94 . 04 g / mole . preferred concentrations of the ionizable macromers or polymers or monomers in the solvent range from about 5 % to about 40 % ( w / w ), more preferably about 20 % to about 30 % ( w / w ). at least a portion , preferably about 10 %- 50 %, and more preferably about 10 %- 30 %, of the ionizable macromers or polymers or monomers selected should be ph sensitive . it is preferred that no free acrylamide is used in the macromer - containing hydrogels of the present invention . when used , the crosslinking agent may be any multifunctional ethylenically unsaturated compound , preferably n , n ′- methylenebisacrylamide . if biodegradation of the hydrogel material is desired , a biodegradable crosslinking agent may be selected . the concentrations of the crosslinking agent in the solvent should be less than about 1 % w / w , and preferably less than about 0 . 1 % ( w / w ). as described above , if a solvent is added , it may be selected based on the solubilities of the macromer ( s ) or monomer ( s ) or polymer ( s ), crosslinking agent , and / or porosigen used . if a liquid macromer or monomer or polymer solution is used , a solvent may not be necessary . a preferred solvent is water , but a variety of aqueous and organic solvents may be used . preferred concentrations of the solvent range from about 20 % to about 80 % ( w / w ), more preferably about 50 % to about 80 % ( w / w ). crosslink density may be manipulated through changes in the macromer or monomer or polymer concentration , macromer molecular weight , solvent concentration and , when used , crosslinking agent concentration . as described above , the hydrogel may be crosslinked via reduction - oxidation , radiation , and / or heat . a preferred type of polymerization initiator is one that acts via reduction - oxidation . suitable polymerization initiators include , but are not limited to , n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine , ammonium persulfate , azobisisobutyronitrile , benzoyl peroxides , 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionamidine ) dihydrochloride , derivatives thereof , or combinations thereof . a combination of ammonium persulfate and n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine is a preferred polymerization initiator for use in the macromer containing embodiments of the invention . after polymerization is complete , the hydrogels of the present invention may be washed with water , alcohol or other suitable washing solution ( s ) to remove any porosigen ( s ), any unreacted , residual macromer ( s ), monomer ( s ), and polymer ( s ) and any unincorporated oligomers . preferably this is accomplished by initially washing the hydrogel in distilled water . the hydrogels of the present invention may be made environmentally - responsive by protonating or deprotonating the ionizable functional groups present on the hydrogel network , as discussed above . once the hydrogel has been prepared and , if needed , washed , the hydrogel may be treated to make the hydrogel environmentally - responsive . for hydrogel networks where the ionizable functional groups are carboxylic acid groups , the hydrogel is incubated in a low ph solution . the free protons in the solution protonate the carboxylic acid groups on the hydrogel network . the duration and temperature of the incubation and the ph of the solution influence the amount of control on the expansion rate . in general , the duration and temperature of the incubation are directly proportional to the amount of expansion control , while the incubation solution ph is inversely proportional thereto . it has been determined that incubation solution water content also affects expansion control . in this regard , higher water content enables greater hydrogel expansion and is thought to increase the number of protonation - accessible carboxylic acid groups . an optimization of water content and ph is required for maximum control on expansion rate . expansion control , among other things , has an affect on device positioning / repositioning time . typically , a positioning / repositioning time of about 0 . 1 to about 30 minutes is preferred for hydrogel devices in accordance with the present invention . after incubation , the excess treating solution is washed away and the hydrogel material is dried . a hydrogel treated with the low ph solution has been observed to dry down to a smaller dimension than an untreated hydrogel . this effect is desirable since devices containing these hydrogels may be delivered through a microcatheter . for hydrogel networks where the ionizable functional groups are amine groups , the hydrogel is incubated in a high ph solution . unlike carboxylic acid functional groups , deprotonation occurs on the amine groups of the hydrogel network at high ph . aside from incubation solution ph , the incubation is carried out similarly to that of the carboxylic acid containing hydrogels . in other words , the duration and temperature of the incubation and the ph of the solution are directly proportional to the amount of expansion control . after incubation is concluded , the excess treating solution is washed away and the hydrogel material is dried . in a preferred embodiment , the expansile element 1 is an expansile hydrogel comprised of ( a ) at least one , preferably non - ionic , ethylenically unsaturated macromer or monomer or polymer having at least two crosslinkable groups ; ( b ) at least one monomer and / or polymer which has at least one crosslinkable groups , and at least one moiety that is sensitive to changes in an environmental parameter ; and ( c ) a polymerization initiator . in some embodiments , the monomers and polymers may be water soluble , while in other embodiments they may be non - water soluble . suitable polymers for components ( a ) and ( b ) include poly ( ethylene glycol ), poly ( ethylyene oxide ), poly ( vinyl alcohol ), poly ( propylene oxide ), poly ( propylene glycol ), poly ( ethylene oxide )- co - poly ( propylene oxide ), poly ( vinyl pyrrolidinone ), poly ( amino acids ), dextrans , poly ( ethyloxazoline ), polysaccharides , proteins , glycosaminoglycans , and carbohydrates , and derivatives thereof . the preferred polymer is poly ( ethylene glycol ) ( peg ), especially for component ( a ). alternatively , polymers that biodegrade partly or completely may be utilized . one embodiment comprises combining in the presence of a solvent ( a ) about 5 % to about 40 % of a non - ionic , ethylenically unsaturated macromer or monomer or polymer ; ( b ) about 5 % to about 40 % of a ethylenically unsaturated monomer or polymer with at least one ionizable functional group ; and , ( c ) a polymerization initiator . suitable ionizable , ethylenically unsaturated monomers include acrylic acid and methacrylic acid , as well as derivatives thereof . one suitable monomer having at least one ionizable functional group is sodium acrylate . suitable macromers with two ethylenically unsaturated moities include poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylate and poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide , and poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide , which have molecular weights ranging between 400 and 30 , 000 grams / mole . the use of macromers with a plurality of ethylenically unsaturated groups permits the elimination of the crosslinker , as the crosslinker functions are performed by the multi - functional polymer . in one embodiment , the hydrogel comprises , about 5 % to about 40 % sodium acrylate , about 5 % to about 40 % poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide , and the remaining amount water . a sodium acrylate / poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide hydrogel is used to enhance the mechanical properties of the previously - described environmentally responsive hydrogel . since a sodium acrylate / poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide hydrogel is softer than a sodium acrylate / acrylamide hydrogel ( e . g ., the one utilized in hydrogel embolic system ( hes ) made by microvention , aliso viejo , calif . ), devices incorporating it may be more flexible . due to the relative stiffness of the hes , microvention recommends pre - softening the device by soaking in warm fluid or steaming the implant . in addition , devices made from acrylamide are relatively straight before pre - softening because the stiffness of the acrylamide - based hydrogel prevents the carrier member ( for the hes , a microcoil ) from assuming its secondary configuration . devices made from a sodium acrylate / poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide hydrogel may not require pre - softening techniques such as soaking in warm fluid such as saline or blood or exposure to steam in order to form into a secondary configuration heat - set into the carrier member 2 or a similar carrier member . thus , in embodiments comprising , for example , sodium acrylate and poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide , a substantially continuous length of hydrogel disposed either within the lumen 3 of the carrier member 2 as shown in , for example , fig1 or on a carrier element such as those shown in the martinez &# 39 ; 981 application or greene &# 39 ; 261 , will form into the secondary configuration pre - formed into the carrier member without pre - treatment ( e . g . exposure to steam , fluid , or blood ). this makes the device easier to use because it allows elimination of the pre - treatment step and the device may be safer when deployed into the patient because a softer device is less likely to cause damage to the lesion . 3 g of acrylamide , 1 . 7 g of acrylic acid , 9 mg of bisacrylamide , 50 mg of n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine , 15 mg of ammonium persulfate , and 15 . 9 g water were combined and polymerized in a 0 . 020 inch tube . the tubularized polymer was removed from the tubing to prepare hydrogel 1 in accordance with u . s . pat . no . 6 , 878 , 384 . 4 . 6 g of poly ( ethylene glycol ) diacrylamide , 3 . 3 g of sodium acrylate , 100 mg of n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethylethylenediamine , 25 mg of ammonium persulfate , and 15 . 9 g water were combined and polymerized in a 0 . 020 inch tube . the tubularized polymer was removed from the tubing to prepare hydrogel 2 , in accordance with a macromer - containing hydrogel embodiment of the present invention . a hydrogel identical to hydrogel 2 was prepared ; however , it additionally was acid treated in accordance with the present invention to prepare hydrogel 2 - acid . a large platinum microcoil has a 0 . 014 inch outer diameter and a 0 . 0025 inch filar . a small platinum microcoil has a 0 . 010 inch outer diameter and a 0 . 002 inch filar . the bending resistance of the unexpanded hydrogel samples and the bending resistance of the microcoils were obtained using a gurley 4171et tubular sample stiffness tester with a 5 - gram counterweight attached to its measuring vane . the sample length was 1 inch . the average measured resistance and standard deviation of five replicates each are summarized in the following table . the results show the large difference in relative stiffness between the first generation hydrogel 1 ( hes ), the second generation macromer - containing hydrogel 2 , the second generation macromer - containing hydrogel 2 that has been acid treated , and the microcoils . hydrogel 1 is nearly 20 times stiffer than a large platinum microcoil whereas hydrogel 2 is less than 5 times stiffer than a large platinum microcoil . the acid - treated hydrogel 2 is less stiff than a large platinum microcoil and about as stiff as a small platinum microcoil . a skilled artisan will appreciate that much more flexible unexpanded macromer - containing hydrogels are provided by the methods and materials disclosed in the present invention . when used in a medical device , these hydrogels may result in a more flexible medical device as well . in another embodiment , monomers are used to impart moieties to the expansile element 1 that are suitable for coupling bioactive compounds , for example anti - inflammatory agents such as corticosteroids ( e . g . prednisone and dexamethasone ); or vasodilators such as nitrous oxide or hydralazine ; or anti - thrombotic agents such as aspirin and heparin ; or other therapeutic compounds , proteins such as mussel adhesive proteins ( maps ), amino acids such as 3 -( 3 , 4 - dihydroxyphenyl )- l - alanine ( dopa ), genes , or cellular material ; see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 658 , 308 , wo 99 / 65401 , polymer preprints 2001 , 42 ( 2 ), 147 synthesis and characterization of self - assembling block copolymers containing adhesive moieties by kui hwang et . al ., and wo 00 / 27445 ; the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . examples of moieties for incorporation into hydrogel materials include , but are not limited to , hydroxyl groups , amines , and carboxylic acids . in another embodiment , the expansile element 1 may be rendered radiopaque by incorporation of monomers and / or polymers containing , for example , iodine , or the incorporation of radiopaque metals such as tantalum and platinum . in some embodiments , the carrier member 2 is a flexible , elongate structure . suitable configurations for the carrier member 2 include helical coils , braids , and slotted or spiral - cut tubes . the carrier member 2 may be made of any suitable biocompatible metal or polymer such as platinum , tungsten , pet , peek , teflon , nitinol , nylon , steel , and the like . the carrier member may be formed into a secondary configuration such as helix , box , sphere , flat rings , j - shape , s - shape or other complex shape known in the art . examples of appropriate shapes are disclosed in horton u . s . pat . no . 5 , 766 , 219 ; schaefer application ser . no . 10 / 043 , 947 ; and wallace u . s . pat . no . 6 , 860 , 893 ; all hereby incorporated by reference . as previously described , some embodiments of the instant invention may comprise polymers that are sufficiently soft and flexible that a substantially continuous length of the expansile element 1 will form into a secondary configuration similar to the configuration originally set into the carrier member 2 without pre - softening the device or exposing it to blood , fluid , or steam . in some embodiments , the carrier member 2 incorporates at least one gap 7 that is dimensioned to allow the expansile element 1 to expand through the gap ( one embodiment of this configuration is shown in fig1 - 2 ). in other embodiments , the carrier member 2 incorporates at least one gap 7 that allows the expansile element 1 to be exposed to bodily fluids , but the expansile element 1 does not necessarily expand through the gap ( one embodiment of this configuration is shown in fig8 ). in other embodiments , no substantial gap is incorporated into the carrier member 2 . rather , fluid is allowed to infiltrate through the ends of the device or is injected through a lumen within the delivery system and the expansile element 1 expands and forces its way through the carrier member 2 . in one embodiment shown in fig1 , the expansile element 1 comprises an acrylamide or poly ( ethylene glycol )- based expansile hydrogel . the carrier member 2 comprises a coil . at least one gap 7 is formed in the carrier member 2 . the expansile element 1 is disposed within the lumen 3 defined by the carrier member 2 in a generally coaxial configuration . a tip 4 is formed at the distal end of the device 11 by , for example , a laser , solder , adhesive , or melting the hydrogel material itself . the expansile element 1 may run continuously from the proximal end to the distal end , or it may run for a portion of the device then terminate before reaching the distal or proximal end , or both . as an example , in one embodiment the device is dimensioned to treat a cerebral aneurysm . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the dimensions used in this example could be re - scaled to treat larger or smaller lesions . in this embodiment , the expansile element 1 is about 0 . 001 ″- 0 . 030 ″ before expansion and about 0 . 002 ″- 0 . 25 ″ after expansion . the expansile element is , for example , approximately 5 %- 30 % sodium acrylate , 10 %- 30 % poly ( ethylene glycol ) di - acrylamide with a molecular weight ranging between 400 and 30 , 000 grams / mole , and the remainder water . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the ratio of expansion could be controlled by changing the relative amounts of sodium acrylate , peg di - acrylamide , and water . the carrier member 2 in this embodiment is a microcoil in the range of about 0 . 005 ″- 0 . 035 ″ in diameter . in an alternate embodiment , the microcoil diameter has a range of 0 . 008 °- 0 . 016 °. the microcoil may have a filar in the range of 0 . 0005 ″- 0 . 01 ″. in an alternate embodiment , the filar range is 0 . 00075 ″- 0 . 004 ″. the implant 11 comprises at least one gap 7 ranging from 0 . 5 filars ( 0 . 00025 ″) long to 20 filars ( 0 . 2 ″) long . in an alternate embodiment , the gap range is between approximately 0 . 00025 ″ to 0 . 005 ″. in one preferred embodiment , the microcoil has a diameter of 0 . 012 ″ and a 0 . 002 ″ filar , with a gap 7 of 0 . 0013 ″. a coupler 13 is placed near the proximal end to allow the implant 11 to be detachably coupled to a delivery system or pushed or injected through a catheter . examples of delivery systems are found in co - pending application ser . no . 11 / 212 , 830 to fitz , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 425 , 893 to guglielmi , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 994 , 069 to ritchart , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 063 , 100 to diaz , and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 690 , 666 to berenstein ; the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . in this embodiment , the implant 11 is constructed by formulating and mixing the hydrogel material as previously described in order to form the expansile element 1 . the carrier member 2 is wound around a helical or complex form , and then heat - set by techniques known in the art to form a secondary diameter ranging from 0 . 5 mm to 30 mm and a length ranging from 5 mm to 100 cm . after processing , washing , and optional acid treatment , the expansile element 1 is threaded through the lumen 3 of the carrier member 2 . the distal end of the expansile element 1 is then tied , for example by forming a knot , to the distal end of the carrier member 2 . adhesive , such as uv curable adhesive or epoxy , may be used to further enhance the bond between the expansile element 1 and the carrier member 2 and to form the distal tip 4 . alternatively , the tip may be formed by , for example , a laser weld or solder ball . in some embodiments , depending on the size of the gap 7 and the ratio of expansion , loops or folds 12 may form as shown in fig7 as the expansile element 1 expands . although the loop or fold 12 may not affect the functionality of the device , in some embodiments it is desirable to prevent the loop or fold 12 from forming . this can be done by stretching the expansile element 1 either before placing it within the carrier member 2 or after the distal end of the expansile element 1 is secured to the carrier member 2 . for example , once the distal end of the expansile element 1 is secured to the carrier member 2 , the expansile element 1 is stretched to a final length between 101 % to 1000 % of its initial length ( e . g . if the initial length is 1 ″, the expansile element is stretched to 1 . 01 ″- 10 . 0 ″) or to a length sufficient to prevent loops from forming in the expansile element 1 after expansion . for example , in the previously described cerebral aneurysm treatment embodiment , the expansile element 1 is stretched to a final length , which is approximately 125 %- 600 % of the initial length . in an alternate embodiment , the expansile element 1 is stretched to a final length , which is approximately 125 %- 300 % of the initial length . in one preferred embodiment the expansile element is stretched to a final length that is approximately 267 % of its initial length . after stretching , the expansile element 1 may be trimmed to match the length of the carrier member 2 and then bonded near the proximal end of the carrier member 2 by , for example , tying a knot , adhesive bonding , or other techniques known in the art . once the implant 11 has been constructed , it is attached to a delivery system previously described by methods known in the art . the device may also be exposed to , for example , e - beam or gamma radiation to cross - link the expansile element 1 and to control its expansion . this is described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 537 , 569 which is assigned to the assignee of this application and hereby incorporated by reference . previously , the secondary dimensions of prior devices ( e . g . hes ) are generally sized to a dimension 1 - 2 mm smaller than the dimension ( i . e . volume ) of the treatment site due to the relative stiffness of these devices . the increased flexibility and overall design of the implant 11 of the instant invention allows the secondary shape of the implant 11 to be sized to a dimension approximately the same size as the treatment site , or even somewhat larger . this sizing further minimizes the risk of the implant moving in or slipping out of the treatment site . prior implant devices , such as the hes device , currently provide the user with about 5 minutes of repositioning time . however , the implant 11 of the present invention increases the length of repositioning time . in some embodiments , the repositioning time during a procedure can be increased to about 30 minutes . in this respect , the user is provided with a longer repositioning time to better achieve a desired implant configuration fig2 shows an implant 11 similar to that shown in fig1 after the expansile element 1 has expanded through the gap 7 to a dimension larger than the carrier member 2 . fig3 shows an implant 11 wherein multiple expansile elements 1 run somewhat parallel to each other through the carrier member 2 . in one embodiment , this configuration is constructed by looping a single expansile element 1 around the tip 4 of the implant 11 and tying both ends of the expansile element 1 to the proximal end of the carrier member 2 . in another embodiment , multiple strands of the expansile element 1 may be bonded along the length of the carrier member 2 . the construction of these embodiments may also comprise stretching the expansile element 1 as previously described and / or forming gaps in the carrier member 2 . fig4 shows an embodiment wherein the implant 11 comprises a non - coil carrier member 2 . in one embodiment , the carrier member 2 is formed by cutting a tube or sheet of plastic such as polyimide , nylon , polyester , polyglycolic acid , polylactic acid , peek , teflon , carbon fiber or pyrolytic carbon , silicone , or other polymers known in the art with , for example ; a cutting blade , laser , or water jet in order to form slots , holes , or other fenestrations through which the expansile element 1 may be in contact with bodily fluids . the plastic in this embodiment may also comprise a radiopaque agent such as tungsten powder , iodine , or barium sulfate . in another embodiment , the carrier member 2 is formed by cutting a tube or sheet of metal such as platinum , steel , tungsten , nitinol , tantalum , titanium , chromium - cobalt alloy , or the like with , for example ; acid etching , laser , water jet , or other techniques known in the art . in another embodiment , the carrier member 2 is formed by braiding , knitting , or wrapping metallic or plastic fibers in order to form fenestrations . fig5 shows an implant 11 comprising a carrier member 2 , an expansile element 1 , and a stretch resistant member 10 . the stretch resistant member 10 is used to prevent the carrier member 2 from stretching or unwinding during delivery and repositioning . the stretch resistant member 10 may be made from a variety of metallic or plastic fibers such as steel , nitinol , pet , peek , nylon , teflon , polyethylene , polyolefin , polyolefin elastomer , polypropylene , polylactic acid , polyglycolic acid , and various other suture materials known in the art . construction of the implant 11 may be by attaching the ends of the stretch resistant member 10 to the ends of the carrier member 2 as described by u . s . pat . no . 6 , 013 , 084 to ken and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 217 , 484 to marks both hereby incorporated by reference . alternatively , the distal end of the stretch resistant member 10 may be attached near the distal end of the carrier member 2 and the proximal end to the stretch resistant member 10 attached to the delivery system as described in co - pending application ser . no . 11 / 212 , 830 to fitz . fig6 is an alternative embodiment comprising a stretch resistant member 10 wrapped around , tied to , or intertwined with the expansile element 1 . this may occur over the length of the expansile element 1 , or the wrapping or tying may be in only one area to facilitate bonding the expansile element 1 to the carrier element 2 by using the stretch resistant member 10 as a bonding element . fig7 shows a loop or fold 12 of the expansile element 1 protruding outside the carrier element 2 . in some embodiments , it may be desirable to avoid this condition by , for example , stretching the expansile element 1 as previously described . this would be done , for example , in embodiments configured for delivery through a small microcatheter to prevent the implant 11 from becoming stuck in the microcatheter during delivery . in other embodiments , slack may be added to the expansile element 1 so that the loop or fold will be pre - formed into the implant 11 . this would be done in embodiments where , for example , a large amount of volumetric filling were necessary because the loops or folds would tend to increase the total length of the expansile element 1 . fig8 shows an embodiment wherein the expansile element 1 is configured to expand to a dimension larger than its initial dimension , but smaller than the outer dimension of the carrier member 2 . this may be done by adjusting the ratio of , for example , peg di - acrylamide to sodium acrylate in embodiments wherein the expansile element 1 comprises a hydrogel . alternatively , a relatively high dose of radiation could be used to cross - link the expansile element 1 , thus limiting its expansion . embodiments such as shown in fig8 are desirable when low volumetric filling is necessary and it is desirable to have a substrate for tissue growth and proliferation that the expansile element 1 provides . in an embodiment used to treat cerebral aneurysms , this configuration would be used as a final or “ finishing ” coil , or in devices dimensioned to treat small ( under 10 mm diameter ) aneurysms , or as a first “ framing ” or 3 - d coil placed . in one embodiment , the expansile element 1 comprises a hydrogel incorporating a porosigen as previously described to provide a reticulated matrix to encourage cell growth and healing . incorporating , for example , growth hormones or proteins in the expansile element 1 as previously described may further enhance the ability of the implant 11 to elicit a biological response . in one embodiment of the invention a vaso - occlusive device comprises an expansile polymer element having an outer surface , a carrier member that covers at least a portion of the outer surface of the expansile polymer element , and wherein no carrier is disposed within the outer surface of the expansile element . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises a coil having a lumen and a hydrogel polymer having an outer surface wherein the hydrogel polymer is disposed within the lumen of the coil and wherein the hydrogel polymer does not contain a coil within the outer surface of the hydrogel polymer . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises a carrier member formed into a secondary configuration and an expansile element , wherein the expansile element is made from a polymer formulated to have sufficient softness that the expansile element will substantially take the shape of the secondary configuration formed into the carrier member without pre - treatment . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises a carrier member formed into a secondary configuration and a substantially continuous length of hydrogel , wherein the device will substantially take the shape of the secondary configuration formed into the carrier member without pre - treatment . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises a microcoil having an inner lumen and an expansile element disposed within the inner lumen . in this embodiment the expansile element comprises a hydrogel selected from the group consisting of acrylamide , poly ( ethylene glycol ), pluronic , and poly ( propylene oxide ). in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises a coil and a hydrogel polymer disposed at least partially within the coil wherein the hydrogel has an initial length and wherein the hydrogel polymer has been stretched to a second length that is longer than the initial length . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises an expansile element and a carrier member defining an inner lumen , wherein the expansile element is disposed within the inner lumen of the carrier member and wherein the expansile element has been stretched to a length sufficient to prevent a loop of the expansile element from protruding through the carrier member . the invention disclosed herein also includes a method of manufacturing a medical device . the method comprises providing a carrier member having an inner lumen and an expansile element , inserting the expansile element into the inner lumen of the carrier member , and stretching the expansile element . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises an expansile element encapsulated by a carrier element , wherein said expansile element is comprised substantially entirely and substantially uniformly of material having an expansile property . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device comprises a carrier element and an expansile element wherein the carrier element has a secondary shape that is different from its primary shape and wherein the expansile element is sufficiently flexible in a normal untreated state to conform with the secondary shape of the carrier . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device includes a carrier and an expansile element wherein the expansile element is fixed to the carrier in a manner such that the expansile element is in a stretched state along the carrier . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device includes a carrier having a plurality of gaps along the carrier and an expansile element positioned along an inside envelope of the carrier and wherein the expansion of the expansile element is controlled such that the expansile element expands into the gaps but not beyond the external envelope of the carrier . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device includes a carrier member and an expansile element wherein the expansile element is comprised of multiple strands extending along the carrier . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device includes a carrier and an expansile member wherein the carrier is a non - coiled cylindrically shaped structure and wherein said expansile member is disposed inside said carrier . in another embodiment , a vaso - occlusive device includes a carrier and an expansile member and a stretch resistant member ; said expansile member and said stretch resistant member being disposed in an internal region of the carrier and wherein the stretch resistant member is in tension on said carrier . the invention disclosed herein also includes a method of treating a lesion within a body . the method comprises providing a vaso - occlusive device comprising a carrier member and an expansile element wherein the carrier member is formed into a secondary configuration that is approximately the same diameter as the lesion and inserting the vaso - occlusive device into the lesion . although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in this specification and the accompanying drawings , it will be appreciated that a number of variations and modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the pertinent arts . thus , the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and examples described herein , but should be deemed to encompass alternative embodiments and equivalents . unless otherwise indicated , all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients , properties such as molecular weight , reaction conditions , and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “ about .” accordingly , unless indicated to the contrary , the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention . at the very least , and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims , each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques . notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations , the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible . any numerical value , however , inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements . the terms “ a ,” “ an ,” “ the ” and similar referents used in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range . unless otherwise indicated herein , each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element essential to the practice of the invention . groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations . each group member may be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein . it is anticipated that one or more members of a group may be included in , or deleted from , a group for reasons of convenience and / or patentability . when any such inclusion or deletion occurs , the specification is deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all markush groups used in the appended claims . certain embodiments of this invention are described herein , including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention . of course , variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . furthermore , numerous references have been made to patents and printed publications throughout this specification . each of the above - cited references and printed publications are individually incorporated herein by reference in their entirety . in closing , it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the present invention . other modifications that may be employed are within the scope of the invention . thus , by way of example , but not of limitation , alternative configurations of the present invention may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein . accordingly , the present invention is not limited to that precisely as shown and described .	0
fig1 b shows a hydraulic directional valve 1 according to the invention in partial cross section using the example of a directional valve 1 constructed as a 4 / 3 directional proportional valve . the directional valve 1 comprises an actuating unit 2 and a valve section 3 . such directional valves 1 are used , for example , for controlling hydraulic camshaft adjusters . fig1 a shows a longitudinal section through an exemplary electromagnetic actuating unit 2 . the electromagnetic actuating unit 2 has a coil body 5 and a connection element 6 constructed in one piece with this coil body . the coil body 5 carries a coil 7 made from several windings of a suitable wire . the radially outer casing surface of the coil 7 is surrounded by a sleeve - shaped material layer 8 , which is made from a non - magnetizable material . the material layer 8 can be made , for example , from a suitable plastic and can be sprayed onto the wound coil 7 . within the connection element 6 , an electrical plug connection 9 is held , by means of which the coil 7 can be connected to a current or voltage source . the coil body 5 is constructed with an essentially cylindrical , blind hole - like recess 10 , which is arranged concentric with respect to the coil 7 . in addition , the coil body 5 and the connection element 6 hold a sleeve - shaped first magnetic yoke 11 on the base - side end of the recess 10 . within the recess 10 , a pot - shaped armature - guidance sleeve 12 is arranged , wherein its outer contours are adapted to the inner contours of the recess 10 . the thin - walled armature guidance sleeve 12 is made from a cylindrical section 12 b , which is bounded by a sleeve base 12 c . the sleeve base 12 c is provided with axial stops 13 extending inwardly . the armature guidance sleeve 12 extends in the axial direction along the entire recess 10 , wherein the recess at least partially surrounds the coil body 5 at its opening in the radial direction . the coil body 5 is arranged within a pot - shaped housing 14 . the open end of the housing 14 projects past the connection element 6 in the axial direction , and this element and thus the coil body 5 are fixed within the housing 14 by a crimped connection 15 . within the armature guidance sleeve 12 there is an armature 16 displaceable in the axial direction . the displacement path of the armature 16 is bounded in one direction by the stops 13 and in the other direction by a second magnetic yoke 17 . the second magnetic yoke 17 has a tubular section 18 and a cylindrical wall 19 a connecting to this section in the axial direction . the tubular section 18 extends through an opening 21 constructed in the base 20 of the housing 14 in the armature guidance sleeve 12 arranged in the recess 10 of the coil body 5 . here , the outer diameter of the tubular section 18 is adapted to the diameter of the opening 21 . the inner diameter of the axial end of the tubular section 18 , which faces the armature 16 , has a larger construction than the outer diameter of the armature 16 . thus , the armature sinks into this section . in addition , the outer casing surface of the tubular section 18 tapers to a point in the direction of the armature 16 . the housing 14 is supported by a mounting flange 22 on the annular section 19 . the mounting flange 22 is used for attaching the directional valve 1 to a not - shown surrounding construction . in this embodiment , the second magnetic yoke 17 is made from two components , a pole core 23 , and a sleeve - shaped projection 24 constructed in one piece with the mounting flange 22 . a sealing ring 26 is arranged between the tubular section 18 of the second magnetic yoke 17 , the base 20 of the housing 14 , and the armature guidance sleeve 12 . in interaction with the armature guidance sleeve 12 , this prevents pressure medium from penetrating into the electromagnetic actuating unit 2 , as a rule motor oil , and reaching the coil body 5 , by which this coil body is protected from damage due to the pressure medium . a tappet rod 33 extends through the interior of the pole core 23 and is connected at one end to the armature 16 . in fig1 c , an alternative embodiment of a hydraulic directional valve 1 according to the invention is shown , which is in wide parts identical to the embodiment shown in fig1 b . in contrast , the receptacle 19 b is constructed in this case by the wall 19 a of an open end of the pot - shaped housing 14 . as can be seen in fig1 b , 1 c , the valve section 3 of the directional valve 1 constructed as a 4 / 3 directional proportional valve comprises a valve housing 27 and a control piston 28 . the valve housing 27 is constructed as a separate component and is connected to the actuating unit 2 . for this purpose , a flange section 27 a , which is positioned in a receptacle 19 b of the wall 19 a , is formed on the valve housing 27 . here , the inner diameter of the wall 19 a is adapted to the outer diameter of the flange section 27 a . an annular groove 27 b , in which a section of the wall 19 a engages , is constructed on the flange section 27 a . therefore , the valve housing 27 is fixed axially with respect to the second magnetic yoke 17 and thus to the actuating unit 2 . on the outer casing surface of the valve housing 27 there are several annular grooves 29 , which communicate via recesses 30 formed in the groove bases of the annular grooves 29 with the interior of the essentially hollow , cylindrical valve housing 27 . the annular grooves 29 and the opening facing away from the electromagnetic actuating unit 2 in the valve housing 27 are used as pressure - medium ports a , b , p , t . the middle annular groove 29 , which is used as a feed port p , communicates via a not - shown pressure medium line with a similarly not shown pressure medium pump . the two outer annular grooves 29 , which are used as working ports a , b , communicate with users , for example , each with a pressure chamber or a group of counteracting pressure chambers of a similarly not shown camshaft adjuster . the axial port ( tank port ) t communicates with a similarly not shown pressure medium reservoir . within the valve housing 27 there is the control piston 28 displaceable in the axial direction . control sections 31 constructed as annular connecting pieces are formed on the outer casing surface of the control piston 28 . the outer diameter of the control sections 31 is adapted to the inner diameter of the valve housing 27 . through suitable axial positioning of the control piston 28 relative to the valve housing 27 , adjacent pressure medium ports a , b , p can be connected to each other . each working port a , b not connected to the feed port p is simultaneously connected to the tank port t . in this way , pressure medium can be selectively fed to or discharged from the individual pressure chambers of the camshaft adjuster . the control piston 28 is charged on one end with the force of a spring element 32 in the direction of the electromagnetic actuating unit 2 . at the other axial end of the control piston 28 there is a tappet rod 33 , which extends through a borehole of the second magnetic yoke 17 and is fixed in position with the armature 16 . in the non - energized state of the coil 7 , the control piston 28 is forced in the direction of the electromagnetic actuating unit 2 due to the force of the spring element 32 . the housing 14 , the first magnetic yoke 11 , the armature 16 , and the second magnetic yoke 17 are made from a magnetizable material , while the connection element 6 , the tappet rod 33 , the coil body 5 , and the armature guidance sleeve 12 are made from a non - magnetizable material . thus , by energizing the coil 7 within the electromagnetic actuating unit 2 , a magnetic flux , which forces the armature 16 in the direction of the valve section 3 , is established via the armature 16 , the first magnetic yoke 11 , the housing 14 , the second magnetic yoke 17 , and an air gap 34 located between the armature 16 and the second magnetic yoke 17 . therefore , the control piston 28 is shifted in the axial direction by the tappet rod 33 against the force of the spring element 32 . through suitable regulation of the current flowing in the coil 7 , the control piston 28 can be adjusted into any position between two end stops relative to the valve housing 27 , and thus the pressure medium flows to or from the pressure chambers of the camshaft adjuster are regulated . fig2 a shows a cross section along the line iia - iia through a first embodiment of a hydraulic directional valve 1 according to the invention from fig1 b . essentially circular outer contours of a groove base 27 c of the annular groove 27 b have an indentation 35 . the indentation 35 can be , for example , as shown in fig2 a , a chord - like section 36 . the material of the wall 19 a engages in the annular groove 27 b in such a way that this contacts the groove base 27 c along the entire periphery of the annular groove 27 b , that is , also on the boundary surface of the indentation 35 . thus , in the peripheral direction a positive - fit connection between the valve housing 27 and the actuating unit 2 is created . in addition to an indentation 35 , naturally any number of indentations 35 can be formed . additionally or alternatively , a radially outward extending bulge 37 can be formed on the outer contours of the groove base 27 c . during the production of the connection between the valve housing 27 and the wall 19 a , the material of the wall 19 a contacts the outer contours of the bulge 37 , whereby a positive fit is produced in the peripheral direction . the dimensions of the indentations or bulges 35 , 37 shown in fig2 a and deviating from a circular form are shown excessively large for simplification . to achieve sufficient torsional rigidity , these can be formed considerably smaller . alternatively , it is also imaginable to form the groove base 27 c of the annular groove 27 b in cross section in a geometric shape , for example , elliptical , rectangular , or polygonal , deviating from the circular form . fig2 b shows a cross section along the line iib - iib through a second embodiment of a hydraulic directional valve 1 according to the invention from fig1 c . the essentially circular outer contour of the groove base 27 c of the annular groove 27 b features teeth 38 extending in the radial direction . the material of the wall 19 a engages in the annular groove 27 b in such a way that this contacts the groove base 27 c along the entire periphery of the annular groove 27 b . thus , the material of the wall 19 a engages in the teeth 38 , via which a positive - fit connection between the valve housing 27 and the actuating unit 2 is created in the peripheral direction . the radial dimensions of the teeth 38 shown in fig2 a is shown excessively large for clarification . to achieve sufficient torsional rigidity , micro - teeth can be formed on the groove base 27 c . the connection between the wall 19 a and the valve housing 27 can be produced , for example , by a fixing , rolling , or orbital forging method . it is also conceivable to produce the connection by an axial crimping method . for this purpose , the valve housing 27 is positioned in the receptacle 19 b , with the valve housing 27 being centered radially by the wall 19 a . in a subsequent processing step , an essentially hollow , cylindrical plunger is guided by the valve housing 27 until its axial end contacts the wall 19 a . the hollow cylindrical plunger is provided with a rounding or a conical counter surface at its end turned toward the wall 19 a . the plunger is charged with a defined force in the axial direction , whereby material of the wall 19 a is forced into the annular groove 27 b . by forcing the wall 19 a into the annular groove 27 b , a connection between the valve housing 27 and the housing 14 is achieved with a high axial pull - off resistance , with the flange section 27 a coming into contact with the second magnetic yoke 17 . here , the force or the axial displacement is selected such that the material contacts the groove base 27 c along the entire periphery of the annular groove 27 b . therefore , the positive - fit connection in the peripheral direction is produced with high torsional rigidity between the wall 19 a and the valve housing 27 , without there being the risk of damaging the housing 14 or the second magnetic yoke 17 or the valve housing 27 .	8
fig1 illustrates apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention for advancing and reducing the diameter of metal tubing 12 . apparatus 10 includes draw die 14 enclosed within die housing frame 16 . the frame is attached to a circular bushing 18 by a number of screws 17 preferably about five screws . the circular bushing has a central opening for conveying the tubing horizontally to the die . the circular bushing opening extends to cylindrial die socket 20 approach zone to the draw die and thus encircles the front entrance of the draw die . lubricant supply port 22 delivers high pressure lubricant from a lubricant source into die socket 20 into contact with the tubing . a hydraulic pump 26 forces the high pressure lubricant into the die socket and in contact with the tubing exterior surface exerting radial compression stress on the tubing entering the draw die as indicated by the arrows shown pressing against the sides of the tubing . fig1 a is a schematic illistration indicating the lines of stress exerted on the tubing wall . curved line 13 illustrates what would happen if there is no lubricant pressure being applied to the tubing ; the tubing wall would bulge outwardly . thus , the high pressure lubricant exerting radial compression stress on the tubing wall prevents the tubing wall from bulging outwardly . compression feeding mechanism 28 is provided at the entrance to the frame . the compression feeding mechanism includes a pair of opposing rotating rolls 30 and 32 which apply compressive force to the tubing therebetween to advance it into circular bushing 18 and into die socket 20 . rolls 30 and 32 have elastomeric grooved rolls 34 and 36 . the rolls are driven by hydraulic motors 38 and 40 in the direction of the arrows . the hydraulic motors are controlled to run at the same speed which pushes the tubing uniformly forward . the speed of the motors can be synchronized by various means such as by a chain mechanism , or a hydraulic flow divider mechanism , or electronically controlled speed valve mechanism . fig1 and 2 illustrate the forces acting on the tubing during the tube drawing operation of the invention . the tubing is pulled forward , by a draw block not shown , subjecting the tubing to tensile stress . simultaneous to this forward pulling by the draw block , the compressive movement of tubing 12 between rolls 30 and 32 as indicated in fig2 pushes the tubing forward through circular bushing 18 into die socket 20 and into draw die 14 as seen in fig1 . the compressive movement of the tubing from the rolls lessens and partially equalizes the tensile stress from the draw block pulling forward . coinciding with these two compensating functions is the high pressure lubricant created hydraulic pressure in the die socket 20 which presses on the tubing entering the draw die 14 shown in fig1 and fig1 a . the high pressure lubricant generates a compressive stress on the exterior surface of the tubing which lessens the tensile stress and further increases the equalizing of the tensile stress from the draw block pulling forward of the tubing . the high pressure lubricant radial pressure pressing on the tubing prevents the tubing surface from bulging at the entrance to the draw die and also improves the lubrication of the drawing operation by forcing the tubing through the die . arrows 42 illustrate the applied radial pressure to the exterior surface of the tubing . also indicated in fig1 is the zero clearance 44 existing between tubing 12 and circular bushing 18 . the zero clearance of the outside diameter of the tubing and the inside diameter circular bushing is critical to the present invention in order to form a seal between the tubing 12 and circular bushing 18 and thus confine the high pressure lubricant within the die socket 20 . hence , with the high pressure lubricant being confined to the die socket , the lubricant in the die socket is able to generate a compressive stress on the tubing by applying radial pressure on its exterior surface . zero clearance in the present invention means that the difference between the outside diameter of tubing 10 and the diameter of circular bushing 18 is just enough difference in diameters to allow the tubing to move through the circular bushing in the drawing operation and to create a seal therebetween preventing the high pressure lubricant from passing through . usually , this difference in the outside diameter of tubes 10 and the inside diameter of circular bushing 18 for zero clearance is about 0 . 25 percent . thus , for tubing having an outside diameter of about three eighths of an inch the difference is about 0 . 001 inch ; for tubing having an outside diameter of about two inches the difference is about 0 . 005 inch . fig3 is directed to the tubing being reduced in diameter in the draw die . shown is tubing 10 in draw die 14 and floating plug 46 . although the present invention is also applicable to spinners , plugs or mandrels which form grooves in the internal surface of the tubing during the drawing procedure , and is further applicable to fixed mandrel for draw bench procedures , fig3 is directed to a floating plug 46 shown having a plain surface and is generally used to produce reduced diameter tubing without inner grooves . generally , a plain surface floating plug produces a greater reduction in the cross - section of the tubing which can be as much as 30 percent reduction of the original cross section . the present invention , including the novel procedure of zero clearance , high pressure lubricant and feeding rolls is an improvement over the prior art by providing a reduction in cross - section of up to about 60 percent of the original cross - section or twice the reduction as obtained by the prior art . for example , with prior art methods for two inch diameter tubing , generally about eleven passes in tube drawing operations are required to reduce the diameter to three eights of an inch . with the present invention of zero clearance , high pressure lubricant and feed rolls , the same reduction in diameter of the tubing can be accomplished in about six passes through the equipment . thus , the present invention results in as much as 50 percent fewer passes through the tube drawing stage . the present invention results in savings in time , labor , equipment and inventory over prior art procedure . having now fully described the invention , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth herein .	1
many known systems and methods for media display can only be operated outdoors and on smooth flat services . also , many of the devices currently known require a lot of space as they need large areas to make turns and / or move . thus , a system and method that can be used in small spaces , near large public buildings , or has the ability to go off - road is desirable . it is envisioned that the system and method according to the present disclosure can be used in a variety of locations including outdoor sporting and public events on cut grass , hard packed sand / dirt , and semi - loose gravel . furthermore , the system may be used at a large variety of events including : the olympics ™, pga ™ golf tournaments , pre - game promotion at large outdoor field sporting tournaments , large outdoor concert series , outdoor public markets , outdoor creative arts festivals , large political outdoor gatherings , at the waters edge at large boating races , or any event that occurs off - road . the system allows a message to reach large groups of people in a short period of time . the advertising system allows for operation in large public buildings , in small spaces , or in areas that are not flat , hard , or smooth . the system can also utilize steer technology of the customized segway i2 ™, which allows the operator to control with their feet , knees , and legs only , which reduces clutter and provides a sleek look and an unobstructed tacking area for the media display . the transporter utilizes lean steer technology as the method of controlling the direction of travel such that leaning or banking the deck causes the wheels to steer . leaning the handles or the attachment on the steering column of the base with either the user &# 39 ; s hands , bodyweight , or knee directionality , to the right causes the wheels ( relative to the direction of travel ) to steer to the right ( e . g . toward the inside of an up - coming turn ). the reverse is also true in that leaning the deck to the left causes the wheels to steer to the left . in one embodiment , in a handlebar lean machine , the yaw input is proportional to the handlebar angle with respect to the frame , the chassis . preferably , the pivot axis is mounted as low as practical on the transporter ground - contacting module in order to allow the bar motion to follow the users body motion naturally , since a person leans most stably by pivoting at the ankles . in other words , a low pivot handlebar tracks the body &# 39 ; s kinematics . in this embodiment , the yaw input is converted into a yaw command using standard personal transporter algorithms , which apply a fixed gain to yaw input at low speeds , but scale the gain at higher speed to make the yaw input correspond to lateral acceleration instead of yaw rate . this works well with the handlebar lean device , since the desired lean angle is roughly proportional to lateral acceleration . the result is a very natural input method , where the user “ thinks ” right or left via leaning , and the machine follows . in another embodiment , instead of a handlebar lean machine and yaw input being proportional to the handlebar angle , there is a mechanism which the user can place his knees that can be used to steer the vehicle through the use of the user &# 39 ; s knees and lean of the user &# 39 ; s body position . in accordance with yet other embodiment of the invention , with the direction of travel as the reference point , the pivoted handlebar may be either mounted in the front or the rear of the transporter . the configuration of a rear mounted pivot handlebar enables a user to steer the transporter with other parts of the body such as the knees , in addition to using a limb coupled to the handlebar . in another embodiment , the transporter may include a feature that disables the lean steer when a user is mounting or dismounting . the feature may be activated when the transporter determines that a user is partially on / off the platform such that the transporter may not turn into or away from the user while mounting or dismounting . the transporter utilizes a regenerative breaking mechanism , also referred to as regenerative charging or sailing , by which , while the user is conducting their method of advertisement , the battery power of the base or transporter is recharged . in regenerative breaking , the electric motor applies resistance to the drive train to slow the rotation of one or more wheels . the energy from the rotation of the one or more wheels turns a motor that can charge the on - board battery . the on - board batteries in the device may be recharged by capturing the kinetic energy created when using the brakes ( referred to as “ regenerative breaking ” or “ regenerative charging or sailing ”). a regenerative brake is an energy recovery mechanism that reduces vehicle speed by converting some of its kinetic energy and / or potential energy ( due to elevation ) into a useful form of energy instead of dissipating it as heat , as with a conventional brake . the converted kinetic energy is stored for future use or fed back into a power system for use by other vehicles . in one embodiment , when the user is utilizing the breaking mechanism of the device , the battery of the device is recharged . in another embodiment , when the device is propelled in one direction by the wind , or the wind directionality changes , the device is recharged . in this embodiment , the term may not be referred to as regenerative breaking , but rather regenerative charging or regenerative sailing . in another embodiment , when the user is going uphill , the battery power of the device is recharged . the same mechanism that is utilized in regenerative breaking can be used in regenerative charging or regenerative sailing when the device is pulled or pushed by the blade because of the position of the wind on the display . in another embodiment , regenerative breaking or charging system is connected through a connection to the on - board battery . while the vehicle is breaking , the regenerative breaking system converts the kinetic energy from the moving vehicle into electrical energy , as is known in the art , such as is discussed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 322 , 659 , finch et al ., method and system for brake distribution in a regenerative breaking system that is hereby incorporated by reference . the regenerative breaking system delivers this recaptured electrical energy preferably to the power battery through the connection at the current and the voltage . unlike the regenerative breaking system described above , the current invention also uses regenerative charging or sailing whereby when the vehicle is pulled or pushed , due to the wind resistance on the airfoil display , the system converts the kinetic energy from the moving vehicle into electrical energy . the system delivers the recaptured energy to the on - board battery through a connection at the current and the voltage . in a typical situation , the breaking mechanism in the vehicle is accomplished with a combination of breaking systems . for example , breaking is accomplished with a friction breaking system and an electro - mechanical breaking system that at least partially utilizes the regenerative breaking system . when these two systems are combined , vehicle stability is desirable and the amount of recaptured kinetic energy is maximized . regenerative breaking , such as is used on hybrid gas / electric vehicles to recoup some of the energy lost during breaking , is also similar to the regenerative charging or sailing mechanism . the energy saved as a result of the vehicle breaking , being propelled by the wind , or driving uphill is stored in a storage battery and used later to power the vehicle when necessary . but regenerative breaking does more than simply stop the vehicle . electric motors and electric generators ( such as a vehicle &# 39 ; s alternator ) are essentially two sides of the same technology . both use magnetic fields and coiled wires , but in different configurations . regenerative breaking systems take advantage of this duality . whenever the electric motor of a vehicle begins to reverse direction , it becomes an electric generator or dynamo . this generated electricity is fed into a chemical storage battery and used later to power the vehicle . regenerative breaking takes energy normally wasted during breaking and turns it into usable energy . it is not , however , a perpetual motion machine . energy is still lost through friction with the road surface and other drains on the system . the energy collected during breaking does not restore all the energy lost during driving . it does improve energy efficiency and assist the main alternator . the current invention provides that the display of the device is in the shape of an airfoil to facilitate ease of movement as well as propel the device and contribute to the regenerative breaking / charging mechanism described earlier . the effect of having the media display in the shape of an airfoil is that it results in more propulsive force and correspondingly more speed . an airfoil has a pulling or pushing effect , dependent upon the wind and the steering conducted by the user of the device . when the airfoil is connected to the base of the media display system , wind provides drag over the airfoil which then propels the base in a direction that is generally forward . the direction of the airfoil can be at any angle as long as the base is propelled in a forward or backward direction . as the media display system is propelled , the electronic circuitry in the system will start recharging the battery , as previously explained . hence , by way of example , when wind is applied to the airfoil from any direction , the airfoil will have drag and then propel the device in that direction . for example , fig4 shows if the wind travels in y direction , the device can be pulled in x direction , thus instituting the regenerative process and recharging the battery of the system . as is shown in fig4 , in this aspect , the forward or front end of the media display can be travelling in one direction , y while the forward or front end of the transporter base can be pointed in another direction , x . therefore , the front of the media display and transporter base are travelling in two different directions even though they are driven by wind travelling in one direction . to produce both flow - deflection as well as the circulation required for lift , the trailing edge of an airfoil must be fairly sharp . whenever the trailing edge of an airfoil causes air to move to one side or the other , two other things occur . first , the air ahead of the airfoil will move over the leading edge of the airfoil . second , the air on one side of the airfoil will speed up , and the air on the other side of the airfoil will slow down . each fast - moving parcel of air on one side of the airfoil greatly outraces its counterpart flowing on the other . air divided by the airfoil doesn &# 39 ; t rejoin again , instead a narrow region of fast flowing air appears on one side the airfoil , and a wide region of slow air appears on the other . the difference in pressure on each side of the airfoil creates a “ lifting force ” or “ drag ” that contributes to the regenerative breaking , charging , or sailing system of the device . as the user is holding on to the airfoil display device to stabilize the display in one direction or another , dependent upon the wind direction , the drag created by the airfoil results in the regenerative breaking , charging , or sailing mechanism of the device to be triggered and recharging of the battery of the system to begin . in one embodiment where the media display is a flexible material , as wind passes around the airfoil , negative pressure is induced out front of and on the side of the airfoil that the wind is blowing . this in turn causes surrounding air to rush into the display and propel the device further based on the acceleration caused by the wind . this airfoil action is compounded as the device travels faster , the wind around the display creates more negative pressure , causing the device to travel faster , causing more negative pressure , and so forth . the user of the device may guide the display by steering the column attached to the display . the drag that is created by the pressure and surrounding air contributes to the regenerative breaking , charging , or sailing mechanism of the media display system . the method and system according to the present disclosure incorporates a tighter turning radius to improve mobility , especially in small areas . furthermore , the system is easy to operate and takes less endurance strength . a connection bar is mounted between the base of the transporter and the airfoil display device to provide maximum stability but also flexibility , if needed by the user of the device . the bar provides for stability , facilitates turning , allows the user to steer the entire device without using their hands or handle connected to the airfoil or display . the connection bar provides additional safety and rigidity . a variety of alternatives exist for where the connection bar is most beneficial , dependent upon the intended use of the media display device . in one embodiment , the connection bar is mounted at the base of the transporter at one end and the base of the media display , above the wheel , at the other end . in an alternative embodiment , the user may desire to have the bar mounted at the base of the transporter at one end and at approximately knee - level on the end of the media display . the position of the connection bar on the display is dependent upon the user &# 39 ; s preference , the terrain on which the device will be used , and the wind speed on the day the device will be used . the connection bar can be rigid in size , extendable , or expandable . the connection bar can be made of any material to support the rigidity or flexibility needed by the user of the device . the connection bar may be made of metal , plastic , or a spring - like substance to provide for absorption of movement of the device and base in alternate directions or any directionality of the transporter . in an alternate embodiment , the bar can be flexible , bendable , or pliable to allow for limited sway or movement depending upon the road or ground conditions . in an alternate embodiment , the connection between the transporter and display can be made up of one or more strut - like members , instead of a single bar . now turning to the figures , fig1 a and fig1 b , depict an exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure . an operator 10 , stands on a base 12 . base 12 is operatively connected to wheels 14 via a connection bar 23 . the base 12 and wheels 14 , can be a segway device as provided by segway ™ inc . the operator 10 holds handle 16 . handle 16 is operatively connection to display means 18 . there may be a track 20 in display means 18 such that handle 16 slides into track 20 to allow the connection . a gurney wheel 22 is attached to the bottom of media display 18 . wheel 22 allows for 360 ° rotation . wheel 22 can be a small wheel or large wheel depending on the terrain where the system is being used . this allows operator 10 to maneuver the device in a variety of directions and turn the device quickly and precisely if needed . this particular embodiment allows for three points , a tripod styled base / foundation of support that allows for freedom of movement and stability of the operator . base 12 allows for the operator to stand on and provide the operator with a way to move the display means 18 without standing on the ground . both drive systems ( segway ™ i2 & amp ; x2 models ) that can be used , among others , as base 12 can be propelled in a variety of different directions . this system also allows the operator to maneuver display means 18 to meet the sight lines the audience placement around the display demands of any given project . fig2 shows the base and wheels portion of the system according to an exemplary embodiment with the connection bar 23 that can be mounted between the base and the display mechanism of the device . in this embodiment , a modified segway device is used . the segway incorporates segway smart motion ™ and is controlled by a network of sensors , mechanical assemblies , propulsion , and control systems . via lean steer technology , an operator uses his or her body position to move and steer the segway device . the segway device shown in fig2 has wheels 26 , connection bar 23 , and base 28 . a steering column 30 is shorter than the standard segway device in this embodiment . this modification of the segway devices allows for the user to effectively steer the media display system without the use of their hands . the handles 30 are in a reverse position from a standard segway device to allow the user to use their knees to help maneuver the system . the media display , such as an airfoil , is shown in fig3 . fig3 is a bottom view of the media display 36 . the media display structure 36 may be constructed with an internal mast , surrounded by sign foam and a hard skin made of fiberglass . in one embodiment , media display 36 sub - finish is a under laminate reflective sheeting ( from , the 3m corporation ™ of st . paul , minn .) called scotchlite ® brand , ( white color ) diamondgrade ® sheeting . this is an energy efficient non - illuminated system that is iridescent during the day light and highly reflective at night . the media display 36 can be can be double sided and the convex surfaces may be highly visible from a wide viewing angle . the artwork can be printed and applied on top of the reflective surface . in one embodiment , the media display 36 is printed ( vivid digital printing : ( 4 ) four color , up to ( 6 ) six color , inkjet press using solvent inks for long life ) on clear cling graphic film . the printed media ( the final over laminate ) allows for great variety of images and / or advertising to be displayed . the media display 36 can display large or small messages and allows for many people to see the message from a distance . fig3 shows a media display 36 that is an airfoil and can generate drag and contribute to the regenerative breaking or sailing system of the device , as described above . wind 39 directionality creates drag on the airfoil which can cause lift and connect back through the circuitry , in one embodiment contained within the connection bar between the airfoil and base , to the battery to regenerate the battery &# 39 ; s power . wind 39 accelerates over one surface of an airfoil , either because it is at an angle to the flow , or because it has more curvature than the other side , or both . when air is accelerated , the pressure that it imparts on an adjoining surface decreases . this lower pressure pulling upward on the upper surface of an airfoil produces lift or drag . in another embodiment the drag created by the airfoil alone is a sufficient breaking mechanism by which the regeneration of the battery needs no connection back to the battery . in another embodiment , the media display 36 allows for the advertisement or message to be electronically displayed . thus , media may be dispatched and monitored from the computer of an advertising account executive , using real time collaboration technologies incorporated ( cti inc .™) software via fttp over the internet and / or cellular phone networks , finally arriving through a wireless handheld onboard or through a similar connection to the system according to the present disclosure . the operator of the media display 36 can control distribution and an it system can track performance data from the field automatically . the operator may also interact with viewers . thus information can be compiled and the file data can be transmitted . the operator can manually track interactions data on a preplanned schedule . a final summary report can be sent via e - mail at the end of the project . in another embodiment , the media display 36 can be changeable to allow for ease of changing the advertisement or message . one such changeable media display 36 can include electronic paper such as that provided through e ink corporation ™. e paper technology is thin , light , flexible and updated by wireless connectivity via local hot spots made possible from plastic logic ™. in an alternate embodiment , the media display 36 may be electronic signage such as an lcd light that illuminates without the use of energy . indicia or advertisements can be displayed on the airfoil and can be changed or alternated in real time through messages or directions sent via a smartphone . for example , if an advertiser who is paying for the display of indicia or an advertisement on the airfoil would like to change what is displayed on the airfoil during the time the device is in use , the advertiser may log on to their computer , upload a message and send the signal to a smartphone . the signal received by the smartphone , and utilized by the operator of the device , will receive the signal and change the indicia that is displayed on the airfoil . in another embodiment , the media display 36 can be mounted on a mast that is operatively connected to the base and wheels rather than only being connected to the base by way of the operator . for example , there can be a permanently or removably mounted c - channel extrusion running up the mast and a permanently or removably mounted kerning , flexible solid tube wrapped in a fiberglass cloth type hinge , to the airfoil or display means . the media display 36 can have free - swinging forward leaning media that can automatically turn , on level grades , in the direction of the transporter as it turns . this is desirable for maximum visibility while moving around corners or navigating around objects . fig4 depicts an embodiment where the front end of the base a and the front end of the display b are pointed in two different directions , y and x respectively . even with the connection bar present between the base and the display , they are still able to move in different directions . fig4 depicts that while a is moving in y direction , the trajectory of b is in x direction , instead of y direction like the base . this is desirable for maximum versatility of the user during display for turning in tight corners , maneuvering around pedestrians and observers , obtaining maximum advantage of wind gusts during use of the device , and provide for maximum resourcefulness of the device . further , the difference in directions on the base of the device and the display contribute to the regenerative breaking or sailing mechanism of the device . the system also can include a variety of features to allow for bluetooth communication and / or digital camera features . for example : such as an iphone ™ from apple , inc . can be included in the media display system . from the segway i2 & amp ; x2 the info key ™ can be remounted at eyelevel on the media air foils hardware ( arm / handle ). this info key ™ is the segway &# 39 ; s bluetooth wireless controller . other embodiments can include cpu with wifi connection and real time collaboration web based software technologies , etc . many modifications to the system according to the present disclosure are contemplated . other accessories that can be used with or on the media display system according to the present disclosure . these accessories include , but are not limited to , media display travel bag for shipping , hard travel case for shipping of segway transporter base and eco ads leansteer ™ quick connector , segway hard cases by gm ® for storage of hand out materials , segway 5 watt led lithium - ion lighting kits ™ for night time operations , bose ™ corp . mini satellite ( wireless ) sound systems for broadcasting audio , segway i2 lower cargo frame kit for mounting pa , av and lighting equipment , segway ramp kit ™ for loading into a vehicle , segway leansteer frame tool - less release ™ for easy and fast set - ups , segway locking kit ™ for added security , and segway comfort mats ™ for alleviating fatigue on long days . when an operator desires to operate the system according to the present disclosure , the operator starts the segway with the infokey , and then raises the display means , air foil to a balanced upright position with its wheel touching the segway . the operator holds onto the handle located on the media display with one hand . the operator holds onto the edge on the display means with the other hand and finds the lower pivot point to adjust the balance of the display means . there may be an indicator light that signals when it is safe for an operator to step on such as after the ( red ) status led &# 39 ; s change to ( green ) status . then the operator steps onto the base while still holding the display means . the operator used his or her feet to propel the device forward . the operator drives the device using the steering shaft and operates the segway with ( his or her ), legs and feet . it will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting , but merely as exemplification of the various embodiments . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto .	6
a roller guard according to the concepts of the present invention , generally indicated by the numeral 60 in the accompanying drawings , is used in connection with a movable barrier , such as a garage door system , generally indicated by the numeral 10 in the accompanying drawings . since the roller guard 60 may be used in connection with a number of different door systems 10 , only general reference will be made to the door system components other than those directly involved with the roller guard 60 . in general , door system 10 ( fig1 ) is mounted within an opening defined by a framework having a pair of spaced vertical jambs 11 connected by a laterally extending header 12 near the upper vertical extremity of the jambs 11 . a door d resides within the opening and is moveable on a pair of guide track assemblies , generally indicated by the numeral 15 , that guide the door d between a generally vertical closed position and a generally horizontal open position ( not shown ). to offset the weight of the door d , as it is operated on guide track assemblies 15 , a counterbalance assembly , generally indicated by the numeral 20 , may be used in connection with the door d in a manner well known in the art . guide track assemblies 15 include a generally vertical track section 16 and a generally horizontal track section 17 which are joined by a curved transition track section 18 . in the track assemblies 15 shown , a second horizontal track section 19 is disposed above the horizontal track section 17 . referring to fig1 - 4 , track sections 16 - 20 receive rollers 25 of door d in arrangements known to persons skilled in the art . referring particularly to fig4 , guide track assemblies 15 in cross section are of a generally j - shaped configuration , having an upstanding leg 22 with a u - shaped curve 23 proximate to one end for receiving the running surface 24 of a roller 25 , which is mounted on the end of a shaft 26 . the other end of the upstanding leg 22 has a lateral leg 27 that restrains excessive movement of the roller 25 from the u - shaped curve 23 . track assembles 15 are coupled to standoff brackets 28 attached to the vertical track sections 16 by a plurality of bolts 29 having heads 30 which located on the interior of track 15 . while the present embodiment depicts a single vertical track design , it should be appreciated that the invention described herein is equally applicable to dual vertical track designs or any other roller track arrangements known in the art . as best shown in fig2 and 3 , each shaft 26 may be secured to door d at a hinge , generally indicated by the numeral 31 . hinge 31 includes a first leaf 32 and a second leaf 33 pivotally attached to first leaf 32 . first leaf 32 is mounted flush on a door panel d ′ and similarly secured thereto by a plurality of bolts 34 . second leaf 33 is mounted flush on an adjoining door panel d ″ and secured by a plurality of bolts 35 . first and second leaves 32 and 33 are each secured to a pin 36 which allows relative pivotal movement of door panels d ′ and d ″. second leaf 33 is provided with a pair of spaced flanges 37 which project away from door panel d ″. each flange 37 is provided with an aperture 38 . secured between apertures 38 , which are axially aligned , is a roller carrier 39 which is a hollow cylindrical tube adapted to slidably and removably receive a shaft 26 which mounts a roller 25 . roller 25 is provided with a bearing ( not shown ) which allows for free rotation relative to shaft 26 . shaft 26 also is free to move axially within roller carrier 39 during operation of door d . referring to fig4 and 5a , a first circumferential boss 40 may be provided on shaft 26 and has a radius greater than that of shaft 26 . a second circumferential boss 41 having the same radius as the first boss 40 may further be provided and positioned between roller 25 and first boss 40 . it should be appreciated that , while the present embodiment includes a pair of bosses , the invention described herein is applicable to roller and shaft designs which do not include bosses and other roller and shaft arrangements known in the art . as best shown in fig4 , upstanding leg 22 , u - shaped curve 23 and lateral leg 27 define an interior track cavity 50 . further , an opening 51 is defined between the lateral leg 27 and u - shaped curve 23 of track 15 . as will be appreciated , objects entering opening 51 may interfere with the operation of the door d or be damaged as rollers 25 traverse track 15 . of particular concern is the entrapment of a hand or fingers within interior track cavity 50 during door operation . to prevent a foreign object , hand or finger from entering opening 51 proximate a roller 25 , the roller guard , according to the concepts of the present invention , and , generally indicated by the numeral 60 , is provided . as best shown in fig2 - 4 , roller guard 60 is carried on shaft 26 and at least partially encompasses roller 25 , so as to reduce the likelihood of crushing a foreign object or finger between tracks 15 and a roller 25 . as shown , roller guard 60 is a single piece body 61 which , when installed , resides entirely within interior track cavity 50 . body 61 includes a shield wall 62 which , as seen in fig5 a , partially covers opening 51 when installed . as best seen in fig7 , shield wall 62 may be generally rectangular defining a pair of longitudinal edges 63 a and 63 b and a pair of lateral edges 64 wherein longitudinal edges 63 a and 63 b are joined by lateral edges 64 . when roller shield 60 is mounted in tracks 15 , shield wall 62 is generally parallel to upstanding leg 22 , as is evident in fig4 , and may be positioned within and obstruct at least a portion of opening 51 . referring to fig5 - 7 , an annular projection 65 may extend axially from shield wall 62 towards hinge 31 . extending through both shield wall 62 and annular projection 65 is a bore 66 which is adapted to receive circumferential bosses 40 and 41 therein . the diameter of bore 66 may be sized to provide a press fit when the roller guard 60 is installed over circumferential bosses 40 and 41 . a circumferential flange 67 is provided at the end of annular projection 65 extending radially inward therefrom . a plurality of circumferentially spaced tabs 68 are provided which extend radially inward from flange 67 . each tab 68 includes a contact surface 69 which may be positioned to engage shaft 26 . flange 67 and tabs 68 are sized so that when assembled , contact surfaces 69 of tabs 68 grip shaft 26 . in this manner , the roller guard 60 is thereby restrained both axially and rotationally relative to shaft 26 . referring to fig4 - 7 , a pair of opposed sidewalls 70 project orthogonally from shield wall 62 at lateral edges 64 and a top wall 71 projects generally orthogonally from shield wall 62 at longitudinal edge 63 a . top wall 71 includes a pair of spaced edges 72 which extend towards shield wall 62 and are joined by a curved edge 73 . edges 72 and 73 define a groove 74 which allows a portion of roller 25 to project therethrough . in other words , when installed , a portion of roller 25 extends beyond top wall 71 to enable contact with lateral leg 27 of track 15 as best seen in fig4 , 5 and 5 a . side walls 70 and top walls 71 intersect at edges 75 . edge 75 is radiused in order to prevent jamming of roller guard 60 within tract 15 as will be discussed later . in one or more preferred embodiments depending upon curvature of track 15 and other dimensions , the radius of edge 75 is from between 0 . 125 and 0 . 375 inches . in a particularly preferred embodiment the radius of edge 75 is 0 . 250 inches . body 61 is further provided with a pair of fingers 80 which are positioned at the bottom of roller guard 60 proximate to the u - shaped curve 23 in track 15 as seen in fig4 , 5 and 5 a . fingers 80 project from side walls 60 on either side of roller 25 . fingers 80 are adapted to further prevent objects from being entrapped between roller 25 and track 15 , while also preventing jamming as rollers 25 traverse track 15 . referring to fig4 and 5 , fingers 80 include a beveled surface 81 which is disposed at an angle from side walls 70 . in one or more preferred embodiments , depending upon the curvature of track 15 and other dimensions , the angle is between 45 and 70 degrees . in a particularly preferred embodiment the angle is 60 degrees . as seen in fig4 , fingers 80 in a direction axially of roller 25 include a first angled surface 82 and a second opposed angled surface 83 which are joined by a curved surface 84 in an open u - shaped configuration . first angled surface 82 is disposed at an angle α from shield wall 62 . second angled surface 83 is disposed at an angle β from an edge 85 defined by side wall 70 . the angle α of first angled surface 82 is chosen to reduce contact with track 15 . in one embodiment the angle α may be chosen so that it is generally parallel to the portion of track 15 which faces first angled surface 82 or so that running surface 24 of roller 25 engages the proximate surface of u - shaped curve 23 before angled surface 82 can engage the u - shaped curve 23 . in another embodiment the angle α may be about 45 °. similarly , the angle β of second angled surface 83 is chosen to reduce contact with track 15 . in one embodiment the angle β may be chosen so that it is generally parallel to the portion of track 15 which faces second angled surface 83 or so that running surface 24 of roller 25 engages the proximate surface of u - shaped curve 23 before angled surface 83 can engage the u - shaped curve 23 . in another embodiment the angle β may be about 25 °. fingers 80 and shield wall 62 define a bottom groove 86 extending between fingers 80 which is adapted to allow a portion of roller 25 to extend therethrough . when installed , a portion of roller 25 extends beyond fingers 80 to provide contact with the u - shaped curve 23 of track 15 . as seen in fig6 , shield wall 62 , side walls 70 , top wall 71 and fingers 80 define a chamber 87 which receives roller 25 therein . chamber 87 includes an annular surface 88 which projects radially outward from bore 66 . a pair of roller surfaces 89 circumferentially surround roller 25 and terminate at edges 72 and fingers 80 . positioned between annular surface 88 and roller surface 89 is a curved surface 90 , which smoothly connects the aforementioned surfaces . as is evident from fig5 , roller 25 resides in chamber 87 and , to that end , roller surfaces 89 define a diameter which is greater than that of roller 25 to allow free rotation therein . referring now to fig2 - 4 , it can be seen that roller guard 60 is located axially of shaft 26 , and when positioned over roller 25 , will prevent objects from being crushed between track 15 and roller 25 . when installed , roller guard 60 in cooperation with track 15 encloses roller 25 , leaving no substantial part of roller 25 exposed to external objects . further , as rollers 25 traverse track 15 , side walls 70 , edge 75 and beveled surface 81 push any intervening object harmlessly in front of guard 60 . as is evident from fig2 and 3 , the body 61 of roller guard 60 resides within track 15 . particularly , shield wall 62 , side walls 70 , top wall 71 , and fingers 80 are all positioned within the interior track cavity 50 defined by track assembly 15 . only annular projection 65 extends beyond opening 51 , closely encircling bosses 40 and 41 . friction is minimized because no shielding surfaces remain in continuous contact with the track assembly . additionally , roller guard 60 will not interfere with any external track system components . further , due to its compact design , guard 60 can be installed on any of the rollers 25 , including those located on the lowermost edge of door d . it is to be appreciated that the guard 60 not only protects users from injury but does not encumber door movement . therefore , the roller guard 60 of the present invention produces little friction and is not prone to jamming . jamming is particularly a concern as roller guard 60 traverses a transitional track section 18 , due to the curved orientation thereof . it should be appreciated that components of transitional track section 18 embody different radii of curvature . specifically , the radius of curvature of lateral leg 27 is larger than that of curved portion 23 . in order to promote smooth operation , radiused edges 75 and beveled surface , 81 are provided . as discussed above , edge 75 is provided with a radius to reduce contact with lateral leg 27 while traversing track section 18 . further , beveled edge 81 is disposed at angle which reduces contact with curved section 23 . while it is desired that the roller guard 60 contact the track assembly 15 as little as possible , it should be evident , that due to the orientation of the roller guard 60 within track assembly 15 , some contact is necessary . particularly , while traversing track section 18 , beveled surface edge 81 and edges 75 intermittently contact track assembly 15 in order to progressively reorient the roller guard 60 therein . such contact is only intermittent and edges 75 and 81 are adapted to reduce friction when such contact occurs . in this manner , guard 60 does not interfere with roller movement or unduly create frictional forces . thus , it should be evident that the roller guard for a movable barrier disclosed herein carries out one or more of the objects of the present invention set forth above and otherwise constitute an advantageous contribution to the art . as will be apparent to persons skilled in the art , modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit of the invention , the scope of the invention herein being limited solely by the scope of the attached claims .	4
the method to generate electrical energy includes a cathode which reacts with alpha particles generating electrically charged particles . the device that will be described includes an electron generating cathode and alpha source that allows for a practical and compact power supply . atomic reactions are converted to electrical energy with extreme efficiency within the scope of the present invention . furthermore , it will be understood that the generated electrical current can be directly converted into a useful voltage and amperage . the conversion of the electrons that are emitted from said cathode generates useful electrical current that will be made apparent and that the alpha fusion valve is unique in generating electrical power . it will be made apparent in the following descriptions ; referring now to fig1 of the drawings , the said invention consists of a vessel 1 that is made out of an electrically insulating airtight material , such as glass , ceramic , plastic or the like . it is preferred that a natural alpha source be used but an artificial alpha source might also be used and this will not depart from the spirit of the present invention . vessel 1 includes a corona wire 2 , made out of a delta - ray emissive element , compound , or alloy , such as germanium , silicon , or lead - sulfide , etc . . . . delta - ray emissive substances emit delta - ray electrons when bombarded with alpha particles . the vessel 1 contains a high work function electron - collecting cylinder 3 , preferably made out of palladium because this metal can absorb a large volume of gas . after a period of time , the alpha particles lose their charge , become helium gas , build up , and the present invention eventually becomes electrically blocked . this is because helium gas is electrically non - conductive . a high work function material that has the ability to absorb gas will delay this process . other alternative electrical collector materials , such as activated carbon , which has the ability to absorb large volumes of gas , may be used and this will not depart from the spirit of the invention . radon gas emissive radioactive material 4 is placed at the base inside vessel 1 . the radioactive material 4 can be placed in a number of locations within vessel 1 and still not depart from the spirit of the invention . the electron emitter 2 can take the form of a wire , rod , cylinder , disc , plate , etc . . . . the electron collector 3 can also take the form of a wire , rod , cylinder , disc , plate , etc . . . . i do not stake my claim on the form or geometry of the electron emitter or electron collector . i stake my claim on the method used to generate electrical power using an alpha fusion reaction . in the instant invention a negative charge of one - thousand volts or higher is applied to pin 5 , which is electrically connected to corona wire 2 . respectively , a positive charge is applied to pin 6 which is electrically connected to a high work function electron collection cylinder 3 . this has the effect of attracting and concentrating radon gas onto the corona wire 2 which becomes an abundant supply of alpha reactive particles . a lower voltage may also be applied across pin 5 and pin 6 . the applied voltage will depend on the parameters of the wattage design of the present invention , which are too numerous to mention . electrically conductive pin 5 and pin 6 exit through an airtight seal at the bottom of vessel 1 , not shown . there are a number of sealants that are available in the field . the inner cavity of vessel 1 is evacuated of air at a low pressure of about 1 / 10th of an atmosphere . the amount of air that is evacuated is not critical but care must be taken not to obtain too low of a vacuum because this can result in the generation of undesirable x - ray emission . there are a number of high voltage sources that can be used to apply the required activating potential through pin 5 and pin 6 and this will not depart from the spirit of the present invention . i stake my claim to my new and novel method that directly generates electrical power which results from the alpha fusion process and i do not stake my claim to the activating external voltage source thereof . the speed in which the present invention will build up power depends on the potential difference that is applied to it and type of radon gas that it contains . the quantity of the alpha particle source determines the amount of amperage that is generated . the target material 2 is also a determining factor of how much current will be generated . when the target material 2 temperature rises , a greater number of electrons are emitted from its surface . the heated cathode 2 increases the odds of alpha particles hitting head on with its atoms , thus , producing a greater number of alpha fusion reactions , which further increases the surface heat boiling off additional thermally generated electrons . the surface area of the cathode 2 and anode 3 is also a determining factor of how much electrical current will be obtained . the present invention generates a high voltage direct current . the present invention also generates a greater amperage per given density from what has been obtained from any previously known method or device in the prior art . the instant invention described can be slightly modified to convert high voltage , high frequency , and radio frequency currents into a direct current . this feature is accomplished by adding an electrically conductive substance such as mercury , not shown , into the electrically non - conducting vessel 1 . any number of electrically conductive substances that will form a vapor or gas when heated can be used and this will not depart from the spirit of the invention . said modification can also be utilized without the use of the radioactive substance 4 , if the input source has enough energy to excite the vapor or gas into its electrically conductive state . the present modification of the primary invention is more efficient than the prior art in converting alternating or oscillating currents because there is less electrical resistance in the conversion process . therefore , energy can be more efficiently received and converted into a direct current . the present invention is named alpha fusion valve 8 in the block diagram that follows : the block diagram shown illustrates an example of how an alpha fusion valve 8 can be utilized in a practical application . many differing types of systems are made possible using the present invention and will not depart from the spirit of the invention . the alpha fusion valve 8 must be energized by an external potential difference to function if it is initially inactive or is allowed to become inactive after it has been producing power , not shown . this can be accomplished by applying a high voltage charge obtained from an electronic power supply 7 . the reactions will build up within the alpha fusion valve 8 to the point where the surface of its internal electron emitter is totally bathed with radon gas . the alpha fusion valve 8 has to be primed with a potential difference to begin generating electrical power . the alpha fusion valve 8 produces a high voltage direct current . the output of the alpha fusion valve 8 can be used to charge a high voltage capacitance 9 . the high voltage is then lowered to twelve volts through a step - down converter 10 . the twelve volts then charges a low voltage capacitance 11 which can be a set of parallel - connected twelve - volt storage batteries . a set of parallel - connected high farad capacitors could also be used . the stored energy in capacitance 11 can be used to provide power to electrical loads that require a twelve - volt direct current or it can provide a twelve - volt power supply to an inverter 12 . the output of the inverter 12 can be designed by methods known in the art to provide a voltage and frequency that is required by specific electrical loads 13 . it is preferable that an electronic voltage source be used to keep the alpha fusion valve 8 in a constant energized state , which can be alternating or non - alternating . numerous electronic circuit designs may be used to supply the potential difference required to energize the alpha fusion valve 8 . such electronic circuits are known in the field and are not what i stake my claim to . alternatively , a strong enough source of alpha , beta , gamma radiation or a combination thereof may also be used to energize the alpha fusion valve 8 . a simple earth ground and antenna raised to a suitable height can be used to take advantage of the potential difference that exists between the planet and its atmosphere , although this is not always practical . charging capacitance 9 with this method is unpredictable and slow . any suitable circuit may be used to supply the required potential difference to energize the alpha - fusion valve 8 and this will not depart from the spirit of the invention .	6
the hanging according to the invention consists of a supporting bar 1 which , in the example illustrated , has a circular cross - section and which has a constant cross - section over its entire length . the surface of the supporting bar is burnished with a high luster ; it consists of metal , for example steel , brass or aluminum alloys of sufficient strength , and can carry an appropriate coating , for example chromium , rhodium or the like , to improve the reflectivity of its cylindrical surface . the supporting bar 1 consists of a threaded rod 2 , onto which is pushed a metal tube 3 having a burnished outer surface . an ornamental nut 4 , for example of spherical form , is screwed onto the lower end of the threaded rod 2 , and at the upper end a ring nut 5 is located , by means of which the hanging can be fastened to the chandelier or the like . a supporting plate 6 belongs to each of the two nuts 4 , 5 . in the example illustrated , the two supporting plates are identical , but they can also have different appearances . the supporting plates 6 have essentially a tub shape , and the encircling edge 7 holds together the outer bars 8 made of transparent material with a high luster surface and the supporting bar . in the exemplary embodiment illustrated , the outer bars have a circular cross - section and are of identical diameter which is constant over their entire length and which is somewhat greater than that of the supporting bar 1 . they consist of glass with a preferably high coefficient of refraction ; however , they can also be made of synthetic glass ( plexiglass , polymethacrylate and the like ). to retain the four outer bars 8 at the correct distance from one another and at a distance from the supporting bar 1 , there is in each supporting plate 6 a square spacer piece 9 which is drawn against the metal tube 3 by means of the two nuts 4 and 5 , with shims 10 being interposed . the length of the outer bars 8 is somewhat less than the distance between the bottoms of the supporting plates 6 , so that , even when the nuts 4 , 5 are tightened to a high degree , the outer bars 8 cannot undergo any compressive stress which could result in damage or breakage . because the transparent outer bars 8 are arranged at a distance from one another and at a distance from the high - luster surface of the supporting bar 1 , and because the diameter or cross - section of the outer bars is made at least equal to , but preferably greater than that of the supporting bar 1 , there arises , especially when the hanging is irradiated by lateral light sources , such as , for example , the filament bulb 11 indicated in fig1 as a special effect , above all the impression that the outer bars are themselves the light sources , as a result of the multiple light reflections on the surfaces of the supporting bar and outer bars and the multiple refraction of the direct and reflected light in the outer bars . furthermore , a substantially uniform light distribution is achieved , specifically even in high rooms , provided that the hanging according to the invention is of adequate length . the hanging described can be modified in various ways , without thereby having to depart from the scope of the invention . thus , the supporting bar or just some outer bars , or even all the outer bars can have cross - sections differing from the circular form , for example the form of polygons , preferably regular polygons . in a further design , the supporting bar and / or some or all of the outer bars can be twisted round the longitudinal axis if they are designed with a polygonal cross - section . this twisting can extend in the same direction for all the bars , but it is also possible to alternate the twisting direction , for example from one outer bar to another , preferably with the supporting bar not being twisted . finally , it is also possible to arrange several hangings of the type described round the light source or round part of the latter , thus resulting in a form of light fitting .	5

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